Indian | Pakistan

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday strongly rejected Indian media reports alleging that Pakistani officials held secret meetings with the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Israel’s Mossad to discuss sending troops to Gaza as part of a peacekeeping force.

The information ministry on Tuesday rubbished what it said was a “completely fabricated” report about an alleged meeting of the Pakistani leadership with the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency and Israel’s Mossad that would see Pakistan sending troops to Gaza for a peace force. A cornerstone of the US-brokered Gaza Peace Agreement is the establishment of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), composed mainly of troops from Muslim-majority countries. According to officials close to the discussions, an announcement is expected soon from the federal government regarding the decision. Officials familiar with the deliberations, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said discussions within the government and military establishment were at an “advanced stage”. According to them, the tone of internal consultations suggests that Islamabad is inclined to take part in the mission. Earlier today, Indian news outlet First Post reported that per CNN-News 18, top intelligence source...

An Indian national was charged with an assault on a flight travelling from Chicago to Germany, according to a press release issued by the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) on Monday. The DoJ stated that Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, stabbed two teenagers with a metal fork and was arrested on October 25 after the flight was diverted to Boston. He was charged in the US District Court with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm. “According to the charging documents, on October 25, 2025, while on board Lufthansa flight 431 en route from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, Usiripalli allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old male passenger (Minor A) in the shoulder area with a metal fork,” the statement read. “Usiripalli then allegedly stabbed a second 17-year-old male passenger (Minor B) in the back of the head with the same metal fork.” The DoJ said that when flight crew members attempted to subdue Usiripalli, he reportedly raised his hand, formed a gun with his fingers, put it in h...

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Nuclear Command Authority Lt Gen (retd) Mazhar Jamil said Pakistan would continue to pursue its policy of ‘Quid Pro Quo Plus’ to reinforce strategic stability in South Asia, which has been undermined by great power politics and a technology bias in favour of India. Quid Pro Quo Plus is a military doctrine that entails a retaliatory response to Indian aggression exceeding the initial provocation in scale or severity. “Pakistan would continue to uphold its policy of ‘Quid Pro Quo Plus,’ thereby reinforcing strategic stability in South Asia,” Gen Jamil said while addressing the concluding session of a three-day workshop hosted by the Centre for International Strategic Studies (CISS) in Islamabad. “Pakistan,” he added, “stands fully prepared to respond to any act of aggression, strategic, operational, or tactical, with resolve and capability, ensuring the preservation of deterrence equilibrium in the region.” The statement follows an ongoing tense period this month, which revived brinkma...

A senior BJP leader and regional minister has said that two Australian cricketers who were inappropriately touched by a man last week during the Women’s World Cup would “learn a lesson” from the incident and stay cautious in the future, according to Indian media. The incident in question took place in the central Indian city of Indore on Thursday morning when the two players left their hotel to go to a cafe, a day after Australia’s six-wicket victory over England in the group stage of the World Cup, when they were allegedly approached by a motorcyclist. The two players were not identified by Indian police or Cricket Australia, which confirmed the incident, and one man has been arrested in connection with the case. NDTV reported on Sunday that senior BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya had stated that the incident was “a lesson for everyone.” “Sometimes, players don’t realise their popularity. Players are very popular, so they should be careful,” Vijayvargiya said. “This incident has ha...

Indian police have arrested a man accused of stalking and inappropriately touching two Australian cricketers participating in the ICC Women’s World Cup in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Saturday. The incident happened in the central Indian city of Indore on Thursday morning when the two players left their hotel to go to a cafe, a day after Australia’s six-wicket victory over England in the group stage of the World Cup, when they were allegedly approached by a motorcyclist. “The security officers of the women’s Australian cricket team filed a complaint that two members of the team faced inappropriate behaviour,” additional deputy commissioner of police, Rajesh Dandotiya, told Indian news agency ANI. “A FIR (first information report) was registered, and the accused was identified and arrested following an intensive strategic operation.” He has been charged under sections 74 and 78 of the criminal code that deal with assault or using criminal force against a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty and st...

Posts from pro-Pakistani accounts on social media platform X on Thursday circulated a video claiming to show Indian Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai publicly denouncing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and warning against the politicisation of the Indian Armed Forces. However, the video is doctored. A day ago, an X account, that appears to be anti-Indian based upon its previous posts and is known for repeatedly sharing AI-altered videos, posted a clip with the following caption: “Breaking News: Indian Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai comes out openly against BJP politics of Narendra Modi. Any politicisation or saffronisation of the armed forces will lead to a defeat in the morale of Indian Armed Forces. We will resist against all attempts to make Indian army subservient to Hindutva.” The post gained over 45,000 views. The transcript of the video is provided below: “As a senior officer who has devoted decades to the service of this uniform, I say this with deep concern. The growing influence of ...

The record remains unblemished, the streak grows more formidable. MMA fighter Rizwan “The Haider” Ali, reinforced his status as kryptonite for Indian adversaries, systematically dismantling Rana Rudra Pratap Singh “The Rajput” to secure a first-round technical knockout at the Absolute Championship Akhmat in Dubai’s Agenda Arena on Thursday. The victory marks his fourth win over an Indian opponent in two years — a perfect finishing rate he has maintained against all of them, keeping his pristine professional record intact at 11-0. The tension was palpable from the start, a fuse lit long before the first punch was thrown. It manifested in a telling moment during the fighter introductions: Rizwan and Rudra Pratap (12-3) refused a glove touch, a silent acknowledgment that this was more than sport. This was conflict. From the opening bell, the clash was charged with the weight of the cross-border rivalry. Rudra Pratap, a 28-year-old force from Lucknow, shot for an immediate takedown, aiming to ground the aerial as...

Only 269 to 290 adult Indian wolves remain in Pakistan, including 42 breeding pairs

Expressing grave concern over Indian military leadership’s irresponsible statements under immense political pressure, Pakistan Army on Wednesday warned that every act of ag-gression will be dealt with a swift, resolute and intense response that will be remembered by posterity.

• 42 battered Pakistanis reunite with their families at Edhi Centre • Six others still await government clearance in Lahore • Returnees say beatings, burn injuries and forced labour became routine after Pakistan-India conflict KARACHI: Some 42 of the 48 Pakistani fishermen released from Indian jails and handed over to Pakistani authorities through the Wagah Border reached Karachi on Monday after a long wait of over a month because of the uncertain situation in Lahore. There are still six of them awaiting government clearance in Lahore. The expected time of arrival of the fishermen reaching the city by road from Lahore, thanks to the Edhi Foundation, was 12 noon, though they reached the Edhi Centre at Kharadar after 2:30pm. Still, the media gathered there already felt like they knew each and every one of them, as they had heard so much about them from their family members waiting for them there since morning. What’s common is the story of the horrible torture they endured in custody after the May conflict betw...

The World Bank said on Tuesday that higher tariffs on Indian goods exported to the US would be a drag on South Asia’s economic growth rate in 2026, even as it remains shielded in the current year by government spending. The World Bank said growth in South Asia was expected to slow sharply to 5.8 per cent in 2026 from its projection of 6.6pc for 2025. Its forecast for the region comprises India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. “For 2026, the forecast has been downgraded, as some of these effects unwind and India continues to face higher-than-expected tariffs on goods exports to the United States,” the World Bank said in its report. The World Bank has raised its forecast for India’s growth in the current fiscal year ending March 2026 to 6.5pc from 6.3pc, while trimming its projection for the next fiscal year to 6.3pc from 6.5pc due to tariffs imposed by the United States. US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50pc tariff on most exports from India, among the highest for any US trading ...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday reacted to statements made by the Indian military and political leadership, terming them a “failed attempt” to restore their “lost reputation”. While he did not specify any particular statement that he was reacting to, his remarks follow recent aggressive comments from the Indian side, mentioning terrorism and warning of action. India has long accused Pakistan of cross-border terrorism, an allegation that Islamabad has repeatedly refuted and termed baseless. “The statements made by the Indian army and its political leadership are a failed attempt to restore its lost reputation,” Asif said on X. He also referred to a four-day escalation between India and Pakistan in May, during which Islamabad says it downed at least six Indian jets. Asif said India faced a “decisive defeat with a score of 6-0” in the escalation, and “if they try again [to go to fight], God willing, the score will be much better than the last time”. “The way the public opinion in India turned against the...

Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh on Friday claimed that his country “downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class” during the intense fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. “As far as air defence part is concerned, we have evidence of one long-range strike … along with that five fighters, high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells us,” Singh told reporters at the Indian Air Force annual day press conference. However, he did not share the said evidence. The F-16 is a US-made fighter jet, while the JF-17 is of Chinese origin. Although Singh had previously too claimed without credible evidence that five Pakistani fighter jets and another military aircraft were shot down during the conflict, this is the first time New Delhi has mentioned the class of jets in public. He also refused to comment on Pakistan downing Indian jets in May. The first time the Indian air chief had claimed that Pakistan’s jets were downed during the four-day escalation, Defence ...

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Asia Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday refuted claims by Indian media that he had apologised to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over the trophy handover issue at Sunday’s Asia Cup final. The closing ceremony of the men’s Asia Cup descended into farce on Sunday as the Indian cricket team refused to collect the winners’ trophy from the ACC chief, marking a historic low in cricketing relations between the two countries. Subsequently, Indian skipper Surya­ku­mar Yadav complained his side were denied the trophy after winning the Asia Cup. Later, Indian media alleged that Naqvi had himself refused to hand the trophy over to the Indian team. Today, several Indian outlets, including IndiaToday, Financial Express and Hindustan Times, reported that Naqvi had now apologised to the BCCI, but that he still refused to hand them the trophy. Responding to an India Today post about their report on social media platform X, Naqvi stated, “Indian media thri...

NEW YORK: An Indian intelligence agent not only allegedly hired an Indian citizen to carry out murders in Pakistan, Nepal, and the United States but also promised to provide him with a plane-load of weapons to execute the assassinations, documents filed in US federal court show. Documents filed in a US federal court reveal new charges against the alleged assassin, Nikhil Gupta, incl­uding money laund­ering, credit card fraud, drug and arms trafficking, and atte­mpted murder of a person in Nepal or Pakistan. According to fresh court documents, US gover­nment lawyers claim that the alleged murder-for-hire plot was not limited to New York but also included plans to kill another person in Nepal or Pakistan. US prosecutors allege that former Indian RAW officer Vikash Yadav promised to supply firearms and even arrange clearance for an aircraft to transport weapons from India. This was allegedly intended so that Gupta could sell the weapons to a man he believed was a trafficker, who would, in turn, help him hire a h...

The Foreign Office has strongly denounced the killing of protesters by Indian forces in Ladakh and Leh, areas of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian police on Friday detained prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk over violent protests in the Himalayan territory of Ladakh that left at least five people dead, a lawyer said. Demonstrations demanding greater political autonomy for the sparsely populated, high-altitude region bordering China and Pakistan turned deadly on Wednesday when security forces opened fire. New Delhi blamed the unrest on “provocative speeches” by Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike demanding either full federal statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities, land and fragile environment. Mustafa Haji, a lawyer for the Apex Body Leh — which is spearheading the protests — told AFP that Wangchuk was “picked up” by the police from his village of Uley Tokpo on Friday. “Charges against him are not known yet,” Haji said. An engineer by training, Wangchuk, 59, is best known for pioneering water conservation projects in the Himalayas. He received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018 for his enviro...

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi has sentenced an Indian spy, Saleem, to 114 years in prison on charges of possessing explosives and illegal weapons.

India romped home in style with a six-wicket win, chasing down the 172-run target with ease in their second high-intensity encounter against Pakistan in the men’s Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday. Abhishek Sharma was adjudicated player-of-the-match — scoring 74 runs of 39 balls as he led the Indian effort from the front after getting a reprieve in Shaheen’s second over. The bitterness between the players, which started with India’s refusal of customary handshakes in the first encounter, continued as Sharma at the post-match ceremony said: “Today it was very simple, the way they were coming (at) us for no reason, I didn’t like it at all, and this is the only way I could give [an answer] with my bat.” Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha, speaking after the match, said, “We are yet to play the perfect game. We batted really well — but I think when it came to the bowling, they took the game away in the powerplay.” He said they could have got 15 more runs after being 91 in the first 10 overs, but added that 171 was still ...