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Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
India says it will never restore Indus water treaty with Pakistan
NEW DELHI: India will never restore the Indus Waters Treaty with Islamabad, and the water flowing to Pakistan will be diverted for internal use, Home Minister Amit Shah said in an interview with Times of India on Saturday. India put into 'abeyance' its participation in the 1960 treaty, which governs the usage of the Indus river system, after 26 civilians in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) were killed in what Delhi described as an act of terror. The treaty had guaranteed water access for 80% of Pakistan's farms through three rivers originating in India. Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but the accord remains dormant despite a ceasefire agreed upon by the two nuclear-armed neighbours last month following their worst fighting in decades. 'No, it will never be restored,' Shah told the daily. Pakistan won't let India cross water treaty red line: PM 'We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably,' Shah said, referring to the northwestern Indian state. The latest comments from Shah, the most powerful cabinet minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, have dimmed Islamabad's hopes for negotiations on the treaty in the near term. Last month, Reuters reported that India plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action. Pakistan's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comments. India weighs plan to slash Pakistan water supply with new Indus river project But it has said in the past that the treaty has no provision for one side to unilaterally pull back and that any blocking of river water flowing to Pakistan will be considered 'an act of war'. Islamabad is also exploring a legal challenge to India's decision to hold the treaty in abeyance under international law.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'No military solution to Pak-India disputes'
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that Pakistan does not seek confrontation with India nor is it "eager for dialogue", but believes peace is in the mutual interest of both countries and that their disputes have no military solution. Tensions between Pakistan and India soared after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, killing 26 people in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). India blamed Pakistan-based elements without presenting any evidence, which Islamabad denied and called for an independent probe.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Modi tells Trump 'no' US role in ceasefire with Pakistan
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Listen to article India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US President Donald Trump late on Tuesday that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not US mediation, according to India's senior-most diplomat. Trump had announced last month that the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the US, and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war. Prior to the ceasefire heaviest fighting in decades between India and Pakistan was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that killed 26 people. New Delhi blamed the incident on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan without presenting any evidence. Islamabad denied the claims and called for an independent probe. On May 7, India attacked Pakistan as part of its "Operation Sindoor", triggering tit-for-tat strikes spread over four days in which both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery. While Pakistan supported Trump's account of events, India denied any third-party mediation. Tuesday's phone call between Modi and Trump—held on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, where Modi attended as a guest—marked their first direct exchange since the May 7–10 conflict. "PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan," Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement. "Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do," he said. However, Modi's claim that the decision to de-escalate was made on the call of Pakistan's military has raised questions about the rationale behind the offensive in the first place with the the assertion appearing to potentially undercut New Delhi's own stance. Read: 'I got that war stopped': Trump on Pakistan-India ceasefire Misri said the two leaders were due to meet on the sidelines of G7 summit but Trump left a day early due to the situation in the Middle East. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Modi-Trump call. Pakistan has previously said that the ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military had initiated. Misri said that Trump expressed his support for India's fight against terrorism and that Modi told him India's Operation Sindoor under which it launched the cross border strikes was still on. Trump also asked Modi if he could stop by the US on his return from Canada, Misri said, but the Indian leader expressed his inability to do so due to a pre-decided schedule. He invited Trump to visit India later this year for the summit of the leaders of the Quad grouping, which Trump accepted, Misri said.
Express Tribune
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
FO rejects Jaishankar's 'irresponsible' remarks
Pakistan on Wednesday categorically rejected the irresponsible remarks of the Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar made during different media engagements in Brussels, advising him to refrain from concocting misleading narratives to justify their recent aggressive actions. "The discourse of top diplomats should aim to promote peace and harmony, rather than producing bellicose punchlines. The tone and tenor of a foreign minister should be commensurate with his dignified status," the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press statement. Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Jaishankar said when India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that "Operation Sindoor" was not over, it was a clear message that "we reserve the right to go after terrorists anytime, anywhere if they have done harm to us". The Foreign Office spokesperson said for the last several years, India had been engaged in a malicious campaign to mislead the international community through a fictitious narrative of victimhood. "However, India's continued anti-Pakistan diatribe cannot hide its sponsorship of terrorism beyond its borders, nor can it cover up the state-sanctioned oppression in IIOJK. Instead of pointing fingers at others, India should introspect on its own involvement in terrorism, subversion and targeted assassinations," he added. The spokesperson further stressed that India must also desist from concocting misleading narratives to justify its recent aggressive actions. "The narrative emerging from India betrays sheer frustration, following an unsuccessful military adventure against Pakistan. The Indian leaders would be well-advised to improve the standard of their discourse and discard their obsession with Pakistan. The history will judge not by who shouted the loudest — but by who acted the wisest," the spokesperson further added.
Business Recorder
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Trump willing to mediate Kashmir dispute after India-Pakistan ceasefire: US State Dept
The United States said President Donald Trump would like to mediate between India and Pakistan on the issue of Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce was asked about the president's offer to mediate after the ceasefire between Pakistan and India. 'What I do know is that I think we all recognize that President Trump in each step that he takes, it's made to solve generational differences between countries, generational war. 'So it doesn't – it shouldn't surprise anyone that he'd want to manage something like that. He seems very much to be – and not just seems but he is – has been the only one to bring certain people to the table to have conversations that nobody thought was possible,' she replied. She said while she cannot speak to any details, it was an exciting time that 'if we can get to a point in that particular conflict, thank God but also thank Secretary Rubio and President Trump and the Vice President'. Meanwhile, the spokesperson also confirmed a Pakistani parliamentary delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met with senior State Department officials, including Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. Without giving details, Bruce said the talks covered counterterrorism cooperation and US support for the India-Pakistan ceasefire.
