Pakistan Once Again Warns India Against Violating Water-Sharing Agreement
Pakistan’s government reiterated its warnings that any attempt by India to deprive Pakistan of its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty would be a “weaponization of water” and could have serious consequences for regional peace and security; India suspended its participation in the treaty following the killing of twenty-six tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April (AP)
Pakistan Warns India of War Over Indus Waters Dispute
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated that Pakistan would go to war against India if it perceived its water security threatened by India’s suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, though he said that current developments do not warrant military action (CNBC)
Meanwhile, the government shut main roads, blocked the internet, and restricted media in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after nearly two weeks of protests left at least twenty-four people dead, representing the region’s deadliest unrest in years (Reuters)
Pakistan Warns India Against Blocking Water Flows
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman warned that any attempt by India to restrict water flows under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) would endanger regional stability; the warning came a day after Indian Water Minister CR Patil said New Delhi was working to ensure “not a single drop of water” would flow into neighboring Pakistan (AFP)
Pakistani Military Helicopter Crashes in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir
A Pakistani army MI-17 helicopter crashed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir because of a technical fault, killing all military personnel on board, the military said (AP)
Clashes in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir Kill Eleven
Clashes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir ahead of a protest killed eleven and injured more than seventy as police and paramilitary forces sought to scatter a group of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee, which seeks to uphold economic and political rights (Reuters)
Pakistan Warns of Strong Response to Any Attack on Anniversary of Conflict With India
Pakistan’s military warned it would respond with “greater strength, precision, and resolve” against any “hostile design” against Pakistan as it marked the anniversary of last year’s four-day conflict with India (AP)
Pakistan Demands Restoration of Indus Waters Treaty
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has called on India to immediately reinstate the Indus Waters Treaty, condemning New Delhi’s unilateral suspension of the agreement as a “weaponization” of shared water resources; he warned that disrupting data-sharing and established mechanisms threatens the food security and livelihoods of millions while undermining decades of international law (Anadolu Agency)
India Rejects Allegations of Involvement in Islamabad Mosque Bombing
After a bombing on a Shiite mosque in Islamabad killed thirty-one, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that Pakistan had evidence that terrorism in Pakistan is sponsored by India; Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif further accused India of sponsoring the attack (Al Jazeera)
India rejected all allegations of involvement, stating the claims were baseless (Reuters)
Indian Police Ask Kashmiri Journalists to Sign Peace Pledge
Indian police in Kashmir have summoned at least three journalists and asked them to sign pledges not to “disturb peace”; a journalist for the Indian Express was asked to sign four times between January 15th and January 19th but has not yet done so, as the paper’s chief editor cited the importance of upholding its journalists’ rights and dignity (Reuters)
India Tells Pakistan to Curb Drone Activity
India’s army chief warned Pakistan’s military to rein in drone incursions after Indian forces detected multiple drones crossing into Jammu and Kashmir and recovered weapons and ammunition allegedly dropped from one of them (Reuters)
Pakistan Says India is Weaponizing Water
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said India was weaponizing water by opening Indian dams without proper notice and alleged the irregular release of water was harming Pakistan’s agricultural cycle (AP)
India Charges Suspects in Pahalgam Attack
India’s anti-terrorism agency charged two Pakistan-based militant groups—Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Resistance Front—and six individuals for an April attack in Kashmir that killed twenty-six people and sharply escalated regional tensions; two of the people charged are in Indian government custody, and three are deceased (Reuters)
The charges say that Pakistan’s government supports terrorism against India; Islamabad has repeatedly denied this in the past, but did not immediately comment on the latest charges (The Hindu)
Strengthened India-Taliban Ties
India announced that air freight corridors connecting Kabul and Amritsar will begin operating soon, as both countries work to revive trade ties strained by Pakistan’s border closures and airspace restrictions; the rollout follows a high-level Afghan Taliban visit to New Delhi seeking expanded bilateral ties (Reuters)
India Arrests Four Additional Suspects in Delhi Car Bombing
The detentions bring the total arrests to six amid continued allegations of links to Pakistan-based militant groups (Reuters)
India Detains Suspect in New Delhi Explosion
The National Investigation Agency, India’s federal anti-terror unit, arrested a Kashmir resident who it alleged conspired with the suicide bomber responsible for the deadly November 10 car blast in New Delhi (Reuters)
Accidental Explosion in Kashmir Police Station
A stockpile of seized explosives detonated while being examined by police teams at a station in Srinagar’s Nowgam area, killing nine people and injuring thirty-two others; the explosives were seized during an anti-terror operation that occurred hours before the November 10 car explosion in New Delhi (AP; NYT)
Day-Apart Attacks Leave India and Pakistan on Edge
While no evidence immediately linked the two incidents, tensions between the neighboring countries have flared only months after they ended a short military conflict (CNN)
Today, Indian authorities detained people in the disputed Kashmir region in connection with the New Delhi attack and said it was being investigated as possible terrorism (AP)
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a group that splintered off from the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the Islamabad attack, though one of its commanders later rescinded that claim (AP)
New Delhi and Kabul both rejected allegations of involvement in the Islamabad attack, as did the Pakistani Taliban (Reuters)
Suicide Bomb in Islamabad Kills at Least Twelve People
The attack injured twenty more people and followed an explosion in New Delhi, India, yesterday; Pakistani authorities blamed militants in Afghanistan and claimed they acted with India’s backing (CBS/AFP)
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused “Indian terrorist proxies” of orchestrating the attack near the capital’s judicial complex without providing evidence (BBC)
Car Explosion in New Delhi Kills Eight
More than a dozen others were injured in the attack on New Delhi’s historic Red Fort; authorities did not immediately assign blame for the attack (AP)
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Senate approved constitutional amendments granting Army Chief Asim Munir authority over all military branches under a new “Chief of Defense Forces” post, following Munir’s promotion to field marshal after clashes with India earlier this year; Information Minister Attaullah Tarar cited stronger defense capabilities, while the opposition warned the changes would entrench military dominance (Reuters)
Pakistan Rejects Trump Claim It Has Resumed Nuclear Testing
A senior Pakistani security official added that the country “will not be the first to resume” nuclear detonations (CBS)
India-Taliban Ties
India announced plans to upgrade its mission in Kabul to embassy status after Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi, the more senior bilateral engagement since the Taliban seized power in 2021; analysts say the move marks a pragmatic shift aimed at countering Pakistani and Chinese influence in Afghanistan, even as New Delhi stops short of formally recognizing the Taliban government (AP)
Kashmir Protests End After Peace Deal
Pakistani authorities reached a peace agreement with the Awami Action Committee, ending days of violent protests that left at least ten dead; the Pakistan-administered regional government agreed to continue wheat and electricity subsidies and accepted more than three dozen demands on governance, health, and education, with protest leaders expressing hope that this agreement will be honored after previous promises in 2024 went unfulfilled (AP)
Pakistani Government Continues Talks With Protesters
A government delegation met the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) for a second round of negotiations aimed at ending the ongoing protests in Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir, which have left at least ten dead and scores injured; Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said most JAAC demands were accepted, while others may require constitutional amendments (Dawn)
Deaths in Kashmir Protests
Protests in Muzaffarabad entered their fourth day as the overall death toll rose to eight, including five civilians and three police officers; violent clashes continued in the region as thousands demonstrated over civil rights and government privileges, even as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formed a committee to negotiate with protest leaders (Reuters)
Pakistan Tests Surface-to-Surface Missile
The army successfully launched the Fatah-4 cruise missile, a 750-kilometer-range weapon designed to avoid air defenses and strike targets with high precision; the weapons test aims to boost Pakistan’s conventional missile arsenal amid tensions with India (AP)