Pakistan's Gandhara conference dismissed as attempt to monetise ruins and not honour heritage: Report

IANS | April 19, 2026 9:43 PM

Islamabad, April 19 (IANS) Pakistan announced the International Gandhara Conference on Buddhist Heritage from March 27-31, inviting delegations from Buddhist‑majority countries like Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Japan. However, the event aimed to revive tourism by attracting Buddhist pilgrims, secure development grants for heritage preservation and showcase Pakistan as protector of Buddhist heritage was cancelled due to underwhelming international response and credibility issues faced by Pakistan, a report said.

China cutting citizens' access to foreign online sites: Report

IANS | April 19, 2026 9:36 PM

Beijing, April 19 (IANS) Chinese citizens might be losing access to many foreign online sites which provide academic resources, uncensored news and entertainment, as President Xi Jinping himself is promoting the campaign to remove this access to citizens, a report said.

Pak's mediation may led to US's humiliation rather than victory in West Asia conflict: Report

IANS | April 19, 2026 8:54 PM

New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) "By relying on Pakistan to mediate the most acute national security concerns, US President Donald Trump essentially does the equivalent of hiring a child molester to teach in a kindergarten," Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote in The Sunday Guardian about Islamabad's mediation in the West Asia conflict.