PIA celebrates Operation Bunyanum Marsoos in a unique style
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has launched special in-flight celebrations to mark the country's "historic success" in Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, according to a statement issued by PIA on Wednesday.
The celebration included cake-cutting ceremonies on all domestic and international flights. A PIA spokesperson said the gesture is intended to share the national victory with passengers travelling across the airline's network.
A heartfelt salute to the Armed Forces of #Pakistan! 🇵🇰
In celebration of their remarkable victory, #PIA is paying a special and sweet tribute to the sons of the soil with custom-designed cakes on our flights. #HeroesOfPakistan#بنیان_المرصوس #pakistanresponds pic.twitter.com/FOfif0oord — PIA (@Official_PIA) May 14, 2025
'In-flight hospitality is being extended on all routes to celebrate the success of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos with our passengers,' the spokesperson said.
The celebrations of Pakistan's victory against India are not limited to domestic routes. Cake-cutting ceremonies are also being held on flights bound for Toronto, France, Gulf countries, and other international destinations, the airline confirmed.
معرکۂ حق: اسلام آباد پولیس کی جانب سے پاک فوج کی تاریخی فتح پر ریلی کا انعقاد
سرکاری عہدیداران کی جانب سے پوری قوم کو 10 مئی کی تاریخی فتح کی مبارکباد
ہماری مسلح افواج نے سیسہ پلائی دیوار بن کے دشمن کا مقابلہ کیا جوقابل ستائش ہے ، آئی جی پی اسلام آباد سید علی ناصر رضوی… pic.twitter.com/cIUYKp9rNP
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) May 13, 2025
A day earlier, Islamabad Police organised a rally to commemorate the armed forces' historic victory in repelling Indian aggression
Islamabad Police Inspector General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, addressing the participants, praised the armed forces for confronting the enemy 'like an iron wall.' He described the victory as not only Pakistan's success but a triumph for the entire Ummah.
Rawalpindi Commissioner Amir Khattak also spoke at the event, paying tribute to the armed forces, veterans, martyrs, and their families for their sacrifices in defence of the nation.
Counter-Terrorism Department SSP Hamza Humayon lauded the Pakistani people for their unwavering support for the military, saying the unity between the nation and its defenders had been clearly demonstrated.
The rally reflected widespread public sentiment following what officials have characterised as a decisive military response during Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.
Read More: Pakistan Army announces conclusion of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos: ISPR
Pakistan launched the military operation in response to Indian aggression on May 10, deploying its Al-Fatah missile system and targeting multiple Indian military installations. Key targets included BrahMos storage facilities at Beas and S-400 air defence systems at Adampur and Bhuj.
Moreover, the Pakistan Air Force shot down five Indian jets, including French Rafale, and carried out strikes on several Indian airbases.
Following these developments, India requested intervention from US President Donald Trump, which ultimately led to a ceasefire agreement between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Global mobility crisis
Listen to article Henley & Partners has released its annual Henley Passport Index, placing Pakistan at 96th out of 99 positions — fourth from the bottom for the fourth consecutive year. The ranking is based on the number of visa-free and visa on arrival (VOA) countries that passport holders have access to, along with their ability to obtain an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) which is a digital travel permit used as a pre-screening method for visa-exempt foreign nationals. While the strongest passport in the world, Singapore's, grants visa-free access to 193 countries, the Pakistani passport offers merely 32 visa-free locations. A 'weak' passport hinders citizens in many ways beyond increasing travel and visa costs. It creates barriers for entrepreneurs looking to expand their businesses internationally, forcing them to face long waiting times and visa rejections. Moreover, in the past, several domestic e-sports and gaming teams have even been disqualified from international tournaments due to visa-rejections and delayed embassy responses. In an increasingly global world, the degree of mobility that people in a country have largely determines their ability to advance and connect with the global economy. Without those connections, there is limited exposure, limited opportunity and limited competition on an international scale. Consistently ranking amongst the bottom five contenders for four years now should force the Pakistani government to divert its attention away from empty diplomatic posturing and instead direct it towards structural reforms that strengthen people's global integration. Especially when its bottom-ranking neighbours include Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan — some of the most war-torn countries devastated by active conflict and occupation. While strengthening a passport's ranking is no easy feat, it should at least be an objective that the Pakistani government actively pursues to ease its citizens' lives and improve its own standing on the global stage.
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
US, China to resume tariff talks in effort to extend truce
US and Chinese flags and a "tariffs" label are seen in this illustration created on April 10, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article Senior US and Chinese negotiators meet in Stockholm on Monday to tackle longstanding economic disputes at the centre of the countries' trade war, aiming to extend a truce keeping sharply higher tariffs at bay. China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with President Donald Trump's administration, after Beijing and Washington reached a preliminary deal in June to end weeks of escalating tit-for-tat tariffs. Without an agreement, global supply chains could face renewed turmoil from duties exceeding 100%. The Stockholm talks, led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, take place a day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets Trump at his golf course in Scotland to try to clinch a deal that would likely see a 15% baseline tariff on most EU goods. Also Read: Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid airdrops begin Trade analysts on both sides of the Pacific say the discussions in the Swedish capital are unlikely to produce any breakthroughs but could prevent further escalation and help create conditions for Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet later this year. Previous US-China trade talks in Geneva and London in May and June focused on bringing US and Chinese retaliatory tariffs down from triple-digit levels and restoring the flow of rare earth minerals halted by China and Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab H20 AI chips and other goods halted by the United States. So far, the talks have not delved into broader economic issues. They include US complaints that China's state-led, export-driven model is flooding world markets with cheap goods, and Beijing's complaints that US national security export controls on tech goods seek to stunt Chinese growth. "Stockholm will be the first meaningful round of US-China trade talks," said Bo Zhengyuan, Shanghai-based partner at China consultancy firm Plenum. Trump has been successful in pressuring some other trading partners, including Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, into deals accepting higher US tariffs of 15% to 20%. He said there was a 50-50 chance that the US and the 27-member European Union could also reach a framework trade pact, adding that Brussels wanted to "make a deal very badly". Read: Six killed, scores injured in Indian temple stampede Two of Trump's top trade officials, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, will attend the Scotland talks and then travel to Stockholm. Analysts say the US-China negotiations are far more complex and will require more time. China's grip on the global market for rare earth minerals and magnets, used in everything from military hardware to car windshield wiper motors, has proved to be an effective leverage point on US industries. Trump-Xi meeting? In the background of the talks is speculation about a possible meeting between Trump and Xi in late October. Trump has said he will decide soon whether to visit China in a landmark trip to address trade and security tensions. A new flare-up of tariffs and export controls would likely derail any plans for a meeting with Xi. "The Stockholm meeting is an opportunity to start laying the groundwork for a Trump visit to China," said Wendy Cutler, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Bessent has already said he wants to work out an extension of the August 12 deadline to prevent tariffs snapping back to 145% on the US side and 125% on the Chinese side. Still, China will likely request a reduction of multi-layered US tariffs totaling 55% on most goods and further easing of US high-tech export controls, analysts said. Beijing has argued that such purchases would help reduce the US trade deficit with China, which reached $295.5 billion in 2024. Also Read: Drone debris disrupts trains, suspends flights in Volgograd China is currently facing a 20% tariff related to the US fentanyl crisis, a 10% reciprocal tariff, and 25% duties on most industrial goods imposed during Trump's first term. Bessent has also said he would discuss with He the need for China to rebalance its economy away from exports toward domestic consumer demand. The shift would require China to put an end to a protracted property crisis and boost social safety nets to encourage household spending. Michael Froman, a former US trade representative during Barack Obama's administration, said such a shift has been a goal of US policymakers for two decades. "Can we effectively use tariffs to get China to fundamentally change their economic strategy? That remains to be seen," said Froman, now president of the Council on Foreign Relations think-tank.
Express Tribune
6 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Visa exemption for Pakistani officials, diplomats traveling to UAE now in effect
The United Arab Emirates has formally implemented a visa exemption for Pakistani diplomatic and official passport holders, effective July 25, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed on Sunday. Announcing the development on the social media platform X, Dar said the move follows a bilateral agreement signed in Abu Dhabi on June 24, 2025, during his meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 'We both agreed to grant visa exemptions to holders of diplomatic and official passports and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to bring this into effect,' Dar stated. 'The signed MoU came into force 30 days after the signing date.' In my meeting at Abu Dhabi on 24th June 2025 with my brother Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of UAE, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we agreed mutual visa waivers on diplomatic and official passports between our two brotherly countries and we both… — Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) July 27, 2025 Dar confirmed that UAE authorities have now fully activated the waiver, allowing holders of diplomatic and official passports to enter the UAE without a visa. He also noted that, under the reciprocal arrangement, UAE citizens will now be granted visa-free entry at all Pakistani airports. The agreement is expected to ease official travel and strengthen diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the UAE. Last month, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual exemption of visa entry requirements among other agreements during the 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission held in Abu Dhabi. The session was co-chaired by Pakistan's deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Senator Ishaq Dar, and the UAE's minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two countries signed different agreements aimed at enhancing cooperation in areas such as investment, artificial intelligence and the digital economy, reported Radio Pakistan. Read: Pakistan, UAE reaffirm commitment to peace The meeting was held in a spirit of mutual understanding and brotherhood, with both sides exchanging views on regional and international developments. They reaffirmed their commitment to peace and stability in the region.
