India and Pakistan exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in their custody on 1 July under the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, under which such lists are exchanged every year on 1 January and 1 July. India shared lists of 343 civilian prisoners and 74 fishermen in its custody, whereas Pakistan shared lists of 42 civilian prisoners and 266 fishermen. India also called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel, and fishermen along with their boats from Pakistan’s custody.
A report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said that the first half of 2023 saw a steady and alarming rise in terror incidents in Pakistan. Two hundred seventy-one militant attacks took place in the first half of 2023, resulting in the loss of 389 lives and injuring 656 individuals. In contrast, only 151 attacks, causing 293 deaths and 487 injuries, had occurred in the first half of 2022.
According to officials cited by the Hindustan Times, India is set to initiate the procurement process for 31 MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft systems from the US government under the foreign military sales program. The estimated value of the deal is approximately &undefined;25,000 crore ($3.07 billion). These drones will be allocated as follows: 15 for the Indian Navy, and eight each for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. It is anticipated that ten of the drones will be acquired as fully assembled units, while the remaining 21 will be assembled in India.
Following the violent 2020 Galwan Valley clash, India and China are initiating several infrastructure developments in eastern Ladakh. As Beijing races against time to finish constructing a bridge across the Pangong Tso — a lake stretching across eastern Ladakh and western Tibet — connecting the north and south banks, New Delhi is simultaneously engaged in constructing a black-topped road on its side of the north bank. “Construction of black-topped road towards Finger 4 (mountain spurs jutting into the lake are referred to as ‘Fingers’ in military parlance) on our side is on and is expected to be completed by 2025. There is major impetus on infrastructure, road networks, advanced landing grounds and so on,” an anonymous official source told The Hindu.
Russia resumed scheduled flights to Cuba on Saturday. Rossiya Airlines, an Aeroflot subsidiary, resumed its first flight from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport to the Cuban resort town of Varadero. Aeroflot said that it would be a twice-weekly air service. Last year, the two nations suspended air services as part of Western sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine.
Indian PM Narendra Modi had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. They discussed developments in bilateral relations and exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues of mutual concern. While Putin briefed Modi on recent Russian events, Modi reaffirmed the need for dialogue and diplomacy with regard to the situation in Ukraine. Both leaders agreed to keep in touch and work together to strengthen their Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.
US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump failed to foresee the consequences of withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan, a US State Department report said on Friday. It noted that “constantly changing policy guidance and public messaging” from the US “added to the confusion and often failed to take into account key facts on the ground.” According to the report, such missteps, lack of critical decision-making, and troop withdrawal played a major role in the collapse of the democratic Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power.
Israel has approved the purchase of a third squadron of F-35 fighter jets from the US in a $3 billion deal, the Ministry of Defence announced on Sunday. The deal, which will see Israel’s F-35s increase to 75, will be financed through the US aid package to the country.