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Wednesday 27 May 2026

Tuesday 26 May 2026

Indians arrested in Canada, police dismantle extortion network

Canadian police have arrested 17 individuals, majority of Indian origin, linked to the For Brothers criminal network which allegedly extorted South Asian businesses across Canada and the US. 106 charges. FINTRAC confirms Indian crime syndicate links. The Thursday Times reports.

17 individuals, majority of Indian origin, arrested in Canada as police dismantle the For Brothers extortion network targeting South Asian businesses. 106 charges. Indian crime syndicate links confirmed by FINTRAC. — FILE/PEEL REGIONAL POLICE

Monday 25 May 2026

Pakistan’s mediation role ≠ Israeli normalisation

Pakistan’s role in de-escalation does not amount to acceptance of normalisation with Israel. Islamabad’s Palestine policy remains rooted in statehood, Al-Quds, and pre-1967 borders, not the politics of the Iran file.

Trump’s attempt to link an Iran settlement with Abraham Accords expansion places Pakistan in a position it has long refused: treating Palestine as a transactional file. — MICHAEL MCCALL FOR THE THURSDAY TIMES

Xi Jinping praises Pakistan’s role in US-Iran mediation

President Xi Jinping praised Pakistan's constructive mediation role between the US and Iran, welcoming Field Marshal Munir to Beijing alongside PM Shehbaz Sharif. Iran had thanked Pakistan by name earlier the same day. The Thursday Times reports.

Field Marshal Asim Munir shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping alongside Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing on 25 May 2026 as China praised Pakistan's mediation role between the US and Iran. — FILE

Sunday 24 May 2026

Quetta railway blast: BLA’s Majeed Brigade claims responsibility

An explosion near a railway track in Quetta on Sunday injured at least 52 people. The BLA's Majeed Brigade claimed responsibility. The group is designated a terrorist organisation by Pakistan, the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia. The Thursday Times reports.

An explosion near a railway track in Quetta on 24 May 2026 injured at least 52 people, with the BLA's Majeed Brigade claiming responsibility in a statement cited by international media, as the group remains designated a terrorist organisation by six countries including the US, UK and EU. — FILE

Donald Trump: US-Iran deal “largely negotiated.” Pakistan named.

President Trump says a US-Iran peace agreement is "largely negotiated" and will be announced "shortly." The Strait of Hormuz will be opened. Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir was named personally by Trump alongside heads of state. Pakistan brokered the original ceasefire. Pakistan's army chief flew to Tehran and negotiated through the night. Less than twenty-four hours later, Trump announced the deal is largely done. The Thursday Times reports.

President Donald Trump at the White House podium with the presidential seal. — FILE/THE WHITE HOUSE

Saturday 23 May 2026

Trump to call Arab and Muslim leaders as US-Iran deal reaches a decisive moment

Trump is to hold a conference call with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan to discuss a draft Iran agreement. The FT reports a 60-day ceasefire deal is close. Iran says nuclear issues are excluded from the initial framework. Rubio says Iran could accept today. Trump says it is deal or strikes. The Thursday Times reports.

President Donald Trump on a phone call at the White House — FILE/THE WHITE HOUSE

One year after Operation Sindoor, India’s rupee is losing to Pakistan’s

One year after Operation Sindoor, the Indian rupee has lost nearly 12 per cent against Pakistan's currency, hit a record low of 96.47 against the dollar, and become Asia's worst-performing currency. Pakistan's rupee, once called worthless, has stabilised. The Thursday Times explains what the data means.

Chart showing the Indian rupee falling 12.8 per cent against the Pakistani rupee from May 2025 to May 2026 following Operation Sindoor. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

CJP Instagram hacked, X accounts gone, death threats received

CJP's Instagram was hacked. Both X accounts are gone. Abhijeet Dipke received death threats warning he would be killed in the United States. His parents in Maharashtra are publicly worried. The petition to sack India's Education Minister has crossed 568,000 signatures. The government has said nothing. Eight days old. Still here. The Thursday Times reports.

An illustration showing the Cockroach Janta Party social media profile with 21.8 million followers marked as hacked on a cracked smartphone screen with Indian tricolour background representing the crackdown on CJP in India on 23 May 2026. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

Friday 22 May 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo wins his first Saudi Pro League Title with Al Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al Nassr beat Damac 4-1 on the final day of the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League season to win the title by two points over Al Hilal. The 41-year-old reached 973 career goals and ended a six-year wait for a major club trophy. Portugal and the World Cup are next.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, including a trademark free kick, as Al Nassr beat Damac 4-1 on the final day of the 2025-26 Saudi Pro League season to clinch the title by two points over Al Hilal. — FILE

Main Bhi Cockroach: How a supreme court insult became India’s biggest political account

When India's Chief Justice compared unemployed youth to cockroaches, Abhijeet Dipke turned the insult into a political movement. In six days the Cockroach Janta Party accumulated over 20 million Instagram followers, outpacing every political party in India. Its X account was withheld. It came back. Now it wants a seat in Bihar. The Thursday Times has the full story.

A suited figure with a cockroach head addresses an audience of cockroaches in a formal conference room displaying the Cockroach Janta Party logo and Indian flags, illustrating the satirical Indian political movement founded in May 2026. — FILE

Thursday 21 May 2026

Monday 18 May 2026

India debates while Pakistan mediates

Senior RSS and military remarks in India have reopened the question of dialogue with Pakistan, exposing the limits of New Delhi’s hardline public posture. At the same time, Islamabad is trying to show that its relevance now extends beyond India, through crisis diplomacy involving Iran, the US, the Gulf, China and multilateral finance.

India’s debate over reopening dialogue with Pakistan comes as Islamabad tries to recast itself as a diplomatic corridor for wider regional and global crises. — MICHAEL MCCALL FOR THE THURSDAY TIMES

Sunday 17 May 2026

Pakistan’s military rebukes Indian army chief over “Geography or History” threat

On the first anniversary of Marka-e-Haq, Pakistan's military has dismissed the Indian Army Chief's "geography or history" warning as the rhetoric of a state suffering "a bankruptcy of cognitive capacities", and has reminded Delhi that any attempt to target a nuclear neighbour would be neither geographically confined nor politically survivable.

ISPR rebuttal to Indian Army Chief: General Upendra Dwivedi, left, and Pakistan's Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, right, following Dwivedi's 'geography or history' remark. — MICHAEL MCCALL FOR THE THURSDAY TIMES

Saturday 16 May 2026

US Congressman Jack Bergman hails Pakistan’s “Statesmanship” in US-Iran peace talks

Senior US Congressman Jack Bergman, Co-Chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, has formally thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir for Pakistan's role in the ongoing US-Iran peace negotiations, describing Islamabad's contribution as "indispensable" and a demonstration of "true statesmanship" in a letter dated 15 May and sent on House of Representatives letterhead.

US Congressman Jack Bergman has written to PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir praising Pakistan's "true statesmanship" in the ongoing US-Iran peace talks. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

Wednesday 13 May 2026

Pakistan, Türkiye and Azerbaijan eye new Eurasian order

The Institute of Regional Studies hosted a seminar in Islamabad on Greater Eurasia, where speakers from Pakistan, Türkiye and Azerbaijan called for deeper connectivity, stronger trade corridors and closer strategic cooperation in a rapidly changing multipolar order.

IRS Islamabad hosted a high-level seminar on Greater Eurasia where Pakistani, Turkish and Azerbaijani speakers called for stronger connectivity, trade, security cooperation and strategic alignment. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

Pakistan’s diplomatic prowess has made it a target

Pakistan’s growing diplomatic relevance has triggered a sharper narrative war, with foreign criticism, hostile media framing and domestic security incidents being used to cast Islamabad as unstable just as it re-enters the centre of regional diplomacy.

From Netanyahu’s remarks to CBS reporting, Lindsey Graham’s criticism, Indian media amplification and renewed attacks inside Pakistan, the pattern is no longer easy to dismiss. Islamabad’s new diplomatic visibility has triggered a sharper contest over narrative, credibility and power. — MICHAEL MCCALL FOR THE THURSDAY TIMES

Tuesday 12 May 2026

Monday 11 May 2026

Sunday 10 May 2026

Friday 8 May 2026

U.S. resolution places Pakistan at centre of Iran peace push

A resolution submitted in the US House of Representatives by Congressman Al Green praises Pakistan’s efforts to facilitate peace between the United States, Israel and Iran, as Islamabad’s role in back-channel diplomacy draws growing attention in Washington.

A draft resolution introduced by Congressman Al Green commends Pakistan for facilitating dialogue between the United States, Israel and Iran, casting Islamabad as a neutral mediator at a fragile moment in regional diplomacy. — MONTAGE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

Wednesday 6 May 2026

U.S. shuts Peshawar consulate over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa security concerns

The United States has announced the phased closure of its Consulate General in Peshawar, with diplomatic engagement for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa now shifting to the US Embassy in Islamabad. The decision does not end US engagement with Pakistan, but it places renewed focus on KP’s security situation and the provincial government’s ability to reassure foreign missions.

U.S. Consul General Tom Eckert (L) with KP CM Sohail Afridi in December 2025. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

Selective outrage

From South Waziristan to Balochistan and Punjab, Pakistan continues to confront terrorist violence that targets security forces and civilians alike. Yet while the world speaks loudly for other states' victims, Pakistani suffering too often receives silence, indifference, or selective concern.

From South Waziristan to Balochistan and Punjab, Pakistan continues to face terrorist violence that targets civilians and security forces alike. The world cannot claim to defend human rights while ignoring Pakistani victims. — FILE

Tuesday 5 May 2026

Pakistan stands with UAE after missile and drone attacks

Pakistan has strongly condemned attacks on civilian infrastructure in the UAE, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressing solidarity with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and urging all sides to preserve the ceasefire for diplomacy and peace.

Pakistan has strongly condemned missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in the UAE, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressing solidarity with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and calling for the ceasefire to hold so diplomacy can continue. — FILE

Saudi Arabia draws the line after Iran strikes the UAE

The call between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed underscored the Gulf’s growing concern over Iranian escalation and placed Saudi Arabia firmly beside the UAE at a moment of regional strain.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned Iran’s attacks on the UAE in a call with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and affirmed Saudi Arabia’s full support for Abu Dhabi’s security and stability. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

Monday 4 May 2026

Published by Thursday Media International thursday.media