India | Pakistan

Indian defence officials on Thursday cleared the purchase of $39 billion worth of defence equipment, including more French Rafale jets, days ahead of a visit to the country by France’s President Emmanuel Macron. A defence ministry source told AFP that the clearance covered the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter jets, adding to the dozens already used by the Indian Air Force (IAF). “The procurement … will enhance the capability of undertaking air dominance roles across the spectrum of conflict and significantly boost the deterrence capabilities of IAF with long-range offensive strikes,” India’s defence ministry said in a statement, without specifying the number of jets being purchased. The approval by the defence acquisition council — comprising top military officers and the defence minister — is an important first step for any military hardware purchase in the country. “The majority of MRFA (Multi Role Fighter Aircraft) to be procured will be manufactured in India,” the statement added. New Delhi has pushed hard ...

Prolific India opener Abhishek Sharma was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday after being treated for an upset stomach, teammate Tilak Varma told reporters. The explosive left-hander is an integral part of India’s T20 World Cup title defence and is doubtful for the Group A fixture against Namibia on Thursday in New Delhi. “He has been discharged today and he is doing well,” Varma, an attacking batter, told reporters on the eve of the match at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. “We have got one more day for the game. Hopefully, we decide by tomorrow on how he feels and we’ll go with it.” The 25-year-old was admitted to a Delhi hospital on Tuesday with a stomach issue he had carried since their opening win on Saturday, an official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Abhishek was out for a duck in India’s win over the United States. India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is expected to return for the second group match after he missed the opener due to having a fever, Varma said. India will move on after the Namib...

India’s oil minister said on Wednesday he had communicated with and met the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his time in the United States, but said he had no connection to any wrongdoings or crimes. Hardeep Singh Puri, a career diplomat-turned-politician, said he was part of the International Peace Institute, a New York think tank headed by Norwegian diplomat and former cabinet minister Terje Roed-Larsen until 2020, and met Epstein “three or maximum four times” during his time there. Roed-Larsen, 78, has apologised for his connection to Epstein and his wife, Mona Juul, a Norwegian ambassador, stepped down over her links to Epstein. Puri’s comments came in response to questions by India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi in parliament on Wednesday. Gandhi said Puri’s name had been mentioned in Epstein’s emails and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to clarify what his dealings with Epstein were. Puri, who served as India’s ambassador to the United Nations from 2009-2...

In international cricket, principle is often loud, emotional and instantly gratifying. Strategy, on the other hand, is quieter, slower, and frequently misunderstood. Pakistan’s decision to eventually agree to play India on February 15 falls squarely in the latter category, and despite the initial optics, it is the right call. The dramatic boycott call did what it needed to do early on. It created noise, unsettled the International Cricket Council (ICC), and earned Pakistan something it has been desperately short of in recent years: an ally. Bangladesh’s open friction with the ICC and India over security, scheduling and governance issues suddenly aligned its interests with Pakistan’s. A meeting between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials taking place in Lahore on Feb 8, 2026. — Screengrab via PCB video The alignment may be situational for now, but in a cricketing ecosystem where Pakistan often finds itself isolated, even a temporary ally matters. In what seemed li...

WASHINGTON: The United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) office has removed a controversial map of India from its official X (formerly Twitter) account after Pakistan lodged a strong diplomatic protest over the depiction of internationally-recognised disputed territories as part of India, diplomatic sources told Dawn on Wednesday. The map, which accompanied a USTR press release announcing a framework for an interim US-India trade agreement, showed the entire Jammu and Kashmir region — including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan — within Indian boundaries. It also depicted China’s Aksai Chin region as part of India, despite the fact that the area is claimed by China and remains disputed. It was posted on the site on Friday evening, but had been removed by Monday evening, which was also the first working day after the weekend. Diplomatic sources said Pakistan conveyed its protest both to the US Embassy in Islamabad and to State Department officials in Washington, stressing that the map contradicted...

India on Tuesday said it would be “a challenge” to face a “quality” Pakistan team in Colombo after Islamabad decided to play the blockbuster T20 World Cup clash. “It’s great that the game is back on, we kind of never changed the preparation,” said India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. India will face a second Group A match against Namibia on Thursday in New Delhi before flying to Sri Lanka. It means a quick turnaround for Sunday’s match, the biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket. “It’s going to be a challenge going to Colombo where Pakistan have been for the last two weeks,” added Ten Doeschate. “We are delighted to have another chance to play against a quality side in the first phase of the tournament. “We are fully focused on just bringing our best game to that fixture.” Sri Lanka, who will host the match that generates multi-millions of dollars in advertising, broadcast rights, sponsorship and tourism, also praised the decision. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in a social med...

India’s government said on Tuesday social media companies would have to take down unlawful content within three hours of being notified about it, tightening an earlier 36-hour timeline in what could be a compliance challenge for Meta, YouTube and X. The changes amend India’s 2021 IT rules, which have already been a flashpoint between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and global technology companies. The amended rules also relaxed an earlier proposal that would have required platforms to visibly label AI-generated content across 10 per cent of its surface area or duration, instead mandating that such content be “prominently labelled”. The new regulations will take effect from February 20. The tighter timeline marks the latest escalation in India’s efforts to control online speech, with a takedown regime that has drawn criticism from digital rights advocates and prompted clashes with companies including Elon Musks X. Facebook-owner Meta declined to comment on the changes, while X and Alphabet’s Google, ...

The government announced on Monday that Pakistan would play the T20 World Cup match against India, scheduled for February 15. The decision to play the match comes after a delegation from the ICC arrived in the country over the weekend and held meetings with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on the team’s participation in the match against India. It also came hours after Sri Lanka urged Pakistan to play India. In a post on X, the government said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was formally briefed by PCB Chairman Naqvi regarding the outcomes of high-level deliberations held between the PCB, representatives of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). “The government of Pakistan has reviewed the formal requests extended to the PCB by the BCB, as well as the supporting communications from Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and other member nations. These correspondences sought Pakistan’s leadership in securing a viable solution to recent challenges,” i...

Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday told the National Assembly that Pakistan is facing a proxy conflict allegedly orchestrated by India, claiming that Afghan territory is being used to facilitate terrorist activities inside the country.

India plans to maintain multiple sources of energy supply and diversify them when needed as New Delhi looks to ensure consumers receive “adequate energy at the right price through reliable and secure supplies”, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday. Misri was responding to a question at a media briefing seeking clarity on India’s position on the purchase of Russian oil after US President Donald Trump said last week that New Delhi had “committed to stop directly or indirectly” importing it. “India’s priority is to safeguard the interests of its consumers through an energy policy driven by adequate availability, fair pricing, and reliability of supply,” Misri said. He added that India was neither dependent on any single source for crude oil nor did it “intend to be”, importing from a “mix of sources” depending on “objective market conditions”, adding that “national interests” guide both the government and Indian energy companies. Last week, Trump signed an executive order lifting the punitive 25%...

A meeting between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket boards was held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday to discuss Pakistan’s decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match with India on February 15. The meeting was still in progress until late Sunday night, while the ICC, as well as the two cricket boards, decided not to speak to the media regarding the discussion. After a four-hour meeting, no joint declaration was issued. Per sources, there was a break for a late-night dinner, and a second round of talks was scheduled after that. Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier told Dawn that the two sides will most likely announce the outcome of the meeting after receiving an endorsement from the Government of Pakistan. They added that the main concern of the PCB expressed during the meeting was related to the “politics rampant at a large-scale level across the ICC affairs and India’s excessive involvement in it.” The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s ...

The US and India announced Friday that they have reached terms on an interim framework deal to end a bilateral trade dispute, with President Donald Trump taking action to advance the agreement.

The United States and India moved closer to a trade pact on Friday, releasing an interim framework that would lower tariffs, reshape energy ties and deepen economic cooperation as both countries seek to realign global supply chains. The framework reaffirms a commitment to negotiations toward a broader bilateral trade agreement, the two governments said in a joint statement, while noting that further negotiations were needed to complete the pact. US President Donald Trump announced a deal with India on Monday to cut US tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from 50pc in exchange for India halting purchases of Russian oil and lowering trade barriers. Half of the 50pc rate had been imposed separately by Trump as punishment for India’s purchases of Russian oil, which he said were fuelling Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine. Trump signed an executive order on Friday rescinding that 25pc portion after India agreed this week to shift its oil buying to the US and Venezuela. However, the statement indicated that New Delhi...

Sri Lanka’s cricket board on Thursday asked Pakistan to reconsider its decision to boycott their first-round encounter with arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup co-hosted by the island. Pakistan decided not to play India on February 15 in Colombo to express solidarity with Bangladesh, who were excluded from the tournament after refusing to play their matches in India. Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade and meet only at global or regional tournament events. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) told the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that a boycott would result in a financial hit and also hurt the island’s tourism industry, which is still recovering from the 2022 economic meltdown. “Any non-participation will have wide-ranging implications, including substantial financial exposure for SLC and the potential loss of anticipated tourism inflows,” the board said. It recalled that Sri Lanka had toured Pakistan to express solidarity and revive international matches there when other nations ...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Wednesday condemned India’s actions in Kashmir, saying New Delhi forcibly revoked the region’s constitutional status and subjected its people to decades of oppression.

Commenting on the decision to boycott the match against India in the T20 World Cup, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that there “should be no politics in sports”. He made the remarks while addressing the federal cabinet in Islamabad. The remarks were televised. “We have taken a clear stand regarding the T20 World Cup that we will not play the match against India,” he said. “There should be no politics in sports,” he said. “We have taken this stand after deliberating on it carefully,” he said, calling it an “appropriate decision”. It should be noted that the government on Sunday gave the cricket team the nod to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, but said the Green Shirts would not play their match with arch-rivals India, scheduled to be held on Feb 15 in Colombo. The development came after Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the tournament amid tensions with India, which is one of the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup. At the start of his address, PM Shehbaz began by talking about the attacks ...

Russia faces a steep drop in oil income if United States President Donald Trump successfully pressures India to stop importing Russian crude, because losing its top purchaser of seaborne exports would force Moscow to slash prices to find other buyers, analysts and traders said. Trump on Monday cut US tariffs on Indian goods in a trade deal he said also included provisions for India to halt oil imports from Russia, the world’s second-biggest oil exporter. The US is also putting pressure on Russia to agree to a peace deal in Ukraine. Trump has over the past year already claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil. India never halted imports, however, citing its need for energy security and for cheap oil. The Kremlin says energy cooperation with India, its second-largest oil buyer after China, is strong after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the country in December 2025. But Indian refiners are taking a cautious approach to Russian oil purchases, which is already hu...

The United States and India have held high-level talks in Washington focused on critical minerals cooperation, trade and strategic ties. The talks were held late on Tuesday against the backdrop of a recently finalised bilateral trade deal that has drawn attention across the region. Diplomatic observers in Washington, however, maintain that the agreement is unlikely to affect recently improved bilateral ties between Pakistan and the US, as those are not linked to India. The observers note that recent developments in the greater Middle East, as well as in South and Central Asia, have further enhanced Pakistan’s relevance as a key regional player in Washington’s strategic calculus. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during the latter’s three-day official visit to the United States, as both sides moved to deepen economic and strategic coordination in the Indo-Pacific. According to the US State Department readout, Secretary Rubio and Minister Jaishankar d...

Pakistan’s spin-heavy squad are in winning form ahead of the T20 World Cup, but a controversial decision to forfeit their marquee clash against India could still trigger another early exit. Pakistan came close to withdrawing from the tournament in solidarity with Bangladesh, who pulled out after refusing to play in India, citing security concerns. The Pakistan government eventually cleared the team’s participation but it barred them from facing India in Colombo in a blockbuster clash on February 15. With two points for a win, a forfeit of the match will leave Pakistan with no margin for error if they are to progress as one of the top two from a five-team Group A. It means they must win their opening game against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday and beat the United States three days later to stay in contention. Their final group game will be against Namibia on February 18. Captain Salman Agha said the move to boycott the India game was out of the team’s hands. “That is not our decision. We have to follow...

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it had not received any indication from India that it would stop buying Russian oil following the announcement of a trade deal with US President Donald Trump. Trump said he had struck a deal to reduce tariffs on India and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine. India’s purchases of Russian oil — discounted due to Western sanctions complicating logistics and cutting off markets — have surged since Russia launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine and its Western allies have been seeking to cut off the billions of dollars in revenue, a vital source of income for Russia’s stretched economy and its military. “So far, we haven’t heard any statements from New Delhi on this matter,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP. Trump said he was cutting levies on Indian goods to 18 per cent. He had previously imposed 25pc “reciprocal” tariffs on many products, plus an additiona...