How India Took World By Surprise With Its Air Shield & What Stopped Pak From Using Nukes? HT Podcast
Military expert and aviation expert Tom Cooper exposes how Pakistan's defences were of no match to India's in this exclusive interview with Abhishek Singh, Deputy Editor, Hindustan Times. Cooper highlights India's superior integrated air defence system, the precision strikes on terror camps and Pakistani military infrastructure, and the implications of Pakistan's ballistic missile launches amid nuclear tensions. Watch the full interview
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Economic Times
20 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Bangladesh drops 'Father of the Nation' title for Mujibur Rahman as it amends freedom fighters' law
Bangladesh's interim government has dropped the "Father of the Nation" title for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as it amended a legislation, revising the definition of freedom fighter, according to media reports on Wednesday. The move on Tuesday comes a few days after the Muhammad Yunus-led government dropped the portrait of the country's founding father and deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's father Mujibur Rahman from new currency notes. The interim government has amended the National Freedom Fighters Council Act, "altering" the definition of freedom fighter, The Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs issued the related ordinance on Tuesday night, it said. The amendment to the law also "modifies the term 'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman'", the report said. According to portal, "The words 'Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman' and portions of the law that mentioned the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman have been deleted." The Daily Star newspaper reported that the ordinance also makes slight changes to the definition of the Liberation War. "The new definition of Liberation War drops the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The previous one mentioned that the war was waged responding to Bangabandhu's call for independence," it said. According to the revised ordinance, all MNAs (members of the national assembly) and MPAs (members of the provincial assembly) associated with the wartime government-in-exile of Bangladesh (Mujibnagar Government), who were later considered members of the erstwhile constituent assembly, will now be categorised as "associates of the Liberation War", the Dhaka Tribune reported. Until now, they were recognised as freedom fighters. As per the amendment, all civilian individuals who, between March 26 and December 16, 1971, received combat training or made preparations for war within the country, enrolled in training camps in India with the aim of participating in the war, took up arms against the occupying Pakistani military forces and their local collaborators, in the pursuit of Bangladesh's independence, and who were within the government-determined minimum age at that time, will be recognised as freedom fighters. The local collaborators include Razakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams, the then-Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, Nezam-e-Islam and members of the peace committees. Members of the armed forces, East Pakistan Rifles (EPR), police, Mukti Bahini, the Mujibnagar government and its recognised forces, naval commandos, Kilo Force, and Ansar will also be included under the definition of freedom fighters. Women who were subjected to torture by the invading Pakistani forces and their collaborators during the war (Birangona) will also be recognised as freedom fighters under the new definition. Doctors, nurses and medical assistants who served injured fighters in field hospitals during the war will also be acknowledged as freedom fighters. The ordinance redefines Liberation War as the armed struggle carried out between March 26 and December 16, 1971, by the people of Bangladesh aiming to establish a sovereign democratic state founded on equality, human dignity and social justice, against the occupying Pakistani armed forces and their collaborators, the Dhaka Tribune report said. In January, the interim government introduced new textbooks for primary and secondary students for the 2025 academic year that state that Ziaur Rahman, who was an Army major and later a sector commander of the Liberation War, declared the country's independence in 1971, replacing the previous ones crediting founding father Mujibur Rahman with the declaration.
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Operation Sindoor: 9 aircraft lost, drones destroyed, missiles blocked - Inside details of IAF's 4-day onslaught on Pakistan
NEW DELHI: The extent of Pakistan's losses is becoming increasingly clear as more details emerge from the recent cross-border military conflict dubbed Operation Sindoor . Indian Air Force (IAF) retaliatory strikes in response to the Pahalgam terror attack , which killed 26 civilians, led to the decimation of significant Pakistani military assets, including fighter jets, surveillance aircraft, drones, and missile systems, forcing Islamabad to seek a ceasefire within four days. According to ANI report on the basis of defence sources involved in the operation, the IAF destroyed at least six Pakistani fighter jets, two high-value surveillance aircraft, and one C-130 military transport aircraft. More than ten armed drones (UCAVs), several cruise missiles, and radar sites were also taken out during India's calibrated air campaign, which began late on May 6 and concluded by May 10. The strikes, which included hits on key Pakistani airbases such as Bholari, were executed exclusively using air-launched cruise missiles, avoiding surface-to-surface weapons like the BrahMos. The strikes were carried out by a mix of Rafale and Su-30 MKI fighters, with support from electronic warfare and surveillance assets. High-value targets hit One of the most significant hits came in the form of a long-range Sudarshan missile strike, which neutralised a high-value aerial platform, possibly an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft or an electronic warfare jet, at a range of nearly 300 km. Another AEWC aircraft of Swedish origin, believed to be stationed at the Bholari airbase, was also reportedly destroyed. Although there is suspicion that additional fighter aircraft may have been inside the damaged hangars, officials are not including those in confirmed kill counts due to Pakistan's refusal to clear debris from the site. Meanwhile, Indian air defences effectively intercepted multiple Pakistani air and ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles. The IAF also scored multiple kills on Pakistani drones, including Chinese-made Wing Loong variants, during strikes and airspace incursions. Pakistan's propaganda with civilian casualty claims A dossier showed Pakistan accusing India of targeting seven locations beyond the Indian military's officially disclosed targets, including Attock, Bahawalnagar, Gujrat, Jhang, Peshawar, Chhor, and Hyderabad, alleging civilian casualties. Indian officials, however, dismissed the claims as 'propaganda', asserting that all Indian strikes were limited to terror infrastructure, not civilian or military Pakistani centres. 'We disclosed our targets transparently. This Pakistani document seems like an attempt to falsely portray Indian actions as indiscriminate,' said an Indian defence official. Operation Sindoor was launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed civilians in Jammu & Kashmir. On May 7, India struck four terror hubs in Pakistan and five in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including high-profile targets like the Sawai Nala camp in Muzaffarabad, Markaz Taiba in Muridke (Lashkar-e-Taiba HQ), and Markaz Subhan in Bahawalpur (Jaish-e-Mohammed HQ). After Pakistan escalated with missile and drone attacks on Indian military and civilian centres, India responded with force, targeting nine Pakistani airbases and multiple radar sites. The intense four-day conflict ended when Pakistan sought a ceasefire on May 10, reeling under mounting losses.
The Hindu
30 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Pakistan-India intelligence collaboration can reduce terrorism: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) chairman and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that 'cooperation between Pakistan and India's intelligence agencies could significantly reduce terrorism in South Asia.' The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman, who is currently leading a high-powered delegation to the U.S. as part of a global diplomatic push to seek support following its recent conflict with India, was speaking at a press conference at the U.N. Headquarters on Tuesday (June 3, 2025), the Dawn newspaper reported. 'I am completely confident that if ISI and RAW were ready to sit down and work together to fight these forces, we would see a significant decrease in terrorism in both India and Pakistan,' Mr. Bhutto-Zardari was quoted as saying by the newspaper on Wednesday (June 4, 2025). He also urged the global community to remain engaged in South Asia, warning that the risk of conflict between nuclear-armed neighbours had grown, not diminished, after the recent ceasefire. 'With the intervention of the international community — and I would like to mention particularly the role played by the U.S. President Donald Trump and his team led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio — we did manage to achieve a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. This is a welcome first step, but it's only a first step,' Mr. Bhutto-Zardari said. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7. Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions. The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. Mr. Trump claims that the US has stopped India and Pakistan from fighting. However, India has been consistently maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries. Mr. Bhutto-Zardari emphasised that diplomacy and dialogue were the only 'viable path to peace,' and reiterated Pakistan's willingness to engage in a broad dialogue with India — including cooperation on counterterrorism. 'Pakistan would still like to cooperate with India to combat terrorism. We can't leave the fate of 1.5 billion, 1.7 billion people in the hands of non-state actors and terrorists... For them to decide, at a whim, that (when these) two nuclear-armed powers will go to war,' he said. Referring to India, the PPP leader said "linking any terrorist attack in the region to the threat of war with Pakistan" is "untenable". 'You can't have no dispute resolution mechanisms between two nuclear-armed countries,' he said. He proposed the establishment of a mutually agreed platform where both sides could raise complaints, investigate terrorist incidents jointly, and work together to ensure accountability. Reiterating Pakistan's stance on India's move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Mr. Bhutto-Zardari said, 'it is an attempt to weaponise water.' Following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, New Delhi, among other punitive actions, announced the suspension of the 1960 IWT accord, which governs water sharing between India and Pakistan. 'The mere threat to cut off the water supply of 200 million people is a violation of the U.N. Charter. Acting on this threat will be seen as an act of war by Pakistan,' Mr. Bhutto-Zardari said. Earlier, the Pakistani delegation met with the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the President of the U.N. Security Council, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana, in New York, the Dawn reported.
