Pakistan

While the governments in New Delhi and Islamabad each claim victory after the ceasefire in Kashmir, the ceasefire is bringing some relief to an exhausted population. Meanwhile, extremists continue to fuel hatred on social media. Political tensions remain an obstacle to dialogue. Bishops on both sides of the border have launched appeals for a future of peace and shared development.

Bishops, priests, religious and faithful in Pakistan are grateful and hopeful following the election of Pope Leo XIV. Young people, teachers and seminarians hope for a pontificate marked by peace, dialogue and closeness to the last and the marginalised, like the Christians living in difficult situations in Pakistan.

After attacking each other in the past couple of days, both sides continue to launch air strikes and drones, with emergency measures imposed along the border. The two countries accuse each other of starting the violence and infiltrating their respective territory. New Delhi has also intensified non-military measures against Islamabad, putting pressure on the International Monetary Fund, as well as blocking parts of the Internet. It has also taken advantage of tensions to crack down on domestic opposition.

As clashes between India and Pakistan intensify after the attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, military operations are increasingly seen as testing the most advanced weapons on the market. Today India struck Pakistani air defences, risking further escalation. Pakistan has promised a response “at a time and place of its own choosing” with the risk of causing the worse confrontation between the two countries since 1971.

In a town of just 8,000 inhabitants in the state of Goa lie the roots of both the Indian Filipe Neri Ferrão and the Pakistani Joseph Coutts, who from this afternoon are participating as electors in the selection of the new pontiff. A sign of the Church of the peripheries, but also of the vitality of a community founded four centuries ago by Portuguese Franciscans. And in these hours, it is also a symbol of the thirst for peace between the two countries now plunged into a new crisis over Kashmir.

India has suspended the Indus Water Treaty, following a terror attack in Pahalgam (Indian Kashmir), reactivating hydroelectric projects left unfinished because of the agreement with Pakistan. Meanwhile, violence against Muslims and Kashmiris is growing, victims of assaults and threats in several Indian cities.

Born in India, he moved to Lahore with his family at a very young age. Over the years, he has fought for social justice, Christian rights and freedom of worship. He has been able to defuse feelings of ‘revenge’ even among Christians, as in the case of the assassination of Minister Bhatti and the Gojra massacre. Harmony and peace are the guiding principles of his episcopate.

The Archbishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi expresses the deep sorrow of Catholics and non-Catholics in the country. The ‘courage’ to bring people who are often ‘discarded’ to the ‘front line’. From interreligious harmony to ecological issues, gestures that are ‘testimony to his deep commitment to unity’. Looking ahead to the next conclave, so that ‘the Holy Spirit may guide the cardinals’.

An unidentified man is alleged to have left bait, presumably intended for stray dogs, in his rickshaw. Two children are still in critical condition. The episode rekindles attention on the vulnerability of religious minorities in Punjab, already affected by violence and accusations of blasphemy. Civil society is calling for justice and accountability, including for the health authorities.

Despite criticism from several international organisations, Pakistan launched the second phase of its forced repatriation plan for Afghan refugees, which began in 2023. The lives of Afghan human rights activists and members of the former pro-Western regime are at risk. For Pakistani authorities, expulsions are a way to pressure the Taliban, accused of supporting terrorist groups operating in Pakistan.

An explosion in the Barech market area, among the victims a doctor known for his cancer treatments. The massacre comes after the indiscriminate arrests following the seizure of the Jaffar Express train. Local civil society voices to AsiaNews: ‘The government must find a clear solution to the long-standing demands of the Baloch people’.

After activist Mahrang Baloch was jailed on Saturday, her sister has complained on social media about the poor conditions of detention. Some families recently tried to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones, but Pakistani authorities claimed the bodies belonged to the Baloch terrorists responsible for the attack on the Jaffar Express train. The situation has degenerated with shots fired at unarmed protesters demanding the truth about missing persons. Meanwhile, protests continue in several cities in Balochistan.