You are here

  • Home
  • Pakistan says economic affairs ministry’s X account hacked amid conflict with India

Pakistan says economic affairs ministry’s X account hacked amid conflict with India

Pakistan says economic affairs ministry’s X account hacked amid conflict with India
This illustration photograph taken on October 30, 2023, shows the X (former Twitter) logo on a smartphone in Mulhouse, eastern France. (AFP/File)
Short Url

https://arab.news/8d4w2

Updated 2 min 48 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan says economic affairs ministry’s X account hacked amid conflict with India

Pakistan says economic affairs ministry’s X account hacked amid conflict with India
  • Tensions between the two neighbors have escalated into a limited-scale military conflict since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan
  • Both neighbors have since fired and sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace, leaving around four dozen people dead on both sides
Updated 2 min 48 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan
Follow

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ministry of economic affairs said on Friday that its X account had been hacked after a post was published on it appealing to international partners for more loans, amid a growing conflict with India.
Tensions between the two neighbors over an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam escalated into a limited-scale military conflict, when India struck on Wednesday multiple locations in Pakistan after New Delhi blamed the assault on Pakistan. Islamabad has denied involvement.
Pakistan has claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets and 29 Israeli-manufactured Harop drones, launched from India, in retaliation to Indian missile and drone strikes this week. India said it had destroyed an air defense system in Lahore in response to a Pakistani air attack.
It was not possible to immediately verify all of the claims made by both countries. The two arch-rivals have also accused each other of cyberattacks on their critical digital assets and infrastructure in times of peace, and Indian media reported that Indian defense websites had come under attack after the Pahalgam attack.
“We are working to have the Twitter (X) switched off,” the Pakistani economic ministry told Reuters, adding that they “did not tweet” about it.
Meanwhile, New Delhi ordered X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees.
“The orders include demands to block access in India to accounts belonging to international news organizations and prominent X users,” X’s Global Government Affairs team said on its account, adding it was unable to publish the executive orders at this time due to “legal restrictions.”
“The Indian government has not specified which posts from an account have violated India’s local laws. For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts.”
The platform said it disagreed with the Indian government’s demands, describing the blockade of accounts as “contrary to the fundamental right of free speech.”
“X is exploring all possible legal avenues available to the company,” it said. “We encourage all users who are impacted by these blocking orders to seek appropriate relief from the courts.”

Topics: Pakistan India Ties

US voices support for Pakistan’s call for independent probe into Kashmir attack

US voices support for Pakistan’s call for independent probe into Kashmir attack
Updated 31 sec ago
Follow

US voices support for Pakistan’s call for independent probe into Kashmir attack

US voices support for Pakistan’s call for independent probe into Kashmir attack
  • The attack, which killed 26 tourists, has triggered a military conflict between Pakistan, India after New Delhi this week launched missile strikes on multiple Pakistani cities
  • India is an important partner for Washington, while Pakistan remains a US ally despite its diminished importance after Washington’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021
Updated 31 sec ago
Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD: The United States (US) supports an independent probe into an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, the State Department said on Thursday, amid ongoing strikes between India and Pakistan over the April 22 assault.
New Delhi blamed the attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam resort town on Pakistan. Islamabad denied the claim and called for a credible, international investigation to ascertain facts about the assault that killed 26 tourists. After initially exchange of diplomatic barbs, India on Wednesday conducted missile strikes in multiple Pakistani cities and killed 31 people, according to Pakistani officials.
Pakistan says it has downed five Indian fighter jets and 29 Israel-made drones, launched from India, this week in retaliation to Indian strikes. New Delhi said it destroyed a Pakistani air defense system in Lahore in response to an air attack. It was difficult to independently verify the claims made by the nuclear-armed arch-foes.
As the ongoing conflict alarmed the world powers, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the US had been engaged with both governments and urged India and Pakistan to work toward a “responsible solution” to the issue, which has led to the worst fighting between the two neighbors in decades.
“There’s a lot already on the record when it comes to our reaction to what’s been happening here,” Bruce said.
“So there’s some discussion that Pakistan wants an independent investigation as to what has happened regarding the terrorist attack, and, of course, what we say to that is we want the perpetrators to be held accountable and are supportive of any efforts to that end.”
Pakistan and India accused each other of launching drone attacks and Islamabad’s defense minister said on the second day of major clashes on Thursday that further retaliation was “increasingly certain.” Two days of fighting has killed nearly four dozen people on both sides.
India is an important partner for Washington, which aims to counter China’s rising influence, while Pakistan remains a US ally despite its diminished importance after Washington’s withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.
Analysts and some former officials have said the US involvement to achieve diplomatic goals in Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza may make Washington leave India and Pakistan on their own in the early days of their tensions, without much direct pressure from the US government.
On Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance said India and Pakistan should de-escalate tensions, but he added that the US could not control the nuclear-armed neighbors and a war between them would be “none of our business.”
“We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can’t control these countries, though,” Vance said in an interview on Fox News.
“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to de-escalate a little bit, but we’re not going to get involved in the middle of war that’s fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it.”
The escalation began soon after the April 22 attack in Kashmir, reviving the decades-old rivalry between the two neighbors who have fought multiple wars, including two over Kashmir, since their independence from British rule in 1947.
“Our hope and our expectation is that this is not going to spiral into a broader regional war or, God forbid, a nuclear conflict,” Vance said.
Washington has held regular talks with both in recent days, including on Thursday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls with Pakistan’s prime minister and India’s foreign minister while urging them to de-escalate and have direct dialogue.
US President Donald Trump has called rising tensions a shame and said he hoped the two countries will stop now after going “tit-for-tat.”
“This administration has made itself clear, that war, the military, more violence is not a solution,” Bruce added. “Diplomacy is a solution, new ideas to stop generational violence and problems.”

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pahalgam attack

Pakistan denies Indian accusations of attacks in Punjab, Kashmir as both neighbors continue to trade fire

Pakistan denies Indian accusations of attacks in Punjab, Kashmir as both neighbors continue to trade fire
Updated 48 min 7 sec ago
Follow

Pakistan denies Indian accusations of attacks in Punjab, Kashmir as both neighbors continue to trade fire

Pakistan denies Indian accusations of attacks in Punjab, Kashmir as both neighbors continue to trade fire
  • Tensions between the two neighbors have escalated into a limited-scale military conflict since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan
  • Both neighbors have since fired and sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace, killing around four dozen people on both sides
Updated 48 min 7 sec ago
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan categorically rejects the “baseless and irresponsible” Indian accusations of launching attacks in Punjab, Indian-administered Kashmir and Rajasthan, its foreign ministry said on Thursday, after New Delhi said it had repelled attacks in Jammu, Udhampur and Pathankot areas.
Tensions between the two neighbors over an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam have escalated into a limited-scale military conflict when India struck on Wednesday multiple locations in Pakistan after New Delhi blamed the assault on Pakistan. Islamabad has denied involvement.
Pakistan has claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets and 29 Israeli-manufactured Harop drones, launched from India, in retaliation to Indian missile and drone strikes this week. India said it had destroyed an air defense system in Lahore in response to a Pakistani air attack.
Both sides have traded heavy fire across their de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region, while a Pakistani minister said on Thursday they had killed several Indian soldiers. It was not possible to immediately verify all of the claims made by both nuclear-armed arch-rivals.
“These claims are entirely unfounded, politically motivated, and part of a reckless propaganda campaign aimed at maligning Pakistan,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said, rejecting Indian accusations of launching attacks in Punjab, Kashmir and Rajasthan.
“The repeated pattern of leveling accusations against Pakistan without any credible investigation reflects a deliberate strategy to manufacture a pretext for aggression and to further destabilize the region. Such actions not only further endanger regional peace but also reveal a disturbing willingness to exploit misinformation for political and military ends.”
Shesh Paul Vaid, a former director-general of police in Indian-administered Kashmir, told The Associated Press that the Jammu airport was also likely under attack and that some of the 50 loud explosions he had heard were likely because “our defense system is at work.”
Sirens blared for more than two hours on Friday in India’s border city of Amritsar, which houses the Golden Temple revered by Sikhs, and residents were asked to remain indoors.
A Pakistani security source said India wanted to justify its military actions against Pakistan by spreading “fabricated and false attack reports” in Kashmir, Rajasthan and other areas.
“India has failed to provide any solid evidence against Pakistan,” the source said.
World powers from the US to China have urged the two countries to calm tensions, and US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday reiterated the call for de-escalation.
“We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can’t control these countries, though,” he said in an interview on Fox News.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing was concerned over the developments and urged both sides to exercise restraint.
“We stand ready to work with the rest of the international community to continue playing a constructive role in easing the current tensions,” Lin told a press briefing.
The relationship between Hindu-majority India and Islamic republic Pakistan has been fraught with tension since they became separate countries after attaining independence from colonial British rule in 1947. Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region, has been at the heart of the hostility and they have fought two of their three wars over the region.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pahalgam attack Line of Control (LoC)

PSL X: Pakistan moves all remaining matches to UAE amid ongoing conflict with India

PSL X: Pakistan moves all remaining matches to UAE amid ongoing conflict with India
Updated 09 May 2025
Follow

PSL X: Pakistan moves all remaining matches to UAE amid ongoing conflict with India

PSL X: Pakistan moves all remaining matches to UAE amid ongoing conflict with India
  • Fighting has escalated between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since Wednesday when India struck multiple locations in Pakistan
  • Pakistan says it has shot down five Indian fighter jets and 29 Israeli-manufactured Harop drones, launched by New Delhi, in retaliation
Updated 09 May 2025
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has moved all remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League’s 10 edition to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it announced on Friday, after deadly confrontations between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.
Border skirmishes between the two South Asian neighbors have escalated since Wednesday when India conducted missile strikes on multiple locations in Pakistan in response to a deadly attack targeting tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi blames on its neighbor. Islamabad has denied any complicity in the attack.
Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in retaliation to Wednesday’s strikes by India, while 29 Israeli-manufactured Harop drones, launched from India, were downed a day later. Officials have confirmed the killing of nearly 50 people on both sides since Wednesday, in the worst violence in decades between the South Asian neighbors.
Amid the escalating situation, the PCB said the remaining eight fixtures of this year’s PSL, which were previously scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi, Multan and Lahore, will now be staged in the UAE, adding that the new dates and venues of the matches will be shared in due course.
“The PCB has always stood by the position that politics and sports need to be kept apart,” PCB Chair Mohsin Naqvi said.
“However, in view of the extremely irresponsible and dangerous Indian act of targeting the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, which was manifestly done to disrupt the ongoing HBL Pakistan Super League X, the PCB has decided to shift the remaining matches to UAE so that the domestic as well as foreign cricketers, who are our precious guests, can be saved from the possible reckless targeting by India.”
The PCB postponed a PSL X match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings, which was due to take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday after Pakistan shot down an Indian drone near the venue.
As a responsible organization, Naqvi said, it was important for the PCB to ensure the mental well-being of all players participating in the league.
“I regret that our domestic audience and cricket lovers will not be able to watch these matches in Pakistan’s stadiums,” he said.
“Like in the past, we hope that our stakeholders will rally with us to further the best interests of the tournament, our players and the fans. We are committed to ensuring that the league continues to thrive!“
Separately, an Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala — less than 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the town of Jammu where explosions were reported hours earlier — was also abandoned Thursday because of apparent floodlight failure.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pahalgam attack PSL X

Pakistan’s currency exchange union offers $1 billion to government in case of war

Pakistan’s currency exchange union offers $1 billion to government in case of war
Updated 09 May 2025
Follow

Pakistan’s currency exchange union offers $1 billion to government in case of war

Pakistan’s currency exchange union offers $1 billion to government in case of war
  • Currency markets are not in a state of panic, ECAP Chairman Malik Muhammad Bostan says
  • Record-breaking 6,482-point plunge stunned the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Thursday
Updated 09 May 2025
Ismail Dilawar

KARACHI: The Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP) has offered $1 billion per month to the government in case of war or an emergency, the organization said on Thursday, as fears have grown that the worst confrontation in two decades of conflict between India and Pakistan could escalate.

India on Wednesday struck what it said was “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir and Pakistan said it retaliated by shooting down five Indian aircraft. The Indian strikes killed 31 people and injured 57, Pakistan’s army said. 

On Thursday, Pakistan’s military said it shot down 29 drones from India at multiple locations, including the two largest cities of Karachi and Lahore and the garrison city of Rawalpindi, home to the army’s headquarters. 

The Indian defense ministry said Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in northern and western India from Wednesday night into Thursday morning and they were “neutralized” by Indian air defense systems. In response, Indian forces targeted air defense radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan on Thursday, the ministry said.

“We are capable of providing the government with $1 billion (Rs280 billion) dollars per month in case of war or emergency,” ECAP Chairman Malik Muhammad Bostan said. “There is no panic in the currency markets.”

Exchange companies provide $25 million (Rs7 billion) daily to the interbank market, the statement said, adding that they had managed to sell $10 million (Rs2.8 billion) in the interbank market despite fresh tensions between Pakistan and India.

The statement quoted Bostan as saying the inflow of dollars would increase after flight operations returned to normal. 

The ECAP offer came amid a record-breaking 6,482-point plunge at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), marking the largest single-day decline in the index’s history as investors feared escalation in the standoff between India and Pakistan.

The relationship between India and Pakistan has been fraught with tension since they gained independence from colonial Britain in 1947. The countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, and clashed many times.

The countries, which both claim Kashmir in full and rule over parts of it separately, acquired nuclear weapons in the 1990s.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pahalgam attack Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan

Islamabad denies as India says military stations attacked by drones and missiles

Islamabad denies as India says military stations attacked by drones and missiles
Updated 08 May 2025
AFP
Follow

Islamabad denies as India says military stations attacked by drones and missiles

Islamabad denies as India says military stations attacked by drones and missiles
  • Sirens sounded and red flashes and projectiles erupted in the night sky above Jammu for about 2-1/2 hours
  • Islamabad says accusations “entirely unfounded, politically motivated, part of reckless propaganda campaign“
Updated 08 May 2025
AFP

JAMMU/ ISLAMABAD: Blasts rang out across the Indian city of Jammu late on Thursday during what the government said was a Pakistani drone and missile attack on military stations around the Kashmir region on the second day of clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Sirens sounded and red flashes and projectiles erupted in the night sky above Jammu for about 2-1/2 hours, a Reuters journalist said, in what appeared to be an escalation in the countries’ worst confrontation in more than two decades.
Two days of fighting have killed nearly four dozen people.
“Military stations at Jammu, Pathankot & Udhampur were targeted by Pakistani-origin drones and missiles along the international border in J&K today,” India’s Ministry of Defense said on X, citing places in and near the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The threats were swiftly neutralized .... No casualties or material losses were reported.”
Indian TV channels also showed flares and flashes in the sky above Jaisalmer city in Rajasthan state, which shares a border with the southern Pakistani province of Sindh.
In a statement, Islamabad denied attacking Pathankot in India’s Punjab state, Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley and Jaisalmer and said the accusations were “entirely unfounded, politically motivated, and part of a reckless propaganda campaign aimed at maligning Pakistan.”
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country would respond to any escalation “with full resolve and determination to safeguard Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Electricity in Jammu was slowly being restored after a blackout during the attack, a Reuters journalist said.
Eight missiles, fired from Pakistan at the Jammu region towns of Satwari, Samba, Ranbir Singh Pura and Arnia, were intercepted by air defense units, added an Indian military source who asked not to be named.
They were part of a wider attack, the source added.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif earlier said further retaliation was “increasingly certain” after both countries accused each other of launching drone attacks.
World powers from the US to Russia and China have called for calm in one of the world’s most dangerous and populated nuclear flashpoint regions. The US Consulate General in Pakistan’s Lahore ordered staff to shelter in place.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for de-escalation in separate calls with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, the State Department said.
The relationship between India and Pakistan has been fraught with tension since they gained independence from colonial Britain in 1947. The countries have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir, and clashed many times.
The neighbors, which both claim Kashmir in full and rule over parts of it, separately acquired nuclear weapons in the 1990s.

DRONES, MISSILES, AIR DEFENCES

In the latest confrontations, India said it hit nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan on Wednesday in retaliation for what it says was a deadly Islamabad-backed attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22.
Pakistan says it was not involved and denied that any of the sites hit by India were militant bases. It said it shot down five Indian aircraft on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s military said earlier on Thursday it shot down 29 drones from India at multiple locations including the two largest cities of Karachi and Lahore and the garrison city of Rawalpindi, home to the army’s headquarters.
The Indian defense ministry said Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in northern and western India from Wednesday night into Thursday morning and they were “neutralized” by Indian air defense systems.
In response, Indian forces targeted air defense radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan on Thursday, the ministry said.
Before trading ended, both countries saw their stocks, bonds and currencies decline, and Pakistan’s benchmark share index closed down 5.9 percent.
Local media reported panic buying in some cities in the Indian state of Punjab, which shares a border with Pakistan, as people hoarded essentials.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties

Latest updates

Saudi ‘farm for experimentation’ on show in Milan exhibition 
Saudi ‘farm for experimentation’ on show in Milan exhibition 
Recipes for Success: Chef Soner Muran offers advice and a tasty fried mussels recipe 
Recipes for Success: Chef Soner Muran offers advice and a tasty fried mussels recipe 
Kenya is ‘in total disarray’: opposition candidate Martha Karua
Kenya is ‘in total disarray’: opposition candidate Martha Karua
After Spain’s blackout, questions about renewable energy are back
After Spain’s blackout, questions about renewable energy are back
Putin gears up to host world leaders at lavish army parade
Putin gears up to host world leaders at lavish army parade

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.