UK Parliament debates India-Pakistan conflict, appeals for de-escalation
LONDON: The rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and Op Sindoor targeting terror camps in PoK was debated at length in the British Parliament, with members across parties appealing for UK efforts to aid de-escalation in the region.
India launched Operation Sindoor early Wednesday, hitting nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan's Punjab province in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack that killed 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
UK Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer opened the debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday with a statement reiterating Prime Minister Keir Starmer's earlier remarks over the importance of diplomacy and dialogue.
He also expressed concerns related to the very personal aspect of the conflict for a large number of British Indians and British Pakistanis in the country.
Our consistent message to both India and Pakistan has been to show restraint.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
33 minutes ago
- Hans India
Kishan slams Rahul for remark on EC
Hyderabad: Union Minister and State BJP chief G Kishan Reddy stated that the BJP will remain unstoppable as long as Rahul Gandhi leads the Congress party. While addressing a workshop of the party's social media wing on Saturday, he criticized the Congress MP for resorting to mudslinging that tarnishes the image of constitutional institutions and authorities, both in India and abroad. He noted this behavior as an attempt to cover up his ineffective leadership, especially given the series of setbacks and electoral defeats Congress has faced over the past decade. He pointed out that the Congress party is riddled with corruption and dynastic politics and has been unsuccessful in winning the trust of the people, leading them to reject the party's propaganda against the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Central government. Referring to an article written by Rahul Gandhi, Kishan Reddy labeled it as another example of Rahul Gandhi's ineffective leadership, wherein he accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of compromising its constitutional responsibilities. Kishan Reddy posed a question: 'If the ECI is fixing the elections, then how could Congress win 90 seats in Telangana and a similar number in Parliament?' The Union Minister criticised the abusive political rhetoric of Congress and Rahul Gandhi, mentioning that they have not spared even Operation Sindoor. He pointed out that politics and national security are different issues, but both Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has made statements aimed at gaining political advantage against Operation Sindoor, which he termed a new low.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Life returning to normal, says Poonch resident as Op Sindoor marks 1 month
As Operation Sindoor, launched by Indian armed forces in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, marks one month on Sunday, people living near the Indo-Pakistan border in Poonch district said that life is slowly returning to normal after the ceasefire with schools opening and people getting back to their routine. "Uss bhayanak khwab ko bhule toh nahi hain, lekin bhoolne ki koshish kar rahe hain. (We haven't forgotten that terrible dream, but are trying to forget it)," said Pradeep Khanna, a local resident in Poonch. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Khanna said, "Operation Sindoor was launched to avenge the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 26 people. Prime Minister Narendera Modi said that the terrorists would be given a befitting reply, which they received. On intervening May 6-7, nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan were destroyed. After that firing took place here in Poonch, which is also called the battlefield of Jammu and Kashmir." "After the ceasefire, life is slowly returning to normal. Schools have reopened, and people are returning to their works. We haven't forgotten that terrible dream, but are trying to forget it. We celebrated Eid al-Adha together with all the people here in unity. Operation Sindoor is not over yet. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are united in the fight against terrorism," said Khanna. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and struck nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in response to a ghastly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam last month in which 26 people were killed. After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan. After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Top Gujarat Congress leader arrested over Op Sindoor post: Who is Rajesh Soni?
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) general secretary Rajesh Soni, arrested for an alleged objectionable post on Operation Sindoor, belongs to a family of jewellers and is a first-generation politician, say his party colleagues. Many in the Congress refer to Soni as the go-to person for 'publicity-related tasks'. At least three top party leaders told The Indian Express that the credit for putting up maximum hoardings and billboards during Congress party events goes to him. However, according to his detractors in the party say 'his billboards would mostly be of his mentors and patrons in the party'. Soni, who is in his forties, was arrested by the Gujarat State Cyber Crime Cell on Friday under sections 152 (endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India) and 353 (making, publishing or circulating statements that could lead to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS) for alleged posts on his social media handles and pages that were 'demoralising for the Army', as per the FIR. Originally from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Soni joined the Congress in 2015 with his team of supporters. 'Within just a couple of years of his joining the party, he was made an All India Congress Committee (AICC) delegate. Promotions came early for him compared to other senior leaders,' said a Congress leader in the Ahmedabad city unit. He was appointed general secretary of the state unit in 2022 when former MP Jagdish Thakor was the state party president. Thakor described Soni as a person 'who did a lot of charity and was always at the forefront to help during natural calamities', while state Congress spokesperson Amit Nayak recalled how, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Soni ran a community kitchen. Former Union minister Bharatsinh Solanki, who was the state Congress president from 2015 to 2018, told The Indian Express, 'Soni holds an event every year to distribute notebooks to children and this time he invited me. I suggested that he also distribute tablets. He obliged and gave tablets to some five children.' Soni's father, a jewellery businessman from Pali in Rajasthan, came to Ahmedabad for business and the family decided to settle down in the city's Isanpur area, where Soni was born. When he was young, Soni joined his father's business. 'Later, he got into the construction business and launched his own company called Soni Corporation,' said Nayak. Soni's party colleagues said one of the reasons he was being 'targeted' because he is an 'RTI activist' and participates in television debates.'Soni is being targeted because he is a kattar agevan (staunch leader), has been in charge of the party's IT Cell earlier. He is part of our TV debate team and his appearances must have bothered the BJP government,' said Nayak. The spokesperson, who said he was also booked for his social media posts in 2023, added, 'We have decided that all top leaders of the party will repost Rajesh Soni's (alleged objectionable) post and then go to the DGP's (Director General of Police) office to court arrest.' Top Congress leaders such as state Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Amit Chavda have criticised the action against Soni and demanded immediate bail. Gohil said Friday that the Gandhinagar Police cyber crime team picked up Soni as if he were a 'terrorist'. He said Soni's post was more about giving credit to the soldiers for their bravery and saying that 'money from the public treasury should not be used for publicity and … political gains should not be taken in the name of Operation Sindoor'.
