N-programme cannot be limited: Pakistan

• Pakistan on Wednesday said its nuclear programme ‘cannot be limited’ and the world should first put an end to India’s atomic activities
• Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi said US Secretary of State John Kerry had urged PM Nawaz Sharif to limit Pakistan’s atomic programme

Pak airspace curbs

• Islamabad: Amid escalating tension with India, Pakistan imposed ‘airspace restrictions’ and cancelled all flights to northern areas, including parts of Kashmir under its control. All flights to Gilgit, Skardu and Chitral in the Gilgit-Baltistan region were cancelled.

Two powerful American lawmakers have introduced a Bill in the US House of Representatives to designate Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism, in a setback to Islamabad at a time when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is trying to drum up support over the Kashmir issue.

As Sharif held talks with world leaders on the sidelines of the 71st session of UN General Assembly to internationalise the dispute with India, the two lawmakers said it was time that the US stopped paying the country for its “betrayal”.

The Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act (HR 6069) has been moved by Republican Ted Poe and Democrat Dana Rohrabacher, who is a ranking member of the influential Congressional Committee on Terrorism.

“It is time we stopped paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism,” said Poe, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism.

“Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the US for years,” Poe said.