In a crowded hospital in Kashmir a 17-year-old student is recovering from gunshot wounds, one of thousands of civilians injured in protests against Indian rule that have exploded since the death of a popular rebel leader a year ago. When government forces came to his village in the picturesque Himalayan region recently to raid a … Read more
Pakistan Tuesday strongly criticised the US decision to impose sanctions on Syed Salahuddin, senior leader of the Kashmiri militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. “The designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists is completely unjustified,” the foreign office said in a statement. Kashmir has since 1947 been divided between India and Pakistan but is … Read more
The US State Department imposed sanctions Monday on Syed Salahuddin, the senior leader of the Kashmiri militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. The move means the United States now considers Salahuddin, also known as Mohammad Yusuf Shah, a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” the State Department said in a statement. Salahuddin in September vowed to block any peaceful resolution … Read more
Indian government forces fired tear gas and pellet guns at protesters brandishing Pakistani flags as the disputed territory of Kashmir marked the Muslim festival of Eid on Monday. Authorities detained some pro-separatist political leaders to try to avert trouble on Eid, the day of festivities that marks the end of the Ramadan fasting month. But … Read more
The leaders of rivals India and Pakistan have met for the first time in 17 months, at a summit in Kazakhstan, officials said, despite renewed tensions over Kashmir. Indian premier Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif shook hands and exchanged greetings late Thursday at the opening of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in … Read more
Another student death in clashes in Indian-administered Kashmir has heightened tensions in the disputed territory and worsened India’s worries about a foe that it cannot control — youths who do not carry guns. The teenager was fatally shot in the chest during an exchange of fire between troops and suspected militants in Shopian, south of … Read more
India’s anti-terrorism agency Saturday searched the homes of separatist leaders in restive Kashmir as part of an investigation of their finances and alleged anti-government activities. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) agency is probing if the separatists received funds illegally from Pakistan-based extremists to carry out “subversive activities” including stone-pelting and arson. In an early morning … Read more
Authorities clamped a curfew across most of Indian-administered Kashmir for the first day of the Muslim Ramadan festival Sunday and partially cut telephone services to thwart protests over the killing of a top rebel commander. The lockdown in the mainly Muslim region crippled life on the first day of the Islamic holy month after widespread … Read more
A civilian was killed after clashes broke out between protesters and government forces following the death of a top rebel commander in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said Saturday. Authorities imposed a curfew in many parts of the main Srinagar city as violence spread across the restive region after Sabzar Ahmad Bhat’s death on Saturday. Bhat, head … Read more
A ring of steel was placed around Pakistan’s Supreme Court Thursday ahead of a ruling on corruption allegations that could see the prime minister ousted from power after the Panama Papers linked his family to offshore businesses. Around 1,500 police commandoes and riot forces have been deployed around the court in Islamabad ahead of the … Read more
Pakistan’s Supreme Court is set to determine the prime minister’s fate Thursday with a ruling on corruption allegations that could see him ousted from power after the Panama Papers linked his family to offshore businesses. The decision, highly anticipated by Pakistanis, threatens to plunge Nawaz Sharif’s governing party into turmoil ahead of general elections which … Read more
Eight Pakistanis involved in the mob lynching of a fellow university student over his liberal views were charged with murder and terrorism on Saturday, court officials said, as condemnation grew. Mashal Khan, a journalism student, was stripped, beaten, shot, and thrown from the second floor of his hostel at the Abdul Wali Khan university in … Read more
India’s firebrand skipper Virat Kohli may miss the start of the lucrative Indian Premier League T20 tournament as he races against time to recover from a shoulder injury. Kohli, the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, hurt his right shoulder while diving to stop a boundary during the drawn third Test against Australia in … Read more
Pakistan will punish social media companies that fail to take action against online blasphemy, the interior minister said, adding he requested a meeting with Facebook to discuss the issue. Pakistan’s government wants social media networks to remove material deemed insulting to Islam or the Prophet Muhammad, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last week warned those … Read more
Pakistan’s Cricket Board on Tuesday suspended and charged tall fast bowler Mohammad Irfan over his alleged involvement in spot-fixing during a recently held Twenty20 league. “The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in furtherance to its investigation issued a Notice of Charge and provisionally suspended Irfan under the PCB Anti-Corruption Code,” it said in a statement. It … Read more
Indians are miffed with their Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi. And why not? In a rather bizarre statement made on a television show, Gandhi defended the imposition of early curfews on girls’ hostels (known as dormitories elsewhere) across the country, saying young women needed protection from their own “hormonal outbursts.” When questioned by … Read more
Pakistan has renewed its vow to root out extremism after a fresh wave of attacks, but a rose-covered shrine in Islamabad built by radicals to glorify an Islamist murderer sends a different message. Followers of Mumtaz Qadri are set to fete him as a hero at his tomb Monday, the start of a three-day festival … Read more
At least 70 people died Thursday when a bomb ripped through a crowded Sufi shrine in Pakistan, police said, in the deadliest attack to hit the militancy-plagued country so far in 2017. The Islamic State group claimed the attack in a statement carried by the Amaq propaganda agency linked to the Sunni Muslim jihadist group. … Read more
By Kwarteng, Francis “India gave South Africa Gandhi the barrister and Africa gave India back Mahatma Gandhi the Great Soul” (Nelson Mandela). “We believe as much in purity of race as we think they do…We believe also that the white race of South Africa should be the predominating race” (Mahatma Gandhi). “It was not a … Read more