India wants Kashmir attackers brought to justice, Jaishankar tells US
Rubio expressed support to India in its efforts against extremism and urged Pakistan to cooperate in the investigation into the attack that killed 26 people, according to the US State Department.
Jaishankar said in a post on X that he told Rubio the 'perpetrators, backers and planners' of the April 22 attack 'must be brought to justice'.
Vivek Mishra works as an Assistant Editor with Eastern Eye and has over 13 years of experience in journalism. His areas of interest include politics, international affairs, current events, and sports. With a background in newsroom operations and editorial planning, he has reported and edited stories on major national and global developments.
INDIA's foreign minister S Jaishankar has told US secretary of state Marco Rubio that those behind last week's attack in Kashmir must be brought to justice. The comments came as the United States called for de-escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan.
The US said Rubio spoke to leaders of both countries in separate calls on Wednesday and encouraged them to work together to reduce tensions.
Rubio expressed support to India in its efforts against extremism and urged Pakistan to cooperate in the investigation into the attack that killed 26 people, according to the US State Department.
Jaishankar said in a post on X that he told Rubio the “perpetrators, backers and planners” of the April 22 attack “must be brought to justice”.
Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the US to press India to “dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly,” his office said in a statement.
Officials and survivors said the attackers, described by Indian authorities as Islamist assailants, targeted a meadow in Kashmir’s Pahalgam area that was crowded with tourists.
The assailants separated men, asked their names, and shot Hindus at close range. At least 26 people were killed, most of them tourists.
India has identified the three attackers, including two Pakistani nationals, as terrorists involved in a violent revolt in Kashmir.
Pakistan has denied any involvement and called for a neutral investigation.
Kashmir, which is majority Muslim, is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, though each controls only part of the region.
India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir. India accuses Pakistan of supporting and funding an anti-government insurgency that began in 1989 and has since declined.
Pakistan says it provides only diplomatic and moral support to the Kashmiri demand for self-determination.
Following the Pahalgam attack, India put a river water sharing treaty with Pakistan on hold. Both countries have also shut their airspace to each other's airlines.
For the past seven nights, troops from both sides have exchanged small arms fire across the border, but India has said there have been no casualties.
The United Nations has urged both countries to avoid confrontation. China also called for restraint earlier this week.
The head of the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir called for international mediation and said his administration was preparing a humanitarian response in case of escalation.
India’s navy has issued warnings for several firing drills in the Arabian Sea off the coasts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Gujarat borders Pakistan. The navy has not commented on the warnings.
Earlier this week, Indian prime miinister Narendra Modi told his military chiefs they had the freedom to decide the country’s response to the Pahalgam attack, according to a government source.
Pakistan has said it believes Indian military action is imminent.
India closes airspace to Pakistan
India shut its airspace to Pakistani aircraft on Wednesday, responding to Islamabad’s earlier move banning Indian planes from flying over its territory.
The tit-for-tat measures come as tensions rise between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian aircraft on April 24. India’s ban, which includes military flights, will last until May 23, according to a government notice.
The notice to air operators said that Indian airspace was not available for Pakistani registered or leased aircraft -- "including military flights".
Police officers stand at fencing at The Bell Hotel, believed to be housing asylum seekers, in Epping, northeast of London on July 18, 2025, following anti-immigration protests. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
POLICE promised to track down suspects behind violence at a protest outside a southeast England hotel believed to house asylum seekers, after officers and vehicles were attacked.
The violence followed several demonstrations in recent days in the town of Epping which flared after police charged an asylum seeker with sex offences.
Eight police officers were injured and three vehicles were damaged, Essex police said.
The unrest, which police blamed on people from "outside of our community", comes a year after anti-immigration riots rocked the UK in the wake of the fatal stabbings of three young girls in the northern town of Southport.
Then, rioters targeted hotels housing asylum seekers in several different English cities, infamously attempting to set fire to one in Rotherham, northeast England.
Essex police on Friday (18) insisted officers would "continue to support those communities that want to peacefully protest" but would not tolerate "acts of violence and vandalism".
"After last night I've got a team of specialist detectives today that are combing through the body-worn video CCTV to identify those who are responsible," said assistant chief constable Stuart Hooper.
"And what I can say is if you're one of those individuals you can expect a knock on the door."
Hooper said the "selfish individuals" behind the violence were mostly "from outside of the area" and had travelled to Epping "intent on causing criminality".
Right-wing agitators, including far-right activist Tommy Robinson, have been sharing posts and videos about the situation on social media.
Footage of Thursday's (17) protests showed masked people pelting police vans and jumping on them, as well as clashing with officers.
The disturbances came after police charged 38-year-old asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence.
The charges stem from allegations he tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl as she ate pizza at a restaurant in Epping, just northest of London, on July 7 and again the following day.
He has pleaded not guilty, and appeared in court for a hearing on Thursday.
An asylum seeker from Ethiopia, he arrived in the UK irregularly after crossing the Channel on a small boat at the end of last month.
In the wake of the incident, local officials have called for the Bell Hotel to no longer house asylum seekers.
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THE government continues to encourage India and Pakistan to engage in meaningful dialogue and avoid actions that could further inflame tensions, a British minister has told the House of Lords.
During a short debate in the Grand Committee of the Upper House of the UK Parliament entitled 'India and Pakistan: Peace Representations' on Thursday (17), cross-party peers focused on the prospects of "lasting peace" in the region following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed 26 lives.
While some peers of Pakistani heritage called for international mediation, British Indian parliamentarians highlighted prime minister Narendra Modi's assertion during Operation Sindoor regarding the strong evidence of state-sponsored terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
"On the matter of Kashmir, the UK's position remains unchanged. We regard the status of Kashmir as a bilateral issue to be resolved between India and Pakistan, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people," said Foreign Office minister Baroness Jennifer Chapman, presenting the British government's stance.
"We do not prescribe solutions, nor do we seek to mediate. However, we continue to encourage both sides to engage in meaningful dialogue and avoid actions that could further inflame tensions. We are acutely aware of the sensitivities surrounding this issue, and our goal is to support a peaceful and lasting resolution that respects the rights and aspirations of all communities," she added.
The minister said the UK would continue to use diplomatic channels to encourage dialogue, promote cooperation, and support efforts to address the underlying causes of conflict. "We believe that a peaceful and prosperous future for the region is possible."
Lord Karan Bilimoria, co-chair of the India All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), highlighted the recent UK visit of a multi-party delegation of Indian MPs led by BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad to establish New Delhi's commitment to peace in the region.
"India wants peace with its neighbours. It wants to get on with growing its economy, bettering the livelihood of its people, and making a huge, positive contribution to the global community," said Bilimoria.
Baroness Sandip Verma asserted that the "ultimate goal" should be to ensure peace in the region because any conflict also impacts diaspora communities in the UK.
"The largest democracy on the planet is now understanding its responsibility, and we need to make sure, in the way we work with both countries, that Pakistan, too, becomes a thriving democracy," she said.
The debate had been secured by British Pakistani Liberal Democrat peer Lord Qurban Hussain, who condemned the "cowardly act of terror" in Pahalgam.
Hussain said that third-party mediation was the only way to get the leadership of both countries to sit down and agree on a settlement. This view was echoed by Lord Tariq Ahmad.
Minister Chapman reiterated the UK's long-standing stance against mediation, asserting that the UK had made "clear representations to both New Delhi and Islamabad at all levels".
INDIA and Britain are expected to seal a long-awaited free trade deal next week, two Indian government sources said, granting Indian textiles and electric vehicles some duty-free access to the UK market and easing British exports of whisky, cars and food.
In May, both countries announced the conclusion of trade negotiations after three years of stop-start negotiations, aiming to increase bilateral trade, remove trade barriers and allow duty-free entry of goods.
The countries are now preparing to formally sign the agreement, and the announcement could coincide with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to London next week, one of the Indian officials said.
The trade pact will take effect in about a year, after it is approved by the British parliament and India's federal cabinet, the official added.
Officials spoke on the condition of anonymity as the details are not public.
"The trade agreement offers a win-win for both countries," the second Indian source said, adding that Indian consumers would gain access to Scotch whisky at lower prices, as import tariffs will drop to 75 per cent from 150 per cent immediately, and further to 40 per cent over the next decade.
On cars, India will cut duties to 10 per cent from 100 per cent under a quota system that will be gradually liberalised, the sources said. In return, Indian manufacturers are expected to gain access to the UK market for electric and hybrid vehicles, also under a quota regime, they added.
India's commerce ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Britain's trade ministry said that the countries were working to finalise the deal.
"We have been working with India on a landmark trade deal that will deliver for British people and business," a UK government spokesperson said.
India's trade ministry has said 99 per cent of Indian exports to Britain would benefit from zero duty under the deal, including textiles, while Britain will see reductions on 90 per cent of its tariff lines.
An Indian trade delegation is separately holding talks in Washington, for a potential trade deal with the US as president Donald Trump ramps up his trade war with the threat of sharply higher tariffs from August 1.
By 2030, India’s middle class is projected to reach 60 million people and could rise to a quarter of a billion by 2050, according to British government estimates. India's overall import demand is forecast to grow by 144 per cent in real terms to £1.4 trillion ($1.88tn) by 2035, compared to 2021.
(Reuters)
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The team management had earlier decided that Bumrah would play in three of the five tests on the tour of England. (Photo: Getty Images)
JASPRIT BUMRAH has been used carefully since returning from back surgery, but with the five-test series against England on the line, India are considering including him in the fourth test in Manchester next week.
The team management had earlier decided that Bumrah would play in three of the five tests on the tour of England.
A win in Manchester would give England a 3-1 lead and seal the series. To prevent that, India are looking at the possibility of fielding Bumrah — who missed the second test in Birmingham — rather than holding him back for the final test at the Oval.
“We know we have got him for one of the last two tests,” assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate told reporters after Thursday’s training session.
“It’s pretty obvious that the series is on the line now in Manchester, so there will be a leaning towards playing him.”
“But again, we have got to look at all the factors: how many days of cricket are we going to get up there, what do we feel is our best chance of winning that game, and then how that fits in together with the Oval.”
Bumrah took five-wicket hauls in both the tests he has played so far on this tour — at Leeds and Lord’s — though India lost both matches.
India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who suffered a finger injury during the Lord’s test, did not bat in Thursday’s practice.
Ten Doeschate said he was confident Pant would take on both his usual roles with the bat and behind the stumps in Manchester.
“Look, I don’t think you’re going to keep Rishabh out of the test no matter what,” ten Doeschate said.
“He batted with quite a lot of pain in the third test and it’s only going to get easier and easier on his finger.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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US secretary of state Marco Rubio said TRF is a 'front and proxy' of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan. (Photo: Getty Images)
THE UNITED STATES on Thursday designated The Resistance Front (TRF), the group blamed for the April attack in Kashmir, as a terrorist organisation. The attack had triggered the worst conflict between India and Pakistan in decades.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said TRF is a "front and proxy" of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan.
The designation "demonstrates the Trump administration's commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President (Donald) Trump's call for justice for the Pahalgam attack," Rubio said in a statement.
In April, gunmen shot dead 26 people, most of them Hindus, in Pahalgam, a tourist area in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir.
Survivors told reporters that the gunmen had separated women and children and ordered some of the men to recite the Muslim declaration of faith.
India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday that the US decision was a "strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation", writing on X (formerly Twitter).
A strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.
Appreciate @SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF—a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the… — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 18, 2025
Little was previously known about TRF, which initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam killings.
As criticism grew over the attack, the group later retracted its claim.
India has listed TRF as a terrorist group, and the India-based Observer Research Foundation think tank has described it as "a smokescreen and an offshoot of LeT".
New Delhi has accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack, a claim denied by Islamabad.
The violence in Pahalgam led to four days of fighting between India and Pakistan, leaving more than 70 people dead on both sides. It was the worst military standoff between the two countries since 1999.