Indian | Pakistan

WASHINGTON: An Indian national has pleaded guilty in a US federal court to plotting the assassination of Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York, the US Justice Department said on Friday. Prosecutors said Nikhil Gupta, 54, admitted to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with the failed plot. He entered the plea on February 13 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29. According to the Justice Department, Gupta acted at the direction of an Indian government employee identified as Vikash Yadav, who was employed by India’s Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees the country’s foreign intelligence service, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Yadav remains at large. Former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav who has been charged by the US for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist and Indian critic in New York City, at an unknown l...

Indian refiners are avoiding Russian oil purchases for delivery in April and are expected to stay away from such trades for longer, refining and trade sources said, a move that could help New Delhi seal a trade pact with Washington. The US and India moved closer to a trade pact on Friday, announcing a framework for a deal they hope to conclude by March that would lower tariffs and deepen economic cooperation. Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Reliance Industries are not accepting offers from traders for Russian oil loading in March and April, said a trader who approached the refiners. These refiners, however, had already scheduled some deliveries of Russian oil in March, refining sources said. Most other refiners have stopped buying Russian crude. Trump says India ‘committed’ to halting purchases The three refiners and the oil ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The trade minister on Saturday referred questions about Russian oil to the foreign ministry. A foreign ministry spokesperson said: “Div...

Indian police said on Thursday that an investigation had been launched into the suspected suicide of three young sisters over concerns that they were heavily “influenced” by online games and movies that they were later denied access to. Local media reported the sisters — aged 12, 14 and 16 — had jumped from their home on Wednesday in the city of Ghaziabad on the outskirts of New Delhi. Concern among experts and regulators has grown in recent years that too much screen time and addictive algorithms are harming child development, sparking authorities, including in India, to push for social media bans for children and teens. “[An] investigation is underway based on the suicide note and their phones,” Nimish Patil, a senior police official, told AFP on Thursday. Police in India routinely investigate the factors leading up to suspected suicides. The sisters had been “denied access” to K-Pop music and Korean games and movies that they had previously played and watched online. “They were influenced by Korean culture...

Pakistan has prolonged the restriction on its airspace for Indian aircraft for another month, maintaining the ban amid continued tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.

The Pakistan Airports Authority has extended the airspace ban for Indian aircraft until February 24 for another month, according to a Notam (notice to airmen) issued on Tuesday. The extension in the ban has been notified just three days before the restriction, last extended on December 17, was set to expire on January 23. India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines since tensions between them escalated in late April in the wake of an attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people. According to the latest Notam, Pakistan’s airspace will remain closed for India-registered aircraft until 5am on February 24, extending the restriction that is already in place. The restriction applies to all India-registered aircraft as well as any aircraft operated, owned, or leased by Indian airlines or operators, including military flights. The airspace closure applies from ground level up to unlimited altitude. Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — K...

An Indian rocket carrying 16 loads of equipment and experiments, including an earth surveillance satellite, went off track after lift-off on Monday in a fresh setback to the workhorse launch vehicle of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was a second disappointment for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in about eight months, denting its reputation for reliability, with a more than 90 per cent success rate over about 60 past missions. The PSLV-C62 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the island of Sriharikota at 10:18am local time, carrying the EOS-N1 observation satellite and 15 other payloads developed by startups and academic institutions in India and abroad. The ISRO’s mission control said the rocket performed normally for most of the flight before an unexpected disturbance and deviation from its path. “The PSLV-C62 mission encountered an anomaly during the end of the PS3 stage. A detailed analysis has been initiated,” ISRO said in a statement, without giving further details on ...

The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday rejected the “irresponsible assertions” made by Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, saying that New Delhi was again seeking to “deflect attention from its own troubling record as a neighbour that promotes terrorism and contributes to regional instability”. Although the FO statement did not make a specific mention of the remarks by the Indian minister, its rebuke came after Indian media reported Jaishankar as saying on Friday that New Delhi had a right to defend itself against terrorism while talking about “bad neighbours”. “You can also have bad neighbours … unfortunately, we do. When you have bad neighbours … if you look to the one to the West — if a country decides that they will deliberately, persistently, unrepentantly continue with terrorism, we have a right to defend our people against terrorism,” he was quoted as saying by The Hindu. He also spoke about the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which has been a major bone of contention between the two countries fol...

Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar shook hands in Dhaka on Wednesday, marking the first high-level contact between Pakistani and Indian officials since the military conflict in May of this year. Relations between Islamabad and New Delhi reached their lowest point this year following an attack in Pahalagam, in Indian-occupied Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan, while Islamabad denied any connection and offered — and continues to offer — an independent probe. A press release from the NA Secretariat stated that during Sadiq’s visit to Dhaka for former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia’s funeral, Jaishankar approached him for a handshake. “Indian External Minister Dr S Jaishankar approached the Speaker [of the] National Assembly and shaked hands,” the press release read. “During this interaction, Dr S Jaishankar introduced himself to the speaker and told the speaker that he had recognised him [sic].” The press release added that since the Pahalgam atta...

Following disruptions in the Chenab River, the Jhelum River is also experiencing disrupted flows due to the abrupt holding and releasing of water by Indian authorities. Yesterday, the Foreign Office sought clarification from India via a letter over a sudden variation in the Chenab River’s flow, which badly affected wheat and other crops being fed through the Marala-Ravi link and other canals in various parts of Punjab. The office of the Pakistan Commissioner on Indus Waters said that the Jhelum River was experiencing reduced inflow from upstream in India to downstream at Mangla Dam. “It is really serious and alarming because around 15 million of the total 25 million acres of agricultural land, which is irrigated through various canals, is receiving either less water or no water these days,” a senior official of the irrigation department explained, expressing concern. A photo of the the Victoria Bridge over the Jhelum River. — Photo by Sajida Ali According to an internal report, on December 14, the inflows and...

A complaint has been filed with police against the chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, and Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Sanjay Nishad in relation to an incident involving the former pulling a woman’s face veil (niqab), according to Indian media. Kumar has been facing criticism after he pulled off a woman doctor’s niqab at a graduation ceremony. A clip of the incident was widely shared on social media, showing the 74-year-old politician handing a certificate to a woman doctor during the event on Monday and motioning to her to remove her niqab. Before the woman could react, Kumar reached out and pulled down the niqab, exposing her mouth and chin. While the clip has sparked widespread outrage across India and Pakistan, with social media users, activists and commentators demanding an apology and resignation of the chief minister, Nishad made remarks belittling the gravity of the incident, questioning the outrage over “mere removal of a burqa”. Indian news agency ANI reported on Wednesday that Samajwadi Party...

Pakistan has extended the closure of its airspace for Indian civilian and military aircraft until Jan 23, 2026, according to a fresh Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA).

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Wednesday extended the airspace restrictions on Indian aircraft till January 23. The extension was notified a week before the previous one was set to expire on December 24. “Pakistan airspace will remain closed to Indian-registered aircraft, including all aircraft owned, operated, or leased by Indian airlines, as well as Indian military flights,” the authority said, “According to the NOTAM, the restriction, which has already been in force, will continue until January 23, 2026, as per the specified timings,” it said. Notam issued by the Pakistan Airports Authority. Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — Karachi and Lahore, according to a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) document from 2022. The Notam applies to both the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs. India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines since tensions between them escalated in late April in the wake of an attack in occupied Kashmir’s ...

Sajid left Indian city of Hyderabad in 1998; Intelligence agency interrogated Naveed in 2019

Indian media spreads misleading reports and false data following Sydney atrocity

The Foreign Office (FO) rejected and condemned on Sunday the “highly inflammatory, baseless and irresponsible” remarks by Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar about Pakistan’s armed forces, terming them “misleading”. The FO’s condemnation came a day after Jaishankar alleged that India’s core challenges with its neighbouring country stemmed directly from Pakistan’s military establishment. In its reaction to his remarks, the FO underscored that Pakistan was a responsible state, and all its institutions, including armed forces, were a pillar of national security, dedicated to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. The FO’s statement also referred to a brief four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May, saying that it “vividly demonstrated Pakistan armed forces’ professionalism as well as their resolve to defend the motherland and the people of Pakistan against any Indian aggression in a befitting, effective yet responsible manner”. “No amount of propaganda can b...

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Sunday slammed the sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan for giving interviews to the Indian media while one of ex-premier’s sisters, Noreen Niazi, criticised the PML-N for having “double standards”. Last week, Imran’s sisters had camped outside Adiala Jail, where the PTI founder is currently incarcerated, along with other PTI members after being denied a meeting. According to the PTI, Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen were “sitting peacefully” outside the jail when they were manhandled and “violently detained” by police. After repeatedly being barred from meeting their brother, Noreen and another sister of Imran, Aleema Khan, gave separate interviews to the Indian media on the matter. “These three sisters of Imran Ahmed Niazi sahib, on May 9 they were also present at the Core Commander’s House,” he said, but added that until now they had not been told not to “cry victimisation”. “If you ask my legal opinion, their presence is proof … They were there on May 9, they broug...

A high-profile debate at the Oxford Union that was scheduled to feature senior figures from Pakistan and India was cancelled after the Indian delegation withdrew at the last minute, prompting strong reactions from Pakistan’s High Commission in London and triggering speculations about why India pulled out last minute. According to statements issued by the High Commission, the debate centred on the motion “This House Believes India’s Policy Towards Pakistan is a Populist Strategy Sold as Security Policy” had been confirmed weeks in advance. It is scheduled for 12:30am PKT. Pakistan’s delegation, comprising former Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman Lt Gen (R) Zubair Mahmood Hayat, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and former diplomat Dr Mohammad Faisal, was already in London for the event. The High Commission claimed that India’s originally announced speakers, General M.M. Naravane, Dr Subramanian Swamy and politician Sachin Pilot, “withdrew at the eleventh hour”, leaving the event without its oppo...

Alphabet’s Google and venture capital firm Accel will partner to fund at least 10 early-stage Indian AI startups, marking the US technology giant’s first such funding partnership, top executives at the companies said on Thursday. The move comes as several US tech firms like Microsoft, Amazon and OpenAI make a beeline for the world’s most populous nation, seen as a critical growth market where nearly a billion users access the internet. Under the partnership, Google’s AI Futures Fund and Accel will co-invest up to $2 million in each startup, Prayank Swaroop, partner at Accel, told Reuters in an interview, with the investments focused on the wide areas of entertainment, creativity, work and coding. The announcement comes after Google in October said it would invest $15 billion over five years to set up an AI data centre in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, its biggest-ever investment in the country. Its AI Futures Fund, launched six months ago, has funded over 30 companies, including Indian webtoon s...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has sharply condemned what it called the Indian defence minister’s “delusional and dangerously revisionist” comments suggesting that Sindh could one day “return” to India.

The Foreign Office (FO) issued a strong condemnation on Sunday, denouncing Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s “delusional and dangerously revisionist remarks” about Sindh. The FO’s rebuke came after the Indian media quoted Singh as saying: “Today, the land of Sindh may not be a part of India, but civilisationally, Sindh will always be a part of India. And as far as land is concerned, borders can change. Who knows, tomorrow Sindh may return to India again.” According to Indian media outlets, Singh maintained while speaking at an event in Delhi that Sindhi Hindus from his generation never fully accepted the accession of the province to Pakistan. Sindh has occasionally featured in Indian rhetoric on Pakistan, most often during heightened tensions or significant developments inside India. Singh’s remarks at Sindhi Samaj Sammelan, an event of the Sindhi community, could have possibly been made to bolster political support by invoking historical and cultural claims. The FO said in its response to the remarks t...