First brick of Babri mosque in Ayodhya will be laid by Pak soldiers: Senator
WATCH: This is not the first time that Pakistani leaders have made provocative remarks against India. Recently, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari made a provocative statement after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty.Speaking at a public rally, the former Pakistani Foreign Minister warned India against diverting Indus waters, claiming that Pakistan was the true guardian of the Indus civilisation.He accused India of unilaterally scrapping the agreement and issued a stark threat, "The Indus is ours and will remain ours. Either our water will flow through it, or their (Indians) blood will."advertisementAlso, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday took to X and said that Pakistan prefers peace, but their pacifism should not be mistaken for weakness."Pakistan has every capability to give a befitting reply to any Indian aggression, as the PTI government, fully supported by a united nation, did in 2019," he added.
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The Hindu
34 minutes ago
- The Hindu
185 people crossed a line
Outside his weathered bhunga, a circular mud hut with a thatched roof, on the outskirts of Zura camp — a sparse, sunbaked stretch of land in Gujarat's Kutch district — Sooroji Kanji Sodha, 70, exhales as if releasing 16 years of apprehension. 'This feels like a second birth,' he says, his voice steady but sombre. He and his wife, Taju Kaur, were recognised as Indian citizens on July 25, along with 183 other Pakistani nationals in Gujarat. In 2009, Sooroji left behind his janmabhoomi (the land of his birth) in Tharparkar district of Pakistan's Sindh province. The decision cost him nearly 40 acres of land, his livestock, and a way of life his family had known for generations. With his wife and eight children, he boarded a train to India in search of dignity and a better future, he says. 'Leaving my watan (country) was never easy,' Sooroji, who now earns ₹300 a day as a daily wager, says. 'But I did it for my children. Especially for my daughters.' The Sodha couple and others received Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA). The CAA Rules were notified in March 2024, just before India's Lok Sabha elections. The CAA provides a pathway to citizenship for persecuted non-Muslim minorities (Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Jain, Buddhist, and Christian) – both documented and undocumented – from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014. Across Rajkot, Morbi, and Kutch districts, many say the wait for citizenship stretches well beyond a decade, forcing families to live in a constant state of legal and social limbo. A man in Morbi who also got Indian citizenship says, 'There we were a minority. Here, until we get our citizenship documents, we are no one.' Just before COVID-19 regulations came into force in March 2020, anti-CAA protests took place across India, claiming that it was discriminatory in nature against Muslims. The Bharatiya Janata Party that leans towards Hindutva and its allies were in power then. The same party is in power now, both at the Centre and in Gujarat. Minority report It was not just religious persecution and looting, Sooroji explains, but the limitations placed on their future as a minority that drove his decision. In his native region, most Rajput families bore the Sodha surname, making it difficult to find suitable matrimonial matches for his children, due to norms that discourage marrying within the same extended clan. 'In Pakistan, there were no Jadejas, no Parmars, no Nadodas for us to marry our children to,' he says, wrapping his yellow turban around his head. 'Those families are in India, not in Pakistan.' Zura camp, where Sooroji lives, was initially set up shortly after Partition in 1947 to accommodate Hindu refugees from the Sindh province. Over time, it has become home to those who migrated during later periods of unrest, especially around the 1971 Indo-Pak war. For many like Sooroji, life in the camp has meant living in limbo — waiting for citizenship, waiting to belong. Clutching his certificate, he says, 'I can now say I am Indian — not just in my heart, but on paper too. Now, I hope my children also get their citizenship based on my documents and can work in this country with pride.' Data accessed from the Directorate of Census Operations, Gandhinagar, reveals that 1,050 Pakistani nationals settled in Gujarat — 537 men and 513 women — are covered under the Act between July 2, 2024 and July 22, 2025. All of them are Hindus, with the highest number in Ahmedabad (433), followed by Rajkot (271), and Patan (133) districts. In addition, separate data from the Gujarat government shows that since 2018, up to 1,386 Pakistani nationals have been granted Indian citizenship through the discretionary powers given to District Collectors. Most of them travelled to India on a visit visa, with no intention of returning. They booked one-way tickets on the now-suspended weekly Thar Express, an international passenger train that ran between Bhagat Ki Kothi in Jodhpur in Rajasthan and Karachi Cantonment in Pakistan. Immigration and customs facilities were located at Munabao railway station on the Indian side. The service was suspended in August 2019 following a deterioration in diplomatic ties between the two countries, after the Indian government revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status and reorganised the State into two Union Territories. Caste consciousness A six-hour drive from Zura camp, in Rajkot, Savitha Fufal, 44, a mother, is getting ready to head out for her wedding anniversary dinner with her husband Vishan and their son Jignesh, 12, on August 5. It is a quiet celebration, a far cry from the life she left behind over a decade ago, she says. In May 2013, just nine months into their marriage, Vishan, now a hotelier, decided to leave Karachi and move to India with seven family members, including Savitha, his mother, sister, and four relatives from his brother's family. Savitha's four siblings still live in Pakistan, and she keeps in touch with them regularly through video calls. Sitting in the small living room of their rented home, Savitha recalls the emotional weight of leaving her country. 'It was hard to leave,' she says, 'but living there wasn't easy either.' The couple initially came to India on a tourist visa and later applied for and kept renewing their Long-Term Visa (LTV). 'Things weren't safe there, especially for women. We lived in fear of theft, religious persecution and general insecurity. That's when we decided it was time to leave.' Savitha is one of four people who were granted citizenship under the discretionary powers of the District Collectors. 'I'm proud to call myself an Indian now,' she says with a smile. She adds that her husband's brother and his family eventually returned to Karachi after spending some time in India. 'They weren't comfortable here. They felt more connected to their relatives back home,' she says. Savitha remembers that she was not able to attend her father's funeral in 2015. 'I could only go in 2017, after we managed to get a visa for my son too,' she says. Her husband has never gone back. The family belongs to a community in India classified as a Scheduled Caste (SC). However, due to the absence of documentation, her son will not get any of the social welfare benefits that the community can claim. Another migrant-turned-citizen, Manoj Parmar, 49, who works at a petrol station in Rajkot, says he became aware of the caste system — and that his community falls under the Scheduled Castes — only after arriving in India. His great-grandfather had migrated from Botad to Karachi in search of work following a severe drought, and eventually settled there. Before moving to India in February 2012, Manoj worked at the Karachi Electric Supply Company. 'There, even my subordinate would refuse to follow my work instructions and insult me because of my religion. I thought, 'If this is my condition despite being educated, what will happen to my children?' The situation was only going to get worse, so I came to India,' he says. 'Now, my children want reservation rights.' Rules and regulations The CAA Rules authorise Central government officials stationed in States — including those from the Directorate of Census Operations, India Post, Railways, National Informatics Centre (NIC), and Intelligence Bureau (IB) — to handle and process citizenship applications. Once an application is submitted online, the applicant is required to appear before a District Level Committee headed by the Superintendent of Post Office as the designated officer. The committee also includes representatives from the NIC, IB, Railways, and the district administration. 'The process is usually completed within a couple of weeks, including antecedent verification by IB, but if there are errors in the application — such as mismatched names or issues with supporting documents — applicants are informed and asked to make the necessary corrections before resubmitting,' says an officer from the India Post in Bhuj. According to the official, 18 people from the Kutch district have been granted citizenship under the CAA so far, and another 97 applications are in the pipeline. 'District officials have informed us that now only 115 Pakistani nationals are in Kutch, including the 97 whose applications are currently pending. The rest have not applied yet,' the official adds. Waiting for the gates to open For the children of those who have waited for citizenship, life means growing up in a country they call home, yet don't belong. They cannot take admission in government schools, and have no access to reservations in education and jobs. Sending children abroad is complex. Sooroji's younger brother, Laxmansinh Sodha, 53, a graduate of Karachi Medical College with an MBBS degree, who now runs a clinic in Morbi, says he had hoped to send his son Mehtabsinh, 17, — who qualified for NEET — to Russia to study medicine, after facing issues with admission in India due to incomplete documentation. 'But that too didn't work out because he doesn't have an Indian passport.' His education shows he is from India, while his passport is from Pakistan. 'Now, we've enrolled him in an LLB programme at a private university here. His citizenship is still pending.' Laxmansinh migrated to India in November 2012 and was granted citizenship earlier this year. His first visit to India was in 1971, he recalls, when he was just six months old. During the Indo-Pak war, his parents fled to India and took shelter in the Zura camp for nearly three years. However, due to limited facilities at the camp and a lack of livelihood options, the family eventually returned to Tharparkar in Pakistan. 'I practised medicine there for nearly 10 years, and left everything behind and came to India, fearing forced conversions and attacks on Hindus,' he explains. Sitting beside him is Netsinh Sodha, 56, who once worked as a patwari (village accountant) in Tharparkar district. He left his government job and migrated to India with his wife and seven children in May 2014. Now settled in Morbi, he runs a cloth shop and is among those who have been granted Indian citizenship. While Netsinh welcomes CAA, he raises concerns about the implementation process, alleging that staff involved in handling applications often harass applicants. 'The Act clearly states that even a single document or visa entry stamp is enough to apply for citizenship under CAA, yet many officials lack clarity on the provisions. As a result, many migrants are facing unnecessary hurdles,' he says. 'Applicants are being forced to submit their forms five to 10 times over minor issues. This is something the government must urgently address.' He says many Hindus are still 'stuck' in the neighbouring country and are waiting for the authorities to start issuing visas again. In April 2025, after the Pahalgam attack, India suspended visa services to Pakistani nationals. Edited by Sunalini Mathew
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Pakistan's weakest zone lies exposed: TTP fighters capture several parts of China's CPEC corridor, Asim Munir now forced to...
Shehbaz Sharif and Asim Munir- File image Islamabad: In a matter of bad news for China and the China-Pakistan Economic corridor, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been a massive point of security concern for the Pakistan government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has intensified attacks on the Pakistani army in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Shifting its focus to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the fresh attacks of TTP has raised fresh concerns for China, which has been trying to solidify its presence in the region. Here are all the details you need to know about the recent attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and why it is a matter of bad news for China. Why Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir is under pressure? In a point of huge security risk for Pakistan, the increasing attacks of TTP on the Chinese investments in Pakistan have created double trouble for the government and army of Pakistan because, and as a result of the attacks, the Pakistani Army led by Asim Munir has been forced to divert the military from the border areas to the CPEC region, causing a major security concern for the country. How TTP is giving nightmares to China? In a point of concern for China's Xi Jinping government, media reports suggest that TTP has captured parts of the CPEC corridor in tribal areas, highlighting its expanding influence near the Afghanistan border. Because of the highly significant projects of the Chinese governments in the region, the increasing attacks of TTP can't be ignored. Therefore, we can say that the rise of TTP power, combined with strained Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, has further limited Islamabad's options for a strong military response.
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
'We showed mercy to Afghans but they joined hands with India'; Asim Munir's open threat to Afghan government, joins hands with Taliban's enemies
New Delhi: Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has threatened the Afghan Taliban. Not only this, Asim Munir has also accused India of destabilising Pakistan. A senior Pakistani journalist has made this claim, quoting Munir. Pakistan-based Daily Jang newspaper columnist Sohail Warraich wrote in his article written on Saturday, 16 August, that the Army Chief had recently spoken to him personally in Brussels. In this conversation, Asim Munir also talked about the India-Pakistan conflict, the Afghan Taliban and Pakistan's politics. Asim Munir recently stayed in Belgium while returning from a visit to America. What did Munir say about Afghanistan? Munir accused India of destabilising Pakistan through proxy and warned the Taliban administration in Kabul against pushing the Taliban into Pakistan and said that it should stop doing so, otherwise 'it is our duty to take revenge for the blood of every Pakistani.' In Jang's column, Munir was quoted as saying, 'We have been kind and helpful to the Afghans for years, but instead of repaying, they have been conspiring against us in connivance with India.' Will not abandon China for America The Pakistani Army Chief expressed confidence in Donald Trump's intentions regarding Pakistan and also expressed support for friend China. Munir stressed on balance between the two and said, 'We will not sacrifice one friend for another.' Sohail Warraich reported in the article that during the meeting, the Pakistani Army Chief also responded to the speculations about the change of power in the country and called it a complete lie. Will there be a regime change in Pakistan? Last month, speculations had gained momentum that President Asif Ali Zardari may step down. It was claimed on social media that a plan is underway to replace the current parliamentary system with a presidential system of government. The column said that the conversation started with politics, especially the rumours that there is an attempt to replace both the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan. Munir called it a complete lie and said that 'there are elements behind this, who oppose both the government and the army and want to create chaos.' Pakistan invites the Taliban's enemies Amid the Pakistan Army Chief's threat to the Taliban, Pakistan's big plan regarding Afghanistan has been revealed. An important meeting is being held in Pakistan this month in which the enemies of the Taliban have been invited. Former US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said on Saturday that Pakistan will hold a meeting of Afghan exiles and anti-Taliban politicians on August 25-26. In a post on X, Khalilzad said that some participants in it talk about overthrowing the Taliban violently.
