Page 34 - India Pakistan Relations

Pak foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto arrives in India to attend SCO meet

Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Goa on Thursday to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the first such high-level visit to India from the neighbouring country since 2011. Bhutto Zardari's visit comes amid continued strain in ties between India and Pakistan on a number of issues including Islamabad's continued support to cross-border terrorism. People familiar with the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) conclave preparations said there is no plan for a bilateral meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Bhutto Zardari so far as there was no request for it from the Pakistani side. "On my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistan delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization CFM. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan's strong commitment to the charter of the SCO," Bhutto Zardari tweeted ahead of his arrival here. "During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I lo

Fact can't be changed: India slams Pak for raking up Kashmir issue at UN

India tore into Pakistan after its UN envoy raised the Kashmir issue here, saying no amount of rhetoric and propaganda can change the fact that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are and will always be an "inalienable" part of the country. Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Pratik Mathur's remarks came after Pakistan's Permanent Representative at the UN Munir Akram spoke about Jammu and Kashmir in his statement at the UNGA meeting. "The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh were, are and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. No amount of misinformation, rhetoric or propaganda from any country can change that fact, Mathur said at the UN General Assembly plenary on Use of the veto'on Wednesday. Pakistan consistently rakes up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at various UN platforms, irrespective of the agenda and topic of discussion at the meetings. New Delhi has repeatedly emphasised that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh wer

Confident that Army can deal with any contingency along LAC: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday asked the top commanders of the Indian Army to maintain a strong vigil along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China as the situation in the northern sector remained "tense" due to the deployment of Chinese PLA troops. In his address at the Army Commanders' Conference, Singh, referring to the eastern Ladakh border standoff, expressed full confidence in the Army to deal with any contingency while noting that ongoing talks for a peaceful resolution of the row will continue and that disengagement and de-escalation were the best way forward. Singh said a "whole of the government" approach is being followed to ensure the availability of best weapons, equipment and clothing to the troops braving extreme weather and hostile forces to defend the country's territorial integrity, according to the defence ministry. The Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the

HRCP raises concerns over disappearances, curbs on press in Balochistan

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has sounded alarm over growing public frustration pertaining to enforced disappearances, economic exclusion, curbs on press freedom

General Bajwa put pressure on me to restore ties with India: Imran Khan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had pressurised him to restore friendship with India, the media reported

India never halted trade relations with Pakistan, says Indian diplomat

India never halted trade relations with Pakistan and wants to move towards normalising business ties, a senior Indian diplomat here has said, stressing that today's diplomacy focuses on tourism, trade and technology because money speaks its own language. Suresh Kumar, India's Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan made these remarks on Friday while speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the Dawn newspaper reported. India always wants better relations with Pakistan because we cannot change our geography, he said. We want to move towards normal relations with Pakistan. We also didn't stop trade with Pakistan, as it was Pakistan that did it, he said. It would be better to see how we can change our problems and situations, Kumar said. In 2019, Pakistan suspended bilateral trade with India and expelled its High Commissioner in Islamabad after New Delhi revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly

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Exporter of terrorists: India slams Pak over Kashmir at Union in Bahrain

India slammed Pakistan on Monday at the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Bahrain

US intel community fears increased tension between India-Pak, India-China

The American intelligence community on Wednesday told lawmakers that it apprehends increased tension between India and Pakistan and India and China with the possibility of a conflict between them. It also noted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to Pakistani provocations. This assessment forms part of the annual threat assessment of the US intelligence community that was submitted to the US Congress by the Office of Director of National Intelligence during a Congressional hearing. While India and China have engaged in bilateral border talks and resolved border points, relations will remain strained in the wake of the countries' lethal clash in 2020, the most serious in decades, said the report. The expanded military postures by both India and China along the disputed border elevate the risk of armed confrontation between two nuclear powers that might involve direct threats to US persons and

Afghanistan's territory should not be used for sheltering terrorist: India

In a veiled attack on Pakistan, India, said that Afghanistan's territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts

India slams Pak foriegn minister Bilawal for raking up Kashmir at UNSC

India tore into Pakistan after its foreign minister raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at a Security Council debate on women, peace and security, saying it is unworthy to even respond to such malicious and false propaganda. Responding to Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj on Tuesday termed his statement as baseless and politically motivated. Before I conclude, let me dismiss the frivolous, baseless and politically motivated remarks made by the delegate of Pakistan regarding the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, she said. Speaking at the UN Security Council open debate on Women, Peace and Security', Kamboj said: my delegation considers it unworthy to even respond to such malicious and false propaganda. "Rather, our focus is where it shall always be positive and forward-looking. Today's discussion is critically important to strengthen our collective efforts to ..

Way forward in ties with India is Modi restoring Kashmir's status: Khan

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan has said that the only way forward in relations with India is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi restores the special status of Kashmir. In 2019, Indian Parliament revoked Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. "India had revoked the special status for Kashmir. Now the only way forward in holding talks with India is first the Modi administration restores it," Khan told PTI on Tuesday evening while interacting with foreign media at his Lahore's Zaman Park residence. To another question about rule of law, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader said, "There will be no future for Pakistan if there is no rule of law. Take India for example. It progressed because of rule of law." Khan is looking up to the judiciary to "protect the Constitution" and "foil" the ruling PML(N)-led coalition's design to delay elections in Pakista

A timeline of Pervez Musharraf's engagements with India during his reign

Pakistan's former military ruler General (retd.) Pervez Musharraf, the architect of the Kargil War in 1999, died on Sunday in Dubai after a prolonged illness. The four-star general, who ruled Pakistan in a dictator-style and passed away on Sunday at the age of 79, was born in Delhi. During his reign in power, he engaged with India on various crucial issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. Below is a timeline of his engagements with India: * August, 1943: Musharraf was born in 1943 in Delhi. His family moved to Pakistan after the partition in 1947. *June, 1964: Musharraf joined the Pakistan Military Academy. *October, 1999: Musharraf, the then Chief of Army Staff, leads a bloodless military coup, deposing the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif and installing himself as the head of the government in the capacity of Chief Executive. *June, 2001: Musharraf declares himself as the president of Pakistan after the incumbent, Mohammad Rafiq Tarar, resigns. *July, 2001: Musharraf and the then

India issues notice to Pak on implementation of Indus Water Treaty: Report

India and Pakistan had signed the IWT in September 1960 after nine-year-long negotiations

India issues notice to Pakistan seeking modification to Indus Waters Treaty

India has issued a notice to Pakistan for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of September 1960 following Islamabad's "intransigence" on its implementation, government sources said on Friday. The notice was sent on January 25 through respective commissioners for Indus waters, they said. The sources said India has always been a steadfast supporter and a responsible partner in implementing the IWT in letter and spirit. "However, Pakistan's actions have adversely impinged on the provisions of IWT and their implementation, and forced India to issue an appropriate notice for modification of the pact," said a source. India and Pakistan signed the treaty in 1960 after nine years of negotiations, with the World Bank being a signatory of the pact. The treaty sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding use of waters of a number of rivers. In 2015, Pakistan requested for appointment of a neutral expert to examine its technical

No backchannel talks being held between Pakistan and India, says Khar

Pakistan said on Thursday that no backchannel talks were being held between Islamabad and New Delhi. "At this moment, there is no such thing under way," Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar told the Senate - the upper house of parliament. She added that backchannel diplomacy was desirable when it was result-oriented. Separately, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at the weekly media briefing reiterated Khar's remarks about no secret diplomatic engagements with India. "There is no backchannel diplomacy between India and Pakistan," Baloch said. Speaking in the Senate, Khar went on to say that Pakistan had always taken initiatives to promote peace in the region but right now, the cross-border hostility [from India] is of a unique type. She said that Pakistan was asked at international forums sometimes to normalise its ties with India, but the world should look at the messages New Delhi was sending to Islamabad. "The messages that we are getting are a

India, Pak came 'too close' to nuclear conflagration in 2019: Mike Pompeo

I do not think the world properly knows just how close the India-Pakistan rivalry came to spilling over in a nuclear conflagration

Always supported talks between India, Pak to ensure peace in South Asia: US

The US has reaffirmed that the pace, the scope and the character of any dialogue between India and Pakistan is a matter for the two countries, asserting that Washington has always supported talks between the two neighbours to ensure peace in South Asia. Responding to a question raised by a Pakistani journalist on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's recent remarks seeking peace talks with India, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price on Monday said that even though the United States wants to see regional stability in South Asia, its relationships with Pakistan and India "stand on their own". "We've long called for regional stability in South Asia. That's certainly what we want to see. We want to see it advanced. When it comes to our partnership our partnerships with India and Pakistan, these are relationships that stand on their own. We do not see these relationships as zero-sum," Price told reporters at his daily news conference. He further said that the "pace, scope, the character

India-Pakistan dialogue is a matter for those two countries to decide: US

Ned Price said, 'We have long called for regional stability in South Asia. That's certainly what we want to see. We want to see it advanced'

Pak has been isolated, Nadda on terrorism at party's executive meet

BJP National President JP Nadda on Friday said "Pakistan has been isolated" and the world has understood where terrorism is emanating from