Page 32 - India Pakistan Relations

Indian Army marks 40 years at world's highest battleground Siachen

The induction of heavy-lift helicopters and logistic drones, deployment of all-terrain vehicles and laying of an extensive network of tracks are among a host of measures that have enhanced India's combat prowess in Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, officials said on Saturday. As the Indian Army marks the 40th year of its presence on the strategically-significant Siachen glacier, the officials said there have been extensive improvements in the operational capabilities of the force due to the enhancement of infrastructure in the region in the last few years. The Siachen glacier at the height of around 20,000 feet in the Karakoram mountain range is known as the highest militarised zone in the world where soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds. Under its "Operation Meghdoot", the Indian Army established its full control over the glacier on April 13, 1984. "The Indian Army's control over the Siachen glacier has not only been a story of unparalleled valour and ...

Pak has highest living cost in Asia with a 25% inflation rate: ADB

Pakistan has the highest living cost in all of Asia with a 25 per cent inflation rate and its economy may grow at the fourth lowest pace of 1.9 per cent in the region, according to a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report. The report was released on Thursday in Manila. The Express Tribune reported that, the Asian Development Outlook also painted a gloomy picture for the next fiscal year as well, projecting 15 per cent inflation rate for the next fiscal year -- again the highest among 46 countries and a 2.8 per cent growth rate -- the fifth lowest for FY 2024-25. The Manila-based lending agency stated that the inflation rate in Pakistan is expected to be 25 per cent in the current fiscal year -- the highest in all of Asia. This makes Pakistan the most expensive nation in Asia. Earlier, the cost of living in Pakistan used to be the highest in South Asia. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and federal government had set the inflation target at 21 per cent for this fiscal year but they

'Won't get in the middle': US on 'India's hand in killings' claims by Pak

'We encourage both sides to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue,' said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller

BJP's 'ideological ancestors' supported British, Muslim League, says Kharge

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday hit back at the BJP leadership, alleging that their "ideological ancestors" supported the British and the Muslim League against Indians in the freedom struggle. Kharge's reaction came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Congress, charging that its poll manifesto bore the imprint of the Muslim League and utterances of its leaders showed hostility towards national integrity and Sanatan Dharma. In a post on X, Kharge said, "Modi-Shah's political and ideological ancestors supported the British and the Muslim League against the Indians in the freedom struggle." "Even today, they are invoking the Muslim League against the 'Congress Nyay Patra', guided and shaped according to the aspirations, needs and demands of common Indians," he added. BJP chief JP Nadda had also accused the Congress of appeasement in its manifesto and asked the party to explain why it was against the majority. In his post, Kharge alleged, "Modi-Shah's ideologic

India better prepared than Pak to handle climate shocks: Scientists

Conducive weather conditions in both India and Pakistan are helping them to achieve record wheat output this year, but India is better prepared than the neighbour to handle climate change impact as it has developed many indigenous heat-resistant and short-duration seed varieties, according to agri-scientists. India is the second and Pakistan is the eighth largest wheat-producing country in the world. While India is self-sufficient in wheat output, the latter imports 2-3 million tonnes. One of the reasons behind Pakistan still being dependent on imports to meet domestic requirements is its failure to develop indigenous varieties of climate-resilient seeds. Presently, the harvesting of wheat crops is underway in both countries. India has projected wheat output to touch a new record of 114 million tonnes in the 2023-24 crop year (July-June), while Pakistan has set an ambitious target of 32.2 million tonnes from an area of 8.9 million hectares. While the two countries have been facing

Pak defence min optimistic of improving ties with Delhi post elections

Most recently, India abstained from the adoption of a resolution on 'Measures to Combat Islamophobia' introduced by the Pakistan envoy at the UNGA

Highlights: BJP fields ex-diplomat Taranjit Sandhu from Amritsar, singer Hans Raj Hans from Faridkot, ex-Cong MP Preneet Kaur from Patiala for LS 2024

From Amit Shah's visit to Assam to US Federal Chair Jerome Powell's statement on interest rates and keeping an eye on inflation, track all the news from around the world here

Indian Navy frees Iranian vessel, rescues 23 Pakistan crew members

The Indian Navy has freed an Iranian fishing vessel that was hijacked by pirates and rescued its crew of 23 Pakistani nationals, following "intense coercive tactical measures" as part of an anti-piracy operation at sea that lasted for more than 12 hours, officials said. Following Friday's operation, specialist teams from the Navy undertook a thorough sanitisation and seaworthiness check of the fishing vessel in order to escort it to a safe area for resuming normal fishing activities, according to an official statement shared by a Navy spokesperson. The Navy said late on Friday evening that it was engaged in an operation to free the fishing vessel from pirates. Nine armed pirates had reportedly boarded the vessel. The hijacked vessel was intercepted on Thursday, the Navy said. "INS Sumedha intercepted FV 'Al Kambar' during early hours of Friday and was joined subsequently by the guided missile frigate INS Trishul," it said. "After more than 12 hours of intense coercive tactical ...

Indian Navy rescues hijacked Iranian fishing vessel, 23 Pak crew members

The Indian Navy on Friday rescued a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel and its crew of 23 Pakistani nationals, after more than 12 hours of "intense coercive tactical measures" as part of an anti-piracy operation at sea, officials said. Indian naval specialist teams are presently undertaking thorough sanitisation and seaworthiness checks of the fishing vessel in order to escort her to a safe area for resuming normal fishing activities, according to an official statement shared by the Navy's spokesperson. The Indian Navy late evening on Friday had said that it was engaged in an operation to rescue the hijacked fishing vessel, which had reportedly been boarded by nine armed pirates, and its crew at sea. The hijacked vessel was intercepted on Thursday, the Navy said. "INS Sumedha intercepted FV 'Al Kambar' during early hours of Friday and was joined subsequently by the guided missile frigate INS Trishul," it said. "After more than 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures as per the

Reviewing proposal for trade with India, but no change in stance: Pakistan

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar earlier said that his country's business community was interested in a review of the restrictions placed on trade with India

Cash-strapped Pakistan needs to get India onboard on trade matters

The problem is that Pakistan needs India far more than India needs Pakistan. The Indian economy is stable and India remains deeply reluctant to open its markets to other developing countries

Given political will, we can target beyond enemy lines: IAF chief

IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari on Wednesday said that "Balakot-like operations" have shown that given political will, aerospace power can be effectively carried out beyond enemy lines. In his address at a seminar on "Aerospace Power in Future Conflicts", he also said that as nations increasingly rely on space-based assets for building strategic advantage, "militarisation and weaponisation of space has become an inevitable reality". "Through the annals of human history, the skies have often been regarded as realms of wonder and exploration, where dreams take flight and boundaries dissolve into the vast blue expanse," he said. Yet, beneath this calmness lies a domain "fraught with competition where contest for aerial superiority" has shaped the destiny of many nations and decided the outcome of many wars, the chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF) said. "As we navigate these uncharted skies, air power being a key component of national power, would undoubtedly play a pivotal r

BSF Special DG Khurania reviews operational preparedness along LoC

Special Director General (SDG) of the BSF's Western Command, Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, concluded a five-day visit in the Kashmir valley which was aimed to assess the security situation and operational preparedness of the force along the Line of Control (LoC), an official said here on Saturday. The SDG of Western Command Chandigarh undertook a significant five-day visit to the Kashmir Frontier from March 18 to 22, a BSF spokesman said. The spokesman said the visit aimed to assess the security situation and operational preparedness along the LoC, reaffirming the commitment of the BSF to safeguard India's borders. The visit commenced with a detailed briefing by Inspector General, BSF Kashmir Frontier, Ashok Yadav, on the security situation on the LoC and hinterland, he said. The spokesman said the visit included an aerial reconnaissance and visits to forward defended localities, as well as to the Sector Headquarters (SHQ) BSF in Kupwara and Srinagar. At each location, the SDG engaged

India lambasts Pak, China over blocking proposals to blacklist terrorists

India has said that blocking evidence-based proposals in the UN Security Council to blacklist global terrorists without justification smacks of "double-speak" in dealing with the scourge, a veiled reference to China that has put holds on bids to sanction Pakistan-based terrorists. Let us turn to the subsidiary bodies inhabiting a subterranean world, with their own custom-made working methods and obscure practices which do not find any legal basis in the Charter or any of the Council's resolutions, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said. Kamboj was referring to the sanctions committee of the UN Security Council as she delivered India's statement at the open debate on Monday on the Working Methods of the 15-nation UN body. For instance, while we do get to know of the decisions of these committees on listing, the decisions on rejecting listing requests are not made public. This is indeed a disguised veto, but an even more impervious one that indeed ..

Grand Democratic Alliance in Pak announces boycott of presidential election

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) earlier on February 21 declared that they would begin a protest against the suspected rigging of polls

US wants India, Pak to have 'productive and peaceful relationship'

The US has said it wants India and Pakistan to have a "productive and peaceful relationship" but made it clear that the pace, scope, and character of any dialogue was a matter for the two neighbours to determine. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said this on Wednesday while responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating the newly-elected Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on taking the oath of office for his second term. We, of course, welcome the prime minister's statement. The United States values its relationship with both India and Pakistan, and we want to see them have a productive and peaceful relationship, Miller said. We would welcome productive and peaceful talks between India and Pakistan, but the pace, scope, and character of any dialogue is a matter for India and Pakistan to determine, he said in response to another question. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Sharif on taking oath as the prime minister of Pakistan. ..

Introspect on deserved global reputation as terrorism factory: India to Pak

India has slammed Pakistan as it raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the UN Human Rights Council, saying it should introspect on its own appalling human rights record and deserved global reputation as the "world's terrorism factory". Under Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva Jagpreet Kaur exercised the country's Right of Reply at the General debate at the 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council Monday after Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), raked the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in its statement. We have taken the floor previously during this Session and conveyed our disinclination to waste the Council's time in responding to fallacious comments about India, by one particular delegation, which does so as they do not have anything constructive to contribute, Kaur said on Monday. Without naming Pakistan, Kaur said it is unfortunate that this country continues with its diatribe against India, including b

Cong's Mani Shankar Aiyar again calls Pak people 'biggest asset of India'

'The Pakistanis, from my experience, have been the people who perhaps overreact to the other side. If we are friendly, they are over-friendly, and if we are hostile, they get overly hostile' Aiyar s

Pak forces ready to safeguard territorial sovereignty: Army chief

Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir on Monday said any aggression or violation of the country's territorial sovereignty will be responded to with full national resolve and military might. Pakistan Army is well versed with the full threat spectrum and is perpetually ready to respond effectively, Munir said, accusing India of targeting individuals in his country. During his visit to the Sarian Sector of Line of Control, he was briefed about the latest situation along the LOC. Pakistan had last month claimed that it had "credible evidence" of links between what it called "Indian agents" to the assassination of two Pakistani terrorists associated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba. India dismissed as "false and malicious" propaganda Pakistan's allegations linking Indian agents to the assassination of two Pakistani terrorists in Sialkot and Rawalkot last year. "It is Pakistan's latest attempt at peddling false and malicious anti-India propaganda," External Affairs ...

US evades question suggesting talks with Pak before latter struck Iran

The US on Thursday (local time) evaded a question on whether Pakistan held prior consultations with Washington before conducting retaliatory air strikes on Iran