Daily Briefing: Pakistan ready to discuss Indus Treaty

On that note, let’s get to today’s edition.

Big Story

As the dust settles on the military conflict, it may be time for India and Pakistan to reconcile diplomatically. The first agenda item on the table is the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

Let’s talk: In the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India took several diplomatic measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the IWT signed in 1960. While India and Pakistan agreed on a ceasefire on May 10, the IWT remained in abeyance. Historically, New Delhi has insisted on revising specific provisions of the IWT, most crucially, its dispute-resolution mechanism. However, Islamabad remained unresponsive to two prior notices to review the treaty in 2023 and 2024. For the first time, Pakistan has now expressed a willingness to discuss India’s concerns.

Walk back: The United States has said it encourages “direct communication” between the neighbours. The latest statement seeks to nuance President Donald Trump’s earlier offers to help India and Pakistan mediate on the Kashmir issue. India has long resisted third-party interventions in its domestic issues and has refused to credit the US for helping broker the ceasefire on May 10.

In an act of good faith, India and Pakistan exchanged a prisoner each, allowing a BSF constable, who had been in Pakistani custody since April 23, to return home. In exchange, Muhammadullah of the Pakistan Rangers, who had also crossed into India and had been detained by the BSF, was handed over to Pakistani officials.

Don’t miss: How Operation Sindoor demonstrates capabilities of Made in India defence technology

🎧 We also discuss the scale and impact of Operation Sindoor in the latest episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast. Tune in!

Only in Express

Pawar play: Are the two Pawars (NCP (SP)’s Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar) ready to bury the hatchet and reconcile? The swirling rumours gained traction when the uncle-nephew duo shared the stage at a Mumbai event for the second time in four days on Monday. Pawar Sr’s recent divergence with the Opposition alliance, in demanding a Parliament session on Operation Sindoor, added fuel to the fire. But this isn’t the first time the stalwart, known for his political pragmatism and astuteness, has differed from his allies. Nonetheless, the rumoured merger would assume significance in the upcoming Maharashtra local body polls. Sources have told my colleague Alok Deshpande that Pawar Sr would have the last word on the matter.

Must Read

On campus: As the US turns up the heat on immigrants and policy changes keep more and more students away from Canada and Australia, there may be a silver lining for Indian universities. Columnist Farzana Afridi explains why this is the right time to attract private investment to upgrade India’s higher education sector.

Halt: The India-Pakistan conflict has hurt Turkey and Azerbaijan, which are otherwise popular tourist destinations. As they lent support to Pakistan during the recent military engagements, many Indians have cancelled their travel plans. Data shows a 60% decline in bookings to these two countries and a 250% surge in cancellations over the past week. Several travel firms have aligned themselves with the popular sentiment across the country.

And Finally…

Google, which has long dominated Internet searches, is now facing an existential challenge, with regulators pushing to break up the tech giant. Amidst all this, artificial intelligence firm Perplexity is close to securing a $500 million fund. The funding is crucial for its plans to launch Comet, an Internet browser aimed at rivalling Google’s Chrome. My colleague Soumyarendra Barik has more details.

That’s all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta

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