India's recent missile strikes on nine terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including Bahawalpur, mark a significant escalation in the long-standing military tensions between the two nations. This article provides a historical overview of the Indo-Pak military confrontations, tracing their roots back to the 1947 war following India's independence and the partition of the sub-continent, and highlighting key conflicts such as the 1965 war, the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the 1999 Kargil War, the 2016 Uri attack, and the 2019 Pulwama attack.
'No, India and China were not about to go to all-out war over a few rocks of Galwan.' 'The full picture of what went on at the highest level between two heads of State will not be known for a very, very long time and rightly so,' points out Colonel Anil A Athale, former head of the history division, ministry of defence.
The Pakistani government has once again found itself embarrassed on the world stage, now acknowledging the impact of India's strategic and precision strikes on its military installation during the escalation in May, following Operation Sindoor, which came in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has criticised the deployment of CRPF armoured vehicles during the Assembly elections, accusing the BJP-led Centre of using government resources to favour their party. She also addressed concerns of potato farmers and urged them to sell their produce in other states.
Acutely conscious that he's left with less than four years to create his legacy, Trump is undoubtedly a man in a hurry, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'An important consideration was that we should always be at the top of the escalation ladder. When we reach a military objective, we should try and put a stop to it'
India attended the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace on Gaza as an observer country, represented by Charge d'affaires at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC, Namgya Khampa.
Pakistan has pulled out of the Junior Hockey World Cup to be held in India in November-December.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Mara Corina Machado seeks India's support for a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela, lauding President Trump as a key ally.
The delegations from the US and Iran head to Islamabad on Friday, carrying a ceasefire that is already fraying, a Strait that is technically open and practically closed, and a negotiating agenda that would challenge even parties actually negotiating in good faith, which these groups are not. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the 'nicest-looking guy' while describing him as a 'father' but also calling him 'a killer' and 'tough as hell', while hinting at an imminent trade deal between the two countries.
Sensitive issues remain. Water sharing of the Ganga and Teesta rivers. Treatment of minorities, particularly Hindus. Border management. Trade imbalances. Connectivity projects.What happens next will shape not just bilateral ties, but the balance of South Asia itself, points out Ramesh Menon.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that the chances of conflict with India were increasing with the passage of time despite efforts by different countries to defuse the tensions between the two neighbours.
Trump said the prime minister of Pakistan, who visited him in Washington last year, said that "'President Trump saved 10 million people, and maybe much more than that'. They're both nuclear countries."
Claiming yet again that he solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, United States President Donald Trump has said that 'no one in history is more deserving than him' of the Nobel Peace Prize, as he criticised former President Barack Obama for getting the honour even though he 'didn't do anything'.
India was among the countries not present in Davos when US President Donald Trump unveiled his "Board of Peace" that seeks to work towards bringing lasting peace to Gaza and possibly resolve global conflicts. India is yet to take a call on it, people familiar with the matter said when asked about Trump's invite to PM Modi.
The Indian National Congress has strongly condemned the air strike by Pakistan that hit a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, resulting in a high number of casualties. The party calls for global rejection of such acts of barbarism and expresses solidarity with the Afghan people.
The LPG squeeze on India's restaurant sector is the quotidian face of a deeper crisis.
'Incidentally, Prime Minister (Modi) and President Trump have also spoken on the phone on eight occasions during 2025, covering different aspects of our wide-ranging partnership'
The ceasefire is still technically holding, to the extent that no overt hostilities have been reported yet, but the rhetoric has hardened dangerously. The week ahead will also clarify whether the Islamabad failure was a negotiating tactic or whether Washington has genuinely locked itself into a position from which the only exits are climb-down, escalation, or the slow bleed of a new status quo that nobody chose and nobody controls. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
This weekend, Donald Trump has begun to say the quiet part out loud -- that he wants to take control of Iran's oil, a formulation more in line with his robber-baron style of international relations.
Trump has made it clear: the US will not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until a deal is signed.
'What we need to watch is how Saudi Arabia's financial assistance will be used by Pakistan. If the funds go to build their military hardware and operations, it should worry us.'
Trump said that the prize announced by the Nobel committee was for 2024, while he resolved these wars in 2025.
The Indian Premier League's overall brand value declined by 20 per cent to $9.6 billion in 2025 due to lost momentum in the league caused by tensions between India and Pakistan, and teams adjusting to their squad composition post the auction.
'Some success has been achieved in raising the costs of terrorism for Pakistan.'
InterGlobe Aviation (IndiGo) is experiencing significant financial pressure, with its stock falling 18 per cent since the start of the Iran war, due to rising Brent crude prices, a weakening rupee, and disruptions to its West Asia and European flight networks caused by geopolitical tensions.
Pakistan opted out of the ongoing Asia Cup in Bihar following the military conflict between the two countries, citing security concerns.
The turning point came with the appointment of Sergio Gor as the US ambassador to India.
'China's basic purpose of taking the Shaksgam Valley was access to the Indian Ocean.'
The Congress party has criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi following repeated claims by former US President Donald Trump that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy and his remarks referencing the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the West Asia situation.
India strongly criticized Pakistan at the United Nations for misusing UN platforms to promote a divisive agenda by repeatedly raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian-flagged vessels are navigating the Strait of Hormuz safely despite ongoing tensions in the region, ensuring the continued flow of vital energy supplies to India.
The question is no longer whether the war will expand. It has. The next few days will tell us whether the war stabilises around Hormuz or whether the Strait itself becomes the trigger for a far larger rupture. What to watch for over the next 48 hours is simple: Any move by the US toward direct naval control of the Strait; any credible Iranian attempt to disrupt or mine shipping lanes and, critically, whether energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be targeted.If those lines are crossed in tandem, the war will no longer be containable within the region.
Meanwhile, Trump said Cambodia and Thailand have started fighting again and "tomorrow", he will make a phone call to those countries.
A US federal government commission has raised concerns about the state of religious freedom in India, recommending its designation as a 'Country of Particular Concern' and suggesting targeted sanctions.
Iran on Thursday spelled out three conditions to end the war with Israel and the United States, which entered its thirteenth day today. Taking to X, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said he reaffirmed the country's commitment to peace during talks with leaders of Russia and Pakistan.
'Was the five-day pause ever meant to hold, or was it simply another instrument of signaling, of positioning, of buying time in a war where even the pauses are tactical?' asks Prem Panicker in his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
In the India-Pakistan situations, off-ramps have come either through foreign mediation (after months of kinetic warfare over Kargil, and a long stand-off with Op Parakram) or when a situation made it possible for both sides to claim a win, explains Shekhar Gupta.
