Pakistani man extradited to US from Canada over plot to attack Jewish centre on Oct 7 anniversary
Major news… earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism.
In the fall of last year, Khan…
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Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Bengal porn racket case: Prime accused says she was framed, seeks fair probe
Kolkata: Shweta Khan alias Fultusi, the prime accused behind the West Bengal porn racket case, said on Thursday that she had been framed in the matter and her side of the story should also be heard. The West Bengal Police arrested her on Wednesday night. Khan will be presented at a trial court in the Howrah district later in the day. Earlier in the day, she was taken to the Domjur Rural Hospital in the same district, where she made these claims while speaking to the waiting media persons. 'I am being framed in the case. Let my side of the story be heard, also, and let the investigators check the facts. I have been arrested based on a complaint by the family members of a particular woman. That woman concerned is married and even has a kid,' Khan told media persons. After being on the run for quite some time, Khan was arrested on Wednesday night from a hideout at Alipore in South Kolkata. Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the policemen first arrested her son Aryan Khan and then her daughter Zoya Khan, a co-accused in the porn racket case. Based on the questioning of Aryan and Zoya, the state police arrested Shweta Khan, sources had said. The main charges against Shweta, Aryan, and Zoya are holding a woman from the North 24 Parganas district captive for six months and brutally assaulting her with an iron rod after she refused to participate in pornographic video shoots allegedly orchestrated by the three accused. Since Zoya is a minor, her case will be processed under the Juvenile Justice Act and referred to the Juvenile Justice Board. Aryan has already denied his involvement in the porn racket and said that he had a relationship with the victim woman who wanted to marry him. On Wednesday, police action in the matter was intensified after the National Commission for Women (NCW) took suo motu cognizance of the incident and wrote to the West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar, demanding immediate arrests under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The NCW also instructed the state police to ensure that the victim receives free medical treatment and psychological counselling. Additionally, the Commission has directed the DGP to submit a detailed action-taken report within three days. Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP President and Union Minister, Sukanta Majumdar, has alleged that Shweta Khan has close links with several senior leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Jaishankar warns Europe on terrorism, says India will advance US ties based on national interest
Amid reports of growing divergence between India and the Trump camp on key security concerns like Pakistan-sponsored terrorism , external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday emphasised that India's engagement with the US is driven by national interest, not personalities. Speaking during his visit to Europe, Jaishankar also issued a stern warning to European countries against downplaying terrorism, asserting that the threat will 'come back to haunt' them. 'I take the world as I find it. Our aim is to advance every relationship that serves our interests — and the US relationship is of immense importance to us. It's not about personality X or president Y,' said Jaishankar in an interview to Euractiv when asked whether India trusts Donald Trump. His comments come amid subtle tensions with the Trump administration-in-waiting over its reported reluctance to take a strong position on Pakistan's role in cross-border terrorism, particularly after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed several Indian soldiers and triggered a military response. Jaishankar evoked the memory of Osama bin Laden's presence in Pakistan to underscore the gravity of the threat. 'Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?' he asked. 'I want the world to understand — this isn't merely an India-Pakistan issue. It's about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you.' Blunt on West's past, China ties and data security Taking on European countries that have questioned India's ties with Russia, Jaishankar said those nations must reflect on their own historical actions. 'India has the longest-standing grievance — our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries,' he said. Live Events 'If those same countries — who were evasive or reticent then — now say 'let's have a great conversation about international principles', I think I'm justified in asking them to reflect on their own past,' the minister added. On India's balancing act between economic growth and geopolitical caution, Jaishankar pointed to global trends of 'de-risking' from China. Recalling his conversations with European companies in India, he said many firms were actively choosing to diversify away from China. 'Many companies are becoming increasingly careful about where they locate their data — they'd rather place it somewhere secure and trustworthy than simply go for efficiency. Would you really want that in the hands of actors you don't feel comfortable with?' he said. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Mollycoddling Munir: What's Trump planning with Pakistan military?
Counter-terrorism: A convenient justification? Live Events You Might Also Like: US has to have relationship with Pakistan, India: American general The shadow of Iran attack Containing China's influence in Pakistan You Might Also Like: Trump travel ban: Why did he spare Pakistan? A bargaining chip against India? Trump's strategic pivot (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In January 2018, then-President Donald Trump began the new year with a blistering tweet aimed at Pakistan. He accused the country of betrayal. "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump's administration subsequently suspended security assistance to Pakistan, accusing it of harboring terrorists and undermining US interests in now, during his second term in office, there is a remarkable shift in tone and policy. General Michael Kurilla, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), recently hailed Pakistan as "a 'phenomenal partner in the counter-terrorism world'. The Pakistani Army Chief, General Asim Munir , is reportedly invited to attend a grand military parade Trump will host on June 14, celebrating the US Army's 250th anniversary, coinciding with his 79th birthday. This is an unmistakable symbol of warming ties. This rapprochement begs the question: Why is the US mollycoddling the very military establishment it once condemned for sheltering terrorists?The official narrative emerging from the US is that Pakistan is once again a vital partner in America's counter-terrorism efforts. Given the resurgence of militant groups like ISIS-K in the region and ongoing instability in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal, Pakistan's geography and intelligence apparatus make it a useful ally. Pakistan offers critical overflight access, potential staging areas, and intelligence cooperation that could help prevent another large-scale terror threat to US interests. General Kurilla has praised Islamabad for extraditing Mohammad Sharifullah aka Jafar, an ISIS-K member, to the US. In March, the US Justice Department charged Sharifullah for his role in the August 2021 suicide bombing at Afghanistan's Kabul international this explanation, while plausible, appears overly simplistic given the scale of the diplomatic about-face. There is strong reason to believe that deeper geopolitical considerations are driving the US to re-engage Pakistan's military establishment and they may have little to do with counter-terrorism. Trump's softening attitude towards Pakistan coincided with the country's leaders, including Munir, offering lucrative deals to a cryptocurrency company, World Liberty Financial, owned by Trump's sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. However, there could be several strategic reasons too for Trump's pivot to of the most pressing developments in the Middle East is the possibility of an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, a scenario that seems increasingly imminent. Recent US moves, including the evacuation of non-essential personnel from diplomatic missions and military outposts across the region, suggest serious contingency planning and an imminent attack by Israel in Iran's nuclear this context, Pakistan's role could become strategically significant. As a large Muslim-majority country with nuclear capabilities and deep ties in the Islamic world, Pakistan's position during a US-backed or Israeli-led strike on Iran would matter immensely. The US may be seeking to ensure that Pakistan offers covert help such as use of its military bases and assets and remains supportive during a wider regional conflagration that could involve Iranian proxies in the Middle East. Additionally, Pakistan shares a border with Iran through Balochistan, where anti-Iran insurgent groups operate with alleged tacit support from Pakistan. If the Israel-Iran conflict escalates, Pakistan could serve as a quiet front for logistical or intelligence operations for the US military strategic dimension is the growing Chinese footprint in Pakistan, exemplified by the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). For the US, this presents a long-term threat. The US is wary of China gaining a secure land route to the Arabian Sea and potentially leveraging ports like Gwadar for military Pakistan, especially its powerful military which remains the dominant power over civilian government, offers the US an opportunity to pull Islamabad away from Beijing's orbit. While reversing Pakistan's deepening ties with China may not be feasible, the US can at least aim to diversify Pakistan's dependencies, offering military aid, diplomatic legitimacy and economic incentives in exchange for strategic US-India relations have improved considerably in recent years, friction remains, particularly over trade, technology transfer and India's balancing act between the West and Russia. India has resisted aligning fully with the US geopolitical priorities, especially in its reluctance to criticize Russia over Ukraine and its continued oil and weapons trade with warming up to Pakistan, the US may be signaling to India that it has other options in South Asia. This could serve as leverage in trade negotiations and defense deals, pressing India to make concessions on tariffs, data localization laws or arms procurement. In effect, the US may be using its outreach to Pakistan as a diplomatic tool to extract more favorable terms from Pakistan, foreign policy, particularly with the US, is often the domain of the military, not the civilian government. By dealing directly with Pakistan's army leadership, the US is engaging with the true power center in Islamabad. The military is not only capable of delivering on security guarantees but also enjoys considerable autonomy and continuity compared to Pakistan's unstable civilian inviting Army Chief Asim Munir to the high-profile military parade, the US is sending a clear signal -- the bilateral relationship is back, and it is firmly rooted in ties with the military. For Trump, who values transactional diplomacy, dealing with Pakistan's generals may seem like a more predictable and practical the language of counter-terrorism dominates official statements, the US re-engagement with Pakistan is more likely motivated by a confluence of broader strategic imperatives. The Pakistani military, once shunned by Trump for alleged duplicity, is now being courted as a critical player in America's strategic calculus. Trump's volte-face reflects the realpolitik that often defines US foreign policy. If the interests align, yesterday's adversary can be an ally today. The same approach played out in Syria recently. The US removed the $10 million bounty on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Mohammad al-Jolani, after he led a successful offensive, ousting Assad from power in Syria. Trump later met him and praised him too. Trump said the meeting with Sharaa, who he described as a young, attractive guy with a very strong past, was "great".For Pakistan's military, the positive attention from Trump is a big victory. It signals that, despite Trump's past grievances, it remains an indispensable actor in regional geopolitics.
