Pakistan doesn't impinge on India-US relations: EAM Jaishankar
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New Indian Express
16 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
MHA approves CISF's five-year plan to add 70,000 more personnel in next five years
NEW DELHI: Aligning with the expansion plan of industrial units in areas of security concerns, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved a proposal of fresh induction 70, 000 personnel in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in next five years with an aim to recruit 14,000 of them each year, officials said on Monday. The officials said that once the recruitment process gets completed in the next five years, the CISF is set to become a force with a total strength of 2.20 lakh personnel. A senior official said, 'The proposed expansion plan is aligned with the increasing demands of securing critical infrastructure across the nation, including Parliament House, metro networks, airports, industrial units, and strategic installations. Soon industrial units are expected to come up in areas of security concerns like naxal-affected zones and Jammu & Kashmir. Currently the total strength of the CISF is a little over 1.5 lakh, which was nearly one lakh in 2014, the officials said, adding that recently the MHA has given its formal approval to increase the sanctioned strength of the force to 2.20 lakh to meet evolving national security needs. One of the major catalysts for this expansion was the security breach involving coloured smoke bomb episodes inside the Parliament House. In response, the government had decided to assign the security task to the CISF. This was a shift from earlier multi-agency security to a more centralized, specialized model under CISF's command. The role of CISF has expanded steadily with India's economic growth, covering not just public sector undertakings but also private sector units that significantly contribute to the economy. The force now guards nuclear power stations, airports, metro networks, and major industrial hubs -making it one of the most critical arms of India's internal security. Meanwhile, keeping in view the ever increasing demand for internal security duties with regard to combat roles, CISF personnel are also sent for war training in collaboration with the Indian Army, especially after the success of Operation Sindoor. Another senior official said, 'The fresh recruitment drive and training expansion are part of a larger modernisation plan that includes upgrading equipment, adopting tech-based surveillance systems, and improving rapid response capabilities.'
Economic Times
18 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Trump 2.0's China playbook ruffles partners. Outreach to Pakistan, cold-shoulder to Taiwan during China talks raise concerns
Synopsis Donald Trump's recent moves suggest a softer stance on China, raising concerns among allies like India and Taiwan. Hosting Pakistan's army chief, cancelling a Taiwan dialogue, and lifting Nvidia's AI chip ban are seen as major shifts. Critics warn these concessions, driven by trade pressures and political deals, undermine long-term Indo-Pacific strategies and sideline key partners in countering China. Is there a shift in Trump's China policy? While it's too early to make that call, there are worrying indications that point to a more accommodating Trump trade posture on China even if it means reversing his own security decisions. For India, the Quad and most of the Indo-Pacific, that's worrying as it's accompanied by no exception for allies or partners on the tariff begin with, he is cold-shouldering Taiwan while warming up to China's all-weather friend Pakistan. In June, Trump hosted Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir in Washington, but in the same month, his administration apparently cancelled a planned defence dialogue with Taiwan as trade talks with China were on. Just recently, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called off a trip to South America because US did not allow him a stopover, though Taiwan sought to cover for the embarrassment by citing other pressing engagements as most glaring, one on which there is considerable discomfort within his own camp, is removing restrictions on Nvidia to resume selling of H20 chips to China for AI development. Trump had imposed these restrictions in April following China's surprise advancement with DeepSeek. It emerged that the H20 chips, which were customised for China and meant to be slightly less advanced than the high-end H100 Nvidia chips for AI, were in effect not that July 28, a bunch of former security officials, including Matt Pottinger, former Deputy NSA in Trump 1.0, wrote to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging him to reconsider the decision. The letter stated that H20 was a "potent accelerator" of China's AI capabilities and was "not an outdated chip". It warned that H20 outperforms the H100 in "inference tasks" and should not be other worry highlighted in the letter was that H20 will never be restricted to just the civilian domain and will support China's military purposes under its "military-civil fusion strategy". But it appears the call was made during a meeting between Trump and Nvidia at an expensive Mar-a-Lago dinner. Even China has found this US backing-off difficult to digest. Its Cyberspace Administration summoned Nvidia officials with questions on whether the H20s have a backdoor that enables unauthorized access and surveillance. The US company has denied it, though Beijing is likely to carry out its own all the tough talk on China, these are significant concessions from Trump, some through individual deals and others due to the political pressures arising from squeezing Chinese supply chains, especially on rare earths and magnets, without credible actions, however, sit oddly with his MAGA politics and Trump's core support base. And so, indications are that they are going ahead with their own play in the US Congress. Amid all the cautiousness in White House on China, a bipartisan bill called the Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act of 2025 was moved recently in the US the legislation was moved by the Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, who chairs the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and co-sponsored by Republican Representative John Moolenaar, who heads the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Several Democratic Congressmen have supported the legislation, which seeks to expand existing sanctions, imposes visa bans and restricts U.S. government contracts linked to forced many ways, the limits of Trump's transactional approach have hit the Chinese wall. Given China's dominance in trade and supply chains, the plan was always to adopt a coordinated strategy with allies and partners to develop alternatives. Because for now, China literally holds the the Trump Administration has ended up in a bargaining match with Beijing, which might get some purchase in the short term, but has put its main partners in building and executing the long-term counter China strategy in question - namely Taiwan and the Quad.
NDTV
33 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Certified Anti-National": BJP After Top Court Raps Rahul Gandhi Over Army Remarks
New Delhi: As the Supreme Court slammed Rahul Gandhi over his remarks about the Indian Army, the BJP on Monday tore into the Congress leader and alleged that he has vowed to "weaken India and strengthen China". Calling the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha a "certified anti-national", the BJP claimed that the "China guru" (Gandhi) and his party also "hate" the Indian armed forces and that he is being "remote controlled by foreign forces". The ruling party also demanded an apology from him and the Congress for his remarks. The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the proceedings against Gandhi before a Lucknow court over his remarks about the Army during his December 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra. The top court, however, censured Gandhi, saying if he is a true Indian, he would not say such a thing. Citing observations made by a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that for the first time in the parliamentary history of the country, the Supreme Court had to make such a "stern remark" against a leader of the opposition. In a post in Hindi on X, Pradhan said, "Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have a history of insulting the army, whether it is the surgical strike or Operation Sindoor. They have questioned the sacrifices of our brave soldiers at every opportunity." Their loyalty is not to the nation but only to one family, which is why respect for the nation is not even part of their "fundamental thinking", he charged. "Today, the entire country is hurt by this anti-national mentality and expects an apology from Rahul Gandhi and the Congress," the senior BJP leader said. Latching on to the apex court's observations, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia alleged that Gandhi keeps making "immatured, irresponsible and anti-India comments" even though he has been rapped by various courts for such remarks in the past. "Today when the Supreme Court's comment has come, it won't be wrong to say that Rahul Gandhi has certainly vowed to weaken India and strengthen China," Bhatia told a press conference at the BJP headquarters here. In a post on X, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said, "The Supreme Court has once again reprimanded 'China Guru' Rahul Gandhi for making irresponsible statements concerning India's national security and territorial integrity." "Imagine, a leader of the opposition being repeatedly rebuked for speaking such recklessly," he said. "Rahul Gandhi is now a certified anti-national," the BJP leader charged in another post on X. Showing a purported picture of Rahul Gandhi signing some document in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, BJP spokesperson Bhatia claimed that the Congress leader had signed a party-to-party memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Communist Party of China. "That's why Rahul Gandhi was saying that our soldiers were thrashed by Chinese soldiers, be it (in) Doklam or Galwan, while every Indian was standing by India and brave soldiers of India," he charged. They never tell the people of India what was there in the Congress' party-to-party MoU with the Communist Party of China, he said. "It seems Rahul Gandhi has love for China and Pakistan in his veins, but no love for India," he added. Bhatia termed the apex court's observations as "very serious" and said with this, Gandhi's credibility has gone down to "zero". "Does India deserve a more responsible and a better Leader of Opposition (LoP)? As the LoP who has taken oath under the Constitution to protect the sovereignty of our country, is he destroying the sovereignty of our country? Is he helping nations that are inimical to our country? Is he demoralising the brave Indian armed forces?" he asked. Rahul Gandhi's credibility is "at stake", Bhatia said. Malviya also took on the Congress leader over his recent "dead" economy remark, calling it "a diplomatic disaster on multiple fronts". "His recent 'dead economy' jibe is just the latest in a long series. In doing so, he implicitly admitted that Russia, a long-standing ally, is struggling, while bizarrely endorsing a hostile state like Pakistan as having a robust economy," he said. Echoing US President Donald Trump's criticism of the Indian economy, Gandhi said on August 1 that everybody except Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman know that the country's economy is "dead". Referring to Gandhi's remarks on the surgical strike and Operation Sindoor, another BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the Congress leader and his party "hate" Indian armed forces. "Sena ka Apman Congress ki pehchan (Insulting the Army is the hallmark of the Congress)," Poonawalla said in a post on X. "Rahul and Congress hate Indian Armed Forces," he charged, adding, "Today SC has slammed him." Another BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said on X that the Supreme Court's poser to Gandhi about his claim exposed him. He said, "Supreme Court asks Rahul Gandhi - 'How did you know that China had occupied land?'" This question by the Supreme Court has not only "exposed" Gandhi, but further got the attention back on the "secret MoU that Gandhi-Vadra family had with China", he said. "Rahul is working under the remote control of foreign forces," Bhandari charged.
