Latest news with #Indian-administered
Nikkei Asia
18 hours ago
- Climate
- Nikkei Asia
India's 'apple basket' reels from climate change
A farmer examines his drying rice crop on the outskirts of Srinagar on July 7 as rising temperatures grip Kashmir's Himalayan region. (Photo by Sajad Hameed) SAJAD HAMEED and REHAN QAYOOM SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir -- On a hot July afternoon in the northern part of Indian-administered Kashmir, 45-year-old farmer Riyaz Ahmad sat quietly on his tractor, staring at his apple trees with quiet despair. Many of the fruits bore the signs of sunburn, blackened skins, early leaf fall and stunted growth. "This land never betrayed us before," he said with a sigh. "Now, even the trees are gasping for water and moisture."
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Afridi slams India over cancelled WCL match
Former skipper Shahid Afridi is at the centre of the WCL controversy for being his outspoken self. PHOTO: WCL The high-voltage World Championship of Legends clash between Pakistan and India was cancelled under dramatic circumstances on Sunday, and former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has pointed fingers - albeit indirectly - at one individual whom he labelled a "rotten egg". "We came here to play cricket, not politics. But one rotten egg destroyed the match," Afridi told Telecom Asia Sport ( during a media interaction. "Players should act as ambassadors of their countries, not as embarrassments." Although Afridi refrained from naming the player, sources indicate he was referring to former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who, along with five other Indian players - Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan - reportedly refused to play due to Afridi's presence in the Pakistan team. The tension stems from the aftermath of the April 22 terror attacks in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 people. India blamed Pakistan-based militants, prompting missile and drone strikes across the border. Pakistan responded with counterattacks. The escalation, which temporarily subsided through international intervention - notably by US President Donald Trump - appears to have spilled into the sporting arena. Afridi, who was active on social media during the hostilities, had been a vocal critic of India's actions. This reportedly irked several Indian players, especially Harbhajan, leading to their collective decision to pull out just before the match. "They were here and even trained a day earlier," Afridi revealed. "If they had any objection to me, they could have just said it - I wouldn't have even gone to the stadium. I had a shoulder injury and was not going to play anyway." Afridi further claimed that some Indian players were willing to honour the commitment but were overruled. "Just because of one player who refused to budge, the others backed out. I had already conveyed that I was not playing, so there was no reason for this last-minute drama." The abandoned match disappointed a crowd of over 17,000 fans in Birmingham, who were looking forward to a rare India-Pakistan encounter in the legends format. "This was meant to be a game for fun - a spectacle. But if you keep mixing politics with sport, cricket will always suffer," Afridi said. "In places like the UK, USA and Canada, Indians and Pakistanis live side by side and want these matches. It's time to stop using cricket as a political pawn." Afridi pointed out that the two nations recently competed in volleyball and hockey without incident. "There seems to be a problem only when it's cricket. Why? That's a question India must answer." Pakistan team owner Kamil Khan said discussions with tournament organisers are ongoing. "We want the two points since we didn't forfeit the match," he said. "If Pakistan and India meet in the semi-finals, the match will likely be avoided. But if it's the final - well, that's something we need to decide soon." Afridi ended with a call for renewed sporting diplomacy: "Sports has always helped build bridges. If both countries want to move forward, they must talk - not talking will only deepen the divide."
Saudi Gazette
4 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Trump says five jets shot down during India-Pakistan conflict in May
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that at least five fighter jets were shot down during the latest round of hostilities between India and Pakistan in May, and insisted that it was the United States that 'stopped the war' between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. 'Planes were being shot out of the air ... I think five jets were shot down, actually,' Trump said during a dinner meeting with Republican lawmakers at the White House on Friday night. He did not clarify whether the jets were Indian or Pakistani. This marks the first time a head of state from a third country has confirmed the downing of jets in the four-day conflict that erupted in early May. The fighting followed the April 22 bombing at the Pahalgam tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied the accusation and called for a neutral probe. Pakistan has claimed responsibility for shooting down six Indian aircraft, including three French-made Rafale fighter jets, during India's cross-border airstrikes on May 7. India has not confirmed those figures, though Gen. Anil Chauhan, India's chief of defense staff, later acknowledged that some aircraft were lost. 'What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were down,' Chauhan said at the said the escalation was 'getting bigger and bigger,' but was ultimately 'solved through trade,' describing how Washington leveraged ongoing trade negotiations to pressure both sides into restraint.'We said, you guys want to make a trade deal. We're not making a trade deal if you're going to be throwing around weapons, and maybe nuclear weapons—both very powerful nuclear states,' Trump said.'We stopped a lot of wars. And these were serious,' he added, referencing repeated claims he has made about U.S. mediation efforts in South May conflict marked one of the most dangerous flare-ups between India and Pakistan in recent years, with cross-border strikes, high-altitude dogfights, and mounting fears of a broader military confrontation. — Agencies
The Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
US labels Pakistan-linked TRF as terrorist group over Kashmir attack
WASHINGTON: The US government has officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a 'foreign terrorist organization.' The decision follows the April 22 militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 dead. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that TRF's designation as a 'foreign terrorist organization' and 'specially designated global terrorist' aligns with President Donald Trump's call for justice. 'TRF is a front and proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba,' Rubio said. TRF initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack before retracting its statement days later. Lashkar-e-Taiba, already listed as a terrorist group by the US, has been accused of orchestrating attacks in India, including the 2008 Mumbai siege. India welcomed the US decision, with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar calling it a 'strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.' Pakistan, however, rejected any links between TRF and Lashkar-e-Taiba, stating that the latter is a 'defunct organization banned in Pakistan.' The April attack intensified hostilities between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, leading to cross-border strikes until a ceasefire was brokered on May 10. While Washington condemned the attack, it avoided directly blaming Islamabad. Analyst Michael Kugelman noted that the US move signals support for India's stance on TRF's ties to Lashkar-e-Taiba. 'This can be a shot in the arm for US-India relations,' he said. India maintains that Kashmir disputes must be resolved bilaterally without external interference. The region remains a flashpoint, with both nations claiming it in full but controlling only parts. - Reuters
AFP
15-07-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video of armed Afghan rebels predates latest India-Pakistan conflict
"Revenge for Pahalgam is not over yet… We will not stop until we hunt down and kill every single ISI terrorist responsible in Pakistan or elsewhere: Liberation Front of Afghanistan officially warns," reads the Hindi-language caption of a Facebook video shared on July 4, 2025. "ISI" refers to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency. The video, which has a logo for the Liberation Front of Afghanistan in the bottom-left corner and appears to show four masked individuals holding guns speaking to camera, has its audio dubbed over into English at its 20-second mark. They appear to speak about "vengeance" for Pahalgam -- the site in Indian-administered Kashmir where gunmen killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists on April 22 (archived link). New Delhi said the gunmen were backed by Pakistan, claims Islamabad rejected -- triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures which escalated into a four-day conflict that killed more than 70 people on both sides before a May 10 ceasefire (archived link). "This isn't about . This is about dismantling ISI's terror syndicate -- cell by cell, soul by soul," the gunmen purportedly add. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on July 7, 2025, with a red X added by AFP The video also circulated in similar Facebook, Instagram and X posts. "All countries should unite and take strict action against terrorism," read a comment on one post. Another said: "Pakistan under attack from all sides." But the video predates the Pahalgam attack and ensuing conflict between India and Pakistan by three years. A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to the same footage published on February 4, 2022 on the "Liberation Front AFG" Facebook page (archived link). The page has been inactive since April 2022. has neither English-language audio nor subtitles. Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the Liberation Front AFG Facebook clip (right) Screenshots from the video were also shared in reports about the group published by Afghanistan International and Al-Ain News in February 2022 (archived here and here). According to the reports, the group said the Taliban's actions in arresting journalists, suppressing women and marginalising them were among the reasons for their uprising. There is no mention of India or Pahalgam in the reports. The conflict between India and Pakistan triggered a wave of misinformation, which AFP debunked here.
