India | Pakistan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday he would not compromise on the agriculture sector, a day after United States President Donald Trump announced 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. Washington announced the hike in levies on Wednesday, citing New Delhi’s purchasing of Russian oil, a key revenue source for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. For New Delhi, one of the main sticking points in trade negotiations has been Washington’s demand to access India’s vast agricultural and dairy market. India has remained steadfast about its labour-intensive agricultural sector, unwilling to risk angering farmers, a powerful voting bloc. “We will not compromise with the interests of our farmers, our dairy sector, our fishermen,” Modi said during a speech at a conference in New Delhi, his remarks widely seen as his first public response to the tariffs. “I know I will have to pay a personal price for this, but I am ready for it,” he added, without giving further details. India has also refused to allow the import of genetically...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed India’s occupation of Kashmir the “defining conflict” of South Asia as Pakistan marked six years on Tuesday since New Delhi deprived the held region of its special autonomy. Pakistan is observing Youm-i-Istehsal (Exploitation Day) today to mark the sixth anniversary of India revoking Kashmir’s special autonomy and to show solidarity with Kashmiris. On Aug 5, 2019, India’s Narendra Modi-led government stripped the Muslim-majority territory of its special status by repealing Article 370 of the constitution, splitting the former state into two territories directly ruled by New Delhi. “India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir remained the defining conflict of the South Asia region, and the driver of India’s continued rogue behaviour,” PM Shehbaz said in a statement. The premier also recalled the recent India-Pakistan conflict, noting: “India’s unprovoked aggression against Pakistan in May 2025, and its swift and comprehensive military defeat are only the latest evidence...

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would increase the tariff charged on imports from India from the current rate of 25 per cent “very substantially” over the next 24 hours, given India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. “India has not been a good trading partner, because they do a lot of business with us, but we don’t do business with them. So we settled on 25pc but I think I’m going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they’re buying Russian oil,” he told CNBC in a televised interview. “They’re fuelling the war machine, and if they’re going to do that, then I’m not going to be happy,” Trump said, adding that the main sticking point with India was that its tariffs were too high. He did not provide a new tariff rate for India. Trump last week said he would impose a 25pc tariff on goods imported from India and added that the world’s fifth-largest economy would also face an unspecified penalty, but gave no details. Later, Trump mou­nted a sharp attack and said:...

Federal Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi has strongly condemned India’s unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, calling it a dark chapter in the history of humanity and a direct attack on the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday called on India to revoke all illegal measures taken on August 5, 2019, in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), end repressive policies, and lift the ongoing media blackout in the region.

United States President Donald Trump said on Monday he will substantially raise tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil. Trump last week said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India and added that the world’s fifth-largest economy would also face an unspecified penalty, but gave no details. Later, Trump mou­nted a sharp attack and said: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.” Over the weekend, two Indian government sources told Reuters that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Trump’s threats. In turn, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller had accused India of effectively financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by purchasing oil from Moscow. In a post on Truth Social today, Trump assailed New Delhi for buying Russian oil and then selling it. “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big prof...

Since July 3, multiple Indian users on the social media platform X have been sharing a video of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, claiming that he said “our people are sitting in India’s parliament”. However, the audio in the clip is doctored. On July 31, an X user, who seemed to be Indian from previous posts, shared a video that showed a split frame of Bilawal in the National Assembly and Indian politician Gaurav Gogoi in the Lok Sabha. In the clip, Bilawal could allegedly be heard saying: “Who attacks in the dead of the night? We can easily do propaganda in front of the Indian prime minister. Our people are sitting in their parliament.” The caption of the post said: “Our people are sitting in India’s parliament — Bilawal Bhutto. Hello Gaurav Gogoi Asm ji, who are those ‘our people’ of Bilawal Bhutto sitting in the Indian Parliament?” It gathered more than 100,000 views and was shared 5,200 times. The same video was also shared by other Indian accounts, as can be seen here, here and here. The video was al...

Mohammed Siraj was the hero as India beat England by just six runs in a thrilling fifth Test at the Oval on Monday to end the series level at 2-2. England, set 374 to win, were bowled out for 367, with fast bowler Siraj taking 5-104, including a sensational burst of 3-9 on Monday’s final morning. It is India’s narrowest winning margin in a Test match. “To be honest, it is so amazing,” Siraj told Sky Sports. “From day one to here, everyone fought so hard, so we are very happy. “I just wanted to make sure I hit the right areas, the wickets would fall, and anything else would be a bonus. “When I woke up, I believed I could do it.” After resuming on 339-6, England lost four wickets for 28 runs on the final morning of a dramatic series. The home side were soon 354-8 after Siraj, the leading bowler on either side this series, struck twice to remove Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton. When injured England last man Chris Woakes came in to bat with his left arm strapped up owing to an injured shoulder, England still needed...

A top aide to United States President Donald Trump on Sunday accused India of effectively financing Russia’s war in Ukraine by purchasing oil from Moscow, after the US leader escalated pressure on New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil. “What he (Trump) said very clearly is that it is not acceptable for India to continue financing this war by purchasing the oil from Russia,” said Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff at the White House and one of Trump’s most influential aides. Miller’s criticism was some of the strongest yet by the Trump administration about one of the United States’ major partners in the Indo-Pacific. “People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil. That’s an astonishing fact,” Miller said on Fox News programme ‘Sunday Morning Futures’. The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Indian government sources told Reuters on Saturday that New Delhi will keep purchasing oil from Moscow despite US threats....

Indian officials have said they would keep purchasing oil from Russia despite the threat of penalties that United States President Donald Trump said he would impose, the New York Times reported on Saturday. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White House, India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump on Wednesday imposed a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India starting August 1 along with additional penalties, potentially straining relations with the world’s most populous democracy. Trump indicated in a Truth Social post that India would face additional penalties for the purchase of Russian arms and oil. However, he later said that he did not care what India does with Russia. On Friday, Trump told reporters that he had heard that India would no longer be buying oil from Russia. Two senior Indian officials said there had been no change in policy, according to the NYT report, which added th...

India roared back into contention on an exhilarating day two of the final India vs England Test on Friday as their seamers restricted England to a 23-run lead after the hosts had threatened to run away with a match that the tourists need to win to square the series. After mopping up India’s brittle tail […]

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has announced his intention to approach the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) against India, accusing New Delhi of sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan.

England gained the upper hand after a rain-hit first day of the final India vs England Test at The Oval on Thursday as the tourists, needing victory to square the series, battled to 204-6, with all their big guns dismissed cheaply. England had to work hard for their breakthroughs and will be delighted to have […]

Hyderabad, India: After nearly three weeks of stress and numerous sightings, a leopard that had been roaming the surrounding areas of Hyderabad has finally been caught by the Forest Department. The dangerous animal, which was hard to catch, was trapped in a special cage designed to capture the leopard at Manchirevula Eco Trek Park, located […]

Indian opposition parties criticised the government on Thursday, describing US President Donald Trump’s threat of a 25 per cent tariff as a diplomatic failure for New Delhi, while the rupee currency tumbled and equity indexes slid in response to the news. The 25pc rate would single out India more harshly than other major trading partners, and threatens to unravel months of talks, undermining one of Washington’s strategic partners in the region, viewed as a counterbalance to China. Trump said the tariff on imports from India would start from Friday, in addition to an unspecified penalty for Russian dealings and involvement in the BRICS grouping of nations. In response, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was studying the implications of Trump’s remarks and was dedicated to securing a fair trade deal. “This development reflects a broader collapse of foreign policy under the Modi government,” a lawmaker of the main opposition Congress party said in a notice to the lower house of parliament, as...

A formidable new radar satellite jointly developed by the United States and India launched on Wednesday, designed to track subtle changes in Earth’s land and ice surfaces and help predict both natural and human-caused hazards. Dubbed NISAR (Nasa-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), the pickup truck-sized spacecraft blasted off around 5:40pm (5:10pm PKT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeastern coast, riding an ISRO Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. A livestream of the event showed excited schoolchildren brought to watch the launch and mission teams erupting in cheers and hugging. Highly anticipated by scientists, the mission has also been hailed by US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a milestone in growing cooperation between the two countries. “Congratulations India!” Dr Jitendra Singh, India’s science and technology minister, wrote on X, calling the mission a “game changer”. “Our planet’s surface undergoes constant and meaningful change,” Karen St...

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India starting August 1, along with an unspecified penalty for buying Russian weapons and oil, potentially straining relations with the world’s most populous democracy. The US decision singles out India more severely than other major trading partners, and threatens to unravel months of talks between the two countries, undermining a key strategic partner of Washington and a counterbalance to China. In posts on his social platform Truth Social, he said the US had a “massive trade deficit” with India. In another post, he said: “Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country. “Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ene...

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has accused India of launching a hybrid war against Pakistan following its defeat in Ma’arka Haq, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar yesterday said Pakistan was ready for composite dialogue with India.

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has opened up about the verbal spat between Gautam Gambhir and The Oval’s curator. The India head coach raised eyebrows after he was seen having an animated chat with Surrey groundsman Lee Fortis. Video footage showed Gambhir having a go at Fortis and pointing his finger in the direction of […]