
Letters to The Editor — June 4, 2025
The Gaza war
Israel's ruthless attack on the hapless Gazans, in what is a one-sided war in the Gaza strip, deserves to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Though it was the facinorous Hamas which started the war with killings and abductions, there is no justification for Israel to retaliate in the most brutal and barbaric manner. What is most shocking is that neither the United Nations nor the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council have intervened and castigated Israel's aggression. It seems as if the UN has outlived its utility and its relevance.
K. Chellappan,
Chennai
Conflict, losses, opacity
India's Chief of Defence Staff may have declined to specify the extent of India's losses during Operation Sindoor by saying that it was more important to know the reasons why than about how many were lost. For an air force, which we understand is currently operating with depleted squadrons — against its sanctioned strength — equipment lost in conflict cannot be brushed aside lightly. Greater transparency will only enhance the credibility of our institutions. Now that Operation Sindoor has come to a halt, it is time the facts are made public. Have we forgotten that the Kargil review committee report was made public?
S.K. Choudhury,
Bengaluru
IPL format
The IPL format leaves much to be desired if one looks at other premier sporting tournaments. Cash cow IPL scheduled over two months is one that takes the toll on everyone — from organisers to players and spectators. IPL may see empty stands like the Tests. It is time the IPL has the traditional two-group format lasting under a month.
A.V. Narayanan,
Chennai
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Mint
22 minutes ago
- Mint
Shashi Tharoor flags false equivalence with Pakistan on US mediation role – ‘this is about India versus terrorism'
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has said having United States as a mediator between India and Pakistan would imply an equivalence which doesn't exist. "Mediation is not a term that we are particularly willing to entertain. You're implying an equivalence which simply doesn't exist, Tharoor said speaking at an event in Washington DC when asked if it is helpful to have the United States available as a mediator. Tharoor is part of all-party delegation traveling abroad as part of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's diplomatic outreach to highlight India's stand on terrorism following'Operation Sindoor'. 'There is no equivalence between terrorists and their victims. There is no equivalence between a country that provides a safe haven to terrorism and a country that's a flourishing multi-party democracy that's trying to get on with its business,' the Congress MP said. Tharoor said that Modi government also received calls at high levels from the US government and India appreciated their concern and their interest. At the same time, he said, they must have been making similar calls at the highest levels to the Pakistan side. "Because that's the side that needed persuading to stop this process, that may well have been where their messages really had the greatest effect. But that's guesswork on my part. I don't know what they said to the Pakistanis," he said. The Congress leader reiterated that India hit terror bases in Pakistan during Operation Tharoor while Pakistan hit civilains in retailiation since there are no terror bases in India. "There are no terror bases in India to hit. There are no terrorist organisations in India listed in the UN or the State Department anywhere else. So, what do you hit? You hit civilians, innocent people. That is the asymmetry of this particular conflict. We have tried not just to be precise and calibrated in our response, but we have tried systematically to signal we are not interested in war with Pakistan. We're not interested in attacking Pakistani civilians, ordinary people. This is about India versus terrorism," he said. As many as 26 people were killed and several others injured in the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on 22 April. Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. There is no equivalence between terrorists and their victims. Key Takeaways Mediation by the US is viewed as inappropriate due to the lack of equivalence between India and Pakistan. Tharoor highlights the asymmetry in the conflict, stressing that India targets terror bases while Pakistan retaliates against civilians. The focus should remain on countering terrorism rather than establishing diplomatic parity.


Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Stampede deaths: Karnataka HC takes up suo moto case, SIT may probe lapses
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday took suo moto cognizance of the stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday that claimed 11 lives and left about 90 injured. The tragedy occurred as people rushed to the gates of the congested stadium to see their favourite cricket stars of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team after they lifted the IPL finals cup. There were public interest litigations (PILs) and requests to the court to go deep into the case as they expressed doubts over the event organisers and the government having followed the necessary protocols before holding events of such magnitudes at such short notice. A division bench of acting chief justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice CM Joshi said the court has received requests from several people on the subject to ascertain the cause of the tragedy and prevent such incidents in future. The court posted the case for further hearing to June 10, Tuesday. Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty said the Police Commissioner and other senior police officers were present at the site, but there was an overwhelming crowd of about 2.5 lakh people at the stadium. One of the advocates, speaking on behalf of the affected people, prayed for an independent inquiry insisting that the person (district magistrate) who was supposed to control the mob was deputed to conduct the inquiry now. Another advocate sought to know from the government through the court as to who decided to conduct the events -- the state government or the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA)? Security is RCB responsiblity The A-G, in response to a query from the Bench, said the RCB promoters handled the event and took care of the security as well. A PIL filed by Lohith G Hanumapura requested a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge, while seeking direction to the state government and the KSCA to share details such as approvals obtained to hold the two events on Wednesday, safety measures and crowd control plans. Bengaluru Urban magistrate G Jagadeesha on Thursday visited the stadium area as part of a magisterial probe the government ordered into the incident with directions to submit the report in two weeks. Earlier in the day, MoS (Labour & Employment) Shobha Karandlaje wrote to the Acting CJ requesting him to take suo moto cognizance of the incident and treat it as a matter of public interest as it reflected a systemic failure and complete collapse of the state responsibility. 'Only the timely intervention of the court would uphold justice and restore public faith in governance and the rule of law, she said. FIR registered Shetty, the advocate general, also informed the Court that the government has transferred the FIR registered at the Cubbon Park police station to the CID with an order to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the charges mentioned in the complaint. The Cubbon Park Police on Thursday registered two FIRs naming RCB promoters, event management agency DNA and KSCA as the accused for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). While one FIR was a suo motu one registered by the Cubbon Park police station, the other one was by an injured person naming the three entities as accused.


India Today
29 minutes ago
- India Today
Same name as sanctioned terrorist: Bilawal Bhutto defends LeT commander at UN event
From the stage of the United Nations, former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto once again defended Hafiz Abdur Rauf, the man seen leading funeral prayers after India's airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under Operation Sindoor, claiming he is not a terrorist. Repeating a line earlier pushed by Pakistan's military media wing, ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations), Bhutto argued that Rauf merely shares a name with a sanctioned delegation (India's global outreach) goes around violently shoving this picture in everybody's face. They say 'Look, this guy is a terrorist'. The fact of the matter is that this man is not a terrorist. He happens to have a name similar to one of the sanctioned people, but he's not," Bilawal said at the UN briefing, referring to India presenting evidence of Rauf's presence at the ISPR's own evidence has contradicted this claim. A CNIC (computerised national identity card) shared by the ISPR showed a date of birth and identification number that exactly match those on the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list of designated global terrorists. The CNIC also confirms Rauf is affiliated with the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), the successor to MML - both parties designated by the US as fronts of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba on 2 April US Treasury had earlier stated: "Few individuals are more integral to LeT's fundraising than Hafiz Abdur Rauf." Despite the evidence, Bilawal maintained his position, echoing ISPR's portrayal of Rauf as a "local cleric" and "family man". The Pakistani military had earlier tried to whitewash Rauf's presence at the funeral of LeT operatives killed in the strikes, claiming he was simply a party the same UN event, Bilawal also appeared to soften his stance on India by calling for cooperation between RAW and ISI to curb terrorism."Pakistan would still like to cooperate with India to combat terrorism," he said, suggesting a "dispute resolution mechanism" and asserting, "I am completely confident that if ISI and RAW sat down to work together, we'd see a significant drop in terrorism on both sides."Bhutto further claimed that 1.5 to 1.7 billion people in South Asia should not be left at the mercy of non-state actors, warning against the risk of war between nuclear powers triggered by terrorist an interaction with the Pakistani community in New York, Bhutto made a provocative remark, claiming that Pakistan has mastered the art of asserted that if India genuinely wants to combat terrorism, it should take lessons from Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI. "We have learnt how to deal with terrorism. We are experts. India should come and learn from the ISI how to fight it," Bhutto Pakistan continues to face backlash for attempting to mislead the international community regarding the presence of a US-designated terrorist at the funeral in Muridke, a known LeT evidence shared by India, including by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, clearly showed Hafiz Abdur Rauf leading the prayers, with uniformed Pakistani Army and police officers in attendance."These are not clerics or civilians - they are designated terrorists and those who support them," Misri had earlier said, rebutting Pakistan's also drew criticism during the UN interaction for alleging that Indian Muslims were being demonised in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians. When questioned by a journalist, who noted that Indian Army briefings were led by Muslim officers themselves, Bilawal was visibly unsettled and admitted, "As far as the operations are concerned, you're absolutely right."Must Watch