Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday (Sep 26) used his address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to cry foul about New Delhi's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty and accuse India of violating the agreement. Calling the action “illegal” and a threat to peace in the region, Sharif, who also used his speech to pander to US President Donald Trump, made no mention of India’s central demand — that Islamabad must take credible steps to stop cross-border terrorism before the treaty was reinstated. New Delhi announced the suspension earlier this year as a countermeasure after the Pahalgam terror attack in April killed 26 civilians, an attack India has blamed on groups operating from Pakistani soil.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-tears-into-shehbaz-sharif-at-unga-calls-pakistan-speech-absurd-theatrics-points-out-islamabad-glorifies-terror-once-sheltered-bin-laden-1758938940874">India tears into Shehbaz Sharif at UNGA, calls Pakistan speech 'absurd theatrics,' points out Islamabad glorifies terror, sheltered Bin Laden</a><h2>Sharif labels abeyance an 'act of war'</h2>“India's unilateral and illegal attempt to hold the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance defies the provisions of the treaty itself as well as the norms of International law,” Sharif said. “Pakistan has made it abundantly clear that we will defend the inseparable right of our people on these waters. To us, any violation of the treaty represents an act of war,” he added.Sharif also used his UN platform to once again ignore India's sovereignty and borders, and raised the issue of Kashmir, promising that Pakistan would continue to back the region. “I wish to assure Kashmiri people that I stand with them, Pakistan stands with them, and one day soon India's tyranny in Kashmir will come to a halt,” he declared.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/melania-trump-snubs-olena-zelenska-at-unga-ignores-ukrainian-first-lady-s-plea-for-abducted-children-1758701214520">Melania Trump snubs Olena Zelenska at UNGA; ignores Ukrainian first lady’s plea for abducted children</a><h2>Indus Waters Treaty</h2>The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 with World Bank mediation, has long been described as one of the most enduring agreements between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. It divided control of six rivers in the Indus basin: the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej to India, and the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab to Pakistan. Despite wars and decades of hostilities, the treaty has survived.India’s government has defended its decision to put the treaty on hold, saying Pakistan has consistently manipulated the mechanism of arbitration to distract from its sponsorship of terrorism. Officials in New Delhi maintain that placing the treaty in abeyance is within India’s sovereign rights under international law, and have linked any future revival of the agreement to “verifiable cessation” of cross-border terrorism.

At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used his speech to slam India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, labelling the action as "illegal". He also made mention of Kashmir, saying this…

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday (Sep 26) used his address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to cry foul about New Delhi's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty and accuse India of violating the agreement. Calling the action “illegal” and a threat to peace in the region, Sharif, who also used his speech to pander to US President Donald Trump, made no mention of India’s central demand — that Islamabad must take credible steps to stop cross-border terrorism before the treaty was reinstated. New Delhi announced the suspension earlier this year as a countermeasure after the Pahalgam terror attack in April killed 26 civilians, an attack India has blamed on groups operating from Pakistani soil. Also read | India tears into Shehbaz Sharif at UNGA, calls Pakistan speech 'absurd theatrics,' points out Islamabad glorifies terror, sheltered Bin Laden Sharif labels abeyance an 'act of war' “India's unilateral and illegal attempt to hold the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance defies the provisions of the treaty itself as well as the norms of International law,” Sharif said. “Pakistan has made it abundantly clear that we will defend the inseparable right of our people on these waters. To us, any violation of the treaty represents an act of war,” he added. Sharif also used his UN platform to once again ignore India's sovereignty and borders, and raised the issue of Kashmir, promising that Pakistan would continue to back the region. “I wish to assure Kashmiri people that I stand with them, Pakistan stands with them, and one day soon India's tyranny in Kashmir will come to a halt,” he declared. Also read | Melania Trump snubs Olena Zelenska at UNGA; ignores Ukrainian first lady’s plea for abducted children Indus Waters Treaty The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 with World Bank mediation, has long been described as one of the most enduring agreements between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. It divided control of six rivers in the Indus basin: the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej to India, and the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab to Pakistan. Despite wars and decades of hostilities, the treaty has survived. India’s government has defended its decision to put the treaty on hold, saying Pakistan has consistently manipulated the mechanism of arbitration to distract from its sponsorship of terrorism. Officials in New Delhi maintain that placing the treaty in abeyance is within India’s sovereign rights under international law, and have linked any future revival of the agreement to “verifiable cessation” of cross-border terrorism.

At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used his speech to slam India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, labelling the action as "illegal". He also mentioned Kashmir, saying this…

Shehbaz Sharif misuses UNGA speech to peddle Kashmir propaganda, slam India’s Indus Treaty move — stays silent on Pakistan terror links

From the icy heights of the Himalayas to the arid plains of the Thar Desert, these disputes have deep historical roots and complex political implications.


Disputed lands: 5 Asian countries facing unresolved border tensions

The European Commission on Thursday fined US social media giant Facebook 110 million euros ($120 million) for providing incorrect and misleading information on its takeover of WhatsApp, imposing its biggest penalty linked to a merger.

&quot;Today&#39;s decision sends a clear signal to companies that they must comply with all aspects of EU merger rules, including the obligation to provide correct information,&quot; EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

&quot;The Commission must be able to take decisions about mergers&#39; effects on competition in full knowledge of accurate facts,&quot; Vestager said.

Facebook said in response that it cooperated with the Commission.

&quot;We&#39;ve acted in good faith since our very first interactions with the Commission and we&#39;ve sought to provide accurate information at every turn,&quot; a Facebook spokesperson said.

&quot;The errors we made in our 2014 filings were not intentional and the Commission has confirmed that they did not impact the outcome of the merger review. Today&#39;s announcement brings this matter to a close.&quot;

EU regulators cleared the then $19 billion Facebook acquisition of WhatsApp in late 2014, finding no reason to believe it would dampen competition in the burgeoning social media sector.

In its statement Thursday, the Commission recalled that the merger rules require companies to provide regulators with the accurate information essential to any review.

It noted that when Facebook notified the Commission of the acquisition in 2014, the company had said it would &quot;be unable to establish reliable automated matching between Facebook users&#39; accounts and WhatsApp users&#39; accounts&quot;.

&quot;However, in August 2016, WhatsApp announced updates to its terms of service and privacy policy, including the possibility of linking WhatsApp users&#39; phone numbers with Facebook users&#39; identities,&quot; it said.&nbsp;

After launching a probe last year, the&nbsp;Commission &quot;found that, contrary to Facebook&#39;s statements in the 2014 merger review process, the technical possibility of automatically matching Facebook and WhatsApp users&#39; identities already existed in 2014, and that Facebook staff were aware of such a possibility.&quot;

The Commission said Thursday&#39;s decision and the fine would have no impact on its October 2014 clearance of the deal.

Commission spokesman Ricardo Cardoso said the fine was less than it would have been because Facebook cooperated.

Cardoso added it was nonetheless the &quot;highest fine ever&quot; imposed by the commission for breaches linked to a merger and would serve as a deterrent to others.

(AFP)

There was no loss of life in the incident

The European Commission on Thursday fined US social media giant Facebook 110 million euros ($120 million) for providing incorrect and misleading information on its takeover of WhatsApp, imposing its biggest penalty linked to a merger. "Today's decision sends a clear signal to companies that they must comply with all aspects of EU merger rules, including the obligation to provide correct information," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. "The Commission must be able to take decisions about mergers' effects on competition in full knowledge of accurate facts," Vestager said. Facebook said in response that it cooperated with the Commission. "We've acted in good faith since our very first interactions with the Commission and we've sought to provide accurate information at every turn," a Facebook spokesperson said. "The errors we made in our 2014 filings were not intentional and the Commission has confirmed that they did not impact the outcome of the merger review. Today's announcement brings this matter to a close." EU regulators cleared the then $19 billion Facebook acquisition of WhatsApp in late 2014, finding no reason to believe it would dampen competition in the burgeoning social media sector. In its statement Thursday, the Commission recalled that the merger rules require companies to provide regulators with the accurate information essential to any review. It noted that when Facebook notified the Commission of the acquisition in 2014, the company had said it would "be unable to establish reliable automated matching between Facebook users' accounts and WhatsApp users' accounts". "However, in August 2016, WhatsApp announced updates to its terms of service and privacy policy, including the possibility of linking WhatsApp users' phone numbers with Facebook users' identities," it said. After launching a probe last year, the Commission "found that, contrary to Facebook's statements in the 2014 merger review process, the technical possibility of automatically matching Facebook and WhatsApp users' identities already existed in 2014, and that Facebook staff were aware of such a possibility." The Commission said Thursday's decision and the fine would have no impact on its October 2014 clearance of the deal. Commission spokesman Ricardo Cardoso said the fine was less than it would have been because Facebook cooperated. Cardoso added it was nonetheless the "highest fine ever" imposed by the commission for breaches linked to a merger and would serve as a deterrent to others. (AFP)

Militants attack Indian troop in Kashmir's Tral

Amidst the ongoing unrest in India&#39;s Kashmir, a senior Indian minister said today that the Narendra Modi administration would find a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue. 
 
Addressing a public reception in Northeast Indian state of Sikkim, India&#39;s internal affairs minister Rajnath Singh blamed Pakistan for fomenting trouble in Kashmir.&nbsp;

But Singh said the attacks wouldn&#39;t derail the government&#39;s efforts to find a &quot;permanent solution to the Kashmir issue&quot;.

has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region.

The senior minister&#39;s statement comes at a time the Valley has been witnessing widespread unrest since April 9 when the bypoll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat was held. 
 
Eight people were killed in firing by security forces on the day. The turnout was a mere 7.14 per cent. 
 
The April 12 bypoll to the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat had to be postponed by the Election Commission in view of the &quot;scary&quot; situation in Kashmir. 
 
Students in large numbers have hit the streets, staging protests against alleged atrocities by the security forces. 
 
Last year, around 80 people lost their lives in the unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani. 
 
&quot;Kashmir is ours, Kashmiris are ours and Kashmiriyat is also ours. We will find a permanent solution to Kashmir,&quot; Singh said. 
 
Referring to the 2014 swearing-in ceremony of the Modi government, the home minister said leaders of all neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, were invited to show that the new government wanted to have friendly relations with all countries. 
 
However, he said, there had been no change in Pakistan&#39;s attitude towards India and it wanted to destabilise India. 
 
&quot;We hope that Pakistan will change. If it does not change, we have to change them. After globalisation, one country can&#39;t destabilise another country as the international community will not forget it,&quot; he said. 
 
The home minister is on a three-day visit to Sikkim during which he attended a conference of Himalayan states to review the security situation and development activities along the Sino-Indian border. 
 
He had also visited the Nathu La border post, besides visiting a few posts of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and SSB along the Sino-Indian and Indo-Nepal border respectively.

(PTI)

India;s internal affairs minister Rajnath Singh blamed Pakistan for trying to create unrest in India's Kashmir

Amidst the ongoing unrest in India's Kashmir, a senior Indian minister said today that the Narendra Modi administration would find a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue. Addressing a public reception in Northeast Indian state of Sikkim, India's internal affairs minister Rajnath Singh blamed Pakistan for fomenting trouble in Kashmir. But Singh said the attacks wouldn't derail the government's efforts to find a "permanent solution to the Kashmir issue". has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region. The senior minister's statement comes at a time the Valley has been witnessing widespread unrest since April 9 when the bypoll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat was held. Eight people were killed in firing by security forces on the day. The turnout was a mere 7.14 per cent. The April 12 bypoll to the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat had to be postponed by the Election Commission in view of the "scary" situation in Kashmir. Students in large numbers have hit the streets, staging protests against alleged atrocities by the security forces. Last year, around 80 people lost their lives in the unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani. "Kashmir is ours, Kashmiris are ours and Kashmiriyat is also ours. We will find a permanent solution to Kashmir," Singh said. Referring to the 2014 swearing-in ceremony of the Modi government, the home minister said leaders of all neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, were invited to show that the new government wanted to have friendly relations with all countries. However, he said, there had been no change in Pakistan's attitude towards India and it wanted to destabilise India. "We hope that Pakistan will change. If it does not change, we have to change them. After globalisation, one country can't destabilise another country as the international community will not forget it," he said. The home minister is on a three-day visit to Sikkim during which he attended a conference of Himalayan states to review the security situation and development activities along the Sino-Indian border. He had also visited the Nathu La border post, besides visiting a few posts of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and SSB along the Sino-Indian and Indo-Nepal border respectively. (PTI)

Indian PM Modi will find 'permanent solution to Kashmir issue'

India reiterated its stance that Kashmir was a bilateral issue with Pakistan, hours after the United States wished to &quot;de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward&quot;.

India&#39;s ministry of external affairs said they were willing to talk about Kashmir if terrorism sponsored from across the border abated.

&ldquo;We of course expect the international community and organisations to enforce international mechanisms, and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, that continues to be the single biggest threat to peace in our region,&rdquo; the statement released by the ministry stated.

New Delhi was responding to&nbsp;US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley&rsquo;s comment about the Kashmir issue.

In a departure from previous US administrations&#39; decision to stay away from the conflict in south Asia, Haley said: &quot;It&rsquo;s absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward.&rdquo;

The senior member of the Donald Trump administration also expressed its intention of being a &quot;part of that (defusing tension in the region)&quot;.

&ldquo;We very much think that we should be proactive in the way that we are seeing tensions rise and conflicts start to bubble up and so we want to see if we can be a part of that,&rdquo; Haley said.

Haley also spoke about China&#39;s persistent vetos to label Jaish-e-Mohammad head Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

&ldquo;The administration very much is looking at all of these avenues and some of the things we have talked about is sanctions and who is on the list and how we have managed that,&rdquo; she said.

New Delhi has blamed&nbsp;Azhar for orchestrating deadly coordinated attacks in 2008, which left 164 people dead and further 308 injured.

Kashmir&nbsp;has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety.

Rebel groups have for decades fought roughly 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the region, demanding independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.

The fighting has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

India reiterated that it was a bilateral issue and that Pakistan needed to control terrorists on their side for Kashmir talks to begin

India reiterated its stance that Kashmir was a bilateral issue with Pakistan, hours after the United States wished to "de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward". India's ministry of external affairs said they were willing to talk about Kashmir if terrorism sponsored from across the border abated. “We of course expect the international community and organisations to enforce international mechanisms, and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, that continues to be the single biggest threat to peace in our region,” the statement released by the ministry stated. New Delhi was responding to US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley’s comment about the Kashmir issue. In a departure from previous US administrations' decision to stay away from the conflict in south Asia, Haley said: "It’s absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward.” The senior member of the Donald Trump administration also expressed its intention of being a "part of that (defusing tension in the region)". “We very much think that we should be proactive in the way that we are seeing tensions rise and conflicts start to bubble up and so we want to see if we can be a part of that,” Haley said. Haley also spoke about China's persistent vetos to label Jaish-e-Mohammad head Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. “The administration very much is looking at all of these avenues and some of the things we have talked about is sanctions and who is on the list and how we have managed that,” she said. New Delhi has blamed Azhar for orchestrating deadly coordinated attacks in 2008, which left 164 people dead and further 308 injured. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. Rebel groups have for decades fought roughly 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the region, demanding independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan. The fighting has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead. (WION with inputs from AFP)

India snubs US' attempt to mediate Kashmir issue

Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar has urged Pakistan to show &quot;courage&quot; by allowing jihadi&nbsp;fighters to enter Kashmir and &quot;resolve the issue once and for all&quot;.

In a column published on the front page of the Jaish mouthpiece al-Qalam, Azhar wrote Islamabad&#39;s pro-jihad policy in Kashmir in the 1990s had weakened India&#39;s military capability, saying it had been reduced&nbsp;from a &quot;serpent to an earthworm&quot;.

Jaish-e-Mohammad, a jihadist organisation determined to liberate Kashmir from India, has been blamed by New Delhi for waging the deadly attack on an Indian Army installation in Uri, Kashmir, on September 18.&nbsp;

Azhar&nbsp;also slammed the Pakistani establishment for its recent dithering policies.

He said Pakistan, not India, should have &quot;cancelled the SAARC conference&quot;.

Azhar&#39;s exhortations come days after reports emerged about friction between the civilian government and the army over the latter&#39;s seemingly pro-jihadi policies.

According to a recent report penned by Dawn&#39;s Cyril Almeida, the civilian government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had asked the army to not protect Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi.

But Azhar in his column stressed that allowing jihadi groups to enter Kashmir would put India under pressure, saying the &quot;bitter memories of 1971&quot; would be &quot;dissolved into the triumphant emotions of 2016&quot;.&nbsp;

He said the Indian army was not particularly strong, as evidenced by the Pathankot and Uri attacks on Indian Army installations, which killed three and 18 security personnel respectively. &quot;What remained of its military prowess was exposed in Pathankot and Uri,&rdquo; he wrote.&nbsp;

(WION)

Masood Azhar slams Islamabad for going soft on India, days after the government reportedly asked the army to swoop on homegrown jihadis

Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar has urged Pakistan to show "courage" by allowing jihadi fighters to enter Kashmir and "resolve the issue once and for all". In a column published on the front page of the Jaish mouthpiece al-Qalam, Azhar wrote Islamabad's pro-jihad policy in Kashmir in the 1990s had weakened India's military capability, saying it had been reduced from a "serpent to an earthworm". Jaish-e-Mohammad, a jihadist organisation determined to liberate Kashmir from India, has been blamed by New Delhi for waging the deadly attack on an Indian Army installation in Uri, Kashmir, on September 18. Azhar also slammed the Pakistani establishment for its recent dithering policies. He said Pakistan, not India, should have "cancelled the SAARC conference". Azhar's exhortations come days after reports emerged about friction between the civilian government and the army over the latter's seemingly pro-jihadi policies. According to a recent report penned by Dawn's Cyril Almeida, the civilian government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had asked the army to not protect Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi. But Azhar in his column stressed that allowing jihadi groups to enter Kashmir would put India under pressure, saying the "bitter memories of 1971" would be "dissolved into the triumphant emotions of 2016". He said the Indian army was not particularly strong, as evidenced by the Pathankot and Uri attacks on Indian Army installations, which killed three and 18 security personnel respectively. "What remained of its military prowess was exposed in Pathankot and Uri,” he wrote. (WION)

Jaish chief tells Pakistan to let militants enter Kashmir and 'resolve issue'

India and Pakistan are gearing up for a stormy debate on Kashmir during a United Nations session on Wednesday (September 21). 
 
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans to make the Kashmir issue central to&nbsp;his address next week&nbsp;at the&nbsp;United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).&nbsp; 
 
The Indian delegation, headed by foreign&nbsp;minister Sushma Swaraj, is expected to give a &quot;befitting&quot; reply to Pakistan&#39;s concerns. 
 
Kashmir has been on the boil ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was gunned down by Indian security forces on July 8. Hizbul Mujahideen is deemed as a terrorist organisation in India. 
 
Violent protests erupted across the India-administered&nbsp;Kashmir valley in the aftermath of Wani&#39;s killing.&nbsp; 
 
So far, 81 people have died during the unrest in the valley. A teenager named&nbsp;Momin Altaf Ganai became the latest casualty in the ongoing crisis, with&nbsp;Indian reports suggesting he succumbed to pellet injuries.&nbsp; 
 
On Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif vowed to &quot;highlight&quot; the Kashmir issue after meeting Kashmiri leaders in Muzaffarabad.&nbsp; 
 
Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Office reasserted Sharif&#39;s intent to &quot;focus on the the continuing grave violations of human rights by Indian occupation forces&quot; in Kashmir. 
 
&ldquo;He (PM Sharif) will call upon the international community and the United Nations to live up to their promise [about] the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,&rdquo; the Foreign Office further said, according to Pakistani media. 
 
The Indian side, meanwhile, expects Pakistan to make &quot;provocative&quot; statements at the world meet but they are confident of &quot;effectively&quot; countering their claims. 
 
(WION)

Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif is expected to make the Kashmir issue central to his address, India is preparing a 'befitting' reply

India and Pakistan are gearing up for a stormy debate on Kashmir during a United Nations session on Wednesday (September 21). Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans to make the Kashmir issue central to his address next week at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The Indian delegation, headed by foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, is expected to give a "befitting" reply to Pakistan's concerns. Kashmir has been on the boil ever since Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was gunned down by Indian security forces on July 8. Hizbul Mujahideen is deemed as a terrorist organisation in India. Violent protests erupted across the India-administered Kashmir valley in the aftermath of Wani's killing. So far, 81 people have died during the unrest in the valley. A teenager named Momin Altaf Ganai became the latest casualty in the ongoing crisis, with Indian reports suggesting he succumbed to pellet injuries. On Friday, Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif vowed to "highlight" the Kashmir issue after meeting Kashmiri leaders in Muzaffarabad. Pakistan's Foreign Office reasserted Sharif's intent to "focus on the the continuing grave violations of human rights by Indian occupation forces" in Kashmir. “He (PM Sharif) will call upon the international community and the United Nations to live up to their promise [about] the right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the Foreign Office further said, according to Pakistani media. The Indian side, meanwhile, expects Pakistan to make "provocative" statements at the world meet but they are confident of "effectively" countering their claims. (WION)

India-Pak set for showdown over Kashmir at UN General Assembly