Paris (Imran Y. CHOUDHRY) :- Former Press Secretary to the President, Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France, Former MD, SRBC Mr. Qamar Bashir analysis : In the geopolitical arena of South and West Asia, trust is often a currency traded for strategic advantage. Iran, long defiant against Western pressure, has discovered this truth at great cost. India, once considered a friend and trade partner, has not only betrayed Iran but colluded with Israel and the United States in a web of espionage that has left Iran militarily weakened, diplomatically humiliated, and internally compromised.
The alliance began with economic diplomacy. India proposed and helped construct the Chabahar Port in Iran, offering Tehran access to Central Asian markets. Iran, hopeful of bypassing U.S. sanctions and creating new trade routes, welcomed India’s investment. In doing so, Iran opened its gates to a partner that would eventually betray it.
India used this opportunity not merely to trade but to infiltrate. Under the guise of development, Indian operatives created extensive intelligence networks throughout Iran. Their activities went far beyond passive surveillance. According to Iranian security officials, Indian agents helped Israel and the United States establish a covert drone manufacturing and launch hub near Tehran. This facility, disguised as a civilian enterprise, played a direct role in the June 13, 2025 Israeli airstrikes that decimated Iranian leadership.
The drones launched from this platform struck with terrifying precision. Dozens of senior scientists, engineers, and IRGC officers were killed. Strategic infrastructure was demolished—oil refineries, depots, weapons caches, and even sensitive nuclear facilities. Iran, shocked and furious, realized the extent of India’s betrayal.
This is not India’s first foray from Iran. It soon after consolided its hold Chahbahar and dupted Iran in beleiving that India is a true friend it used Irainian soil as a launching pad to infiltrate its spies into Balochintan, pakistan. One of them was Kulbushan Jadhav who was caught in 2016 red handed and confessed his deep and poisonous instigation of Baloch to start separatist movement in Balochistan by pumping in money, weapons and trainings to Balochs and convinces them to attack Chiness interst especially China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). His testimony revealed a broader Indian plan: use Iranian soil to wage proxy wars against Pakistan. Jadhav was just the face of a vast network.
Iran’s own territory, it seems, became both a corridor for Indian agents and a staging ground for Western aggression. While pretending to build trade ties, India was hollowing out Iranian sovereignty—leaking intelligence to Mossad and the CIA, facilitating targeting operations, and constructing the drone infrastructure that would later be used to destroy Iran’s backbone.
Even diplomatically, India’s betrayal has grown more pronounced. During a recent session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a resolution was tabled to condemn Israel’s unlawful, unilateral, and unprovoked military strikes against Iran. The resolution passed with overwhelming support from member states—but India refused to endorse it. By distancing itself from the condemnation, India once again signaled where its loyalties truly lie. This calculated abstention laid bare India’s duplicity: publicly posing as a regional partner, while actively siding with those attacking Iran’s sovereignty.
Meanwhile, India’s global credibility eroded. Despite branding itself as a democratic force against extremism, its involvement in espionage, targeted assassinations, and regional destabilization revealed a darker truth. Iranian state media now approach India with suspicion, while Indian diaspora channels face backlash for echoing Israeli narratives.
This dual betrayal—of Iran and Pakistan—was part of a trilateral design: India acted as executor, Israel as planner, and the U.S. as financier. Their shared objective: weaken all resistance to Western hegemony in Asia, cripple CPEC, and ultimately justify the neutralization of Pakistan and Iran’s nuclear arsenal under the guise of regional stability.
After being stabbed, hurt and betrayed Iran launched “Operation Viper,” arresting over 17 Indian nationals directly implicated in espionage and sabotage. Their involvement in facilitating Israeli precision strikes, identifying nuclear targets, and supplying coordinates for drone and missile attacks sent tremors across Tehran.
The fallout extended far beyond intelligence circles. Social media across the Muslim world erupted. From Iran to Iraq, Turkey to Uzbekistan, Malaysia to Azerbaijan, voices rose in unison—not just to condemn Israel’s brutality, but to denounce India’s complicity. What followed was unprecedented: Iranian parliamentarians raised slogans in support of Pakistan, the only nation that stood unequivocally with Iran during the crisis.
Pakistan’s support was not limited to words. As Iran reeled from the attacks, Pakistan offered to host and repatriate 20,000 Iranian pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia due to closed airspace. The gesture, magnified across platforms like X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Facebook, triggered a wave of gratitude across Iranian media. One viral clip even quoted a senior Iranian figure claiming Pakistan had warned Israel of nuclear retaliation if Iran was hit by a nuclear bomb—a statement never confirmed officially, but powerful enough to shift regional sentiment.
This solidarity was echoed far beyond Iran. Chinese commentators praised Pakistan’s principled diplomacy. Uzbek and Azerbaijani citizens posted messages thanking Pakistan for its courage. Middle Eastern media contrasted Pakistan’s loyalty with India’s duplicity. In short, Pakistan’s image surged—India’s plummeted.
Meanwhile, India’s global credibility eroded. Despite presenting itself as a democratic bulwark against extremism, its actions in Iran exposed it as a willing conspirator in illegal assassinations and foreign-sponsored destabilization. Iranian media now treat India with suspicion, and Indian diaspora channels are widely criticized for parroting Israeli propaganda.
Now, the world is beginning to recognize the duplicity and double-dealing that define India’s foreign policy. Russia once considered India a long-standing ally, only to be blindsided when India signed strategic agreements with the United States—effectively turning its back on Moscow. This shift strained decades of trust and placed Russia in a geopolitical quagmire.
Yet, in a baffling turn, India later undermined the United States as well—by buying massive quantities of Russian oil, ammunition, and military hardware during a time when the West was trying to economically isolate Moscow. In doing so, India propped up the Russian economy, directly undercutting U.S. objectives. Thus, both superpowers—Russia and the United States—have been betrayed in turn.
India’s record of betrayal doesn’t end there. It mirrors Israel in both ideology and practice—particularly in its treatment of the Kashmiri people. Like Israel’s brutal campaign in Gaza, India has transformed Kashmir into a massive open-air prison, stripping its residents of autonomy, rights, and dignity. Through a combination of military occupation, demographic engineering, and systematic repression, it has reduced the Kashmiri population to a state of permanent subjugation.
This shared mindset—of colonialism, population control, and impunity—has become the moral link between India and Israel. Both stand accused of genocide, of targeting civilians without distinction, and of crushing resistance through starvation, displacement, and fear. It is within this framework of normalized brutality that India’s betrayal of Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and even the United States must be understood.
The lesson resonates far and wide: trust built on deceit crumbles; support rooted in principle prevails. Peace demands parity. Justice requires truth. And history will never forget those who betrayed under the guise of friendship.

A high-level Pakistani parliamentary delegation, led by Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party and former Foreign Minister, Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari , held a focused interaction at International Institute of Strategic Studies, one of the world’s premier think tanks on defence and security.

The session, moderated by Desmond Bowen, Associate Fellow for South and Central Asian Defence, Strategy and Diplomacy at International Institute of Strategic Studies, brought together a distinguished audience of policymakers, academics, strategic analysts, and media professionals.

During the engagement, the delegation apprised the participants of the recent escalation in South Asia, voicing serious concern over India’s unprovoked military strikes that resulted in civilian casualties and posed a significant threat to regional peace and stability. They underscored that these strikes constituted a blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, international law, and the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter. It was emphasized that Pakistan, in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter, exercised its inherent right to self-defence through a measured and proportionate response, intended to demonstrate its legitimate right, firm resolve, and capability to safeguard its territory and protect its people.

In his remarks, Mr. Bilawal strongly denounced India’s unilateral and illegal suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, terming it a flagrant breach of international obligations and a direct threat to the water security of over 240 million Pakistanis. He noted that the weaponisation of water undermines international norms and sets a perilous precedent. He urged the international community to take notice of this alarming development and make India accountable for its actions.

Jammu and Kashmir dispute remains the core issue in India-Pakistan relations. The delegation urged the international community to support meaningful dialogue and ensure respect for international commitments and human rights. Pakistan always advocated for constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue for resolutions all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

The delegation also engaged in a candid Q&A session, responding to a range of queries from participants, addressing concerns related to regional tensions, Pakistan’s diplomatic approach, and its broader vision for peace, stability, and cooperation in South Asia.

The other members of the delegation included: Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Dr. Musadik Masood Malik ; Chairperson, Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and former Minister for Information and Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman ; Chairperson, National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar ; former Minister for Commerce, Defence and Foreign Affairs, Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan ; MQM’s Parliamentary Leader in the Senate and former Minister for Maritime Affairs, Senator Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari ; and Senator Bushra Anjum Butt , Former Foreign Secretaries, Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani , who also served as Caretaker Foreign Minister, and Ambassador Tehmina Janjua .

London
09 June 2025

• PTI claims police, admin interfered in polling; PPP seeks ECP intervention
• Punjab minister plays down claims, says PP-52 constituents ‘expressed full confidence’ in CM Maryam

NAROWAL/GUJRAT: As the PML-N candidate seemed poised to clinch the by-election on a provincial assembly seat (PP-52) in Sialkot by a wide margin, rival candidates alleged interference by the ruling party to manipulate results with the help of the administration and police on Sunday.

The balloting remained peaceful throughout the day, except for verbal arguments between PTI supporters and the police at some polling stations out of a total of 185.

By the time this report went to press, unofficial results indicated that PML-N candidate Hina Arshad Warraich had clinched the seat with 78,702 votes against PTI-backed independent candidate Fakhir Nashat Ghumman’s 39,018 votes.

https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1911688,

In a statement, PM Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Ms Warraich on her victory and thanked the people of Sialkot for reposing trust in the party.

The PP-52 seat had fallen vacant after the demise of PML-N MPA Arshad Javed Warraich about two months ago.

Apparently for security reasons, the local administration had placed containers in front of the returning officer’s (RO) office – a move lambasted by the PTI as well as the PPP, which also staged a sit-in in front of the RO’s office in Sambrial.

The local administration said the containers had been present outside the office since the start of the voting process and that the office wasn’t sealed after the polling.

PPP leader and former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, while speaking to media persons in Sambrial, said that polling stations had been closed in several areas by the administration.

He said if results were changed, that would be unfortunate, adding that it would not be a good omen for the government. He said he wanted to bring the matter to the notice of the chief election commissioner, saying it was not tolerable that alleged rigging took place during the by-election.

Provincial Election Commissioner Sharifullah, in a statement, denied these allegations. He said the voting process continued in all 185 polling stations without any interruption till 5pm. He said that the election commission would review any complaint regarding irregularities if it was provided in a proper way.

On the other hand, PTI leader Usman Dar alleged that the PTI voters, supporters and polling agents were expelled from different polling stations by the police to favour the ruling party’s candidate. Responding to the PTI and PPP allegations, Punjab Infor­mation Minister Azma Bukhari said that the people of Punjab had expressed full confidence in Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in the Sialkot by-poll held on Sunday.

In an apparent reference to the PPP, she said even the party that got 400 votes was complaining abo­ut rigging. In a jibe at the PTI, she said that those who use words like ‘deals and NRO as weapons’ were now seeking deals themselves.

In a presser in Islamabad, the PTI accused the Punjab government and police of interfering in the by-poll, claiming that its polling agents were expelled from the polling stations. The former ruling party also claimed to have “video evidence of the rigging”.

PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqqas Akram said that the by-election was rigged because the Punjab government was aware that it would not be able to win without manipulating the polling. He claimed that there were a large number of people in rallies and public meetings, due to which the Punjab government was sure that it stood no chance in the by-election.

“To win the election, PTI polling agents were forcefully removed from the polling stations, and then ballot papers were stamped and polled. Workers of the PML-N were allowed to remain in the polling stations, while our polling agents were told to leave. We have video evidence of all that,” he claimed.

Sheikh Waqqas alleged that pol­ice officials were openly supporting the PML-N workers and threatening the PTI workers. He alleged that workers of PTI, who refused to leave, were beaten and thrown out of polling stations. He clai­med that the helpline of the Elect­ion Comm­ission of Pakistan had become inaccessible during the polling.

Ikram Junaidi in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2025