#india-pakistan-tensions

#india-pakistan-tensions

Pakistan's security forces have carried out raids in the country's southwest, killing at least 41 armed fighters, whom the country's military linked to regional rival and neighbour India. The military said in a statement on Friday that the deadly encounters took place in the province of Balochistan, which shares a long border with Afghanistan and has long been a base for separatist groups seeking independence from Pakistan's central government in Islamabad.

The United States has approved the sale of advanced technology and upgrades for Pakistan's F-16 fighter planes worth approximately $686m. The deal was struck amid simmering tensions between Pakistan and its neighbour, India, which engaged in a five-day war following a rebel attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in May this year. The US recently pressured Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to buy more weapons from it.

In May after four days of fighting with Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared any future act of terror will be treated as an act of war by his government. New Delhi had blamed Islamabad for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir's Pahalgam in April that killed 25 tourists. Islamabad denied India's allegations, but in early May, India launched aerial attacks deep inside Pakistani territory, sparking a brief but intense air war in which the South Asian neighbours bombed each other's military bases.

"Everyone started running inside out of panic. I have seen at least five dead bodies lying at the front gate," Mohammed Shahzad Butt, a lawyer who witnessed the attack, told the AFP.

09/25/2025September 25, 2025 India has chosen domestically produced aircraft to replace its ageing fleet of Soviet-era MiGs. The move comes amid tensions with its neighbor Pakistan. India signed a 623.70 billion rupee ($7 billion; 6 billion) contract with national aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) on Thursday to modernize its armed forces. The deal involves the acquisition of 97 Tejas Mk-1A fighter jets that would be made in India.

India on August 20 announced that it had successfully test-fired Agni-V, its intermediate-range ballistic missile, from a test range in Odisha on its eastern Bay of Bengal coast. The Agni-V, meaning fire in Sanskrit, is 17.5 metres long, weighs 50,000kg, and can carry more than 1,000kg of nuclear or conventional payload. Capable of travelling more than 5,000km at hypersonic speeds of nearly 30,000km per hour, it is among the fastest ballistic missiles in the world.

Local news outlets reported its range as 700 to 900 kilometers (430 to 560 miles). The show of force comes just ahead of a major increase in US tariffs on India. The US has threatened to raise tariffs from 25% to 50% by Aug. 27 if India does not stop purchasing Russian oil. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the new duties meant the country would need to become more self-reliant in defense.

Footage of a scrap after the cricket travelled widely via WhatsApp and social media, and very soon rumours flew around the British Muslim world that people just like them were being hunted down and attacked by 'Hindutva' Indian nationalists.

The escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan led to the suspension of T20 tournaments, including the IPL, for a week, with the BCCI confirming a ceasefire.

"Cricket, while being a unifying force and a source of joy, must take a respectful pause," the PCB said in a statement on Friday evening.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is mediating tensions between India and Pakistan, following a deadly attack on tourists, offering Tehran's assistance for de-escalation.