India / Pakistan

Voting is under way in the third and final phase of Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s Legislative Assembly elections, but just four of the 11 constituencies originally scheduled to vote are going to the polls due to unrest in the region. … The postponement came after weeks of protests by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a local pressure group demanding the abolition of 12 seats in the regional legislature reserved for displaced Kashmiris living elsewhere in Pakistan.

A second round in regional elections held amid deadly clashes and heightened tensions over local demands for electoral reforms.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear to United States President Donald Trump 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, a top diplomat in New Delhi says. 

The risk of renewed hostilities will remain in the absence of meaningful political dialogue.

Pakistan and India accused each other of launching drone attacks on Thursday, and Islamabad’s Defence Minister said further retaliation was “increasingly certain”, on the second day of major clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

The UN chief has expressed deep concern over Indian military operations across the Line of Control and the international border with Pakistan. … He offered his good offices to both governments to help defuse tensions and promote diplomacy, stressing that “a military solution is no solution.”

Islamabad asks the United States to help ease tensions with New Delhi after receiving ‘credible intelligence’ of an imminent strike.

The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday that killed at least 26 tourists and left many more injured, calling for accountability and international cooperation to bring the perpetrators to justice.

India says it will shut a key land border with Pakistan and stall a water-sharing treaty as part of a round of punitive measures. It cited "cross-border linkages" to the worst attack on civilians in Kashmir in years. 

Media report that India-administrated Kashmir faces a surge in militant attacks in the Hindu-dominated areas. Some observers say the issue is an influx of militants from Pakistan.