Operation Sindoor outreach: Congress leader accuses BJP of resorting to ‘cheap political tricks'
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee Vice-president Kolanukonda Shivaji on Sunday accused the NDA government at the Centre of resorting to 'cheap political games' in the selection of MPs for international delegations formed to explain India's position on Operation Sindoor.
At a press conference, Mr. Shivaji pointed out that while party leader Rahul Gandhi had sent four names, Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Nasir Hussain and Raja Brar, the government accepted the name of only Anand Sharma. A few other Congress leaders, including Shashi Tharoor, who were not on the party's official list.
Citing the case of the United Front government in 1996 when Jyoti Basu declined the Prime Minister's post after his party, under the leadership of Prakash Karat, did not allow him to accept the offer, Mr. Shivaji said the Centre selecting Mr. Tharoor, who had been maintaining a distance from the Congress lately, had 'mischievous' intention. He alleged that it was an attempt by the BJP to weaken the Congress.
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21 minutes ago
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India will strike ‘deep into Pakistan' if provoked by terror attacks, says S Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday asserted that India would strike ' deep into Pakistan ' if provoked by terror attacks, United States-based news outlet Politico reported. In an interview with the outlet, Jaishankar warned that there would be retribution if 'you continue to do the kind of barbaric acts which they did in April', referring to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. However, the minister clarified that this 'retribution will be against the terrorist organisations and the terrorist leadership'. 'And we don't care where they are,' Jaishankar further said. 'If they are deep in Pakistan, we will go deep into Pakistan.' The foreign minister alleged that Pakistan was training 'thousands' of terrorists 'in the open' and 'unleashing' them on New Delhi. The external affairs minister's comments came almost a month after New Delhi and Islamabad reached an 'understanding' to halt firing following a four-day conflict. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 26 persons on April 22. The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed in the shelling. When asked by Politico if the conditions that led to the military hostilities in April remained, Jaishankar said: 'If you call the commitment to terrorism a source of tension, absolutely, it is.' Besides, answering a question about losses incurred by the Indian military, Jaishankar said appropriate authorities would respond about the matter. 'As far I'm concerned, how effective the Rafale was or frankly, how effective other systems were – to me the proof of the pudding are the destroyed and disabled airfields on the Pakistani side,' he said.
India.com
22 minutes ago
- India.com
Cannot Be Left To Die Natural Death...: India Urges International Community To Stop Funding Pakistans Terror Agenda
India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh once again urged the international community to stop funding Pakistan while saying that terrorism cannot be left to die a natural death as it's a threat to humanity. Singh also said that a permanent solution to terrorism is the need of the hour and added that Operation Sindoor is one of the biggest actions against terror infrastructure in India's history. Singh made the remarks while addressing a dialogue on the topic 'National Security & Terrorism', organised in Dehradun, Uttarakhand on June 10, 2025. 'Funding Pakistan means funding the infrastructure of terrorism. Pakistan is a nursery of terrorism. It should not be nourished,' he added. He said that the Narendra Modi government has reformed the security apparatus of India. "In the last 11 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government has transformed India's security apparatus by changing the attitude and the way of action towards every issue related to national security, and the world witnessed this shift during Operation Sindoor,' said Singh. Branding terrorism as an epidemic destined to perish, the Defence Minister stressed that the menace cannot be left to die a natural death as its existence will continue to challenge collective peace, development and prosperity. He underscored the urgent need for a permanent solution to terrorism. 'Terrorists are not fighters with a cause. No religious, ideological or political reason can justify terrorism. No human objective can ever be achieved through bloodshed and has always given shelter to terrorists, trained them on its soil and helped them. It always tries to justify this menace. It is important that we eliminate these terrorists and their entire infrastructure,' said Singh. Raksha Mantri described Operation Sindoor as the biggest action taken against terrorism in Indian history, which was carried out in response to the cowardly terror attack on innocent people in Pahalgam, J&K. He said the Pahalgam incident was an attack on the social unity of the country, and India took a big & strong action against terrorism and its perpetrators by destroying terror bases & related infrastructure in Pakistan & PoK. 'Following the abrogation of Article 370, J&K heralded into the era of peace and progress. Our neighbours could not tolerate this and executed the terror attack in Pahalgam. Despite Pakistan's best efforts, it has not been able to stop development in Kashmir. Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link is a shining example of the Government's relentless pursuit of progress in J&K. Soon, PoK will join us and say 'I, too, am Bharat',' he added. Rajnath Singh asserted that while the Indian Armed Forces have given a befitting reply to terrorists, it is imperative to prevent terror incidents such as the one in Pahalgam in future. He emphasised on the need to be alert not just at the level of governments, but also at the public level. He described terrorism as a distorted moral reasoning, the biggest curse on humanity, a major threat to peaceful co-existence & democracy, and an obstacle in the path of progress. The fight against terrorism is not just a question of security, it is a battle to protect the basic values of humanity, he added. Rajnath Singh also expressed shock at the recent decision by the United Nations Security Council to name Pakistan as the Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Panel, especially when the panel was formed after the 9/11 terror attacks. 'Pakistan had sheltered the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Its land has been used as a refuge for global terrorist organisations. There, terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar roam around openly, and senior officers of Pakistan Army attend the funerals of terrorists. Now, the same country is expected to lead the global community against terrorism. This raises serious questions on the intentions and policies of the international system,' he said. Singh advised Pakistan to seek India's help if it is unable to take action against terrorism on its soil. He stated that the Indian Armed Forces are capable of taking effective action against terrorism on either side of the border, which was witnessed by Pakistan itself during Operation Sindoor. Calling Pakistan stubborn, he termed it necessary for the whole world to put strategic, diplomatic and economic pressure on Islamabad to deal with terrorism emanating from its soil. Rajnath Singh highlighted the growing use of information warfare in the 21st century, urging people to become social soldiers by identifying lies, stopping rumours, and spreading awareness in society. 'While data and information are the biggest power, it is also the biggest challenge. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan conspired to break the morale of our soldiers and citizens through fake videos, manipulated news and posts. Even though military actions have been stopped, information warfare is still going on. If people share false news without thinking, they unknowingly become a weapon of the enemy. It is time that all citizens become social soldiers. The Government is working on cyber security at its level, but every citizen needs to be a 'first responder',' he said.
The Hindu
23 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Pakistan in the grip of a ‘military-terrorist nexus': Prasad
Pakistan was in the grip of a military-terrorist nexus, with generals of the Pakistan armed forces using terrorism as a proxy to maintain their relevance, with Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir speaking the language of fascism, said BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad. Addressing a press conference after his return as the head of a multi-party delegation that visited Italy, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, Mr. Prasad said that the delegation gave a historical context to India's actions concerning Operation Sindoor. 'Pakistan is not only a state in denial, but the military-terrorist nexus has become a deadly combination,' he said. 'When we talked about history, we talked about how Pakistan is in the hands of Generals... The world needs to understand that Pakistan is in the grip of a military-general nexus whose dirty job is done by the terrorists and terrorist camps,' he added. He said that the delegation also spoke about a speech by now Field Marshal Asim Munir ahead of the Pahalgam terror attack, which mentioned how Hindus and Muslims were 'different' and that the creation of Pakistan was on the basis of that difference, and that future generations of that country must be told of it. He added that these were the words of a 'jihadi general' and that 'Asim Munir was speaking the language of fascism', which should ring alarm bells in European capitals. He emphasised that India has never been the aggressor in any conflict. 'We have fought conventional wars (with Pakistan), but we were never the aggressors. We made it clear that we are not against the people of Pakistan,' he said. Mr. Prasad stated that all Indian governments have made genuine attempts to foster good relations with Pakistan. 'Prime Minister Modi called Nawaz Sharif (former Pakistan Prime Minister) for his swearing-in ceremony, went to his grandson's wedding too and then Uri (attack) happened and we gave a befitting reply; then, similarly with Pulwama, and now this (Pahalgam),' he said. The delegation led by Mr. Prasad also included BJP MPs Daggubati Purandeswari, Gulam Ali Khatana, and Samik Bhattacharya, former BJP MP M.J. Akbar, Congress MP Amar Singh, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Priyanka Chaturvedi, AIADMK MP M. Thambidurai and former diplomat Pankaj Saran. Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 in response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-sponsored militants that claimed 26 lives and injured several others. Following retaliation from Pakistan, the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
