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UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday praised Pakistan’s initiative at the UN Security Council (UNSC) to strengthen mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes, saying the move was particularly important at a time when conflicts were escalating across the Middle East and beyond.

Addressing an UNSC open debate held pursuant to Pakistan-sponsored Resolution 2788 (2025), the UN chief presented recommendations aimed at making diplomacy, mediation and conflict prevention more effective tools for maintaining international peace and security.

The resolution, which was presented by Pakistan during its presidency of the UNSC last year and adopted unanimously by the Council, seeks to strengthen the use of peaceful means available under the UN Charter, including negotiation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and judicial settlement.

Pakistan had argued that diplomacy should not be used only after conflicts erupt but should serve as a means to prevent crises from escalating.

“As conflicts escalate across the Middle East and beyond, military solutions cannot deliver lasting peace,” Guterres said, calling for restraint, protection of civilians and renewed commitment to diplomacy.

“The situation is getting out of control. It’s teetering on the edge of the unimaginable,” the secretary-general warned, noting that the region was being “pulled into another widening circle of confrontation.”

“One crisis feeds another. One escalation triggers the next,” he said, adding that as this dynamic spreads, “the political objectives are becoming increasingly obscured by the confrontation itself.”

“It’s time to step back,” Guterres said, stressing that “attacks on civilian infrastructure are unacceptable” and that “there’s no military solution to the conflict.”

“Fighting must stop everywhere in the region,” he said, while calling for the restoration of “international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.”

“Diplomacy is the only way forward,” the UN chief added.

Recognising Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, Guterres said: “I want to recognise the mediation of Pakistan and countries in the region working to reduce tensions and create space for dialogue.”

“These efforts must be supported and strengthened in pursuit of a peaceful and durable settlement,” he said.

The secretary-general also highlighted developments in the occupied West Bank, saying: “We see creeping annexation with violence, settlement expansion, extensive Israeli military operations and large-scale displacement.”

Pakistan welcomed the secretary-general’s recommendations, with Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Islamabad’s permanent representative to the UN, expressing “profound appreciation” for what he described as “thoughtful, practical and forward-looking” proposals.

Speaking at the UNSC debate, Ambassador Ahmad said sustained implementation of the recommendations would strengthen not only mechanisms for peaceful settlement of disputes but also reinforce implementation of the UN Charter itself.

“These recommendations carry significance far beyond today’s meeting,” he said, adding that they could help “restore conflict prevention and resolution to its rightful place, at the heart of the United Nations, and translate the promise of Chapter VI into practice.”

The ambassador said Resolution 2788 was conceived in the spirit that diplomacy must not be “the instrument we scramble for, after peace has failed,” but rather the means through which failure could be prevented.

He said the challenge was not the absence of mechanisms under the Charter but their “delayed, selective and inconsistent use,” warning that the Security Council often became engaged only after positions had hardened and the space for compromise had narrowed.

Ambassador Ahmad said Pakistan remained committed to peaceful settlement of disputes and cited Islamabad’s recent diplomatic engagement in West Asia as an example of efforts to facilitate dialogue. He said Pakistan, together with partner countries, had played a constructive mediating role between Iran and the United States, helping create space for negotiations.

He expressed regret over renewed hostilities and urged all sides to exercise restraint and return to dialogue, saying that whenever negotiations falter, “the answer is not in less but more determined diplomacy.”

The Pakistani envoy called for stronger follow-up mechanisms for UNSC resolutions, greater use of fact-finding and mediation tools, increased support for the secretary-general’s good offices, and closer cooperation between the UN and regional organisations.

He said the value of Resolution 2788 would ultimately be measured not by the unanimity with which it was adopted but by the consistency with which it was implemented.

“History documents the wars that broke out. It rarely records the war that did not begin because a channel remained open, a mediator persisted, a leader exercised restraint or an institution acted in time,” Ambassador Ahmad said, describing prevention and peaceful settlement as diplomacy’s highest achievements.

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WHILE the exchange of fire across the Gulf — and the wider Middle East — continues between the US and Iran, efforts are also underway to de-escalate matters and revive the ceasefire. An important development in this regard was the series of meetings between Iranian Interior Minister Eskander Momeni and Pakistan’s top civil and military officials on Tuesday.

As expected, the regional situation was amongst the main agenda items, and Mr Momeni indicated that talks will continue. That Tehran sent a senior official to Pakistan shows that despite the hostilities, it is still interested in an off-ramp. Meanwhile, speaking in Manila yesterday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio used a tough tone for Iran, but did not rule out the possibility of a diplomatic settlement to the conflict.

Revival of the peace process is an incredibly difficult undertaking. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his country is in a “full-scale war” with the US, and the growing escalation over the last two weeks shows that the conflict is headed in a very dangerous direction. Yet the recent developments in Islamabad, and the fact that the US has not yet slammed the door shut on negotiations, show that there is still a chance — however slim — of restarting the dialogue process. At the same time, trust levels between Washington and Tehran are very low, and it will take exceptional diplomatic skill to bring both belligerents back to the table.

As hard as the task to revive the peace process may be, the alternative is a regional war which will be far more destructive than the last round. Already the theatre has expanded, with Iran attacking US bases beyond the Gulf, and Yemen’s Houthis enforcing a blockade of Saudi ships in the Red Sea. To prevent an even more alarming escalation, both sides need to silence their guns and give the negotiators a chance to create the framework for a doable peace.

The US must stop attacking Iran and issuing fresh threats, while Iran must refrain from targeting the Gulf states. The escalation may seem controlled at the moment, but in such situations, things can easily get out of hand, and spiral into something much bigger. And just as states such as Pakistan are working behind the scenes to de-escalate, some forces are trying their best to ensure hostilities continue.

For example, US Vice President J.D. Vance recently said in a podcast that some in Israel want “to keep the war going on indefinitely”. The American president should realise that continuing on the warpath with Iran will lead to a regional conflagration, and the only way to end this unnecessary conflict is for the US and Iran to work with Pakistan and other negotiators to find an honourable exit.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2026

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Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in the Khud Kocha sub-tehsil of Mastung district on Wednesday after three people were killed and five others injured in a gun attack on a Karachi-bound passenger bus, while a bridge on the National Highway was damaged in an explosion in the area.

Citing the deteriorating security situation, the Balochistan Home Department imposed an indefinite curfew in the sub-tehsil from 9pm on Wednesday.

Babar Yousafzai, spokesperson for the Home Department, said the curfew would remain in force until further orders to maintain peace and public safety. Residents were not allowed to leave their homes, and all unnecessary movement was prohibited.

“Strict legal action will be taken against anyone found violating the curfew orders,” Yousafzai said, urging citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and cooperate with authorities until normal conditions were restored.

The gun and bomb attacks were reported at a time when security forces killed 10 terrorists and arrested two female suicide bombers, along with their facilitator, during intelligence-based operations in Mastung and Surab districts over the past 48 hours, according to the military’s media wing.

Police said a passenger coach operated by a private transport company was travelling from Quetta to Karachi when it came under indiscriminate fire in the Garo area of Khud Kocha tehsil.

Armed men positioned on nearby mountains opened fire on the bus, killing three passengers and injuring five others.

Security forces and rescue personnel rushed to the scene and shifted the bodies and the injured to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Mastung.

The bodies were handed over to the victims’ families after legal formalities were completed, while authorities launched an investigation into the attack and began searching for those responsible.

Bridge damaged

Traffic between Quetta and Karachi remained suspended for several hours after a bridge on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway in the Khud Kocha area of Mastung district was damaged.

A police official confirmed that terrorists had planted explosives under the bridge in the Anjari area of Khud Kocha and detonated them in the early hours of Wednesday.

“The bridge was badly damaged in the explosion, suspending all kinds of traffic on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway. However, no casualties were reported in the blast,” the police official said.

Long queues of buses, goods trucks and other vehicles were seen on both sides of the highway following the blast.

Later in the evening, authorities allowed small vehicles to travel after making alternative arrangements. Security forces reached the area soon after the explosion and launched a search operation to trace those involved in the attack.

Earlier this month, security forces and law enforcement personnel jointly launched Operation Shaban in Balochistan in retaliation for a deadly attack on a police post at the Mangi Dam pumping station in Ziarat on July 6. During that assault, armed attackers kidnapped and killed 27 police officers.

A monthly security assessment released in early June by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said that after two consecutive months of improvement, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The report said Balochistan emerged as the most affected province during the month. The province recorded 71 terrorist attacks, compared with 34 in April, representing a 109pc increase.

The deteriorating security situation was further reflected in a surge in kidnappings, it said. Of the 54 abductions reported nationwide during May, 52 occurred in Balochistan alone, highlighting the growing operational reach and confidence of terrorist groups in the province, it said.

On July 9, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the country’s civil and military leadership had taken a “mutual and singular decision” to end terrorism after multiple major terrorist incidents in Balochistan.

He made the remarks at a meeting in Quetta of the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir also present.

PM Shehbaz’s statement came a day after the military Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry addressed a press conference, pointing the finger squarely at India and Afghanistan for being behind recent attacks in Balochistan.

He specifically mentioned “three major terrorist incidents” in recent days — an armed attack on the outskirts of Quetta on July 5, an assault on a police post in Ziarat on July 6, and an ambush of an army convoy in Bela on July 7.

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb a day earlier and welcomed Pakistan’s progress in implementing economic reforms and laying the groundwork for a return to international capital markets, the Treasury said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to a statement, Bessent emphasised the “importance of Pakistan’s work to continue its reforms, become more economically self-reliant, boost growth and strengthen its economic resilience”.

“Secretary Bessent welcomed the progress Pakistan has made in restoring macroeconomic stability and advancing fiscal consolidation, recognising the government’s efforts to implement significant economic reforms,” Treasury said.

The statement added that Bessent also expressed support for Pakistan’s efforts to build greater economic self-reliance and commended the government’s commitment to creating the conditions for a successful return to international capital markets.

The statement, however, did not address Pakistan’s request for a $10 billion exchange stabilisation facility.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance on Tuesday said that Aurangzeb highlighted Pakistan’s journey from macroeconomic stabilisation to sustainable, export-led growth, while noting the economy’s vulnerability to regional geopolitical developments.

The statement added that Senator Aurangzeb sought greater US support for Pakistan’s path to the market, underpinned by improved access to international capital markets, higher foreign exchange reserves and enhanced sovereign credit ratings.

It said both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral economic cooperation, promoting greater US investment and advancing strategic projects.

The proposed $10 billion exchange stabilisation facility would be a financial mechanism under which the US government, through the Treasury’s Exchange Stabilisation Fund, would provide loans or other backstop facilities to Pakistan to bolster its foreign exchange reserves, ease debt pressures, and help stabilise the economy.

Such facilities are primarily used to prevent currency instability and, where necessary, support a partner country’s currency through intervention in foreign exchange markets.

Additional input from Reuters

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WASHINGTON: A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced legislation aimed at criminalising efforts by foreign governments to intimidate political opponents and activists living in the United States, amid growing concern in Washington over alleged cases of transnational repression involving India.

The Stop Transnational Repression Act of 2026, sponsored by Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and Republican Senator John Curtis, would make transnational repression a specific federal crime for the first time. It would expand the Justice Department and FBI’s authority to investigate and prosecute foreign efforts to suppress dissent on American soil.

Under the proposed legislation, individuals convicted of transnational repression could face an additional prison sentence of up to 10 years and fines of up to $100,000, alongside penalties for any underlying offences. The bill would also strengthen the role of the US Justice Department’s National Security Division and the Assistant Attorney General for National Security in pursuing such cases.

Legislation proposes to makes repression a specific federal crime for first time

The legislation comes as Con­gress and US law enforcement agencies focus increasingly on a growing pattern of foreign governments attempting to silence critics beyond their own borders.

India, a key US strategic partner, has faced congressional scrutiny following allegations that individuals linked to its government targeted Sikh activists in North America.

In late 2024, the Department of Justice unsealed charges against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who was accused of attempting to arrange the assassination of a Sikh-American activist in New York at the direction of Vikash Yadav, whom US authorities identified as an Indian government employee.

Yadav was later charged with murder-for-hire, conspiracy and money laundering offences. India has rejected the allegations and announced an internal inquiry.

Canadian authorities have also pursued a separate case involving the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. India has denied involvement in both cases.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2026

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France’s parliament on Tuesday was set to approve a bill banning social media access for children under 15, making France the first European country to bar children from apps such as TikTok.

President Emmanuel Macron has championed the ban as a flagship reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September.

The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate on Tuesday, with 243 votes in favour and two against.

The draft law was expected to be adopted by the National Assembly on Tuesday evening, barring surprises.

A growing number of countries are taking steps to restrict social media access amid multiplying warnings over its harmful effects on children.

“France will become the first country in Europe to introduce a digital age limit to better protect our children online,” French Digital Minister Anne Le Henanff said on X.

The ban would be rolled out in two stages, with under-15s blocked from creating new accounts from September 1. The ban would apply to existing accounts from January 2027, according to the text.

Le Henanff said ahead of the vote that the timeline was realistic, “because age-verification tools already exist” with others still in the works, and the onus was on the platforms to impose the rule.

“For four months, all of us in France will have to prove our age,” she told journalists.

“If someone is under fifteen, the account will be closed.” The minister also gave assurances that users’ personal data would be protected.

Enforcing the measure by September would also ensure that one provision of the bill — a ban on mobile phones in high schools — takes effect at the beginning of the French school year.

‘Largely ready’

France’s public health watchdog last year said platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram were harmful to adolescents, particularly girls, though it was not the sole reason for their declining mental health.

Lawmakers agreed on the need for regulation but the two chambers had disagreed on the approach.

French senators had opted for a two-tier system distinguishing between blacklisted platforms flagged as harmful to a child’s development, and those that could still be accessed with parental consent.

But the lower house’s blanket ban prevailed and was expected to pass, despite criticism from some on the left over the age verification process, the speed of its implementation and risks of circumvention as well as privacy concerns.

Exceptions to the ban are provided for sites such as online encyclopedias and educational platforms and the text does not provide for any penalties for children or parents.

“The major platforms are, in my view, largely ready,” lawmaker Laure Miller told AFP.

Watched in Europe

The blacklisting system would have taken more time, including fresh consultations with the European Commission on the criteria, and carried a “small risk” of non-compliance with European law, said centrist senator Catherine Morin-Desailly.

The EU has been mulling a social media ban after a push by member states, including France, Greece and Spain, for limiting access.

Last week, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said children should have “phased and gradual access” to social media.

The European Commission has also unveiled an age verification app that EU member states, including France, have begun testing in recent months.

After Macron’s government suspended a flagship pensions reform last year, a social media ban could be his last major domestic change before he steps down next year.

France will be closely watched by other European states — it is one of 20 countries worldwide to have proposed or introduced such measures.

In December last year, Australia became the first country in the world to require TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other top sites to remove accounts held by under-16s, or to face heavy fines.

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When pent-up youth anger propelled India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to online fame in May, its founder said his supporters were disillusioned with both Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party and the opposition for failing to address their concerns.

Yet CJP leaders turned to opposition lawmakers and appealed directly for their support on Monday after police used batons and tear gas to disperse protesters marching on parliament to demonstrate against damaging exam leaks and corruption.

Opposition lawmakers were quick to oblige on Tuesday, after many young demonstrators were injured.

The show of solidarity with protesters could help opposition parties win valuable young voters and broaden the appeal of the CJP, which has so far focused on demanding the education minister’s resignation over the exam paper leaks.

Tens of thousands of protesters had turned out in Delhi, far more than expected, and images of the authorities’ crackdown spread across social media, prompting nearly all opposition parties to rally behind the movement, which has so far said it will keep out of electoral politics.

An opportunity to gain the youth vote

Analysts said the wider political support for the CJP comes with risks for the movement: concerns central to students, such as preventing exam paper leaks and creating more youth jobs, could be overshadowed by broader political agendas.

But the backing could also help sustain them by providing resources, organisational support and a wider national platform.

For the opposition, which has lost many elections to Modi since he first took office in 2014 on the back of anti-corruption protests, India’s young people represent a significant political opportunity.

Those under 30 are estimated to make up more than half of India’s 1.42 billion population, and many have long been frustrated by a lack of jobs under Modi despite years of strong economic growth.

India’s next parliamentary elections are due by April 2029, but key states like the most populous, Uttar Pradesh, run by Modi’s party, and Punjab, vote next year.

“I think the opposition has got a clear sense that there is a very strong sentiment against the government on this issue at least,” said Sanjay Kumar, professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in Delhi, referring to the education minister.

“If the movement remains undirected … the chances of a further crackdown on the movement are much higher. So the opposition parties see it as an opportunity and they will try to develop a soft corner among the protesters.”

Some Indian broadcasters sympathetic to the government have already accused the opposition of trying to hijack the movement for limelight.

‘Jump on the bandwagon’

Congress leaders and lawmakers Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra protested outside Modi’s residence late on Tuesday, calling for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the leaks of exam papers for medical courses that affected millions of students and led to a retest.

“An attack on students is an attack on every Indian family,” Rahul said before he was detained by police. “PM Modi believes he can get away without answers, without consequences. He cannot. Not this time. The voice of India’s students will not be ignored.”

Modi has not spoken publicly about the paper leaks. A cabinet minister said after a meeting of the ruling coalition that Modi told them “strongest possible steps are being taken to protect the interest of the students”.

Many other senior opposition leaders visited protesters camped out in extreme heat about three kilometres from parliament. Some lawmakers and senior politicians provided legal assistance to protesters detained by police, while others sent food and other supplies.

“There is now a one-upmanship among political parties over who can best position themselves as the champion of India’s youth,” said Rasheed Kidwai, political analyst and visiting fellow with the Observer Research Foundation.

“Every political party is acting according to its own electoral calculations, particularly with state elections approaching in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.” The CJP said it welcomed the political support.

“It’s not a political protest. It’s a movement of the masses; it is a movement of students, and we appreciate the support we are getting from the opposition parties,” a spokesperson said.

“It was CJP which invited the opposition, and now they are coming and giving us the support. It motivates us. We won’t let any politics happen here.”

They need to be mindful, said political analyst Sandeep Shastri.

“Whenever there is a movement like this, and given the visibility it is receiving, it is very tempting for every political formation to jump on the bandwagon,” he said.

“So if political parties join this movement, there is a strong chance that the leaders who actually started it, as well as the issues driving it, will take a back seat.”

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