https://www.scmp.com/rss/326070/feed The long-running territorial dispute over Kashmir dates back to the partition of India in 1947, when Pakistan and India each staked claims to portions of the Himalayan region. The Muslim-majority territory has been the focus of three wars between India and Pakistan. Since 1962, China has also occupied a part of Kashmir along its border, a situation that also led to a short war with India.   In addition to war, protests and deadly clashes have plagued Kashmir over the past 70 years. Violence... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju As the world reels from the fallout of the Iran war, India is seeking to manage its risks and interests in the Middle East and beyond while maintaining its neutrality in the widening conflict. This can be seen in New Delhi engaging with combatants US and Iran, as well as other nations caught in the crossfire of the war, according to political analysts. In the past two weeks, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken four times with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, while Prime... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347402/why-india-faces-dilemma-over-iran-war-while-seeking-diplomatic-flexibility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347402/why-india-faces-dilemma-over-iran-war-while-seeking-diplomatic-flexibility?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 08:00:17 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Not far from the fringe of the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, in a remote valley to the north of the Karakoram mountain range, China’s road building programme has encountered another tough diplomatic posture from New Delhi. In January, India’s external affairs ministry said the stretch was “Indian territory” and that it had “consistently protested with the Chinese side against attempts to alter the ground reality”. Beijing responded that the area “belongs to China”, adding... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343391/why-harsh-words-between-china-and-india-over-remote-inhospitable-valley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343391/why-harsh-words-between-china-and-india-over-remote-inhospitable-valley?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Police in Indian Kashmir have asked at least three journalists working in the region to sign a pledge vowing ‌not to “disturb peace” in the region, two of them told Reuters on Wednesday. A third ‍journalist, an assistant editor with the Indian Express newspaper, was summoned to a police station in Srinagar, the capital of the federal territory, but did not sign the pledge, the newspaper said in a report published on Wednesday. India has imposed ⁠several restrictions in the troubled... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3340729/indian-kashmir-police-pressure-journalists-sign-peace-pledges-sparking-censorship-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3340729/indian-kashmir-police-pressure-journalists-sign-peace-pledges-sparking-censorship-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 13:17:36 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan China turned a brief but intense India-Pakistan conflict in May into a live testing ground for its advanced weaponry and intelligence systems, and then aggressively marketed those results to undercut Western arms sales, a US congressional panel said in its annual report on Tuesday. “Beijing opportunistically leveraged the conflict to test and advertise the sophistication of its weapons,” a new report from the bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission stated bluntly. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333321/china-leveraged-india-pakistan-conflict-trial-and-tout-its-military-strengths-says-us-panel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333321/china-leveraged-india-pakistan-conflict-trial-and-tout-its-military-strengths-says-us-panel?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 22:26:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press India’s anti-terror investigating agency said on Sunday it arrested a man from Indian-controlled Kashmir on suspicion of conspiring with a suicide bomber to carry out a deadly car blast in the capital New Delhi. The National Investigating Agency said in a statement that the car that exploded on Monday was registered to Amir Rashid Ali, who it alleged had travelled to New Delhi from Indian-controlled Kashmir to buy the car. It said Ali’s arrest was a “major breakthrough” in the case. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3333014/india-arrests-suspect-new-delhi-car-blast-killed-10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3333014/india-arrests-suspect-new-delhi-car-blast-killed-10?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 18:51:59 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A cache of confiscated explosives detonated inside a police station in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least nine people and injuring 32 others, police said on Saturday. The blast occurred in the Nowgam area of Srinagar, the region’s main city, late on Friday when a team of forensic experts and police were examining the explosive material, said Nalin Prabhat, the region’s police director-general. He ruled out any foul play, saying it was an accident. The dead included six police and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3332910/9-killed-indias-kashmir-police-station-blast-days-after-deadly-car-explosion-delhi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3332910/9-killed-indias-kashmir-police-station-blast-days-after-deadly-car-explosion-delhi?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 05:09:43 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press India’s cabinet on Wednesday called this week’s deadly car explosion in the capital a terror attack carried out by “antinational forces”, though it did not release any new evidence linked to the blast. Earlier on Wednesday, authorities said several suspects had been arrested in the disputed Kashmir region as part of the investigation into the blast on Monday near the historic Red Fort monument that killed eight people and injured several others. Authorities on Tuesday announced that they were... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3332496/india-detains-suspects-kashmir-after-deadly-new-delhi-car-blast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3332496/india-detains-suspects-kashmir-after-deadly-new-delhi-car-blast?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 10:05:17 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Indonesia’s top defence official says his country is set to acquire China’s J-10 fighter jets, possibly making it the second foreign military to operate the model after Pakistan. Such a deal would also mark the first purchase of Chinese-made warplanes by Indonesia as it seeks to modernise its military. Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said on Wednesday that Indonesia would soon buy the J-10 fighter jets as part of its plans for military modernisation, according to the country’s national news... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3329221/indonesia-set-buy-chinese-j-10-fighter-jets-amid-push-modernise-military-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3329221/indonesia-set-buy-chinese-j-10-fighter-jets-amid-push-modernise-military-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:03:41 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Pakistan has vowed to respond to future terrorist attacks launched from Afghanistan with overwhelming military force after deadly cross-border clashes over the weekend, with the conflict setting the stage for prolonged hostilities between Islamabad and the Taliban regime. Analysts say the fighting, sparked by retaliatory Pakistani air strikes against insurgents in Kabul and the eastern Afghan province of Paktika on Thursday, is unlikely to break into an all-out war, but a diplomatic solution... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328926/pakistan-vows-no-compromise-against-taliban-patience-wears-thin-after-deadly-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328926/pakistan-vows-no-compromise-against-taliban-patience-wears-thin-after-deadly-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 08:30:17 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words I refer to “Curfew in India’s Ladakh as statehood protests turn deadly near China border” (September 24). As a recent visitor to Ladakh, I have seen up close the enormous challenges faced by the communities there: harsh terrain, extreme climate, limited connectivity and heavy... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3327750/indias-ladakh-dilemma-how-balance-security-needs-local-interests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3327750/indias-ladakh-dilemma-how-balance-security-needs-local-interests?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan India’s Air Force chief on Friday claimed the military destroyed both Chinese-made jets and US-built F-16s during clashes with Pakistan earlier this year, offering New Delhi’s first detailed account of its rival’s losses. “As far as air defence is concerned, we have evidence of one long-range strike … along with that five fighters, hi-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells,” Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh told reporters, referring to the four days of fighting in May... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327849/india-says-it-destroyed-pakistans-chinese-and-us-made-fighter-jets-may-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327849/india-says-it-destroyed-pakistans-chinese-and-us-made-fighter-jets-may-clashes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:23:44 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow When Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defence agreement earlier this month, it was widely interpreted as a gesture of Muslim unity in a region roiled by crisis. But its reverberations are already being felt among policymakers in Pakistan’s perennial rival India, threatening to complicate New Delhi’s delicate diplomatic balancing act in the Gulf. The agreement, signed in Riyadh on September 17, declares that aggression against either signatory “shall be considered aggression against... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327211/pakistan-saudi-arabia-defence-pact-tests-indias-gulf-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327211/pakistan-saudi-arabia-defence-pact-tests-indias-gulf-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 06:28:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters Security forces patrolled the streets on Thursday in India’s Himalayan region of Ladakh, where a curfew was clamped in some areas a day after four people were killed in violent protests demanding statehood for the federal territory and job quotas. Television images showed troop patrols amid shops and businesses closed during the curfew and a protest call against the deaths from the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which represents political, social and trade groups in the region. “I demand a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3326735/4-killed-indias-ladakh-statehood-protests-turn-violent-near-china-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3326735/4-killed-indias-ladakh-statehood-protests-turn-violent-near-china-border?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 15:13:28 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has become the first foreign state leader to visit China’s largest military aviation manufacturer, pledging stronger defence industry ties between Islamabad and Beijing, according to Pakistan’s presidential office. On Sunday, Zardari visited the advanced aircraft complex of China’s state-owned aerospace and defence giant, Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), in Chengdu, touring the production line that produces the J-10C fighter jet that played a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325609/pakistan-president-pledges-deeper-china-defence-ties-during-rare-jet-factory-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325609/pakistan-president-pledges-deeper-china-defence-ties-during-rare-jet-factory-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 10:29:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that New Delhi and Washington still shared “very positive” ties after US President Donald Trump reaffirmed their personal friendship and downplayed his earlier remarks about “losing India” to China. The exchange comes amid strains after Washington imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Indian imports, accusing New Delhi of fuelling Moscow’s deadly attacks on Ukraine by purchasing Russian oil. But Trump and Modi, both right-wing populists,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3324595/indias-modi-hails-us-ties-after-trumps-always-be-friends-comments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3324595/indias-modi-hails-us-ties-after-trumps-always-be-friends-comments?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 07:07:55 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Intense rains have lashed parts of Pakistan and India and triggered flash floods and landslides in Indian-controlled Kashmir’s Jammu region, leaving at least 34 people dead, officials said on Wednesday. A section of a mountainside in Jammu collapsed and hit a popular Hindu pilgrimage route following heavy rains in the Katra area late on Tuesday. Devotees were trekking on foot to reach the hilltop temple, which is one of the most visited shrines in northern India, officials said. The bodies of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3323342/floods-leave-32-dead-indian-controlled-kashmir-150000-displaced-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3323342/floods-leave-32-dead-indian-controlled-kashmir-150000-displaced-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 09:00:03 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen China and India should see each other as “partners and opportunities” and offer the world “much-needed certainty and stability”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his first visit to India in three years amid recovering bilateral ties. Speaking to his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in New Delhi on Monday, Wang said that both countries should “put each other’s precious resources into development and revitalisation”. “China and India should explore the right path of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322353/chinas-wang-yi-appeals-shared-vision-partnership-and-opportunity-india-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322353/chinas-wang-yi-appeals-shared-vision-partnership-and-opportunity-india-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 07:56:23 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Flash floods triggered by heavy rains have killed more than 360 people in Pakistan and India and led to severe devastation across the South Asian region. At least 307 people have died and 23 have been injured in Pakistan, according to the latest details from the nation’s National Disaster Management Authority. Meanwhile, around 60 people were killed and more than 60 were missing in India’s northernmost region of Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters on Saturday. Local... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3322133/least-360-dead-150-missing-pakistan-india-floods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3322133/least-360-dead-150-missing-pakistan-india-floods?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Aug 2025 09:20:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters More than 300 people were dead in northwest Pakistan after two days of intense rains and floods, local officials said on Saturday. Rescue efforts and clearing of blocked roads were ongoing with the release of emergency funds, they said, adding that the heavy rains would continue until Thursday. Cloud bursts, flash floods, lightning strikes, landslides and the collapse of buildings caused the deadliest spell of this year’s monsoon season. By early Saturday, 307 were confirmed dead, with more... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3322090/over-300-killed-2-days-pakistan-heavy-rain-triggers-flood-boulders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3322090/over-300-killed-2-days-pakistan-heavy-rain-triggers-flood-boulders?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Aug 2025 09:34:21 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Back-to-back natural disasters triggered by heavy rain and flooding in the Indian Himalayan region have highlighted the growing dangers posed by climate change to one of the world’s most ecologically sensitive regions, experts have warned. Flash floods triggered by torrential rains have killed at least 176 people and left scores others missing in India and Pakistan over the past 24 hours, officials said on Friday, the second such incident in the mountainous range in a little over a week. An... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322018/himalayan-floods-climate-change-turning-india-disaster-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322018/himalayan-floods-climate-change-turning-india-disaster-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 09:40:40 +0000 Reuters Reuters At least 34 people died and more than 200 were missing following sudden, heavy rain in Indian Kashmir, officials said on Thursday, the second such disaster in the Himalayas in a little over a week. The incident occurred in Chasoti town of Kishtwar district, a stopover point on a popular pilgrimage route. It comes a little over a week after a heavy flood and mudslide engulfed an entire village in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The flood washed away a community kitchen and a security post set... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3321897/17-dead-scores-missing-after-sudden-rainstorm-indian-kashmir?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3321897/17-dead-scores-missing-after-sudden-rainstorm-indian-kashmir?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 11:54:31 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju An unexpected resurgence in ties between the United States and Pakistan amid Washington’s simmering tensions with India has turned the tables in the dynamics between the three nations, according to observers. US President Donald Trump last week imposed a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India, on top of a “penalty” import tax, citing New Delhi’s trade barriers and continued purchases of Russian oil and weapons. Hours after the announcement, the American leader revealed a “massive” oil... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320578/trumps-pakistan-pivot-redefines-us-india-dynamics-no-permanent-friends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3320578/trumps-pakistan-pivot-redefines-us-india-dynamics-no-permanent-friends?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 09:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned by a four-day conflict with Pakistan, which killed more than 70 people. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. The fighting came to an end when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire. Now, some Bollywood filmmakers see an opportunity to cash in on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3320574/india-pakistan-conflict-stuff-bollywood-dreams-are-made?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3320574/india-pakistan-conflict-stuff-bollywood-dreams-are-made?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 03:59:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters India’s defence minister said on Monday that New Delhi had ended its military conflict with Pakistan in May as it had met all its objectives and had not responded to pressure, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s claim that he brokered the truce. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was speaking at the opening of a discussion in parliament on the April 22 attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir, in which 26 men were killed. The attack led to a fierce, four-day military conflict with Pakistan in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3319894/defence-minister-slams-baseless-claim-india-bowed-pressure-end-pakistan-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3319894/defence-minister-slams-baseless-claim-india-bowed-pressure-end-pakistan-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 14:55:35 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg India’s opposition was preparing to confront Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over the controversial revision of electoral rolls in the eastern state of Bihar on Monday, as parliament convened for its monsoon session. Just months before crucial state elections, the Election Commission of India in June announced a sweeping revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls in a move that has ignited a political firestorm. Opposition parties and activists have taken to the streets and courts, warning... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3318949/indian-parliament-starts-monsoon-season-will-voter-roll-change-create-political-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3318949/indian-parliament-starts-monsoon-season-will-voter-roll-change-create-political-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 03:44:25 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system has reportedly drawn interest from at least 15 countries spanning from Asia to South America after its use in cross-border strikes against Pakistan enhanced the global profile of the Indian weapons industry. While security experts acknowledge the growing clout of the industry, they say sustaining this momentum would require broader expertise, less reliance on foreign technology and more supportive policies to realise India’s potential as a global... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318809/india-gets-global-buyer-interest-brahmos-missile-asia-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318809/india-gets-global-buyer-interest-brahmos-missile-asia-south-america?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 08:30:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Friday that up to five jets were shot down during recent India-Pakistan hostilities that began after an April Islamist militant attack in India-administered Kashmir, with the situation calming after a ceasefire in May. Trump, who made his remarks at a dinner with some Republican US lawmakers at the White House, did not specify which side’s jets he was referring to. “In fact, planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3318835/trump-says-5-jets-shot-out-air-during-india-pakistan-aerial-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3318835/trump-says-5-jets-shot-out-air-during-india-pakistan-aerial-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Jul 2025 03:40:07 +0000 Junaid Kathju Junaid Kathju India’s failure to rally international backing for its claims that Pakistan was behind a recent deadly militant attack in Kashmir has exposed the limits of its diplomatic influence. The setback has raised questions about India’s ability to mobilise multilateral platforms in its favour, despite being a prominent member of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the US-backed Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), according to analysts. At the SCO meeting in Qingdao on June 25,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317231/indias-global-clout-doubt-after-failing-sway-sco-quad-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317231/indias-global-clout-doubt-after-failing-sway-sco-quad-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 10:00:16 +0000 Kawala Xie Kawala Xie Last month’s Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence meeting served not only as a curtain-raiser for the bloc’s summit in the autumn, but also as a test of Beijing’s broader ambition to promote a Global South-empowered multipolar world order. Like Brics – the grouping of developing countries established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – the Global South-oriented SCO is a showcase for China’s home-ground diplomacy. Beijing has increasingly relied on these platforms to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317031/can-india-block-chinas-leadership-global-south-based-alliances-sco?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3317031/can-india-block-chinas-leadership-global-south-based-alliances-sco?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Jul 2025 22:00:12 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan The recent White House lunch date between Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and US President Donald Trump was a renewal of high-level US-Pakistani engagement that suggested a potential rebalancing of US priorities in South Asia. The visit, closely watched by stakeholders in South Asia and observers of Washington’s policy on the region, has raised questions about the future of the US-India strategic partnership – particularly as US-China tensions appear to be easing and Trump seems... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3316227/us-shift-towards-pakistan-may-unsettle-india-and-south-asia-balance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3316227/us-shift-towards-pakistan-may-unsettle-india-and-south-asia-balance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse While conflict raged between the powerful militaries of India and Pakistan last month, a battle was also fought on the cultural front lines despite years of shared love for films and music. The deadly fighting in early May – the worst in decades – affected artists previously untouched by animosity between their leaders. Ali Gul Pir, a Pakistani rapper and comedian with a huge Indian following, released a song years ago mocking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While he was spared consequences... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3316349/culture-becomes-casualty-india-pakistan-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3316349/culture-becomes-casualty-india-pakistan-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 07:07:58 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg India’s political leadership did not permit strikes on Pakistani military bases at the start of hostilities between the two countries in May, allowing Islamabad to shoot down its fighter jets, according to a military official. “I do agree we did lose some aircraft. That happened only because of the constraints given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defence,” India’s military attache to Indonesia, Shiv Kumar, said at a seminar on the India-Pakistan... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3316319/indian-military-official-blames-politics-downed-fighter-jets-pakistan-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3316319/indian-military-official-blames-politics-downed-fighter-jets-pakistan-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 03:03:10 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi China has displayed a scale model of its latest fifth-generation fighter jet overseas for the first time as part of its advanced military aircraft line-up at a major air show in Europe this week. China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) displayed a miniature version of the J-35A – the land-based variant of China’s latest fifth-generation fighter jet, the J-35 – at the 55th Paris Air Show, the largest and one of the oldest events of its kind in the world. After more than... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3314731/china-displays-fifth-gen-j-35a-fighter-model-paris-air-show-bid-foreign-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3314731/china-displays-fifth-gen-j-35a-fighter-model-paris-air-show-bid-foreign-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jun 2025 07:00:05 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Pulled back from the brink by a ceasefire, nuclear-armed India and Pakistan avoided a potentially catastrophic collision, but the tides of nationalism unleashed by the four-day clash are still rising on either side of the border. Now, leaders of the two nations are seeking to cement a political dividend from the May conflict, with competing claims of victory relayed to domestic audiences attuned to triumphalism whenever the two nations clash. “The conflict has created a national fervour on both... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314346/winning-narrative-how-india-pakistans-leaders-seek-cover-under-their-flags-after-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3314346/winning-narrative-how-india-pakistans-leaders-seek-cover-under-their-flags-after-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jun 2025 00:00:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made his first visit to Kashmir since a conflict with arch-rival Pakistan, opening a strategic railway line to the contested region he called “the crown jewel of India”. Modi launched a string of projects worth billions of dollars for the divided Muslim-majority territory, the centre of bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan fought a four-day conflict last month, their worst... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3313421/indias-modi-opens-rail-line-worlds-highest-railway-arch-bridge-contested-kashmir?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3313421/indias-modi-opens-rail-line-worlds-highest-railway-arch-bridge-contested-kashmir?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:51:57 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indian police have arrested scores of people for “sympathising” with Pakistan, a month after the worst conflict between the arch-rivals for decades, a top government official said on Sunday. The arrests took place in the northeastern state of Assam, where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said “81 anti-nationals are now behind bars for sympathising with Pak”. Sarma, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist ruling party, said in a statement, “our systems are constantly tracking... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3312660/india-arrests-81-sympathising-pakistan-amid-kashmir-conflict-aftermath?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3312660/india-arrests-81-sympathising-pakistan-amid-kashmir-conflict-aftermath?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Jun 2025 13:33:41 +0000 Enoch Wong Enoch Wong China’s most powerful destroyer can now strike beyond visual-range targets with pinpoint precision by linking to an airborne early warning system – the same technology used by the Pakistan Air Force in the recent Kashmir conflict – according to state broadcaster CCTV. On Sunday, CCTV confirmed for the first time that the Type 055 stealth guided-missile destroyer Lhasa could use data links to synchronise with People’s Liberation Army’s airborne early warning platforms, enabling it to conduct... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3312177/china-extends-strike-range-type-055-destroyer-airborne-early-warning-system-cctv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3312177/china-extends-strike-range-type-055-destroyer-airborne-early-warning-system-cctv?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 May 2025 02:00:10 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Along the border separating India from Pakistan, the aftermath of five days of aerial combat hangs in the air, thick with uncertainty. The conflict’s true legacy may be a dangerous new normal, analysts say – one where escalation is only ever a provocation away. New Delhi maintains that Operation Sindoor – launched in response to a deadly terrorist attack in disputed Kashmir in April that it blamed on Islamabad – is far from concluded, hinting at the possibility of further punitive... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311571/how-india-and-pakistan-are-preparing-next-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311571/how-india-and-pakistan-are-preparing-next-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 May 2025 09:00:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Two weeks after pulling back from the brink of all-out war, India and Pakistan are now racing to win over global opinion. Both sides are sending delegations to global capitals to influence international perception of the conflict, as tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals continue to simmer. New Delhi this week dispatched seven teams of diplomats and lawmakers to capitals of some 30 countries, including in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America as part of its publicity... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3311697/fighting-stops-india-pakistan-start-narrative-war-sway-global-opinion-over-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3311697/fighting-stops-india-pakistan-start-narrative-war-sway-global-opinion-over-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 May 2025 03:17:03 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Pakistan is set to intensify counterterrorism operations in the mineral-rich province of western Balochistan in the aftermath of Wednesday’s suicide bombing on a school bus – which Islamabad had attributed to Indian spies. The attack in the town of Khuzdar, which claimed the lives of five high-school girls and five soldiers, came amid Chinese diplomatic efforts to cool tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border Pakistani Taliban and Baloch insurgent attacks staged from Afghanistan. A... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311548/pakistan-intensifies-balochistan-insurgency-crackdown-after-deadly-school-bus-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311548/pakistan-intensifies-balochistan-insurgency-crackdown-after-deadly-school-bus-bombing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 May 2025 09:00:16 +0000 Dimuthu Attanayake Dimuthu Attanayake Sri Lanka’s long-standing policy of non-alignment is facing renewed scrutiny, as deepening ties with India strain its neutrality amid rising tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. Analysts say Colombo’s recent tilt towards India in the security realm – most notably through a formal defence pact – risks unsettling its delicate balancing act, particularly as it continues to rely heavily on Chinese investment. India and Sri Lanka signed a landmark defence cooperation agreement on April 5 during... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311416/sri-lankas-neutrality-strained-india-pakistan-tensions-rise-after-kashmir-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311416/sri-lankas-neutrality-strained-india-pakistan-tensions-rise-after-kashmir-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 11:54:22 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang Riding high on the combat success of China’s weapons systems, state broadcaster CCTV has rolled out a two-part documentary on the development of the J-10 fighter jet to inspire “young people to love the party and country”. The Legend of the J-10, which shows how the Chinese air force played catch-up to develop the jet, started showing on Wednesday on National Memory, a daily programme about the history of the Communist Party and China’s development. The broadcast comes just days after China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3311358/chinese-state-tv-tells-j-10-origin-story-pakistan-proclaims-fighter-jets-feats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3311358/chinese-state-tv-tells-j-10-origin-story-pakistan-proclaims-fighter-jets-feats?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 08:04:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press There are hardly any tourists in the scenic Himalayan region of Kashmir. Most of the hotels and ornate pinewood houseboats are empty. Resorts in the snow-clad mountains have fallen silent. Hundreds of cabs are parked and idle. It is the fallout of last month’s gun massacre that left 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir followed by tit-for-tat military strikes by India and Pakistan, bringing the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of their third war over the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3311340/haunting-silence-grips-kashmir-india-pakistan-clash-keeps-tourists-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3311340/haunting-silence-grips-kashmir-india-pakistan-clash-keeps-tourists-away?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 06:11:51 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The Indian government’s move to appoint opposition leader Shashi Tharoor to head a diplomatic mission explaining New Delhi’s position on the Kashmir conflict has sparked backlash within his own Congress Party, laying bare internal fractures and fuelling claims the ruling party is exploiting this division. While the multiparty delegation was billed as a show of national unity following last month’s deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, Congress leaders have accused Prime Minister... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311206/india-government-accused-mischievous-intent-tharoor-pick-kashmir-mission?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311206/india-government-accused-mischievous-intent-tharoor-pick-kashmir-mission?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 11:30:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pakistan’s army chief General Asim Munir is the most powerful man in the country, but his popular support has surged after the worst conflict in decades with arch-rival India, shattering criticism of interference in politics and harshly cracking down on opponents. A grateful government gave him a rare promotion to Field Marshal “in recognition of the strategic brilliance and courageous leadership that ensured national security and decisively defeated the enemy”. The military has ruled Pakistan... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3311254/rise-pakistans-general-munir-amid-india-conflict-reshapes-military-politics-hero-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3311254/rise-pakistans-general-munir-amid-india-conflict-reshapes-military-politics-hero-now?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 11:11:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Pakistan and India have agreed to withdraw troop reinforcements deployed during their recent conflict back to their peacetime positions by the end of May, according to a senior Pakistani security official. More than 70 people were killed in the four-day conflict, which was sparked by an attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing – a charge it denies. The military confrontation involving intense tit-for-tat drone, missile,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3311083/pakistan-india-agree-withdraw-troops-end-may-resume-iconic-border-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3311083/pakistan-india-agree-withdraw-troops-end-may-resume-iconic-border-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 May 2025 10:36:07 +0000 Sahar Khan,Usama Nizamani Sahar Khan,Usama Nizamani After days of intense hostilities, India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire, with US President Donald Trump claiming credit for the still-fragile agreement to halt military action along The Line of Control that divides Indian- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The latest episode began on April 22, when a terrorist attack killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Pahalgam, prompting New Delhi to announce Operation Sindoor on May 6 to target terrorist camps in Pakistani territory. Pakistan,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3310688/rapid-escalation-india-pakistan-clashes-warning-new-tech-dangers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3310688/rapid-escalation-india-pakistan-clashes-warning-new-tech-dangers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 May 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen India’s new Prachand combat helicopter would be “a walkover” for China’s Z-10 attack counterpart, a Chinese military magazine has claimed, dismissing the aircraft New Delhi might use in high-altitude operations against its neighbours. In March, the Indian Ministry of Defence approved an order for 156 of the helicopters in a contract worth more than US$7.3 billion, with an eye to operations at 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) and above. Those altitudes would cover areas along the unresolved Himalayan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3310887/unable-compete-chinese-dismiss-indias-prachand-combat-helicopter-against-local-z-10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3310887/unable-compete-chinese-dismiss-indias-prachand-combat-helicopter-against-local-z-10?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 May 2025 06:58:34 +0000 Enoch Wong Enoch Wong Khalil Hashmi has served as Pakistan’s ambassador to China since November 2023, marking his second diplomatic posting in Beijing. Over his nearly 30-year career, he has held key assignments in several capitals, including Copenhagen, as well as at Pakistan’s missions to the United Nations in both New York and Geneva. He has worked on policy issues including arms control, counterterrorism, human rights and climate change. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here. India and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3310820/brics-message-ring-hollow-if-pakistan-remains-blocked-india-envoy-khalil-hashmi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3310820/brics-message-ring-hollow-if-pakistan-remains-blocked-india-envoy-khalil-hashmi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 May 2025 22:00:24 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow As global attention remains fixated on the military hardware wielded by India and Pakistan in their ongoing conflict, a different type of warfare has been waged in the two countries on the media front. Observers say the clash has been amplified by falsehoods from major news outlets and elsewhere from both sides, which threaten to “erode democratic norms and increase polarisation” across the subcontinent. India’s strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir last week have unleashed a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3310622/misinformation-warfare-intensifies-india-and-pakistan-conflict-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3310622/misinformation-warfare-intensifies-india-and-pakistan-conflict-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 May 2025 11:30:08 +0000