Around 50 people rescued from Taliban prison

India on Thursday rejected Pakistan's allegations of aggravating skirmishes with Afghanistan, calling them "baseless" and accusing Pakistan of blaming others for its own misdeeds.

India's UN Ambassador, Harish Parvathaneni, has condemned Pakistan's "hypocritical" airstrikes in Afghanistan during Ramadan, which killed 185 civilians. Speaking at the UNSC, he denounced the strikes as flagrant violations of sovereignty and international law, while also slamming "trade and transit terrorism" targeting the landlocked nation.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Afghanistan as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention" in a release on Monday. He urged the Taliban to release Americans "unjustly detained," accusing the group of using "terrorist tactics" and "hostage diplomacy" to seek policy concessions from the US.

The Chinese government has sentenced Palden Yeshe, a Tibetan monk, to six years in prison for teaching Tibetan language to over 300 students during their school holidays, drawing renewed criticism over China's tightening restrictions on Tibetan cultural and linguistic practices, as reported by Radio Station Voice of Tibet (VoT) and cited by Phayul.

The UN body said that from late evening on February 26 to March 5, it verified and recorded 185 civilian casualties in Afghanistan due to indirect fire and aerial attacks linked to cross-border armed clashes with Pakistan.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of several days of fighting between Afghan and Pakistani forces, which has sparked concern in Beijing over the potential impact on regional stability.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday, Munir made the remarks during his visit to Wana in South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where he reviewed the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness along the Western border with Afghanistan, Dawn reported.

Amid escalated cross-border tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Ministry of National Defense of the Islamic Emirate stated that it had carried out airstrikes on major military installations in Pakistan, including the Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, describing the action as a response to Pakistani air raids on Afghan territory.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker on Friday (local time) expressed condolences to Pakistan for the lives lost in the recent conflict with Afghanistan and affirmed support for Pakistan's right to defend itself.

The Pakistan government announced a nationwide ban on all drone operations after tensions intensified due to border clashes.