Opposition's questions on Operation Sindoor justified? Panellists debate on Preeti Choudhry's show
One month after the Pahalgam terror attack, the hunt for the four terrorists responsible is still on. The National Investigation Agency is questioning witnesses and examining data using technical surveillance. Authorities have released sketches of three terrorists and announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh each for information. The attack has led to unprecedented diplomatic and military actions between India and Pakistan, including Operation Sindoor. Meanwhile, Opposition parties are raising questions about the ongoing search for the terrorists and the government's response to the situation. While the BJP has slammed the Opposition for raising questions on Operation Sindoor. So, are the Opposition's questions on Operation Sindoor justified? Watch as panellists debate on Preeti Choudhry's show.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘We just want them home': Punjab families await return of their sons amid escalating Israel-Iran tensions
Amid an open conflict between Israel and Iran, a wave of fresh anxiety has swept through three villages in Punjab. The families of Husanpreet Singh (27), Amritpal Singh (23), and Jaspal Singh (32)— who were kidnapped in Iran while attempting to migrate to Australia — are clinging to hope, even as fears grow over their safe return from a region now gripped by military chaos. Even as the families said that they trust the Indian government, which has assured them of the men's safe return, their fears have intensified with Iran now embroiled in a full-blown tension. The three men, who hail from Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar, were missing for weeks after falling victim to a transnational human trafficking ring. Having paid Rs 18 lakh each to travel agents based in Hoshiarpur who had promised a legal entry to Australia, their journey was derailed in Tehran, where they were kidnapped, beaten, and held for ransom. Manpreet Singh, cousin of 27-year-old Husanpreet Singh from Dhuri who received a phone call from an Iranian number on June 3, said, 'Can't explain in words, it was such a big relief when he first called saying he is safe now. He said that the Indian authorities have rescued them and they were now being taken to the embassy.' He started calling us daily after that saying that the formalities for their return were being completed. And now, with news of fresh tension, we are very worried.' Yudhvir Singh, cousin of 23-year-old Amritpal Singh said, 'We waited through silence, torture videos, and ransom threats. Now we wait through the Israel-Iran tension. They told us then that they are now safe,' he added. Ashok Kumar, brother of Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar, added that Jaspal had told him last week that it would take at least a week for them to return. 'But now this conflict has added a new layer. We saw the news about how Israeli forces struck multiple Iranian facilities, and how Iran has responded with attacks on Israel,' he said. He added, 'Jaspal told us that due to their prolonged stay in Tehran after the kidnapping, new travel documents are being prepared. This process has caused delays; otherwise, they would have returned by now, as they were rescued by Iranian police on the evening of June 3. It has now been 10 days since their rescue.' What began in April as a dream migration quickly turned into a nightmare. After being flown to Dubai, the three were taken to Iran under a false promise of onward flights to Australia. There they were stripped, and tortured by captors allegedly linked to a Pakistan-based human trafficking syndicate.
Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Aamir Khan on photo with Turkey President Erdogan, receiving hate post Operation Sindoor: ‘I met him when Indian govt was helping…'
India's trade relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan recently came under strain due to Ankara and Baku backing Islamabad and condemning India's recent strikes on terror camps in Pakistan. Following their support to Pakistan, calls for ban on Turkish goods and tourism have surfaced across the country. Amid this, photos of Aamir Khan with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan has resurfaced on social media, with trolls targeting the actor for his meeting with the state head of the country which supported Pakistan in its recent attack on India. Now, Aamir has issued a clarification regarding the controversial pictures. 'Turkey did a very wrong thing, and every Indian has been hurt by that,' Aamir said in an interview with India TV, adding, 'A few years ago, there was an earthquake in Turkey. The Indian government was the first to help them then. At that time, even our government didn't know, just like I didn't when I went to meet Erdogan, that they'd do this to us seven years later. We extended our hand in friendship and helped them during a crisis, and this is what they do to us?' Aamir clarified that his photo with Recep is from his visit to Turkey in 2017. 'Our government was also supporting Turkey at that time,' argued Aamir. He claimed that a photo with Turkey's first lady Emine Erdogan, which is believed to be from his visit to the country in 2020 during the filming of his 2022 film Laal Singh Chaddha, in fact dates even prior to 2017. 'As a celebrity and actor, I'm an ambassador of the country when I visit another nation. So if someone invites me for a tea, saying no doesn't feel right,' explained Aamir. He supported Indians' decision to boycott Turkey and cancel their travel plans to the country. He added, 'They did a very right thing. We shouldn't support Turkey at all. They're supporting Pakistan during our conflict despite us having helped them. How is that fair?' India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to destroy nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in retaliation for the Kashmir's Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. All subsequent retaliations for Pakistani offensives were carried out under Operation Sindoor. Also Read — Aamir Khan says PK wasn't against religion, addresses claims it promoted love jihad: 'My sisters and daughter have married Hindus' Later, India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea. During the conflict, Pakistan used Turkish drones in its failed attempt to target Indian military installations. Online travel platforms such as EaseMyTrip and Ixigo issued advisories against visiting Turkey and Azerbaijan. Indian traders too started boycotting Turkish products such as apples and marble.
India.com
29 minutes ago
- India.com
The Third Eye: Envisioning India's National Security Policy
When Prime Minister Modi briefly addressed the nation in the wake of Operation Sindoor, on May 12, he laid down some postulates that could be deemed to be a part of the country's national security policy. Many strategic analysts had been advocating for a formal declaration of National Security Policy (NSP) little realising that the release of any of its details in public domain could benefit the opponent and also that such a policy might require revisiting because of the changes in geopolitical scenario affecting the international spectrum of friends and adversaries. Prime Minister Modi's statement that any further terror attack from Pakistan will be considered as an 'act of war' and responded to by our defence forces accordingly, certainly was an immutable part of our security doctrine that matched with India's call for 'zero tolerance towards terrorism of all kinds', made from all international platforms. We may attempt to visualise the lasting paradigms of foreign and internal policies that would constitute our NSP even when we choose not to release any such formal document. When the Cold War ended at the beginning of the 90s, countries -big and small -sensed relief from the tension that existed between the two superpowers and felt free to assert their place under the sun. It is no wonder therefore, that the post-Cold War era became an era of 'proxy wars' marked by a sudden rise in insurgencies, separatist movements and cross-border militancy- their number touching the figure of 200 according to some estimates. Meanwhile, Pakistan was given full credit by the US for the success of the anti-Soviet armed campaign- run on the war cry of Jehad- which caused the dismemberment of the USSR and ended the Cold War. What Pakistan did however, was to immediately think of replicating the success of Afghan Jehad in Kashmir and sent in the dreaded Harkat- ul -Ansar (HUA)-a mix of radical Islamic militants including elements of Taliban, to make what turned out to be a failed attempt to 'liberate' the valley. Faith-based terrorism is now a prime threat to the democratic world as a whole and it is good that both the US and Russia are against Islamic terror- the latter witnessed a terror attack on a concert hall in Moscow by ISIS-K, the competitor of Al Qaeda originating from Iraq-Syria region during the US-led 'war on terror'. The attack carried out in March 2024 by a group of four terrorists armed with automatic rifles resulted in the killing of 145 persons including many children and injuries to 500 others. Terrorism will remain a prime threat to India and our NSP rightly puts it on top of the security agenda. India's experience with Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War years was a mixed bag. India apparently tilted towards one side in the combative ideological battle of the two superpowers- between International Communism propounded by the Soviet Union and Capitalism with free market practised by the US leading the West. Post-Cold War, India has come on its own on the basis of 'mixed economy' and shown the way for geopolitically remaining aligned only with friends across the international community on the basis of a mutually beneficial relationship. That India is against all military conflicts and is committed to world peace, has been clearly stated by Prime Minister Modi as a policy approach and this should serve India well in the long term. This stand goes with a conscious effort to make India economically strong and self-sufficient in defence and it is a matter of great satisfaction that Prime Minister Modi was personally taking initiatives on both fronts. The policy of inviting foreign investment in the defence sector on the condition that technology will be shared and production in India will be encouraged, is to be treated as a part of our security mandate. Foreign policy of India favours bilateral friendships in a multipolar world order and this has enabled the country to appropriately respond to military conflicts witnessed in many parts of the world. India has to be prepared to deal with the two adversaries on its borders acting in concert against this country. India's national security policy has to reckon with the threat posed by the Sino-Pak axis- particularly in Kashmir as was evident during the post-Pahalgam military confrontation between India and Pakistan. Indo-US friendship can be sustained by the shared opposition to 'Islamic terrorism' and also by the American firm support to India against any hostile acts of China. It should be indicated by India that its active participation in the Quad needed to be reciprocated by the US in preventing any Chinese aggressiveness in the Indian Ocean. Trump administration must look upon the Pak-Afghan belt as a festering ground for Islamic terrorism and India must continue to educate the former on the situation there, Biden administration seemed to have been somewhat negligent towards this region. The US needs to be constantly reminded that Pakistan had cleverly tried to be in the good books of America while harbouring radical terrorist groups on its soil, despite the fact that Islamic radicals regarded US as their prime enemy. At the same time Pakistan had brought about a settlement between the Taliban Emirate and China. American policymakers should take notice of this. The evolution of national security policy of India should be regarded as a work in progress with continuity on some fundamental points of strategic interest of India and scope for tactical adjustments depending upon geopolitical shifts and the world's economic trends. The national security policy of India would not be complete without defining the nation's approach to safeguarding its internal security, integrity and unity. A vast diverse country like India has been vulnerable to conflicts rooted in caste, creed and region and needed a set of policies that upheld fundamental rights, freedom of citizens to visit and settle down in any part of the state and access to justice. Maintenance of law and order should be strong across the length and breadth of the country and since this was a state subject the Centre's right to take note of any gross failure of a state on that front, should be further strengthened. This has become even more important in these times when the adversary can remotely instigate internal trouble by activating its 'sleeper cells' through digital media. It is heartening to note that the Union Home Minister is already working for better coordination between the central agencies and state Police forces as part of the national security policy.
