India | Pakistan

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Senator Sherry Rehman has said that India failed to submit a response to the United Nations despite being given time, cautioning that what she described as Indian-backed terrorism could pose a serious threat to regional peace.

ISLAMABAD: United Nations (UN) experts have expressed concerns that India’s “unlawful use of force“ on Pakistan’s territory in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir appears to have “violated the rights to life and security of person”, it emerged on Friday. This observation by UN special rapporteurs was made in a report dated October 16, which was made public on December 15. The report outlined India‘s military response to the Pahalgam attack, as well as New Delhi’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in “abeyance” following the incident. The five UN experts who compiled the report also observed that New Delhi’s actions that “may be taken to disrupt the flow of water to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty” appeared to risk violating the rights to work and livelihood, an adequate standard of living — including the rights to water and food — a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and development. The attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 resulted...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday sounded the alarm over India’s “weaponisation of water” following abrupt variations in the flow of the Chenab River, which have caused consternation among farmers in Punjab. He made the remarks while addressing an urgent media briefing for the diplomatic corps in Islamabad, a day after the Foreign Office said it had sought a clarification from India via a letter over the sudden variation in the Chenab River’s flow. At the beginning of his briefing, Dar said he wished to draw attention to a situation that threatened peace and stability in South Asia. “We witnessed in April this year India’s unilateral abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) … But what we are witnessing now is material breaches by India that strike at the heart of the IWT with escalating consequences for regional stability and sanctity of international law,” he said. “We have observed unusual, abrupt variations in the flow of the Chenab River twice this year,” he said, adding that...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday warned that India’s unilateral actions concerning shared river waters pose serious risks to peace and stability in South Asia, accusing New Delhi of using water as a political tool.

ISLAMABAD: Former Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman has described attacks on Pakistan in May this year as a strategic mistake by India. “They underestimated our military power and thought we will not react. They never expected a befitting response,” he said while speaking at a seminar here. The seminar was organised by an overseas Pakistanis group led by Barrister Shehzada Hayat, in collaboration with the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society (PESS), headed by Senator retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum to pay homage to Pakistan’s martyrs, express solidarity with the armed forces, and commemorate the 149th birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The former air chief said the telling response by Pakistan shattered the myth of “shining India”. He chided India for blaming Chinese help to Pakistan for its failure saying “If we have Chinese JF-17 aircraft, you also have Rafale jets. Overseas Pakistanis’ contribution to national economy praised He made it clear that Chinese pilots did not come to...

Bangladesh police on Thursday stopped protesters from marching towards an Indian diplomatic mission, a day after India’s foreign ministry conveyed its concerns over the “deteriorating” security environment in the country. Ties between the two countries have been frosty since former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India following a student-led uprising last year. Dhaka has repeatedly asked for her extradition so that she could stand trial for her alleged crimes, with Delhi responding that it was examining the requests. On Thursday, dozens of demonstrators began marching towards the assistant Indian high commissioner office in Rajshahi district, which borders India. Miftahul Jannat, one of the protesters, said the plan was to carry out a sit-in, demanding the “repatriation of all the killers including Sheikh Hasina”. The protest was stalled by the police, who said they “listened to their demands and promised to forward them to the authorities”. “We are not aware of any further plans (for demonst...

Pakistan on Wednesday termed the sudden changes in the flow of the River Chenab “unacceptable” and called on the international community to take serious notice of what it described as India’s violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday suggested that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) investigate “growing support” from India for terrorist groups, after an Indian national was identified as a suspect in a recent mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach. Alleged father-and-son perpetrators, Sajid and Naveed Akram, opened fire on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 15 in an attack that shook the nation and intensified fears of rising anti-Semitism and violent extremism. Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son, Naveed, emerged from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after also being shot by police. On Tuesday, it emerged that Sajid was originally from the Indian city of Hyderabad, with police saying his family did not know about his “radical mindset”. In a post on X, Senator Rehman noted that the attack raised questions about links to New Delhi as Indian and Israeli allegations of Pakistani involvement “were backfiring ...

Indian police said on Tuesday that one of the gunmen in Australia’s Bondi Beach shooting, Sajid Akram, was originally from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad but had limited contact with his family in India. The death toll in one of Australia’s worst mass shootings stands at 16, including 50-year-old Akram, who was shot by police. The man’s 24-year-old son and alleged accomplice, identified by local media as Naveed Akram, was in critical condition in hospital after also being shot. Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana state. Australian police said both men had travelled to the Philippines last month, the father on an Indian passport and the son on an Australian one. “The family members have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities, nor of the circumstances that led to his radicalisation,” Telangana state police said in a statement. The purpose of the trip is under investigation, officials said, adding it was not conclusive whether they were linked to any terrorist group or whether they ...

India’s counter-terrorism agency said on Monday that it had filed charges against six people in connection with a deadly attack on tourists in India-occupied Kashmir. The chargesheet from India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) “charged the banned LeT/TRF as a legal entity for its role in planning, facilitating and executing the Pahalgam attack,” an agency statement alleged. The Lashkar-e-Taiba was banned in 2002 by the Pakistan government during the rule of then-military ruler Pervez Musharraf. The Resistance Front – a little known oragnisation that was blamed by New Delhi for the attack – was recently designated as a terror group by the United States. Three of those named are dead, while two are said to be in Indian custody. The trio were killed by Indian security forces in a forest in held Kashmir weeks after the attack, according to NIA. Two local men, Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothatd, arrested in June on charges of harbouring the attackers, have also been charged. Pahalgam was the site where gu...

RT India has deleted a post on social media platform X about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “waiting to meet” Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that it “may have been a misrepresentation of events”, it emerged on Saturday. The development came as PM Shehbaz was in Ashgabat to attend an international forum. On Friday, the premier met a host of leaders on the sidelines of the gathering, including Turkish Pre­sident Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Kyrgyzstan Pres­ident Sadyr Japarov and Putin. “Great interactions with world leaders. Pakistan shining at the global stage,” said Information Minister Ataullah Tarar on X on Friday night, sharing a video of PM Shehbaz shaking hands with Putin as the two stood in what appeared to be a hallway. He also termed the meetings with Putin, Erdogan and Pezeshkian “warm and cordial exchanges”. Prime Minister’s Spokesperson for Foreign Media Mosharraf Zaidi also shared the same video, saying PM Shehbaz had “pr...

Angry spectators broke down barricades and stormed the pitch at a stadium in India after football star Lionel Messi, who is on a three-day tour of the country, abruptly left the arena. As a part of a so-called GOAT Tour, the 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami superstar touched down in the eastern state of West Bengal early Saturday, greeted by a chorus of exuberant fans chanting his name. Hours later, thousands of fans wearing Messi jerseys and waving the Argentine flag packed into Salt Lake stadium in the state capital Kolkata, but heavy security around the footballer left fans struggling to catch a glimpse of him. Messi walked around the pitch waving to fans and left the stadium earlier than expected. Inter Miami’s Argentine forward #10 Lionel Messi arrives at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on December 13. —AFP Frustrated fans, many having paid more than $100 for tickets, ripped out stadium seats and hurled water bottles onto the track. Many others stormed the pitch and vandalised banners and tents. “F...

India has cut red tape to speed business visas for Chinese professionals, two officials said, a major step to boost ties between the Asian giants and end chronic delays that cost output worth billions of dollars because of scarce technicians. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautiously rekindles ties with Beijing in the face of punishing US tariffs, the officials said New Delhi dropped a layer of bureaucratic scrutiny and shortened visa approval times to less than a month. Both officials who confirmed the development to Reuters spoke on condition of anonymity. India had blocked virtually all Chinese visits after the nuclear-armed neighbours clashed on their Himalayan frontier in mid-2020, widening its vetting of business visas beyond the home and foreign ministries. The issues around securing visas have now been completely resolved, said one of the officials with knowledge of the matter. “We have removed the layer of administrative vetting and are processing the business visas within four weeks,” the official ...

A US congressional hearing this week noted that President Donald Trump has repeatedly described Pakistan as a “key regional partner” even as his administration seeks to further strengthen ties with India. The hearing — held by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia — also exposed sharp disagreements among lawmakers and analysts over the direction of Washington’s India policy. Witnesses warned during the hearing that tariff battles, visa restrictions and political mistrust had pushed the relationship into what several described as a “political standstill”. Jeff Smith of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, long considered sympathetic to New Delhi, acknowledged that the partnership had entered “choppy waters”, attributing the downturn to Trump’s sweeping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods and India’s discomfort over US engagement with Pakistan after the May conflict between India and Pakistan. The conflict, the worst between the old foes in decades, was sparked by an attac...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he spoke with US President Donald Trump by phone on Thursday, as New Delhi seeks relief from 50 per cent US tariffs on some of the country’s key exports to punish India for its Russian oil purchases. “We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments,” Modi said in a post on X. A White House official confirmed the call took place, but gave no details about what was discussed. Modi and Trump have spoken three times since Trump doubled tariffs on imports from India to as much as 50pc, hitting exports of textiles, chemicals and food items such as shrimp. Modi described his conversation with Trump as “warm and engaging” and said their countries would continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity. Trade negotiations between the two sides collapsed in late July, after India resisted opening its market for US farm products and declined to acknowledge Trump’s role in mediating during a conflict betw...

IT IS strategically possible for Dhaka to join a regional bloc with Paki­stan at some point — one that does not include India — unlike other South Asian states, a top Ban­gladeshi official said on Wednesday. The state-owned Bang­ladesh Sangbad Sangstha news agency quoted Dha­ka’s Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain as saying: “It is possible for us (Bang­ladesh) strategically … (but) it is not possible for Nepal or Bhutan to form a grouping with Pakistan excluding India”. His remarks are being interpreted as a response to a statement by Pakis­tan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the recent ‘Islamabad Conclave’, where he had said a trilateral initiative involving Bangladesh, China and Pakistan had begun and may expand to include countries within and beyond the region. According to the Bang­ladeshi outlet, Mr Hossain said Mr Dar “has said something, and perhaps at some point this could see some progress”. In August, Foreign Minister Dar visited Bangladesh for the first time in 13 years. PM Shehbaz Sharif and Bangl...

Global technology giant Microsoft announced on Tuesday plans to invest $17.5 billion to help build India’s artificial intelligence infrastructure, with CEO Satya Nadella calling it “our largest investment ever in Asia”. Several global corporations have announced large investments this year in the South Asian nation, which is projected to have more than 900 million internet users by year’s end. “To support the country’s ambitions, Microsoft is committing US$17.5B (billion) – our largest investment ever in Asia – to help build the infrastructure, skills, and sovereign capabilities needed for India’s AI first future,” Nadella said in a post on X. Nadella made the announcement on social media after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, thanking the leader for “an inspiring conversation on India’s AI opportunity”. In a statement, Microsoft said the investment would be spread over four years. “Together, Microsoft and India are poised to set new benchmarks and drive the country’s leap from digital public...

ISLAMABAD - Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday cautioned India against any “delusion or miscalculation” and warned, “Next time, Pakistan’s response will be even swifter and more intense”.

Pakistan has expressed concern after India released a substantial volume of water into the Chenab River without prior notification, prompting fears of mismanagement and potential harm to the agricultural sector.

A fire that ripped through an Indian nightclub in the popular tourist resort region of Goa killed 25 people, the state’s chief minister said on Sunday. Tourists were among the dead in the blaze, which broke out at about midnight at a club in Arpora in the north of the coastal state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement that the deaths were “deeply saddening”. Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the shores of the Arabian Sea, lures millions of tourists every year with its nightlife, sandy beaches and laid-back coastal atmosphere. “Today is a very painful day for all of us,” Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a statement, adding that “25 people have lost their lives and six have been injured.” Sawant told journalists that “three to four” tourists had died, without giving their nationalities. “I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the entire incident to identify the cause and fix responsibility,” Sawant added. ‘Fire show’ Video images from the Press Trust of India news agency showed rescuers...