Political

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
Field Marshal Asim Munir meets Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. — FILE/GOVT. OF IRAN

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
Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir is greeted by Iranian officials on arrival at Tehran airport on 22 May 2026 as Pakistan leads mediation efforts in US-Iran peace negotiations. FILE
Illustration showing young Indians marching in cockroach costumes carrying protest signs reading Main Bhi Cockroach and Sack the Education Minister, representing the Cockroach Janta Party movement against the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak in India. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

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
The Indian rupee has fallen nearly thirteen per cent against the Pakistani rupee since Operation Sindoor. — FILE/THE THURSDAY TIMES

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

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