India Pakistan Relations

Indian Coast Guard rescues 9 crew members after vessel sinks in Arabian Sea

The Indian Coast Guard on Thursday rescued nine crew members from a sunken vessel under challenging conditions in the Arabian Sea with some support from Pakistan maritime authorities. The rescue operation saw collaboration between Indian and Pakistani maritime authorities, according to officials. The vessel was sailing from Gujarat's Mundra to Socotra in Yemen when it was battered by rough seas. "The Indian Coast Guard successfully rescued nine Indian crew members from a sunken vessel, MSV Taj Dhare Haram, located approximately 311 km west of Porbandar, Gujarat in Pakistan's Search and Rescue Region (North Arabian Sea)," an official readout said. "The search and rescue mission, carried out under challenging sea conditions, showcased exceptional collaboration between the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) of Mumbai and Karachi, Pakistan," it said. The readout by the defence ministry said the vessel had set sail from Mundra, and was heading to Socotra, adding it was batter

Pakistan may fly Chinese stealth jets in 2 years: Could it outpace IAF?

Pakistan Air Force has reportedly approved the purchase of 40 J-35 stealth jets from China, with deliveries expected within two years

Good ties with Pakistan possible, but terror must stop first: S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Lok Sabha that India seeks good ties with Pakistan but stressed they must be free of terrorism, adding the ball is in Pakistan's court

India wants to have good ties with Pakistan, free of terror: Jaishankar

India wants to have good relations with Pakistan that are free of terror but if it does not show it is changing its past behaviour, then there will be implications on bilateral ties, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The minister also said that trade relations had been disrupted due to certain decisions taken by Pakistan in 2019. "I would like to inform the honourable member that in terms of improving ties with Pakistan, like any other neighbour, we would like to have good relations with Pakistan. But, like any other neighbour, we would also like to have relations free of terrorists," he said during Question Hour. This has been the position of the government of India, Jaishankar said. "We have made it very clear that it is for the Pakistani side to show that they are changing their behaviour of the past and if they don't, of course, there are implications on relations. So the ball is very much in Pakistan's court in this regard," he said. Trad

India to develop anti-drone unit for border security: Union HM Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said India will soon create a comprehensive anti-drone unit to secure its borders as the "menace" of unmanned aerial vehicles is going to get serious in the coming days. Addressing BSF troops at the 60th Raising Day event of the force here at its training camp, about 300 km from the India-Pakistan border, Shah said the initial results of a "laser equipped anti-drone gun-mounted" mechanism have been encouraging. This has led to an increase in drone neutralisation and detection cases, up from 3 per cent to 55 per cent, along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, he said. "The drone menace is going to get more serious in the coming days... We are tackling this issue with a 'whole of government' approach with the defence and research organisations and the DRDO joining hands. "We are going to create a comprehensive anti-drone unit for the country in the coming time," Shah said. According to official data, more than 260 drones have been downed or .

Pakistan ISI in North East? Bangladesh visa policy shift poses challenges

Northeast extremist groups have a history of launching hit-and-run attacks in India from bases in Bangladesh, allegedly with support from Pakistan's ISI and Bangladeshi intelligence agencies

Love, challenges, and diplomacy: An Indian woman's journey in Islamabad

In her book, Ms Ghanashyam provides a first-hand perspective of her experiences in these three years as an Indian woman living in "enemy country"

Pakistan violence: 68 troops killed in November; over 1,000 deaths in 2024

Amid rising violence and militant attacks, November emerged as the deadliest month this year for Pakistani security personnel, with 68 casualties

Islamabad PTI protest: Pak Army ordered to shoot on sight. What's going on?

PTI convoys, travelling across the country since Sunday, have converged in Islamabad for a high-profile power show, demanding the release of their founder, Imran Khan, among other things

Govt denies permission to blind cricket team to travel to Pak for T20 WC

The Indian blind cricket team will not compete in the T20 World Cup as the government has denied it permission to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns, the national federation said on Tuesday. The Indian team was supposed to cross the Wagah border on Wednesday for the event, scheduled to be held from November 23 to December 3. The Indian blind cricket team had got a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the sports ministry for participation but apparently couldn't get clearance from the MEA. "We have been told unofficially that the blind team will not be permitted to travel to Pakistan. We were scheduled to travel to Wagah border tomorrow. But as of now no clearance has come from the ministry officials. So, we are a bit disappointed," Shailendra Yadav, General Secretary of the Indian Blind Cricket Association (IBCA), told PTI. "They are saying when the mainstream cricket team is not safe how can you be safe there. Of course, we will accept the decision, but why hold the decisi

Under China's glare, Pakistan launches Balochistan offensive to save CPEC

Facing China's mounting demands for better security after attacks on its citizens and CPEC delays, Pakistan is under intense pressure to safeguard Beijing's interests

Militants unleash carnage in Pakistan, kill 19 troops in deadly attacks

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnesses fierce gunfights, a suicide bombing, and mortar fire as militants attack, leaving widespread damage and sparking calls for peace

Tulsi, Rubio, Waltz: Why these 3 Trump Cabinet picks are alarming Pakistan

Pakistan may no longer be a US foreign policy priority, but policymakers in Islamabad and Rawalpindi are reportedly monitoring President-elect Donald Trump's key nominations closely

India slams Pakistan's rhetoric on Kashmir in strong UN Right of Reply

In a strong retort, India slammed Pakistan for peddling falsehood after it referred to Jammu and Kashmir during a debate on peacekeeping operations in the UN. India chooses its right to reply in response to the comments made by Pakistan that has yet again made an attempt to divert this august body from its agenda, Member of the Rajya Sabha and National Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sudhanshu Trivedi said. His remarks came during a debate on peacekeeping operations at the Special Political and Decolonization (Fourth Committee) of the UN General Assembly here Friday. Trivedi asserted that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will remain an integral part of India. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have recently exercised their democratic and electoral rights and elected a new government. Pakistan must desist from such rhetoric and falsehood because it will not alter the facts, Trivedi said. He added that out of respect for the august members of the UN for

Govt to give boost to panchayat infrastructure, border areas in focus

Seeking to address infrastructure gaps, the Panchayati Raj Ministry has approved a series of proposals for building new panchayat buildings and resource centres and upgrading existing ones across the country. These include a proposal for building around 400 Gram Panchayat buildings in border areas of Arunachal Pradesh, ministry sources said. According to a source, a number of proposals were put forth in the meeting of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on the revamped Gram Swaraj Abhiyan earlier this month and were recently approved by the ministry. In the CEC meeting chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Vivek Bharadwaj, issues of infrastructure and training for panchayats were in focus. "In a bid to boost Panchayat Infrastructure in the 'Vibrant Villages' in the border areas, the construction of 400 Panchayat Bhawans-cum-Common Service Centres in Arunachal Pradesh has been approved by the Ministry," the source said. Under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan

Despicable yet predictable: India slams Pak at UN for raking Kashmir issue

Remarks came after Pakistan's representative in his remarks during the UNSC debate made references to Jammu and Kashmir

Farooq Abdullah urges Pakistan to stop violence, form friendship with India

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Friday said attacks like the one in Gulmarg would continue to occur until India and Pakistan found a way to be friends and that would end Jammu and Kashmir's troubles. Two soldiers and two Army porters were killed on Thursday after terrorists ambushed a force vehicle near Gulmarg in north Kashmir's Baramulla district. Another soldier and a porter were injured in the attack. "Such attacks will continue to take place in this state. You know where they come from and it will not stop until some way is found to get out of this trouble. I have been witnessing it for the last 30 years, innocent people are getting killed," Abdullah told reporters. "We are not going to become a part of Pakistan. So, why are they doing this? To disrupt our future? To make us poorer?" he asked. The former chief minister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state said rather than fomenting trouble in the Union Territory, Pakistan should look towards its own plight

No formal meeting held between Dar, Jaishankar during SCO meet: Pak FM

Pakistan on Thursday said no formal meeting took place between Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here last week. "It is customary for delegations in multilateral settings to exchange pleasantries and hold informal conversations over lunch and dinner, especially between the host and the guests who are participating," Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said. "There has been no formal meeting between Pakistan and India at the foreign ministers level, including at the SCO," she said in response to a question at her weekly press briefing here. Jaishankar travelled to Pakistan last week to attend the SCO meeting, becoming the first Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan in nearly a decade. During his visit, Jaishankar and Dar held casual conversations on two occasions, but there was no indication of any thaw in the frosty bilateral relations, according to ...

Kartarpur corridor pact renewed: What is it and what's behind the timing?

India and Pakistan have extended agreement on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for another five years, amid some initial signs of a thaw in relations

India, Pak renew pact on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for next 5 yrs: MEA

India and Pakistan have renewed the agreement on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for the next five years, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Tuesday. In view of the continued requests of the pilgrims regarding the removal of USD 20 service charge levied by Pakistan per pilgrim per visit, India has once again urged Pakistan to not levy any fee or charges on the pilgrims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. "It has been agreed between India and Pakistan through diplomatic channels to extend the validity of the Agreement on Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for a further period of five years," the MEA said. The agreement, signed on October 24, 2019 to facilitate the visit of pilgrims from India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal in Pakistan through the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, was valid for a period of five years. "Extension of the validity of this agreement will ensure uninterrupted operation of the Corridor for use by the pilgrims from India to .