ISLAMABAD // Pakistan's president has accused India of rejecting what he termed peace overtures made earlier this year, a sign of how far apart the neighbouring countries remain two years after relations crumbled in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Asif Ali Zardari made the comments late on Sunday just hours after Barack Obama, the US president, urged the two nations to resolve their differences through dialogue. Mr Obama was speaking to students in Mumbai during the second day of a four-day visit to India.
Better ties between India and Pakistan would help Washington in the war in Afghanistan because it would allow Islamabad to shift troops to its western border to fight militants there.
Moreover, Pakistan's alleged support for the Taliban in Afghanistan is motivated partly by its fear of Indian influence there.
Pakistan and India have fought three wars since 1947, two over conflicting claims surrounding the Kashmir region.
India accuses Pakistan's intelligence agencies of supporting militants who carry out attacks in India, including the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed 166. Tensions between the two nations rose after those attacks and a slow-moving peace process was put on hold.
Pakistan wants to resume talks that include the Kashmir issue, but India says it has not done enough to punish the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks or ensure there will not be a repeat.
Islamabad invited India's foreign minister for talks in July in Islamabad, but they achieved little except public recriminations on both sides.
"The democratic civil government went out of the way in our peace overtures toward India," Mr Zardari said in a speech to a South Asian journalist association, a copy of which was released on Monday. "It would have been most helpful if our initiatives had been welcomed and responded to in a positive manner".
Mr Zardari said Pakistan was cooperating in bringing to justice those behind militant attacks.
Pakistan has arrested seven people in connection with the Mumbai attacks, but their trials have not properly begun yet.
Pakistan's powerful army and spy agencies - which operate largely out of the control of Zardari's government - have for years treated militants who attack India as allies, not enemies. Analysts say they have not fully severed their ties with such groups.
The United States has to play a delicate balancing act in its relations with the two nations. It cannot upset India, a growing economic and democratic giant, and must also strengthen ties with Pakistan, which it needs to stabilise Afghanistan.
* With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Dan Brown
Doubleday
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Settlers
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Rating: 5/5
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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Violence%20
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
More coverage from the Future Forum
What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
