Pakistan-India

The Indian Coast Guard has rescued 12 crew members of a merchant vessel from the country which sank in the north Arabian Sea during its voyage from Porbandar in Gujarat to Bandar Abbas port in Iran, officials said on Thursday. The vessel 'MSV Al Piranpir' sank on Wednesday outside Indian waters, within Pakistan's search and rescue region. Hence, the Indian Coast Guard carried out the rescue operation in collaboration with the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), the ICG said in a release. "This humanitarian search and rescue mission saw a close collaboration between the Indian Coast Guard and PMSA, with both nations' maritime rescue coordination centres (MRCC) maintaining continuous communication throughout the operation," it said. The merchant vessel left for the Iranian port from Porbandar on December 2 with general cargo. On its way, it reportedly sank in the morning hours of Wednesday due to rough seas and flooding, said the release. A distress call was received by the In

The Border Security Force (BSF) has completed the deployment of two fresh battalions, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, in the Jammu region to better plug infiltration from across the Pakistan front and check the recent spurt of terrorist activities in the area. Officials in the security establishment told PTI that the new troops of these units have been deployed "in depth areas" as the "second line of defence" just behind the BSF border deployment along the international border (IB) with Pakistan. These two BSF battalions were recently withdrawn from the anti-Naxal operations theatre of Odisha and have now been deployed fully in the Jammu region. This was a task to be accomplished before the onset of winters when securing the IB against infiltration from Pakistan becomes challenging, the sources said. The personnel of the new units have been deployed around the Samba area, some other vulnerable patches in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and along the Punjab boundary that

India and Pakistan should "bury" the past and look at the future to live like good neighbours, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday, in remarks seen as an attempt to reach out to New Delhi following Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar's trip to Islamabad this week. In an interaction with a group of Indian journalists, the three-time prime minister and president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) described Jaishankar's visit as a "good opening" and said both sides should now engage and move forward. Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise trip to Lahore in December 2015, Sharif said he was not happy with the "long-pause" in the ties between the two countries and hoped that both sides should look ahead with a positive approach. "We can't change our neighbours, neither can Pakistan nor can India. We should live like good neighbours," the 74 year-old leader said. When asked whether a bridge builder between the two countries was required, he said .

India's next war could be fought on two fronts, with a collusion between Pakistan and China, warns Major General Ian Cardozo, drawing on logic, past experience, and evolving geopolitical reality

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged SCO member states to strengthen the organisation's framework for tackling multiple regional challenges and forging close cooperation. Sharif's remarks came as he addressed the opening session of the 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). "From the esteemed platform of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a beacon of multilateralism, I stand in the belief that we possess not only the potential but the will to forge a future that is more prosperous and secure for our people a future inclusive and reflective of shared aspirations of all member states, he said. Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted: We are at a historic moment of transition where sweeping transformations are reshaping the global, social, political, economic, and security landscape. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to regional peace, stability and enhanced connectivity a

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif exchanged pleasantries during an informal dinner hosted by the latter on Tuesday

India remains actively engaged in various mechanisms of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), New Delhi said on Tuesday, hours before External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar lands in Pakistan to attend a conclave of the influential regional grouping. It will be the first visit by an Indian foreign minister in nearly a decade that comes amid continuing chill in India-Pakistan relations. Pakistan is hosting the two-day SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit meeting on October 15 and 16. The SCO CHG meeting is held annually and focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the Organisation," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. "External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at the meeting. India remains actively engaged in the SCO format, including various mechanisms and initiatives within the SCO framework," it said in a brief statement in New Delhi. Shortly after he arrives in Islamabad, Jaishankar is likely to attend a banquet reception to be hos

While Canada denies harbouring extremists or terrorists Michael Kugelman pointed out that India remains firm in its disagreement

The treaty grants India unrestricted access to 33 MAF from the eastern rivers (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi) annually, while Pakistan receives about 135 MAF from the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab)

Pakistan is set to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation heads of government meeting on October 15 and 16

Pakistan said on Friday that there was a status quo in ties with India post-August 2019 after New Delhi revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, indicating that there were no bilateral talks or trade taking place. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at the weekly briefing that following the development of August 2019 in Kashmir, several measures were taken by Pakistan, including the suspension of bilateral trade. That situation remains intact, and at this point, there are no talks between Pakistan and India with respect to bilateral trade," she said. The ties between the two countries nosedived after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the State into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019. India has repeatedly told Pakistan that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of the country. India has been maintaining that

Days after Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson raised concerns over seizure of alleged 'radioactive' material in India, the MEA on Friday said relevant Indian authorities have investigated the matter and found "no radioactive substance". The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserted that those making "baseless comments" are advised to desist from their "propaganda". In response to a question at his weekly briefing here, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has a "robust legal and regulatory framework" for safety and security of radioactive material and its non-proliferation track records speak for itself. On August 9, officials said the Bihar Police has arrested three people from the state's Gopalganj district and recovered 50 gm of a "radioactive substance" worth crores of rupees from their possession. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in a statement on Tuesday had raised concerns over effectiveness of the measures taken by New Delhi to ens

Neeraj Chopra, the gold medalist in the Tokyo Games, was dethroned by Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem in the Paris Olympics 2024 men's javelin throw final on Thursday

Pakistan is now more of a "nuisance" than a strategic threat as India has gained an edge over its neighbour, according to BJP leader and India Foundation founder Shaurya Doval. India's key advantage is its economic growth, he said but stressed on the need to manage relations with its neighbours, including Pakistan and China, to support this growth and gain a strategic edge. In an interaction with PTI editors at the agency's headquarters here, Doval also favoured roping in private players to fight cyberterrorism as he called for a "comprehensive" societal response rather than solely relying on legal and military measures. "We have passed various points in our relationship with Pakistan, and while they still present challenges, they no longer represent a serious threat...Pakistan poses nuisance value to us now but does not pose any strategic threat to us. So, that is one situation solved," he said. He highlighted that similar dynamics are at play along India's eastern front, while ..

Police in Baramulla after obtaining the attachment order passed by Baramulla Court attached properties which included nine Kanals of land

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar sending a positive message to India on Tuesday said his country does not believe in perpetual hostility and urged the new government in New Delhi to do a sober reflection on its future ties with Islamabad. Addressing a seminar at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), the 74-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said Pakistan always sought good neighbourly relations. To our east, the relationship with India has historically remained troubled. Pakistan does not believe in perpetual hostility. We seek good neighbourly relations with India on the basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and a just and peaceful resolution of the long-standing Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Dar said. The foreign minister said while Pakistan had always been receptive to constructive engagement through dialogue that includes all outstanding issues, Pakistan would never agree to unilateral approaches or attempts to

A Pakistani delegation arrived here on Sunday evening as part of Neutral Expert proceedings to inspect two hydroelectric power projects in Jammu and Kashmir under the Indus Water Treaty, officials said. This is the first visit by a Pakistani delegation to Jammu and Kashmir in more than five years under the dispute settlement mechanism of the 1960 Treaty. India and Pakistan signed the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) after nine years of negotiations, with the World Bank being a signatory of the pact which sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two sides on the use of waters of a number of cross-border rivers. A three-member Pakistan delegation inspected the Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai hydroelectric power projects under the provisions of the IWT for the last time in January 2019, before the ties between the two countries froze following the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. The officials said the visiting experts including Pakistanis wil

The United States has said it supports direct discussions between India and Pakistan but the pace, scope and character of talks should be determined by the two neighbouring countries. Responding to a question at his daily news conference on Thursday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US values its important relationships with both India and Pakistan. "As we have said, we support direct discussions between India and Pakistan, but the pace, scope and character should be determined by those two countries, not by us," he said. Responding to another question, Miller said the US and Pakistan have a shared interest in combating threats to regional security. "We partner with Pakistan on security through our high-level counterterrorism dialogue, including several counterterrorism capacity building programmes, and we support a series of US-Pakistan military-to-military engagements," he said. "We are in regular communication with Pakistani leaders as a part of our partner

Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia were set to get seats on the UN Security Council in a secret ballot Thursday in the General Assembly. The 193-member world body is scheduled to vote to elect five countries to serve two-year terms on the council. The 10 non-permanent seats on the 15-member council are allotted to regional groups who usually select their candidates but sometimes can't agree on one. There are no such surprises this year. Last year, Slovenia soundly defeated Russia's close ally Belarus for the seat representing the East European regional group, a vote that reflected strong global opposition to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This time, the regional groups put forward Somalia for an African seat, Pakistan for an Asia-Pacific seat, Panama for a Latin America and Caribbean seat, and Denmark and Greece for two mainly Western seats. The five council members elected Thursday will start their terms on Jan. 1, replacing those whose two-year terms end on D