Author: Uzma Ehtasham

By Uzma Ehtasham India faced fresh criticism from Pakistan’s political and religious communities this week after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh suggested that Sindh, though not part of India today, remained “culturally” tied to it and could one day “again become part of India”. His remarks, delivered at a public event in New Delhi, revived long‑standing anxieties over the aggressive rhetoric that has increasingly shaped India’s posture under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 11‑year rule. The comments triggered swift outrage in Islamabad, where lawmakers described the remarks as a direct assault on Pakistan’s sovereignty. The National Assembly passed a unanimous resolution condemning…

By Uzma Ehtasham The Trump administration has set in motion a sweeping review of green cards issued to immigrants from nineteen countries, a measure framed as an urgent response to national security concerns. The announcement, delivered with stark emphasis by Joseph Edlow, head of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, signaled a decisive shift in the administration’s approach to immigration oversight. Edlow confirmed that President Donald Trump had directed a thorough and stringent re-examination of all immigrants from countries deemed to pose a potential risk to the United States, a list that includes Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Venezuela, Myanmar,…

By Uzma Ehtasham In a moment of heightened tension across the region, Pakistan and Iran have demonstrated the rare power of solidarity and shared strategic vision. The recent visit of Dr Ali Ardeshir Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to Islamabad was more than a diplomatic courtesy. It represented an affirmation of alignment between two neighbors whose histories, faith, and geography have long intertwined, yet whose relations have often been shaped by the pressures of regional rivalries. Larijani’s public expressions of gratitude for Pakistan’s moral and diplomatic support during Israel’s twelve-day assault on Gaza, combined with his declaration…

By Uzma Ehtasham KARACHI: A high-level delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Ivory Coast visited the city on Tuesday, engaging in talks at the Honorary Consulate of Ivory Coast in Karachi. The five-member team was warmly received by Honorary Consul General Fazal Karim Dadabhoy, who presented the visitors with Sindh’s traditional Ajrak and a bouquet, highlighting Pakistan’s cultural heritage and the province’s spirit of hospitality. Officials described the meeting as both cordial and constructive, with discussions centering on avenues for strengthening bilateral relations, boosting trade, and expanding agricultural cooperation. The delegation explored opportunities to enhance collaboration across multiple…

By Uzma Ehtasham In the grand conference halls where the future of nations is so often mapped out, the air is thick with promise. It was no different recently, as Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, stood before a gathering of regional transport ministers and articulated a vision of transformative ambition. He spoke of steel arteries – railways and freight corridors – stitching together the fractured geography of the region, from the bustling ports of the Arabian Sea to the landlocked heart of Central Asia and beyond. The Trans-Afghan Railway, the revitalized Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul corridor; these are not merely infrastructure projects. They…

By Uzma Ehtasham In a capital often weary of political pronouncements, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address to the Regional Transport Ministers’ Conference struck a note of ambitious, almost hopeful, regionalism. His speech, brimming with the lexicon of connectivity and shared destiny, presented the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor not merely as a piece of national infrastructure, but as an open artery for the entire region’s economic lifeblood. He extended a hand to neighboring nations, inviting them to partake in what has long been billed as a “game-changer,” painting a picture of a future where prosperity is a collective, not a solitary, pursuit.…

By Uzma Ehtasham There is a particular weight to words spoken in a place like Balochistan. The air, often thick with heat and history, carries declarations beyond their immediate sound, echoing into the rugged mountains and across the vast, resource-rich plains. When Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the nation’s chief of army staff, addressed the 17th National Workshop in the province, his message was twofold, a delicate yet firm balance between a promise and a warning. It was a statement that sought to define the very soul of the modern Pakistani state: a commitment to build and prosper from within,…

By Uzma Ehtasham In the air-conditioned halls of Doha, a conversation of profound consequence is tentatively beginning. The arrival of a high-level Pakistani delegation, led by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, to sit with representatives of the Afghan Taliban, mediated by Qatari intelligence, represents a fragile flicker of hope in a landscape too often defined by shadow and violence. The agreement for an immediate ceasefire, a product of these talks, is more than a diplomatic formality; it is a vital, if precarious, breath of air for communities along the Pakistan-Afghan frontier for whom the sound of gunfire has been a…

By Uzma Ehtasham An important meeting was convened in Islamabad the previous day, chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, to deliberate and decide on critical national security issues. The attendees included Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the Chief Ministers of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. However, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sahibzada Saeed Afridi, was notably absent from this crucial gathering. The meeting had been specifically called to formulate a plan of action to counter the incursions orchestrated by the Afghan Taliban and the Fitna al-Khawarij, which operate as Indian proxies,…

By Uzma Ehtasham Pakistan’s recent descent into violent unrest, orchestrated under the banner of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), has drawn sharp condemnation from federal ministers, who have stressed that while the nation stands unwaveringly in solidarity with Palestinians, it will not tolerate lawlessness. The protests, which erupted in several cities, have tragically claimed lives and injured scores of security personnel, highlighting a dangerous pattern of extremism cloaked in political and religious rhetoric. Speaking at a press conference alongside colleagues Mohsin Naqvi, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, and State Minister Talal Chaudhry, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar painted a stark contrast between peaceful demonstrations…