LCCI terms Israeli attack on Iran as violation of int'l laws
In a statement, LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad, Senior Vice President Engineer Khalid Usman and Vice President Shahid Nazir Chaudhry expressed deep concern over the escalation of Israeli military actions and stressed the urgent need for the international community to take notice and act decisively.
They said that the unprovoked attack on Iran is not only a blatant breach of international law and the UN Charter but also a dangerous provocation that threatens the delicate balance of peace in the Middle East. 'We at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry stand in absolute solidarity with the government and people of Iran during this critical and painful time', they added.
The LCCI office-bearers said that such acts of aggression are unacceptable under all circumstances and particularly alarming when they come from a state that has repeatedly defied global norms and used military force to destabilize the region. This attack represents an escalation that could spiral into a larger conflict, with devastating consequences for millions.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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Express Tribune
an hour ago
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Americans serving in IDF should lose US citizenship
Listen to article This would not be an extreme position but rather doing quite a simple thing, which is stating things as they are. Soldiers serving in national armies fighting for a cause are different from sports players playing for their league, where they keep shifting their loyalties based on whichever leagues they keep popping in and out of. Even soldiers in a mercenary army actually have one cause they fight for — money. American citizens travel to Israel and enlist in the Israeli army where they fight for Israel. Yet, somehow, this extremely bizarre thing is almost never frowned upon and not much discussed either. I remember the Obama administration revoked the US passport of Edward Snowden when he blew the whistle on the corrupt and unconstitutional workings of Obama's intelligence apparatus. Snowden basically leaked the fact that the dragnet styled bulk collection of the Obama administration meant active spying on American citizens, collecting every aspect of their digital lives and storing it in a database, violating countless constitutionally protected liberties of the American citizens. Snowden did not share intelligence collection methods and other details, which could have jeopardised foreign assets, yet President Obama revoked his US passport. The rationale cited was that Snowden harmed American national security. Let us look at the American citizens enlisting in the Israel (so called) Defense Forces. We know this much that one of the main reasons why Bin Laden turned against his former sponsor, Uncle Sam, was because of the blind American support given to Israel. The 9/11 attacks were nothing but an extreme case of blowback. American citizens actively fighting with the Israelis and killing innocent children in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine will drive home further the fact that America is supporting the aggression against the Palestinians. That narrative didn't fail before in recruiting young men to sacrifice their lives for the sake of attacking America. There is no reason to believe it will fail this time around. In fact, now the cruelty by the Israelis is a lot more than before. And American citizens in bed with such a cruel force that kills children will only shift the target of that anger more toward America than toward Israel. Now, that is a much stronger case of harming and jeopardising American national security. Citing the same rationale that the Obama administration had employed in revoking Snowden's passport, it would only be reasonable to revoke the US passports of all those American citizens, born or naturalised, who go abroad and serve in Israeli or Ukrainian armies. Israel and Ukraine are merely names of countries that happen to be foreign. That is literally textbook practice of treason. I do not know why it shouldn't be called that. Unless the word treason is supposed to act silent in pronunciation, as many letters act in various English language words, the most reasonable and honest way one can describe an act of keeping one passport and serving in another national army is treason. Many in the US lifafa punditry would argue that Israel is a US ally and serving Israeli interests only means serving American interests. Nothing can be further from the truth than that white man made nonsense. Israel has on various occasions directly and indirectly acted as extremely harmful to US national security. Israel attacked USS Liberty in 1967, killing 34 sailors. It also shared sensitive US intelligence with the Soviets in order to gain the release of Ashkenazi Jews from Russia. Israel has also transferred military technology to China harming US interests. Israel sold weapons to Iran despite US support for Iraq against Iran in the 1980s. There are unconfirmed, yet, strong indications that Jeffrey Epstein was working for Mossad in compromising and influencing American politicians to compel them to steer US foreign policy in favour of Israel, even if it meant hurting American interests and credibility. Israel is not an American ally. You cannot even find that phrase in mainstream American commentary. Yet, Americans keep serving in that enemy state's army. For a free Palestine, we need a free America first.
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
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Pakistan, Afghanistan ink Preferential Trade Agreement: report
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Express Tribune
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Forced starvation deaths climb to 111 in Gaza, including at least 80 children
A Palestinian man carries the body of a child killed in an overnight Israeli air strike on a house, at the site of the strike, in Gaza City on July 23, 2025. — Reuter Listen to article At least 10 Palestinians have died from forced starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths in Gaza to 111, including at least 80 children, according to the territory's health ministry. More than 100 international humanitarian organisations have issued an urgent appeal for governments to immediately open all land crossings into Gaza and restore access to essential supplies including food, clean water, medical aid, shelter materials and fuel. Almost 101 people died because of #starvation, including 80 children' Palestine Red Crescent Society Spokesperson Nebal Farsakh warns 'situation only getting worse' in #Gaza 'Unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe' — PRCS (@PalestineRCS) July 22, 2025 The organisations, in a joint statement published by Wafa news agency on Wednesday, also called for a UN-led humanitarian mechanism and an immediate, lasting ceasefire. 'Aid workers are now standing in food lines, risking gunfire, just to feed their families,' the statement said, blaming the Israeli government's continued blockade for the starvation gripping the enclave. Humanitarian agencies have reported a rapid physical deterioration among colleagues and local partners as aid supplies run critically low. Bodies of Palestinians are brought to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after an Israeli air raid. Photo: Anadolu Agency Separately, Gaza's Government Media Office confirmed the killing of two more Palestinian journalists, raising the total number of media workers killed since October 2023 to 231. The journalists, identified as Tamer al-Za'anin, a photojournalist affiliated with various outlets, and Walaa al-Jabari, a newspaper editor, were reportedly targeted in Israeli strikes. 'The Government Media Office condemns in the strongest terms the systematic targeting, killing and assassination of Palestinian journalists by the 'Israeli' occupation,' the office said in a statement on Telegram. A Palestinian boy inspects the site of an overnight Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City on July 23, 2025. Photo: Reuters Read: Gaza starvation spirals amid Israeli assault Israeli airstrikes kill 21 today At least 21 more Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, targeting the Tuffah neighbourhood, according to hospital sources. Al-Ahli Arab Hospital confirmed receiving bodies of the deceased and treating dozens of wounded. Additional casualties were reported in Khan Younis, Bani Suheila, and central Gaza, including Deir el-Balah. Bodies of Palestinians are brought to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after an Israeli air raid. Photo: Anadolu Agency Deir el-Balah, once considered a relatively safe area and a key hub for aid operations, has come under intensified Israeli ground activity. Humanitarian workers said the area is now experiencing renewed displacement orders amid large-scale destruction. The Israeli army withdrew from southern Deir el-Balah after a 24-hour operation that left displaced families without access to aid or shelter. Bodies of Palestinians are brought to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after an Israeli air raid [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu] AFP seeks urgent exit for reporters Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has urged Israel to allow the immediate evacuation of its freelance journalists from Gaza, describing their conditions as 'appalling' and 'untenable'. 'For months, we have watched helplessly as their living conditions deteriorated dramatically,' AFP said in a statement from its Paris headquarters. 'Their situation is now untenable, despite their exemplary courage, professional commitment, and resilience.' Palestinians look on while standing at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City on July 23, 2025. Photo: Reuters The AFP journalists' association, SDJ, warned on Monday that its staff in Gaza are facing extreme food shortages and risk starving due to the Israeli blockade. "Since AFP was founded in August 1944, we have lost journalists in conflicts, we have had wounded and prisoners in our ranks, but none of us can recall seeing a colleague die of hunger," the association said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Read more: Hamas says no interim truce possible without work toward permanent ceasefire The SDJ said AFP has been working with a team of one freelance reporter, three photographers, and six freelance video journalists in Gaza. One of them, Bashar Taleb, 30, posted on Meta: "I don't have the power to cover media anymore. My body is lean and I no longer have the ability to walk". He added that his older brother collapsed from hunger on Sunday morning. Despite receiving salaries, AFP freelancers in Gaza have reported being unable to find food or being forced to pay exorbitant prices. Israel's war on Gaza The Israeli army has launched a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing at least 58,667 Palestinians, including 17,400 children. More than 139,974 people have been injured, and over 14,222 are missing and presumed dead. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. A proposed 60-day ceasefire deal includes a pause in hostilities, increased humanitarian aid, and negotiations on the release of captives.
