'Bhagwa Wins': Says Sadhvi As NIA Exposes 'Saffron Terror' Lie, BJP Celebrates
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Business Standard
21 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Reconciliation only solution to India-Pak tensions: Mehbooba Mufti
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday called for the revival of ties between India and Pakistan, stating that "reconciliation" is the only way forward to ease tensions. Responding to questions about the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the recent encounter in Kulgam, Mufti said, "Encounter used to happen and will always happen, but such a huge war took place before that. The ceasefire had to be declared later. Unless reconciliation, dialogue, debate and discussions are done, such encounters will go on, and we will always stay on the verge of war. Reconciliation is the only way forward." Terrorists killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 in a brutal and heinous attack. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in response. Meanwhile, security forces continue their operation in the Akhal Devsar area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district. One terrorist has been neutralised so far in the joint operation by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir police, CRPF, and the Special Operations Group (SOG). The encounter began on Saturday and continued overnight. A day earlier, ahead of the sixth anniversary of the revocation of Article 370, Mufti launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Central government, saying the policy to strip Jammu and Kashmir of its special status has "completely failed." "Six full years have passed since August 5, 2019. At that time, Jammu and Kashmir's special status was taken away, and Article 370 was revoked with the claim that everything would be fine in Jammu and Kashmir. But we have seen that the policy has completely failed," she told reporters. Mufti alleged that the internal situation in the region has deteriorated rather than improved, pointing to ongoing security crackdowns. "Internally, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is bad. For the past six years, arrests have been made daily. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir has become worse than before, although people are silent today. This is why our country has come into confrontation with Pakistan. What is Pakistan's stature? Their economy is not even a tenth of our economy, but today the whole world is comparing us with them," she said. The former Chief Minister also criticised what she termed the BJP's "aggressive policy" and its broader impact on regional diplomacy. "Unfortunately, the BJP has created such an atmosphere in the country that today all groups are saying, why did you agree to a ceasefire? This is the BJP's aggressive policy.
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Business Standard
21 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Pak, Iran agree to increase bilateral trade volume to $10 billion annually
Pakistan and Iran on Sunday agreed to enhance bilateral trade volume to $10 billion from the current $3 billion annually as they signed 12 agreements and MoUs after talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Prime Minister Sharif announced the new bilateral trade target while addressing a joint press meeting with President Pezeshkian after their talks during which they also agreed to strengthen cooperation to combat militancy along their shared border, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). The agreement to enhance bilateral trade volume to $10 billion was reached earlier in the morning during a meeting between Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Iranian Minister for Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Atabak. Sharif also said that Iran has the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, which had been at the heart of the current conflict with Israel. Pakistan stands with Iran for the acquisition of peaceful nuclear power, Sharif said as he condemned recent Israeli attacks against Iran and appreciated Tehran for its forceful defence of the country. Pakistan and Iran exchanged 12 agreements and MoUs in the presence of Sharif and Pezeshkian. These included cooperation in trade, agriculture, science, technology and innovation, information and communications, and maritime safety, among other issues, the APP said. Prime Minister Sharif on Sunday said that the leadership of Pakistan and Iran were keen to enhance the bilateral trade volume to the target of $10 billion as soon as possible, the APP said. The two leaders also discussed issues related to terrorism and agreed to strengthen cooperation to combat militancy along their shared border, it said. On his part, Pezeshkian said that the MoUs signed included one about finalisation of the free trade agreement at the earliest between the two sides. President Pezeshkian expressed satisfaction that serious and sincere efforts were being initiated by both sides for cooperation in diverse fields, and to take their current trade volume of $3 billion to the projected target of $10 billion, the APP said. President Pezeshkian landed in Lahore on Saturday afternoon and flew to the capital later in the evening. Meanwhile, after Khan's meeting with Atabak, a statement by Pakistan's Commerce Ministry said the high-level discussion between the two leaders marked a renewed commitment from both sides to accelerate trade, remove border bottlenecks, and build trust-based partnerships across priority sectors. The meeting emphasised maximising the potential of neighbourhood trade, with Khan highlighting how ASEAN countries have benefited enormously by trading within their region. Geography is an advantage. Pakistan and Iran must utilise this discount of distance. If we don't, we lose both time and cost benefits, he stated. The Pakistani minister suggested organising targetted trade delegations that include representatives from federal and provincial chambers of commerce, enabling focused discussions on market access and regulatory facilitation, according to the statement. The ministers also expressed a shared commitment to increasing the use of existing trade corridors and border facilities. Atabak also highlighted ongoing discussions about increasing Pakistani exports to Iran and encouraged swift follow-up on newly signed agreements. Khan said that beyond bilateral gains, such connectivity could expand to Turkey, Central Asia, Russia, and even parts of West Asia, creating an economic bloc of substantial power and resilience. Atabak supported the idea of holding a dedicated B2B day during every high-level visit and offered to bring Iranian business groups to Pakistan for in-depth meetings, the statement said. Both ministers agreed on the importance of identifying specific sectors such as agriculture, livestock, services, energy, and cross-border logistics for future collaboration, the statement said. With high-level political alignment and mutual trust, Pakistan and Iran appear poised to enter a new phase of strategic economic partnership that could reshape regional trade dynamics, it added. Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research, a policy think tank in Islamabad, said the total volume of formal bilateral trade between Pakistan and Iran reached around $2.3 billion in 2022, with the trade balance largely tilted towards Iran. Iranian exports to Pakistan stood at $1.488 billion, mainly petroleum gas, electricity and petroleum coke. Pakistan's exports to Iran amounted to $842.8 million, primarily comprising Iron pipes, medical instruments and utility meters, it said in a September 2024 brief titled 'Pakistan and Iran's Struggle for Economic Cooperation'. (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.)
India Today
21 minutes ago
- India Today
Kolkata man dies by suicide, family claims NRC fear; no such mention in note
A 59-year-old man died by suicide in Kolkata over an alleged fear of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), sparking a war of words between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the proposed Kumar Saha, a non-teaching staff member at a private school, was found hanging in his room on Sunday by family members who had to force open the door. According to his family, Saha had grown increasingly anxious and depressed in recent days, terrified by the fear of being served an NRC notice and possibly deported to Bangladesh, from where he had migrated in victim had been living in Kolkata with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law for over 30 years. His family claimed that although he never received any official NRC notice, he had stopped eating and often voiced panic over being 'pushed back'. They believe this fear drove him to take the extreme police investigating the case said no mention of NRC was found in the suicide note recovered from the victim. 'He stated he held no one responsible for his death,' an officer said, adding that a case of unnatural death had been incident has escalated into a political flashpoint. Trinamool Congress minister Bratya Basu alleged that Saha's death was the result of the 'humiliation and depression' inflicted by the BJP's 'selective targeting' of Bengali Hindus through NRC-related the allegations, BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the tragedy.'Since the suicide note does not mention NRC, this is another attempt by the TMC to create fear among Hindus and Muslims alike. Even genuine Indian Muslim citizens will not be affected by NRC,' she said.- EndsMust Watch
