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Time of India
11 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Pakistan army chief Asim Munir courts US opinion makers amid bid to reset strategic ties
ISLAMABAD: In a bid to recalibrate Pakistan's global narrative and bolster ties with Washington, Field Marshal Syed concluded a series of high-level engagements in the United States, meeting senior American scholars, strategic experts, and international media representatives during an official visit to Washington DC, the Pakistani military said on Friday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In a carefully choreographed diplomatic offensive, Munir interacted with leading think tanks and policy institutions, offering what officials described as 'Pakistan's principled perspectives' on evolving regional and global dynamics. His engagements underscored Islamabad's renewed focus on international outreach amid a shifting geopolitical landscape in South Asia. The army chief reiterated Pakistan's commitment to regional stability, counterterrorism, and a rules-based global order, pitching the country as a responsible actor in an increasingly multipolar world. Munir spoke at length about Pakistan's counter-terrorism strategy, highlighting military operations such as Maarka-e-Haqa and Operation Bunyanum Marsoos. He reminded his audience of Pakistan's role as a frontline state in the global war on terror, citing the 'immense sacrifices' borne by its security forces and civilians. Without naming India, Munir warned against 'regional actors using terrorism as an instrument of hybrid warfare' – a familiar refrain in Pakistan's diplomatic lexicon referring to its neighbour. While not new, the accusation resurfacing in the US capital, signalling Pakistan's intent to shape the security discourse in South Asia. Munir also showcased Pakistan's economic aspirations. He pitched the country's untapped potential in IT, agriculture, and mineral wealth, calling on global stakeholders to invest in these 'engines of shared prosperity'. From foreign policy to economic diplomacy, Munir portrayed Pakistan as a country pursuing dialogue, diplomacy, and international law — an image Islamabad has been keen to project as it seeks to distance itself from past reputational baggage. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Discussing Pakistan-US relations, Munir called for transforming the historical security-centric engagement into a multidimensional partnership grounded in strategic convergence and mutual respect. He acknowledged past cooperation on counterterrorism and economic development but pushed for a broader framework of engagement. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army's media affairs wing, participants appreciated the candid nature of the discussions and acknowledged Pakistan's efforts to maintain regional stability. The meetings were seen as a trust-building exercise amid evolving US priorities in the Indo-Pacific region and growing scepticism over Islamabad's commitments. The visit comes at a time when Pakistan is striving to reset ties with major powers, especially after its recent economic crises and shifting regional alignments. With India drawing closer to the US and Afghanistan remaining volatile, Islamabad is attempting to reposition itself as an indispensable — if complicated — regional player.
News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir Challenges India In 'Victory Speech' From Washington Hotel
Last Updated: Munir said that his country stands alongside Iran and that the conflict with Israel would be resolved within days CNN-News18 has accessed the speech delivered by Pakistan's army chief Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington on Tuesday in which he has challenged India. Munir said that his country stands alongside Iran and that the conflict with Israel would be resolved within days. The field marshal's fervent speech, accompanied by Pakistani politician Abdul Razak Raja's slogans, transformed the event into a sham celebration of 'victory over India". Munir, embodying the roles of soldier, politician, and common Pakistani all at once, gave a passionate and prolonged address to American Pakistanis. His relative and defence minister Mohsin Naqvi stood by his side as India was issued repeated challenges by Munir. The field marshal called for a return to the Pakistan of 1979, a time when mosques and cinemas coexisted, and 'India's entire system of life was under Pakistani control". He criticised weak diplomacy, stating that India 'benefited from deceit" while Pakistan missed opportunities to engage with the world. He emphasised the unity of the political and military leadership, describing them as one body and soul. He noted growing impatience among Pakistani soldiers to confront India. While acknowledging significant support from China, he stressed that Pakistan has its own resources and highlighted efforts to strengthen the economy. First Published:
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
No SATs or high fee: Australia brings ATAR board to Indian schools
Indian schools can now offer the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), marking the first time in over two decades that a foreign government-supported school board has begun operations in the country. WACE, developed by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) in Perth, is now recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) for both Class X and XII qualifications. That means WACE graduates from India are eligible for university admission across the country. DPS North Bangalore, DPS East Bangalore, and Shaheen International School in Bidar are the first to adopt the WACE curriculum. Over the next three years, the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) plans to partner with at least 100 schools across tier 1, 2, and 3 cities in India. Business Standard spoke to Ange Smith, principal consultant for international education at the SCSA, and Syed Sultan Ahmed, chairperson of the Association of International Schools of India, to understand how WACE would benefit Indian students—particularly those looking to study abroad. How WACE could benefit Indian students planning to study abroad Global university access: Students receive an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), which is accepted by universities worldwide, including in Australia, the UK, and the US. No additional entrance tests: ATAR combines school-assessed coursework and final exams—students don't need to take separate entrance exams like SAT, IELTS, TOEFL. Eligibility for scholarships: Students opting to study in Western Australia can apply for the Premier's Bursary worth AUD 20,000 (about Rs 11.27 lakh). Australian student ID: Each student receives a lifelong Western Australian student number, giving them preferential treatment during Australian university admissions—sometimes even as domestic applicants. Familiarity with Australian education system: Studying under WACE helps students adapt more easily to university life in Australia. ATAR offers global admission pathway A key feature of the WACE programme is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), a score widely accepted by universities around the world. 'ATAR is globally recognised and is equivalent to senior secondary qualifications in Australia. Many universities provide equivalence charts comparing ATAR with IB and Cambridge. WACE students can use ATAR scores to apply not only in Australia but around the world,' said Ange. Syed added, 'The ATAR consolidates certification and university eligibility. It's one system for both. Students also become eligible for a Premier's Bursary of AUD 20,000 ( approximately Rs 11.27 lakh) if they choose to study in Western Australia.' Unlike other competitive exams, ATAR doesn't involve separate testing. 'Students don't sit an additional test—ATAR is based on both their school performance (50%) and a final exam (50%),' he said. Familiarity with Australia gives students an edge According to Syed, WACE students hold an advantage when applying to Australian universities. 'This means no cramming or excessive testing. It's a more balanced, skills-driven approach. In terms of visas, too, students from WACE schools often have an edge. They're already familiar with Australian educational processes and are even treated differently—often not as 'foreign' students—because they have an Australian student identification number,' he said. Ange said, 'Our collaboration is aligned with the Indian government's goal of bringing global standards into local education. The model fits perfectly with NEP. And with Australia becoming a preferred destination—especially as Canada, the US, and the UK tighten rules—we expect more Indian students to consider Australia.' Australia top choice for Indian students in 2025 Australia is now the leading overseas study destination for Indian students, edging ahead of the United States, according to a March 2025 survey by IDP Education. The survey, based on responses from over 6,000 students including nearly 1,400 from India, found that: 28% chose Australia as their top preference 22% picked the United States 21% selected the United Kingdom Canada fell to 13%, a six-point drop from March 2024 'Despite the rise in visa and tuition fees, Australia continues to see strong interest from Indian students. Many families approach it as a long-term investment, weighing factors like academic quality, post-study work rights, safety, and the overall student experience,' said Piyush Kumar, regional director at IDP Education. Australia's position has also been helped by 15 of its universities making it to the QS World University Rankings 2025 top 200. Extended post-study work rights under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA) have further boosted its appeal. Affordable alternative to IB and Cambridge WACE is pitched as a more cost-effective model for schools and families compared to other international boards. 'It's far more accessible than IB or Cambridge. While schools set the fees, the cost for them to run WACE is just 15–20% of what they'd pay other boards. That makes a quality international education reachable for the middle class in smaller towns too,' said Syed. According to him, a CBSE school charging Rs 1–1.2 lakh annually can offer WACE with a 15–20% fee increase, opening up global opportunities without the Rs 45 lakh price tag often associated with the IB. Ange said the board has been offering international programmes since 1987 and began global expansion in 2019. 'India has been one of the most rigorous but rewarding. After AIU approval, we focused on identifying partner schools in India,' she told Business Standard. Curriculum designed to support local needs WACE currently operates in 16 countries. In India, the board is developing a separate Class X board exam to meet specific state-level requirements. 'Some Indian states may require a 10th board certificate for transitions, so we are developing one specifically for this context,' said Ange. The curriculum focuses on five subjects for Classes XI and XII, with an optional sixth. English is compulsory, but university admissions are based on the best four ATAR subjects. 'ATAR is based 50% on final exams and 50% on school-assessed coursework. This reduces pressure and supports consistent performance over two years,' she added. The curriculum also integrates STEM from kindergarten through Year 10. 'Schools can introduce STEM-focused courses for Years 11–12, which count towards their WACE certification,' Ange said. Although WACE currently does not have a separate vocational stream, schools can customise a non-exam-based general pathway in consultation with SCSA. 'Moreover, Australia excels at integrating sport with education. That kind of well-rounded, co-curricular emphasis is embedded in WACE too,' she said. Scope for expansion in non-metro cities WACE has already started in three schools—two in Bengaluru and one in Bidar, Karnataka. The goal is to expand to 100 schools in three years, with a focus on tier 2 and tier 3 towns. 'Most international schools are currently in metros—about 90%. There's enormous potential in industrial townships and lesser-known cities. Think Jamshedpur, Bhilai, Kanpur, Ranchi—even Uttarakhand,' said Syed. He added that many schools in smaller cities have maxed out their growth potential under CBSE and are looking for ways to upgrade quality and brand value without sharp fee hikes. Curriculum pillars The WACE curriculum is built around seven core capabilities: Literacy Numeracy Information and communication technology Ethical understanding Civic and social responsibility Critical and creative thinking Intercultural understanding 'Opportunity is at the centre of what we do. We love working with teachers, schools, and students to help them flourish. And because this is backed by the Australian government, support doesn't vary based on how much a school pays—unlike with many other international boards,' Ange told Business Standard. The entry of WACE follows a string of education linkages between India and Australia, including the establishment of Deakin University and the University of Wollongong campuses—Australia's first foreign universities in India.
Kyodo News
4 days ago
- Kyodo News
FOCUS:Japan residents with foreign roots raise voices over racial profiling
By Junko Horiuchi, Spotlight Japan - Jun 11, 2025 - 09:41 | All, Spotlight, Japan Residents in Japan with foreign roots have started speaking out about being subjected to racial profiling by police, with some taking the issue to court, but supporters of their efforts warn that progress may be slow given apparent public indifference. Although a survey suggests racial profiling, or questioning by the authorities on the assumption that one is involved in a crime based on race or appearance, has been carried out for years, only recently has the issue been publicly exposed in Japan. "I am not saying Japanese police should not question citizens, including those with foreign appearance, whatsoever but I want to know the logic behind it," said Zain Syed, a 27-year-old naturalized Japanese citizen. Born to Pakistani parents, Syed has been stopped by police on the street at least 15 times. Syed said that whenever he had challenged officers on their reasons for stopping him, they insisted he was being treated no differently to anyone else. But convinced that he had been targeted solely based on his ethnicity, Syed decided to join a lawsuit. The idea behind resorting to legal action is to pressure the government to prevent discriminatory interrogations. Syed, who is self-employed and lives in the suburbs of Nagoya in central Japan, is one of three male plaintiffs in a civil suit filed in January 2024 against the Aichi prefectural police, Tokyo metropolitan police and the state, seeking 3.3 million yen ($22,850) in damages per person. The response to his Twitter post in 2019 describing police treatment, such as being asked persistently to present a foreign resident's card or passport despite identifying himself as a Japanese, also emboldened him to sue and help others in a similar or worse situation than him. "I am trying to make Japanese society better by stopping questioning based on prejudice. There are many people like myself with foreign roots who are willing to make contributions to Japan," said Syed, who came to Japan at age 8 from Pakistan along with his parents and received Japanese nationality at the age of 13. But his acquisition of citizenship is a rare step in Japan, a country whose naturalized citizens accounted for less than 0.01 percent of the total population in 2024. A recent survey carried out by lawyers in the suit backs the plaintiffs' view that the stopping and questioning of those with foreign appearances often lacks the existence of "sufficient probable cause" to suspect the person has committed or is about to commit a crime -- the requirements set out under the Police Duties Execution Act. The survey, released in February 2025, found that over 71 percent of foreign nationals in Japan had been questioned by police on the streets in the past five years, a rate around 5.6-fold higher than for Japanese. The questionnaire, the first of its kind comparing police questioning of foreign nationals and Japanese, drew answers from 521 Japanese and 422 foreigners who have lived in Japan for five years or more, excluding those from the Northeast Asian region apparently due to their similar appearances to Japanese. The difference in the frequency of being targeted for street questioning came despite the crime rate between Japanese and foreigners being roughly the same, the lawyers said, citing an analysis using official government data. According to Justice Ministry statistics, out of 182,582 people in Japan investigated by the police in 2020 for suspected Penal Code offenses, 9,529 were foreigners. With the total population in the country, including foreigners, in that year standing at 123.35 million and non-Japanese at 6.34 million, the ratio of people subjected to criminal probes was 0.15 percent for both Japanese and foreigners in Japan, the analysis showed. In January 2021, advocacy group Japan for Black Lives posted on social media a video which showed a police officer saying "in our experience many people with dreadlocks carry drugs" when questioning a mixed-race man at a station in Tokyo. The post became viral. The group's founder, Naomi Kawahara, said she could not just stand by to watch her friend being subjected to groundless questioning just because of his appearance. She added the recorded incident is only one among many experienced by her friend and other foreign-born acquaintances. On Dec. 6 of the same year, the U.S. Embassy in Japan tweeted a warning to U.S. citizens about foreigners being stopped and searched by Japanese police in suspected racial profiling incidents. The National Police Agency issued an advisory the same month to all prefectural police forces to avoid questioning people in a way that could be perceived as racially motivated. The written advisory read that when choosing who to stop and question, police officers "should not base their decisions solely on how they look, such as appearance and clothing." In November 2022, the agency's first-ever internal survey on the issue of racial profiling confirmed six inappropriate cases across four prefectural police forces in 2021, involving officers who stopped people giving reasons such as "It is rare for a foreigner to drive a car" or "People with dreadlocks have possessed drugs." In a move to enhance transparency of police questionings, police officers have started wearing body cameras on a trial basis to record interrogations in public spaces. Maurice Shelton, an African American man from Georgia who wears his hair in dreads and is another plaintiff in the suit, recounted how he had been interrogated by police at least 17 times since first coming to Japan in 2010. "Just because you look a certain way, does that mean you can be stopped randomly by the police?" the 42-year-old CEO of a personal training gym in Kanagawa Prefecture said. "Is that something that I should have to deal with because I'm a foreigner, or because I'm a black person, or because I have darker skin, or because I have this hair?" He cited as one of his motivations to join the suit the similar treatment he said he experienced in Georgia and which made him leave his country. "I've been harassed by the police in America. I've had guns pulled on me by the police," he said. "I don't want Japan to be such a place." Motoki Taniguchi, one of the lawyers representing the three plaintiffs, said in one court hearing, "Racial profiling is intentional racial discrimination exercised by public authorities and constitutes the most pernicious form of discrimination." "It is the responsibility of the court to confirm the illegality of such a practice and to put an end to it," Taniguchi said. Prospects for change, however, were muddied recently by comments by the justice minister when explaining a step to introduce pre-arrival screening for visa-free travelers from fiscal 2028 and other measures to strengthen the immigration system. "The government is being strongly urged to take action as public anxiety is growing against foreigners not following rules," Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said last month, in comments that were viewed as potentially encouraging discriminatory attitudes. According to Japan for Black Lives' Kawahara, the recent surge in inbound travelers and the growing discussion of "overtourism" issues, such as problematic behavior by a small minority of visitors, is likely stirring a public she says is largely ignorant of prejudice issues to accept tight surveillance over people with foreign appearances. "Some people say casually that the victims claiming they have been discriminated against are just being paranoid or that they don't see a problem in the police stopping foreigners on the street," she said. "They say, 'Why not let police stop you if you don't have anything to hide'," Kawahara said. "I believe that only by empathizing with people with foreign roots and having dialogue can people really end discrimination," she added. Related coverage: FEATURE: Silent witnesses: A-bomb trees carrying on aging survivors' legacy FEATURE: Subterranean defenses prepare Tokyo for worst-case flood extremes FEATURE: Japan's unstaffed train stations getting rural revival on track
Mint
7 days ago
- Mint
'Need to bring my babies home': Kin of Air India plane crash victims slam UK govt over ‘no support'
The kin of a UK family — who died in the doomed Air India flight — have expressed disappointment with the British government, alleging that the British Foreign Office has not extended support to the victims' families, despite there being 53 British nationals on the flight. Marriam Ali Syed, her husband Javed, and their two children, Zayn, 5, and Amani, 4, were among the 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, which crashed into a doctor's hostel near Ahmedabad on Thursday. Speaking with The Telegraph, Syed's sister-in-law, Yasmine Hassan, said that Syed, 44, and her family were returning from a vacation in India. She added that Syed worked for the London department store Harrods. Hassan reportedly told the British newspaper that Sadaf Javed, Syed's older sister who lives in London, wants to travel to Ahmedabad but has not received any support from the UK government. 'My sister-in-law, who is one of the passenger's actual sisters, is saying, 'I need to get to India. I need to get there as soon as possible. I need to bring my babies home',' Hassan said, according to The Telegraph. On Thursday, Air India said it has set up friends and relatives assistance centres at the Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, and Gatwick airports 'to provide support and take care of the needs of the families and loved ones of those on flight AI171.' 'These centres are facilitating the travel of family members to Ahmedabad,' the airline's statement continued. Hassan told The Telegraph that the British Foreign Office hasn't provided any similar support when it comes to flying relatives to Ahmedabad. 'I called the UK Foreign Office to say, 'We've checked online and we can see that Air India has arranged two flights to help people from other parts of India get to Ahmedabad to be with their families. Is the UK doing anything like that?'' Hassan recalled. Hassan was told by someone at the Foreign Office that they were unaware of any such arrangements. 'So then I asked, 'Is there anyone I can speak to? Someone who might know if they're waiving visa requirements or offering fast-track visas, or if any emergency flights are being put on?' Again, she just said, 'No,'' Hassan added. She told The Telegraph that she understands why British government officials may not have all the answers yet, acknowledging that such situations take time. However, she expressed anger over what she sees as a clear lack of support from the government. 'We really think people need to know that we've had no support – and they're British citizens. Yet no one from the Government has contacted us to ask, 'Can we do anything to help?'' Hassan said. Meanwhile, around 200 relatives of the crash victims have provided DNA samples at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to aid in the identification process, according to reports by CNN and The New York Times.
