&w=3840&q=100)
Put Pakistan back on FATF grey list, terrorism will decline: Owaisi in Algeria
AIMIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that global terrorism could decline if Pakistan is once again placed on the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) grey list. He also emphasised that terrorism relies on ideology and funding, both of which, are supported by Pakistan.
In a strong statement made during his delegation visit to Algeria—part of India's global outreach programme following the Pahalgam terror attack—Owaisi stated, 'Terrorism survives on two things — ideology and money. Ideology, as you know very well, you have seen the Black Decade. Even in southern Algeria, you still face some problems. On that point, we are united… Once you bring Pakistan back onto the FATF grey list, we will see a decrease in terrorism in India. We'll see the killings go down. We have the 2018 experience when Algeria and other countries helped India.'
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Emphasising Islamabad's continued support for terrorism against India despite its collapsing economy, Owaisi said Pakistan is the epicentre of Takfirism and that there is no ideological difference between terror groups in Pakistan and those like Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
'They believe they have a religious sanction, which is completely wrong. Islam does not allow the killing of any person, and unfortunately, that is their ideology,' he added.
This is a developing story.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Love is not penal': SC on minor couples in genuine romantic relationships
'Love is not penal, and it cannot become one,' the Supreme Court asserted on Tuesday, underlining that young couples, even those just short of attaining majority, must be 'left alone' if they have entered into genuine romantic relationships. The Supreme Court bench noted that there is a distinction between exploitative criminal conduct and 'romantic bonds' between teenagers. (HT Photo) A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan made the remarks while hearing a batch of petitions that sought guidelines to prevent misuse of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in cases where minors engage in consensual relationships. During the proceedings, the court also dismissed petitions by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the National Commission for Women (NCW) challenging Punjab and Haryana high court orders that recognised the validity of marriages of Muslim girls after attaining puberty. The bench said the commissions had 'no locus standi' in such matters, remarking: 'It is strange that NCPCR, which is for protecting children, has challenged an order protecting two children…Leave these couples alone.' ALSO READ | Rape FIR under POCSO can't be quashed based on compromise or marriage: Punjab and Haryana HC Personal laws in Islam allow a Muslim girl to enter into a contract of marriage after attaining puberty whereas a set of common civil and criminal laws in India proscribes the marriage of girls under 18 and further makes sexual intercourse with minors a penal offence. With the dismissal, a January 2023 order of the top court that the high court ruling should not be treated as precedent also came to an end. During the Tuesday hearing, the bench noted that while POCSO remains a vital tool to protect children against sexual abuse, there is a distinction between exploitative criminal conduct and 'romantic bonds' between teenagers. 'Can you say it is criminal to love?' Justice Nagarathna asked, cautioning that prosecuting adolescents for consensual relationships inflicted lasting trauma. Appearing for petitioner NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), senior advocate HS Phoolka pressed for safeguards to ensure that leniency in such cases is not abused, suggesting for instance that the age gap between minors in relationships be capped at three years. Phoolka also assailed a 2022 circular by the Tamil Nadu director general of Police directing the police officials to not show haste in effecting an arrest of the accused in consensual relationships, saying such mandates were prone to be misused and minors getting trafficked. But the bench was emphatic that investigators can look into the facts of each case. 'It has to be examined on a case-by-case basis. Why do you want to prosecute everyone? Every case is different, and police have to investigate, apply their mind, and segregate genuine cases from those that should be prosecuted,' the court said. ALSO READ | Adolescence, consent & the grey zone for Pocso The bench highlighted the misuse of POCSO provisions by parents who file cases when daughters elope, often citing 'honour' as the pretext. 'Many such cases are filed by the girls' parents to so-called protect their honour. There will be honour killings if we start treating all such cases as crimes,' it warned. 'Look at the trauma when a boy has to be lodged in jail or face prosecution despite having a consensual relationship with a girl who is on the verge of attaining majority…We have to keep the realities of society in mind,' said the court. The bench also reflected on the social realities of adolescent life: 'Girls and boys study together, spend time together. They can develop feelings for each other and have romantic relationships. Where there are genuine romantic relationships; where they want to get married or want to be together…why should they be stopped?' The same bench also refused to entertain different petitions filed by NCPCR and the National Commission for Women (NCW), which had challenged separate high court orders on the issue. In one case, the bodies had assailed a Punjab and Haryana high court judgment, which held that Muslim girls are legally old enough to marry once they reach puberty at the age of 15; in another, the high court had handed custody of a minor girl to her adult husband following a habeas corpus plea. The bench said that NCPCR or NCW had no locus (legal standing) to interfere in these personal matters. 'NCPCR has no locus standi to challenge such orders,' the bench held. It further remarked: 'It is strange that the NCPCR, which is for protecting the children, has challenged an order protecting two children. How can we set aside protection orders of a high court? Leave these couples alone.' With the NCPCR's petitions getting disposed of on Tuesday, a January 2023 order by a previous bench of the Supreme Court that the Punjab and Haryana high court judgment shall not be treated as a legal precedent also ends. The court's observations come against the backdrop of multiple pending pleas, including those filed by BBA and NCPCR, that grapple with whether the statutory age of consent at 18 under POCSO should be revisited. Senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao assisted the court as amicus curiae. In separate proceedings, the Union government last month adduced its submissions in the top court, opposing any move to lower the age of consent under POCSO or introduce exceptions for adolescent relationships. As reported first by HT on July 24, the government told the court that such dilution, 'even in the name of reform or adolescent autonomy,' would dismantle the statutory shield meant to safeguard minors and risk opening the door to child abuse. It added that the current threshold of 18 years must remain 'strictly and uniformly enforced' to maintain the integrity of child protection laws and uphold the best interests of minors. ALSO READ | Mutual acts of love between minor couple not sexual assault under POCSO, says HC HT's analysis of government data, presented as part of its written submissions, revealed a stark disparity between the number of juveniles and young adults charged under rape and child sexual abuse laws and the relatively small proportion who are eventually convicted, throwing focus on the ongoing debate over the age of consent and its unintended consequences. Between 2018 and 2022, only 468 juveniles aged 16-18 were convicted under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code, despite more than 4,900 being booked across the country in the same period , a conviction rate of just 9.55%. For charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, just 855 convictions were recorded out of 6,892 cases during the same period , a rate of only 12.4%. The corresponding numbers for young adults aged 18-22 tell a similar story. While 52,471 were arrested under these stringent laws during this period, only 6,093 were convicted under POCSO, a conviction rate of just 11.61%. Of 24,306 arrested between 2018 and 2022 for rape, only 2,585 young adults were convicted under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code, amounting to just 10.63%.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
US tariffs will have least impact on India, says BJP
New Delhi: BJP on Tuesday emphasised that there will be minimal impact of the high tariffs imposed by the US on the Indian economy as it is largely domestic consumer driven. "Many kinds of talks are happening regarding tariffs, and it is being said that this will ruin the country's economy. But the truth is that the impact of tariffs on India will be the least, the reason being that domestic consumption contributes about 58% to India's GDP," BJP spokesman Syed Zafar Islam told media persons at a press briefing at the party office in New Delhi. Islam said the Modi government has taken steps such as rationalisation in GST, reduction in interest rates, and relief in income-tax to the middle class. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo "These measures have provided the economy with an additional stimulus of about 100 basis points. That is why, whatever external impact there may be, the pace of India's economy will not stop, rather it will accelerate further," he said. Islam emphasised that India's economy is not export-driven, unlike Indonesia, Malaysia, or Singapore. Taking a jibe on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi 's 'dead economy' remark, Islam said Gandhi has not understood this fact and should know that the economy is strong. Talking about the recently announced GST reforms , Islam said this will benefit people and further accelerate the country's economy. Live Events
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- The Hindu
NCERT releases two modules on Operation Sindoor for students from Classes 3 to 12
Over three months after the Pahalgam killings and subsequent military conflict between India and Pakistan, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced two new modules on 'Operation Sindoor — A saga of valour' for Classes 3 to 8 and 'Operation Sindoor — A mission of honour and bravery,' for Classes 9 to 12. The modules state that 'Pakistan denied any involvement and didn't take any steps to stop the terrorists' and also states that the attack was 'directly ordered by Pakistan's political and military leadership.' The modules are meant as supplementary reading material for schoolchildren and are available online on NCERT website. Operation Sindoor has been described as 'a confluence of India's policy, intent and decisive capability,' and as 'our answer to protect peace of our country and stop these attacks (Pahalgam and so forth).' The module states that Operation Sindoor was named as such to honour the pain and strength of wives who had lost their soldier husbands to conflict. The module mentions the killing of 19 soldiers in Uri in 2016 and 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama in 2019. It also mentions that 'the situation (in Jammu and Kashmir) changed over the years with abrogation of Article 370.' It further mentions that 'India's intelligence agencies found that Pakistan-based groups were planning terror attacks from across the border.' Additionally, it says, 'Operation Sindoor was India's way of stopping terrorism, led by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen (HuM) and Pakistan's spy agency, ISI.' The module for Classes 9 to 12 states that 'Since independence, Pakistan has often tried to disturb peace in India — sometimes through war, and at other times, through terrorism.' It further states that abrogation of Article 370 paved way for development of Jammu and Kashmir, but 'Pakistan was not ready to accept this progress.' Candlelight marches The module also states that there were candlelight marches by civilians and how communities across India stood up to protest against the attack. It further states, 'Muslim communities in Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bhopal wore black armbands and openly denounced the attack. In Kashmir, shopkeepers closed their shops in protest. Villages near the border demanded strong action and supported the Armed Forces,' the module states. 'The local population stood up and spoke against terrorists. Their response breaks stereotypes and shows the real voice of peace-loving people,' it added. The module also mentions, 'Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, strategic guidance was very clear and empowering.' The module also states that 'On May 8, Pakistan escalated the conflict by attacking our airbases, logistic nodes, forward posts, all along the LoC and Army formation HQs — some using Unmanned Aerial Systems.' It goes on to say, 'Our (India's) integrated air defence grid and Counter-UAS grid were already in place. These systems — like the S-400, MRSAM, AKASH and traditional air defence guns — proved highly effective.' The module states that Pakistan intensified attacks on May 9 and targeted schools, religious places and civilian infrastructure. Indian Army neutralised 35-40 Pakistani Army personnel, as per intelligence inputs, the module states. 'The response (India's) shook Pakistani establishment as our airstrike breached their air defence, creating visible gaps that the world saw,' the module says. The NCERT has prepared special modules as supplementary reading material for students, focusing on key national themes. So far, 16 such modules have been released, including those on Partition Horrors and Chandrayaan Utsav among others. They are designed in a classroom format as a dialogue between a teacher and students intermingled with Q&A format activities.
