During the reporting period, relations between Pakistan and India remained adversarial and security-focused.148 Formal bilateral dialogue mechanisms remained suspended, and no comprehensive talks were resumed.149 Both states reiterated long-standing and opposing positions on Kashmir.150 India maintained that Pakistan facilitated or tolerated cross-border infiltration by militant groups, particularly in the context of attacks in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, while Pakistan rejected these allegations and denied any support for cross-border militancy.151 The Pakistani government, for its part accused India of supporting Baloch insurgent groups,152 officially labelling all terrorist groups operating in Balochistan ‘Fitna al Hindustan’, claiming that this denomination reflected the groups’ links to India.153
In April 2025, following a fatal armed attack targeting tourists in India-administered Kashmir, India announced a series of diplomatic measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of a key water-sharing treaty, the cessation of bilateral trade and the suspension of most visas154, resulting in the deportation of hundreds of Pakistani nationals from India.155 In response, Pakistan announced reciprocal measures, including the suspension of visas for Indian nationals, the closure of its airspace to Indian flights and a trade ban. The measures were followed by four days of heavy cross-border shelling and aerial operations. These were halted by a ceasefire,156 which the International Crisis Group assessed in September 2025 as fragile, referring to continued mutual accusations and entrenched mistrust between the parties.157 Despite the ceasefire, exchanges of small-arms fire between Pakistani and Indian forces were reported during the remainder of the reporting period.158 Both states also conducted military exercises159 and missile tests,160 and accused each other of mismanaging their nuclear weapons.161 For more information, see section 4.1.2. Border security, including incidents along the Durand Line (Afghanistan), the Line of Control (India), and the Pakistan–Iran border.
- 148
Business Recorder, Pessimism grows about prospects of Pakistan-India relations, 21 November 2025, url
- 149
Indian Express (The), For India-Pakistan, peace is not weakness, dialogue is not defeat, 5 February 2026, url; Arab News, Pakistan calls for reset in South Asia as dialogue with India hits 11-year freeze, 3 December 2025, url; Chatham House, India–Pakistan ceasefire remains shaky, with relations unlikely to return to status quo, 5 June 2025, url; DW, India-Pakistan crisis deepened by lack of informal diplomacy, 27 May 2025, url
- 150
Britannica, The Kashmir problem, last updated 28 March 2026, url; Pakistan Today, Pakistan rejects India’s claim over Jammu and Kashmir at UN, 17 January 2026, url
- 151
Al Jazeera, ‘What’s our fault?’: India’s expulsion of Pakistanis still splits families, 4 December 2025, url; Al Jazeera, Who are the armed groups India accuses Pakistan of backing?, 9 May 2025, url
- 152
Al Jazeera, ‘Army alone can’t neutralise grievances’: What fuels Balochistan violence, 1 February 2026, url; Shaikh, F., The hijacking of a train marks a watershed in the Balochistan insurgency, Chatham House, 16 April 2025, url
- 153
Business Recorder, Balochistan: Terror groups branded as ‘Fitna al Hindustan’, 1 June 2025, url
- 154
BBC, These five measures remain, despite the India-Pakistan ceasefire, 13 May 2025, url
- 155
Al Jazeera, ‘What’s our fault?’: India’s expulsion of Pakistanis still splits families, 4 December 2025, url
- 156
BBC, These five measures remain, despite the India-Pakistan ceasefire, 13 May 2025, url
- 157
International Crisis Group, India-Pakistan: Avoiding a War in Waiting, 17 September 2025, url, p. 1
- 158
Sunday Guardian (The), Tension in North Kashmir After LOC firing; Army Responds, 22 February 2026, url; APB Live, Exchange Of Fire Reported Along LoC In Keran Sector Of North Kashmir, 21 January 2026, url; India Today, India, Pak troops exchange brief fire at LoC, months after Op Sindoor: Sources, 21 September 2025, url
- 159
Diplomat (The), India’s Exercise Trishul: Why Pakistan Should Be Worried, 18 November 2025, url; Firstpost, What is India’s military exercise that has forced Pakistan to close most of its airspace?, 28 October 2025, url; News International (The), Pakistan Army stages military exercises as tensions with India escalate, 1 May 2025, url
- 160
Chatham House, An imminent Indian ballistic missile test highlights escalation risks in the Indian Ocean, 19 December 2025, url; Resonant News, Pakistan and India Conducting Missile Tests On Same Dates, 4 November 2024, url; Le Monde, Pakistan conducts second missile test since renewed India tensions over Kashmir, 5 May 2025, url
- 161
Al Jazeera, India and Pakistan trade accusations of nuclear weapons mismanagement, 15 May 2025, url