India | Pakistan

President Asif Ali Zardari, PM Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir celebrate Independence Day with calls for unity, hail success in Marka-e-Haq and Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos in May conflict with India.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Washington could increase secondary tariffs on India, the BBC reported on Thursday. He said the decision would depend on the outcome of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. “We’ve put secondary tariffs on Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see, If things don’t go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up,” Bessent said in an interview to Bloomberg TV on Wednesday. Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 25 per cent penalty on India in addition to 25pc tariffs for buying oil and weapons from Russia. The US has been trying to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and on Wednesday, Trump warned of “severe consequences” if Moscow did not agree to a peace deal. Russian oil made up 35-40pc of India’s oil imports in 2024, up from 3pc in 2021 Trump and Putin are set to meet in Anchorage on Friday to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine. “President Trump is meeting with President Put...

Federal Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Moeen Wattoo on Thursday criticised India for seeking to “run away” from the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) after its foreign ministry rejected a Hague court ruling to follow the accord in designing new hydroelectric projects on rivers flowing to Pakistan. Under the 1960 IWT, three rivers that flow westwards were awarded to Pakistan, with India getting three eastern-flowing rivers. In 2023, Pakistan brought a case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague over the design of Indian hydropower projects on rivers that were awarded to Pakistan under the treaty. The court, in its ruling that was posted on its website on Monday, said it had jurisdiction over the dispute and ruled the treaty “does not permit India to generate hydro-electric power on the Western Rivers based on what might be the ideal or best practices approach for engineering” of these projects. Instead, the design of these projects must adhere “strictly” to the specifications laid down in the ...

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Shaheens were presented with national honours for their aerial performance in the recent conflict against India as part of Pakistan’s 79th Independence Day celebrations on Thursday. In July, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said this year’s Independence Day would be marked as “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth). The term is used by the state for the conflict with India from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos with a ceasefire on May 10. The May conflict was sparked as New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the attack without evidence — a claim strongly refuted by Pakistan. On May 6–7, New Delhi launched air strikes that killed civilians. In retaliation, PAF downed six Indian planes in air-to-air combat on May 7. India’s highest-ranking general has also acknowledged that its forces suffered losses in the air, but denied losing six aircraft. At a ceremony in Islamabad today, the awards, including both wartime and peacetime honours, were conferred by President Asif...

India and China are discussing resuming border trade five years after it was halted, foreign ministry officials on both sides have said, as US tariffs disrupt the global trade order. Past trade across the icy and high-altitude Himalayan border passes between the neighbours was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism. The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia. But caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump’s tariff regime, the countries have moved to mend ties. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to hold talks in New Delhi on Monday, according to Indian media, after his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Beijing in July. That, as well as agreements to resume direct flights and issue tourist visas, has been seen as an effort to rebuild a relationship damaged after a deadly border clash in 2020 between their nations’ troops. “For a long time, China-India border tr...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday warned India that any attempt to block Pakistan’s water in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty would be met with a decisive response. “You threaten to stop our water. If you attempt such a move, Pakistan will teach you a lesson you will never forget,” the Prime Minister […]

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that while a neighbouring country has threatened to cut off Pakistan’s water supply, India cannot take away even a single drop of Pakistan’s share.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday warned India against any designs on the Indus River, saying that it could not snatch “even one drop” of water belonging to Pakistan amid tensions over the share of hydel resources in the region. India in April held the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. It later said it was considering court action, citing a violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. A supplemental award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague in June held that India could not unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance. India, in response, said it did not recognise the court or its decisions. A day ago, the PCA issued an “Award on Issues of General Interpretation of the IWT” in the Indus Waters case, stating ...

Pakistan–US ties have witnessed an unexpected upswing, sparking unease in India, the Financial Times reported.

Robust backing from the government and a desire to stage big-ticket events make India a strong candidate to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, a top Indian Olympic Association (IOA) official told Reuters. The world’s most populous nation is bidding for the 2030 edition of the Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad to boost its bigger dream of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games at the western Indian city. A Commonwealth Sports delegation visited Ahmedabad last week to share their experience from the previous Games and help the Indian organisers prepare a comprehensive bid to be submitted by the August 31 deadline. “First and foremost, the mood of the country is upbeat for sporting activities and there is a strong will of the government to host global sporting events,” IOA executive council member Harpal Singh said by telephone. “India wants to host larger sporting events — be it Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, or Olympics — and we have the full backing of the government. “The existing infrastructure is very good, and the...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday strongly rejected the remarks made by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, calling them “immature” and yet another example of India’s tendency to distort facts and twist statements out of context. In a statement, a Foreign Office Spokesperson emphasized that Pakistan, as a responsible nuclear […]

Pakistan has strongly rejected what it called India’s deliberate distortion of Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir’s remarks during his recent visit to the United States.

PCA Award binds India to let western rivers flow Ruling favours Pakistan on IWT dispute Limits put on India's h

The federal government on Monday welcomed the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague to issue an “Award on Issues of General Interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)” in the Indus Waters case, stating that India must generally “let flow” the waters of the western rivers for Pakistan’s “unrestricted use”. India in April held the IWT in abeyance following the attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. It later said it was considering court action, citing a violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. A supplemental award by the PCA in June held that India could not unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance. India, in response, said it did not recognise the court or its decisions. A press release issued today by the PCA said it rendered an award on Friday in an ...

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday castigated India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for “distorting” and “twisting” remarks made by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir during his recent visit to the United States. Field Marshal Munir on Sunday completed his second high-profile trip to the US in less than two months. Like his previous visit, he engaged with both political and military leadership in the host country. In Tampa, Florida, the army chief attended the US Central Command’s (Centcom) change of command ceremony. His most closely watched appearance came later at a black-tie dinner hosted by Adnan Asad, Pakistan’s honorary consul in Tampa. The event was attended by about 150 guests, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Ambassador Rizwan Shaikh, embassy officials, and prominent members of the diaspora. Comments Field Marshal Munir reportedly made at the event were later picked up and, according to the FO, distorted by Indian media outlets. Responding to Indian media reports, the M...

About 55 per cent of India’s merchandise exports to the United States will be subject to the tariff imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration, the Indian government said on Monday. Last week, Trump imposed an additional 25pc tariff on Indian goods as punishment for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. That raised the total duty on Indian exports to the US to 50pc — among the highest on any American trading partner. The Indian government had taken into account the 25pc tariff that Trump initially imposed on goods while providing Monday’s estimate, Pankaj Chaudhary, India’s junior finance minister, said in a written response to a question from a lawmaker. “The Department of Commerce is engaged with all stakeholders, including exporters and industry, for taking feedback of their assessment of the situation,” Chaudhary added. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday he would not compromise on the agriculture sector, a day after Trump announced 50pc tariffs on Indian goods. New Delhi also put on ...

China’s former defence attache in South Asia Cheng Xizhong on Sunday spurned India’s much-delayed claim that it had shot down six Pakistani aircraft during the May conflict, terming it “self-amusement”. Having faced international coverage of its own craft being downed by Pakistan and scathing criticism from the opposition, India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh — three months after the conflict — claimed yesterday that his country had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during those clashes. While Pakistan had already denied that India downed any of its aircraft, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif swiftly rubbished Singh’s “belated assertions” yesterday. Commenting on the matter today, Cheng said India’s allegations lacked strong evidence and have been “widely questioned by the international community, being considered groundless”, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Singh’s remarks were “comical, implausible and unconvincing”. “We may call it self-amusement,” he said i...

New Delhi has put on hold its plans to procure new US weapons and aircraft, according to three Indian officials familiar with the matter, in India’s first concrete sign of discontent after tariffs imposed on its exports by President Donald Trump dragged ties to their lowest level in decades. India had been planning to send Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington in the coming weeks for an announcement on some of the purchases, but that trip has been cancelled, two of the people said. Trump on Aug 6 imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods as punishment for Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, which he said meant the country was funding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That raised the total duty on Indian exports to 50pc — among the highest of any US trading partner. The US president has a history of rapidly reversing himself on tariffs, and India has said it remains actively engaged in discussions with Washington. One of the people said the defence purchases could go ahead once India had clarit...

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...