logo
Indian delegation led by Sanjay Kumar Jha in Seoul for anti-terror talks

Indian delegation led by Sanjay Kumar Jha in Seoul for anti-terror talks

An all-party parliamentary delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha arrived in Seoul on Saturday as part of the government's outreach with the international community on the fight against terror and on the significance of Operation Sindoor.
The scheduled visit from May 24-26 will strengthen ongoing efforts to further India's principled and resolute stance of zero tolerance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the Indian Embassy here said in a press release.
During the course of the visit, the delegation will engage with senior officials of the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dignitaries from the National Assembly and senior representatives from prominent think tanks and media.
The delegation is one of the seven multi-party delegations India has tasked to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community on Pakistan's designs and India's response to terror.
Besides Jha, the delegation comprises of MPs Aparajita Sarangi, Abhishek Banerjee, Brij Lal, John Brittas, Pradan Baruah, Hemang Joshi, former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, and former ambassador of India to France and Bahrain Mohan Kumar.
The Jha-led delegation earlier visited Japan and said it was deeply encouraged by Tokyo's unequivocal support to New Delhi's war against terror.
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives.
India carried out precision strikes as part of Operation Sindoor on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7, following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.
The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Memorial for former Rajya Sabha member Kollur Mallappa in Yadgir to be fulfilled soon
Memorial for former Rajya Sabha member Kollur Mallappa in Yadgir to be fulfilled soon

The Hindu

time27 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Memorial for former Rajya Sabha member Kollur Mallappa in Yadgir to be fulfilled soon

With the State Cabinet taking a decision, the long-pending demand of the people of Yadgir district to have a memorial for veteran leader and former Rajya Sabha member Kollur Mallappa will soon be fulfilled. On earlier occasions, veteran politician and Rajya Sabha MP M. Mallikarjun Kharge, who has great admiration for Mallappa for his selfless service to the people over several decades, had appealed to the Chief Minister to build a memorial for Mallappa. However, the proposed memorial work was somehow delayed. Meanwhile, Minister for Small Scale Industries and district in-charge Sharanabasappa Darshanapur met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and requested him to grant the required land free for the purpose. The Chief Minister, who earmarked ₹2 crore for the memorial, showed concern over building the memorial for the late politician during the recent Cabinet meeting and sanctioned 2.17 acres of land free as requested by Mr. Darshanapur. Mallappa was born to a Kuruba (Halumatha) community family in 1905 in Pogalapur village in Yadgir taluk. He developed patriotism from his childhood and met Mahatma Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram in 1934. He was deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Congress then. He also participated in the freedom movement against British rule and came in contact with Jawaharlal Nehru during Congress meeting at Mumbai in 1942 as he was the only politician from the Hyderabad Karnataka region to take part in that conference. He was known in the region for his fearless fight against Hyderabad Nizams and for that reason, he was jailed. After Independence, Mallappa was elected as a legislator from the Surpur Assembly Constituency in Kalaburagi district to the Hyderabad State Assembly in 1952. He was again elected from the Sedam Assembly Constituency to the Mysore State Assembly in 1957, after reorganisation of States. Mallappa shifted to Central politics after the former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi got him elected to the Rajya Sabha. He, then, was elected thrice in 1968, 1974 and 1984. He was associated with many prominent Congress leaders of that era. Some of his followers say that Mallappa respectfully refused an offer given by Indira Gandhi to become Chief Minister of the State. Mallappa died in 2004, after a prolonged illness. The people of Yadgir district have expressed gratitude to the State government, especially Mr. Siddaramaiah, for respecting the Hyderabad-Karnataka Gandhi by building a memorial for Mallappa. Mr. Darshanapur, who wrote a letter to the Chief Minister and put pressure on the government to get sanctioned the required land for the memorial, has expressed his gratitude too. 'I will personally supervise the building of a memorial to make it a significant landmark in the district. I will take a delegation to meet the Chief Minister for an additional grant, if required, for the construction of a memorial,' the Minister added. Meanwhile, MLA Channareddy Patil Tunnur has thanked Mr. Siddaramaiah for his concern to building a memorial for Mallappa. 'His selfless service to the people is unparalleled. He remains a model for all politicians,' Mr. Tunnur said.

Pakistani army acts as custodian of ideologies, religion: Former diplomat DP Srivastava
Pakistani army acts as custodian of ideologies, religion: Former diplomat DP Srivastava

Hans India

time28 minutes ago

  • Hans India

Pakistani army acts as custodian of ideologies, religion: Former diplomat DP Srivastava

Former Indian diplomat D.P. Srivastava stated that Pakistan's Army challenges the concept of sovereignty by acting as a custodian of ideologies and religion, rather than focusing on national frontiers like the military forces of other nations. Srivastava also slammed the radical Islamist ideology in Pakistan, which pits the nation against its neighbouring countries, including India. In an interview with IANS, the former diplomat also talked about Pakistani Army's Field Marshal General Asim Munir's April 16 speech, just days before the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 innocent people lost their lives at the hands of terrorists belonging to The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. He hailed Operation Sindoor and said that it reflected a major shift in India's security doctrine. He also commented on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's G7 invite. The following are the excerpts from the interview: IANS: Could you tell us something about your book "Pakistan -- Ideologies, Strategies and Interests"? D.P. Srivastava: My postings took me to Karachi, Pakistan, and the early 1990s. I dealt with Pakistan, among other issues, in the UN division of the Ministry of External Affairs for eight years in the '90s, and during this, I dealt with Kashmir talks to the Pokhran nuclear test and Kargil. The inspiration for the book came from my posting to Karachi, where I heard the phrase 'Nazaria-e-Pakistan', which means the ideology of Pakistan. This is the very phrase used by Gen Munir, who mentioned this in his speech on April 16, days before the Pahalgam terror attack. My book traces the interpretation of ideology and elite interest in the making of Pakistan's domestic and foreign policy. IANS: What is the ideology of Pakistan? Gen Asim Munir mentioned "superior ideology" and the two-nation theory in his speech on April 16. What is this ideology? D.P. Srivastava: The ideology of Pakistan remains vague due to various influential factors within the country. In 1972, two provincial governments were dismissed, and the principal opposition party, the National Awami Party, was banned after the Supreme Court of Pakistan stated that the party was contrary to the ideology of Pakistan. Notably, this occurred before the formation of the country's new constitution, indicating that the ideology preceded the Constitution in Pakistan. There are different views of what this ideology is. Iqbal, who is known as the best explainer of Pakistani ideology, said that in Islam, religion and state are integral to each other, so he ruled out the idea of secularism, and he also opposed the idea of nationalism. Iqbal also stressed the concept of Umma, which is pan-Islamism, and these are the concepts at the root of Pakistan's current trouble where the jihadi groups do not accept the supremacy of the Parliament, the sovereignty of which, is also challenged by the Army. The jihadi philosophy has always pitted Pakistan against its neighbours, including, what they call "the Hindu India, Shia Iran, and Sunni Afghanistan". IANS: What is the mindset of the Pakistan Army? D.P. Srivastava: To understand the mindset Pakistan Army, one should go back to Gen Asim Munir's April 16 speech, where he reminded his Pakistani audience that they belong to a superior ideology. What is this ideology, one may ask? (Former Pakistani President) Ayub Khan described it as Islam. It is very strange that the Pakistani army chiefs talk about ideology and Islam. In other nations, the armies protect the national frontiers, while in Pakistan, the army has become a custodian of ideologies and religion. Seems like Gen Munir has assumed the priest and a general. The Pakistani army has institutionalised its role in the running of the government, where the civilian parties have taken the backseat. This mindset is also reflected in the neglect of socioeconomic indicators. Pakistan's army regards itself as the state, and it has this mindset has led to excessive defensive expenditure to the neglect of economic indicators. IANS: How do you see Operation Sindoor? Is it part of a larger strategic shift in India's security policy against Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism? D.P. Srivastava: Operation Sindoor represents a strategic shift in India's security doctrine, as the Prime Minister has underlined. Pakistan has used the threat of escalation to the nuclear level in the case of India's conventional response to subconventional threats like terror attacks. This time, however, there was no statement from the Pakistani side about nuclear escalation during Operation Sindhoor. So Pakistan's bluff has been called, that it cannot escalate a local conflict or deter India from a military response to a terror attack, and this is a major shift in the paradigm. It also sends a message to the global community that India will exercise its right of self-defence, and we have the strength to do so. We did that in a very responsible manner. We avoided escalation. The escalation came mostly from the Pakistani side. India's initial strike was only against the terror camps. We avoided hitting any Pakistani, civil or military installation. It was Pakistan which attacked Indian Air Force bases, and that forced India to attack Pakistani military installations, and that brought Pakistan quickly to its knees. The Pakistani DGMO called his Indian counterpart, begging for a ceasefire. This message has also gone home and has been understood well by the international community. IANS: Prime Minister Modi has accepted an invitation by Canadian PM Mark Carney to the G7 Summit. Do you think this will help mend the strained India-Canada ties? D.P. Srivastava: The Prime Minister has accepted the invitation to go to the G7 summit. So the focus will be on global issues, not on bilateral relations. But, of course, when the leaders meet, they discuss the entire range of issues, and this will be a good opportunity to bring the bilateral relations back on an even keel. We had good relations with Canada, and I believe, there's a better understanding of the Indian position in the new government there, about the impact of terrorism. And, I think the new government is unlikely to use these incidents as an electoral card. So we hope that this visit will bring about a clearer understanding between the two countries.

Israel is putting more women on the front line to help fix its manpower problem
Israel is putting more women on the front line to help fix its manpower problem

Mint

time44 minutes ago

  • Mint

Israel is putting more women on the front line to help fix its manpower problem

GOLAN HEIGHTS—Days ago, an Israeli search-and-rescue team in Gaza spent hours drilling through concrete and plying aside rebar to recover the body of a fallen soldier buried under rubble in Khan Younis. The combat unit had been following a commando brigade in Gaza, recovering the bodies of dead soldiers on the battlefield. It is a routine task in the Israeli military, but it was unique that this team was made up mostly of women. 'A year and a half ago, I would never have dreamed of leading a combat team within Lebanon or Gaza," said a petite 25-year-old major. 'I think the war proved to all of us how much we are capable of." She is among a growing number of women serving on the front lines of Israel's military. Before the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that spurred the war, women were trained for combat, but left mostly to guard within Israel's borders or run checkpoints in the West Bank, considered less dangerous tasks. Now, they are entering the battlefield in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria in ways many previously thought impossible. Today, one in five combat soldiers is a woman, a ratio higher than many other modern Western militaries, experts say, and one which helps relieve Israel's acute manpower shortage after 20 months of war. Israel's military is made up largely of volunteer reservists, placing the burden of the war on regular working people, often with young families. Still, full equality in the military remains a challenge. The military last week cut short a pilot program to integrate women into Israel's main infantry units for 'expected low effectiveness," after finding that the 23 female trainees were suffering injuries and were 'not expected to meet the required standards of combat and physical fitness." The Israeli military has been pushing to recruit ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into its ranks as a solution to the manpower problem. The military and most of the country supports drafting ultra-Orthodox men, who are largely refusing to comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned their longstanding draft exemption. In light of this, integrating women eases pressure to free up men for other fighting roles. But with many of the military's core combat positions still closed to women or dominated by men, integrating women means it is only a partial solution to the manpower problem. Israel has for decades had one of the highest female representations among modern militaries, standing at about one-third overall, according to the military's most recently available data. It quickly drew on women ahead of its 1948 founding war out of a mix of socialist ideology, nationalism and necessity, experts say. Israel later scaled back women's roles until the 1990s, when Border Guard units opened their ranks to female fighters and a Supreme Court case forced the air force to recruit female pilots. Today, just over half of the military's combat roles are open to women, and 90% of overall roles. This high ratio of women in combat-designated roles is unusual for modern militaries. The U.S., although it has opened most military roles to women, still has a lower overall percentage of female forces at 18%, and therefore at the front lines. Israel is also one of the few countries that subjects women to a broad-based draft at age 18, just like men. Today, women represent 21% of Israel's combat-classed forces, jumping from 14% right ahead of the war and up from 7% a decade earlier, according to Israeli military data. The military said that it has about 4,500 female recruits in combat roles, driven by both an expansion in offerings to women and increased female demand to go into combat professions. 'There are three reasons militaries look to put women in combat roles: ideology, equality and necessity," said Jacob Stoil, chair of applied history at the Modern War Institute at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, who emphasized he was speaking from his personal research and not on behalf of the Army. 'You'll see women serving in combat roles when one of those three are the case," he said, adding that in Israel all three apply. The search-and-rescue unit that the young major belongs to is a mixed-gender fighting force specialized in excavating collapsed structures and evacuating the wounded. Ahead of the war, the unit was mostly relegated to West Bank security-keeping roles, also considered a less dangerous task. After Oct. 7, the unit was sent to the front lines in Gaza and embedded with commando units. When the war expanded to Lebanon, women were sent on front-line missions there too. The military plans to expand the unit by opening a new company in August. Since first being admitted in 2008, women have grown to fill about 70% of its combat roles, officers in the unit said. Women's conscription into combat units has long been a subject of debate in Israel. Some believe that the risk of torture or rape if captured puts women in a uniquely dangerous position. Others argue it hurts male morale, and that it creates additional challenges for some religious men who don't want to be in the same unit as a woman. Perceptions began to change after the Oct. 7 attack, when three all-female tank crews in the Caracal Battalion, meant to patrol Israel's border with Egypt but not enter enemy territory, raced through the desert to fight off Palestinian militants in and around Israeli communities under siege. Israel's military said that it has about 4,500 female recruits in combat roles. The Israeli military's then-chief-of-staff Herzi Halevi took notice at the time, saying that their 'action and fighting" against Hamas on Oct. 7 answers critics of women's integration into fighting forces. The search-and-rescue unit's base in Zikim also came under attack, and seven soldiers died fending off militants. Among the rescuers sent to recapture and secure the base was a 21-year-old lieutenant. She and other relief forces held off militants for two days before tanks arrived to back them up, she said. Shortly thereafter, she was attached to Israel's equivalent to the Navy SEALs as part of the initial phase of Israel's ground invasion, helping them hunt for underground tunnels in Gaza. She doesn't think she would ever have been given such an opportunity before Oct. 7. 'I think that they just realized how powerful we are," she said. 'They realized we can actually do it."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store