India | Pakistan

India has deported nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi citizens since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party swept to power in West Bengal last month, according to official statistics. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a sweeping victory in elections in the eastern border state of more than 100 million people, promising to “detect, delete and deport” illegal migrants. India shares a long and porous border with Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where migration has historically been driven by economic hardship and longstanding family links. On taking power, the new West Bengal government ordered the establishment of detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingya refugees, a mainly Muslim people who fled persecution in Myanmar. State Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, speaking in the capital Kolkata on Sunday, said nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi citizens had been deported across the border. “We have started the work of deporting Bangladeshi infiltrators who do not fall under the purview of the Citizen...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Friday strongly rejected India’s criticism of the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan, describing New Delhi’s statements as “baseless” and politically motivated.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday “categorically rejected” India’s remarks regarding upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), calling them “baseless” and part of a “carefully choreographed attempt to conflate fact with fiction”. General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday (June 7), after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather. The PPP and other political parties have staged a series of rallies across the region and ramped up efforts to garner support ahead of the polls. In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Tahir Andarabi said India remained in “illegal occupation of the internationally recognised disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” and termed New Delhi a “global leader in propagating fake narratives and tendentious propaganda”. “We unequivocally reject this latest Indian rhetoric with the contempt it deserves,” the statement said. New Delhi, in a statement issued by its foreign ministry earlier on Friday, objected to the upcoming elections in GB, claiming that “the entire...

NEW DELHI: Pakistan has decided not to send its team for the Asian Senior Fencing Championships to be held in New Delhi from June 19 despite the local organisers sending an invite to the neighbouring country to take part in the continental event, Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported on Thursday. India is hosting the championships for the first time. Fencers from more than 30 countries across Asia and Oceania will be seen in action. Nearly 100 delegates and technical officials will oversee the event. “We sent an invite to Pakistan, as well as Afghanistan, to participate in the championships but they chose not to send their fencers. The deadline for sending entries is long over and we are now in the process of procuring visas for the athletes and officials,” the Fencing Association of India (FAI) secretary general Rajeev Mehta told PTI. Last month, the Indian Sports Ministry had reiterated that the blanket ban on bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan that was imposed last year will remain in force, b...

NEW DELHI: India is likely to order more than $2 billion worth of military drones from domestic firms this year in its biggest such purchase, an industry body working with the government said, as global and regional conflicts boost demand. The plans are in advanced stages with deliveries expected over 18 to 24 months, for a jump in value from recent government orders worth 30 billion rupees ($313 million) for tactical-class drones, said Smit Shah, president of the body. “In the next phase, tactical drone procurements in India may exceed 200 billion rupees, or more than $2 billion,” said Shah, whose Drone Federation India represents more than 550 companies and works closely with the government. Shah said the new orders may follow a fast-track procurement route designed to meet urgent operational needs, with deliveries probably needed within 24 months. The country has 600 firms making drones, with more than 100 focused on defence applications Drones in spotlight India’s push follows clashes with arch-rival Paki...

India and the United States are “about 99 per cent” done with the first tranche of a trade deal, the commerce minister said, as a US delegation began talks in New Delhi on Tuesday. The delegation, led by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, is holding three days of talks with Indian trade officials, as the two sides seek to close negotiations. “About 99 per cent of the issues have been settled,” Indian commerce minister Piyush Goyal told reporters in Delhi late on Monday. The two countries reached an initial understanding for the trade deal in February, but negotiations slowed after President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff measures were struck down by the US Supreme Court. After the court order, the Trump administration launched investigations into unfair trade practices against several countries, including India, while imposing a blanket 10pc tariff. Goyal said negotiators were examining how recent legal changes in the United States should be reflected in the final text...

Rising fuel prices triggered by the Middle East war are driving a sharp increase in carpooling, with a ride-sharing platform reporting a surge in new users seeking cheaper ways to travel. The world’s largest carpooling platform BlaBlaCar said soaring energy costs have pushed 600,000 additional drivers onto the app this year — 20 per cent more than initially projected — as commuters look to offset the rising cost of fuel. In India, its single biggest market with more than 20 million users in 2025, the number of passengers has increased by 40pc since the start of the US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran on February 28. Last year, the global carpooling leader posted record-breaking figures in the world’s most populous country India — outpacing Brazil with 19m users and France with 7m, according to Benjamin Retourne, the platform’s product director. This trend has been more pronounced in countries where fuel price increases driven by the war have been sudden and significant, combined with limited government support...

• US consul general meets Senate chairman • Regional peace, economic ties discussed LAHORE: Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani has expressed concern over India’s unilateral actions regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), saying that “any attempt to use water as a tool of coercion undermines regional stability and threatens the livelihoods and food security of millions of Pakistanis”. He was speaking to United States Consul General Stetson Sanders, who called on him here on Saturday. Mr Gilani called upon the international community to support the restoration of treaty obligations and adherence to international law. Following the unilateral suspension of the IWT in April 2025, in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, India escalated dam construction and began heavily regulating water at existing facilities such as the Baglihar Dam, posing a threat to Pakistan’s water supply. Mr Gilani and Mr Sanders exchanged views on matters relating to Pakistan-US ties, trade and investment, besides regional peace and sec...

India’s interior minister has ordered the demolition of illegal buildings within 15 kilometres of the border with Pakistan, his office said Wednesday. Home Minister Amit Shah is known for his hardline stance on national security, illegal migration and transnational crimes. “Amit Shah stressed the need for strict enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy against illegal constructions, particularly within 0-15 kilometres of the international border,” the Home Affairs Ministry said in a statement. “He directed the concerned authorities to demolish all such unauthorised constructions.” Shah urged officials to boost efforts “to effectively address infiltration, narcotics smuggling, encroachment, terror financing, and other trans-border crimes”, according to the statement. Shah issued the order while in the western state of Rajasthan, which borders Pakistan.

Hundreds of people in India’s border region with Bangladesh have fled to the frontier, police said Wednesday, after the government ordered the construction of detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya refugees. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in West Bengal state in early May with a hardline policy to “detect, delete and deport” illegal migrants. India’s right-wing have long argued that illegal migration is a national security threat, and warned of changing demography in India’s border states. West Bengal government’s last week ordered the setting up of “holding centres” for “apprehended foreigners”, singling out both Bangladeshis and Rohingya. The decision has fuelled anxiety among West Bengal’s roughly 35 million Muslims, many of whom share linguistic and cultural ties with neighbouring Bangladesh. Indian police officer Shirshendu Pati, from the Swarupnagar Police Station about 10 kilometres from the Bangladesh bo...

India has sought initial proposals to locally manufacture a fifth-generation combat aircraft from three short-listed bidders, ANI reported on Wednesday, citing defence officials. The bidders are Tata Advanced Systems, joint ventures between Larsen and Toubro-Bharat Electronics, and Bharat Forge-BEML, all of them Indian companies. India approved a programme to build the stealth fighter jets and invited interest for the same from defence firms last year, weeks after the military conflict with Pakistan. The programme is critical to boost the strength of the Indian Air Force, whose fleet of mostly Russian aircraft has shrunk to below 30 squadrons in recent months, compared to the approved strength of 42. The push aligns with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s larger ambition to ramp up local manufacturing and boost its military might. Washington has pitched its advanced F-35 jet to India and Russia has countered that by offering its own fifth-generation Su-57. India has maintained a distance from both offers. ...

The programme aims to strengthen India’s air force, whose fleet has fallen below 30 squadrons

Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik on Tuesday warned against “water aggression” and efforts to undermine international water-sharing agreements, urging India to respect the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960. Addressing a high-level international water conference — the Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” (2018–2028) — in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe, the minister warned that attempts to undermine such agreements could jeopardise the rights of downstream countries. He accused India of seeking to politicise shared water resources in violation of longstanding international commitments. The minister added that unilateral actions affecting transboundary rivers could create serious global challenges related to water security, food production and climate resilience. Malik said water aggression was unacceptable, stressing that no country should be allowed to use water as a weapon or suspe...

ISLAMABAD: Academicians, diplomats, military and war experts at a gathering emphasised importance of diplomacy and adoption of new war technologies to deter security threats posed by increasingly belligerent and aggressive India. The conference ‘Strategic Stability, Emerging Threats and Role of Diplomacy’ was organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) in connection with Youm-i-Takbeer falling on May 28. The meeting was attended by Quaid-e-Azam University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Numl professor Dr Rizwana Abbasi. While discussing the role of diplomacy, Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal highlighted that diplomatic engagement remains essential for maintaining strategic stability in South Asia. He noted that Pakistan has played a significant diplomatic role in managing regional crises, including efforts linked to the Iran-US ceasefire, but stressed that sustained dialogue between India and Pakistan is even more important for regional peace. He observed that the deadlock in bilate...

India’s ruling Hindu-nationalist party has ordered detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in West Bengal state, sparking fear among minorities that it could lead to arbitrary expulsions. The directive comes just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won power in the eastern state for the first time since the country’s independence in 1947. The order calls on local authorities to set up “holding centres” for “apprehended foreigners” awaiting deportation, as part of a broader crackdown on illegal migration. The government has defended its “detect, delete, deport” principle, saying those targeted are migrants staying illegally in the country. “Illegal migration has security and socio-economic ramifications which are often well beyond law enforcement” read the order, issued last week. The decision has fuelled anxiety among West Bengal’s roughly 35 million Muslims, many of whom share linguistic and cultural ties with neighbouring Bangladesh. Critics say the m...

India voiced concern on Sunday over a US visa crackdown, striking a rare critical note even as it expressed broad alignment with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on other fractious issues. Paying his first visit to India, Rubio said the two democracies were on the same page on all major issues, brushing aside recent unease in New Delhi over trade, China and the Iran war. India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar agreed that the two countries had a “convergence of national interests in many areas” but publicly took Rubio to task over US President Donald Trump’s assault on visas. Jaishankar said he “apprised Secretary Rubio of challenges that legitimate travellers face in respect of visa issuance”. “While we cooperate to deal with illegal and irregular mobility, our expectation is that legal mobility should not be adversely impacted as a consequence,” he said, noting that visas were key for US-India tech cooperation. Trump, who has made curbing non-Western immigration a key political priority, has ramped u...

At least 16 people have died of heatstroke in southern India so far this summer, officials said on Sunday, as a heatwave grips swathes of the country following official health warnings. India is no stranger to scorching summers but years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense. Temperatures in several cities across the country of 1.4 billion people have recently hovered well above 45 degrees Celsius. The deaths were reported in the southern state of Telangana, with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy calling for “statewide vigilance” to safeguard public health. “The intensity of the heat has reached unprecedented levels” and officials in Telangana should issue advance warnings about precautions to be taken during heatwaves, Reddy’s office said in a statement. Health experts say that extreme heat can lead to dehydration that thickens the blood and, in particularly severe cases, causes organs to shut down. The local government...

Some parts of India are grappling with power cuts as record-breaking heat has pushed electricity demand to an all-time high in excess of 270 gigawatts, spurring a government call for consumers to limit use. An El Niño weather pattern is bringing above-average summer temperatures across the subcontinent in May, with nighttime outages running from 40 minutes to an hour in the manufacturing and infotech hub of Chennai, residents said. “South Chennai has seen frequent power cuts over the past two days, with outages at short intervals,” said R. Hari, a resident of the southern city, who complained that they made it difficult to work from home. India’s peak power deficit late on Thursday evening was about 2.57 gigawatts, said national regulator Grid-India. “Although we are prepared to supply electricity as required, due to the intense summer, let us all try to use electricity wisely and judiciously,” the power ministry said in a statement on Friday. Shortages are chronic during the evening hours as supply then reli...

NAROWAL: A warning was issued on Thursday stating that the water level in the Chenab River will rise by more than three metres due to the opening of the spillway gates of the Indian Salal Dam, with a risk of silt flushing at the Marala Barrage. Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Saba Asghar has deployed the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority to monitor the river. She told Dawn that an important advisory had been issued by India in view of possible emergency silt flushing at the Salal Dam on the Chenab River from May 21 to May 30. Asghar added that in view of the rising water level, a high alert had been issued at the Marala Barrage and adjacent areas, especially Bajwat. She also appealed to citizens to avoid unnecessary visits to rivers and canals and advised them to take precautionary measures. Additionally, the District Emergency Control Room has been activated, and citizens can contact 0529250011 for more information and guidance, Asghar said. The DC directed all relevant departments to monitor the Chena...

Pakistan strongly criticised India at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), accusing New Delhi of sponsoring terrorism, violating international law, suppressing minorities and continuing its “illegal occupation” of Jammu and Kashmir.