
Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to advance key railway project
The agreement to advance the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) rail project came during a telephonic conversation between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghanistan's Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
J&K LG sacks 3 UT staff for terror links
NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR: J&K LG Tuesday dismissed three J&K govt employees after they were found to be transporting arms, explosives and narcotics to and arranging logistical support for operatives of LeT and Hizb to carry out terror attacks in the UT. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This takes the total dismissals ordered by Sinha under Article 311(2)(c) of Constitution, since he took office, to over 75. All three govt employees sacked in the latest round - Malik Ishfaq Naseer, a constable; Ajaz Ahmed, a teacher in school dept; and Waseem Ahmad Khan, a junior assistant in GMC, Srinagar - are currently in jail on terror charges. Naseer was recruited as a constable in J&K Police in 2007. His brother Malik Asif Naseer, a Pakistan-trained terrorist of LeT, was killed by forces in 2018. Malik, however, continued his terror activities, using his cover as a constable to avoid suspicion. His LeT link was exposed in Sept 2021 when cops found him to be helping LeT drop arms, explosives & narcotics, guided by GPS, at pre-shared coordinates facilitated by him to his Pakistani handlers. Ahmed was recruited as a teacher in 2011 but led a double life as a terror associate of Hizb in Poonch region. He was helping the outfit in smuggling arms and ammunition. Khan's terror links with Hizb were exposed with his arrest in Aug 2018. Sources said he was one of the conspirators behind killing of journalist Shujaat Bukhari in June 2018.


India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
"Bhagwant Mann was comedian before joining politics": Haryana minister Anil Vij over Punjab CM's statement on Op Sindoor
New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): Haryana minister Anil Vij on Tuesday slammed Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's recent remarks on Operation Sindoor and said that Mann's background as a comedian is evident in his attempt to inject humor into politics. Vij emphasised that certain issues should be treated with seriousness and not mocked. 'The Punjab Chief Minister was a comedian before joining politics. He wants to do comedy in politics, too. Such issues should be taken seriously and should not be mocked,' said Vij. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu accused the Aam Aadmi Party of being pro-Pakistan and questioned their patriotism. Bittu said, 'The statements show how cheap and vile things the Aam Aadmi Party and their Chief Minister can say. The NDA government at the Centre has defeated Pakistan, and you are not able to tolerate it. Will you say anything to show that you stand with Pakistan? ... The country will not forgive you for the words you used against PM Modi today... ?' In a self-made video, Bajwa called Mann's remarks as 'shameful' and said the chief minister is unable to understand the value of his role. 'This is very shameful. Comedians look good on stage, but Bhagwant Mann does not understand the value of the CM's chair. What kind of joke is this? ... I think it is shameful for the CM to joke about such a thing,' Bajwa remarked. Meanwhile, BJP leader Fatehjung Singh Bajwa also criticised Mann's statement, calling it 'shameful.' 'This is very shameful. Comedians look good on stage, but Bhagwant Mann does not understand the value of the CM's chair. What kind of joke is this? ... I think it is shameful for the CM to joke about such a thing,' Bajwa said. Earlier today, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann stirred a controversy after he said that the BJP has turned 'Operation Sindoor' into a joke, asking whether this is a 'One nation, one husband' scheme. 'Did you not see the kind of fun made of Sindoor? What is this - one nation, one husband scheme?' CM Mann said. On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists in which 26 people were killed. Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. After India's strike on terror infrastructure, Pakistan responded with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and the International Border, as well as attempted drone attacks targeting civilian areas along the border regions. In response, India neutralised Pakistani air defence apparatus, radar infrastructure, and communication centres, and inflicted heavy damage across 11 airbases in Pakistan. After this, on May 10, an understanding on the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced. (ANI)


India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
"One Bharat, One Message and One Mission": BJP MP Capt Brijesh Chowta praises all-party delegation mission
New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): BJP MP Capt Brijesh Chowta, member of all-party delegation led by DMK MP Kanimozhi on Tuesday praised the success of the mission, highlighting the Prime Minister Narendra Midi's clear message of One Bharat, One Message, and One Mission. He underscored that India will deal firmly with terrorism emanating from Pakistan, targeting innocent civilians. Operation Sindoor was cited as an example of India's strong resolve against terrorism. '...I must say that this has been very successful mission because the PM had clearly sent us with One Bharat, One Message and One Mission - that it is a strong resolve of 140 crore Indians and of PM Narendra Modi that terror, henceforth, will face consequences. Any terror which is emanating from Pakistan, which will target our innocent civilians, India will be dealt with very firmly. That is what #OperationSindoor showed us. Operation Sindoor is on, is what we are trying to tell the world...,' said Chowta. Members of the all-party delegation, led by DMK MP Kanimozhi, have returned to India after a successful mission to several countries. The delegation carried a unified message from 1.4 billion Indians, emphasising that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism will no longer be tolerated. Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Rajeev Rai, part of the all-party delegation stated that the delegation conveyed the voice of the Indian people, emphasizing the need for a strong response to terrorism. He criticised Pakistan's government, saying that the military is the real power behind the scenes and is responsible for sponsoring terrorism. Speaking to ANI, Rajeev Rai said, 'We carried with us the voice of 140 crore people of the country, wherever we visited - that people of India, be it the ruling side or the Opposition, will not tolerate Pakistan-sponsored terrorism anymore...I did what our leaders taught us. When the surgical strike took place, Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) supported it first. We should have good relations with neighbours, but if there is any trouble over the country, then it becomes important to give them a befitting reply. There is a puppet government in Pakistan. The power is in the hands of the Pakistani military there, it is the biggest terrorist gang...' He also called for a special session of Parliament to discuss the issue. 'I think it (special session of Parliament) should be convened,' Rai said. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to immediately call a special session of Parliament to provide a comprehensive briefing on Operation Sindoor and the ceasefire decision between India and Pakistan. In his letter to PM Modi, Sanjay Singh said that after the Pahalgam attack on April 22, and India's response on May 7, the government conducted two all-party meetings, but the Prime Minister was absent from both of them. The delegation, led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, also includes Rajeev Rai (Samajwadi Party), Mian Altaf Ahmad (Jammu and Kashmir National Conference), Brijesh Chowta (BJP), Prem Chand Gupta (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Ashok Kumar Mittal (Aam Aadmi Party), and Former envoys Manjeev S Puri and Jawed Ashraf. The delegation briefed international partners on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism and engaged with leaders in Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, and Russia. (ANI)