India | Pakistan

Indian police patrolled the northern city of Leh on Thursday, a day after protests demanding greater autonomy for India-held Ladakh turned deadly when security forces opened fire. At least five people were killed, 30 police officers were injured and several more protesters wounded. The city — usually bustling with tourists — appeared deserted, with most main roads blocked by coils of razor wire and guarded by police in riot gear, an AFP reporter said. Protests erupted on Wednesday, with crowds demanding greater autonomy in the sparsely populated, high-altitude desert region that is home to some 300,000 people and which borders China and Pakistan. India’s Ministry of Home Affairs said that an “unruly mob” had attacked police, reporting in a statement issued late on Wednesday that “more than 30” officers were injured. Protesters torched a police vehicle and the offices of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while officers fired tear gas and used batons to disperse crow...

India secured their place in the men’s Asia Cup final on Wednesday as Abhishek Sharma starred with 75 in a 41-run win over Bangladesh in Dubai. The holders posted 168-6 batting first after stumbling following a quick start, but their spinners helped stifle Bangladesh to 127 all out. The result means Sri Lanka are out of the tournament, with Thursday’s Super Four match between Pakistan and Bangladesh to decide who faces India in Sunday’s final. Abhishek has enjoyed a remarkable start to his T20 international career with 783 runs from 22 matches at a strike-rate of 197.72. The opener set up victory with another brilliant innings, striking six sixes and five fours in his 37-ball blitz, which ended with a run-out caused by a mix-up with captain Suryakumar Yadav. Both Abhishek and fellow opener Shubman Gill, who made 29, started cautiously before the two took on left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, smashing 21 runs off the fourth over. Abhishek reached his fifty off just 25 balls after Gill fell to leg-spinner Rishad Hos...

Pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi has declared that the Green Shirts will reach the Asia Cup final and can beat India if the arch-rivals clash again. Pakistan kept their campaign alive with a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a Super Four clash in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Pakistan and India have met twice in this edition of the regional competition, but the two teams have never played against each other in an Asia Cup final. The regional tournament, played this time in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the Twenty20 format, started in 1984, and this is its 17th edition. Bangladesh, who face India on Wednesday and Pakistan on Thursday, stand in the way of the great rivals facing off in Sunday’s decider in Dubai. India are the current holders and beat Pakistan in both previous matches, but Shaheen was in a bullish mood after taking 3-28 against Sri Lanka. When asked about Pakistan and India not facing off in any of the finals of the previous editions and the possibility of both rivals meeting in the final, Shaheen s...

Pakistan twice came from behind in an enthralling South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under-17 Championship clash against India, only for their arch-rivals to go ahead for a third time and eventually clinch a 3-2 victory at the Colombo Racecourse Stadium on Monday that secured top spot in the group. Goals in each half by Pakistan’s Mohammad Abdullah, from the penalty spot, and Hamza Yasir had levelled the Group ‘B’ clash at 2-2 by the 70th minute but India’s substitute Rahan Ahmed found the winner in the 73rd to take his side through to a semi-final against Group ‘A’ runners-up Nepal. Pakistan, meanwhile, take on Group ‘A’ winners Bangladesh with both last-four clashes to be held on Thursday. Both teams had already secured semi-final berths and heading into the final group game, Pakistan held the advantage by the barest of margins — on goals scored — and a draw would’ve sufficed for Nasir Ismail’s side to avoid Bangladesh, who have ousted them in the semi-final stage of each of the last two editions. Bangl...

Pakistan batter Sahibzada Farhan has said his team is confident that it would face “India again in the final” of the men’s Asia Cup next Sunday. India romped home on Sunday with a six-wicket win, chasing down the 172-run target with ease in their second high-intensity encounter against Pakistan in the tournament. Pakistan rode on a brilliant 45-ball 58 from opener Sahibzada Farhan but managed 171-5 after romping to 93-1 in 9.3 overs. Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Monday, before Pakistan clash with Sri Lanka tomorrow, the opener said: “We are confident that we will face India again in the final (of the Asia Cup).” Speaking about his celebration after he scored his half-century against India, he said: “I hardly celebrate after a 50. It was a spontaneous thought to celebrate that way — I don’t care for what people are making of it.” He added that Fakhar’s role from the other end gave him confidence to play his shots. In Pakistan’s last match against India, the bitterness between the two sides — w...

India men’s captain Suryakumar Yadav claimed matches against Pakistan can no longer be considered a real rivalry after his side extended their recent dominance over the Green Shirts with a six-wicket victory in their Asia Cup Super Four clash on Sunday. India’s second win over Pakistan at the T20 tournament padded their head-to-head record in the format to 11-3 against the Green Team, with one match tied. Pakistan still has a lead in the overall record against India across all three formats with 88 wins against India’s 79 victories. Played against the backdrop of lingering tensions between the two nations in the wake of their military conflict in May, there were no handshakes between the players once again. “According to me, if two teams play 15-20 matches and if it is 7-7 or 8-7, then that is called a rivalry,” Suryakumar told reporters. “But 13-0, 10-1. I don’t know what the stats are. But this is not a rivalry anymore.” Defending champions India dropped four catches during the match, and Suryakumar said th...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday called on the global community to confront aggression and injustice, particularly the unchecked hostilities of India and Israel, which continue to endanger regional and global peace.

Most of us Pakistan fans may not admit it, but we hope. We hope against hope when our team takes on India. Before the first ball is bowled, we tend to somehow forgo a few harsh realities and the reality that underlines all of them; India are way better. “Farq hai yaar (there’s a difference),” as my colleague put it right after Tilak Varma clattered Shaheen Afridi past deep square-leg for a four to wrap things up. “It’s a gulf in fact, a huge gulf of quality,” he concluded. His short analysis summed up Sunday’s Super Four fixture, which India comfortably won by six wickets with seven balls to spare. Pakistan genuinely came back stronger, impressing with the bat early on, but the “gulf” glared the brightest when Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill were at the crease. Indispensable Abhishek, Gill With their opening partnership of 105 off 59, Gill and Abhishek — the two friends from the Indian Punjab — set the match aside for India, neutralising Faheem Ashraf and Haris Rauf’s decent show with the ball...

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq on Sunday said India has been left “in mourning” following the signing of a historic defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that sustainable peace and normalization of relations between Pakistan and India are impossible without resolving the Kashmir dispute.

Pakistan on Saturday cancelled their pre-match press conference ahead of their second encounter with India in the men’s Asia Cup tomorrow, according to a statement by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). “Pakistan will not be holding their pre-match press conference today,” ACC said in a short statement. Andy Pycroft will be officiating the match as the referee again after last week’s controversy. A senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official confirmed to Dawn.com that the board had moved on after Pycroft’s ‘apology’ and had no issue with his appointment for the Pakistan-India match. The Group A clash between the fierce rivals last Sunday ended on a bitter note when Indian players refused to shake hands with their opponents. It was the first meeting between the regional neighbours since a four-day conflict in May left more than 70 people dead. While the match itself passed without incident, there was no shaking of hands between the captains at the toss or among the players at the end. Then, at the post-match cer...

World champions India overcame a gutsy Oman team to win the last group match of the men’s Asia Cup by 21 runs on Friday and stay unbeaten in the T20 tournament. India had already qualified for the Super Four stage and posted 188-8 after they elected to bat first at Abu Dhabi. Oman — ranked 20th in world T20 rankings — put up a spirited batting show and finished on 167-4 after top knocks from Aamir Kaleem, who made 64, and Hammad Mirza, who hit 51. The left-right batting pair of Kaleem and Mirza put on 93 runs for the second wicket and attempted to pull off the chase with some late boundaries that gave India a scare. Hardik Pandya broke the stand with a stunning outfield catch to dismiss Kaleem off Harshit Rana and then sent back Mirza with his pace bowling in the next over. Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh snared the fourth wicket of the innings and his 100th in T20 internationals — the first Indian bowler to reach the century mark. Earlier, wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson top-scored with 56, and his second-wi...

Pakistan and India will clash again in the Asia Cup on Sunday, renewing one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries a week after their last match was overshadowed by a handshake row. India won the September 14 group match by seven wickets in Dubai and afterwards refused to shake hands with their opponents in a controversial move. It was the first meeting between the neighbours since a four-day cross-border conflict in May left more than 70 people dead. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged a protest with the International Cricket Council (ICC), alleging that match referee Andy Pycroft had told skipper Salman Ali Agha not to approach Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav for a handshake at the toss. The PCB demanded that Pycroft be removed from their matches and threatened to withdraw from the eight-team Twenty20 competition. Their last group game was held up for an hour before the PCB said Pycroft had apologised and the match, with the Zimbabwean in charge, eventually went ahead. Pakistan beat hosts, the United Arab ...

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Thursday dismissed allegations of stock manipulation against billionaire Gautam Adani and his group of companies made by US short-seller Hindenburg Research. SEBI began investigating Adani Group companies, including Adani Ports, Adani Power and Adani Enterprises, in 2023 after Hindenburg accused them of using tax havens and failing to disclose transactions between related parties. While the conglomerate denied wrongdoing, the accusations led to a $150-billion sell-off of the group’s stock. The shares have since recovered. “SEBI has reaffirmed what we have always maintained, that the Hindenburg claims were baseless. Transparency and integrity have always defined the Adani Group,” Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Group, said on X. In January, Hindenburg Research founder Nathan Anderson announced he would disband the firm, citing the immense workload. Reuters has reached out to the firm and its founder’s last known email addresses. Short-sellers like Anderson b...

India has voiced concern over the recently signed Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that it was analysing the “implications” of the recent mutual defence deal between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for its own national security. Pakis­tan and Saudi Arabia entered into a landmark mutual defence agreement, under which any aggression against one state will be considered an attack on both. The ‘Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement’ was signed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman at the Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Wednesday. A military confrontation between India and Pakistan recently occurred in May as the former, without evidence, linked the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, killing at least 40 civilians. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week, before a US-brokered ceasefire had both sides agree to stop the hostilities. In a statement issued on today’s developm...

The United States Embassy in New Delhi has revoked and subsequently denied visas for some Indian business executives and corporate leaders based on their involvement in trafficking fentanyl precursors, it said in a statement on Thursday. Fentanyl precursors refer to the basic or parent chemicals that form fentanyl, a leading cause of US overdose deaths. The statement from the embassy did not name the people affected, but a spokesperson said they were Indian nationals. Indian government officials have been closely cooperating with US counterparts to combat the challenge of drug trafficking, the US embassy added in its statement. India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment on the US visa measures. US President Donald Trump, whose punitive 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports hurt bilateral ties, has previously imposed additional levies on imports from China, Mexico and Canada, saying they facilitated the flow of fentanyl into the US. In a statement to the US Congr...

Pakistan captain Salman Agha said his team were ready to face India in the next round of the Asia Cup on Sunday after last week’s group-stage match between the arch-rivals ended in acrimony when the Indian side refused to shake hands. Pakistan beat United Arab Emirates in their final Group A game on Wednesday to advance to the Super Fours stage, where they will also play two teams from Group B in a round robin format. Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan has been suspended since 2013, and they play each other only in multi-team tournaments. “We are ready, we are ready for any challenge,” Salman said after their 41-run victory against UAE. “We just want to play good cricket. If we play good cricket, like we have played in the last few months, I think we’ll be good against any side.” Fakhar Zaman made 50, but Pakistan’s frontline batters disappointed against the UAE’s modest attack, with opener Saim Ayub falling for his third successive duck in the tournament. Salman acknowledged they had to bat better....

India’s ban on online gambling has shuttered a billion-dollar industry serving hundreds of millions of people and torpedoed the sponsorship of the national cricket team. But players say those determined to bet will find a way to access overseas and unregulated websites while fans of fantasy sport apps can still play, although for prizes and not cash. Adarsh Sharma, an advertising professional who regularly played fantasy sports games, said offshore sites will “see a sudden boom” as Indian gamblers look for a fix. “A habit once formed cannot be broken easily,” he said. “It is an addiction and people will find ways to gamble.” India’s parliament last month passed a sweeping law banning online gambling after government figures showed companies had stripped $2.3 billion annually from 450 million people. Officials said the rapid spread of the platforms caused widespread financial distress, addiction and suicide, while also being linked to fraud, money laundering and financing terrorism. The law has been challenged...

GURDASPUR: The fields are full but the paddy brown and wilted, and the air thick with the stench of rotting crops and livestock — the aftermath of record monsoon rains that have devastated India’s breadbasket. In Punjab, often dubbed the country’s granary, the damage is unprecedented: floods have swallowed farmlands almost the size of London and New York City combined. India’s agriculture minister said in a recent visit to the state that “the crops have been destroyed and ruined”, and Indian Punjab chief minister called the deluge “one of the worst flood disasters in decades”. Old-timers agree. “The last time we saw such an all-consuming flood was in 1988,” said 70-year-old Balkar Singh in the village of Shehzada, 30km north of Amritsar. The gushing waters have reduced Singh’s paddy field to marshland and opened ominous cracks in the walls of his house. Floods and landslides are common during the June-September monsoon season on the subcontinent, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned dev...