India-pak Conflict

Jaishankar flags concerns over terrorism, extremism at SCO meet in Pakistan

In a thinly veiled message to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said cooperation in areas like trade, energy and connectivity is unlikely to flourish if activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism. In his address at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Jaishankar also asserted that cooperation must be based on mutual respect and sovereign equality and that it should recognise the territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations. The external affairs minister led the Indian delegation at the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) summit in Islamabad which was chaired by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Jaishankar said trust was key for cooperation and the SCO member nations can benefit immensely if the grouping moves ahead collectively. He said cooperation must be based on mutual respect and sovereign equality. "It should recognise territorial integrity and sovereignty. It must be buil

Flashback to 1965: The war and the Indian Army's near capture of Lahore

On September 6, 1965, the Indian Army's surprise attack on Lahore marked a pivotal moment in the Indo-Pakistani War. Here are the events leading up to this offensive and the war's aftermath

J&K could become 'Gaza' without dialogue between India-Pakistan: Farooq

Invoking former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the National Conference President said while speaking to ANI, "Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that we can change our friends but not our neighbours "

80 fishermen released by Pak to be brought to Gujarat on Friday: Official

Eighty fishermen from different parts of Gujarat were released from a jail in Karachi in Pakistan on Thursday and a state government team from here has reached Punjab to receive them, a senior official said. They will be handed over to the state fisheries department team at the Attari-Wagah border on Friday afternoon, Gujarat Commissioner of Fisheries Nitin Sangwan said. "They belong to different parts of Gujarat. We will bring them to the state by train," Sangwan informed. "These 80 fishermen were caught by Pakistani authorities nearly three years back after accusing them of fishing in waters of that country. They had set sail from Gujarat coast at regular intervals in 2020. As per our records, there are 173 Indian fishermen languishing in Pakistani jails," said Jivan Jungi, national executive committee member of India-Pakistan People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, an NGO. In May and June, the Pakistan government had released nearly 400 Indian fishermen who were arrested under s

Two BSF personnel injured as Pak Rangers open fire along IB in Jammu

Two BSF personnel were injured after Pakistan Rangers "resorted to unprovoked firing" on border guards along the International Border (IB) here, officials said on Wednesday. The Pakistan Rangers opened fire around 8.15 am on Tuesday on the troops at the Vikram post in the Arnia sector, following which the BSF jawans fired in retaliation, the Border Security Force (BSF) said in a statement. Two BSF personnel received bullet injuries in the firing and were immediately provided medical assistance, the statement said. The firing incident will be taken up with the Pakistan Rangers and a protest would be lodged with them, sources said. The sources said that a sniper was used to target the two BSF troopers from the opposite Pakistan post of Iqbal and Khannor. The duo were engaged in some electrification work near the post when the firing started, they said. India and Pakistan had signed a ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021, in which both nations agreed to strictly observe all ...

Indus water dispute: India, Pakistan attend two-day meeting in Vienna

India attended a two-day meeting convened by a neutral expert in Vienna that was part of proceedings aimed at resolution of a dispute between New Delhi and Islamabad on the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir. Senior Advocate Harish Salve was present in the capacity of India's lead counsel in the matter, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. "A delegation from India, led by Secretary, Department of Water Resources, attended a meeting of the neutral expert proceedings in the Kishenganga and Ratle matter at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Vienna on September 20 and 21," it said. The MEA said the meeting was convened by the neutral expert appointed on India's request under the aegis of the Indus Waters Treaty and was attended by representatives of India and Pakistan. "India's participation in this meeting is in line with India's consistent, principled stand that as per the graded mechanism provided for in the Indus Waters Treaty,

Pak drone spotted near IB in Punjab, returns after BSF troops open fire

A Pakistani drone was spotted close to the International Border in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, a BSF official said on Thursday. The unmanned aerial vehicle flew back to Pakistan after the Border Security Force troops fired at it. The drone was spotted near Adia border outpost in Gurdaspur at around 9:40 pm on Wednesday, said the official. The BSF troops fired 16 rounds at the Pakistani drone and also used an illumination bomb, said the official. A search operation was underway, said the official.

Pak intruder shot dead by BSF in Gurdaspur; a fire arm recovered

An armed Pakistani intruder was shot dead by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Gurdaspur sector along the India-Pakistan international border in Punjab on Tuesday morning, officials said. The infiltration bid was detected around 8 am and a fire arm has been recovered from the intruder. "At about 0830 hours, BSF troops of border post Channa in Gurdaspur sector observed suspected movement of an armed Pak intruder ahead of the fence. The suspected intruder was challenged and neutralised by the troops," a BSF spokesperson said. This is the first in incident in 2023 where a Pakistani intruder has been killed at the border. Last year, the BSF killed two infiltrators and apprehended 23 Pakistanis along the 553-km-long India-Pakistan international border that falls in Punjab. On Monday, the force had recovered a drone, with about 1 kg of suspected heroin, that was shot by its troops in Kassowal area of the Gurdaspur sector on December 31.

1971 Indo-Pak war: Hero of Rajasthan's Longewala post dies at AIIMS-Jodhpur

Bhairon Singh Rathore, a BSF veteran of the 1971 India-Pakistan war whose bravery at Rajasthan's Longewala post was portrayed by actor Suniel Shetty in the Bollywood movie 'Border', died in Jodhpur on Monday. He was 81. "The braveheart took his last breath at AIIMS, Jodhpur, today," the Border Security Force (BSF) said in a Tweet. Rathore's son Sawai Singh told PTI on Saturday that his father was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Jodhpur on December 14, two days before the 51st anniversary of the war, after his health deteriorated and his limbs got affected in what seemed like a paralysis. "Doctors told us that my father has possibly suffered a brain stroke. He has been in and out of ICU over the last few days," Singh said. The Singh family lived in Solankiatala village, about 120 km from Jodhpur. Rathore was deployed at the Longewala post in the Thar desert, commanding a small BSF unit that was accompanied by a company of the Army's 23 Punjab ...

Kashmir issue elephant in the room: Pak on S Asia integration, trade boost

Describing the Kashmir issue as "the elephant in the room", Pakistan minister Hina Rabbani Khar said any efforts to integrate South Asia and boost trade would be futile without resolving the conflict

Peace with Pakistan will give India direct access to Central Asia: PM Khan

Imran Khan said India will be benefitted economically by having peace with his country as it will enable New Delhi to directly access the resource-rich Central Asia region through Pakistani territory

Fifty years of India's conflicts

Book review of Full Spectrum: India's Wars 1972-2020

Locust-hit Pak may consider importing insecticides from India: Report

Pakistan is facing its worst locust attack in decades, after insects destroyed crops on a large scale in Punjab province, the country's main region for agricultural production

Rahul condemns mob attack on Nankana Sahib, says bigotry knows no borders

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday condemned the mob attack on Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, saying bigotry is a dangerous, age old poison that knows no borders. Taking to Twitter, Gandhi termed Friday attack reprehensible, and said the only known antidote to bigotry is love, mutual respect and understanding. "The attack on Nankana Sahab is reprehensible & must be condemned unequivocally. Bigotry is a dangerous, age old poison that knows no borders. Love + Mutual Respect + Understanding is its only known antidote," he said in a tweet. A violent mob attacked the Nanakana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan Friday and pelted it with stones. Nankana Sahib is the birth place of first Sikhguru Guru Nanak Dev.

Terror attacks have increased after 2016 surgical strike, says Shiv Sena

Accusing the Modi government of boasting about how Pakistan was straightened out after the surgical strike, the Sena sought to know whether it has really happened

No extra-territorial ambitions but need to stay alert against Pak: Rajnath

History bears evidence to the fact that India does not have extra-territorial ambitions. It believes in friendly relations with its neighbours, the Defence minister said

India rejects Donald Trump's claim of PM Modi seeking help on Kashmir

The US president made the claim while meeting Pakistani PM Imran Khan at the White House

Ready to mediate on Kashmir issue if asked by India, Pakistan: Trump

If the president is asked to mediate by both countries, he has expressed his willingness and his interests to help facilitate a solution

The Pakistani laureate

Decades after the violence that broke out under the watch of the British, India and Pakistan are still locked into a conflict that is influenced by religious extremists

Pak PM warns PoK residents not to cross LoC for offering humanitarian aid

Tension between India and Pakistan escalated after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5