Wael Sabbagh, whose mother Afaf Sidaoui and brother Hassan were killed in an Israeli strike on an apartment building, stands outside the site of the attack in Beirut.—Reuters
BEIRUT: Amid efforts of a ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel continued its attacks and targeted paramedic teams on Wednesday in southern part of the country, killing at least three of them.
“The Israeli enemy targeted paramedic teams in the town of Mayfadoun, Nabatiyeh district, three consecutive times,” the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement.
“This resulted in the martyrdom of three paramedics and the injury of six others, while one paramedic remains missing,” it said.
The Israeli military renewed an order for people to leave a swathe of southern Lebanon as it intensified the attacks on Wednesday, a day after talks with a Lebanese government envoy in Washington, which Hezbollah condemned and termed the Lebanese government move “a national sin” that would widen divisions in a deeply polarised Lebanon.
Israeli military claims to have hit 200 targets; UN condemns Lebanon strikes
The Israeli military said it had struck over 200 Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours.
Scale back attacks, says Trump
Trump has urged Israel to scale back attacks in Lebanon, apparently to avoid undermining the ceasefire with Iran.
Israel’s offensive in Lebanon has killed more than 2,000 people and forced 1.2 million from their homes since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities.
Tuesday’s meeting between officials of Lebanon government and Israeli government was hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.
The Israeli and Lebanese envoys said the talks were positive. Israel has said the aim of the talks is to disarm Hezbollah.
Regional efforts for ceasefire
Meanwhile, a Hezbollah lawmaker said Iranian and regional efforts could lead to a Lebanon ceasefire “soon”.
Diplomatic efforts by Iran and other regional countries could produce a ceasefire in Lebanon “soon”, senior Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim al-Moussawi on Wednesday said, adding that Tehran had used its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage.
“The Iranians are exercising high pressure against the Americans and they have put their conditions that the Americans should include Lebanon in the ceasefire. If they don’t do it, they are going to continue their blockade of Strait of Hormuz. It’s the economic card,” Moussawi said. “The Iranians have opened up to several regional and international parties to achieve this goal,” he said.
Moussawi declined to comment on whether the group would abide by such a ceasefire.
Complaint to UN
In a complaint to the United Nations, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry said the death toll from the April 8 attacks attack of Israel stood at 303, including 30 children and 71 women.
Israel claimed it had launched a ground assault against Hezbollah and its Amal allies.
UN experts condemned Israel’s bombing in Lebanon earlier this month as “illegal aggression and indiscriminate bombing campaign”, the United Nations Human Rights Council said.
“This is not self-defence. It is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, a deliberate destruction of prospects for peace, and an affront to multilateralism and the UN-based international order,” the experts were quoted as saying in a statement.
President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday directed that all possible efforts be made to minimise loadshedding across the country, according to a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat.
He issued the directive while chairing a meeting on water resource management at Aiwan-i-Sadr, the statement said, adding that the president also addressed the issue of energy shortfalls linked to the regional situation.
President Zardari “stressed that any load management should be carried out strictly in a transparent and declared manner, in line with prior public announcements, so that citizens are fully informed and disruption is reduced”, the statement added.
The president’s directive came a day after the government announced more than two hours of daily loadshedding during peak hours in a bid to prevent a sharp increase in electricity tariffs.
The move is linked to the suspension of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports following the force majeure declared by Qatar due to attacks on its gas field amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Qatar is the main LNG supplier to Pakistan under two long-term contracts envisaging up to 1,000 million cubic feet per day.
The Power Division said it was capable of meeting full demand but this had negative consequences.
“The main challenge at present is during peak hours from 5pm to 1am. During this time, demand increases significantly, mainly due to reduced hydel generation. Relying on expensive fuels to meet this demand could lead to a substantial increase in electricity prices,” it said.
President expresses concern over ‘weaponisation of water’
The meeting at Aiwan-i-Sadr also reviewed issues related to water availability, governance and regional developments affecting Pakistan’s water security, the statement by the President’s Secretariat said.
In April 2025, the Indian government announced a unilateral suspension of its obligations under the IWT following the attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence.
Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack, with the foreign ministry questioning the credibility of India’s account of the events and saying it was “replete with fabrications”.
The president noted that the attempt to “use water as a political tool is a matter of serious consequence”, the statement said.
It added that he emphasised the importance of safeguarding Pakistan’s water rights and ensuring that all necessary diplomatic and legal measures were pursued.
President Zardari also directed authorities to accelerate water conservation efforts across the country.
“He called for the swift implementation of rainwater harvesting initiatives at domestic, commercial, and industrial levels, and directed that construction of small dams, recharge wells, and water storage infrastructure be expedited.”
President Zardari emphasised that conserving water was a “national imperative”, particularly in the current regional climate.
The statement said that the meeting also discussed broader regional developments.
“President Zardari noted that stability in the region remains essential and expressed confidence that, with constructive engagement and sustained efforts by Pakistan, a workable path forward in the evolving situation involving Iran could be achieved,” it stated.
Workers and journalists stand in front of a building in Tehran, which was hit by US-Israel air strikes days before a ceasefire took effect last week.—AFP
• Says dialogue with Iran may resume within two days as diplomatic efforts intensify
• PM Shehbaz set to visit S. Arabia, Turkiye as Dar meets top diplomats
• China warns naval blockade of Hormuz to aggravate confrontation
• Iranian president praises states for stance against ‘warmongering’ Israel
• Macron urges Trump, Pezeshkian to resume talks, include Lebanon in ceasefire
• Xi meets UAE leadership, puts forward four-point proposal
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted at a possible second round of talks with Iran in Islamabad within days, even as Washington stepped up military pressure by enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports following the failure of weekend negotiations.
Speaking to the New York Post in a phone interview, Trump said fresh talks could take place in Pakistan “over the next two days”, indicating a shift in his earlier position. After saying in an initial call that talks were unlikely to return to Pakistan, the NYP said Mr Trump called back minutes later to say it was “more likely” they would go back to Islamabad.
“It’s more likely, you know why? Because the Field Marshal (Asim Munir) is doing a great job. He’s fantastic, and therefore it’s more likely that we go back there,” Trump said. “Why should we go to some country that has nothing to do with it?”
The remarks came days after the inaugural round of direct Iran-US dialogue, mediated by Pakistan, ended in Islamabad without an agreement despite nearly 21 hours of talks. While no breakthrough was achieved, both sides indicated that the diplomatic channel remained open.
Earlier, US Vice President J.D. Vance, who headed the American delegation during the Islamabad Talks, also praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Munir for their role in facilitating talks between the United States and Iran.
In an interview with Fox News, Mr Vance described both leaders as exceptional hosts and commended their statesmanship in helping mediate discussions between the two countries.
Blockade enforced
The US military said on Tuesday that it successfully stopped six ships from sailing out of Iranian ports during the first 24 hours of a naval blockade against the Islamic republic.
Central Command (CENTCOM) — which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East — said more than 10,000 US troops, over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft are taking part in the mission.
“During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the US blockade and six merchant vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
“The blockade is being enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” it added.
But despite CENTCOM’s assertion that no vessels made it through the blockade, tracking information from maritime data provider Kpler showed at least two ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
Tehran’s forces effectively closed the strait after the start of the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran on Feb 28, and the US on Sunday announced its own blockade after peace talks with Iran failed.
Pakistan’s efforts
Pakistan, which hosted the first round of talks, continued diplomatic outreach amid rising tensions.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held meetings in Islamabad with senior diplomats from Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, appreciating the convergence of the four countries on global matters, the Foreign Office said.
In a post on X, the Foreign ministry said that Mr Dar “met with Musa Kulaklikaya, Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkiye; Ambassador Nazih El Naggari, Assistant Foreign Minister of Egypt, and Prince Dr Abdullah bin Khalid bin Saud Al-Kabeer Al-Saud, Director General of the MFA of Saudi Arabia”.
During the meeting, Mr Dar lauded the “convergence of views on important regional and global matters among the four brotherly countries”.
He stressed the need for “devising a cooperative framework among the four countries, focusing on the shared goals of peace, prosperity and economic development”.
The diplomats are in the country for the inaugural meeting of “Senior Officials’ Meeting of four countries (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt), held today in Islamabad,” the Foreign Office said.
Separately, during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari praised Pakistan’s role in facilitating the Iran-US dialogue and called it an important contribution to regional peace and stability.
He urged continued engagement with both Washington and Tehran, as well as other global powers, to sustain the fragile diplomatic process.
During the meeting, the prime minister took the president into confidence on all aspects of the dialogue between Iran and the United States. PM Shehbaz provided a detailed briefing on the various stages of the dialogue and the progress achieved through Pakistan’s mediation.
He also apprised the president of his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia and Turkiye for further engagement to promote the peace efforts.
Global reactions
Meanwhile, the escalating situation drew sharp international reactions, as world leaders urged restraint and a return to negotiations.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he had urged US President Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian to resume stalled talks towards ending the Iran war.
“I urged the resumption of the negotiations suspended in Islamabad, the clearing up of misunderstandings, and the avoidance of any further escalation,” the French president wrote on X, after speaking to both leaders on Monday.
“It is essential, in particular, that the ceasefire be strictly respected by all parties and that it includes Lebanon,” Mr Macron said.
“It is equally important that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened unconditionally, without restrictions or tolls, as soon as possible,” he added.
China also criticised the US move, calling the blockade “dangerous and irresponsible” and warning it would only aggravate tensions.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that despite a temporary ceasefire agreed by relevant parties, the United States had increased military deployments and imposed a targeted blockade, a move that would exacerbate the conflict, undermine the fragile truce and further jeopardise the safety of navigation through the strait.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Pezeshkian said that “the essence of civilisations reveals itself at historical junctures’, praising certain countries for their stances against Israel.
“The positions taken by Spain, China, Russia, Turkiye, Italy, and Egypt against the warmongering and crimes of the Zionist regime (Israel) stem from their deep cultural and historical roots,” he said on X.
Xi meets Abu Dhabi crown prince
Separately, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday put forward a four-point proposal on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East during a meeting in Beijing with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Mr Xi called for adherence to the principle of peaceful coexistence. “It is imperative to promote the building of a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security architecture for the Middle East and the Gulf region,” he noted.
He said the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region should be fully respected.
Noting the UAE is a comprehensive strategic partner of China, Mr Xi said China has always attached great importance to developing relations with the UAE.
Sheikh Khaled stated that China-UAE relations have a long history and solid foundation, with both countries always showing mutual respect and trust and sharing extensive common interests.
The UAE appreciated China’s responsible and constructive role in international affairs and its positive efforts towards a political solution to the current Middle East crisis, he said.
Syed Irfan Raza in Islamabad and Anwar Iqbal in Washington also contributed to this report
Israel and Lebanon agreed to direct negotiations following talks in Washington on Tuesday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had hailed as a “historic opportunity” for peace.
The two countries have technically been at war for decades, and Tuesday’s talks have been vehemently opposed by Hezbollah, which announced that it had fired rockets at more than a dozen northern Israeli towns just as the meeting was getting under way.
The United States is pressing for a halt to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, fearing it could derail the two-week ceasefire in Washington’s war with Iran after talks with Tehran in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough.
Tuesday’s meeting in Washington, the first high-level direct talks since 1993, was mediated by Rubio and involved the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States.
“This is a historic opportunity,” Rubio said as he welcomed the ambassadors, acknowledging the “decades of history” complicating the process.
“The hope today is that we can outline a framework upon which a current and lasting peace can be developed.”
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun had said he hoped the talks “will mark the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people.”
A State Department spokesperson said afterward that discussions were “productive,” adding: “All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.”
Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter said the two sides “had a wonderful exchange.”
“We discovered today that we’re on the same side,” he told reporters, saying both countries were “united in liberating Lebanon” from Hezbollah.
In a statement of her own, Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad called the meeting “constructive,” but said she had also called for a ceasefire and insisted on “the full sovereignty of the state over all Lebanese land,” among other issues.
Israeli forces are currently occupying parts of Lebanon’s south, and its government has resisted considering any ceasefire until Hezbollah is dismantled.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country was seeking “peace and normalisation” with the Lebanese state, but said Hezbollah was the key problem and “needs to be addressed.”
Before the meeting, Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem had called for the negotiations to be scrapped and vowed to fight on.
Foreign ministers from 17 countries, including Britain and France, urged both countries to seize the chance to bring lasting security to the region.
The US State Department released a statement after the meeting saying the two sides had “productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations”.
It set out each country’s positions but did not say they had reached any common ground. “All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue,” the statement said.
Around 250 people, including children, were feared missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
“The trawler, which departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was on its way to Malaysia, reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas, and overcrowding,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement.
Thousands of Rohingya, Myanmar’s persecuted Muslim minority, risk their lives every year fleeing repression and civil war in their country. They travel by sea, often aboard makeshift boats.
The Rohingya on board this latest boat were likely leaving huge camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, where more than a million refugees forced to flee Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine live in squalid conditions.
Rakhine state has been the scene of fierce fighting between the military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic minority rebel group, over control of the territory.
The exact circumstances surrounding the latest incident were unclear, but preliminary information indicated that the vessel was carrying some 280 people and left Bangladesh on April 4.
The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) said one of its ships, which was on the way to Indonesia, managed to rescue nine people from the sea, including one woman, on April 9.
“The Bangladeshi flag carrier MT Meghna Pride … spotted several people floating in the sea using drums and logs and rescued them from deep waters near the Andaman Islands,” BCG spokesman Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan told AFP.
‘Burned by oil’
Forty-year-old Rafiqul Islam, one of the survivors, told AFP that he was lured onto the boat by traffickers who promised him a job in Malaysia.
“A number of us were kept in the holding area of the trawler, some died there. I was burned by oil that spilt from the trawler,” he said, adding that the vessel travelled for four days before it capsized. “We floated for nearly 36 hours before a ship rescued us from deep water.”
Relatively affluent Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of them undocumented, working in industries including construction and agriculture.
But sea crossings, facilitated by human trafficking syndicates, are hazardous and often lead to overloaded boats capsizing.
UNHCR said the latest incident reflected the “dire consequences of protracted displacement and the absence of durable solutions for the Rohingya”.
“This tragedy is a reminder of the efforts urgently needed to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar and create conditions that would allow Rohingya refugees to return home voluntarily, safely and with dignity,” it said.
The Andaman Sea stretches along the western shores of Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay Peninsula.
Last year, the UNHCR said that 427 Rohingya were feared dead at sea in two shipwrecks off the Myanmar coast in May.
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday set aside a ruling that had struck down a federal government policy introduced in 2022 to regulate foreign funding of non-governmental and non-profit organisations.
The policy was set aside by a single bench in September 2024, with Justice Asim Hafeez observing the constitutional scheme did not envisage the exercise of legislative powers by the federal cabinet unless such power or authority was exercised under the authority of the legislature.
He had declared the policy unlawful, invalid and of no legal effect.
But a two-member bench comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Syed Ahsan Raza Kazmi observed today that such policy-making squarely fell within the executive domain and was protected from “undue judicial interference”.
The bench restored the Policy for Local NGOs/NPOs Receiving Foreign Contributions 2022.
Multiple intra-court appeals were filed by the federation in the wake of a Sept 6, 2024 judgment.
Advocate Saqib Jillani, who represented the petitioners, argued that the 2022 policy, like an earlier 2013 framework struck down by courts, lacked statutory backing and violated constitutional protections, including the right to freedom of association and business.
The federal government, represented by Additional Attorney General Mirza Nasar Ahmad, challenged the single-bench ruling, maintaining that the policy had been duly approved by the federal cabinet and issued in accordance with the Rules of Business, 1973.
The division bench framed two central questions: whether the federal government had the authority to formulate policies regulating NGOs receiving foreign contributions, and whether constitutional courts could interfere in such policy decisions under writ jurisdiction.
The bench answered both questions in favour of the government.
The bench held that under Articles 90 and 99 of the Constitution, the federal government was fully empowered to conduct its business and formulate policies.
It maintained that the Rules of Business, 1973 — framed under constitutional authority — provide a binding procedural framework for decision-making.
The bench noted that the 2022 policy was approved by the federal cabinet, and issued by the ministry of economic affairs, which was competent to regulate foreign assistance.
The bench described the policy as a comprehensive regulatory instrument governing the receipt, utilisation, monitoring and accountability of foreign contributions by NGOs.
On the question of judicial review, the bench reiterated settled law that courts should exercise restraint in policy matters unless they violated fundamental rights, the Constitution, the statutory laws or were made in bad faith.
“In the absence of such violations, policy-making remains the exclusive domain of the executive,” the bench observed.
The bench further ruled that the single judge had incorrectly invoked Article 18 (freedom of trade and business), holding that the matter instead fell within the domain of Article 99 of the Constitution, which governs the conduct of federal government business.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) on Monday announced that one of its submarine cables would be undergoing a repair from April 14, and the maintenance work could last till April 20.
The users may face service degradation in the evening during this time, PTCL said.
The state-owned telecom giant manages three undersea optical fibre cable networks that provide international internet connectivity to Pakistan.
The combined capacity of all six submarine cable systems serving the country, including three PTCL cable systems, two submarine cable systems of Trans World Associates (Pvt) Ltd and PEACE cable of Cyber Internet Services, stands at 13Tbps, while national usage currently ranges between 7 and 8 Tbps.
