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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'MPs roaming, terrorists also roaming': Jairam Ramesh sparks row; BJP says Congress 'crossed all limit'
NEW DELHI: A fresh political storm erupted on Thursday after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh controversially likened the free movement of Pahalgam terrorists to that of Indian MPs traveling abroad, drawing sharp criticism from the BJP . Jairam Ramesh accused the government of targeting the Congress while allowing terrorists involved in multiple attacks to remain at large. 'These terrorists from Pahalgam were involved in four attacks and are still roaming freely. Our MPs are roaming, and terrorists are also roaming. We're raising these questions seriously,' he said. "They do not answer these questions. The BJP only targets the Congress party. Their attack is on the Congress party; it should be on the terrorists. Action should be taken against Pakistan. The terrorists should be arrested. The missiles that are being launched every day are being launched against the Congress party," he added. Meanwhile, the BJP latched on to Jairam's remarks to accuse Congress of "crossing all limits." BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that comparing MPs to terrorists is exactly what Pakistan wants so that it can get a clean chit. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo "Comparing our MPs to terrorists is exactly what Pakistan wants so that it can get a clean chit. This is the same Congress party that called the army chief a street thug, labeled the surgical strike as blood trade, belittled the Balakot strike, and insulted the Sindhu operation by calling it a minor activity. They have disrespected the army, the surgical strike, and our diplomatic efforts. Now, when Pakistan is being diplomatically cornered, Congress steps in to defend Pakistan and calls our MPs terrorists. There should be strict action from the Parliament, but this shows the mentality of the Congress party," Poonawalla said. "The Congress talks about Hindu terror, demands no action against Pakistan for events like Samjhauta, Pulwama, and Pahalgam, and insults operations like Sindoor. They also demean diplomatic strikes by referring to them as tours or travels. The way they have spoken about MPs like Kanimozhi, Supriya Sule, and Rajeev Rai is shameful. The Congress party today is speaking the language of the DG ISPR and Pakistani YouTubers," he added. This comes as Congress and BJP locked horns over Shashi Tharoor's reported statement in Panama that India breached the LoC "for the first time" during the 2016 surgical strike. This prompted a sharp response from his party colleague Udit Raj, who accused Tharoor of denigrating Congress's legacy. Tharoor's recent statements on India-Pakistan relations have notably diverged from the Congress party's official position, particularly regarding the government's handling of US President Trump's claims about mediating a ceasefire between the two nations. Meanwhile, the grand old party has also been asking the prime minister to break his "silence" on US President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he helped settle the recent military tensions between India and Pakistan.
News18
5 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Indus Treaty In The Crosshairs: Is A Water War Brewing Between India And Pakistan?
Last Updated: The psychological impact of India's move is showing, with Pakistan's politicians under pressure from their people on the impending implication of water flow being regulated 'Pakistan ko Bharat Ke Haq Ka Paani Nahi Milega, Bhartiyon Ke Khoon Se Khelna Pakistan Ko Ab Mehnga Padega" — Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this in Bikaner a few days ago, making it clear that the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance. He also said Operation Sindoor has not ended, and that it is only on pause. The hostilities may have paused for now but Pakistan is deeply troubled by the water issue. So, will the next India-Pakistan conflict under Operation Sindoor be over water? The Indus, Jhelum and Chenab could be the new flashpoints. Let's dive into what could soon become the biggest water conflict of the 21st century between India and Pakistan. Putting an end to the Indus Waters Treaty has been a long-time ideological project of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The RSS has always felt this pact signed between then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Pakistan President Ayub Khan in 1960 was unfair to India. In fact, scrapping of this treaty was also on the table of Atal Bihari Vajpayee post-Kargil and Narendra Modi post the Uri and Pulwama terror strikes. India finally took the step post-Pahalgam. 'Tum Hamara Pani Band Kar Doge, Hum Tumhari Saans Band Kar Denge"—this was Pakistan DG ISPR clearly threatening India for stopping waters of the rivers flowing to Pakistan. So dire is the situation that DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry is echoing similar hate-filled sentiments against India like those expressed by terrorist Hafiz Saeed in the past. To this, India has clearly said blood and water cannot flow together. PM Modi has said Indus Waters Treaty will remain on pause till Pakistan takes credible and verifiable action against terrorism on its soil. India knows that is never going to happen. So, the Indus Waters Treaty is as good as dead. India knows it has the upper hand. And Pakistan is worried, deeply worried over this prospect. Pakistan Senator Syed Ali Zafar, who belongs to the Tehreek-e-Insaf party of Imran Khan, has said India has thrown a 'Water Bomb' at Pakistan, which needs to be urgently defused. 'We will starve to death if we don't solve this water crisis immediately. Indus Basin is our lifeline. 3/4th of our water comes from here. 9 out of our 10 people rely on the Indus Water Basin to live their life. 90 per cent of our crops rely on the Indus Water basin. All our projects and dams are built in the Indus Water Basin," Zafar has said in the Pakistan Assembly. If push comes to shove, Pakistan could start a violent conflict with India again over the Indus Waters Treaty. It already feels deeply humiliated over its failure against Operation Sindoor. India, hence, expects Pakistan to do something and remains on high alert. Pakistan tried to start a dialogue with India through a letter, which India has rebuffed. The Pakistan government is now making the issue international and has termed India's move on Indus Waters Treaty as an 'act of war'. Bilawal Bhutto has threatened that 'either our water or their (India's) blood will flow in the Indus". The next 5-6 months could be crucial on the India-Pakistan front. India is telling the world community that it had been working on reviewing the Indus Waters Treaty for many years now—as population changes and geographical changes have taken place. So, what is India's plan? Let's look at the facts first. An issue always has been India's capacity to build dams in the upper reaches of the western rivers given the geographical challenges. India's current storage capacity of water that flows through the three western rivers to Pakistan is less than 1 per cent. In short, it is very limited. All existing hydropower projects of India on the western rivers that flow to Pakistan are 'run-of-the-river' projects, and hence have minimal storage capacity. India can only stop water here for 2-3 days by filling up its reservoirs to the brim—but it has the upper hand now as it does not need to inform Pakistan when it will stop water and when it will release it, creating uncertainty of limited droughts and floods in Pakistan. The regular flushing of dams by India in the last one month has led to fluctuations in water flow to Pakistan. This is what has alarmed Pakistan. Things could get worse for Pakistan from 2026. Pakul Dul will be India's first storage project on these rivers, which can effectively store a larger quantity of water and will be ready by next year. Pakal Dul is coming up on a tributary of river Chenab in Kishtwar. At 167m of height, it is the highest dam of its kind in India. It will be able to utilise the permissible storage of 0.1 MAF under Indus Waters Treaty; and maybe more now, since the treaty is in abeyance. Earlier this month, the Modi government granted permission for laying of overhead transmission lines under the project in order to fast-track it. India is also fast-tracking its hydroelectric projects like Kishanganga and Ratle to not use them just as energy initiatives but also as levers of strategic pressure. The psychological impact of India's move is hence already showing, with Pakistan political class under pressure from their population on the impending implication of water flow of western rivers being regulated by India. For a start, India now need not bother about Pakistan's objections on interactional forums to the Kishanganga, Ratle and Paul Dul hydroelectric projects. The combined hydrological effect of these projects gives India a strong geopolitical signaling and strategic calculus to corner Pakistan. The Pakistan-sponsored terror strike on civilians in Pahalgam has changed the rules of the game with India making Pakistan civilians pay for the misadventures of their Army. India had already diverted water from the Jhelum via a 23 km tunnel through the Kishanganga Project that was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in 2018 in Bandipora. On the same day, Modi laid the foundation stone of the Pakal Dul Power Project, the largest hydro power project in J&K with 1,000 MW capacity, and J&K's first storage project. The other big bother for Pakistan is the 850 MW Ratle Hydro Electric Project in Jammu & Kashmir, especially since last year when a major milestone has been achieved here with the diversion of Chenab river through diversion tunnels at Drabshalla in Kishtwar district. The river diversion has enabled isolation of dam area at river bed for starting the critical activity of excavation and construction of the dam. India can now proceed with the dam despite Pakistan's design objections related to the spillway height and drawdown levels of the project. Modi government approved the Ratle project in 2021 at Rs 5,282 crore. top videos View all The last time the India and Pakistan teams had met for the annual Indus Waters Treaty talks was last year in June, when a Pakistani delegation travelled to India and visited Kishtwar to see various dam sites. Pakistan continued to object to the Kishanganga, Ratle, and Pakul Dul hydroelectric plants by India, saying that they violate the provisions of the treaty. For now, the Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 with the World Bank as a signatory to the pact, is history. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Bilawal Bhutto Homework Column jammu and kashmir news18 specials Operation Sindoor pakistan pm narendra modi Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 26, 2025, 06:30 IST News india Indus Treaty In The Crosshairs: Is A Water War Brewing Between India And Pakistan?
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
‘Afghan elite' sheltering terrorists for Indian funds: DG ISPR
PESHAWAR: Calling the people of Afghanistan brothers, DG ISPR Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Sunday accused the 'Afghan gentry' of giving refuge to terrorists in lieu of money received from the Indian government. Speaking to over 2,500 students from different universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), who held a special sitting with him, he urged Afghanistan not to play into the hands of India. The DG ISPR said the time had come for Kashmir's independence. Govt vows decisive action against 'India-sponsored' terrorists after Khuzdar attack He further said that India was under the impression that Pakistan might not defend itself as there existed a gulf between its people and the armed forces. 'But the nation, by standing with their armed forces, proved the enemy wrong,' he said, and added, 'This was a strategic miscalculation on the part of India.' Pakistanis, he went on to say, had always been like this and would remain so. Lt Gen Chaudhry made it clear to India that if it attacked Pakistan again, the latter's response would be even tougher. 'We decided to attack 26 sites in India,' the DG said, adding that the Pakistan Air Force destroyed those air bases from where the Indian Air Force's jets flew to kill innocent Pakistani men, women and children. 'Likewise, we destroyed the brigade headquarters on whose orders shells were dropped on Muzaffarabad and which had resulted in the martyrdom of a seven-year-old Irtaza.' Carrying national flags in their hands, the students shouted slogans of 'Pakistan hamesha zindabad' and 'Kashmir bane ga Pakistan.' The Pakhtun students, on the occasion, vowed that they would not spare the enemies of the country and inflict a humiliating defeat on them.
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Khuzdar bus bombing death toll rises to 10
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visits a hospital in Quetta to meet children injured in the school bus attack in Khuzdar. PHOTO: EXPRESS Two more students, Sheema Ibrahim and Muskan, embraced martyrdom while receiving treatment in a Quetta hospital, raising the number of students martyred in the recent terrorist attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan, to eight, according to security sources. The total death toll has risen to 10. Security officials confirmed that among those martyred are seven female students and one male student. On the day of the suicide bombing, Sania Soomro (Grade 6), Hafsa Kausar (Grade 7), and Ayesha Saleem (Grade 10) were among the first to embrace martyrdom. Later, Haider, Malaika, and Sehr Saleem also succumbed to their injuries while receiving medical treatment, security officials said. According to intelligence sources, the attack was planned and sponsored by the terrorist state of India. "The blood of these innocent children will not go unavenged. Those behind this — including the Indian handlers and their local agents — will be held accountable," security officials stated. During a press briefing in Rawalpindi on Friday DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the attack was not just on a school bus, but an attack on our values, education, and the fabric of our society. "Our response will be decisive. They will not succeed," said the interior secretary. DG ISPR said that India-sponsored attackers have no humanity, morality, and Baloch or Pakistani identity, adding that India has been involved in state-sponsored terrorism for 20 years, destabilising regional peace. He pointed out that in 2009, Pakistan had presented a dossier to the United Nations with evidence of India's involvement in terrorist activities in Balochistan.
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Khuzdar school bus attack death toll rises to ten
The wreckage of a school bus destroyed in bomb blast in Khuzdar lies on a roadside. Photo: PPI Listen to article Two more students, Sheema Ibrahim and Muskan, embraced martyrdom while receiving treatment in Quetta, raising the number of students martyred in the recent terrorist attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan, to eight, according to security sources. In what authorities describe as an Indian-backed terrorist incident. Security officials confirmed that among those martyred are seven female students and one male student. On the day of the suicide bombing, Sania Soomro (Grade 6), Hafsa Kausar (Grade 7), and Ayesha Saleem (Grade 10) were among the first to embrace martyrdom. Later, Haider, Malaika, and Sehr Saleem were also martyred while receiving medical treatment, security officials said. According to the sources, the cowardly attack was planned and sponsored by the terrorist state of India. "The blood of these innocent children will not go unavenged. Those behind this — including the Indian handlers and their local agents — will be held accountable," security officials stated. During a press briefing in Rawalpindi on Friday DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry added that the attack was not just on a school bus, but an attack on our values, education, and the fabric of our society. 'Our response will be decisive. They will not succeed,' said the interior secretary. DG ISPR said that India-sponsored attackers have no humanity, morality, and Baloch or Pakistani identity, adding that India has been involved in state-sponsored terrorism for 20 years, destabilising regional peace. He pointed out that in 2009, Pakistan had presented a dossier to the United Nations with evidence of India's involvement in terrorist activities in Balochistan. He stressed that the Khuzdar incident was deeply tragic, carried out under India's orders, and that Fitna al-Hindustan is targeting innocent people, including children and travellers. The United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Khuzdar. In a statement, the Council extended its deepest condolences to the victims' families, the government of Pakistan, and the Pakistani people, while also wishing a swift recovery for the injured. The Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all forms poses a severe threat to international peace and security. It called for the accountability of the perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of such attacks, urging states to cooperate with Pakistan in bringing the responsible parties to justice.
