Voters in Jammu, Kashmir Begin Voting
- General elections have reached their halfway point; so far, the election has seen lower-than-expected turnout (Bloomberg)
Published by CFR's Wachenheim Center on Peace and Security
Latest News
Conflict Between India and Pakistan
Indian Defense Minister Says New Delhi Would Kill Any Terrorist Who Fled to Pakistan
- The defense minister made the comment after a Guardian report alleged that the Indian government authorized a series of recent killings in Pakistan; Pakistan’s foreign ministry called the remarks “myopic and irresponsible,” and said they undermined regional peace (BBC)
Guardian: Indian Government Ordered Nearly Twenty Killings in Pakistan Since 2020
- Indian intelligence services have stepped up operations against suspected terrorists on foreign soil as they have ordered the killings of almost twenty people in Pakistan in recent years, unnamed Indian and Pakistani intelligence sources told The Guardian; India’s foreign ministry called the allegations “false and malicious anti-India propaganda” (Guardian)
India’s Modi Visits Kashmir for the First Time Since Its Special Status Changed
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced new agriculture and tourism investments in the Muslim-majority region today when he appeared at an election rally (Nikkei)
- The government’s move to revoke the special administrative status that gave Kashmir a degree of autonomy in 2019 prompted criticism that Modi’s Hindu nationalist administration was increasingly repressing Muslims and freedom of expression activists (The Guardian)
Militants Kill One Worker, Wound Another in Kashmir
- Police claim the attack against Punjab workers in Srinagar was motivated by the rebels’ contestation of Indian control of the region (AP)
India Rejects Pakistani Accusations of Extraterritorial Killings
- Pakistan’s foreign secretary said it had “credible evidence” that links Indian government agents to killings of two Pakistani men associated with militant groups on Pakistani territory last year; India’s foreign ministry said Pakistan was spreading “false and malicious anti-India propaganda” (The Hindu)
India’s Top Court Backs Stripping of Special Status From Muslim Majority Kashmir
- India’s Supreme Court ruled that the government’s decision to remove a special administrative status from the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 was lawful; the move sparked criticism that it could inflame religious tensions in the region, and Indian security services increased their policing of the area shortly thereafter (Guardian)
India-Pakistan Border Shelling Damaging Harvests
- Major violations of a cease-fire agreement in recent weeks have kept basmati rice farmers in Jammu and Kashmir from their fields, threatening livelihoods on both sides of the border (DW)
India and Pakistan Exchange Fire in Jammu
- One Indian soldier died in the confrontation, which included gunfire and shelling; Indian authorities claimed Pakistani soldiers opened fire on its border posts “unprovoked” and Indian soldiers “befittingly responded” (AP)
Pakistan ‘Extremely Disappointed’ by India’s Visa Delay for Cricket World Cup
- Pakistan is set to face India in a few days, but Pakistani fans and journalists are uncertain whether they will receive visas; the Indian team refused to travel to Pakistan for the recent Asia Cup games due to political tensions (AP)
Narendra Modi Quietly Pushing Companies to Invest in Kashmir
- India’s prime minister has reportedly pressed companies to move into the region since revoking its autonomous status in 2019 as part of a plan to integrate the region and subdue resistance (FT)
Two Army Officers and Police Official Killed in Operation Against Militants
- The operation against militants in the Jammu and Kashmir region ended a period of relative calm in the region; terror attacks were at their lowest in five years (Hindustan Times)
U.S. Backs India-Pakistan Talks After Pakistani Leader’s Statement
- For the second time this year, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proposed “conditional” talks with India; Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties with India in 2019 after India revoked Kashmir’s autonomy (Al Jazeera)
India’s Top Court Hears Challenges to Change in Former State’s Legal Status
- The Supreme Court began hearing a series of challenges today to the central government’s decision in 2019 to strip the former state of Jammu and Kashmir from its special administrative status and split it into two territories (The Hindu)
Pakistan’s Team Set to Travel to India for Cricket World Cup
- The two teams will face off in India for the first time in seven years after negotiations by the International Cricket Council (ICC); the sport has been affected by the countries’ rivalry but also serves as a diplomatic outlet to ease tensions (CBS)
Indian Authorities Detain Six Former Kashmiri Militants
- Police accuse the suspected former Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front members of attempting to revive separatism in the region (Deccan Herald)
India Makes Veiled Criticism of China, Pakistan at Asian Security Forum
- At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi denounced countries that “use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies;” the comments echoed recent Indian criticisms of Pakistani policy and China’s decision to block Pakistan-based groups from being listed as terrorists at the UN Security Council (Indian Express)
India’s Supreme Court Hears Challenge to Revocation of Jammu and Kashmir Special Status
- Four years after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, the Supreme Court will hear over twenty petitions claiming the move was unconstitutional (India Times)
Pakistan Summons U.S. Embassy Staff Over Biden-Modi Statement
- Pakistan’s foreign ministry relayed its displeasure over the statement to the U.S. deputy chief of mission, saying it violated diplomatic norms and warning the United States not to encourage India’s narrative on Pakistan (Al Jazeera)
Cross-Border Gunfire Along Kashmir Line of Control
- The two sides gave conflicting accounts of the violence; India says it targeted Pakistani infiltrators, while Pakistan claimed India opened fire unprovoked and killed two civilians (AP)
Pakistan Criticizes Biden-Modi Summit
- The U.S. and Indian leaders jointly called for Pakistan to ensure its territory is not used as a base for cross-border terrorism, which Pakistan called a “misleading” attempt to deflect attention from Indian actions in Kashmir (Reuters)
India Claims Operation Killed Five Foreign Fighters in Kashmir
- The gunfight reportedly occurred along the Line of Control as militants tried to cross the de facto border into Indian-administered Kashmir (Al Jazeera)
Protests in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir Against G-20 Meeting
- Hundreds protested a G-20 tourism meeting in India-administered Kashmir, which Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari called illegal on a trip to the region (Reuters)
India Increases Security in Jammu and Kashmir Ahead of G20 Meeting
- The country is deploying extra security forces in Jammu and Kashmir following a spate of attacks by Islamist militants; the territory will host a Group of Twenty (G20) meeting on tourism next week (Reuters)
Foreign Ministers Meet at SCO Summit in India
- During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had a tense public exchange over the disputed region of Kashmir (Al Jazeera)