Pakistan on Friday refused to share details of consular access to the two Indian nationals held on the charges of spying, saying such access had been provided from time to time. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was asked at the weekly briefing about the reported consular access to two Indians who were arrested for allegedly spying in Gilgit-Baltistan. I will not go into the details of such communications. However, Pakistan does from time to time arrange consular access for the Indian High Commission to its nationals, she said. Earlier this week, The Express Tribune newspaper reported that Pakistan authorities granted consular access to India for a meeting with two Indian nationals arrested on charges of spying in 2020. The consular access was provided at the request of the Indian government and the meeting between Indian diplomats and the alleged spies took place on Monday. Reports suggest that the two individuals, purportedly from Jammu and Kashmir, were arrested i
Days after former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif admitted that Islamabad had violated the Lahore pact, India on Thursday said an objective view is emerging on the issue in the neighbouring country. Sharif on Tuesday said Islamabad had "violated" an agreement with India signed by him and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999, in an apparent reference to the Kargil misadventure by General Pervez Musharraf. "You are aware of our position on the issue. I need not have to reiterate that. We note that there is an objective view emerging in Pakistan as well on this matter," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He was replying to a question on the matter at his weekly media briefing. After a historic summit in Lahore, then Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee and Sharif signed the Lahore Declaration on February 21, 1999. The agreement that talked about a vision of peace and stability between the two neighbouring countries signalled a breakthrough.
Pakistan violated the Lahore Declaration that was signed between former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee on February 21, 1999
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that trade ties between Islamabad and New Delhi have remained suspended since 2019 due to the imposition of "heavy duties by India on imports from Pakistan after the Pulwama attack. In a written reply submitted to the National Assembly on Saturday, Dar, who also holds the deputy prime minister's slot, said: India decided to impose 200 per cent duty on imports from Pakistan, suspended the Kashmir bus service and trade across the Line of Control after the Pulwama attack. According to the Dawn newspaper, Dar was responding to a question by Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui seeking details about trade challenges faced by Pakistan in its relations with neighbouring countries, especially India. In March, during a press conference in London, Dar highlighted the eagerness of Pakistan's business community to resume trade activities with India. However, his office later clarified that Pakistan has no plan to resume trade relations with India
National Assembly member Syed Mustafa Kamal brought attention to the lack of educational facilities for children in the country, comparing it to India's achievements
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed the Congress and accused the party of spreading fear among people by repeatedly suggesting that neighbouring Pakistan too has nuclear weapons that they could use at any moment. Addressing an election rally in Odisha's Kandhamal, Modi highlighted that the Congress has historically instilled fear among people by repeatedly saying, "Sambhal ke chaloPakistan ki pass atom bomb hai (Proceed with caution, Pakistan has an atom bomb)". "Yeh mare pade log, desh ke mann ko bhi maar rahe hain (These virtually dead people are trying to kill the spirit of the country)", the PM remarked. Modi emphasised that the Congress has consistently adopted an attitude of spreading fear by mentioning the Pakistani bomb, noting that the neighbouring country currently lacks the capability to handle or manage the nuclear arsenal it possesses. "They (Pakistan) are now trying to sell the bomb and searching for a buyer. But nobody is buying the bomb because people k
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said those speaking Pakistan's language while living in India should be charged with treason and put behind bars as he dubbed the statements of opposition leaders Vijay Wadettiwar and Farooq Abdullah their frustration about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rise. "These people are speaking Pakistan's language. Is it not treason against the nation? They are not able to tolerate the wave of patriotism that has spread out across the country under PM Modi's leadership. It's like Congress ka haath, Pakistan ke saath," Shinde told PTI here. He also hit out at former Maharashtra Chief Minister and former Union minister Sharad Pawar for doing "nothing" for the state during his long stints in the state and Centre. "He has been in Maharashtra politics, national politics for such a long time. Maharashtra should have progressed so much during this time. He was also the agriculture minister. What our government has done for farmers, no other government h
In a sharp retort, India has said Pakistan harbours a most dubious track record on all aspects, as it slammed destructive and pernicious remarks made by Islamabad's envoy in the UN General Assembly here. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj's stern response came after Pakistan's UN envoy Munir Akram made lengthy remarks against India, including references to Kashmir, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, during his address to the UN General Assembly meeting on Culture of Peace.' One final pointin this Assembly, as we endeavour to cultivate a culture of peace amid these challenging times, our focus remains steadfast on constructive dialogue. We thus choose to set aside the remarks from a certain delegation, which not only lack decorum but also detract from our collective efforts due to their destructive and pernicious nature, Kamboj said on Thursday. We would strongly encourage that delegation to align with the central principl
India's negotiations must maintain a strategic approach and give concessions that meet its long-term objectives
The United States' response comes after PM Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's recent statements saying India won't hesitate to eliminate terrorists in their homes
In Pakistan, the legal marriage age stands at 16 for girls and 18 for boys
The people of Pakistan must "reset, alt-del and restart" to change their destiny, former president Arif Alvi has said, asserting that the "poor but hardworking" nation, polarised by political differences, deserves better. Alvi, Pakistan's president from 2018 to March 2024, took to social media platform X on Thursday to criticise the cash-strapped country's current state of affairs. "The argument by some that it has happened before and others have also done the same is no justification to continue on this path, as it is retrogressive thinking with no way forward," the 74-year-old leader said. "To change our destiny is to Re-Think, Reset, Alt-Del, Clean the slate, Re-Start," he said. "Who will do it? Who can do it? Is it even possible? I think it is, as we have the potential, and this poor but hardworking nation certainly deserves better," the dentist-turned-politician said. Bashing the deterioration of Pakistan's economy, politics and judiciary, he said that there is severe stress
The selection of Maryam Nawaz as the chief minister of the Punjab province is a milestone in Pakistani politics, the US has said, asserting that it looks forward to cooperating with Islamabad on integrating women more fully into the country's political life. Maryam, the 50-year-old daughter of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, took oath as the first-ever woman chief minister of Pakistan's most populous and politically crucial Punjab province last week. Her (Maryam Nawaz Sharif) selection as chief minister is a milestone in Pakistani politics, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday. Maryam is considered the political heir to 74-year-old Nawaz Sharif, the three-time former prime minister. We look forward to cooperating with Pakistan more broadly on integrating women more fully into the country's political life, in the economy, including through the US-Pakistan Women's Council, civil society, and other ...
According to the report by the DRDO experts, the seized large-size Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines are dual-use equipment and can be used for military applications
A Karachi-bound ship from China was stopped by Indian security agencies at Mumbai's Nhava Sheva port on suspicion that it contained a dual-use consignment that could be used for Pakistan's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, officials here said on Saturday. The customs officials, based on an intelligence input, halted a Malta-flagged merchant ship -- CMA CGM Attila -- at the port en route to Karachi on January 23 and inspected the consignment, which included a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine, originally manufactured by an Italian company. CNC machines are basically controlled by a computer and produce a scale of efficiency, consistency and accuracy not possible manually. A team of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) also inspected the consignment and certified that it could be used by the neighbouring country for its nuclear programme. According to the experts, the equipment would be useful in manufacturing critical parts for Pakistan's missile ...
The meeting was postponed as the PML-N's committee has yet to consult on the matter with the party's senior leadership
The Pakistan Rangers violated the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan on Wednesday by resorting to unprovoked firing at a BSF post along the International Border (IB) in the R S Pura sector here, officials said. The residents of the area where the ceasefire violation took place said it was after a gap of more than a decade that they witnessed cross-border firing, which triggered panic among them. "At about 5:50 pm, the Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing in the R S Pura area, which was befittingly responded by the BSF troops. The firing stopped at 6:15 pm," the Public Relations Office of the BSF, Jammu frontier said. It added that the troops are on high alert. Officials said the BSF personnel manning the border outpost in Makwal came under fire from across the border, prompting a strong retaliation. They added that there was no casualty or damage on the Indian side. On the intervening night of November 8-9 last year, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was k
In often dysfunctional Pakistan, citizens have typically seen the army as a functional and trustworthy institution
Pakistan's exports could jump to 5 million metric tons in 2023/24 financial year, up from the last year's 3.7 million tons, Kewlani said
A bomb explosion targeted policemen going to provide security for polio vaccination workers in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, killing six of them and injuring 22 others. The incident occurred in the Mamund tehsil of Bajaur district in the province bordering Afghanistan. The police personnel had just boarded a van to join security duty with polio vaccination teams when the explosion occurred. The injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital, where an emergency was declared. Six policemen were killed and 22 others injured in the explosion. The police spokesperson said all the casualties were of police personnel. Caretaker Chief Minister KPK Arshad Hussain condemned the attack and said the war against terrorism would go on till the elimination of the last terrorist. Polio teams are often targeted by militants in Pakistan due to opposition to the vaccine. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but Islamist militants, including the