India-Pakistan relations

In the news

• Explained: First official Indian visit to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor 3 October 2026 · Indian Express

  India shuns bilateral talks with Pakistan, yet an Indian diplomat went to Islamabad. What does SCO membership demand?

• Pakistani corvette collides with Indian warship; India cites the 1991 military pact 17 September 2026 · The Hindu

  Two navies were meant to stay three nautical miles apart. What happens when a 35-year-old safety rule is broken?

• Hague court says the Indus Waters Treaty is fully in force; India rejects the award 1 September 2026 · The Hindu

  A tribunal says India cannot suspend the Indus treaty. India says the tribunal itself is illegal. Who is right?

Key facts

• Alok Dimri, Additional Secretary in the MEA, attended the SCO national coordinators' meeting in Islamabad, the first official Indian visit to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor. (3 October 2026)
• Pakistan took over the SCO presidency after the Bishkek summit of 31 August and 1 September 2026 and is to host the 2027 summit. (3 October 2026)
• PNS Hunain, a Pakistan Navy corvette, collided with an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea; India called the manoeuvre "unsafe and unprofessional". (17 September 2026)
• Article 10 of the India-Pakistan agreement of 6 April 1991 requires warships and submarines of both sides to stay at least three nautical miles apart in international waters. (17 September 2026)
• On 31 August 2026 the Court of Arbitration held unanimously that the Indus Waters Treaty remains fully in force and India's April 2025 abeyance was not justified. (1 September 2026)
• The interim order bars India from concreting Ratle's dam wall and power intake above set levels until 90 days after the Neutral Expert's decision, expected around July 2027. (1 September 2026)

Previous-year questions

1. 2026 · GS2 · 10 marks "IPMDA (Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness) bridges the gap between India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision and the Quad's collective Indo-Pacific strategy." Make a critical…
2. 2023 · GS2 · 10 marks 'Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO' In the light of the above statement point out the role of India in mitigating the problems.
3. 2021 · GS2 · 15 marks Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. What importance does it hold for India?
4. 2014 · GS3 · 12.5 marks In 2012, the longitudinal marking for high-risk areas for piracy was moved from 65 degrees east to 78 degrees east in the Arabian Sea by the International Maritime Organisation. What impact does this have on India's…
5. 2022 · Prelims Consider the following: 1. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 2. Missile Technology Control Regime 3. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. India is a member of which of the above?
6. 2021 · Prelims With reference to the Indus river system, of the following four rivers, three of them pour into one of them which joins the Indus direct. Among the following, which one is such river that joins the Indus direct? (a)…
7. 2019 · Prelims Consider the following pairs: Glacier : River 1. Bandarpunch : Yamuna 2. Bara Shigri : Chenab 3. Milam : Mandakini 4. Siachen : Nubra 5. Zemu : Manas Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched? (a) 1, 2 and 4…