Bilawal Bhutto gets an earful from US lawmaker, asked to eliminate Jaish-e-Mohammed
A senior US lawmaker told a visiting Pakistani delegation, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, to take strong action against the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed and to ensure the safety of religious minorities in the country.
This comes as Congressman Brad Sherman met with the Pakistani delegation in Washington on Thursday. Their visit coincided with that of an Indian multi-party parliamentary team led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is in the US to brief American officials about Operation Sindoor and India's response to terrorism following the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
After meeting Bilawal Bhutto, Sherman took to social media platform 'X' and said, 'I emphasised to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combatting terrorism, and in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed, who murdered my constituent Daniel Pearl in 2002.'
He was referring to a Wall Street Journal journalist, Pearl, who was kidnapped and killed by terrorists in Pakistan. Omar Saeed Sheikh was convicted for planning the crime.
Sherman added that Pearl's family still lives in his district and stressed, 'Pakistan should do all it can to eliminate this vile group and combat terrorism in the region.'
The US lawmaker also pressed the Pakistani side to push for the release of Dr Shakil Afridi, the physician who helped US intelligence locate Osama bin Laden.
'Freeing Dr Afridi represents an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11,' Sherman said.
Afridi was arrested in 2011 after the bin Laden raid and was later sentenced to 33 years in prison by a Pakistani court.
The US lawmaker further raised concerns about religious freedom in Pakistan, saying, 'Christians, Hindus and Ahmadiyya Muslims living in Pakistan must be allowed to practice their faith and participate in the democratic system without fear of violence, persecution, discrimination, or an unequal justice system.'
Bhutto Zardari's visit, which included meetings with UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and UN security council ambassadors in New York, appears to be part of Pakistan's effort to raise the Kashmir issue internationally. However, US lawmakers instead urged the delegation to address terrorism based in Pakistan.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
US aerospace industry anxious as tariffs loom
US airlines and aerospace manufacturers insist they have no use for tariff protections, warning that the proposed Trump administration levies could eat into the healthy trade surplus the sector has enjoyed for more than 70 years. At the request of President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's department launched an investigation on May 1 to determine whether to impose tariffs of between 10 and 20 percent on civil aircraft and parts, including engines. The US industry those tariffs were crafted to protect swiftly let the administration know it was not interested. "Imposing broad tariff or non-tariff trade barriers on the imports of civil aviation technology would risk reversing decades of industrial progress and harm the domestic supply chain," the Aerospace Industries Association said in a letter addressed to Lutnick and obtained by AFP. The interested parties were given until June 3 to communicate their positions. The very next day, Lutnick announced that Washington aimed to "set the standard for aircraft part tariffs" by the end of this month. "The key is to protect that industry," he said, adding: "We will use these tariffs for the betterment of American industry." But AIA and the Airlines for America trade association voiced fear that far from helping, the tariffs would end up harming US manufacturers. "Unlike other industries, the civil aviation manufacturing industry prioritizes domestic production of high-value components and final assembly," AIA pointed out. According to the organization, US aerospace and defense exports reached $135.9 billion in 2023, including $113.9 billion for civil aviation alone. This allowed the sector to generate a trade surplus of $74.5 billion and to invest $34.5 billion in research and development, it said. The sector employs more than 2.2 million people in the United States across more than 100,000 companies, which in 2023 produced goods worth nearly $545 billion. In its response to Lutnick, the A4A highlighted how beneficial the international Agreement on Trade in Commercial Aviation had been by helping to eliminate tariffs and trade barriers over nearly half a century. "The US civil aviation industry is the success story that President Trump is looking for as it leads civil aerospace globally," it insisted. A full 84 percent of production was already American, it said, stressing that Washington "does not need to fix the 16 percent" remaining. "The current trade framework has enhanced our economic and national security and is a critical component to maintaining our national security moving forward," it said. For manufacturers, the potential tariffs would act like sand jamming a well-oiled machine that has been running smoothly for decades, experts warned. They would also throw off balance an ultra-sensitive supply chain still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. "To avoid the situation getting worse, we advocate to keep aerospace outside of trade wars," Willie Walsh, head of the International Air Transport Association , told the organization's general assembly last week. AIA meanwhile stressed that "aircraft and parts are already in high demand and have a limited supply." "Integrating new suppliers and expanding capacity is complex, timely, and costly," it warned, pointing out that finding suppliers capable of meeting rigorous safety certifications could "take up to 10 years." Delta Air Lines also argued for sticking with the status quo, cautioning that the proposed tariffs "would hinder Delta's ability to maintain its current trajectory." "If component parts incur tariffs upon entering the United States, Delta will be at a competitive disadvantage to foreign competitors," it said. "The action would also impose an unexpected tax on Delta's purchases of aircraft contracted years in advance." Delta chief Ed Bastian insisted in late April that the airline "will not be paying tariffs on any aircraft deliveries we take," adding that it was "working very closely with Airbus" to minimize the impact. Delta pointed out in its letter to Lutnick that it currently had 100 aircraft on order from Boeing, and that it was demanding that its Airbus A220s be produced primarily in Mobile, Alabama. But if the tariffs are imposed, it warned, "Delta would likely be forced to cancel existing contracts and reconsider contracts under negotiation." elm/tu/ph/nl/aha AIA Group Delta Air Lines Airbus Group BOEING
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
After Congress' Mhetre, more opposition leaders cross over to Shiv Sena
MUMBAI: Days after former minister and senior Congress leader from Solapur Siddharam Mhetre joined the Shiv Sena led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, another once-Congress leader from Ahilyanagar joined Shinde's party on Saturday. Former MLA Bhanudas Murkute was inducted into the Sena on Saturday along with other leaders from various other opposition parties. Murkute, 84, who has been in various parties, including the Congress in the 1980s and '90s, Janata Dal, undivided NCP and Bharat Rashtra Samithi, joined the Sena with his family members and followers. The three-term MLA from Shrirampur has been in politics for over four decades though, according to the observers from Ahilyanagar, his political strength has waned over the last few years. Murkute was arrested in October last year on allegations of sexual assault. Former deputy chairman of the Shrirampur municipal council and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Chhallare was another key leader from Ahilyanagar to join the Shinde-led Sena. Shinde said that Murkute's joining his party would help it in winning big in the forthcoming local body polls. 'Bhanudas Murkute has joined the Sena with his robust team of supporters from Shrirampur,' he said. 'He has come to us with a belief in the Mahayuti government's development of Maharashtra. The induction has strengthened our party in Ahilyanagar and this will reflect in the local body polls, which are considered to be the elections of party workers.' Murkute said that he and his supporters would work in the interest of the party, follow the ideology of Bal Thackeray and ensure success in the local body polls. The former MLA leads the Ashok Cooperative Sugar Factory and was the director of the district cooperative bank. He enjoys clout in the cooperative sector in the district and the Sena expects to benefit from this clout in the local body polls. Senior Congress leader Siddharam Mhetre joined the Shiv Sena in Solapur on Thursday. Mhetre was a minister of state during the tenure of once of the Congress-NCP governments, and has a following in the Lingayat community which is dominant in Akkalkot constituency in Solapur. Mhetre said that he was joining the Sena in the expectation of getting funds for the irrigation projects in his constituency. In March this year, a former Congress leader from Kasba in Pune joined the Shiv Sena months after being defeated in the Lok Sabha elections as a Congress candidate. Shinde said that the induction of all these leaders had helped the Shiv Sena strengthen its base in their respective districts prior to the local body polls. The latter are expected to be held in October or November this year.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Elon Musk- Donald Trump Feud Live Updates: 'Elon Musk could face 'serious consequences' if he backs Democratic candidates ,' says Trump
US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Elon Musk of 'serious consequences' if the billionaire backs efforts to unseat Republicans who support a controversial government spending bill. The sharp remarks, made to NBC News, followed a dramatic and very public unravelling of their once-close relationship. The fallout began after Musk, formerly one of the GOP's biggest donors, fiercely criticized Trump's proposed 'big, beautiful' spending package currently under debate in Congress. Some conservative lawmakers opposed to the bill urged Musk to fund primary challenges against Republican legislators who back the legislation. In response, Trump lashed out: 'He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that,' calling Musk 'disrespectful' and ruling out any future reconciliation. 'I have no intention of speaking to him,' the president added. The split comes just days after Trump had praised Musk for his work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), from which he recently stepped down. But tensions escalated rapidly when Musk slammed the spending bill as an 'abomination,' prompting an angry reaction from Trump during an Oval Office outburst. Although both appeared to soften their tone slightly on Friday—Trump saying 'I just wish him well,' and Musk replying 'Likewise' on X—the damage appears far from repaired. Adding fuel to the fire, Musk had earlier made a now-deleted post alleging Trump appeared in unreleased government documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The explosive claim was scrubbed from Musk's account before Trump's latest interview. While Trump has been named in unsealed court documents tied to the Epstein case, there are no allegations of wrongdoing against him. The White House has confirmed an ongoing review of thousands of files connected to Epstein, which Trump's MAGA supporters claim will reveal names of powerful figures involved in the scandal.
