Europe bristles at US proposals at Asian gathering, India-Pakistan hostility on show

Europe bristles at US proposals at Asian gathering, India-Pakistan hostility on show
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Singapore's Minister of Defence Chan Chun Sing and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas attend a ministerial lunch on the sidelines of IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, on May 31, 2025. (REUTERS/File)
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Updated 01 June 2025
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Europe bristles at US proposals at Asian gathering, India-Pakistan hostility on show

Europe bristles at US proposals at Asian gathering, India-Pakistan hostility on show
  • US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Washington wants Europeans to concentrate on European security at summit 
  • India, Pakistan military delegations pointedly keep out of each other’s way in hotel corridors and meeting halls

SINGAPORE: The Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting in Singapore has long been marked by US-China rivalry but Beijing’s relative retreat at the weekend exposed a new faultline — tensions between the US and Europe over Asia.

Even as he warned in a speech on Saturday that China posed an “imminent” threat, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made clear he wanted Europeans to concentrate on European security as they boosted military budgets.

“We would much prefer that the overwhelming balance of European investment be on that continent...so that as we partner there, which we will continue to do, we’re able to use our comparative advantage as an Indo-Pacific nation to support our partners here,” he said.

Hegseth also noted the absence of his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun, as Beijing instead dispatched a low-level team of military scholars to the annual event, which attracts top defense officials, diplomats, spies and arms dealers from across the world.

The other highlight of the event was the presence of high-powered military delegations from India and Pakistan after four days of intense clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors that were halted by a ceasefire on May 10.

The delegations, in full uniform and bristling with medal and service ribbons, were led by India’s highest-ranking military officer and Pakistan’s chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. They pointedly kept out of each other’s way in the corridors and meeting halls of the sprawling Shangri-La hotel.

On engaging in Asia, at least some European nations signaled they would not be swayed by the US exhortations.

They insisted they would try to stay in both the Asian and European theaters, noting their deep links and vital trade flows as well as the global nature of conflict.

“It is a good thing we are doing more (in Europe), but what I want to stress is that the security of Europe and the security of the Pacific is very much interlinked,” said Europe’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas.

“If you are worried about China, you should be worried about Russia,” Kallas said, underlining the importance of Chinese assistance to the Russian war effort in Ukraine and Moscow’s deployment of North Korean soldiers.

FRANCE’S ASIAN TIES

French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that his nation remains an Indo-Pacific power, alluding to its enduring colonial presence in New Caledonia and French Polynesia and the basing of over 8,000 soldiers across the region.

“We are neither China nor the US, we don’t want to depend on either of them,” Macron said at a press conference on Friday, outlining a “third path” coalition between Europe and Asia that avoided having to choose between Beijing and Washington.

“We want to cooperate with both as far as we can, and we can cooperate for growth and prosperity and stability for our people and the world order, and I think this is exactly the same view of a lot of countries and a lot of people of this region,” he said.

Beyond the rhetoric, regional military attaches and analysts say the European regional presence — and ambitions — may not be easy to shift.

Military deployments are mapped out over decades rather than months, and both commercial and defense relationships go back decades, some of them only rarely publicly acknowledged.

The visit of a British aircraft carrier to Singapore later this month is part of a program first mentioned by then-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in 2017 to stress British support for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

The carrier visit in part reflects Britain’s commitments under the 54-year-old Five-Power Defense Arrangement that links its military with counterparts in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.

British ties with Australia have been bolstered with the recent three-way AUKUS submarine and advanced technology sharing agreement struck with the US — a move that could see British submarines visiting Western Australia.

Singapore meanwhile keeps 200 personnel in France operating 12 of its light combat aircraft while Britain also has a jungle training camp and helicopters in Brunei and a 1,200-strong Gurkha battalion, according to International Institute of Strategic Studies data.

A report last month by the London-based IISS highlighted European defense firms’ long-standing and expanding defense ties to Asia, even in the face of competition, particularly from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as regional budgets rise.

“European companies, including Airbus, Damen, Naval Group and Thales, have a long-standing presence in Southeast Asia, and other European actors have established themselves in the market in the last decade, including Italy’s Fincantieri and Sweden’s Saab,” the IISS study said.

Saab is close to securing a deal with US ally Thailand to supply its Gripen fighters, beating out Lockheed Martin’s F-16s.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has reported that Asian defense spending rose 46 percent in the decade to 2024, reaching $629 billion.

For Finnish officials at least, Hegseth’s remarks resonated — it is Moscow rather than the Indo-Pacific that looms large for Helsinki given the country’s long Russian border.

“When Europe’s defense is in a good shape, then you will have resources to do something more,” Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen told Reuters.

“But now all the European countries must do their main focus on European defense so that the United States can do a bigger share in the Indo-Pacific area,” Hakkanen said. 


Pakistan regulator unveils gender policy to boost women’s role in corporate, finance sectors

Pakistan regulator unveils gender policy to boost women’s role in corporate, finance sectors
Updated 6 sec ago
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Pakistan regulator unveils gender policy to boost women’s role in corporate, finance sectors

Pakistan regulator unveils gender policy to boost women’s role in corporate, finance sectors
  • SECP releases draft Women EquiSmart Policy 2025–2028 for public consultation on its official website
  • It focuses on women’s leadership on boards, inclusive workplaces and gender-smart financial products

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top financial regulator on Tuesday launched a draft policy aimed at tackling gender inequality in the country’s corporate and financial sectors, seeking to improve women’s representation on company boards, expand access to finance for women entrepreneurs and make workplaces more inclusive.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) published its Women EquiSmart Policy 2025–2028 for public consultation on its website, calling it the first comprehensive gender framework for regulated sectors such as capital markets, insurance and non-banking finance.

“The draft framework reflects the SECP’s strategic shift from fragmented diversity efforts to a structured, cohesive regulatory approach to gender inclusion, aligned with national priorities and global frameworks,” the regulator said in a statement.

The draft policy is built around six pillars, including women’s leadership on boards, gender-disaggregated reporting, women’s entrepreneurship, gender-smart financial products, inclusive workplace practices and institutional capacity building.

The statement said it identifies policy gaps, proposes timelines and regulatory actions and assigns roles to key stakeholders across the public and private sectors.

While Pakistan has seen efforts in recent years to promote workplace equality — such as corporate codes encouraging gender diversity — these have largely remained voluntary and inconsistently implemented.

SECP’s proposed framework seeks to introduce a more enforceable and measurable approach to gender inclusion.


Pakistan court orders probe into online blasphemy spike

Pakistan court orders probe into online blasphemy spike
Updated 57 min 3 sec ago
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Pakistan court orders probe into online blasphemy spike

Pakistan court orders probe into online blasphemy spike
  • There has been a spike in cases of mostly young men being arrested for committing blasphemy in WhatsApp groups since 2022
  • Rights groups, police say many are brought to trial by private law firms, who use volunteers to scour Internet for offenders

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan court ordered a government probe on Tuesday into allegations that young people are being entrapped in online blasphemy cases, following appeals from hundreds of families.

There has been a spike in cases of mostly young men being arrested for committing blasphemy in WhatsApp groups since 2022.

Rights groups and police have said that many are brought to trial by private law firms, who use volunteers to scour the Internet for offenders.

“The government will constitute a commission within a 30-day timeframe,” said Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan at Islamabad High Court, adding that the commission is required to submit its findings within four months.

Blasphemy is an incendiary charge in Muslim-majority Pakistan punishable by death, and even unsubstantiated accusations can incite public outrage, lead to lynchings and to families being shunned by society.

A report published by the government-run National Commission for Human Rights in October last year said there were 767 people, mostly young men, in jail awaiting trial over blasphemy allegations.

“This is a huge ray of hope and it’s the first time that the families have felt heard,” said lawyer Imaan Mazari, who represents the families of arrested men and women, of the court order.

“Youngsters have been falsely roped into cases of such a sensitive nature that the stigma will last forever even if they are acquitted,” she added.

A 2024 report by Punjab police into the sudden spike in cases, that was leaked to the media, found that “a suspicious gang was trapping youth in blasphemy cases” and may be motivated by financial gain.

The Legal Commission on Blasphemy Pakistan (LCBP) is the most active of lawyers groups prosecuting young men in Pakistan.

Sheraz Ahmad Farooqi, one of the group’s leaders, told AFP in October that “God has chosen them for this noble cause.”

In recent years, several youngsters have been convicted and handed death sentences, although no execution has ever been carried out for blasphemy in Pakistan.

“We will fully support the probe commission and are confident that our voices will finally be listened to, our concerns will be heard, and the truth will come out,” the relative of one of the accused, who asked not to be named because of the backlash, told AFP.


‘World’s oldest marathon runner’ dies aged 114 in road accident

‘World’s oldest marathon runner’ dies aged 114 in road accident
Updated 15 July 2025
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‘World’s oldest marathon runner’ dies aged 114 in road accident

‘World’s oldest marathon runner’ dies aged 114 in road accident
  • Fauja Singh gained global fame after taking up long-distance running at 89, completing marathons past 100
  • Tributes pour in for Sikh athlete who inspired generations with message of resilience, fitness and faith

NEW DELHI: India’s Fauja Singh, believed to be the world’s oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident aged 114, his biographer said Tuesday.

Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the “Turbaned Tornado,” died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state’s Jalandhar district on Monday.

“My Turbaned Tornado is no more,” Fauja’s biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X.

“He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja.”

Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.

He ran full marathons (42 kilometer) till the age of 100.

His last race was a 10-kilometer (six-mile) event at the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon when 101, where he finished in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.

He became an international sensation after taking up distance running at the ripe old age of 89, after the death of his wife and one of his sons, inspired by seeing marathons on television.

Although widely regarded as the world’s oldest marathon runner, he was not certified by Guinness World Records as he could not prove his age, saying that birth certificates did not exist when he was born under British colonial rule in 2011.

Singh was a torchbearer for the Olympics at Athens 2004 and London 2012, and appeared in advertisements with sports stars such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.

His strength and vitality were credited to a routine of farm walks and a diet including Indian sweet “laddu” packed with dry fruits and home-churned curd.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute on social media.

“Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness,” said Modi on X

“He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world.”


AI Umrah assistant to cut costs, enhance experience for Pakistan’s 2 million annual pilgrims

AI Umrah assistant to cut costs, enhance experience for Pakistan’s 2 million annual pilgrims
Updated 21 min 34 sec ago
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AI Umrah assistant to cut costs, enhance experience for Pakistan’s 2 million annual pilgrims

AI Umrah assistant to cut costs, enhance experience for Pakistan’s 2 million annual pilgrims
  • Launched by Umrah Companions last week, “Ibraheem” offers personalized guidance in multiple languages, including Urdu
  • Pilgrims from Pakistan face confusing logistics, language barriers and high costs due to inefficient travel agency practices

ISLAMABAD: A Saudi-backed consortium has launched what it says is the world’s first artificial intelligence-powered Umrah advisor, “Ibraheem,” aimed at simplifying pilgrimage planning and reducing costs for millions of Muslims, including more than two million Pakistanis who travel to the Kingdom each year.

Ibraheem has been developed by Pakistani company Umrah Companions and is powered by Funadiq, a Saudi-based Destination Management Company specializing in Hajj and Umrah services.

The tool was launched last week and is designed to offer pilgrims personalized guidance in multiple languages, including Urdu and Roman Urdu, with the goal of cutting Umrah-related expenses by as much as 20 percent.

Pakistan is among the world’s largest pilgrimage markets, with over $5 billion spent annually by citizens traveling for Umrah and Hajj.

“Today, 93% of global Muslims cannot afford Hajj and Umrah. It is too expensive,” said Mohammad Salman Arain, CEO of Umrah Companions, in an interview with Arab News. “It is becoming expensive because we are not removing the inefficiencies in the processes — and that is what our mission is.”

Mohammad Salman Arain, CEO of Umrah Companions, speaks to Arab News during an interview in Islamabad on July 14, 2025, about his newly launched AI-powered Umrah advisor, “Ibraheem.” The tool is designed to simplify pilgrimage planning and reduce costs for millions of Muslims. (AN Photo)

Pakistanis often face language barriers, lack of personalized travel information, and high costs when arranging Umrah trips through human agents, many of whom offer fixed packages with little customization. Arain said the AI assistant overcomes these issues by adapting to each user’s needs, whether they are traveling with elderly parents, young children, or have budget constraints.

The platform currently supports ten languages, including Urdu, Roman Urdu, Arabic and English, and provides real-time recommendations on flights, hotels, food, weather, medical facilities and even services such as wheelchair availability near the Haram in Makkah.

"Ibraheem," the newly launched AI-powered Umrah advisor, responds to a command from Arab News during an interactive session in Islamabad. (AN Photo)

“You can start with a very simple question: ‘I want to travel in August. Give me an estimated budget for four people,’” Arain said. “Ibraheem will then suggest premium or budget options, tell you whether hotels are suitable for elderly companions, and help build your itinerary.”

The tool’s language offerings and its flexibility for use on smartphones and low-bandwidth environments make it particularly suitable for Pakistani blue- and white-collar workers living in the Gulf, a group that often lacks access to transparent and user-friendly tech tools for pilgrimage planning.

Mohammad Salman Arain, CEO of Umrah Companions, briefs Arab News on his newly launched AI-powered Umrah advisor, “Ibraheem,” during an interview in Islamabad on July 14, 2025. The tool aims to simplify pilgrimage planning and reduce costs for millions of Muslims. (AN Photo)

“We are building to make everybody's life easier. It is not for us only,” Arain added. “This is available for everyone and every single Muslim in the world.”

Umrah Companions is also working on outreach to Pakistani freelancers and overseas workers through diplomatic missions, Pakistani banks, and diaspora associations, especially in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, where a majority of Pakistani pilgrims are based.

While the service is focused on Umrah for now, Arain said it was already learning and being trained for Hajj season.

Once a pilgrim arrives in the Kingdom, the AI agent continues to provide support, from locating wheelchairs at Haram gates to suggesting restaurants and responding to emergencies, the chief executive explained.

The tool has already contributed to a 25% increase in website traffic, according to Arain, and is currently being built as an open platform available for use by all Muslims, regardless of which company they book their pilgrimage through.

The handout photograph released on July 14, 2025, shows Salman Arain (left), CEO of Funadiq.com, Sattam Hamdan M. Algethami (center), CEO of Maather Hospitality Group, and Anas Ammar, CEO of Emaar Al Diyafa Group, posing for a group photo. (Photo Courtesy: Salman Arain)

The launch of the AI platform also aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal to improve the pilgrimage experience through digital transformation and accessibility.

Arain said the initiative complements the Kingdom’s efforts to modernize religious tourism and ensure cost-effective pilgrimage options for lower-income Muslims.

“We believe this is going to revolutionize [pilgrimage],” Arain said, “and it is very much in line with what the Saudi Vision 2030 is doing to enhance the pilgrimage experience.”


China’s Xi, Pakistan’s Dar pledge unity as SCO faces regional strains

China’s Xi, Pakistan’s Dar pledge unity as SCO faces regional strains
Updated 37 min 13 sec ago
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China’s Xi, Pakistan’s Dar pledge unity as SCO faces regional strains

China’s Xi, Pakistan’s Dar pledge unity as SCO faces regional strains
  • President Xi Jinping emphasizes importance of the regional cooperation under the SCO framework
  • Dar also meets Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, Iran’s Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the conference

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday highlighted his country’s commitment to strengthening ties with China and reaffirmed a shared vision for regional peace and development during an interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the joint call of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers in Beijing.

The interaction took place on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting, a key diplomatic gathering aimed at preparing the groundwork for the upcoming SCO Leaders’ Summit later this year. The CFM convened to review progress on multilateral cooperation and set the agenda for endorsement by heads of state.

“Delighted to meet earlier today with President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing,” Dar said in a post on social media platform X. “Conveyed the warm greetings of the leadership, government and people of Pakistan. As iron-clad brothers and All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners, we remain committed to deepening Pak-China enduring friendship and advancing shared regional goals.”

Islamabad and Beijing are long-time allies and have been jointly working on multibillion-dollar infrastructure, energy and connectivity initiatives under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The corridor provides China direct access to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan’s Gwadar port, while enabling Pakistan to modernize its infrastructure and strengthen regional trade links.

The foreign office of Pakistan said in a statement released earlier today that President Xi emphasized the importance of regional cooperation under the SCO framework, an organization spanning the Eurasian landmass and representing a significant portion of the global population.

BILATERAL MEETINGS

On the sidelines of the conference, the Pakistani deputy prime minister also met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The two officials expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of bilateral ties and agreed to further enhance cooperation in trade, energy, agriculture and defense, according to an official statement.

It added Dar also invited Lavrov to visit Pakistan.

Their meeting came at a time when Pakistan and Russia are seeking to deepen their partnership through plans to build a new steel mill in southern Sindh and launch a pilot cargo train project in August.

The deputy PM also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, with the two leaders reviewing bilateral cooperation and discussing the evolving regional situation following Israel’s war against Iran.

Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unwavering solidarity with the people and Government of Iran,” and emphasized that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to de-escalation and lasting peace, according to the foreign office.

The SCO conference is also being attended by India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, though no meeting is scheduled between Pakistani and Indian officials.

The CFM takes place nearly two months after a tense four-day military standoff between Pakistan and India, during which both sides exchanged missiles, drones and artillery fire before agreeing to a US-brokered ceasefire.