ISLAMABAD: Pakistani national security adviser Moeed W. Yusuf said on Thursday an agreement between the militaries of Pakistan and India to stop firing along their disputed border in Kashmir was not the result of back channel diplomacy between him and Ajit Kumar Doval, the national security adviser to the prime minister of India.
The nuclear-armed neighbors signed a cease-fire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) — the de facto border in the Kashmir region — in 2003, but the truce has been fraying in recent years. In recent months, cross border firing has become frequent, often killing or maiming people living in the area.
The military operational heads of the two countries spoke over the telephone on Thursday and agreed to discuss each other’s concerns that could disturb peace and lead to violence in the Himalayan region, a joint statement said.
“In the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders, the two DGsMO [director-generals of military operations] agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which have propensity to disturb peace and lead to violence,” the statement said.
“I have seen claims by Indian media that attribute today’s cease-fire announcement between Pakistani and Indian DGMOs to back-channel diplomacy between me and the Indian NSA [national security adviser]. This is baseless. No such talks have taken place between me and Mr. Doval,” Yusuf said in a Twitter thread.
“The welcome development on the LoC is a result of discussions through the established channel of DGMOs. Obviously these are by their very nature not in the public eye and done privately and professionally through the direct channel,” Yusuf added.
“Pakistan has continued to call for the 2003 cease-fire agreement to be honored and I am glad we have reached the understanding. It must be followed in letter and spirit,” the Pakistani official said. “Doing so will save innocent lives so no one should question the intent. Nor should wrong inferences be drawn. There is nothing more than meets the eye here.”
Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between the neighbors, but tension was renewed after New Delhi withdrew the autonomy of the Himalayan region in August 2019 and split it into federally administered territories. Both countries claim the region in full, but rule it in part.
Pakistan says Kashmir border truce with India not result of ‘back channel diplomacy’
https://arab.news/y427v
Pakistan says Kashmir border truce with India not result of ‘back channel diplomacy’
- The return to a cease-fire was settled by the two armies’ director-generals of military operations, a joint statement said
- Pakistani national security adviser says cease-fire came through ‘direct channel,’ not result of back channel talks with Indian national security chief
Death toll in Pakistan shopping plaza fire rises to 67, officials say
- Rescue teams still searching for damaged Gul Plaza in Karachi where blaze erupted on Saturday, says police surgeon
- Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi jumped to 67 on Thursday after police and a hospital official confirmed that the remains of dozens more people had been found.
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said rescue teams were still searching the severely damaged Gul Plaza in the Karachi, where the blaze erupted on Saturday.
Most remains were discovered in fragments, making identification extremely difficult, but the deaths of 67 people have been confirmed, she said. Asad Raza, a senior police official in Karachi, also confirmed the death toll. Authorities previously had confirmed 34 deaths.
Family members of the missing have stayed near the destroyed plaza and hospital, even after providing their DNA for testing. Some have tried to enter the building forcibly, criticizing the rescue efforts as too slow.
“They are not conducting the search properly,” said Khair-un-Nisa, pointing toward the rescuers. She stood outside the building in tears, explaining that a relative who had left to go shopping has been missing since the blaze.
Another woman, Saadia Saeed, said her brother has been trapped inside the building since Saturday night, and she does not know what has happened to him.
“I am ready to go inside the plaza to look for him, but police are not allowing me,” she said.
There was no immediate comment from authorities about accusations they have been too slow.
Many relatives of the missing claim more lives could have been saved if the government had acted more swiftly. Authorities have deployed police around the plaza to prevent relatives from entering the unstable structure, while rescuers continue their careful search.
Investigators say the blaze erupted at a time when most shop owners were either closing for the day or had already left. Since then, the Sindh provincial government has said around 70 people were missing after the flames spread rapidly, fueled by goods such as cosmetics, clothing, and plastic items.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though police have indicated that a short circuit may have triggered the blaze.
Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement, and illegal construction.
In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012, when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.
