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First Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Trump administration can promote regional peace by staying off the Kashmir issue
It will be beneficial for the Trump administration to keep off the Kashmir issue and focus on terrorism in the subcontinent for the betterment of the India-US strategic partnership and regional peace read more The US has a habit of offering its role to discuss the so-called Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Image: File photo of US President Donald Trump US President Donald Trump was too hasty to credit himself for the halt in military exchanges between India and Pakistan on May 10 and announced it even before India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire. This kicked off a controversy in India that is yet to die down. When Trump claimed credit and the Pakistani government paid enormous tribute to him for helping in fast ending the military exchanges, it appeared as if the US President pressurised India to discontinue with its punishing attacks on Pakistani military facilities, which was in response to the Islamabad-backed inhuman terrorist attack on unarmed tourists in Pahalgam. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It also made Indian people believe that the US did little to help India in responding to the brutal Pahalgam terror attacks except condemning the incident and calling for restraint even before India would seek to punish the culprits and their sponsors. The Trump administration maintained silence after the terror infrastructures were destroyed by India. Had President Trump made a statement soon after the nine terror camps in Pakistan were hit by Indian precision strikes with little or no collateral damage and called for a ceasefire, it would have shown him better light as a person who was against terrorist activities and who cared for peace between two nuclear neighbours in South Asia. The Trump White House also made no remarks on India's carefully executed strikes against terror camps. Nor did it say anything when Pakistan was relentlessly pounding civilian targets in India by using a large number of drones. The high officials of the Trump administration woke up only after Pakistan attacked Indian military installations, drawing appropriate retaliation by the Indian Armed Forces. There is little doubt that the ceasefire declaration between India and Pakistan preceded intense conversations by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio with both Indian and Pakistani officials. But the final decision was taken only after Pakistan's DGMO called his Indian counterpart and discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire. And this call from Pakistan came only after India had given a befitting reply to Pakistani provocation by hitting hard their military bases that were responsible for attacks against Indian targets. Pakistan has traditionally approached Washington for help only after its miserable failure in military misadventures against India. And Washington has often been sympathetic towards Pakistan in view of their long-standing alliance relationship. When Pakistan started its first war in Kashmir in the 1940s, the Truman Administration equated the victim with the aggressor and called for a ceasefire by the warring parties. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At that time, India was determined to stay away from the Cold War by adopting a non-aligned foreign policy, and Pakistan was courting the US to make it an alliance partner. By the time Pakistan invaded Kashmir in 1965, it was a member of US-backed regional security alliances, such as the Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation and the Central Treaty Organisation. The anti-India policy of the US was so pronounced that the India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement was signed in Tashkent through Soviet mediation. During the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, Washington visibly tilted towards Pakistan, ignoring its brutal military suppression of the freedom movement in East Pakistan. During the Pakistani misadventure resulting in the Kargil War, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had begged President Bill Clinton to facilitate dialogue with India and reach a ceasefire agreement! However, a ceasefire agreement is fundamentally different from holding dialogue on the Kashmir issue. India has a consistent policy against third-party interference on the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan. As far as India's bilateral dialogue with Pakistan on the Kashmir issue is concerned, it is only about ending Pakistani occupation of a portion of Jammu and Kashmir, an area known as PoK. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But then the US has a habit of offering its role to discuss the so-called Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. During the 1962 Chinese invasion of India, Pakistan lobbied in Washington for US mediation in the Kashmir dispute, and President John F Kennedy had expressed his willingness to do so, but India firmly refused. In the 1990s, Pakistan yet again lobbied in Washington by proposing ending its nuclear weapon programme if only the US could help in resolving the Kashmir dispute. Pakistan appears to have succeeded in persuading Washington to interfere in its disputes with India by invoking its doctrine of nuclear danger in South Asia. Terrorism, nuclear weapons and the Kashmir issue are not interconnected, but Islamabad parades this narrative, and Washington sometimes plays by the Pakistani playbook. The Trump administration needs to take a closer look at Pakistani game plans. Islamabad used to take huge amounts of money from the US in the name of fighting terrorists in Afghanistan post 9/11 and then channel some funds to Haqqani outfits who were killing Western forces. It was the Pakistani military that had given shelter to 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden in an area not very far from the military headquarters. The present Pakistani establishment has gagged opposition leaders, calling domestic opponents militants or terrorists, while supporting terrorist groups in Kashmir by calling them freedom fighters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is unfortunate the Trump Administration, instead of backing Indian efforts to counter terrorism backed by Pakistan, is hypnotised by the Pakistani narrative and is bragging that it has engineered a ceasefire to ward off a nuclear danger in South Asia. What is truly dangerous is when a nuclear-weapon power uses terrorism as an instrument of state power. The US did a big mistake by not even recognising Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism in Kashmir after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 as 'international terrorism', until after the 9/11 terror attacks on its soil. And now, the Trump administration is ignoring Pakistan's hand in terrorism. In the backdrop of political instability, law and order problems, an economic crisis and the unpopularity of the army-backed government in Pakistan, the Pahalgam terror attacks took place. The way the Obama administration neutralised Osama bin Laden by using its military deep inside Pakistan is not ancient history. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If India sought to destroy the terror camps inside Pakistan to avenge the merciless killings of innocent civilians by terrorists with support from across the border, President Trump should have stood by India, as per the statement issued in Washington, and not felt gratified by the current ceasefire. It will be beneficial for the Trump administration to keep off the Kashmir issue and focus on terrorism in the subcontinent for the betterment of the India-US strategic partnership and regional peace. The author is founding chairperson, Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies, and editor, India Quarterly. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
NDTV
14-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Why Many Indian Tourists Are Cancelling Trips To Turkey, Azerbaijan
New Delhi: Hundreds of Indian tourists are now cancelling their trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan as these countries supported Pakistan in the conflict with India following the massacre of 26 tourists in Kashmir's Pahalgam by Islamabad-backed terrorists. Leading online travel booking platforms MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip have reported mass cancellations and a sharp drop in Indian tourists wanting to travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan due to their anti-India stand during Operation Sindoor. "Indian travellers have expressed strong sentiments over the past one week, with bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey decreasing by 60 per cent, while cancellations have surged by 250 per cent during the same period," MakeMyTrip said in a statement on Wednesday. While the platform has not stopped offering flight bookings to Turkey and Azerbaijan on its website, MakeMyTrip said, "It stands in solidarity with our nation and out of deep respect for our armed forces, we strongly support this sentiment and advise against all non-essential travel to Azerbaijan and Turkey. We have already discontinued all promotions and offers on our platform to discourage tourism to these two destinations." EaseMyTrip founder and former chairman Nishant Pitti said that the company's portal has seen a 22 per cent cancellation of trips by tourists to Turkey and more than 30 per cent cancellations to Azerbaijan. He urged travellers to avoid visiting Turkey and Azerbaijan due to their open support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Pitti, in a post on X, also referred to the issue of celebrities endorsing Chinese products and Chinese-owned websites and highlighted the need for national interests to be given precedence over individual benefits or convenience. "Valid question - what about websites owned by Chinese firms? What about celebs promoting Chinese products? The answer lies in our choices. Stop using such sites. Boycott those endorsements. National interest, personal convenience or profit. Time to walk the talk," Pitti wrote on X. Pitti also said that the platform has chosen not to cancel or boycott existing bookings to avoid widespread inconvenience, as many travellers use Turkey simply as a layover. The boycott by Indian tourists is expected to have a significant impact on the economies of the two countries. As per the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, as many as 243,589 Indian tourists visited the country in 2024. The tourism board expects a growth of 11 per cent from now until the next 10 years. Turkey saw Indian arrivals at 3,30,000 passengers in 2024, while the number stood at 119,503 in 2014 as per the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey. The estimated spend per Indian tourist in Turkey is $1,200-1,500, with the total estimated Indian tourist spend in Turkey in 2023 working out to $350-400 million (approximately Rs 3,000 crore) Turkey is a country that is highly dependent on tourism, with the sector contributing as much as 12 per cent to the country's GDP. The tourism sector accounts for 10 per cent of the total employment in the country. India is one of Turkey's fastest-growing source markets.
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First Post
14-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
While India downed Pak drones & missiles, China-backed 6-nation hacker army launched cyberattack
India came under cyberattack from hackers backed by Pakistan and led by China and other countries after military strikes under Operation Sindoor. Hackers targeted key sectors to steal sensitive defence data and disrupt critical infrastructure, report says. read more India faced not only heavy attacks on its western border from Pakistan after military strikes under Operation Sindoor on Islamabad-backed terror hubs but was also targeted in cyberspace, The Times of India reported, citing sources and experts. According to the report, state-backed hackers and hacktivists from Pakistan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with support from China, targeted Indian digital systems. The attacks focused on defence PSUs, their MSME vendors, and critical infrastructure such as ports, airports, power grids, Indian Railways, airlines, telecom companies like BSNL, fintech platforms like UPI, digital wallets, stock exchanges, and large Indian conglomerates involved in infrastructure. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The aim was to embarrass India and steal sensitive information about its defence systems, including missile data, sources said. According to Interpol trainer and cyber forensic expert Pendyala Krishna Shastry, these cyberattacks were part of a broader Pakistani campaign against Indian digital assets. The attackers used malware, phishing, and denial-of-service attacks to target key sectors such as finance, telecom, energy, and public services. Zone-H, a website that tracks website defacements, reported breaches of Indian government domains. The website of the National Institute of Water Sports ( was defaced, while another site, was also hacked but later restored. The Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) website faced a major glitch on Tuesday after a message appeared from a group calling itself 'Mr Habib 404 – Pakistani Cyber Force,' saying, 'You thought you were safe, but we are here.' However, officials avoided confirming whether it was a cyberattack from Pakistan, reports Sanjay Sahay. CCL's Public Relations Officer, Alok Gupta, said, 'The website has been restored and is functioning normally. There was no loss or tampering of company data. For now, we believe it was a technical issue and cannot confirm if it was a hack.'
Hans India
13-05-2025
- Hans India
Reopening of 32 airports cleared
New Delhi: The Centre on Monday issued the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to reopen the 32 airports that had been shut down since May 9 due to the cross-border drone and missile attacks following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre of 26 tourists by Islamabad-backed terrorists. The airports that will gradually reopen include Chandigarh, Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Bhuntar, Kishangarh, Patiala, Shimla, Kangra-Gaggal, Bathinda, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Halwara, Pathankot, Jammu, Leh, Mundra, Jamnagar, Hirasar, Porbandar, Keshod, Kandla and Bhuj. The airports will be opened gradually as, although the ceasefire announced following the Pakistan DGMO's (Director General of Military Operations) request is largely holding, the government does not want to take any chances. 'The night remained largely peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir and other areas along the International Border. No incidents have been reported, marking the first calm night in recent days,' according to a statement issued by the Indian Army on Monday. The opening of these airports which are close to the Pakistan border reflects a de-escalation in the cross-border hostilities which saw India successfully launching 'Operation Sindoor' to avenge the Pahalgam killings. The reopening of these airports will help to restore normalcy in flight operations which have undergone widespread disruption due to the conflict. Meanwhile, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said on Monday that operations at the airport are 'currently smooth,' however, due to changing airspace conditions and increased security measures, some flight schedules and security checkpoint processing times may be affected. The airport management has advised passengers to follow updates and instructions from their airlines, allow extra time for security checks due to heightened measures and adhere to hand baggage and check-in luggage regulations. Passengers have been advised to check the latest flight status through their airline or the official Delhi Airport website. Although an agreement for a ceasefire was reached on Saturday, the government is not taking any chances on the security front.
India.com
12-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
IndiGo And Air India Resume Flights To Jammu, Srinagar, And Leh As India-Pak Border Hostilities Ease
New Delhi: India's largest carriers, IndiGo and Air India, announced that they are working to gradually resume flights to and from the 32 airports recently reopened by the government following the de-escalation of hostilities along the Pakistan border. IndiGo also advised passengers to regularly check their flight status for the latest updates. 'In line with the latest government directives, the airports are open for operations. We will progressively commence operations on the previously closed routes,' IndiGo said in a statement. 'As services gradually return to normal, there may still be a few delays and last-minute adjustments… our teams will work diligently to restore seamless operations,' the airline said. IndiGo stated that passengers reconsidering their travel plans can continue to avail change and cancellation fee waivers for flights to and from the affected airports until May 22. Meanwhile, Air India confirmed that, following directives from aviation authorities, it is gradually resuming operations to and from key locations including Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Jodhpur, Amritsar, Bhuj, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, and Rajkot. The Tata Group airline said that its teams were working on bringing operations at these airports back to normal. Air India also urged passengers to 'stay tuned for further updates". According to an Airports Authority of India statement, the 32 airports, which had been closed till May 15, 'are now available for civil aircraft operations with immediate effect.' 'It is recommended for travellers to check flight status directly with airlines and monitor airline's websites for regular updates,' the statement added. The Centre on Monday issued the NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) to reopen the 32 airports that had been shut down since May 9 due to the cross-border drone and missile attacks following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre of 26 tourists by Islamabad-backed terrorists. The airports that will gradually reopen include Chandigarh, Srinagar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Bhuntar, Kishangarh, Patiala, Shimla, Kangra-Gaggal, Bathinda, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Halwara, Pathankot, Jammu, Leh, Mundra, Jamnagar, Hirasar, Porbandar, Keshod, Kandla, and Bhuj. The airports will be opened gradually as, although the ceasefire announced following the Pakistan DGMO's (Director General of Military Operations) request is largely holding, the government does not want to take any chances. 'The night remained largely peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir and other areas along the International Border. No incidents have been reported, marking the first calm night in recent days,' according to a statement issued by the Indian Army on Monday. The reopening of these airports near the Pakistan border signals a de-escalation in cross-border hostilities, following India's successful launch of Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam killings. This move is expected to restore normalcy in flight operations, which had been widely disrupted due to the conflict. (With IANS Inputs)
