Tharoor on Trump's intervention in Indo-Pak ceasefire talks: 'We are not interested in...'
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor took a tough stance on US President Donald Trump's 'peace deal' talks between India and Pakistan after the former retaliated to the latter's terrorist attack in Pahalgam of Kashmir on April 22, by launching 'Operation Sindoor' shortly after. Tharoor is in Washington to rally support for India amid tensions between the two neighbours. Show more 05:24
03:14
03:48
05:50
01:50
02:08
09:41
03:02
04:45
02:06
02:38
02:11
04:35
03:02
03:27
05:31
02:58
03:15
13:50
07:44
04:03
02:44
03:50
05:34
03:09
13:07
09:54
10:09
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
26 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
India opposes ADB's $800mn loan to Pakistan
India opposed a move by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to grant a $800 million loan to Pakistan citing evidence of Islamabad diverting development funds for military use, and cautioned the bank about impending credit risks, two officials familiar with the matter said. India shared deep concerns regarding the potential misuse of ADB resources, particularly in light of Pakistan's increasing defence expenditure, its declining tax-to-GDP ratio, and the lack of demonstrable progress on key macroeconomic reforms, they added, requesting anonymity. India's strong opposition to ADB's financial aid to Pakistan came almost a month after New Delhi protested the International Monetary Fund's decision to provide a $2.3 billion bailout package to Islamabad, which saw IMF imposing about a dozen stringent conditions attached with the credit facility, making diversion of funds almost impossible. The IMF loan to Pakistan came in the midst of Operation Sindoor, India's direct military response to the April 22 terror strike at Pahalgam in Kashmir that killed 26 civilians in what was the worst attack on civilians since the 26/11 Mumbai strikes. India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7, bombing nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The pre-dawn strikes --- which killed at least 100 terrorists --- sparked four days of strikes and counterstrikes with fighter jets, missiles, drones, long-range weapons and heavy artillery. Between the launch of the operation in the early hours of May 7 and the ceasefire on the evening of May 10, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and the IAF struck targets at 13 Pakistani air bases and military installations. According to a PTI report from Islamabad on Tuesday, ADB approved a $800 million loan to Pakistan for strengthening its fiscal sustainability and improving its public financial management. The credit package included a $300 million policy-based loan (PBL) and a $500 million programme-based guarantee (PBG), the report said. Reacting to this, New Delhi 'vehemently' opposed the move and shared deep concerns regarding the potential misuse of ADB resources, the officials cited above said. The linkage between Pakistan's increase in expenditure on its military, as opposed to on development, cannot be fully explained solely in terms of its domestic resource mobilization, they said. India highlighted that Pakistan's tax collection as a share of GDP declined from 13% in FY18 to 9.2% in FY23 and continues to remain way lower than the Asia and Pacific average of about 19%. However, there has been a significant increase in defence spending in the same period. This points to the possibility of diversion of funds made available to the country by external agencies, the officials explained. 'India expects the ADB management to adequately ring-fence the ADB financing, to prevent any such misuse,' one of them said. New Delhi questioned the management's argument that improvements were noticed in certain areas of reforms in Pakistan, and said that had the previous programs, funded both from ADB and the IMF, succeeded in putting in place a sound macroeconomic policy environment, the country would not have approached the IMF for the 24th bail-out program, this person added. 'Such a track record calls into question both the effectiveness of the program designs, their monitoring and their implementation by the authorities,' he said. Pakistan's poor track record of implementation stems from the military's deeply entrenched interference in economic affairs, posing risks of policy slippages and reversal of reforms as has been witnessed in the past, he added. Even when a civilian government is in power now, the army continues to play an outsized role in domestic politics and extends its tentacles deep into the economy. The situation has not changed for the better; rather the Pakistan Army now plays a leading role in the Special Investment Facilitation Council of Pakistan, he said. 'In fact, India expressed strong reservations about Pakistan's existing governance system, which poses a continuing severe threat to regional peace and security. The country's policy of cross-border terrorism has led to a worsening of the security situation in the region and has significantly escalated macroeconomic risks for Pakistan, which also heightens the enterprise risks for the ADB.' India expects the ADB to closely monitor the implementation of the policy matrix to achieve the intended outcomes, this official said. Pakistan's continued reliance on external debt raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of future exposures, especially in view of the high debt-to-GDP ratio and poor credit rating of the country, he added.
Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Donald Trump bans visas for new foreign students at Harvard in fresh crackdown
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a visa ban for new foreign students who come to the United States to attend Harvard University courses. The order comes as the Trump administration ramps up its crackdown on higher education, especially Harvard. The Republican had earlier banned foreign students' admission to the university, an order that was blocked by a court. "I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University," Trump said in a statement.
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
Travel ban: 12 nations fully banned, 7 partially blocked; internet erupts over Donald Trump's travel crackdown
President Donald Trump speaks during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Donald Trump has issued a travel ban to 12 countries after "a robust assessment of the risk that countries posed to the United States, including regarding terrorism and national security. " "The Proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries found to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen," the White House said in a statement. During his first term, Trump issued an executive order in January 2017 banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency. Travellers from those nations were either barred from getting on their flights to the US or detained at U.S. airports after they landed. They included students and faculty as well as businesspeople, tourists and people visiting friends and family. Apart from the 12 countries, 7 countries including Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela have been partially banned from the US. "The Proclamation includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests," the White House has said. Trump travel ban : Here's who said what 'I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,' Trump said in his proclamation. "From his first Muslim Ban, Trump's travel bans have always betrayed of the ideals and values that inspired America's Founders. Trump's use of prejudice and bigotry to bar people from entering the U.S. does not make us safer, it just divides us and weakens our global leadership," Rep. Don Beyer, Representing Northern Virginia's #VA08 in the U.S. House has posted on X. 'The president of the United States – and by the way every member of Congress – has one solemn duty: to defend and protect the United States of America… Thank you to President Trump for keeping America safe, that's what the election was about," Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno told Fox News. "A travel ban, a protective shield. But is it a mere response to fear or a deeper strategy at play? What echoes from Europe linger in our choices? Reflect on the unseen narratives shaping our future," one X user posted.
