Latest news with #Pakistan-OccupiedKashmir
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Amid Oppn walkout, Amit Shah hails PM Modi for giving Pak ‘befitting reply'
Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday attacked the Congress for 'giving away' parts of Kashmir to Pakistan when it was in power and said that the Union government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was committed to ending terrorism and ensuring the return of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Opposition MPs protest in Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI PHOTO) Shah was speaking in the Rajya Sabha even as the Opposition walked out in protest over the PM's absence from the Upper House during a special discussion on Operation Sindoor. 'I want to tell the Congress that POK was given by you, and only the BJP government will bring it back,' he said. 'Look at the coincidence that they died of bullet wounds in their heads. After the Pahalgam attacks I was requested by the family members of the killed to shoot the culprits in their heads, and coincidentally their demands have been fulfilled,' Shah said on the killing of the three terrorists. He also accused the Congress of creating the bogey of hindu terror in response to the 26/11 Mumbai attack. 'I proudly declare to the world... Hindus can never be terrorists' Shah said. The Opposition criticised the PM for not being present and speaking in the Rajya Sabha, as he had done a day before in the Lok Sabha. The government said its prerogative was to decide who will reply, but the Opposition dubbed the PM's absence as an 'insult to the House'. As soon as Shah rose to speak, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, said, 'Members had demanded that after 16 hours of discussion, the Prime Minister should be present and address the House…Most of our questions are directed at him. It's not that you (Shah) are not capable of if the PM is present and still chooses not to come, it is an insult to the House.' As the opposition closed ranks and walked out, Shah slammed Kharge. 'He (Kharge) is not allowed to speak on important issues. The BAC decided that the discussion will be for 16 hours, and who will reply will be decided by the government. I know why they are walking out…for all these years, to protect their vote bank, they did not do anything to prevent terrorism,' he said. Congratulating the armed forces for the precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and more recently for Operation Mahadev, which led to the killing of three terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead, Shah slammed the Congress for failing to take a tough stance against terrorism. 'If the Congress had been in power, they would have declared Pakistan innocent. Congress has no moral right to question the BJP on terrorism. Today, we have a Prime Minister who responds with BrahMos missiles, not dossiers,' he said, criticising the Congress for not taking decisive steps against terror operatives. He said the party was opposed to the Prevention of Terrorism Act or POTA, a law passed in Parliament during the BJP rule in 2002 and scrapped it right away when it came to power in 2004. Responding to the Congress's charge about the timing of Operation Mahadev, the minister said he had wanted the terrorist responsible for the 'barbaric killing' of tourists in Pahalgam dead within days of the attack. Taking potshots at the Congress, he said, '...It is the mentality of the Congress party… in front of the whole world (P) Chidambaram proved that they will not be scared to support Pakistan for their vote bank; they will not be scared to save LeT for the sake of the vote bank. I also ask why they were killed today. They should've been killed much before.' Shah said the terror attack was used to deliver a message that Pakistan will not allow Kashmir to become free from terrorism. 'I want to give a message too… Kashmir will be free of terrorism,' he said, pointing out that the PM on April 24 has assured that those responsible for the attack would be punished 'beyond their imagination'. He credited the PM for giving the armed forces the 'operational freedom' to choose the time and the action in response to the Pahalgam attack. Shah also responded to Opposition criticism over US President Donald Trump's repeated assertion that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and said the pause was in response to the Pakistani DGMO's request. 'During Operation Sindoor, terrorists who were responsible for attacks during the UPA regime were killed,' he said. Shah cited the names of terrorists associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed who were killed during the May 7 operation across nine locations in Pakistan and PoK. Terrorists such as Dawood Ibrahim had fled the country during the Congress regime, he said. Criticising former Union minister P Chidambaram, Shah said, 'Why does Chidambaram need proof? Who is he trying to save—Pakistan or the LeT?' He said the forensic evidence and eyewitness accounts confirmed the involvement, and accused Lashkar's front, The Resistance Front (TRF), for executing the attack. 'Chidambaram questions if Operation Sindoor was decisive. Was (war in) 1965 or 1971 decisive? Then why did terrorism grow under the Congress?' he said. Shah lashed out at the party and said it was under Jawaharlal Nehru's premiership that Indian territory was lost to China. 'After the Indo-China war, Prime Minister Nehru gave away 38,000 square kilometers of Indian territory to China. At that time, the US had suggested that India should be made a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council instead of China. But the Congress government declined, pushing a case for China,' he said.
India.com
2 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Meet Z-10ME: China's Apache Rival Now In Pakistani Hands - Can It Beat Indias AH-64E Combat Helicopter?
photoDetails english The Pakistani Army has got yet another weapon from China, and this time, it's not a missile or fighter jet but a combat helicopter. Alarmed by India's acquisition of the American Apache AH-64E helicopters, Pakistan rushed into the lap of China to get an equivalent. Now, China has delivered its Z-10ME Combat Helicopters to the Pakistani Army, as confirmed by visuals that have gone viral on social media. However, there is no official word on the delivery either from China or Pakistan. According to reports, Pakistan is planning to deploy these helicopters in the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and near the Line of Control. Now, the question is - Should India be worried? Let's find out: Updated:Jul 30, 2025, 07:11 PM IST Built For Modern Battlefield 1 / 10 The Z-10ME is a modern attack helicopter developed by Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC), a subsidiary of China's state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Over the past two decades, AVIC has spearheaded China's transformation into a formidable player in the global aerospace and defence sector. The Z-10ME is a direct result of this push — a next-generation platform designed for dynamic, high-threat environments. High-Altitude Powerhouse 2 / 10 At the heart of the Z-10ME lies a pair of WZ-9C turboshaft engines, each producing around 1,200 kilowatts of power. This high-output configuration addresses the altitude-related performance issues that typically hinder helicopter operations in mountainous terrain such as the Himalayas. The aircraft is purpose-built to maintain thrust and lift in thin air, giving it an operational edge in high-altitude warfare. Agile Airframe 3 / 10 The Z-10ME features a tandem-seat cockpit and a sleek, narrow fuselage designed for manoeuvrability in rugged environments. Its aerodynamic profile allows for fast, terrain-hugging flight — essential for evasive tactics, pop-up attacks, and quick ingress/egress missions in complex landscapes. The design is particularly well-suited for missions requiring low observability and rapid response. Infrared Suppression 4 / 10 A standout feature of the Z-10ME is its upward-angled exhausts and built-in infrared suppression system. This engineering choice significantly reduces the helicopter's heat signature, offering increased survivability against heat-seeking man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) and infrared-guided missiles. In theatres where such threats are common, this defensive capability is vital. Performance And Endurance 5 / 10 The Z-10ME is reported to reach speeds of up to 300 km/h, with a combat range between 800 and 1,120 kilometres depending on load and fuel configuration. Its operational ceiling is estimated at 6,000 metres, making it suitable for high-altitude missions. With an empty weight of about 5,100 kilograms and a maximum take-off weight close to 7,200 kilograms, the helicopter is well-equipped for long-range loiter and deep strike missions. Lethal Armament 6 / 10 In terms of firepower, the Z-10ME is armed with a 23mm chin-mounted cannon for strafing ground targets. Its stub wings house up to four hardpoints per side, supporting a diverse mix of ordnance. This includes up to 16 HJ-10 or AKD-10 anti-tank guided missiles, multiple rocket pod options (including pods with seven or thirty-two tubes), and TY-90 short-range air-to-air missiles for defensive counter-air missions. This wide array of weapons enables the Z-10ME to perform precision strikes, suppress enemy positions, and provide close air support in complex combat zones. Z-10ME vs AH-64E: Design Philosophy 7 / 10 The Z-10ME and the AH-64E Apache are dedicated attack helicopters built for close air support, anti-armour missions, and limited air-to-air engagements. However, the Apache reflects decades of combat refinement and Western operational experience, while the Z-10ME represents China's bid to field a homegrown, high-performance alternative. The Apache is heavier, more heavily armoured, and integrated with advanced network-centric warfare systems, including the Longbow radar for target acquisition. In contrast, the Z-10ME offers a lighter, more agile platform with high-altitude performance advantages tailored for mountainous terrain, emphasizing survivability through infrared signature suppression and mobility. Firepower and Technology 8 / 10 The Apache AH-64E typically fields a 30mm chain gun, Hellfire missiles, Hydra rockets, and advanced avionics including sensor fusion, datalinks, and real-time UAV control — making it a highly networked battlefield asset. The Z-10ME, while less integrated in terms of battlefield connectivity, compensates with a strong weapon suite that includes a 23mm cannon, up to 16 anti-tank guided missiles, and TY-90 air-to-air missiles. While the Apache still holds a technological edge in targeting, communication, and combat data systems, the Z-10ME is rapidly closing the gap with localized innovations aimed at boosting lethality and survivability in diverse combat zones. 9 / 10 10 / 10
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"No World Leader Asked Us To Stop Op Sindoor": PM Modi On Congress' Trump Charge
New Delhi: Reiterating the government's stand that the ceasefire on May 10 was agreed to after Pakistan pleaded for one, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said no leader from any country had asked India to stop Operation Sindoor. Responding to the debate on Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, PM Modi lashed out at the Opposition and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who asked why he had not contested US President Donald Trump's claim of getting India and Pakistan to agree to a ceasefire. Revealing these details for the first time, the Prime Minister recalled, "We had said from day one that our action was non-escalatory. No leader in the world asked us to stop Operation Sindoor. On the night of May 9, US Vice President JD Vance tried to talk to me. He tried for an hour, but I was busy in a meeting with the forces. When I called him back, he told me Pakistan was planning a big attack. My answer was that if this is Pakistan's intention, it will have to pay a heavy price." "If Pakistan attacks, we will respond with a big attack. I said "ham goli ka jawaab gole se denge" (we will reply to a bullet with a cannonball). On May 10, we destroyed Pakistan's military strength. This was our response and our resolve. Even Pakistan understands now that every reply by India is bigger than the last. It knows that if such a situation arises in the future, India can go to any extent. Let me reiterate in this temple of democracy: Operation Sindoor is still on," he stressed. After the attack on terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on May 7, the PM said, India made it clear its objective had been achieved. It was only when Pakistan stepped in to defend terrorists that the Indian armed forces taught the country a lesson it would remember for years. "On May 9 and 10, our missiles hit every corner of Pakistan, something they had never even dreamed of. This brought Pakistan to its knees. It was after this that Pakistan called the Indian DGMO and pleaded: 'Bas karo, bahut maara, ab zyada maar jhelne ki taakat nahin hai. Please hamla rok do' (Stop this. You have hit us hard, we can't take it anymore. Please stop the attack). India had made it clear on May 7 itself that its objectives had been met. This had been decided in conjunction with the forces that our objectives were terrorists and their bosses," PM Modi said. In the four days beginning May 7, Pakistan fired 1,000 drones and missiles at India, the Prime Minister said, adding that all of them were destroyed in the air. "Terrorists are crying, their bosses and backers are crying and, seeing them cry, some people are mourning here as well," the PM said mockingly, in a clear attack on the opposition. The Congress, he said, had raised the bogey of "saffron terror" and tried to defame the country.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"This Government Clueless About What Deterrence Means": Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: Hitting out at the government for its handling of Operation Sindoor, which was India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has said the government lacked the political will to fight Pakistan and, because of that, asked the armed forces to attack with their hands tied behind their backs. Asking why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not calling US President Donald Trump a liar despite him repeatedly claiming that he had brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the Congress MP also said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had erred by comparing Operation Sindoor with the 1971 war between the two countries. The Centre, he said, does not understand what deterrence means and had dug a hole for itself by saying it would attack Pakistan every time there was a terror attack in India. Beginning his speech during the debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, Mr Gandhi extended his condolences to those who were killed in the Pahalgam attack and said the opposition INDIA bloc decided, as one unit, to back the forces and the government. Bringing up Defence Minister Singh's speech, the Congress MP said that to use the Army, Navy and Air Force, two things need to exist - political will and freedom of operation and manoeuvre for the armed forces. "In his speech, the defence minister compared Operation Sindoor and the 1971 war. I want to remind him, there was political will in 1971. The 7th fleet (of the United States) was in the Indian Ocean and (then PM) Indira Gandhi said we will do what we need to in Bangladesh. That's political will. There was no confusion. The superpower was coming with its aircraft carrier and hundreds of aircraft, but the Prime Minister said 'we don't care, come, we will do what we need to'," he said. Then Army chief Sam Manekshaw had asked for six months to begin the operation, he said, and Indira Gandhi asked him to take all the time he needed so that the forces got the freedom of action and manoeuvre. This, Mr Gandhi said, led to the surrender of over 1 lakh Pakistani soldiers and the creation of a new country in the form of Bangladesh. 'No Escalation' Mr Gandhi pointed out that Defence Minister Singh had told Parliament that Operation Sindoor began at 1.05 am on May 7 and the targeted attacks on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir were completed in 22 minutes. The defence minister, he alleged, then telegraphed to Pakistan that the government did not have the political will to fight. "The defence minister said the most shocking thing. He said that, at 1.35 am, we called Pakistan and told them we have hit non-military targets and don't want an escalation. Maybe he doesn't understand what he revealed. The DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) was told by the Centre to ask for a ceasefire at 1.35 am that very night. You told the Pakistanis exactly what you would do, that you would not hit military targets. You told them directly that you don't have the political will to fight. It's like you are telling them, 'We have slapped you, but we won't slap you further'," Mr Gandhi said. The Congress MP pointed out that India's defence attache in Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar had said India had lost some aircraft during Operation Sindoor because "of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack their military infrastructure and their air defence". "So you went into Pakistan and you told our pilots not to attack their air defence systems. This means you tied their hands behind their backs... So what will happen? Aircraft will be shot down... The Chief of Defence Staff said the Indian Air Force learned from mistakes and rectified them. I want to tell him: you and the IAF made no mistakes, they were made by the political leadership, which said you cannot attack the military infrastructure and the air defence systems," Mr Gandhi claimed.
India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
The 26 will get peace, we'll be able to sleep: Op Mahadev soothes some Pahalgam pain
"Today, those 26 people will get peace. Today, we will also be able to sleep peacefully," said an emotional Asavari Jagdale in Pune on Tuesday. Jagdale's father was among the 26 people, mostly Indians, segregated on the basis of religion and shot dead by Pakistani terrorists in Pahalgam on April 22. Jagdale was reacting to the confirmation that the three perpetrators who killed her father in cold blood had been three terrorists, including the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack were killed on July 28 at Srinagar's Mahadev Hills in a joint operation by security forces. On Tuesday, Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking at a debate on Operation Sindoor, confirmed that the three were the butchers of launched Operation Sindoor to punish those behind the Pahalgam massacre, and destroyed terror camps in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and in the heart of Pakistan's Punjab. For over three months, India was on the hunt for the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack. Success was achieved only on July killing of the terrorists must have come as a relief and reduced the pain of the family members who saw their loved ones killed in front of them."I thank the Indian Army and the Indian government. Today, those 26 people will get peace. Today, we will also be able to sleep peacefully, and we hope that such an incident does not happen again, and peace prevails in the country," Jagdale told news agency ANI."The government should continue operations like Mahadev so that such incidents do not happen again," she Dwivedi, the wife of the Pahalgam terror attack victim, Shubham Dwivedi, spoke to India Today TV."After losing my husband, I could have sat back at home. I could have stayed in my shell. At one point, I didn't want to talk to the media or anyone. But then I chose to do this—because if I don't speak, nobody will know what I'm going through. When people see the pain I'm in, they stand with me. Because nobody wants to face what I'm facing right now," she had thought Shubham would take care of her family but but now, she is taking care of her own family and that of Shubham's."I am taking care of both the family, and they are also taking care of me really well. It's both ways. I am really proud that I live in a society where people around me stand like a pillar—my friends, my family, Shubham's friends, they stand with me," she Ganbote, wife of Pahalgam victim Kaustubh Ganbote, also spoke to ANI, "We had faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi that those who did this would be caught and killed. They were killed; it is a good thing. I thank the army."While these families suffered a tragedy which will take a lifetime to recover from, a sense of justice will soothe some of the Pahalgam pain for them.- EndsTune InMust Watch
