Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in an emergency cabinet meeting held today said Islamabad was ready to counter any external threat.

The meeting was held to discuss the situation in Kashmir and the cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC) with India.

Sharif called the attack at the LoC &quot;unprovoked and naked aggression&quot; of Indian forces.

&quot;No external force has the capability or capacity to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan,&quot; he was reported as saying.

Pakistan&rsquo;s foreign secretary had also earlier summoned the Indian High Commissioner and urged the Indian government &quot;to ensure the safety and security of Pakistan&#39;s High Commissioner, other officials and their families, in accordance with the Vienna Convention&quot;.

The cabinet condemned &ldquo;unprovoked firing at the LoC&rdquo; which claimed the lives of two Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan media reports said.

The Indian Army said it carried out surgical strikes at the LoC on Thursday in response to the attack on an Indian Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 19 soldiers earlier this month.

The strikes had been based on &quot;specific credible information&quot; that militants were planning to carry out strikes in Indian cities, including Jammu, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh of the Indian Army told reporters on Thursday.

But Pakistan has denied India&nbsp;conducting any surgical strikes on their soil.

Islamabad says there was a cross-border &quot;skirmish&quot; between the Indian Army and Pakistan Rangers that killed two of their soldiers.

Pakistan also claimed that they captured one of the Indian soldiers during the exchange over the border.

But New Delhi said the soldier had &quot;inadvertently crossed&quot;&nbsp;over to the other side of the LoC and not captured by Pakistan.&nbsp;

Pakistan Defence recently tweeted that the Indian establishment was nervous that the captured soldier would expose India&#39;s &#39;surgical strikes claim.

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Indian military is in complete panic mode by what the captured Indian soldier might reveal about the so called &quot;Surgical Strike&quot; .
&mdash; Pakistan Defence (@defencepk) <a href="https://twitter.com/defencepk/status/781854373244706816">September 30, 2016</a></blockquote>
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(WION)

Pakistan's federal cabinet condemned India's 'unprovoked firing at the LoC' which claimed the lives of two Pakistani soldiers on Thursday

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in an emergency cabinet meeting held today said Islamabad was ready to counter any external threat. The meeting was held to discuss the situation in Kashmir and the cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC) with India. Sharif called the attack at the LoC "unprovoked and naked aggression" of Indian forces. "No external force has the capability or capacity to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan," he was reported as saying. Pakistan’s foreign secretary had also earlier summoned the Indian High Commissioner and urged the Indian government "to ensure the safety and security of Pakistan's High Commissioner, other officials and their families, in accordance with the Vienna Convention". The cabinet condemned “unprovoked firing at the LoC” which claimed the lives of two Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan media reports said. The Indian Army said it carried out surgical strikes at the LoC on Thursday in response to the attack on an Indian Army base in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 19 soldiers earlier this month. The strikes had been based on "specific credible information" that militants were planning to carry out strikes in Indian cities, including Jammu, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh of the Indian Army told reporters on Thursday. But Pakistan has denied India conducting any surgical strikes on their soil. Islamabad says there was a cross-border "skirmish" between the Indian Army and Pakistan Rangers that killed two of their soldiers. Pakistan also claimed that they captured one of the Indian soldiers during the exchange over the border. But New Delhi said the soldier had "inadvertently crossed" over to the other side of the LoC and not captured by Pakistan. Pakistan Defence recently tweeted that the Indian establishment was nervous that the captured soldier would expose India's 'surgical strikes claim. Indian military is in complete panic mode by what the captured Indian soldier might reveal about the so called "Surgical Strike" . — Pakistan Defence (@defencepk) September 30, 2016 × (WION)

Pakistan ready to counter external threat: PM Nawaz Sharif

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) today once again asked India and Pakistan to grant it &quot;unconditional access&quot; to both sides on the line of control to establish an &quot;objective assessment&quot; of the situation in Kashmir. 
 
But the suggestion drew a sharp response from India&rsquo;s ministry of external affairs. India said that terrorism is the &ldquo;grossest violation&rdquo; of human rights and should be so acknowledged by an impartial and objective observer. 
 
The statement was a direct reference to the unrest in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The ministry asserted that the unrest in the Valley had been &ldquo;aggravated by sustained cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan&rdquo;. 
 
India said it hoped the connection between terrorism and violation of human rights would be deliberated upon in Geneva at the 33rd session of the Human Rights Council. 
 
Replying to UNHCHR&#39;s suggestion to unconditional access to both sides on the line of control, India&rsquo;s external affairs ministry said that there was no comparison between the situations in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and that controlled by Pakistan. 
 
&ldquo;The former has a democratically elected government, while the latter has seen a Pakistani diplomat arbitrarily appointed as its head,&quot; the ministry said. 
 
UN High Commissioner Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein said that Pakistan had already formally invited a team to the Pakistani side of the line of control, but expecting a simultaneous mission to the Indian side too. 
 
&quot;We had previously received reports, and still continue to do so, claiming the Indian authorities had used force excessively against the civilian population under its administration. We furthermore received conflicting narratives from the two sides as to the cause for the confrontations and the reported large numbers of people killed and wounded. I believe an independent, impartial and international mission is now needed crucially and that it should be given free and complete access to establish an objective assessment of the claims made by the two sides,&quot; PTI reported Hussein as saying. 
 
The ministry said that the issue of an external mission was considered by the all-party conference on August 12 to discuss the situation in the state. 
 
&quot;It was unanimously felt that Indian democracy has all that is required to address legitimate grievances. Accordingly, an all-party delegation visited Srinagar. Despite cross-border terrorist infiltration that saw an encounter only yesterday, the government remains fully engaged in normalizing the situation as soon as possible,&quot; the ministry said. 
 
An MEA statement said that the present situation arose from the death of a &ldquo;self-acknowledged commander of the terrorist organization, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, who was wanted for several terrorist acts.&rdquo; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The United Nations has sought unconditional access from India and Pakistan to assess human rights situation in Kashmir

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) today once again asked India and Pakistan to grant it "unconditional access" to both sides on the line of control to establish an "objective assessment" of the situation in Kashmir. But the suggestion drew a sharp response from India’s ministry of external affairs. India said that terrorism is the “grossest violation” of human rights and should be so acknowledged by an impartial and objective observer. The statement was a direct reference to the unrest in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The ministry asserted that the unrest in the Valley had been “aggravated by sustained cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan”. India said it hoped the connection between terrorism and violation of human rights would be deliberated upon in Geneva at the 33rd session of the Human Rights Council. Replying to UNHCHR's suggestion to unconditional access to both sides on the line of control, India’s external affairs ministry said that there was no comparison between the situations in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and that controlled by Pakistan. “The former has a democratically elected government, while the latter has seen a Pakistani diplomat arbitrarily appointed as its head," the ministry said. UN High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said that Pakistan had already formally invited a team to the Pakistani side of the line of control, but expecting a simultaneous mission to the Indian side too. "We had previously received reports, and still continue to do so, claiming the Indian authorities had used force excessively against the civilian population under its administration. We furthermore received conflicting narratives from the two sides as to the cause for the confrontations and the reported large numbers of people killed and wounded. I believe an independent, impartial and international mission is now needed crucially and that it should be given free and complete access to establish an objective assessment of the claims made by the two sides," PTI reported Hussein as saying. The ministry said that the issue of an external mission was considered by the all-party conference on August 12 to discuss the situation in the state. "It was unanimously felt that Indian democracy has all that is required to address legitimate grievances. Accordingly, an all-party delegation visited Srinagar. Despite cross-border terrorist infiltration that saw an encounter only yesterday, the government remains fully engaged in normalizing the situation as soon as possible," the ministry said. An MEA statement said that the present situation arose from the death of a “self-acknowledged commander of the terrorist organization, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, who was wanted for several terrorist acts.” (WION with inputs from agencies)

Kashmir situation cannot be compared to Pakistan-controlled Kashmir: India tells UN

An Indian diplomat has been living in Pakistan without a visa for six months, the Pakistani newspaper The Nation reported on Monday. 
 
The diplomat was not named, and the paper quoted the Pakistani foreign office spokesperson as saying he was ignorant of the matter. &nbsp;But a spokesperson for the Indian high commission did confirm the presence of the diplomat &ndash; sans his visa &ndash; in Islamabad.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;Yes, the story is absolutely true but we don&rsquo;t want his name to be published,&rdquo; the spokesperson, Balbeer Singh, told Online in a written reply. 
&nbsp; 
The diplomat in question works out of the Indian high commission and his visa reportedly expired six months ago.&nbsp; 
 
The Pakistani papers seemed to blame both the Pakistani foreign office and the interior ministry for the slip-up, saying they were both responsible for letting an Indian diplomat live in the national capital minus a valid visa. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Balbeer Singh, The Nation reported, had asserted that the Indian high commission had been asking the Pakistani authorities in writing and &ldquo;through other bilateral means&rdquo; to issue the diplomat a visa.&nbsp; 
 
The Pakistani newspapers said the prerogative to issue or not issue the diplomat a visa lay with the interior ministry. And that the foreign office was only expected to act like a &ldquo;post office&rdquo; -- in other words, to pass on the request for a visa.&nbsp; 
 
But, they added, the foreign office could always expedite the process by asking the interior ministry to cut through the red tape involved.&nbsp; 
 
The Nation reported that after the foreign office spokesperson had expressed his ignorance of the matter, he made the cautious statement that the Indian diplomat&#39;s case might be &ldquo;under process&rdquo;. 
&nbsp; 
The Nation reported him as saying: &ldquo;This is no news story. These are normal practices throughout the world. The process of renewal of visa may take several months. As far as the case is under process, we cannot say the Indian diplomat is living here without a visa,&rdquo; he justified the situation on the basis of assumption. 
 
Both Pakistan and India are signatories to an agreement under which diplomats from the two neighbouring countries are granted visas for the duration of their assignments. 
 
The Indian diplomat in question had earlier, before he moved to Islamabad, been posted in the Middle East. And while was stationed to Islamabad for a three-year period, he was given only a one-year visa. 
 
(WION)

The diplomat in question works out of the Indian high commission and his visa reportedly expired six months ago

An Indian diplomat has been living in Pakistan without a visa for six months, the Pakistani newspaper The Nation reported on Monday. The diplomat was not named, and the paper quoted the Pakistani foreign office spokesperson as saying he was ignorant of the matter. But a spokesperson for the Indian high commission did confirm the presence of the diplomat – sans his visa – in Islamabad. “Yes, the story is absolutely true but we don’t want his name to be published,” the spokesperson, Balbeer Singh, told Online in a written reply. The diplomat in question works out of the Indian high commission and his visa reportedly expired six months ago. The Pakistani papers seemed to blame both the Pakistani foreign office and the interior ministry for the slip-up, saying they were both responsible for letting an Indian diplomat live in the national capital minus a valid visa. Balbeer Singh, The Nation reported, had asserted that the Indian high commission had been asking the Pakistani authorities in writing and “through other bilateral means” to issue the diplomat a visa. The Pakistani newspapers said the prerogative to issue or not issue the diplomat a visa lay with the interior ministry. And that the foreign office was only expected to act like a “post office” -- in other words, to pass on the request for a visa. But, they added, the foreign office could always expedite the process by asking the interior ministry to cut through the red tape involved. The Nation reported that after the foreign office spokesperson had expressed his ignorance of the matter, he made the cautious statement that the Indian diplomat's case might be “under process”. The Nation reported him as saying: “This is no news story. These are normal practices throughout the world. The process of renewal of visa may take several months. As far as the case is under process, we cannot say the Indian diplomat is living here without a visa,” he justified the situation on the basis of assumption. Both Pakistan and India are signatories to an agreement under which diplomats from the two neighbouring countries are granted visas for the duration of their assignments. The Indian diplomat in question had earlier, before he moved to Islamabad, been posted in the Middle East. And while was stationed to Islamabad for a three-year period, he was given only a one-year visa. (WION)

Indian diplomat living in Islamabad for 6 months without a visa: Reports

Five cases, including that of sedition, have been registered against three top Baloch nationalist leaders in Pakistan for allegedly backing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s supportive words on Balochistan in his Independence Day speech. 
 
Brahamdagh Bugti, Harbiyar Marri and Banuk Karima Baloch were booked under sections 120, 121, 123 and 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code at five police stations in Khuzdar area in the restive province following complaints, a senior police official said today. 
 
The sections relate to &quot;concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment&quot;, &quot;waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan&quot;, &quot;concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war&quot;, and &quot;assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty&quot;. 
 
The complainants have alleged that Bugti, Marri and Baloch had &#39;supported&#39; Modi&#39;s speech, Acting District Police Officer Khuzdar Muhammad Ashraf Jatak said. 
 
On August 15 from the historic Red Fort, Modi said that people from Balochistan had thanked him for highlighting the atrocities by the Pakistani state on the people of Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). 
 
Pakistan has said Modi crossed the &quot;red line&quot; by talking about Balochistan and asserted it will &quot;forcefully&quot; raise the Kashmir issue at next month&#39;s the UN General Assembly session. 
 
India and Pakistan have been engaged in a war of words over Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s statements on the situation in Kashmir, which has been witnessing unrest following the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on July 8. 
 
Following Modi&#39;s supportive words for the people of Balochistan, protests against him were held in Balochistan, with large numbers of tribesmen coming out on the streets in Dera Bugti, Khuzdar, Quetta, Chaman and other parts of the province. 
 
In retaliation, Afghan protesters also held rallies at the friendship gate at the Chaman border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the gate has been closed indefinitely by Pakistani authorities after the angry Afghan protesters burnt a Pakistan flag and pelted stones at the gate. 
 
Balochistan chief minister Sanaullah Zehri in a speech last week alleged that the Indian government &quot;fully supports the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan&quot;. 
 
Zehri&#39;s speech came days after a video showing exiled Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugti appreciating &#39;support&#39; given to the Baloch people by Modi began circulating on social media. 
 
(PTI)

Five cases, including of sedition, have been registered against three top leaders

Five cases, including that of sedition, have been registered against three top Baloch nationalist leaders in Pakistan for allegedly backing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's supportive words on Balochistan in his Independence Day speech. Brahamdagh Bugti, Harbiyar Marri and Banuk Karima Baloch were booked under sections 120, 121, 123 and 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code at five police stations in Khuzdar area in the restive province following complaints, a senior police official said today. The sections relate to "concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment", "waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan", "concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war", and "assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty". The complainants have alleged that Bugti, Marri and Baloch had 'supported' Modi's speech, Acting District Police Officer Khuzdar Muhammad Ashraf Jatak said. On August 15 from the historic Red Fort, Modi said that people from Balochistan had thanked him for highlighting the atrocities by the Pakistani state on the people of Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Pakistan has said Modi crossed the "red line" by talking about Balochistan and asserted it will "forcefully" raise the Kashmir issue at next month's the UN General Assembly session. India and Pakistan have been engaged in a war of words over Pakistan and its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's statements on the situation in Kashmir, which has been witnessing unrest following the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani on July 8. Following Modi's supportive words for the people of Balochistan, protests against him were held in Balochistan, with large numbers of tribesmen coming out on the streets in Dera Bugti, Khuzdar, Quetta, Chaman and other parts of the province. In retaliation, Afghan protesters also held rallies at the friendship gate at the Chaman border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the gate has been closed indefinitely by Pakistani authorities after the angry Afghan protesters burnt a Pakistan flag and pelted stones at the gate. Balochistan chief minister Sanaullah Zehri in a speech last week alleged that the Indian government "fully supports the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan". Zehri's speech came days after a video showing exiled Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugti appreciating 'support' given to the Baloch people by Modi began circulating on social media. (PTI)

Pak books Baloch leaders for supporting Indian PM Modi's speech

Pakistan will move the International Court of Arbitration (ICA) to restrain India from building two major hydropower projects on Jhelum and Chenab, the two rivers assigned to Islamabad under the 1960s Indus Waters Treaty. 
 
&quot;Pakistan to move international court of arbitration,&quot; tweeted federal minister for water and power Khwaja Mohammad Asif, who also holds the portfolio of federal minister for defence. 
 
An eight-member delegation led by secretary water and power Mohammad Younas Dagha is presently in New Delhi for final talks on resolving the dispute bilaterally or to seek arbitration, Dawn reported. 
 
Asif said the talks for two and a half years with India on the resolution of Pakistan&#39;s objections regarding Kishanganga and Ratle Hydroelectric projects have failed. 
 
&quot;Pakistan with consent of stakeholders decided to take it to full court of arbitration,&quot; he said adding that India has invited Pakistan to discuss points of dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty. 
 
Under the treaty, in case the parties fail to resolve water disputes through bilateral means, the aggrieved party has the option to invoke the jurisdiction of the ICA or the neutral expert under the auspices of the World Bank. 
 
An official said Pakistan feels its water rights are being violated by India on two rivers, the Chenab and Jhelum, through a faulty design of 850 megawatt Ratle Hydropower Project, and 330 megawatt Kishanganga Hydropower, respectively. 
 
Pakistan believes the Indian design of the Ratle project would reduce Chenab water flow by 40 per cent at Head Marala and cause irrigation loss to crops. 
 
(ANI)

Pakistan feels Indian water projects would reduce the flow of its river, causing damage to crops

Pakistan will move the International Court of Arbitration (ICA) to restrain India from building two major hydropower projects on Jhelum and Chenab, the two rivers assigned to Islamabad under the 1960s Indus Waters Treaty. "Pakistan to move international court of arbitration," tweeted federal minister for water and power Khwaja Mohammad Asif, who also holds the portfolio of federal minister for defence. An eight-member delegation led by secretary water and power Mohammad Younas Dagha is presently in New Delhi for final talks on resolving the dispute bilaterally or to seek arbitration, Dawn reported. Asif said the talks for two and a half years with India on the resolution of Pakistan's objections regarding Kishanganga and Ratle Hydroelectric projects have failed. "Pakistan with consent of stakeholders decided to take it to full court of arbitration," he said adding that India has invited Pakistan to discuss points of dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty. Under the treaty, in case the parties fail to resolve water disputes through bilateral means, the aggrieved party has the option to invoke the jurisdiction of the ICA or the neutral expert under the auspices of the World Bank. An official said Pakistan feels its water rights are being violated by India on two rivers, the Chenab and Jhelum, through a faulty design of 850 megawatt Ratle Hydropower Project, and 330 megawatt Kishanganga Hydropower, respectively. Pakistan believes the Indian design of the Ratle project would reduce Chenab water flow by 40 per cent at Head Marala and cause irrigation loss to crops. (ANI)

Pakistan to seek arbitration with India over water dispute

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Pakistan ready to counter external threat: PM Nawaz Sharif

Kashmir situation cannot be compared to Pakistan-controlled Kashmir: India tells UN

Indian diplomat living in Islamabad for 6 months without a visa: Reports

Pak books Baloch leaders for supporting Indian PM Modi's speech

Pakistan to seek arbitration with India over water dispute