The Hindu Morning Digest: May 17, 2025
After Vijay Shah, M.P. Deputy CM's 'Forces bowing down to Modi' remarks spark row; Congress demands dismissal
Even as a controversy has erupted over Madhya Pradesh Minister Vijay Shah's inflammatory remarks on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, State Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda courted a row on Friday (May 16, 2025) after he made 'insulting' statements on the armed forces, saying that the personnel 'bowed down at the feet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi' for his leadership during Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan Foreign Minister calls for 'composite dialogue' with India to address contentious issues
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has called for a 'composite dialogue' with India to address the contentious issues between the two sides. India made it clear that it will have a dialogue with Pakistan only on the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the issue of terrorism.
Supreme Court's three-month timeline in Tamil Nadu Governor verdict was adopted from Centre's own guidelines
The Centre, through the means of a Presidential Reference, has questioned the Supreme Court's decision in the Tamil Nadu Governor case to 'impose' a three-month timeline for the President to decide on State legislations reserved for consideration under Article 201 by State Governors. However, the Supreme Court's April 8, 2025 judgment made it clear that it was merely adopting guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) through two back-to-back Office Memorandums (OMs) issued in 2016 fixing a three-month timeline for the President.
Neeraj Chopra finally breaches 90m but finishes 2nd in Doha DL in 'bitter-sweet' contest
Neeraj Chopra finally breached the elusive 90m frontier with a 90.23m throw but the trailblazing Indian had to settle for a second place behind Germany's Julian Weber in a dramatic men's javelin contest at the Doha leg of the prestigious Diamond League Meeting series here on Friday.
Nagpur woman goes missing in village along LoC in Kargil
Police in Ladakh have intensified search for a 36-year-old woman from Nagpur who went missing from one of the last villages in Kargil along the Line of Control (LoC) on May 14. Though her whereabouts were not known yet, police officials said that the woman had tried to cross over to Pakistan near Amritsar border in Punjab in March this year. She was stopped by the Border Security Force (BSF) then, the officials said.
Turkish firm Celebi moves Delhi HC against revoking of security clearance
Turkish company Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd on Friday (May 16, 2025) moved the Delhi High Court against the decision of aviation watchdog BCAS revoking its security clearance in the 'interest of national security'.
NIA conducts searches at 15 locations linked to Babbar Khalsa International in Punjab
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday (May 16, 2025) conducted searches on 15 locations linked to banned Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in different parts of Punjab, in connection with the grenade attack on a police station in Gurdaspur last December.
Russia, Ukraine agree to swap prisoners, fail to reach truce
Russia and Ukraine agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange, said they would trade ideas on a possible ceasefire and discussed a potential meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin in their first direct talks in over three years on Friday (May 16, 2025).
India to do whatever is necessary to build ties with Afghanistan: officials
A day after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a telephone conversation with the 'acting Afghan Foreign Minister,' Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, officials in New Delhi asserted that India will undertake 'bold moves' on Afghanistan and 'do whatever is necessary' in the near future to establish stronger relations with the Taliban-ruled state.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Long-range precision weapons make geographical barriers irrelevant
NEW DELHI: India's use of long range precision-guided munitions like the Scalp and BrahMos missiles launched from fighter jets to strike targets on the ground in Pakistan, without crossing the border during , show geographical barriers have become almost meaningless, chief of integrated defence staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said on Wednesday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The senior IAF officer, speaking at a seminar here, also underlined the critical role of real-time situational awareness and 'deep surveillance' in contemporary conflicts, while stressing that advances in technology have fundamentally altered the relationship between distance and vulnerability. 'When we look at global conflicts commencing from Armenia-Azerbaijan to Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas and to our own experiences in Operation Sindoor, one truth emerges with crystal clarity: the side that sees first, sees farthest and sees most accurately, prevails,' Air Marshal Dixit said. The existing principles of war are being challenged, with new ones emerging rather rapidly. 'Earlier, the horizon marked the limit of immediate threat. Today, precision-guided munitions like the Scalp, BrahMos and Hammer have rendered geographical barriers almost meaningless, as strikes with beyond visual range air-to-air missiles and supersonic air-to-ground missiles have become commonplace,' he added. Referring to China's military space program expanding from operating just 36 satellites in 2010 to over 1,000 by 2024, with over 360 of them dedicated to ISR (Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) missions, Air Marshal Dixit said Beijing's creation of an independent aerospace force last year signals its recognition of space as the ultimate high ground in modern warfare. 'Yet, even as we acknowledge these challenges, we must also celebrate our own remarkable achievements. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Operation Sindoor demonstrated that indigenous innovation, when properly harnessed, can match and even exceed international benchmarks,' he said. Towards this end, he cited the success of the IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), integrated with the Army's AkashTeer system, in compressing the sensor-to-shooter timelines and ensuring effective air defence during Operation Sindoor. 'Not a single Pakistani aircraft breached our airspace, while our precision strikes successfully degraded their air defence capabilities and aerial infrastructure,' he said. With weapons capable of striking targets hundreds of kilometers away with pinpoint accuracy, he said, 'This new reality demands that we extend our surveillance envelope far beyond what previous generations could have even imagined. 'We must detect, identify and track potential threats not when they approach our borders, but when they are still in their staging areas, airfields and bases, deep within an adversary's territory. This existed as a concept even earlier but today we have the means to realise it,' he added.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"Will move SC to challenge DDA's demarcation of properties in Batla House area": AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan
New Delhi [India], June 12 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan on Thursday said he would move the Supreme Court to challenge the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) demarcation of properties in the Batla House area of Okhla. The move followed directions from the High Court's Division Bench, which granted affected residents three days to file individual writ petitions. This comes a day after Khan withdrew his Public Interest Litigation (PIL) from the Delhi High Court that had sought to stop demolition action initiated by the DDA. Speaking to ANI, the AAP MLA said, 'The Division Bench has given time for the affected parties to file their writ individually within three days. We have also withdrawn our PIL. People have been living there since 1971, and you suddenly declared it unauthorised and separated it from the PM-UDAY scheme.' '...The manner in which DDA wants to demolish this entire area is beyond my demarcation done by them is not accurate. I withdrew my plea because I will challenge the demarcation before the Supreme Court,' he said. Khan withdrew the PIL on Wednesday to inform the residents of his area to file an appropriate petition before the court. The withdrawal was allowed by a division bench of Justices Girish Kathpalia and Tejas Karia of the Delhi High Court, which suggested that individual residents approach the court with their grievances. 'In furtherance of the last order, senior counsel on the instructions of briefing counsel seeks permission to withdraw the petition filed by the petitioner, who is a public-spirited person, so he can inform the residents of Batla House to file an appropriate petition before the court,' the High Court said. At the outset of the hearing, the High Court noted that some aggrieved individuals have already been given protection by the court after hearing their individual petitions. The High Court at the beginning emphasised that any adverse order while deciding the PIL may affect the rights of the individuals who are already before the single-judge bench. The court has also emphasised that any aggrieved individual may approach the court like other people who have already approached the court. This issue is not a subject matter of the PIL. Khan had filed a PIL challenging the notice issued by the DDA for the demolition of alleged illegal properties in the area of Batla House in Okhla. The High Court on Monday had refused to grant an immediate interim stay on the demolition, which was proposed for June 11. Earlier, the apex court on May 7 refused to grant relief and directed the demolition of the illegal properties. Senior advocate Salman Khurshid appeared for the petitioner and argued that they (DDA) are pasting notices on the properties which fall beyond the khasra no. 279. The order of the Supreme Court was regarding the illegal properties within this khasra. The counsel for respondents contended, on the other hand, that the PIL is not maintainable as the Supreme Court specifically directed that the individual aggrieved persons adopt the legal remedy. DDA's counsel also said that the notices issued by the DDA are not generic and are in compliance with the Supreme Court. All the notices were given 15 days to respond. No demolition was carried out during the notice period. (ANI)
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"War, terror, escalation, not solutions": CPI(M)'s Tarigami advocates for democratic process to solve conflicts
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 12 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M) MLA Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami strongly advocated for a solution to conflicts that remains rooted in 'democratic processes' instead of 'war and terror'. Expressing regrets over the situation in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the recently concluded conflict between India and Pakistan, the CPI(M) leader argued that the farms were destroyed on both sides of the border, affecting the livelihood of all who rely on farming and its produce. 'What happened here in Poonch happened across the border as well. The farms were destroyed on this side and the other side of the border as well. I am not advocating for anyone. I mean to say that escalation is not a solution. War is not a solution. Terror is not a solution. The solution is democratic process,' Tarigami, the lone communist leader of Kashmir and five-times MLA from Kulgam, told ANI. His remarks come after a delegation led by CPI(M) visited Uri in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district earlier to meet people affected by shelling by Pakistan. 'People of J&K participated in the democratic process after seven years. They got the chance and seized it. I want to appeal to the government of India to accept the mandate of the people,' he added. CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby expressed reservations over the compensation amount of Rs 1.3 lakh given to the affected residents. 'The situation here is highly distressing, as you would have seen with the drone and shelling attacks. The government has only given Rs 1.3 lakh as compensation, which these days cannot even buy a proper door and window. This is highly deplorable, and we strongly disagree with the government's attitude. The democratic process has been destroyed here. Omar Abdullah is the Chief Minister; this is a Union Territory, and Modi and Amit Shah are controlling everything. We heard that the review meeting conducted with the Lieutenant Governor excluded the Chief Minister,' he said. He further addressed the plight of the people affected by shelling, saying, 'An eight-member family has been given a small room--this attitude of the government needs to change. We, MPs from West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and other corners of ... came here to raise the plight of people in border areas. We demanded a special session to discuss it, but the Prime Minister refused. He didn't even attend the all-party meeting, only giving lectures here and there.' The visit followed shelling by Pakistan in the civilian areas of Jammu and Kashmir post Operation Sindoor, which was conducted on May 7. The operation was conducted in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, including a Nepalese national. (ANI)
