THE international community does have a role in diffusing tension in Kashmir and an India-Pakistan dialogue could help arrive at a solution akin to the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, which allows a level of free exchange on both sides of the border, opined strategic experts in London over the Kashmir crisis on Thursday (7).
Sir Mark Lyall Grant, National Security Advisor to former British prime ministers Theresa May and David Cameron as well as a former Representative of the UK at the UN, lamented the "missed opportunity" of such a solution during the talks between former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf in 2001.
"The political stars never quite aligned but a solution similar to the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement, with a soft border allowing locals to travel freely from one part of Kashmir to the other, will have to be the outcome of any peaceful solution," he noted.
During a panel discussion entitled 'The Cost to Britain of the Kashmir Crisis: Is There a Solution?', organised by strategic advisory group CTD Advisors at Chatham House in London, Indian, Pakistani and British experts had a lively exchange against the backdrop of India's revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.
"Nobody wants to see a further escalation in the region. We are on the cusp and brink of a much bigger crisis and the international community must stop being a fire brigade and intervene to find a peaceful solution," said Maleeha Lodhi, most recently Pakistan's Representative to the United Nations and also former high commissioner to the UK and ambassador to the US.
While the diplomat was vehement that Pakistan stands ready to resume a bilateral dialogue with India, the issue of ISI-backed cross-border terrorism was constantly raised during the course of the discussion as an impediment to talks.
"What prime minister Modi has done (by revoking Article 370) is outrageous and preposterous and seems not to have a strategy, but the reason Pakistan has far less traction on this issue internationally is precisely because of the role of the ISI and its sponsorship of state-funded terrorism," said Jack Straw, a former UK foreign secretary who has seen the situation up close in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001.
Hitting hard at Pakistan, leading television journalist from India Nidhi Razdan said the country had orchestrated years of insurgency in the region after it failed to grab Kashmir repeatedly since 1948 and that the region had bled as a result of that cross-border terrorism.
"That Pakistan is a breeding ground for terrorists is acknowledged by none other than its prime minister, Imran Khan, who candidly said during a visit to the United States in July this year that there were 40 different militant groups operating within Pakistan. Therefore, serious concerns remain in India concerning terror groups operating from Pakistan," she said.
On the internal dynamics in Jammu and Kashmir, Razdan was critical of the "unprecedented" communications curbs in the region since the revocation of Article 370 in August and expressed hope that India would live up to its own values as a democracy.
She said: "The Indian government maintains that ending the special status is all for the good of the people and for the development of the region. It's ironic that the people in whose name this has been done were not consulted at all. And that political leaders who carried the Indian flag all these decades are in detention.
"All this hardly burnishes India's credentials as the world's largest democracy."
Abdurehman Chinoy, a London-based entrepreneur, said his company Chinoy Group decided to organise such a panel discussion in the UK because the South Asian community here is not only "dynamic and tolerant" but can also influence policy and ideas back home in India and Pakistan.
Chinoy said: "We need to have dialogue to resolve this Kashmir issue, so the South Asian community continues to live in a more friendly way outside India and Pakistan.
"My humble message to prime minister Modi and Prime Minister Khan is that both leaders represent around 1.5 billion people globally; while it is easy to head towards confrontation, dialogue could definitely bring more stability and eventually prosperity in both countries."
Security personnel stand beside a poster of Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir, during a rally to express solidarity with Pakistan's armed forces, in Islamabad on May 14, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump will host Pakistan army chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House on Wednesday.
“The president has lunch with the chief of army staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” an advisory issued by the White House said.
The lunch is scheduled for 1 pm (local time) in the Cabinet Room of the White House.
Trump had returned to Washington on Tuesday morning, cutting short his visit to Kananaskis, Canada, where the G7 leaders' summit is being held, due to growing tensions in the Middle East following the latest Israel-Iran conflict.
Officials in Islamabad are projecting the White House invitation to Munir as a major diplomatic success, according to Dawn.
Munir's remarks on India, Pahalgam attack
Field Marshal Munir, who was promoted to Pakistan's rare five-star rank last month — the first such promotion since Ayub Khan in 1959 — urged India to engage with Pakistan “as a civilised nation” instead of “attempting to impose regional hegemony”, Dawn reported.
Addressing members of the Pakistani American community on Monday evening, Munir rejected claims that Pakistan was behind the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
He accused India of trying to establish a dangerous “new normal” of "violating international borders", which he said Pakistan had “forcefully rejected”, according to the newspaper.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam attack, following which India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.
The four-day-long military actions from both sides ended after talks between the directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan on May 10, during which both agreed to halt further escalation.
Engagement with Pakistani American community
Munir’s interaction with the Pakistani American community was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington’s Georgetown area. The event reportedly drew a large gathering.
Protesters affiliated with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by former prime minister Imran Khan, demonstrated outside the venue, demanding democratic reforms and the release of jailed PTI leaders.
Remarks on Israel-Iran war and US counterterrorism partnership
Speaking on the broader regional situation, Munir expressed Pakistan’s “clear and strong” support for Iran in its conflict with Israel, while also backing US efforts to de-escalate the crisis.
“We want this war to end immediately,” he said.
A key development during Munir's visit has been the strengthening of Pakistan's counterterrorism partnership with the US, particularly in operations targeting the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) group, Dawn reported.
Praise from US Central Command
Gen Michael Kurilla, chief of US Central Command, recently called Pakistan a “phenomenal partner” in the fight against IS-K, highlighting operations along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Kurilla told the House Armed Services Committee that Pakistani operations, aided by US intelligence, had resulted in the deaths of dozens of IS-K militants and the capture of several high-value individuals, including Mohammad Sharifullah, who was one of the masterminds of the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul that killed 13 American soldiers.
“The first person Munir called was me,” Gen Kurilla said. “He said, ‘I've caught him — ready to extradite him back to the US. Please tell the secretary of defence and the president’.” Sharifullah was quickly extradited.
In a separate statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kurilla said Pakistan had carried out “dozens of operations” against IS-K and continued to play an important role in combating terrorism in Central and South Asia.
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FOUR Indian schools were on Wednesday (18) named among the top 10 finalists across different categories for the annual world's best school prizes, organised in the UK to celebrate schools' enormous contribution to society's progress.
Schools from Haryana, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were unveiled as contenders for membership of the Best School to Work programme to help schools attract and retain the best teachers. The worldwide winners across categories will be announced in October.
The five world's best school prizes – for community collaboration, environmental action, innovation, overcoming adversity, and supporting healthy lives – were founded by UK-headquartered T4 Education in the wake of Covid to give a platform to schools that are changing lives in their classrooms and beyond.
"In a world being turned upside down by AI, as technology reshapes the way we learn and renders jobs that have existed for centuries obsolete, amid growing challenges of climate change, conflict, poverty and populism, the world our young people are entering has never felt more precarious. And a good education, with humans at its heart, has never been more important," said Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education and the world's best school prizes.
T4 Education calls itself a global platform bringing together a community of over 200,000 teachers from more than 100 countries to transform education.
Government Girls Senior Secondary School, NIT 5, a state secondary school in Faridabad, Haryana, has been selected for transforming the lives of at-risk girls by interlinking nutritional programmes, physical wellbeing, and mental health support with education to break down societal barriers and ensure no girl is left behind. It is on the list of 10 finalists for the world's best school prize for supporting healthy lives.
ZP School Jalindar Nagar, a public primary school in Khed taluka, near Pune, has been recognised for revolutionising public-school education by providing quality student-led learning with its subject friend system, a peer-learning model where students of different ages teach and learn from each other. This Maharashtra-based school is a finalist in community collaboration category.
Ekya School, J P Nagar, is an independent kindergarten, primary, and secondary school in Bengaluru which is empowering students to become innovative thinkers and proactive problem solvers through a design thinking curriculum that integrates human-centred design processes and skills development. It has been named a top 10 finalist for the innovation.
Delhi Public School, an independent kindergarten, primary and secondary school in Varanasi, is creating an environment where students are empowered to explore, grow and lead with compassion through its learner-centric educational model that embeds environmental stewardship and social responsibility into the learning experience. This UP school is in the running for environmental action category.
Congratulating the schools on becoming finalists for the World's Best School Prizes 2025, Pota said, "It is in schools like these that we find the innovations and expertise that give us hope for a better future. Leaders and schools around the world have so much to learn from these inspirational Indian institutions."
The winners will be chosen by an expert Judging Academy, with all 50 finalist schools across the five prizes also taking part in a public vote opened this week to determine the winner of the community choice award.
The worldwide winners across these categories will be announced in October, with all the finalists and winners invited to the World Schools Summit in Abu Dhabi on November 15-16.
The winning schools will share their best practices, unique expertise and experience with policymakers and leading figures in global education, according to a statement.
(PTI)
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Canadian prime minister Mark Carney greets Indian prime minister Narendra Modi before a group photo during the G7 Summit at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 17, 2025. (Photo: Getty)
INDIA and Canada have agreed to restore full diplomatic ties by returning ambassadors to each other’s capitals, aiming to move past a dispute triggered by the killing of a Sikh separatist in Canada last year.
The announcement came as Canadian prime minister Mark Carney welcomed Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in the Canadian Rockies. Carney, who took office in March, invited Modi to the summit as a guest, continuing India's regular participation at G7 gatherings.
Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, had accused India of being involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in British Columbia in 2023. Following the allegation, Canada expelled the Indian ambassador, and India responded by expelling Canada’s envoy.
Now, both leaders have agreed to appoint new high commissioners — the title used for ambassadors between Commonwealth nations — with the aim of restoring normal diplomatic operations and improving bilateral ties.
Carney said he hoped the discussions with Modi would "provide the necessary foundations to begin to rebuild the relationship, based on mutual respect, sovereignty, trust."
"I would describe it as foundational -- as a necessary first step, a frank, open exchange of views around law enforcement, transnational repression," Carney said at a news conference.
He added that India continues to be invited to G7 summits each year due to the size of its economy.
Services had been impacted
Diplomatic tensions had disrupted services between the two countries, which traded $9 billion in 2023. Canada was forced to suspend in-person services at all of its missions in India except its embassy in New Delhi. The two countries also share close cultural links, including a large Indian diaspora in Canada.
Modi, during his meeting with Carney at the mountain venue, said that both nations were "dedicated to democratic values" and that the relationship was important "in many ways."
He congratulated Carney on his Liberal Party’s election win and said he was confident that “India and Canada will work together to make progress in many areas.”
Protests and political response
As Modi met Carney, Sikh protesters held rallies in Calgary, the nearest major city to the summit. Some criticised Modi’s presence at the event, citing concerns about the human rights record of his government.
The New Democratic Party (NDP), Canada’s fourth largest party and not formally part of Carney’s government, opposed Modi’s invitation. In a statement, the NDP referred to allegations of Indian surveillance against former party leader Jagmeet Singh, who is Sikh.
"Continuing to engage Modi's government without accountability undermines all efforts to defend human rights, transparency, and the rule of law," the NDP said ahead of Modi’s visit.
Canada has the largest Sikh population outside India, accounting for about two per cent of its population. The community is concentrated in key suburban swing regions and has gained growing political influence.
Nijjar killing still under litigation
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who advocated for a separate Sikh state called Khalistan, was killed in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in 2023. He was a naturalised Canadian citizen.
Trudeau had publicly accused India of being directly involved in the killing and claimed that India was behind a wider campaign of intimidation targeting Sikh activists in Canada.
India denied any role in Nijjar’s death and urged Canada to take stronger action against violent Khalistan supporters, describing the movement as a fringe presence in India.
Carney did not confirm whether he discussed Nijjar’s case directly with Modi, saying it was subject to ongoing litigation.
The United States, which also has close ties with India, had accused an Indian agent of being involved in an unsuccessful plot against a Sikh separatist on its soil. However, Washington addressed the issue more quietly than Trudeau.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Relatives carry the coffin of a victim, who was killed in the Air India Flight 171 crash, during a funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 15, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
AT LEAST 190 victims of last week's Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad have been identified through DNA tests, and 159 bodies, including 32 foreign nationals, have been handed over to their families, officials said on Wednesday.
The London-bound Air India flight AI-171, carrying 242 passengers and crew members, crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. All but one on board died, along with nearly 29 people on the ground, when the aircraft struck a medical complex.
Authorities are using DNA tests to identify the victims, as many bodies were charred or damaged.
“Till Wednesday morning, 190 DNA samples have been matched, and 159 bodies have already been handed over to the respective families. The process of matching (DNA samples of) other bodies is still on,” said Ahmedabad Civil Hospital's medical superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi.
Victims include foreign nationals
Of the 159 victims whose bodies were returned to their families, 127 were Indians, four Portuguese, 27 British and one Canadian, Joshi said.
Among the 127 Indian victims, four were killed on the ground and 123 were on board the flight, he added.
Following the crash, 71 injured people were admitted to various hospitals. “Of them, only seven are currently undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital, while 12 other patients are admitted to private hospitals in Ahmedabad and Dahod. Three patients lost their lives during treatment here (civil hospital),” Joshi said.
The state government had earlier said DNA samples from 250 victims — including those on board and those on the ground — were collected for identification.
No major safety issues found in Boeing 787 fleet, says DGCA
India’s aviation regulator said on Tuesday that surveillance of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet had not revealed any major safety concerns.
“The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was headed to London with 242 people on board when it crashed seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad, hitting nearby buildings. All but one person on the flight died, along with about 30 people on the ground.
The DGCA said 24 of Air India’s 33 Boeing 787 aircraft had undergone an “enhanced safety inspection” ordered by the regulator.
In a meeting with senior officials from Air India, the DGCA raised concerns over recent maintenance-related issues. It advised the airline to “strictly adhere to regulations”, improve coordination across its operations, and ensure the availability of spare parts to reduce passenger delays.
The regulator had also met senior officials from Air India and Air India Express to review operations amid growing flight volumes.
(With inputs from agencies)
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US president Donald Trump and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi meet in the Oval Office at the White House on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi told US president Donald Trump late on Tuesday (17) that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not US mediation, India's senior-most diplomat said.
Trump had said last month that the south Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire after talks mediated by the US, and that the hostilities ended after he urged the countries to focus on trade instead of war.
India has previously denied any third-party mediation and Tuesday's phone call between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, which Modi attended as a guest, is their first direct exchange since the May 7-10 conflict.
"PM Modi told president Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan," Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement.
"Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do," he said.
Misri said the two leaders were due to meet on the sidelines of G7 summit but Trump left a day early due to the situation in the Middle East.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Modi-Trump call.
The heaviest fighting in decades between India and Pakistan was sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on "terrorists" backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad.
On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi called "terrorist infrastructure" sites across the border, triggering tit-for-tat strikes spread over four days in which both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery.
Misri said that Trump expressed his support for India's fight against terrorism and that Modi told him India's Operation Sindoor under which it launched the cross border strikes was still on.
Trump also asked Modi if he could stop by the US on his return from Canada, Misri said, but the Indian leader expressed his inability to do so due to a pre-decided schedule. He invited Trump to visit India later this year for the summit of the leaders of the Quad grouping, which Trump accepted, Misri said.