Pakistan condemns US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities
Lahore (PTI): Pakistan on Sunday condemned the US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, calling them a violation of international law and warning of the risk of further escalation of violence in the region.
Pakistan's condemnation came a day after Pakistan backed US President Donald Trump as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The US on early Sunday morning attacked Iran's Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites with the aim of destroying the country's nuclear programme. US President Trump warned of additional strikes if Iran retaliates.
Reacting to the development, the Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan in a statement said: "Pakistan condemns the US attacks on the nuclear facilities of Iran, which follow the series of attacks by Israel. We are gravely concerned at the possible further escalation of tensions in the region."
Pakistan said that these attacks "violate all norms of international law" and that Iran has the legitimate right to defend itself under the UN Charter.
"The unprecedented escalation of tensions and violence owing to ongoing aggression against Iran is deeply disturbing. Any further escalation of tensions will have severely damaging implications for the region and beyond," it said.
The Foreign Office further said: "We emphasise the imperative need to respect civilian lives and properties and immediately bring the conflict to an end.
It proposed a dialogue among the stakeholders to address the crises in the region.
"All parties must adhere to international law, particularly international humanitarian law," the FO said.
"Recourse to dialogue and diplomacy in line with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter remains the only viable pathway to resolve the crises in the region," it said.
Interestingly, the Pakistan government on Saturday said it will formally recommend US President Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his "decisive diplomatic intervention" during the recent India-Pakistan conflict.
Meanwhile, none of the main leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Peoples Party have yet issued any statement on the US attack on Iran's three nuclear sites, which analysts say is because of the "military establishment's cordial relations with US President Donald Trump."
The Opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan also strongly condemned the Trump administration for "blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and breach of international law."
"Israel has finally and cunningly succeeded in convincing the United States to directly attack Iran’s three nuclear installations — despite both US intelligence and the IAEA clearly stating there is no evidence that Iran is building a nuclear bomb," Zulfi Bokhari, PTI's senior leader and close aide to Khan, said.
Every time Iran has chosen the path of diplomacy, it has been deceived and attacked. The latest aggression is a blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international law.
"We, the people of Pakistan, strongly condemn the United States’ attack on Iran," Bokhari said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s "relentless greed to hold on to power has destabilised the entire Middle East", he said.
"He has proven to be, single-handedly, the greatest threat to peace and prosperity in the region — and potentially, the world," he added.
Other than Pakistan, Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and Oman condemned the targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities by the US.
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with deep concern the developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly the targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities by the United States of America," the Saudi Foreign Ministry posted on X.
"The Kingdom reaffirms the contents of its statement on June 13, 2025, in which it condemned and denounced the violation of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran," it said.
Qatar expressed its regret over the deterioration of the situation following the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities. It warned that the current dangerous tensions in the region will lead to disastrous repercussions at the regional and international levels.
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Didn't answer any questions, completely defensive response': Rahul on Shah's speech in LS
New Delhi (PTI): After the Lok Sabha witnessed a heated exchange between him and Amit Shah during a debate on election reforms, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called the home minister's response "completely defensive" and asserted that "vote chori" is the "biggest treason".
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also claimed the home minister did not respond to any of the points raised by him and remained evasive including on transparent voter lists, EVMs and granting immunity to chief election commissioner.
"The home minister made a very defensive response. He did not reply to the points raised by us. It is a completely defensive response, you would have seen his face," Gandhi told reporters.
"I had asked him a few things, had asked for a transparent voter list for all, but he did not say a word about it. I had asked for providing EVM architecture to all, but he didn't say a word.
"I had said BJP leaders are voting in Haryana and Bihar, he did not speak on it. My press conference have a solid proof, but he did not speak about it," the former Congress chief said.
"The chief election commissioner is being given full immunity," he said.
The opposition MPs including Gandhi staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha during the debate on electoral reforms.
Later in a post on X, he said the home minister's response in Parliament on vote theft is "a panicked, defensive response".
"Not a single word on providing digital, machine-readable, transparent voter rolls, panic over a transparent audit of EVM architecture now, no response on BJP leaders and workers keeping and casting votes in multiple states, no response even on removing the CJI from the selection process (of ECs), absurd response on granting immunity to the EC and the excuse for not providing CCTV footage is also highly ridiculous.
"I am repeating once again - vote theft is the biggest treason," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
Earlier, in a stinging attack at the Opposition over its criticism of the SIR, Shah said they are worried because they can no longer win elections by corrupt practices and claimed that the reason for Congress' defeat in polls was its leadership and not EVMs or "vote chori".
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal also said the home minister should accept Gandhi’s challenge to discuss his press conferences that exposed "vote chori".
"He should respond to the clear-cut proof shown about how the BJP has completely hijacked the ECI and the electoral process. Tell us the time and place, Amit Shah ji. We are ready," Venugopal said on X.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also said, "Amit Shah ji spent 1.5 hours just giving this clarification that he has not committed 'vote theft'."
"The one who is innocent does not give such a long clarification," she told reporters.
