India | Pakistan

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 ...

An explosion was reported near the Red Fort in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Monday, in which at least eight people were killed and at least 20 people were injured, local television channels reported. The exact cause of the blast was being investigated, city police spokesperson Sanjay Tyagi said. However, India’s financial capital of Mumbai, as well as its most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which borders Delhi, went on high security alert after the blast, local media reported. “Eight people have been killed in the explosion,” Tyagi said. View this post on Instagram A previous owner of the car, named only as Salman, was arrested after the blast, NDTV reported, without going into more details. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the blast took place minutes before 7pm (6:30pm PKT). “A slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” he told reporters. ...

Pakistan on Friday strongly condemned India’s unilateral and illegal suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling on the international community to prevent the “weaponisation” of shared natural resources.

Pakistan has denounced India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), saying that such acts set a precedent for “resource-based coercion”. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative, made the remarks while addressing the UN Security Council (UNSC). According to a press release issued by the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations (UN), the envoy sounded alarm over the “deliberate weaponisation of shared natural resources”, citing the suspension of the IWT as an example. In his remarks, he warned that the move “should be of grave concern for every member of this council and for the international community as a whole”. “For more than six decades, this treaty has stood as a model of cooperation, ensuring equitable and predictable sharing of the Indus basin’s waters between Pakistan and India even in times of war,” he said. “India’s unlawful unilateral decision to suspend this framework undermines the letter and spirit of this treaty, threatens ecosystems, disr...

India’s Maharashtra state, home to the financial hub Mumbai, will be the first to roll out Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service in the world’s most populous country, the state’s chief minister said. The launch of Starlink, which provides high-speed internet to remote locations using low-orbit satellites, has sparked fierce debate in India over issues ranging from predatory pricing to spectrum allocation. India — projected to have more than 900 million internet users by year’s end — granted Starlink a licence in June. Maharashtra was “poised to become the first Indian state to formally collaborate with Starlink”, the state’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on the Musk-owned platform X late Wednesday. “This collaboration … will ensure the state leads India in satellite-enabled digital infrastructure.” In March, India’s biggest telecom service providers — Jio Platforms and its rival Bharti Airtel — announced deals with SpaceX to offer Starlink internet to their customers. Starlink’s business operations Vi...

India is ramping up aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and branding itself as the region’s “first responder” after Monday’s deadly earthquake, seeking to counter China’s efforts to fill the void left by the West, officials and analysts said. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was among the first to call his Taliban counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi on Monday, pledging more support after New Delhi shipped 15 tonnes of food. Medical supplies would follow soon, he said, as his ministry promoted the hashtag #IndiaFirstResponder on X. China on Tuesday said it too was ready to assist after the quake near Mazar-i-Sharif killed at least 20 people and injured more than 900. India wields soft power Both Asian giants are keen to deepen engagement with the Taliban, said Harsh Pant, head of foreign policy studies at the Observer Research Foundation think tank in New Delhi. India’s ties with Afghanistan have warmed in recent weeks, even as relations between both countries and Pakistan have soured. “Behind India’s ou...

India launched a revision of its voter rolls on Tuesday, expanding a contentious exercise that activists warn could fuel disenfranchisement in the world’s largest democracy. The three-month voter registration overhaul — known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — kicked off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections next year. Tens of thousands of election officials and nearly half a million volunteers will go door-to-door to help residents complete voter enumeration forms. Officials “will help the elector fill the enumeration form, collect it and submit it”, Election Commission of India (ECI) chief Gyanesh Kumar told reporters while announcing the exercise. Earlier this year, the ECI conducted a similar revision in the eastern state of Bihar, home to more than 130 million people, ahead of its state elections beginning November 6. The process led to the exclusion of around 6.5m names, which the ECI said was necessary to prevent the inclusion of “foreign illegal immigran...

Pakistan on Tuesday welcomed dozens of Sikh pilgrims from India, AFP journalists saw, in the first major crossing since deadly clashes in May closed the Wagah-Attari border in Punjab between the nuclear-armed neighbours. More than 2,100 pilgrims were granted visas to attend a 10-day festival marking the 556th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith, Pakistan’s High Commission (embassy) in New Delhi said last week. Indian Sikh pilgrims gesture upon their arrival in Pakistan after crossing the India-Pakistan Wagah border in Wagah on November 4, 2025, on the eve of celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism. — AFP/ Narinder Nanu Tensions remain high between Islamabad and New Delhi after the worst fighting since 1999 took place in May. The Wagah-Attari border — the only active land crossing between the two countries — was closed to general traffic following the conflict. Pilgrims queued up on the Indian side of the border on Tuesday morning, some carrying their...