Two 'very smart' leaders of India and Pakistan decided to end last month's conflict that could have turned into a nuclear war, United States President Donald Trump said after holding a rare luncheon meeting with Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House.
'What the Americans want is to destabilise Iran. For destabilising Iran, you need access. 'One access is through Iraq. The other access is through Pakistan.'
'Saudi-Pak defence pact is to anchor the defence and security of Saudi Arabia and not Pakistan, per se, with Islamabad being the junior partner.'
China's ruling Communist Party is holding its annual leadership conclave to discuss the new five-year plan, the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariff war, and the ongoing anti-corruption crackdown in the military.
'Pakistan is an ally who gives the US access.' 'If we have a presence there, it puts us that much closer to China and puts our assets closer to China and Iran.'
At least 19 soldiers and 45 militants have been killed in clashes in Pakistan's restive northwest, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowing to respond with full force against the terrorists. The Pakistan army reports clashes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Sharif alleges terrorist leaders operate from Afghan soil and calls for repatriation of illegal Afghan residents.
'What do you think... those working in the film industry are illiterate people? Why don't you go and work with Bimal Roy?'
Pakistan seized 19 Afghan military posts and "terrorist hideouts" in response to alleged attacks by Afghan forces. Kabul claims significant Pakistani casualties. Tensions escalate following repeated attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
'Trump's sons, and the son of Trump's Mideast envoy Steven Witkoff, are in the crypto business and recently signed deals with Pakistan's crypto council.' 'It may not be coincidental that not long before the Trump-Munir meeting, the head of Pakistan's crypto council met with Trump's White House crypto policy czar.'
In his address, Sharif praised US President Donald Trump, saying his "efforts for peace helped avert a ... war in South Asia".
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a 'Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement', pledging that any aggression against either nation would be treated as an attack on both.
In a statement after a meeting between Trump and Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir at the White House on Wednesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations -- the media wing of the Pakistan Army -- said they also discussed joint counterterrorism efforts.
The Mumbai police, currently investigating a cyber slavery case involving five individuals trafficked to Laos under the pretext of job offers in Thailand, arrested the prime accused on Wednesday.
'Nor would it have serious implications in India's relations with Saudi Arabia that stand on their own and have improved significantly in recent times, including in defence and strategic affairs.'
India needs to be technologically and militarily prepared to defend itself from both Pakistan and China, alerts Ramesh Menon.
Trump's method are more destabilising than his policy. So, a good idea these couple of years is to sip Kool-Aid, and savour the joys of Trumplomacy, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
Experts believe it would be far-fetched to believe that Riyadh would support Pakistan militarily in any conflict with India, which has robust strategic and economic relations with Saudi Arabia.
'We need to be very vigilant as we are passing through some fraught times.'
'Pakistan is uncomfortable with the Indian presence in Afghanistan. They want the Taliban to ensure that there is no Indian presence in Afghanistan.'
If General Asim Munir, Pakistan's new army chief, wants to help defuse the current polarised atmosphere and shepherd civilian politicians towards negotiations on an acceptable date for elections, he may need to distance himself from any perception of needless hostility to Imran Khan, explains Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W, India's external intelligence agency.
Parts of Rahul Gandhi's speech during the Operation Sindoor discussion in the Lok Sabha were expunged from the record after he criticised the government for trying to protect Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image.
Asim Munir and his brand of short-sighted army officers give no inkling of paying heed, changing course or learning lessons from the past, observes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
'As one former Indian diplomat put it to me, Delhi has access to the White House, but Islamabad has access to Mar-a-Lago.'
Major Syed Moiz Abbas Shah, 37, was killed on Tuesday in a clash with the Taliban militants in the Sararogha area of South Waziristan near the Afghan border, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army.
'It could take the form of sporadic LoC violation through heavy artillery and mortar fire, focusing on border villages where the Hindu Dogra population is predominant.'
India has strongly rejected Pakistan's claims on Kashmir, calling it a Union Territory and dismissing the Pakistan Army Chief's statement about it being the country's "jugular vein." India also rejected Pakistan's claim that Tahawwur Rana, a Mumbai terror attack accused, is a Canadian citizen and that it has nothing to do with him. India's External Affairs Ministry spokesperson stated that Pakistan's reputation as the "epicentre" of global terrorism will not diminish. Rana's extradition is a reminder that Pakistan needs to bring other perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks to justice, according to India.
Pakistan has expressed condolences over the deaths of tourists in a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 people. The Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan is concerned at the loss of tourists' lives and wished the injured a speedy recovery. The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), is the deadliest in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.
'With the US having entered the war, raising the risks of a wider conflict, those impacts could be even more damaging.'
Officials said the government-to-government engagement between the two countries on all other issues remains normal, but conceded rough spots over trade that need ironing out.
The jawan was last posted with the 41st battalion of paramilitary CRPF, the lead internal security force of the country.
'If Pakistan's army wants to escalate violence in Kashmir, they have an unlimited supply of jihadis they can train and send. That's not an issue for them.'
India has to fill in all the critical gaps in missiles, ammunition, sensors and stockpile in the fastest possible manner, focusing on the critical instruments that worked this time, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
Aware of simmering dissensions within the top echelons of the army, Munir has moved slowly in reshuffling senior generals, observes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W, India's external intelligence agency.
General Asim Munir becomes Pakistan's 17th Chief of the Army Staff.
Announcing the launch of "Mission Sudarshan Chakra", Modi said it will be aimed at neutralising enemy threat and enhancing India's offensive capabilities.
Pakistan has announced the creation of a new Army Rocket Force equipped with advanced technology to strengthen its combat capabilities. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also commented on the recent military confrontation with India and expressed gratitude to various countries for their support.
The Pakistan army's Bahawalpur Corps has always had a special significance for India as it keeps an eye on the Jaish e Mohammed, explains Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
'Pakistan is economically very weak and will not be able to sustain a war for long.'
The Pakistan government, as well as the country's military establishment, have come under severe criticism from netizens on social media for recommending United States President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Flash floods in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have resulted in a significant loss of life, with the death toll rising to 327 in the last 48 hours. The disaster has prompted relief efforts from the army and government agencies.
