India | Pakistan

The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday slammed remarks by India’s Minister for External Affairs Subhramanyam Jaishankar regarding how India had the “right to strike Pakistan”, stating that New Delhi’s “bellicose punchlines” showed its “sheer frustration following an unsuccessful military adventure”. The Indian minister’s comments come in the wake of a four-day military conflict between the nuclear powers last month. Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Jaishankar said when India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi maintained that ‘Operation Sindoor’ was not over, it was a clear message that “we reserve the right to go after terrorists anytime, anywhere if they have done harm to us”. According to the FO statement, Pakistan rejected Jaishankar’s comments, stating that top diplomats should aim to promote peace and harmony rather than producing “bellicose punchlines”. Criticising his conduct, the FO said the tone and tenor of a foreign minister “should be commensurate with his dignified status”. The FO further said: “For th...

Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday lambasted India for attempting to “sabotage President Donald Trump’s peace efforts” in South Asia, stressing that Pakistan was willing to solve all issues through dialogue. His statement came against the backdrop of Pakistan’s recent conflict with India triggered by a deadly April 22 attack on tourists in Occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. New Delhi, without evidence, accused Islamabad of backing the attackers — an allegation that led to a four-day military escalation between the two nuclear-armed countries before the United States brokered a ceasefire on May 10. To present Pakistan’s stance on the escalation and dismiss Indian propaganda, the government constituted a high-level delegation, chaired by Bilawal, to visit major world powers. After holding meetings in the US, the delegation is now in the United Kingdom, after which it will head to the Belgian capital of Brussels to hold talks with the members of the European Commission. Addressing a press conf...

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman on Tuesday termed India a “belligerent power spinning out of control” as she responded to remarks by the latter’s Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on allegations of terrorism. Pakistan and India have been at odds since a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. New Delhi, without any evidence, blamed Islamabad for the attack, while Pakistan strongly denied the claims and offered a neutral probe. The two nations then fought a four-day conflict before the US brokered a ceasefire on May 10. Speaking in Brussels earlier today, Jaishankar said when India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “Operation Sindoor” was not over, it was a clear message that “we reserve the right to go after terrorists anytime, anywhere if they have done harm to us”. Responding to the statement, Senator Rehman said on X: “Sorry, but these threats only suggest a belligerent power spinning out of control.” The senator, who is also part of a high-level delegation presenting...

Pakistan has called for “intervention” from global powers in resolving key issues with India amid ongoing tensions, members of a high-level delegation presenting Islamabad’s stance said on Sunday after landing in London. Earlier this month, Pakis­tan launched a broad-based engagement campaign to present its perspective on the recent conflict with India to the world and counter New Delhi’s unproven allegations. As part of its global outreach, the team has visited the United States, is currently in London, and will also head to Brussels. The delegation comprises former foreign ministers Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir; Senators Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Faisal Subzwari and Bushra Anjum Butt; along with senior envoys Jalil Abbas Jilani and Teh­mina Janjua. “We had the upper hand [during the conflict]. Despite that upper hand, we agreed to the ceasefire on the condition that there would be further dialogue in the future on all friction points at a neutral location,” Bilawal told ...

Pakistan has called for “intervention” from global powers in resolving key issues with India amid ongoing tensions, members of a high-level delegation presenting Islamabad’s stance said on Sunday after landing in London. Earlier this month, Pakis­tan launched a broad-based engagement campaign in the United States to present its perspective on the recent conflict with India, and counter New Delhi’s growing lobbying presence there. As part of its global outreach, the team has arrived in London and will also visit Brussels. The delegation comprises former foreign ministers Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir; Senators Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Faisal Subzwari and Bushra Anjum Butt; along with senior envoys Jalil Abbas Jilani and Teh­mina Janjua. “The resistance we faced is that the Americans think that since [US] President [Donald] Trump has mediated the ceasefire, there is no need for further intervention. This was exactly our mission: to make them understand that intervention is n...

An Indian state riven by ethnic tensions imposed an internet shutdown and curfew after protesters clashed with security forces over the arrest of some members of a radical group, police said on Sunday. Manipur in India’s northeast has been rocked by periodic clashes for more than two years between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community that have killed more than 250 people. The latest violence was triggered on Saturday after reports of the arrest of five members, including a commander, of Arambai Tenggol, a radical Meitei group. Incensed mobs demanding their release stormed a police post, set fire to a bus and blocked roads in parts of the state capital Imphal. Manipur police announced a curfew in five districts, including Imphal West and Bishnupur, due to the “developing law and order situation”. “Prohibitory orders have been issued by District Magistrates. Citizens are requested to cooperate with the orders,” the police said in a statement. Arambai Tenggol, which is ...

Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday called out India for its “excuses” to avoid any dialogue with Pakistan to resolve their outstanding issues after recent tensions between the two countries. Pakis­tan has launched a broad-based engagement campaign in the United States to present its perspective on the recent spike in tensions with India, and counter New Delhi’s growing lobbying presence there. As part of its global outreach, the team will also visit London and Brussels. The delegation comprises former foreign ministers Bilawal, Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir; Senators Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Faisal Sabzwari and Bushra Anjum Butt; along with senior envoys Jalil Abbas Jilani and Teh­mina Janjua. Addressing a press conference in Washington after wrapping up engagements with US lawmakers and think tanks, the PPP chairman said Pakistan’s civil and military leadership were all on the same page against terrorism and believed that it was in the region’s interest to establish with ...

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday criticised India’s portrayal as a regional stabiliser, stating that the recent five-day military conflict had instead exposed it as a source of insecurity for South Asia and beyond.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is leading diplomatic delegation, said that Pakistan is a country desiring peace and is ready to engage in dialogue with India on all issues. Addressing a presser in Washington, the PPP chief said, “We are prepared to discuss all matters with India.” He said that […]

The United Kingdom and India on Saturday discussed expanding their “counter-terrorism” collaboration following recent fighting between the latter and Pakistan, Britain’s foreign minister told Reuters after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. British FM David Lammy is the highest-profile Western official to have visited both New Delhi and Islamabad since the two agreed to a ceasefire last month after their worst fighting in nearly three decades. The latest tensions began in April after the killing of 26 men in Indian-occupied Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on “terrorists” it alleged were backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied. India then attacked what it claimed was “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan, leading to escalation from both sides until a May 10 ceasefire. “We want the situation to be maintained, but of course we recognise fragility, particularly in the backdrop of terrorism, terrorism designed to destabilise India,” Lammy said in an interview at the residence of the British high com...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has thanked the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, for his role in ending the conflict between Pakistan and India last month. The prime minister, acco­mpanied by his delegation, including the army chief, deputy PM and federal ministers, also performed Umrah on Friday when pilgrims performed the last major ritual of Haj — the “stoning of the devil”. The PM, who is on a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, met the Saudi crown prince in Makkah, according to an official press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. “The prime minister expressed appreciation for the kingdom’s proactive role during recent tensions between Pakistan and India, and its steadfast commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond.” Performs Umrah alongside army chief; Haj winds down with pilgrims ‘stoning the devil’ in Mina PM Shehbaz also underscored Pakistan’s policy of responsible restraint in the face of Indian aggression, emphasising that “sustain...

Chairman Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani has said that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and our political and military leadership demonstrated exemplary restraint during the recent tensions with India.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Indian-held Kashmir on Friday, his first visit to the contested Himalayan region since a conflict with arch-rival Pakistan last month, and opened a strategic railway line. Modi is launching a string of projects worth billions of dollars for the occupied Muslim-majority territory. India and Pakistan fought an intense four-day conflict last month over an attack in Occupied Kashmir’s Pehalgam, with New Delhi blaming Islamabad without evidence. This was the two countries’ worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10. His office broadcast images of Modi at a viewing point for the Chenab Bridge, a 1,315-metre-long (4,314-foot-long) steel and concrete span that connects two mountains with an arch 359 metres above the river below. “In addition to being an extraordinary feat of architecture, the Chenab Rail Bridge will improve connectivity,” the Hindu nationalist leader said in a social media post ahead of his visit. Modi strode across the bridge wav...

• Chairs high-level meeting on water resources • Provinces, AJK and GB stand with Centre on water security • PM heads to Saudi Arabia for two-day visit on MBS’ invitation ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday condemned India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), describing it as a “blatant violation and act of water aggression”, and warned that Pakistan would give a befitting response in line with decisions made at the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting held on April 24. Chairing a high-level meeting on water resources at the Prime Minister’s House prior to departing for a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, the premier vowed that Pakistan would prevail on the water front just as it had recently “achieved victory in war”. The high-level meeting brought together Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers, chief ministers of all four provinces, the prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmi...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday termed India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) as “a blatant violation and act of water aggression “ and warned that Pakistan will give a befitting response under the decisions taken in the April 24 National Security Committee (NSC).

ISLAMABAD - Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Thursday that the 1972 Simla Agreement between Pakistan and India has lost its sanctity due to New Delhi’s unilateral actions, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

• Bilawal urges world to stand against Indian aggression, says water an existential issue for Pakistan • Ex-US diplomat endorses call for neutral Pahalgam probe, regrets Pak-US ties ‘still stuck in the past’ • VP Vance meets Indian delegation as US officials assure Pakistan of ‘equal representation’ WASHINGTON: As fomer foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari blamed India for pushing South Asia towards the first nuclear war over water, a former US ambassador to Pakistan endorsed Islamabad’s demand for an independent inquiry into the Pahalgam incident, which led to a full-blown conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi. At a policy forum hosted by the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington, former US ambassador to Islamabad Anne Patterson stressed that the United States-Pakistan relationship was hindered by mistrust, despite ongoing security cooperation. “The US-Pakistan relationship is so stuck in the past that India was not required to present any forensic or investigative evidence after the Pahal­gam atta...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday said that India was laying the ground for the first nuclear war over water with its actions regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. India held the IWT in abeyance after the further deterioration in relations between the two countries following the April 22 Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir. In retaliation, Pakistan decided that it would exercise the right to hold all bilateral agreements with India, including but not limited to the Simla Agreement, in abeyance. It also announced the closure of the Wagah border and suspension of all trade with New Delhi, among other measures. Pakis­tan has launched a broad-based engagement campaign in the United States to present its perspective on the recent spike in tensions with India, and counter New Delhi’s growing lobbying presence there. As part of its global outreach, the team will also visit London and Brussels. The delegation comprises former foreign ministers Bilawal, Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dast...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday termed India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) as “a blatant violation and act of water aggression” and warned that Pakistan will give a befitting response under the decisions taken in the April 24 National Security Committee (NSC) meeting.

ISLAMABAD - Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that India’s strategic delusions have been reduced to dust.