India | Pakistan

The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday issued a statement condemning a flag raising at the Ram Temple in India’s Ayodhya — built on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid — and warned of a threat to religious minorities and Muslim cultural heritage by Hindu extremists. Devout Hindus believe that Ram was born in Ayodhya around 7,000 years ago, but that during the rule of the Mughal Empire, the Babri Masjid mosque was built on top of his birthplace in the 16th century. Thousands of Hindu activists, led by politicians of the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), demolished the mosque in 1992. The Ram Temple was built at the site of the destroyed mosque and was inaugurated last January. The FO condemned the flag hoisting at the site and stated that judicial processes allowing the construction of the temple over the mosque “speak volumes about the Indian state’s discriminatory approach towards minorities”. “This reflected a broader pattern of pressure on religious minorities in India and deliberate attempts...

India’s alleged violations of the Indus Waters Treaty have escalated, with Pakistan reporting that New Delhi has nearly stopped sharing essential river-flow data required under the 1960 agreement.

India has issued a demarche to China after a woman from Arunachal Pradesh alleged that she was detained at the Shanghai airport by immigration officials for 18 hours, who “mocked” her and said that the territory was not part of India, according to Indian media. China says Arunachal Pradesh is a part of South Tibet — a claim India has repeatedly dismissed. Beijing has renamed places in the northeastern Himalayan state multiple times, prompting strong reactions from New Delhi. The woman, named Pema Wangjom Thongdok, said in yesterday’s interview to ANI that she was an Indian citizen residing in the United Kingdom for about 14 years. Thongdok said she was travelling from London to Japan’s Osaka via Shanghai on November 21, when Chinese authorities held her back for 18 hours. Detailing her “very long ordeal”, Thongdok alleged that Chinese immigration officials at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport declared her visa as “not acceptable” and her Indian passport as invalid. She further said the officials “mock...

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd said on Monday the crash of a Tejas fighter jet in Dubai last week was an “isolated occurrence” caused by “exceptional circumstances”, without providing further details. On Friday, India’s Tejas fighter jet crashed in a ball of fire in front of horrified spectators during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow. The Indian Air Force has said it is setting up a court of inquiry to investigate the cause. State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics manufactures the aircraft, which is powered by General Electric engines. Both companies have said they will support the investigation. Tejas, which means brilliance in Sanskrit, is seen as crucial for India’s efforts to modernise its air force fleet of mainly Russian and ex-Soviet fighters. The crash, which killed the pilot, dampens New Delhi’s hopes of exporting the home-built jet and leaves it reliant on Indian military orders to sustain its role as a showcase of domestic defence technology. Such a public loss could overshadow India’s efforts ...

Canada and India have agreed to restart stalled talks for a new trade deal, the Indian government said on Sunday, after discussions between the two countries paused following a diplomatic spat two years ago. Prime Minister Mark Carney met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a bilateral discussion on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. “The leaders agreed to begin negotiations on a high-ambition Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aimed at doubling bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030,” the statement from India’s Prime Minister’s Office said. “PM Modi and I met at the G20 summit today, and launched negotiations for a trade deal that could more than double our trade to more than C$70 billion,” Carney said in a post on social media platform X. “India is the world’s fifth largest economy, and that means big new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses.” Both sides reaffirmed their longstanding civil nuclear cooperation and noted the ongoing discu...

A United Nations wildlife trade body decided on Sunday not to restrict India from importing endangered animals, after many countries supported reversing an earlier, stringent recommendation that had embroiled the private zoo run by Asia’s richest family. Vantara, a 3,500-acre zoo in Gujarat run by the philanthropic arm of the Reliance conglomerate led by Mukesh Ambani and his family, had faced allegations from non-profit and wildlife groups of improper imports of some animals, triggering higher scrutiny by Germany and the European Union. After visiting the facility in September, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) issued a report this month asking India to “not issue any further import permits” as discrepancies had been found between exporter and importer trade data, and there were insufficient checks on the origin of some animals. At the CITES meeting in Uzbekistan, live-streamed on Sunday, the recommendation was reversed after many c...

Ten large Indian trade unions condemned the government’s rollout on Friday of new labour codes, the biggest such overhaul in decades, as a “deceptive fraud” against workers. The unions, aligned with parties opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanded in a statement late on Friday that the laws be withdrawn ahead of nationwide protests they plan to hold on November 26 (Wednesday). Modi’s government implemented the four labour codes, approved by parliament five years ago, as it seeks to simplify work rules, some dating to British colonial rule, and liberalise conditions for investment. It says the changes improve worker protections. While the new rules offer social security and minimum-wage benefits, they also allow companies to hire and fire workers more easily. Unions have strongly opposed the changes, organising multiple nationwide protests over the past five years. The Labour Ministry did not immediately respond on Saturday to a Reuters request for comment on the union demands. The government has held o...

An Indian fighter aircraft, the indigenously developed Tejas, crashed during a demonstration flight at the Dubai Air Show on Friday, a witness and officials told AFP. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited-built Tejas jet crashed at about 2:10pm local time. View this post on Instagram Videos circulating on social media showed the aircraft failing to recover from an aerial maneuver and bursting into a ball of flames after impacting the ground as onlookers watched in shock. A plume of smoke billowed from the crash site as emergency vehicles sped towards it. The incident happened on the last day of the Middle East’s biggest airshow, which features a flying display each afternoon. Hundreds of people were watching from a grandstand, while the apron was packed with planes, helicopters and other hardware on static display. In September, India signed a $7 billion order for 97 upgraded Tejas Mk1A fighter jets to replace its Russian MiG-21 fleet after decades of use. In a post on X, the Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed the ...

ISLAMABAD - The crash of India’s indigenous fighter aircraft Tejas at the Dubai Air Show has exposed corruption, failures and incompetence in India’s defence equipment manufacturing sector.

eputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday cautioned that India’s “illegal and unilateral” move to place the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance poses a grave threat to regional peace and stability.

An Indian fighter aircraft, the indigenously developed Tejas Mk1A, crashed during a demonstration flight at the Dubai Air Show on Friday. The jet, developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), crashed at about 2:10pm local time. According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the pilot of the jet died in the crash. Here are some facts about New Delhi’s indigenous fighter aircraft. Made in India The LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Tejas is a 4.5-generation multirole, single-engine, all-weather fighter aircraft designed to perform air and ground combat roles, according to its manufacturer HAL. It is currently operated by India’s navy and air force. The Tejas Mk1A, which was involved in today’s accident, features a delta-wing configuration and is powered by an American General Electric F404-GE-IN20 turbofan engine. The jet, named after the Sanskrit word for “radiance”, reportedly carries an Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system and, with eight hardpoints, can fit a variety of weapons ranging fro...

BAGH/ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday praised a recent report submitted to the US Congress that credited Pakistan with “military success” in its four-day war with India, saying the document had validated Pakistan’s strength and the performance of its Armed Forces.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan Armed Forces delivered a “strong slap” to India during a four-day conflict and expressed confidence that Pakistan would soon achieve victory in the economic arena as well.

Pakistan has prolonged its airspace ban on India until December 23, according to a fresh NOTAM issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority.

A report submitted to the US Congress has mentioned Pakistan’s “military success” over India during the four-day conflict in May this year. “Pakistan’s military success over India in its four-day clash showcased Chinese weaponry,” said a report submitted to the US Congress on Tuesday by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, formed to report on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the US and China. Pakistan initially said it downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat during the conflict, but later raised the tally to seven. Islamabad has denied any losses of its planes and says it hit 26 Indian targets after three air bases were targeted. US President Donald Trump, who continues to comment on the conflict, most recently said that eight planes were “essentially” shot down. In its annual report, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission referred to the May conflict and said that China used it to “test and promote its own defenc...

The US Congress has formally acknowledged Pakistan’s victory over India in the four-day conflict.

Maaz Sadaqat’s blazing unbeaten 79 off 47 balls powered Pakistan Shaheens to a commanding eight-wicket victory over India ‘A’ in their Rising Stars Asia Cup Group ‘B’ clash on Saturday, chasing down 137 with 40 balls to spare. The 19-year-old all-rounder, who also claimed two wickets earlier, single-handedly dismantled India’s bowling after a dropped catch, ensuring Shaheens maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament. Electing to bowl first at Doha’s West End Park, Pakistan’s disciplined attack triggered a spectacular Indian collapse, bundling out the opposition for 136 in 19 overs after a promising start. Teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 14, lit up the innings with a fiery 45 off 28 balls (five fours and three sixes), smashing boundaries at will against Ubaid Shah and Shahid Aziz. Partnering with Naman Dhir (35 off 20, six fours and a six), Suryavanshi added 49 for the second wicket, propelling India to 81-2 by the ninth over. But Sufiyan Muqeem’s left-arm wrist spin turned the tide, dismissing Su...

India’s air force chief made the inaugural landing of a military transport aircraft at a new airbase capable of fighter jet operations close to the disputed Himalayan border with China, a defence official said on Thursday. The move comes amid a thaw in ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours, following a milestone pact last October to ease military tension along their de facto border and a visit this year to China by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh landed the C-130J aircraft on Wednesday at the Mudh-Nyoma air force station in Ladakh, perched at a height of about 4,000m, added the official, who sought anonymity as the matter is a sensitive one. The Indian Air Force and the defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The new airbase, the region’s third such key station, is just 30 kilometres from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. “This new airfield in Ladakh, capable of fighter operations, will add a new challenge for both of our adversari...

India has urged a UN wildlife trade body not to curb its imports of endangered species, saying it has tightened oversight amid growing allegations of irregular animal shipments to a large private zoo run by Asia’s richest family. Vantara, a 3,500-acre zoo in Gujarat state run by the philanthropic arm of a conglomerate led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family, has faced allegations of improper imports of certain animals, triggering higher scrutiny from authorities in Germany and the European Union, Reuters has reported. Indian investigators tasked by the country’s Supreme Court to examine the allegations by non-profit and wildlife groups cleared the sanctuary of any wrongdoing in September, and Vantara has said it complies with all regulations. However, after visiting the facility in September, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) issued a report last week asking India to review its procedures. The report cited discrepancies betwe...

India’s government confirmed on Wednesday that it was treating a car blast that killed 12 people and wounded at least 20 others in Delhi as a “terror incident” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice as swiftly as possible. In a resolution adopted late on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet said: “The country has witnessed a heinous terror incident, perpetrated by anti-national forces, through a car explosion.“ “The Cabinet directs that the investigation into the incident be pursued with the utmost urgency and professionalism so that the perpetrators, their collaborators, and their sponsors are identified and brought to justice without delay.” Meanwhile, India’s anti-terrorism agency spearheaded the third day of investigations into the car blast. Police are yet to give exact details of what caused the intense explosion near the historic Red Fort in the crowded Old Delhi quarter of the city, one of India’s most well-known landmarks, and the site of the annual prime minister’s Independence ...