Pope Leo XIV welcomes India-Pakistan ceasefire in first Sunday message
New pope calls for lasting, “authentic” peace in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza
Pakistan struck Indian military bases with missiles on Saturday, widening fears of war
Updated 11 May 2025
Reuters
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV appealed to the world’s major powers for “no more war” in his first Sunday message to crowds in St. Peter’s Square since his election as pontiff.
The new pope, elected on May 8, called for an “authentic and lasting peace” in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all Israeli hostages.
Leo also welcomed the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and said he was praying to God to grant the world the “miracle of peace.”
“No more war!” the pope said, repeating a frequent call of the late Pope Francis and noting the recent 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which killed some 60 million people.
Leo said today’s world was living through “the dramatic scenario of a Third World War being fought piecemeal,” again repeating a phrase coined by Francis.
The new pope said he carries in his heart the “suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine.” He appealed for negotiations to reach an “authentic, just and lasting peace.”
He also said he was “profoundly saddened” by the war in Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid and release of the remaining hostages held by the militant group Hamas.
Leo said he was glad to hear of the recent India-Pakistan ceasefire and hoped negotiations would lead to a lasting accord between the nuclear armed neighbors.
He added: “But there are so many other conflicts in the world!“
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief on Monday rejected recent Indian military claims Islamabad received real-time support from China during the May 2025 conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, calling the insinuations “factually incorrect” and a “shoddy attempt” to deflect from its battlefield failures.
The remarks came during an address by Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, to graduating officers at the National Defense University in Islamabad.
Last week, Indian Army Deputy Chief Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh alleged at a defense forum in New Delhi that during the May fighting, China had provided Pakistan with “live inputs” about key Indian military positions. Singh did not detail the evidence behind the claim.
In an interview with Arab News last month, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif denied any direct Chinese military involvement during the May 7-10 conflict.
“Insinuations regarding external support in Pakistan’s successful Operation Bunyan Al Marsoos are irresponsible and factually incorrect,” Munir said, according to a statement from the military’s media wing, referring to the name of the Pakistani military response to Indian attacks on May 10.
He described the allegations as reflecting “a chronic reluctance to acknowledge indigenous capability and institutional resilience developed over decades of strategic prudence.”
“Naming other states as participants in the purely bilateral military conflagration is also a shoddy attempt at playing camp politics and desperately trying that India remains the beneficiary of larger geopolitical contestation as the so-called net security provider in a region which is getting increasingly weary of its hegemonic and extremist Hindutva ideology.”
Munir said India’s failure to achieve its stated goals during the conflict highlighted shortcomings in planning and capability.
“India’s inability to achieve its stated military objectives during Operation Sindoor, and the subsequent attempt to rationalize this shortfall through convoluted logic, speaks volumes about its lack of operational readiness and strategic foresight,” he said.
The Indian government and military have not yet responded to Munir’s remarks.
Tensions between the two countries escalated after a deadly April 2025 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for the assault, which Islamabad denied.
In early May, the two sides engaged in a four-day war involving drones, missiles, and artillery fire — their worst clash in decades — before a ceasefire was brokered by the United States.
Pakistan said its armed forces launched Operation Bunyan Al Marsoos in response to Indian strikes on civilian and military infrastructure. India, for its part, claimed it had targeted militant camps and infrastructure inside Pakistan.
In his speech, Munir warned that any future misadventure would be met with a swift and forceful response.
“Any attempt to target our population centers, military bases, economic hubs and ports will instantly invoke a ‘deeply hurting and more than reciprocal response,’” he said. “The onus of escalation will squarely lie on the strategically blind, arrogant aggressor.”
ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani films, Nayab and Deemak, have won major accolades at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Film Festival in China, state-run news agency APP reported on Monday.
The festival showcased 27 films from SCO member states, including China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Central Asian countries. Organized to foster regional cinematic exchange, the event featured screenings, industry forums, a film technology expo, and a gala concert, with awards presented in ten categories.
The SCO Film Festival first launched in 2018 and is a cultural initiative of the multilateral bloc to promote cooperation in cinema and the creative industries among member countries.
“Pakistani film Nayab and Deemak received prestigious ‘Jury Special Award’ and ‘Best Editing Award’ respectively at the colorful concluding ceremony of SCO film festival held at Chongqing, China,” Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Director of Pakistani movie, Nayab, Umair Nasir Ali (center) giving acceptance speech at the SCO Film Festival for the Jury Special award in China, in a picture shared by the director himself on social media on July 7, 2025. (Umair Nasir Ali/Instagram)
Nayab, released in 2024, is a sports-drama centered on a young woman from Karachi, played by Yumna Zaidi, who aspires to become a professional cricketer despite intense family and societal opposition. The cast includes Fawad Khan, Javed Sheikh, and Adnan Siddiqui.
The film has previously won multiple awards, including Best Foreign Film and Best First-Time Filmmaker (Feature) at the World Film Festival in Cannes, and a Special Jury Diploma at the 30th Minsk International Film Festival.
“The cinema was packed, and what truly moved me was how deeply they engaged with the film,” Nayab’s director Umair Nasir Ali told APP after the film’s screen at the SCO festival. “They picked up on the layers, the emotional arcs and asked thoughtful, relevant questions that showed how closely they had followed the story.”
Deemak is a psychological horror film directed by Rafay Akbar Rashdi and starring Soniya Hussyn, Faysal Quraishi, Samina Peerzada, and Bushra Ansari.
Screengrab of a reel showing director of Pakistani movie, Deemak, Rafay Akbar Rashdi (second left) receiving the best editing award for his movie Deemak at the SCO Film Festival held in China in a video shared on social media on July 7, 2025. (RafayRashidi/Instagram)
Set in an aging home haunted by unexplained phenomena, the film explores family tensions and mental trauma. It became Pakistan’s highest-grossing horror film when it released earlier this year, earning over Rs60 million [$211,173] in its opening week.
Pakistan’s film industry has seen a steady resurgence in recent years, with a new generation of filmmakers experimenting with genres from sports dramas to horror and social realism.
Joyland (2022) became the first Pakistani feature to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section, and was later selected as Pakistan’s official entry to the Oscars. The country has also received two Academy Award wins in the documentary short category by filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Meanwhile, The Legend of Maula Jatt (2022) set new box office records, becoming Pakistan’s highest-grossing film to date and finding global audiences with its big-budget, Punjabi-language action storytelling.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday he would meet his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this week to discuss the issue of visa rejections for Pakistani nationals, expressing hope for a resolution of the recurring problem.
The statement comes amid ongoing reports of a sharp decline in UAE visa approvals for Pakistanis. Local media outlets have attributed the rejections to an alleged lack of respect for local laws and customs by Pakistani expats. The issue has also been linked to concerns over documentation and criminal record checks.
“You are right, this [UAE visa rejection] has become an issue,” Naqvi said during a news conference in Karachi when asked about the recurring problem of visa rejections.
“I am meeting the interior minister of the UAE regarding this two days from now [July 9] and I have a lot of hope that we will find a solution to this.”
He acknowledged the matter was affecting a wide segment of Pakistanis, particularly those with business ties to the UAE.
In February, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, described the refusal of visas to Pakistani nationals as a “serious and significant” issue that authorities in both countries were working to resolve. He pointed to several contributing factors, including discrepancies in visa documents and criminal records of some applicants.
Naqvi also referenced Kuwait’s decision in May to lift a 19-year-old visa ban on Pakistani citizens, framing it as part of broader efforts by the current government to enhance Pakistan’s global mobility and the standing of its passport.
“In the next two years, you will see this green passport that you have at a better position in the ranking,” he said.
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and is considered a critical market due to its geographic proximity and logistical advantages. The Gulf state is also Pakistan’s second-largest source of foreign remittances, after Saudi Arabia, with over 1.8 million Pakistani expatriates living and working there.
ISLAMABAD: In a first, Pakistan has launched an artificial intelligence-based customs clearance and risk management system, aiming to improve transparency, reduce human intervention and make cross-border trade more efficient, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Monday.
Developed by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the new system uses AI, bots, and machine learning to automate the classification and valuation of imported and exported goods. Officials say this will reduce delays, streamline tax assessment and minimize manual interference by customs personnel.
“The new risk management system will bring transparency to the system, reduce human intervention to a minimum and facilitate businesspersons,” according to a statement from PM Shehbaz Sharif’s office after he chaired a high-level meeting on the subject.
“With the launch of the new system, there will be an immediate and effective estimation of the classification and cost of goods, resulting in time savings.”
During initial testing, authorities recorded more than 92% improved performance and an 83% increase in identified goods declarations for tax collection. The FBR also reported a one-and-a-half-times increase in green channel clearances compared to previous manual processes.
Sharif described FBR reform as one of the government’s top priorities and emphasized the importance of integrating and sustaining the new platform.
“By automating the tax system, we are making it more transparent and effective,” the PM said, adding that the AI-powered system would enable “ease of doing business and make things easier for taxpayers.”
“Due to reduced human intervention, the system will be more efficient and will save time and money,” he added.
During the meeting, officials also briefed Sharif on ongoing efforts to increase tax collection in the manufacturing sector using video analytics. The system, they said, would allow automated and transparent tax assessment and had shown 98% efficiency in early-stage testing. No timeline for full rollout was given in the statement.
Pakistan’s current customs clearance system has long been criticized for its heavy reliance on manual processes, which leave it vulnerable to delays, inefficiencies and corruption. Importers frequently face inconsistent valuation of goods, excessive documentation requirements, and prolonged clearance times at ports, all of which contribute to higher costs of doing business.
The lack of automation and poor risk profiling mechanisms have also led to overburdened inspection processes, creating bottlenecks in trade and undermining investor confidence.
ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh said on Monday the director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) had been suspended after a residential building collapsed in the provincial capital of Karachi last week, killing 27 people.
The suspension comes as part of a broader crackdown ordered by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who has also directed the registration of a police case (FIR) and promised “ruthless action” against those responsible for the collapse.
The five-story apartment block in the neighborhood of Lyari crumbled on Friday morning, with residents reporting ominous cracking sounds moments before it came down. Rescue operations concluded on Sunday after three days of digging through debris.
Authorities had previously said the building had been declared unsafe, and eviction notices were issued between 2022 and 2024. However, some landlords and residents told media they had never received any such notices.
“The chief minister today suspended the DG Sindh Building Control Authority,” Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said at a press briefing on Monday, referring to Muhammad Ishaque Khuhro who was appointed in February this year.
“Whichever building control authority personnel were involved in this, who had direct responsibility, they were suspended by the local government minister on the first day.”
Memon added that the chief minister had ordered the home minister to immediately register an FIR, adding: “Whoever is involved in this, strict action should be taken.”
He said a fact-finding report had been ordered and must be submitted within two days. An initial committee had already been formed, but its scope had now been expanded to include the Karachi commissioner and other senior officials.
“As soon as the committee submits its report, ruthless action will be taken,” Memon said.
Building collapses are common in Pakistan due to poor construction practices, aging infrastructure and lax enforcement of regulations. Karachi, a city of more than 20 million, is especially vulnerable due to unregulated urban sprawl and widespread illegal construction.
