Pak MP admits to India targeting Jaish chief Masood Azhar under Op Sindoor
Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar was targeted in the precision strikes carried out by India under Operation Sindoor, Pakistan MP Malik Muhammad Iqbal admitted in the national assembly, a section of the Pakistan media reported on Thursday.In response to the deadly Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, India launched precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Op Sindoor on Wednesday.advertisementTalking about the operation in the Assembly the Pakistani MP reportedly said, "India attacked Bahawalpur, targeted a mosque and a madrasa, and attacked Maulana Masood Azhar. If the country is in danger then we are all together."
On Wednesday, Masood Azhar reportedly said that as many as 10 members of his family and four aides were killed in Indian strikes in Pakistan's Bahawalpur. Those killed include Azhar's elder sister and her husband, his nephew and his wife, another niece and five children of his family, BBC Urdu reported, citing a statement by the JeM chief.Tune InMust Watch
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
U.S. silent on Pakistan's anti-terror pledge during delegation's visit
The United States has declined to say whether Pakistan gave any assurance of taking action against terrorists operating from its soil during a high-level delegation visit led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. 'I am not going to discuss the details of those conversations,' said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, when asked directly if Washington received any commitment from Islamabad on counterterrorism measures during last week's visit of an all-parliamentary delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Bilateral issues The Pakistani parliamentary delegation met with senior U.S. officials last week, including Undersecretary for Political Affairs Alison Hooker. According to Ms. Bruce, the discussions focused on key issues in the bilateral relationship, including counterterrorism cooperation. Ms. Hooker also reiterated U.S. support for the ongoing ceasefire between India and Pakistan. While the U.S. emphasised the importance of regional stability, there was no public indication that Pakistan had offered any fresh commitments to rein in terror groups operating from its territory — an issue that remains central to U.S.-India ties. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met with an Indian parliamentary delegation led by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. During the meeting, the U.S. official reaffirmed America's strong support for India in the fight against terrorism and the broader strategic partnership between the two countries, Ms. Bruce said. She responded cautiously when asked about any follow-up to President Donald Trump's past offer to mediate the dispute between India and Pakistan after the ceasefire. She noted that she could not speak for the president or speculate on the administration's plans. 'What I do know… is that President Trump, in each step that he takes, it's made to solve generational differences between countries, generational war,' she said. Ms. Bruce praised Mr. Trump's track record of bringing unlikely parties to the negotiating table but declined to elaborate on any future mediation plans related to Kashmir. 'You can call the White House… they would have plenty to say,' she added. (
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First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Delegitimising Pakistan's two-nation theory: An imperative for India and the West
De-legitimising the Pakistani model of exclusivity would not be humiliating a neighbour, but would be about defending the universal standard that religion cannot be the standard of legitimacy for the state read more (File) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (C) prays after laying wreath on the martyrs' monument during a guard of honor ceremony at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on May 21, 2025. Photo by Handout/ Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). AFP Ever since it emerged in 1947, Pakistan has been an ideological 'outlier' in the international system—created not on the basis of language, ethnicity, or culture shared between the people, but on the exclusivist premise of religion as the sole basis for the nation. Pakistan's then Chief of Army Asim Munir, and now Field Marshal, made this clear in his now viral Address to Pakistan's diaspora on April 15 this year, though not the first by any leader of consequence since its birth. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The ostensibly Two-Nation Theory, which is the notion that Muslims and Hindus form two distinct peoples who cannot live together within one state, is the Pakistani state's myth of origin. This vision of exclusivity, problematic in the context of South Asia, has since 9/11 turned into a more immediate global danger, one that erodes the principles of pluralism, resists the values of liberal democracy, and sustains transnational Islamist radicalism and terrorism. India and the Western liberal democracies of the day, particularly the United States and Europe, have to acknowledge this ideological project as a long-term threat to global order today. Delegitimising the Two-Nation Theory is not merely a regional imperative for India anymore but is now a global imperative for upholding the values of peaceful coexistence, religious diversity, and democratic secularism. The very rationale of Pakistan's existence—a state for Muslims only—set the precedent for the acceptance of rejecting multi-ethnic, multi-religious coexistence. In contrast with India, which had adopted the notion of secular, pluralist democracy in spite of the multicultural diversity of its society, Pakistan canonised the perception that identity and statehood are determined along strict religious lines. This over time took the form of an apparatus of exclusion not only of religious minorities such as Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadis but of dissident ethnic groups such as the Baloch and Sindhis as well. Even within Muslims, only a narrow, Punjabi-centric, Sunni vision was hallowed. The turning moment for the global community, however, arrived after 9/11. The Taliban government of Afghanistan, supported by Pakistan's military-intelligence establishment, gave refuge to Al-Qaeda & Osama bin Laden, the perpetrators of the most horrific terrorist strike on American terrain. In spite of official partnerships with the US-led 'War on Terror', Pakistan went on providing strategic depth and logistical support for jihadist organisations. Pakistan's shenanigans stood fully exposed with the US killing of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, in his hideout in Abbottabad, very close to Pakistan's elite military academy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The ideological origins of this duplicity reside in the same exclusivist worldview that delegitimises pluralism and espouses Islamic terrorism as an instrument of strategic depth and religious obligation rather than as a threat. Ever since, Pakistan's soil has spawned several internationally recognised terrorist groups- lending support includes Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and the Haqqani Network-whose attacks against Western interests and citizens add to their role in destabilising India and Afghanistan. The connection is no longer local: Pakistan's state ideology has global implications. For decades, the West has been equivocal in dealing with Pakistan- straddling strategic imperatives in Afghanistan, nuclear containment fears, and economic pressure, while willfully turning a blind eye to Pakistan's ideological roots that sow radicalism. This policy of ticklish engagement has proven counterproductive. Pakistan today is more than a willing host of extremism; it is an active ideological sponsor. Its military and clergy maintain an environment in which terror surrogates can operate, in which minorities are silenced through the force of their blasphemy laws, and where schools indoctrinate anti-Western, anti-India views. It is no coincidence that Europe has experienced an influx of radicalised youth, who drew their ideological roots from the Islamist networks of the Indian sub-continent. The West needs to realize that by legitimizing Pakistan's strategic value while turning a blind eye towards its ideological path, they empower the actor who undermines the liberal international order from its core. The time has arrived for a recalibration – an arrangement with India for calling out, challenging, and diplomatically isolating the main ideology that keeps Pakistan's perilous course intact. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India, being the main victim of Pakistani ideological enmity, has most stakes. India's response, however, is not only required to be reactive or securitised but has to be ideational and normative and initiate an international discourse bringing into the open the vitriocity of the Two-Nation Theory based on its actual impact: terrorism, sectarianism, and civilisational backwardness. There are several tangible diplomatic initiatives that India can take along with Western democracies: First, India needs to embark on focused public diplomacy targeted against Pakistan's ideology, portraying it as against the norms of the international community. Just as apartheid was diplomatically and morally besieged during the 1980s, so should Pakistan's founding exclusivity be challenged in international forums. Second, India needs to further bond with pluralism-oriented countries such as the US, France, Germany, and Australia based on common civilisational values instead of security interests only. Interfaith discussions, diaspora partnerships, and parliamentary friendship groups should be utilised for forging across-nation narratives against religion-based exclusivist nationalism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Third, India and like-minded countries need to bring the question of ideological statehood and its linkage with terrorism on the agenda of organizations like the UN Human Rights Council, FATF, and the G20. Karachi's ideology export needs to be connected with international volatility from European radicalisation to Afghan Taliban resurgence. Fourthly, India needs to spend on international research institutes that study the threat of religious exclusivisms, bring out comparative studies of pluralistic and ideological states, and construct cultural centres overseas celebrating India's inclusive civilisational tradition vis-a-vis the sectarian intolerance of Pakistan. Fourth, diplomatic and economic pressure should be directed strategically against Pakistan's military and clergy elites who have emerged as chief custodians of the ideological state. Asset freezes, visa sanctions, and travel bans against key figures who assist with terrorism or for blasphemy-related persecution should be included in Western policy. The Pakistani state's ideological project is no longer peculiar to South Asia, it is now an international outlier. The Two-Nation Theory in its current sophisticated incarnation presents a danger directly threatening the moral and political structure of the international system. India and the West should now share a shared civilisational project: defending pluralism, safeguarding minorities, and reviving faith in the possibility of variegated societies coexisting harmoniously together. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD De-legitimising the Pakistani model of exclusivity would not be humiliating a neighbour, but would be about defending the universal standard that religion cannot be the standard of legitimacy for the state. Manish Dabhade is an Associate Professor of Diplomacy in the School of International Studies, JNU & Founder of The Indian Futures, an independent think tank based in New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Even Congress does not take Rahul Gandhi seriously: Gadkari
Nagpur: Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi , saying nobody takes him seriously. Gadkari was replying to a query on Gandhi's letter to PM Narendra Modi and said, "Many people write to the PM. Don't take Rahul seriously, even Congress party does not take him seriously." On June 10, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha had written a letter to PM Modi raising concerns related to students from marginalized communities. Gadkari was addressing the media in Nagpur on the completion of 11 years of Modi government. Post Operation Sindoor, national security issue has come to the fore and Gadkari was asked about plans to build highways along the country's border with the capability to handle landing and take-off for fighter jets. "We have built 28 such highways where planes can land and take-off. In Rajasthan, we have 300-400km of desert and there too we have constructed roads like this. So, we have done it (building roads) from a security point of view," said Gadkari. There was speculation in the media about 33% reservation for women in Parliament being implemented ahead of Lok Sabha 2029, and Gadkari said, "We are committed to ensuring 33% reservation for women in Parliament and we will do it." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pinga-Pinga e HBP? Tome isso 1x ao dia se tem mais de 40 anos Portal Saúde do Homem Clique aqui Undo But he did not make comments on the timeline. Speaking about the govt's achievements, Gadkari said, "What we were able to do in the last 11 years, could not be achieved in 60 years. Before 2014, there were only five cities which had metro train services. But now it's almost two dozen. The number of AIIMS has also increased substantially." Gadkari said the Narendra Modi-led govt has taken major strides in overall development of the country. Gadkari said, "You look at North-East, Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, everywhere we have constructed a wide network of roads. In NE, we have constructed major bridges which has helped in ease of transportation." He said having a strong road network, combined with fuel-efficient policies, will help to reduce logistics costs. "If we reduce our logistics costs then India can become very competitive in the export sector," said Gadkari. The Union minister also talked about alignment of greenfield expressways, which is aimed at reducing travel time. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
