SOURCE: IANS

Pakistan is gearing up to face a major water crisis as a sharp decline has been witnessed in the levels at its three major dams over the past few days. Rawal, Simly and Khanpur dams, which supply water to capital Islamabad, have seen a sharp decline in water levels due to the lack of ample rainfall.

In Rawalpindi, the water levels have fallen to under 700 feet, triggering a widespread shortage of water across the city. The shortage has given a boost to the earnings of those operating private water tankers, who are distributing water in different localities of the city at much higher rates.

SOURCE: PTI

Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the UN Security Council will be seized of the matter and could discuss the situation if such a request is made, President of the Council for the month of May Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris said on Thursday.

“This is an issue which is now ongoing, evolving,” Sekeris said at a press briefing. Sekeris, who is the Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN, said that the Council had recently issued a press statement condemning the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

SOURCE: IANS

 US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation on Thursday during which the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack was discussed, an official said.

During the talks, America has expressed deep condolences for the Pahalgam terrorist attack, while India has told the US that Pakistan has been supporting, training and funding terrorists. According to the Ministry of Defence, Hegseth on Thursday called Rajnath Singh.

SOURCE: IANS

 India has said it is ready to work closely with parties in the Gaza conflict to bring peace to the region and reiterated its calls for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. “It is India’s desire to see peace and calm prevail in West Asia, and we stand ready to work closely with all concerned stakeholders towards realising this vision,” Permanent Representative P. Harish told the Security Council on Wednesday during a debate on Palestine.

India is one of the few countries to have close, direct, and open relations with both Israel and Palestine.

SOURCE: PTI

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met on Thursday to discuss the security situation and vowed to respond to “any act of aggression in a befitting manner.

The two met for the first time as tensions rose between India and Pakistan after terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. According to an official statement, they said that Pakistan would never compromise on its territorial integrity and sovereignty and would respond to any act of aggression in a befitting manner.

SOURCE: PTI

Indian farmers have completed wheat harvesting in areas adjoining the Pakistan border in the key growing states of Punjab and Rajasthan, government officials said on Thursday.

“Wheat crop has been harvested by now,” Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said at a press conference when asked about the status of harvesting near the India-Pakistan border, which spans approximately 3,310 kilometres across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir.

SOURCE: PTI

Pakistani FM radio stations on Thursday stopped airing Indian songs following tensions between the two countries over the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. “The Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) has stopped airing Indian songs on Pakistani FM radio stations across the country with immediate effect,” PBA Secretary General Shakeel Masood said.

Indian songs, especially from greats like Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, and Mukesh, are popular among Pakistanis and are played by FM radio stations here daily.

SOURCE: IANS

In a crackdown on Iranian exports, the US has sanctioned four United Arab Emirates-based companies that have trade links with Indian companies for allegedly trading in Iranian petroleum products.

“So long as Iran attempts to generate oil and petrochemical revenues to fund its destabilising activities and support its terrorist activities and proxies, the United States will take steps to hold both Iran and all its partners engaged in sanctions evasion accountable,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.

SOURCE: PTI

Pakistan’s national carrier on Wednesday cancelled all flights to and from Gilgit, Skardu and other northern areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir due to security reasons, local media reports said, amid rising tensions with India following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Citing the flight schedule, Urdu daily Jang reported that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cancelled two flights each from Karachi and Lahore to Skardu.

SOURCE: ANI

Pakistan’s decision to block Indian airlines from using their airspace will have a limited impact on its southern and western flight operations but will significantly affect northern routes, particularly from New Delhi, according to Air Marshal (Retd) Sanjeev Kapoor.

However, Mr Kapoor said India’s decision to close its airspace to Pakistan’s airlines in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack is expected to severely disrupt Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) operations, increasing flight times and costs.

SOURCE: IANS

Known for rogue elements in its ranks, the Pakistan Army is renowned for its notorious support of non-state actors, which has now distanced it (Pakistan Army) from the common Pakistanis, who have been asking them questions over their various polices in the last few years.

“Given the domestic pressure due to its interference in the country’s politics, the morale of the Pakistani Army is very low. It is one of the reasons why they want to drag the Indian Army into a war. In order to get the support from the common people behind General Asim Munir, they want a war with India. Clearly, Pakistanis are not with General Munir. He is not Imran Khan,” Defence sources told IANS.

SOURCE: IANS

 A high-level delegation led by Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar is visiting Cairo to further strengthen the bilateral defence industrial collaboration between India and Egypt. The touring members also include senior officials and the Chairman and Managing Directors of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited.

During their visit, the delegation held several meetings and productive discussions with Egyptian Defence Authorities such as the Air Defence Chief for Armament, the Chairman Arab Organisation for Industrialisation, and the Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Air Force.

SOURCE: ANI

The Special NIA Court has allowed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to obtain voice and handwriting samples of 26/11 mastermind Tahawwur Rana. Currently in NIA custody, Rana was recently extradited to India from the United States.

The Special NIA Judge Chander Jit Singh on Wednesday granted approval for the NIA’s request to collect handwriting and voice samples of Tahawwur Rana. On Monday, the same Court has extended the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) custody of Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, for a further 12 days.

SOURCE: IANS

The Jharkhand Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a suspected terrorist from the Bhuli area in Dhanbad district, officials said on Thursday. According to officials, the suspected terrorist, identified as Amaar Yasar, was earlier linked to the banned outfit Indian Mujahideen and had recently become active in anti-national activities under the banner of another proscribed organisation, Hizb ut Tahrir.

Jharkhand Director General of Police Anurag Gupta said: “Amaar Yasar was arrested from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in 2014 for his involvement with Indian Mujahideen. After securing bail, he resumed subversive activities and joined Hizb ut Tahrir in May 2024. He has three cases registered against him in Jaipur and Jodhpur related to terror activities and is currently being interrogated.”

SOURCE: IANS

The Director General (DG) of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Sadanand Date, reached Pahalgam on Thursday after the agency took over the probe into the terror attack in which 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, were killed on April 22.

The NIA took over the Pahalgam terror attack investigation on Sunday following an order issued by the Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) division of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) considering the gravity of the case.