Latest news with #Indian-administered
DW
a day ago
- Business
- DW
Is India leaving South Asia behind? – DW – 06/19/2025
India is aiming for a global leadership role, but strained ties and regional instability in South Asia are testing its Neighborhood First policy. India, the world's fourth-largest economy, aspires to become a top power on the international political stage. "India is emerging as a global leader in different aspects of technology, be it space, AI [artificial intelligence], digital innovation, green technology and more," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X last month. However, some experts told DW that India's global ambitions come at the cost of its relationship with regional neighbors that have turned hostile to New Delhi's quest for regional hegemony. India's rise comes as economic instability and political fragility are threatening South Asia. As India positions itself on the global stage, questions remain over whether it can truly rise without its neighbors Image: DPR PMO/ANI Photo More than half of Afghanistan's population has slipped below the poverty line since the Taliban came to power, while Myanmar grapples with political instability under military rule. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have turned to the International Monetary Fund for bailouts, and India itself faces a rise in sectarian violence. China is meanwhile expanding its influence across South Asia through deepening economic and strategic partnerships. Neighborhood First — on the backburner? After coming to power in 2014, Modi signaled a revitalization of India's Neighborhood First Policy, aimed at repairing and bolstering its ties with countries in the region. But Chietigj Bajpaee, senior fellow for South Asia at the London-based Chatham House, said that a decade on, "the neighborhood remains a weak component of India's foreign policy." He suggested that there has been "a degree of benign neglect by New Delhi." Despite rhetorical nods to regional solidarity, India's foreign policy has primarily focused outward, toward the US, Europe and East Asia — rather than toward South Asia. Bajpaee said there is little appetite in India to reactivate the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a regional bloc comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. "Everyone except India is interested in reviving it," Bajpaee said, but noted that the "India-Pakistan relationship ... undermines any prospect of [reviving] SAARC." Hostilities between India and Pakistan have effectively frozen the bloc since 2016, when India withdrew from a summit in Islamabad following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. Kanak Mani Dixit, a Nepal-based writer and founding editor of Himal South Asian magazine, says India has often taken a unilateral approach on regional issues. Citing the launch of the SAARC satellite in 2014, Dixit says Prime Minister Narendra Modi "bypassed regional consultations." "Courtesy requires talking with your neighbors," said Dixit. "This strategic aloofness has fed resentment against India in countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka." Dixit noted that other rising powers, most notably China, invested first in regional networks before turning outward. "China regionalized before it globalized. India is attempting the opposite," Bajpaee added. Tracking the tense relationship between India and China To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Missed opportunities South Asia is now widely considered the least economically integrated region in the world, according to the World Bank. Intra-regional trade makes up barely 5% of total trade in the region. By contrast, intra-EU trade stands at about 60%. "There is a strong market of 500 million people outside of India in South Asia," said Biswajeet Dhar, a former economics professor at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University. He pointed to textiles, pharmaceuticals, energy and services as areas with huge potential. "We studied regional value chains for the Asian Development Bank. The complementarity was incredible," Dhar added, noting that the "potential remains largely unrealized due to narrow political disputes." Dixit echoed Dhar's sentiment: "This is the region that could benefit the most from trade, and yet there is none." Sri Lankan economist Ganeshan Wignaraja said that India could benefit economically if it fostered closer links across its borders. "If India neglects its neighborhood, it will let others, such as China, enter the neighborhood, and that would compromise India's national security," said Wignaraja. India's trade with Pakistan collapsed following diplomatic hostilities, depriving both sides of economic links that could foster stability. China has already benefited from the regional gap, by investing in Bangladeshi ports, Sri Lankan airports and Pakistani motorways. Are India, the EU ready for a free trade agreement? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video India's diplomacy of domination Dixit challenged what many people perceive to be India's diplomacy by domination. "It would like the rest of South Asia to be subservient," Dixit said. "For India to do well on the global stage, it has to make peace with its neighbors by accepting a one-on-one sovereign relationship." Bajpaee said that India "cannot control these countries' internal politics. The era of spheres of influence no longer exists." In the past, India has sacrificed long-term regional cooperation for short-term geopolitical alignment. Citing the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline as an example, Dixit says that it was abandoned under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh due to US pressure. "Had that happened, we would have created forward and backward linkages for gas to keep flowing, and that would have compelled peace," Dixit said. Is India setting a new diplomatic course? India's focus has shifted towards the Indo-Pacific, the Quad group — which is made up of the US, Japan, Australia and India — and the West. However, for India to be sustainable, its borders would need to be stable. "India's engagement with East Asia is held hostage by instability in Bangladesh and Myanmar," Bajpaee said. "It needs to have good relations with countries on its borders if it wants to engage more broadly." Dixit explained that India's global aspirations, including its efforts to become a veto power in the UN Security Council, also suffer from the regional deficit. "A UNSC seat needs regional credibility. But when the region is in a mess and India isn't reaching out, it weakens its case," he told DW. Wignaraja concluded that "India can [perhaps] rise alone — but it will be in a stronger position if it can rise with its neighbors." Edited by: Keith Walker
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
India won't accept third-party mediation on Kashmir, Modi tells Trump
DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told US President Donald Trump that Delhi will never accept third-party mediation with Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir, a senior diplomat said. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that Modi "strongly" conveyed India's long-held stand to Trump during a phone call between the two leaders on Tuesday. Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate between India and Pakistan to solve the "Kashmir issue" since a four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May. The White House has not commented on India's statement. Misri also said that Modi told Trump "clearly" that during the duration of the conflict, "no talks were held at any level on the India-America trade deal or on the mediation between India and Pakistan by America". Trump has repeatedly claimed that India and Pakistan ended the conflict after a ceasefire brokered by the US and also that he used trade as a lever to make them agree. Pakistan has backed US claims of brokering the ceasefire but India has denied it. "The talks regarding cessation of military action were held directly between India and Pakistan under the existing channels established between both militaries," Mr Misri said. Last month, Trump told reporters: "I said, 'Come on, we're going to do a lot of trade with you guys [India and Pakistan]. Let's stop it. Let's stop it. If you stop it, we'll do a trade. If you don't stop it, we're not going to do any trade.'" Delhi is rushing to negotiate a trade deal with the Trump administration before a 90-day pause on higher tariffs ends on 9 July. Kashmir is a contentious issue for both India and Pakistan, who claim the region in whole, but administer it only in part. Bilateral talks over several decades have not led to any resolution. India treats Kashmir as an integral part of its territory and rules out any negotiation, particularly through a third party. Tensions escalated between the South Asian neighbours after India blamed Pakistan for a 22 April attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 people, mainly tourists, were killed. Islamabad denied the charge. In May, India carried out air strikes on what it called terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan, leading to four days of intense military action from both sides of the border. Both countries accused each other of targeting airbases and other military sites. As the conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations threatened to escalate further, Trump announced on 10 May that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate ceasefire", brokered by the US. Later, in a post on Truth Social, he said: "I will work with you both to see if, after a thousand years, a solution can be arrived at, concerning Kashmir." (The Kashmir issue only dates back to 1947). A statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the same day said that the two countries had also agreed "to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site". On 11 May, Trump repeated praise for India and Pakistan's leaders for understanding it was "time to stop the current aggression", adding that he was proud the US "was able to help you arrive at this historic and heroic decision". After Trump's statement on the ceasefire, Pakistan's foreign minister said the agreement had been reached by the two countries, adding that "three dozen countries" were involved in the diplomacy. India has, however, consistently denied any intervention by the US. Analysts say Trump's very public statements on offers of mediation over Kashmir have tested Delhi's red lines on the issue. Delhi has always encouraged its Western partners not to treat India and Pakistan as equals. It also discourages western leaders from undertaking visits to India and Pakistan at the same time. But Trump's tweets often hold India and Pakistan as equals. This has caused some discomfort in Delhi's diplomatic circles but analysts believe it's too early to say whether this will affect ongoing trade deal talks between Washington and Delhi. — BBC
Hans India
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Ram Gopal Varma asks 'What God is doing?' amidst Air India crash
Mumbai: As the entire nation mourns the loss of life in the horrific Air India crash in Ahmedabad, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma said that only God knows what he is doing. In the recent past, some unfortunate events have taken place which have left everyone shocked to their core. Reflecting on all that has happened, Ram Gopal Varma took to his X timeline and wrote, "GOD knows what GOD is doing?" Talking about the horrific Pahalgam attack, he added, "You to a beautiful location for a vacation and terrorists shoot you". On April 22, militants ended up killing around 26 civilians in the Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, mainly targeting Hindu tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack. Avenging the attack, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, attacking terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). This led to cross-border tension between the two neighbors. Shifting his focus to the Bengaluru stampede, the 'Sarkar Raj' maker shared, "You go to celebrate in a trophy parade and you die in a stampede". On June 4, eleven people lost their lives in a stampede in Bengaluru, during a victory parade celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru's first Indian Premier League win. He also expressed grief over the horrific Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad saying "You fly in a plane and the plane crashes." "You are eating a meal in your hostel and a plane falls on you," he added. On Thursday, Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed soon after taking off. The aircraft plunged into a residential complex near BJ Medical College. Out of the 242 people on board the flight, only 1 survived, leaving 241 dead. After taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.38 p.m. (IST) the plane lost control moments later.
Express Tribune
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Trump offers to mediate Kashmir dispute, says 'I can solve anything'
US President Donald Trump gestures, as he departs for Pennsylvania, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, U.S., May 30, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article US President Donald Trump on Thursday again claimed credit for easing recent India-Pakistan tensions, saying he prevented a potential nuclear war by using trade pressure and direct diplomacy. "I stopped a war between India and Pakistan, and I stopped it with trade," Trump told reporters after a bill signing event. "Pakistan, now, it was their turn to hit, and eventually they're going to go nuclear." Trump said he made personal calls to both Indian and Pakistani leaders at the height of tensions. "I called each leader, I respect them greatly. I talked about trade. I said, but you're not trading with us if you're going to go to war, if you're going to start throwing nuclear weapons around." "They understood it exactly. They stopped," he added. He praised his is role in preventing casualties, saying: "I stopped that war with phone calls and trade." "And India is here right now negotiating a trade deal, and Pakistan is coming, I think, next week," he added. In response to a question, Trump said, 'We're going to get them together. I told them, India and Pakistan … they have a longtime rivalry over Kashmir. I told them 'I can solve anything.' 'I will be your arbitrator. I will be your arbitrator. I can solve anything.' India and Pakistan saw one of the worst hostilities last month, sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, where unidentified gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, at the Pahalgam tourist site. New Delhi said the attack had "cross-border links," but Islamabad denied the claims and offered a neutral probe. It led to an exchange of blame and denials, eventually escalating to retaliatory air strikes and drone attacks. Tensions eased after Trump announced a May 10 ceasefire, which remains in effect.
AFP
12-06-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Closed Kazakhstan test site misrepresented as 'Pakistan nuclear facility'
gear emerging from hillside tunnels have been shared in posts that falsely claim they show US officials inspecting Pakistan's Kirana Hills -- a vast rocky mountain range that The photos in fact show visitors to the now-closed Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan. "Members of the US Department of Energy were seen near Pakistan's Kirana Hills which were hit by India on May 9," reads the caption of images shared in May 13, 2025, alongside the hashtag "NuclearLeak". The post's three images show people wearing face masks and protective gear emerging from tunnels that have been cut into the side of a hill and a structure built into the landscape. They were shared after India and Pakistan agreed a ceasefire on May 10, bringing to a halt four days of deadly jet fighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks between the nuclear-armed neighbours (archived link). The fighting was touched off by an attack on April 22 in the Indian-administered side of Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men, which Delhi blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan denies any involvement and has called for an independent probe. also speculated about whether the location had been targeted. Image Screenshot of the false X post, captured on June 10, 2025 Similar posts were shared elsewhere on But India has denied that Pakistan's nuclear facilities were targeted during the countries' most recent conflict, with Air Marshal A.K. Bharti telling reporters they "have not hit Kirana Hills" (archived link). Islamabad's foreign office separately dismissed media reports alleging Pakistani nuclear facilities were compromised during the conflict, leading to radiation leaks (archived link). And, responding to a query from the Indian Express, the International Atomic Energy Agency refuted reports of a radiation leak from any nuclear facility in Pakistan (archived link). Closed Kazakhstan test site Reverse image searches on Google found the three images used in the false posts were in fact taken at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, where 456 nuclear tests were conducted over 42 years until Kazakhstan shut down the facility on August 29, 1991 (archived link). The photo of people wearing face masks emerging from a tunnel was taken from an August 2012 blog titled, "Visit to the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site" (archived link). According to the blog poster's biography, they work as a nuclear engineer and use the platform to share their nuclear-themed travel experiences. Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared image (left) and the photo posted in the August 2012 blog (right). The image of people in protective gear walking out of a tunnel can be found in a press release issued by the Kazakhstan government in 2021 for a photo exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared image (left) and the photo used in the Kazakhstan government press release (right) The final image of a structure built into the landscape was sourced from an ABC news article titled, "The Polygon: Former Soviet Union nuclear test site on Kazakh Steppe now open for tours" (archived link). The image is captioned, "An underground bunker used to monitor Soviet era nuclear tests". Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared image (left) and the ABC news photo (right) AFP has debunked other false claims related to the recent conflict between India and Pakistan here.
