The National Day, observed every year on September 23, marks the unification of the kingdom at the hands of King Abdulaziz in 1932.

In a post on X, PM Shehbaz congratulated the country on its “remarkable journey of progress and transformation” and reiterated Pakistan’s condemnation of the recent Houthi attacks on the country, in particular an attempted drone attack on Makkah.

He held that threats to the security of the Haramain Sharifain “deeply wounds the sentiments of Muslims across the world”.

“Pakistan stands unwaveringly, shoulder to shoulder, with the kingdom in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and the sanctity of Islam’s holiest sites,” PM Shehbaz stressed.

He noted that under the “dynamic” leadership of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia continues to make impressive strides towards greater prosperity, modernisation and innovation.

The premier added that the brotherhood between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was “growing into an even stronger strategic partnership, underpinned by our shared commitment to peace, security and the unity of the Muslim Ummah”.

“Together, we have proudly signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” he added.

Under the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement signed in Sept 2025, the two countries pledged that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both.

Meanwhile, the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement — signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7 — empowers member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all.

In his message, PM Shehbaz said, “I pray that Pakistan-Saudi Arabia brotherhood continues to grow from strength to strength.”

The premier’s message comes amid fresh fighting between the Houthis and the Yemeni government, which has dragged in Riyadh, with the Houthis declaring a maritime blockade on the kingdom and targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

On Sept 18, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry echoed similar remarks, saying Pakistan will go to “any extent” to defend Saudi Arabia, adding that Islamabad’s commitment to the kingdom’s security is “unconditional”.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also reaffirmed that Pakistan would “practically and diplomatically” stand by Saudi Arabia against Yemen’s Houthi rebels if the situation escalated.

India unilaterally suspended the accord in April last year — a move that was followed by a brief military conflict between the two sides in May 2025.

In August, the Permanent Court of Arb­i­­t­ration (PCA), in a setback to New Delhi, declared that the treaty between the two co­u­ntries remained fully in force, as India had no justification for end­ing or suspending the agreement.

In his address at the ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Dar said: “The treaty is a binding international agreement and contains no provision permitting its unilateral suspension.

“International obligations can’t be set aside when they become inconvenient.”

Recalling the conflict between Pakistan and India in May last year following a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Dar said it “provided a stark reminder of the consequences of leaving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute unresolved”.

The foreign minister also mentioned that following the Pahalgam incident, India levelled baseless allegations against Pakistan without credible investigations and embarked upon military aggression.

“Pakistan exercised its inherent right to self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in a measured and proportionate manner while acting responsibly to prevent further escalation,” he stated.

DPM Dar emphasised that the “lessons from [the] dangerous confrontation from May 2025 must not be lost”.

“Two nuclear-armed states came into a direct military conflict over a dispute that has remained unresolved for almost eight decades,” he noted.

“Whether in South Asia or the Middle East, military force can’t resolve longstanding political disputes. Dialogue, diplomacy and just resolution of the root causes in accordance with the international law remain the only sustainable way forward,” he stressed.

The foreign minister added that India’s unilateral attempt to hold the IWT in abeyance has introduced “another dangerous dimension”, explaining that the treaty was a binding international agreement and contained no provision permitting its unilateral suspension.

He also referred to the PCA’s decision on the matter, saying the court reaffirmed that “the unilateral action by one party can’t deprive the court of its competence and has underscored the continued force of the treaty’s obligations, including those governing the Western rivers”.

‘Sustained effort to silence people’

At the outset of his address, Dar expressed “profound appreciation” to the OIC secretary general and members of the group for their “steadfast and principled support for Kashmiri people”.

“For almost eight decades people of Jammu and Kashmir have waited for the international community to honour a solemn promise: the right to determine their future through a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices,” he said.

He mentioned a series of illegal and unilateral measures taken by India since Aug 5, 2019, saying New Delhi’s “unmistakable intention is the unlawfully changing the demographic, critical and cultural character” of India-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

The foreign minister noted that India had systematically “dismantled political and civic space” in the region.

“Kashmiri leaders, activists, journalists and youth continue facing arbitrary detentions, torture and persecution under draconian laws, including the Public Safety Act.”

He noted that political organisations had been outlawed and legitimate dissent was criminalised. “This suppression is accompanied by a deliberate effort to alter the identity of the occupied territory.”

He added: “New domicile and laws, manipulation of electoral constituencies, addition of non-Kashmiris to electoral roles, confiscation and demolition of properties and measures undermining Kashmiri Muslim’s cultural and religious heritage are used to change realities on the ground.”

Meanwhile, India has “simultaneously sought to shut the window through which the world can see these violations”, Dar highlighted.

“Media freedom has been systematically curtailed; journalists face intimidation, surveillance and detention; Kashmir Press Club was forcibly closed; social media accounts have been blocked; and international media and independent observers continue to be denied unhindered access.”

DPM Dar pointed out that the international community had independently corroborated these concerns, including in a joint communication by the UN Special Procedures issued on Oct 16, 2025.

That report mentioned the “arrest and detention of around 2,800 individuals, including journalists and human rights defenders; demolition of homes, blocking of around 8,000 social media accounts; and incidents of hate speech, intimidation and dehumanisation targeting Kashmiris and Muslims”.

Dar stressed that the incidents were not isolated violations. “Taken together, they reveal a sustained effort to silence people, transform the identity of their homeland and foreclose their right to self-determination and their own future,” he said.

In his address, DPM Dar also mentioned multiple laws promulgated by India for the annexation of Jammu and Kashmir.

He asserted that New Delhi cannot “invoke domestic law to negate” a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Kashmir, adding that Kashmir remained an internationally recognised dispute on the UNSC’s agenda.

“No domestic legislation, judicial verdict, electoral exercise or demographic manipulation can substitute for the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination.”

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a just and peaceful settlement of the dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people.

“We will continue extending our fullest support to the Kashmiri people until the right is realised,” the deputy premier reaffirmed.

‘Sustained diplomatic action’

Extending his gratitude to OIC for consistently standing up with the Kashmiri brothers and sisters, Dar noted: “Our challenge now is to translate this principled solidarity into a sustained diplomatic action.”

Expanding upon those actions, Dar urged the OIC and its member states to “maintain a unified and visible … position at the UN and other international fora and intensify efforts for implementation” of the relevant UNSC resolutions.

The foreign minister further urged the OIC to “call upon India to reverse all illegal measures taken since Aug 5, 2019; halt demographic engineering and attacks on Kashmiri political, religious and cultural identities; and release all political prisoners and those arbitrarily detained”.

Third, Dar called on the OIC to demand unrestricted access to IoK for the OIC special envoy and fact-finding mission, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN Special Procedures, international media and independent observers.

He also sought OIC members’ support for “international accountability for serious human rights violations” in the region.

Fourth, Dar urged the forum to strengthen coordinated OIC diplomacy in New York and Geneva and support the OIC’s call for an updated OHCHR report on Kashmir.

He pointed out: “Kashmiri people are only asking the international community to deliver what was provided to them decades ago. The right to self-determination is already recognised, and the mechanism for its exercise has already been prescribed by the UNSC.

“What remains is the fulfilment of the solemn international commitment.”

Dar also urged the OIC to keep the Jammu and Kashmir issue high on the international agenda, oppose attempts to alter the character of the disputed territory and advance a just and peaceful settlement in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolution and the aspirations of Kashmiris.

Like thousands of people in Gaza, Arafat chose to risk living in an apartment building damaged during nearly three years of Israel’s military actions, with countless Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian territory.

“We were forced to live here because we had nowhere else to go. All of our homes were destroyed, our land was razed and we have nothing left,” said Arafat, 47.

According to the UN, 84 per cent of all structures in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed by October 2025, and Gaza’s civil defence says 2,000 buildings across the territory are at risk of collapse.

Last week, 21 people, including 12 children, died in Gaza City after a six-storey building that local authorities said had been hit repeatedly by Israeli airstrikes collapsed. Israel denied having struck the building.

Arafat lives with her six daughters and husband in their old apartment building in Gaza City’s Al-Shati Refugee Camp, which they left at the height of the conflict that began in October 2023 with Hamas’s massive attack on Israel.

The family returned after an October 2025 ceasefire, which has reduced but not ended Israeli strikes. They found that their four-storey building, in which 30 people now live, had collapsed inward at the ground floor, the result, she said, of an Israeli ground operation in the area.

Like most buildings in Gaza City, the windows were blown away by blasts, with makeshift bedsheets spread across the frames providing little privacy.

As she spoke, Arafat illustrated her building’s slant by leaving a water bottle sideways on the floor, only for it to quickly roll away to the other end of the room.

While no territory-wide estimate exists, Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said last week that people across Gaza were living in “hundreds of damaged and unsafe shelters”.

‘Where can we go?’

“Where can we go? Even though this house is dangerous,” Arafat said. “We have been terrified ever since we heard about houses collapsing. The danger has become even greater” than we thought it would be.

Gaza City municipal staff patrol the streets to identify buildings at risk of collapse and mark them with stencils.

“These homes pose a genuine threat to the lives of the displaced persons sheltering inside them, as well as to residents in the vicinity and those in nearby displacement camps,” said Hosni Muhanna, a Gaza City spokesman.

But Muhanna knows that people are likely to remain in these buildings for lack of better options.

“Thousands of displaced people are forced to seek shelter in these dilapidated buildings which are on the verge of collapse to escape the hardships of displacement camps that offer no protection against the summer heat or winter cold.”

Most residents of Gaza were displaced at least once during the conflict, and many of them remain in enormous camps for the displaced, in tents provided by humanitarian organisations or in improvised shelters.

Stalled reconstruction

With diseases such as the skin infection impetigo rampaging through certain camps due to the lack of waste disposal and general overcrowding, many Gaza residents have found it safer to take the risks of moving into the damaged buildings.

And with Gaza’s economy in tatters, many remain dependent on aid, which Israel has allowed into Gaza with restrictions since the declaration of the US-brokered ceasefire in October 2025.

But Israel has kept carrying out airstrikes, and has restricted the entry of a range of equipment that it says could also have military use, but which Gazans and international NGOs say are needed for the territory’s vast reconstruction needs.

These can include large machinery needed to clear rubble from the site of destroyed buildings, or spare parts and lubricants needed to keep other tools running, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in August.

With the ceasefire process stalled for months, reconstruction efforts planned under the ceasefire have yet to begin.

According to a joint assessment published by the UN, World Bank and European Union in April, Gaza will require $71.4 billion in recovery and reconstruction spending over the next decade.

“We’re afraid a wall or the roof might fall on us, so we huddle together, afraid that one of us might get hurt,” Arafat said.

India unilaterally suspended the accord in April last year — a move that was followed by a brief military conflict between the two sides in May 2025.

In August, the Permanent Court of Arb­i­­t­ration (PCA), in a setback to New Delhi, declared that the treaty between the two co­u­ntries remained fully in force, as India had no justification for end­ing or suspending the agreement.

In his address at the ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Dar said: “The treaty is a binding international agreement and contains no provision permitting its unilateral suspension.

“International obligations can’t be set aside when they become inconvenient.”

Recalling the conflict between Pakistan and India in May last year following a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Dar said it “provided a stark reminder of the consequences of leaving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute unresolved”.

The foreign minister also mentioned that following the Pahalgam incident, India levelled baseless allegations against Pakistan without credible investigations and embarked upon military aggression.

“Pakistan exercised its inherent right to self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in a measured and proportionate manner while acting responsibly to prevent further escalation,” he stated.

DPM Dar emphasised that the “lessons from dangerous confrontation from May 2025 must not be lost”.

“Two nuclear-armed states came into a direct military conflict over a dispute that has remained unresolved for almost eight decades,” he noted.

“Whether in South Asia or the Middle East, military force can’t resolve longstanding political disputes. Dialogue, diplomacy and just resolution of the root causes in accordance with the international law remain the only sustainable way forward,” he stressed.

The foreign minister added that India’s unilateral attempt to hold the IWT in abeyance has introduced “another dangerous dimension”, explaining that the treaty was a binding international agreement and contained no provision permitting its unilateral suspension.

He also referred to the PCA’s decision on the matter, saying the court reaffirmed that “the unilateral action by one party can’t deprive the court of its competence and has underscored the continued force of the treaty’s obligations, including those governing the Western rivers”.

“International obligations can’t be set aside when they become inconvenient.”

‘Sustained effort to silence people’

At the outset of his address, Dar expressed “profound appreciation” to the OIC secretary general and members of the group for their “steadfast and principled support for Kashmiri people”.

“For almost eight decades people of Jammu and Kashmir have waited for the international community to honour a solemn promise: the right to determine their future through a free and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices,” he said.

He mentioned a series of illegal and unilateral measures taken by India since Aug 5, 2019, saying New Delhi’s “unmistakable intention is the unlawfully changing the demographic, critical and cultural character” of India-occupied Kashmir (IoK).

The foreign minister noted that India had systematically “dismantled political and civic space” in the region.

“Kashmiri leaders, activists, journalists and youth continue facing arbitrary detentions, torture and persecution under draconian laws, including the Public Safety Act.”

He noted that political organisations had been outlawed and legitimate dissent was criminalised. “This suppression is accompanied by a deliberate effort to alter the identity of the occupied territory.”

He added: “New domicile and laws, manipulation of electoral constituencies, addition of non-Kashmiris to electoral roles, confiscation and demolition of properties and measures undermining Kashmiri Muslim’s cultural and religious heritage are used to change realities on the ground.”

Meanwhile, India has “simultaneously sought to shut the window through which the world can see these violations”, Dar highlighted.

“Media freedom has been systematically curtailed; journalists face intimidation, surveillance and detention; Kashmir Press Club was forcibly closed; social media accounts have been blocked; and international media and independent observers continue to be denied unhindered access.”

DPM Dar pointed out that the international community had independently corroborated these concerns, including in a joint communication by the UN Special Procedures issued on Oct 16, 2025.

That report mentioned the “arrest and detention of around 2,800 individuals, including journalists and human rights defenders; demolition of homes, blocking of around 8,000 social media accounts; and incidents of hate speech, intimidation and dehumanisation targeting Kashmiris and Muslims”.

Dar stressed that the incidents were not isolated violations. “Taken together, they reveal a sustained effort to silence people, transform the identity of their homeland and foreclose their right to self-determination and their own future,” he said.

More to follow

In the undercover footage, Nagaland pacer and former Delhi school cricketer Rachit Bhatia is seen alleging that he fixed matches and passed confidential playing XIs to bookmakers.

According to the report, Bhatia claimed he shared Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai Super Kings’ team details with London-based bookies via Snapchat before the toss during the 2025 IPL season, asserting he earned large sums in the process.

He also spoke of similar activities in the Delhi Premier League and other state competitions, as well as accepting payments from parents to secure places for children in age-group sides.

These claims, which have not been verified by any competent authority, have once again raised concerns about the vulnerability of franchise and lower-tier cricket in India to corrupt approaches.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association responded on Tuesday to the controversy surrounding the recently concluded Delhi Premier League. A senior DDCA official confirmed to Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency that only one corrupt approach related to match-fixing had been reported to the league’s Anti-Corruption Unit during the tournament.

“Central Delhi’s Vansh Bedi was approached by a fixer and he immediately reported the matter to the ACU,” the official was quoted as saying by PTI.

Bedi, 23, who represented Central Delhi Kings and had earlier been part of the Chennai Super Kings squad in the 2025 IPL, followed protocol by promptly flagging the approach.

The DDCA has formally informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India and sought its guidance. No other official complaints were lodged with the ACU, the official added.

DDCA Secretary Ashok Sharma said Bedi reported an approach from a player from Uttar Pradesh who was also playing in a T20 league in that state. The association underlined that security liaison officers had been deployed with every team and described its anti-corruption arrangements as “watertight.”

In a statement, the DDCA termed the broader allegations emerging from the Tehelka investigation “unverified” and cautioned against drawing conclusions about any player or franchise solely on the basis of such reports. It confirmed it had written to the relevant authorities requesting a proper examination of the matter.

Bedi has denied any link to the match-fixing claims made in the sting, describing certain reports associating him with them as false and defamatory, and said his legal team was pursuing action.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2026

At least 23 people were killed in the September 18’s deadly two-pronged assault, including 17 policemen and six civilians.

After detonating an explosives-laden vehicle near a mosque in old Police Lines during Friday prayers, terrorists stormed the compound and attacked police facilities. KP police said eight terrorists were killed in retaliatory action by police and security forces.

A UNSC statement issued by Council President Jérôme Bonnafont, representing France, strongly condemned the “heinous and cowardly” suicide bombing at a mosque.

UNSC member states expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and the government, and wished the injured a swift recovery.

Member states stressed that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”.

According to the statement, UNSC members underscored the need to hold the “perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors” accountable and urged all states to cooperate with Pakistan in the matter.

The UNSC held that any act of terrorism was “criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of [its] motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed”.

The Security Council “reaffirmed the need for all states to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts”.

The attack was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Ittehadul Mujahideen.

On Saturday, KP police said that a clearance operation launched after the attack had concluded. Police said that Elite Force commandos, Counterterrorism Department (CTD) teams, and security forces had cleared key parts of the buildings.

CM Afridi had sought a detailed report on the incident on Friday, saying the targeting of innocent citizens was “deeply regrettable and unacceptable”.

In 2010, 20 people, mostly relatives of policemen, were killed and more than 90 injured in a remote-controlled bomb blast inside a police colony located just behind the Kohat Police Lines. The explosion had taken place in Ramazan during Iftar.

On Monday, in retaliation for recent terrorist attacks in KP, including the Kohat bombing, the armed forces conducted airstrikes on terrorist sites “in the border region with Afghanistan”, killing more than 28 terrorists, the information ministry said.

A day earlier, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in a visit to Peshawar Corps headquarters, said the armed forces remained resolute in defeating terrorism and ensuring lasting peace and stability, according to the military’s media wing.