India | Pakistan

The recent military escalation with arch-rival India won’t have a large fiscal impact on Pakistan and can be managed within the current fiscal space, with no need for a new economic assessment, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said in an interview with Reuters on Monday. Trade talks with the United States — which had played a key role mediating a ceasefire between the two countries — would likely have progressed in “short order” and that Pakistan could import more high-quality cotton, more soy beans and was also exploring other asset classes, including hydrocarbons, Aurangzeb said in the online interview. Regarding the conflict, Aurangzeb described it as a “short duration escalation” with minimal fiscal impact, stating it can be “accommodated within the fiscal space which is available to the government of Pakistan”. When questioned about potential increased military spending in the upcoming budget, Aurangzeb deferred comment, saying it was premature to discuss specific plans. However, he said: “Whatever we...

PSX surges as tensions with India ease

Journalists and media outlets from the United States, United Kingdom, and France have acknowledged Pakistan’s military capabilities during its recent confrontation with India, highlighting its effective strategy and technological edge.

Drones, Rafales, JF-17s, and scathing rebukes — India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed states, witnessed one of their biggest escalations last week. While the neighbours are not new to conflict, this time, the breakdown in their relations was different, given the frequency and intensity of the aggression. It began with the horrific killing of 26 tourists at a hill station in the Indian-occupied Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, an accusation the latter denies. Islamabad has since called for an international independent probe into the massacre. However, on the night of May 6-7, New Delhi took things a step forward and launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week. It took American intervention for both sides to finally drop their guns. On Saturday, when tensions between the two countries peaked, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached between India and Pakistan. However...

In the aftermath of a recent military confrontation between Pakistan and India, several prominent international outlets and experts from the United States, United Kingdom, and France have acknowledged Pakistan’s robust defensive and offensive capabilities.

Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that any future dialogue with India must revolve around three core issues: Kashmir, water disputes, and terrorism.

The workers of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vandalised Karachi Bakery in India’s Hyderabad over its name on Saturday, prior to the ceasefire announcement between the two neighbouring countries amid heightened tensions, Indian media outlet The Wire reported. The vandals wore saffron shawls, stepped on Pakistani flags and chanted anti-Pakistan slogans, The Wire said, adding that there was footage of them striking the bakery’s sign with sticks, to target the word ‘Karachi’. The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours began following the April 22 attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people. India, without investigation or evidence, implied “cross-border linkages” of the att­a­­­c­kers. Pakistan firmly rejected the claim and called for a neutral probe. Following the allegations, India launched a series of drone strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then launched missiles at each other, which stretched over the week befo...

Indian batsman Virat Kohli announced his retirement from Test cricket on Monday, bringing down the curtain on a sparkling career in the longest format just days after captain Rohit Sharma did the same. Kohli, who made his debut in 2011 and scored 30 centuries and 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85 over 123 tests, is expected to remain available for one-day internationals. The 36-year-old quit Twenty20 Internationals immediately after India won their second 20-overs World Cup trophy in the West Indies last year. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on,” Kohli posted on Instagram. “It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.” “There’s something deeply personal about playing in whites. The quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.” View this post on Instagram In a post on X, the Indian Cricket Board, BCCI, announced the farewell of the fo...

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Sunday said that Pakistan exercised maximum restraint in the face of baseless allegations and provocative actions by India following the Pahalgam incident.

Vice Admiral Rab Nawaz confirmed that the Pakistan Navy was fully prepared and on high alert after India carried out a false flag operation, ARY News reported. Speaking during a joint press briefing with DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry and Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Vice Admiral Rab […]

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry has firmly clarified that Pakistan never requested a ceasefire during the recent military tensions with India. He made this statement while sharing detailed insights into the successful execution of Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos. DG ISPR in a joint press briefing alongside Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb […]

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday congratulated the nation on befitting response to India’s aggression.

LAHORE: People burst into celebrations after the armed forces early on Saturday responded to Indian war hysteria in a befitting manner and brought India to its knees. They celebrated the victory of the army after the ceasefire was announced in the wake of the US intervention. Earlier in the day, Lahore also faced the first missile attack on Saturday that struck the Sundar Industrial Estate and, according to law enforcement agencies, sank into the ground. No loss of life or injury was reported. People, however, were skeptical over Pakistan’s delayed response to India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ and aggressively asked for a befitting response. All the skepticism, however, evaporated when the army announced the launch of Bunyan-um-Marsoos and launched a powerful and well-coordinated military operation, targeting Indian military infrastructure. As the Pakistan Army came out, saying it had avenged the blood of the innocent kids martyred in missile and drone attacks, the people shared the pictures of army artillery truck...

• Launches retaliation attack at military targets after three days of restraint • Brahmos, S-400 missile sites hit • Indian missiles fired at Shorkot, Rawalpindi, Chakwal shot down: ISPR • Six martyred in Gujrat amid shelling on LoC ISLAMABAD: After demonstrating restraint in the face of blatant Indian aggression since Wednesday, Pak­istan launched strikes early Satur­day morning targeting military installations in India and India-held Kashmir. The strikes were launched under operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos at 5:16am. “Bunyan-um-Marsoos” translates as a concrete structure or firm foundation. The missiles, launched by aircraft and ground-based systems, targeted multiple strategic and military sites of India, security sources and state media reported. According to the military’s media wing and Radio Pakistan, the targeted locations included S-400 missile system in Adampur; military intelligence’s training ce­n­tre in Rajouri and brigade hea­d­quarters in Uri; Adampur, Udha­mpur, Pathan­kot, Suratgarh, Sirsa, Bathin...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan late Saturday night said that it had not violated any ceasefire agreement reached with India hours earlier.

ISLAMABAD - After days of rising tensions, missile and drone strikes, and near-daily warnings from both sides of further escalation, a flurry of quiet diplomacy appears to have averted a deeper crisis between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and India on Saturday agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire, hours after Pakistan launched an operation to exercise its right of self-defence following the Indian missile attacks.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif lauded Pakistan’s armed forces for giving a befitting reply to India’s provocation under the Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos. Addressing the nation, the prime minister started with Quranic verse from Surah Al-Saff (61:4) and said that India attempted to impose war on Pakistan, using the Pahalgam incident as a pretext. “Our brave […]

Virat Kohli plans to retire from Test cricket as one of India’s all-time top run-scorers.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” after a fourth day of strikes and counter-strikes against each other’s military installations. This is what global leaders have said about the latest development between the nuclear-armed neighbours. U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP “After a long night of talks […]