"World must see how Pakistan-sponsored terrorism affects India's peace": JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar
Patna (Bihar) [India], May 18 (ANI): Janata Dal (United) leader Neeraj Kumar on Sunday said that it is important for the international community to understand how Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is disturbing the life of citizens in India.
Kumar said the government's move to send multi-party delegations to key nations was a necessary step to convey India's position on terrorism and regional peace.
Speaking to ANI, JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar said, 'It is important to give this message to the world that India is a peace-loving country... It is important that the world knows how Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is disturbing the life of its neighbouring country.'
On Saturday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Bihar President Dilip Jaiswal stressed that national security must unite all political parties to send a strong message both domestically and internationally.
A total of seven groups of MPs have been delegated to go to more than 30 countries, led by a variety of leaders, including Congress' Shashi Tharoor, NCP-SCP's Supriya Sule, BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad, DMK's Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and others.
Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Biju Janata Dal from the opposition's side have sent their MPs to be part of the delegation. NDA allies, including Janata Dal (United), and TDP are also part of the delegations.
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, targeting terror bases in Pakistan in retaliation for the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The operation targeted terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, eliminating over 100 terrorists linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
39 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Highest in recent years, UP House sees six MLAs disqualified: 3 each from NDA, SP
Earlier this month, Uttar Pradesh MLA Abbas Ansari was disqualified from the state Assembly after he was convicted to two years of imprisonment in a three-year-old hate speech case. Abbas, son of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari who died in Banda jail last year, was the Mau Sadar MLA of the Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), which was earlier allied with the Samajwadi Party (SP) but is now in the ruling BJP-led NDA. Following Abbas's disqualification, the 403-member UP House has seen six disqualifications since its constitution after February-March 2022 Assembly elections – the highest in recent years despite nearly two years of its term still remaining. Among the other legislators disqualified since 2022 are three SP and two BJP MLAs. During the full five years of the previous UP Assembly, from 2017 to 2022, a total of four MLAs were disqualified: three from the BJP and one from the SP. MPs and MLAs are disqualified under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which mandates disqualification of convicts for six years in certain cases, including convictions for any offence that has a prison sentence of two or more years. While the principal Opposition SP has called the disqualification of its MLAs 'vendetta politics', the BJP has pointed out that the disqualifications happened in the wake of court trials and convictions. Speaking to The Indian Express, SP spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP Rajeev Rai said, 'This is nothing but vindictive politics against our leaders due to the arrogance of power of the BJP government. This is a blatant misuse of power.' Hitting back, BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said the disqualifications have happened after 'due process'. 'The disqualifications have happened under the Representation of the People Act after convictions by courts. Does the SP not trust our democracy and judiciary that they are raising such questions?' Tripathi asked. Here is a look at the disqualifications of six MLAs in the state since 2022. The former SP minister has faced a slew of cases since the BJP came to power in 2017. A total of 87 cases have been registered against Khan in Rampur on various charges, including land-grabbing, cheating and criminal trespass. In some cases, his wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam Khan are the co-accused. In October 2022, Khan lost his Assembly membership after his conviction in a 2019 hate speech case. The case was lodged based on a complaint by election official Anil Kumar Chauhan, who alleged Khan had 'used foul language for people in constitutional posts, threatened them, and tried to flare a riot' while giving a speech in the Milak Assembly constituency. The FIR against Khan was lodged in April 2019 under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505(1) (publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report), as well as Section 125 (promoting enmity between classes in connection with elections) of the Representation of the People Act. The speech in question was made during the campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and SP had contested in an alliance. Bypoll: The bypoll in Khan's seat was held in December 2022, and was won by the BJP's Akash Saxena, his long-time rival. Saxena defeated Khan's confidant and SP candidate Asim Raja by more than 33,000 votes. In November 2022, Saini was disqualified a month after being sentenced to two years of imprisonment in a case related to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. Saini was disqualified after Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary (then allied with the SP) wrote a letter to UP Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana asking why the seat of convicted MLA had not yet been declared vacant when action was immediately taken in the case of SP MLA Azam Khan. A total of 11 people, including Saini, were convicted under charges relating to rioting, rioting armed with deadly weapons, endangering life or personal safety of others, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and criminal intimidation. Bypoll: In the December 2022 bypoll, RLD candidate Madan Bhaiyya, backed by the SP, defeated Saini's wife and BJP candidate Rajkumari Saini by over 22,143 votes. In February 2023, Abdullah, son of Azam Khan, was disqualified from the Assembly after being sentenced to two years' imprisonment in a 15-year-old case in which Abdullah and his father were booked for blocking traffic after their vehicle was stopped by the police for checking in Moradabad. The incident for which the case was registered against the two leaders occurred a day after the terror attack on the CRPF camp in neighbouring Rampur district in January 2008, which claimed the lives of seven jawans and a rickshaw-puller. The court had convicted the two under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), and under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act. This was Abdullah's second disqualification from the Assembly. He was earlier disqualified in 2020 after the Allahabad High Court had set aside his election. Bypoll: In the May 2023 bypoll, the seat was won by BJP ally Apna Dal (Soneylal) candidate Shafeek Ahmed Ansari by 8,724 votes against the SP's Anuradha Chauhan. In December 2023, BJP MLA Ramdular Gond was disqualified after he was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment by a Sonbhadra district court in a 2014 rape case involving a 15-year-old girl. He was found guilty under IPC sections for rape, causing disappearance of evidence, and giving false information, and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The victim's family alleged that over nine years, they faced a lot of pressure and intimidation from the MLA and his associates for withdrawing the case. Bypoll: In June 2024, the seat went to the bypoll, which was won by the SP's Vijay Kumar Singh by 3,208 votes against his rival BJP's Saravan Kumar. In June 2024, Solanki, his younger brother Rizwan, and three others were sentenced to seven years imprisonment for allegedly harassing a woman and setting her house on fire in an attempt to grab her land in the Jajmau area of Kanpur in 2022. This was the first conviction of Solanki, a four-time MLA who has been booked in eight cases since 2022, including charges under the UP Gangsters Act and for forgery. Solanki was subsequently disqualified from the Assembly. Bypoll: In the bypoll held in November 2024, SP candidate Naseem Solanki, Irfan Solanki's wife, won from the Sisamau seat, defeating the BJP's Suresh Awasthi by 8,564 votes. In June, 2025, Abbas Ansari was disqualified after he was sentenced to two years in jail in a case related to a controversial speech in which he allegedly threatened government officials. Abbas, who was elected on the SBSP ticket from Mau Sadar, made the remarks at a public meeting during the 2022 Assembly elections. The case against Abbas was registered by a police official, claiming that in March 2022, he along with some constables had witnessed Abbas and his brother Umar Ansari addressing a crowd of 150 people from a stage and threatening to 'teach a lesson' to the administration officials of Mau after the election, which violated the Model Code of Conduct. Bypoll: The Election Commission (EC) has yet to announce the schedule for this bypoll.
Hindustan Times
44 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Yoga gives clarity in chaos: Rajnath Singh in Udhampur
Emphasising on the importance of Yoga, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said it is universal solution to the problems faced by people in today's fast-paced world and that it gives clarity in chaos. Defence minister Rajnath Singh (ANI) The defence minister led a mass yoga demonstrations on the occasion of International Day of Yoga at Northern Command headquarters, performing various asanas and breathing exercises with around 2,500 soldiers. In his address, he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for popularising yoga globally and highlighted that the practice provides a holistic approach to health & well-being. 'Yoga gives clarity to the people in chaos. It is an art, a science, a philosophy, and spirituality. Those who practice Yoga in their daily lives have control over their body and mind. It makes us proactive, not reactive,' he said. Describing Operation Sindoor as a shining example of that control, Rajnath Singh stated that Indian armed forces displayed restraint, balance and precision during the operation, which is a reflection of their inner strength attained by practising yoga. He stated that India's social and communal unity was targeted through the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor was a clear message to Pakistan that it will face the consequences for supporting terror activities against India. 'Operation Sindoor is the natural progression of the surgical strike of 2016 and the air strike of 2019. It was executed in such a way that Pakistan requested for a ceasefire, and only then have we put a pause to the operation. As I have said earlier, Operation Sindoor is not over yet. India is fully prepared to take all kinds of action against terrorism,' said Singh. He said when the nation is celebrating International Day of Yoga, it should remember the true meaning of the practice, which is to connect every section of society with the culture and soul of India. 'If even one section is left behind, the wheel of unity and security is broken. Therefore, today, we should perform yoga at the level of society and thought and not just body,' he said. He appreciated the inclination of the armed forces personnel towards yoga which has a direct impact on their discipline and focus. 'Yoga prepares a soldier physically and mentally and its benefits can be seen in the battlefield,' he said, encouraging the soldiers to continue practising it daily. Reiterating PM Modi's statement that 'Yoga is India's gift to the world', Singh said it is not just a diplomatic quote, but a vision. Through Yoga, India has given the world a tool which is beyond any border, religion, and culture, he said. The event was attended by Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command Lt Gen Pratik Sharma.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
With a 2-hr closed-door meeting, Trump may have made it difficult for Asim Munir
While their meeting has been seen as a sign of US-Pakistan bonhomie, US President Donald Trump might have put Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir in a difficult position: Munir risks compromising ties with China with the turn to the United States and Trump's demands go against longstanding Pakistani foreign policy. read more Pakistan's Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir salutes after laying wreath on the martyrs' monument during a guard of honour ceremony at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. AFP While their meeting is definitely a sign of the brewing US-Pakistan bonhomie, US President Donald Trump appears to have put Pakistani Army chief Field Marshall Asim Munir in a difficult spot: while Trump's offerings are generous, his demands are taxing and risk compromising longstanding Pakistani position. Trump held a two-hour-long meeting with Munir on Wednesday, which was seen as a breakthrough in the US-Pakistan relationship. For one, Trump wants Pakistan to distance itself from China and pivot to the United States. That is a non-starter for Pakistan as China is invested so much in the country economically, politically, and militarily that distancing is not just infeasible but unthinkable. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, Trump's outreach to Pakistan —and offers— don't come for free. The risks for Munir are also substantial. Trump puts Munir in difficult spot While Trump made generous offers to Munir, he also sought substantial returns on his investment. Trump sought Pakistan's military bases and seaports from Munir in exchange for fifth-generation fighter planes, significant financial aid, and new trade and security deals, according to CNN-News 18. Trump told Munir that the offer rests on the condition that Pakistan would curtain dealings with China and Russia. A source further said that Trump would want Pakistan to be on the US side if he would decide to join Israel in attacking Iran. ALSO READ: Trump wants military bases from Munir, offers security-trade deals in US-Pak reset: Report While Trump's offerings are great, they put Munir in a tough spot as accepting these offers would mean diluting yearslong relationship with Pakistan and undoing the longstanding policy regarding Israel. Consider these facts: China accounts for around 23 of all Pakistan's trade, China is the largest source of foreign investment in Pakistan with a share of around 40 per cent, and just one project, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adds 2-2.5 per cent of Pakistan's economy. Moreover, while Pakistan has historically used Western weapons, the military has been increasingly armed by China in recent years . In the past five years, around 80 per cent of Pakistan's military imports have been from China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With such dependence, it is impractical —if not impossible— for Munir to curtail ties and engagement with China and replace it with the United States as the principal partner of the United States. But, once you have had an audience with Trump and received such offers, it is not easy to bluntly say no. That means that either Munir would lose face in front of Trump by refusing the offers or he would try to reach middle ground that could upset both Trump and Xi Jinping of China. Trump seeks reset in US-Pakistan ties With his meeting with Munir, Trump has made it clear that he is seeking a reset in US-Pakistan ties. In an unprecedented meeting that lays bare who truly runs Pakistan, Trump held a meeting at the White House with Munir on Wednesday. This was the first time a President of the United States held a direct, formal meeting with a Pakistani army chief. Three previous army chiefs, Ayub Khan, Zia-ul-Haq, and Pervez Musharraf, held meetings with the US president but only when they were heads of state while running a military regime after a coup — not in capacity as army chiefs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The reset in US-Pakistan relationship has come at a time when Trump's policies and actions have soured times with India . He has not just continued to falsely claim mediation in the India-Pakistan conflict last month but has also hyphenated India and Pakistan, intervened in the Kashmir dispute, and made deals with jihadists from West Asia to South Asia that adversely affect India's security interests. ALSO READ: Beyond Pakistan: Trump's open embrace of jihadist forces across Asia a new headache for India However, as mentioned above, Trump is not making offers but also seeking substantial returns. South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman describes it as a 'classic Trump' give-and-take approach. 'There's been US-Pakistan engagement on crypto, minerals and counter-terrorism, and Trump takes a deep personal interest in all of these. This is classic Trump: 'What can you do for me? What can I get out of this?' Kugelman, a Senior Fellow at Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, told Guardian. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
