Latest news with #G-7
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Defence minister denies India bowed to pressure to end fighting with Pakistan, Asia News
NEW DELHI — India's defence minister said on Monday (July 28) 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 May, the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours in nearly three decades. "India halted its operation because all the political and military objectives studied before and during the conflict had been fully achieved," Singh said. "To suggest that the operation was called off under pressure is baseless and entirely incorrect," he said. Singh's comments came as the Indian Army said that it had killed "three terrorists" in an intense gun battle in Indian Kashmir on Monday. Indian TV channels said the three were suspected to be behind the April attack. Reuters could not immediately verify the information and security officials did not respond to requests for comment. The Kashmir attack was the worst assault on civilians in the country since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. New Delhi said Pakistani nationals were involved in the killings and blamed Islamabad for backing them. Pakistan denied involvement and sought an independent investigation. In the latest conflict, the two sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and other munitions, killing dozens of people, before Trump announced they had agreed to a ceasefire. Pakistan thanked Trump for brokering the agreement but India said Washington had no hand in it and that New Delhi and Islamabad had agreed between themselves to end the fighting. "At no stage, in any conversation with the United States, was there any linkage with trade and what was going on," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, referring to Trump's repeated remarks that he had used the prospect of trade deals between Washington and the two countries as leverage to broker peace. There was also no conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi between the day of the Kashmir attack when Trump called to convey his sympathy and June 17 when Modi was in Canada for the G-7 summit, Jaishankar told parliament. Indian opposition groups have questioned what they say is the intelligence failure behind the Kashmir attack and the government's inability to capture the assailants - issues they are expected to raise during the parliament discussion. They have also criticised Modi for coming under pressure from Trump and agreeing to end the fighting, along with reports that Indian jets were shot down during the fighting. Pakistan claimed it downed five Indian planes in combat, and India's highest ranking general told Reuters that India suffered initial losses in the air, but declined to give details. The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been at the heart of the hostility between old rivals India and Pakistan, both of whom claim the region in full but rule it in part, and have fought two of their three wars over it. India accuses Pakistan of helping Islamist separatists in its part of Kashmir, but Pakistan denies this and says it only provides diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris seeking self-determination. [[nid:720717]]
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Rajnath rejects Trump's claim of brokering ceasefire with Pakistan
NEW DELHI 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 IIOJK in which 26 men were killed. The attack led to a fierce, four-day military conflict with Pakistan in May, the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours in nearly three decades. "India halted its operation because all the political and military objectives studied before and during the conflict had been fully achieved," Singh said. "To suggest that the operation was called off under pressure is baseless and entirely incorrect," he said. "At no stage, in any conversation with the United States, was there any linkage with trade and what was going on," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, referring to Trump's repeated remarks that he had used the prospect of trade deals between Washington and the two countries as leverage to broker peace. There was also no conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi between the day of the Pahalgam attack when Trump called to convey his sympathy and June 17 when Modi was in Canada for the G-7 summit, Jaishankar told parliament. Indian opposition groups have questioned what they say is the intelligence failure behind the Pahalgam attack and the government's inability to capture the assailants - issues they are expected to raise during the parliament discussion. They have also criticised Modi for coming under pressure from Trump and agreeing to end the fighting, along with reports that Indian jets were shot down during the fighting. Reuters
Dubai Eye
3 days ago
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Defence minister denies India bowed to pressure to end fighting with Pakistan
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. Rajnath Singh was speaking at the opening of a discussion in parliament on the April 22 attack in India's Jammu & Kashmir, in which 26 men were killed. The attack led to a fierce, four-day military conflict with Pakistan in May, the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours in nearly three decades. "India halted its operation because all the political and military objectives studied before and during the conflict had been fully achieved," Singh said. "To suggest that the operation was called off under pressure is baseless and entirely incorrect," he said. Singh's comments came as the Indian Army said that it had killed "three terrorists" in an intense gun battle in Indian Kashmir on Monday. Indian TV channels said the three were suspected to be behind the April attack. Pakistan thanked Trump for brokering the agreement but India said Washington had no hand in it and that New Delhi and Islamabad had agreed between themselves to end the fighting. "At no stage, in any conversation with the United States, was there any linkage with trade and what was going on," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, referring to Trump's repeated remarks that he had used the prospect of trade deals between Washington and the two countries as leverage to broker peace. There was also no conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi between the day of the Kashmir attack when Trump called to convey his sympathy and June 17 when Modi was in Canada for the G-7 summit, Jaishankar told parliament. Indian opposition groups have questioned what they say is the intelligence failure behind the Kashmir attack and the government's inability to capture the assailants - issues they are expected to raise during the parliament discussion. They have also criticised Modi for coming under pressure from Trump and agreeing to end the fighting, along with reports that Indian jets were shot down during the fighting. Pakistan claimed it downed five Indian planes in combat, and India's highest ranking general told Reuters that India suffered initial losses in the air, but declined to give details. The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been at the heart of the hostility between India and Pakistan, both of whom claim the region in full but rule it in part, and have fought two of their three wars over it. India accuses Pakistan of helping separatists in its part of Kashmir, but Pakistan denies this and says it only provides diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris seeking self-determination.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
State for the stateless: on France and Palestinian statehood
France's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood, in September, reflects President Emmanuel Macron's deep frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the ongoing war on Gaza, as well as his willingness to adopt a more pro-active and constructive approach towards finding a durable solution. Of the 193 members of the UN, 147, including India, China and Russia, have already recognised the Palestinian state. But powerful western nations, with close ties to Israel, have always stopped short of granting official recognition even if professing support for a two-state solution. But this position began to shift after the Gaza war in October 2023, with more European countries taking formal steps towards its recognition. Last year, Spain, Ireland, Norway and Slovenia recognised Palestine's independence. If Mr. Macron follows through, France will be the first G-7 member nation to do so. Such a move may not have an immediate, direct impact on the peace process. That more western European countries are now ready to take irreversible measures in favour of Palestinian statehood, ignoring strong opposition from Tel Aviv and Washington, marks a clear change in sentiment towards one of the modern world's most contentious conflicts. Mr. Macron's announcement comes at a critical juncture for the Palestinians. The war has devastated the enclave with confirmed deaths reaching 60,000 in 21 months — roughly 2.5% of its total population. In the West Bank, settler violence has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians. Israeli Ministers have openly threatened to ethnically cleanse Gaza and annex the West Bank. Images of starving and malnourished children, which came out of Gaza last week, have jolted global conscience. Even Israel's closest allies, including Britain, Canada and France, issued a rare joint statement, urging Mr. Netanyahu to 'immediately end the humanitarian catastrophe'. Under mounting pressure, Israel has announced 'tactical pauses' in its attacks. But this is far from sufficient. What Gaza urgently needs is a complete end to the bombings and shelling, and the full opening of its borders to humanitarian aid. Given that pressure is the only language Israel appears to understand, and with the Donald Trump presidency showing no willingness to apply it, Europe must do more. Efforts to end the war, which in terms of mass killings, devastation and displacement is comparable to the 1948-49 Nakba, must be accompanied by initiatives to ensure that such a catastrophe is never repeated. There should be concrete measures from the international community to pursue a durable political solution, which is the two-state solution. The first step in that direction is the recognition of Palestinian independence and statehood. France has promised to join, though belatedly, most member-countries of the UN in the statehood push. Other nations in the West must follow.
Wall Street Journal
6 days ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
France to Officially Recognize Palestinian State
President Emmanuel Macron says France will officially recognize a Palestinian state, making it the first G-7 country to do so. Photo: Ludovic Marin/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images; Abed Rahim Khatib/Zuma Press
