Last Sunday, I watched the special transmission of the Easter ceremony held in the Holy Vatican on the TV screen, where a huge crowd of people was eager to glimpse their spiritual leader, Pope Francis. I was thinking that the real ruler is the one who reigns in the hearts of the people, whose high personality and high character make people love him. However, no one knew that this Easter would prove to be the last Easter of the 88-year-old Pope Francis.
Before committing cowardly aggression against Pakistan, a statement by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also emerged in the media that India will not allow even a drop of water to go outside. Although he did not name any country, every sensible person can understand that he was referring to Pakistan, which is already facing suspension from the Indus Water Treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam incident. Reportedly, India has also targeted the Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project during its attacks on various places in Pakistan.
After the Pahalgam attack in Indian occupied Kashmir, border tensions between Pakistan and India have escalated sharply. According to recent reports, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has authorised the Indian armed forces to avenge the Pahalgam attack. The Indian government has also banned several Pakistani TV and YouTube channels, including Geo News, which are obstructing its war narrative.
Last Sunday, I watched the special transmission of the Easter ceremony held in the Holy Vatican on the TV screen, where a huge crowd of people was eager to glimpse their spiritual leader, Pope Francis. I was thinking that the real ruler is the one who reigns in the hearts of the people, whose high personality and high character make people love him. However, no one knew that this Easter would prove to be the last Easter of the 88-year-old Pope Francis.
Just after three years of Partition, a terrible series of riots on religious grounds broke out in both parts of Bengal. At that time, extremists in East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and West Bengal of India started brutally targeting religious minorities. Minority women from both sides were abducted while attacks on each other’s holy religious places of worship were on rise.
The recently imposed trade tariffs by US President Donald Trump have created panic in world stock markets and forced the leadership of world countries to sit at the dialogue table to sign a deal on a give-and-take basis.
Although the US is famous for exporting weapons, warplanes and defence production to the world, its economy is mainly based on IT services. However, in recent years, other players have also come forward to compete in the US. China in particular is giving the US a tough time on every front. Trump is well aware that the US market consists of over 300 million people, and Americans prefer products from other countries for their daily use.
During the Eid holidays this year, I got some time from my socio-political activities to watch a movie titled ‘12th Fail’. The story revolves around Manoj, who along with his fellows, attempts to cheat to pass the 12th class examination. However, a police officer, DSP Dushant, stops the cheating. As a result, all the students, including Manoj, fail.
Manoj, on the advice of a police officer, gives up the intention of cheating and starts trying to pass the examination again with his hard work. Then finally, the day comes when Manoj succeeds in crossing all the hurdles to becoming a government officer. In the film, the world-renowned socio-political leader Dr Ambedkar is also specially acknowledged.
Fourteen hundred years ago, on the 20th of Ramazan, a remarkable event in human history occurred, which is still remembered today and has ever-lasting effects on humankind. The last Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) entered the holy city of Makkah after eight years of exile with such splendour that no power in the world was able to stop. After returning to Makkah in a grand victorious manner, the great Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him), selected the best path of general amnesty, which even today every sensible and peace-loving person in the world considers a beacon of light for establishing peace.
I believe that those who adopt an attitude of forgiveness, mercy and tolerance are role models for all of humanity.
Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir’s determination to transform Pakistan into a hard state has started a new debate on social media. The statement came to light during the National Security Committee meeting held at the Parliament House, in which Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, provincial chief ministers, members of the parliamentary committee and various federal ministers also participated in reviewing the national defence strategy and the ongoing struggle for curbing terrorism.
Earlier, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, during the National Assembly session, demanded the formulation of National Action Plan II. He emphasised that terrorists, global powers and Pakistan’s enemies are taking undue advantage of our differences.
The first total lunar eclipse of 2025 will take place on March 14 and will be visible in the Americas, Western Europe, West Africa and the northern South Atlantic Ocean. A partial solar eclipse will be visible in the same month on the 29th, which will be visible to those living in North America, Europe and northwestern Russia. However, both eclipses will not be visible in many countries, including Pakistan.
Five years ago, in my column titled ‘Victory of light’ published in these pages on June 27, 2020, I highlighted that eclipses, both solar and lunar, have been the focus of human attention since ancient times. According to Hinduism, goodness, truth and kindness are related to light, the source of which is the sun and the moon.
The highly contentious meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held on February 28, ended abruptly without a resolution, and the expected signing of the Ukraine-United States Mineral Resources Agreement was canceled.
The Trump administration, in a major development, has halted the supply of military aid to Ukraine, terming the behaviour of the war-torn Ukrainian president a disrespect to the US.Trump’s stance in this regard is very clear that, despite the support provided by the US, Ukraine has proven to be unable to win the war against Russia.
The journalist community, civil society and opposition parties are protesting against the recently introduced amendments in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). Critics say the legislation aims to suppress the voices of active political opponents on social media, while government circles are calling the Peca amendments a vital effort to prevent the spread of hateful propaganda and fake news on social media.
The recent controversy over the Peca amendments reminded me of my past legal struggle when I had appeared before the Supreme Court of Pakistan for the protection of minorities.
DeepSeek, an AI model introduced by China, is being hailed as a game-changer in the artificial intelligence (AI) space, posing a significant challenge to US supremacy in the AI field. Combating the challenge of the ban imposed by Washington, China has managed to create AI models at a fraction of the cost incurred by US tech giants, including OpenAI and Meta Platforms.
Although DeepSeek has been launched on the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Western media is reporting that China deliberately selected January 20, when the newly elected US President Donald Trump took the oath of office. Interestingly.
In another tragic incident of a boat sinking off near the coast of Libya, at least 16 Pakistani citizens have lost their lives while trying to illegally reach Europe by sea. Ten Pakistanis are reported to be missing in this horrific incident.
In the past few years, there have been various news reports about the sinking of several vessels carrying illegal migrants departing from the North African country of Libya emerged in the international media. Dozens of passengers, including Pakistani nationals, have been reported dead, whereas many unfortunate passengers are still missing after drowning in the deep sea.
For the past few months, much positive news has been received from what was once East Pakistan. A news report published in the Bangladeshi newspaper ‘Dhaka Tribune’ says that a Bangladesh Navy ship named BNS Somudra Joy has departed from Chittagong and is currently heading towards the port of Karachi for active participation in the multilateral naval exercises titled ‘Aman Exercise 2025’, hosted by Pakistan Navy from February 7-11. The historic moments of the ship’s docking are therefore being eagerly awaited here in Karachi.
DeepSeek, an AI model introduced by China, is being hailed as a game-changer in the artificial intelligence (AI) space, posing a significant challenge to US supremacy in the AI field. Combating the challenge of the ban imposed by Washington, China has managed to create AI models at a fraction of the cost incurred by US tech giants, including OpenAI and Meta Platforms.
Although DeepSeek has been launched on the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Western media is reporting that China deliberately selected January 20, when the newly elected US President Donald Trump took the oath of office. Interestingly.
Donald Trump, on the first day of his presidency, has proved himself a truly amazing leader with a clear strategy to achieve his goals. With a firm determination to make America great again, he has signed many executive orders, hinting at a clear glimpse of the future policies of the superpower. Some analysts say that Pakistan is no longer in the list of US priorities. During the tenure of former US president Joe Biden, bilateral relations reached such a cold end that Biden did not even consider it necessary to have a telephonic conversation with any Pakistani leader and during his four-year term
First of all, I am grateful to God Almighty who, like every year, blessed me to start the new year by facilitating deserving people to initiate a new life and to contribute something positive for the benefit of the entire society.
During the colourful combined marriage ceremony organised by the Pakistan Hindu Council and Dr Prem Kumar Setal Das Memorial Trust on January 12, 2025, more than one hundred couples tied the knot.
Recent reports have revealed that Saudi Arabia is interested in buying 15 per cent shares in the Reko Diq mines located in Balochistan, with the potential to produce 200,000 tons of copper and 250,000 ounces of gold annually for over half a century. According to media reports, Saudi Arabia will pay Pakistan $540 million in two instalments. In addition, Saudi Arabia will also provide $150 million for the exploration of natural minerals in Balochistan.
Time flies by so fast. Just a short while ago, we were congratulating each other on the arrival of 2024. Today, the same year has become a part of history, never to return. According to Vedic astrology, the year 2024 was the year of karma. As per Hinduism, the basic concept of karma is that every good deed has a good outcome, while a wrongdoer must face bad consequences. The year 2024 was also the year of global elections, and more than half of the world’s population, residing in over 60 countries, including Pakistan,