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The Print
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Gang rape, poll rigging, bid to inject rival with HIV—litany of charges against Karnataka BJP MLA Munirathna
The rowdy-sheeter in question was Munirathna, now the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Rajarajeshwarinagar, and the police officer, B.B. Ashok Kumar. 'He [Munirathna] then started getting more government contracts, became a city corporator, MLA and even a minister. But then these allegations started coming out,' Kumar told ThePrint. The prisoner did not try to escape and eventually secured the tender to build a road from Bengaluru city to Nandi Hills, a distance of roughly 50 km. This particular stretch was laid about two months before the second SAARC summit was to be held in Bengaluru in November 1986, when heads of states of six SAARC member nations took this road to reach a retreat in Nandi Hills, as planned by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Bengaluru: In mid-1986, a handcuffed rowdy-sheeter asked the police officer who arrested him for a favour: to be taken to the city corporation so he could deposit Rs 10,000 for a tender for a road construction project. Hoping this might be a step towards prisoner reform, the officer agreed to escort him to the BBMP head office in handcuffs. 'If you try to escape, you will be shot,' he warned the rowdy-sheeter, then in his early 20s. Last week, a 40-year-old woman accused Munirathna and four of his alleged aides of gang-raping her in 2023, urinating on her face, injecting her with a virus and threatening to kill her entire family if she were to disclose the treatment to anyone. In this case, they have been booked under IPC sections 376D (gang rape), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 354 (assault or criminal force against a woman), and 506 (criminal intimidation), among others. 'This is a case we have sent for the transfer of the SIT, because already an SIT has been established and a request has been made to transfer that case,' said a senior police officer who did not wish to be named. ThePrint reached Munirathna for comment but calls to him went unanswered. This report will be updated if and when a response is received. As of Sunday evening, the the four-time MLA had not been arrested in this case. Over the course of his political career, Munirathna has faced a host of other serious criminal charges—from rape, election rigging to trying to inject a political adversary with HIV-infected blood. He is out on bail in most cases. On his part, the former corporator has levelled serious accusations against political adversaries, particularly D.K. Suresh, the younger brother of Karnataka Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar. On 25 December last year, during a programme to celebrate former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birth anniversary, an egg was hurled at Munirathna. He had then claimed that it was an 'acid egg' and blamed the DK brothers for attempting to kill him. 'D.K. Suresh, D.K. Shivakumar and the defeated (MLA) candidate Kusuma and her father Hanumantharayappa, all of them…about a hundred people tried to kill me in a group,' he told reporters while sitting on a dharna at the spot where he claimed he was attacked. Also Read: Why Karnataka's new police chief is best known as 'one-way Saleem' Cases against Munirathna In September last year, Munirathna walked out of Bengaluru's Parappana Agrahara (central jail) where he had spent three days in connection with an SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act case for allegedly hurling casteist abuse against a former corporator. In a recording of a purported phone conversation between Munirathna and a contractor, the BJP MLA was heard using casteist slurs and threatening to 'finish off' the former corporator. But minutes after he stepped out of the central jail, he was arrested again; this time in a case in which a 40-year-old woman accused him and six others of rape, sexual harassment and culpable homicide. In her complaint, the woman alleged Munirathna raped her, filmed the act and used the video to blackmail her. According to the complaint, she was also forced to help Munirathna 'honeytrap' his political rivals. Investigators have filed a chargesheet in this case. The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the serious and recurring charges against the MLA, who was elected to the Assembly on a Congress ticket in 2013 and 2018. Police filed a 2,481-page chargesheet which accused Munirathna, along with a police inspector, of trying to inject then revenue minister and now Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka, R. Ashoka, with HIV-infected blood. 'This is an explosive situation. I am not sure if this is true or not and the police should probe this. But if this is the situation in politics, no leader can survive and no minister can carry out their duties. We meet thousands of people every day, accepting hundreds of garlands and bouquets. How do we trust anyone?' Ashoka had told Power TV at the time. Controversies involving Munirathna go back several years. On 1 June, 2010, a 17-year-old girl was killed when a wall at a veterinary college near Bengaluru's Mekri Circle collapsed on her as she was trying to shelter herself from the rain. Munirathna was then a newly-elected corporator from Yeshwanthpur and had overseen the construction of that wall. The issue was debated for days in the city council but he did not face any charges. Three years later, he successfully contested on a Congress ticket from Rajarajeshwarinagar seat. On the eve of the 2018 assembly polls, Munirathna was booked along with 13 others in connection with the recovery of nearly 10,000 fake voter ID cards from an apartment in Jalahalli. Police have filed a chargesheet and he is currently out on bail in this case. In 2019, Munirathna defected to BJP. He was among the 17 legislators who walked out of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance that led to the collapse of the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government. He was made junior minister for horticulture, as well as planning, programme monitoring and statistics in the B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP governments that followed. While he is now with BJP, Munirathna is still seen as being close to Siddaramaiah and has at times broken with the party line to praise the incumbent Congress government. According to B.B. Ashok Kumar, he is among the many rowdy-sheeters of Bengaluru who entered mainstream politics. Among other things, he is also a movie producer. In the early 1980s, Munirathna was a close aide of Kotwal Ramachandra, a notorious criminal who features in almost every story about Bengaluru's brief tryst with the underworld. Munirathna's brother, Korangu Krishna, too was a rowdy-sheeter. Kumar recalled that after Kotwal died, Munirathna spent many nights at the police station out of fear of being targeted by former boss's rivals. Munirathna's rise in politics also coincided with a surge in his declared wealth—from Rs 28 crore in 2013 to Rs 293 crore in 2023, according to affidavits submitted to the Election Commission. Given his sizable victory margins, Munirathna remains a force to reckon with. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: 'Won't be surprised if Prajwal is welcomed with garlands' — 1 yr on, victims still hiding
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
South Asian University opens UG, PG & PhD admissions for students
The South Asian University, an international institution set up in New Delhi by eight SAARC nations, has opened the applications for students who want to apply for the undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD courses for the academic year 2025-26. The extended application deadlines have been announced, with the direct mode application closing on June 2 and the virtual campus programmes application deadline set for June 19. Available disciplines include Computer Science, Mathematics, Biotechnology ( MSc, MCA), Management and Legal Studies (BBA-MBA, BS-MS, LLM), Economics, Sociology, International Relations, Climate Change and Sustainability, and doctoral research in areas such as Media, Arts & Design, Physics, and more. Specialised academic courses are also available in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Business Intelligence, and Interdisciplinary Sciences. Additionally, the institution provides a range of virtual campus offerings, including BS in Data Science & AI, BCA (Hons.), BBA (Hons.), Integrated BBA-MBA, MS in Data Science & AI, MCA, MBA, Music, Fashion, and short-term design courses. SAU Admission Admission to these programmes is available through national-level exams like CUET, JEE, CAT, NET, and GMAT, or via direct admission for eligible candidates, including SAARC nationals and international students. The institution also ensures accessibility and inclusiveness by offering scholarships and financial support. Not only SAU, the University of Hong Kong has announced a Full-Ride Scholarship for the toppers of the CBSE Class 12 board exams 2025. According to an official statement from the board, the scholarship will fully cover tuition fees, accommodation, and living expenses for top-performing students who enrol in undergraduate (UG) programmes at the university. Eligible students can submit their applications for various UG courses through the official Hong Kong University admissions portal at Course offered Hong Kong University has announced a diverse range of undergraduate courses for Class 12 students aspiring to study abroad. The university's offerings include a BA in Humanities and Digital Technologies (HDT), a BBA in Business Analytics, and BScs in Marketing Analytics and Technology (MAT). Students can also opt for a BSc in Quantitative Finance (QFin), BA in Global Creative Industries (GCIN), and the BBA BEng-Global Engineering and Business Programme (GEBP). For those interested in advanced engineering, the university offers the BEng Elite Programme BEng X + MScEng – Master of Science in Engineering in Artificial Intelligence in Engineering (AIE). Social science aspirants can enrol in BSocSc with a major in Computational Social Science, while tech enthusiasts have options like BASc in Applied Artificial Intelligence (AppliedAI), BASc in Financial Technology (FinTech), and BSc in Actuarial Science (ActuarSc). Further specialisations include the Bachelor of Statistics (BStat) in Decision Analytics, Risk Management, and Statistics, alongside BEng in Computer Science (CompSc), and BEng in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (AI&DataSc). Additionally, courses such as BSc in Innovation and Technology and BEng in Biomedical Engineering (BME) are also part of the extensive academic portfolio available for the upcoming academic session.
United News of India
4 days ago
- Business
- United News of India
Forex reserves fall to USD 685.73 bn on May 16: RBI
Mumbai, May 23 (UNI) India's foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 4.89 billion (₹31,650 crore) in the week ended May 16, 2025, to stand at USD 685.73 billion (₹58.66 lakh crore), according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday. Despite the sharp weekly drop, the overall reserves posted a robust year-on-year growth of USD 37.03 billion (₹4.59 lakh crore) and a rise of USD 17.40 billion (₹1.53 lakh crore) since the end of March 2025, reflecting underlying strength in India's external sector position. Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), which form the largest component of the reserves, increased marginally during the week by USD 279 million (₹11,019 crore), taking the total to USD 581.65 billion (₹49.75 lakh crore). Since March-end, FCA rose by USD 14.09 billion (₹1.24 lakh crore) and showed an annual gain of USD 12.64 billion (₹2.33 lakh crore). Gold reserves were valued at USD 81.22 billion (₹6.95 lakh crore), recording a steep weekly fall of USD 5.12 billion (₹42,520 crore). However, gold holdings were still higher by USD 3.04 billion (₹26,538 crore) from end-March and surged by USD 24.02 billion (₹2.18 lakh crore) over the year. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) stood at USD 18.49 billion (₹1.58 lakh crore), down by USD 43 million (₹90 crore) over the week. SDRs rose by USD 321 million (₹2,866 crore) since March-end and also recorded a similar annual increase. India's Reserve Position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was reported at USD 4.37 billion (₹37,404 crore), reflecting a weekly decline of USD 3 million (₹59 crore). It was down by USD 52 million (₹451 crore) since March, but up by USD 44 million (₹1,279 crore) compared to the same period last year. The RBI noted that foreign currency assets exclude its own SDR holdings, investments in bonds issued by IIFC (UK), funds under SAARC and ACU currency swap arrangements, and contributions to Nexus Global Payments. UNI BDN RN
News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Operation Sindoor: India's Saga Of Steel-Forged Resolve
Last Updated: Operation Sindoor marks a decisive chapter in India's fight against terrorism, showcasing strength, precision, and an unbreakable will to defend sovereignty WHEN PATIENCE TURNS TO POWER In this sacred verse of the Ramcharitmanas, we find a truth both eternal and elemental: that forbearance, though noble and enduring, when taken for granted or mistaken for weakness, transforms into a righteous and unrelenting force. India has always drawn strength from its deep well of patience, but history warns that even the Himalayas erupt when provoked beyond limit. And so began a chapter in India's destiny where dharma was no longer whispered but declared with fire. On the fateful day of 22 April 2025, the serene and sacred valleys of Pahalgam were defiled by the blood of 26 innocent civilians; victims not of a war, but of a cowardly terrorist ambush. Across the length and breadth of India, grief rippled into resolve; the vermilion of our sorrow became the banner of our justice. Thus began Operation Sindoor, named for the sacred mark that terrorists sought to erase but which India now bore proudly — a promise etched in steel and fire. THE CLOCK TICKS TOWARD JUSTICE In the hours following that atrocity, India's Cabinet Committee on Security moved decisively: the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, the Attari checkpoint sealed with a 1 May deadline for stranded travellers, SAARC visa exemptions for Pakistani nationals revoked, and military attachés in New Delhi declared persona non grata. With those diplomatic levers shifted, India signalled that no bloodletting on its soil would go unanswered. Intelligence agencies, weaving satellite imagery with intercepted communications and human networks, mapped out nine terror camps where JeM, LeT, and Hizbul Mujahideen cadres trained, indoctrinated, and plotted mayhem. Guided by unbreakable rules of engagement — no civilian targets, only confirmed terror infrastructure — our armed forces prepared to deliver retribution with surgical precision. In the pre-dawn hours of 7 May, between 1:04 and 1:28 AM, Indian missiles cut through Pakistani skies; swift, precise, and unstoppable, long before the first vermilion streaks of sunrise touched the horizon. India's indigenous BrahMos missiles roared with precision, turning Pakistan's terror camps into smouldering ruins, killing hundreds of terrorists — a testament to our technological supremacy and strategic will. Munitions obliterated workshops of violence at Bahawalpur's Markaz Subhan Allah, Muridke's Markaz Taiba, Tehra Kalan's Sarjal, Sialkot's Mehmoona Joya, Barnala's Markaz Ahle Hadith, Kotli's Markaz Abbas and Maskar Raheel Shahid, Muzaffarabad's Shawai Nalla and Syedna Bilal Camp. Each strike erased a nucleus of terror, striking at the ideological heartbeats that had sent killers across our border. ESCALATION MET WITH IRON RESOLVE On 8 May, ignoring India's clear warning against escalation, humiliated Pakistan launched drone strikes across 28 Indian border cities, including Amritsar and Srinagar, targeting civilian zones — all of which were intercepted mid-air with 100 per cent accuracy by made-in-India air defence systems like Akash batteries, Russian-made S-400, medium-range SAM Barak-8, older AD systems like Pechora missiles, low-level anti-aircraft guns, shoulder-fired precision interceptors, and a multi-layered air defence with indigenous integrated drone detection and interdiction systems. Not a single Pakistani drone managed to inflict harm. Every one of them was neutralised mid-air, intercepted with surgical precision. No civilian lives lost due to drones, no structures breached. This isn't just the triumph of radar and firepower; it is the triumph of discipline, of invisible sleepless eyes watching the skies. For those in Jammu, Pathankot, Akhnoor, Udhampur, and other cities who heard the shrill alarms and saw missiles arc into the night, this wasn't a headline, it was hard-earned breath. What the rest of India reads as a statistic, the borderland citizens experience as survival. And behind that survival stands the unwavering brilliance of our Armed Forces, whose calm precision in chaos deserves not just our applause, but our awe. OVERCOMING THE DRAGON'S SHIELD India's response was punishing: Pakistan's HQ-9 air defence system in Lahore was neutralised, and strategic hits were delivered on Sialkot, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other cities. As precautionary civilian evacuations began along the border, 9 May marked yet another day of disruption across Indian border cities; schools were shut, tension ran high, and unidentified drones loomed over multiple regions, signalling a deepening phase of vigilance and volatility. Before neutralising Pakistan's airbases, India executed yet another decisive move: blinding the enemy's radar and air defence shield. Lockheed Martin's TPS-77 long-range arrays, capable of scanning over 450 km, were obliterated. Alongside them, Chinese-supplied LY-80, HQ-9P, FN-6, and PL-15 surface-to-air systems were rendered inert, collapsing Pakistan's layered air defence and exposing China's defence tech globally. Six frontline fighter jets, including Chinese JF-17s, J-10Cs, and American F-16s, were downed in the opening hours. With early warning sensors silenced and widespread cyber disruption crippling command hubs in Rawalpindi and Karachi, Indian missiles swept through once-protected skies. The operational core of global jihad had been surgically removed. IAF BLITZ CRIPPLED PAF'S AIRBASES By 10 May, repeated LoC violations and Pakistan's audacity — and failed attempts to target Indian military establishments — triggered an even more brutal response. The cost of provocation was clear: India dismantled critical Pakistani air bases, runway strips, air defence systems, and key military infrastructure, neutralising hundreds of Pakistan's military personnel. The message was unmissable: no depth, no distance, no defence can shield Pakistan from India's resolve and reach. Eleven Pakistan Air Force bases — Nur Khan, Rafiqi, Murid, Sukkur, Sialkot, Pasrur, Chunian, Sargodha, Skardu, Bholari and Jacobabad — were cratered beyond immediate repair. Their airbase runways lay in ruins, hangars smouldering, while Indian Air Force jets patrolled assertively along the border; unmoved, unchallenged, unshaken. The message was clear: 'We don't need to cross the line to break your spine." MINDS BEHIND THE MISSILES Not to mention, behind every missile's roar stands the quiet sweat of our defence scientists and engineers. From DRDO's labs emerged the Akash-NG system that intercepted hostile drones, HAL's upgraded radars that guided our aircraft through electronic warfare's maelstrom, to BEL's Akashteer: India's first fully indigenous AI war-cloud, satellite-free and foreign-proof. Above it all, ISRO's 10 satellites still working round the clock, beamed back live damage assessments, ensuring that every strike counted. In those hidden crucibles of innovation, India's strategic edge was forged. INDIAN NAVY'S SILENT SUPREMACY From the panic-laced waves in Pakistan to the occupied valleys of PoK and trembling waters of the Arabian Sea, India's resolve soared. The Indian Navy too was not behind; within ninety-six hours of Pahalgam, the Carrier Battle Group — INS Vikramaditya and its MiG-29K wing, escorted by destroyers, frigates, and submarines — held the Northern Arabian Sea in iron embrace. Live weapon firings validated layered fleet-air defences, while Airborne Early Warning helicopters screened the skies. Pakistani warships cowered in port, knowing that India's maritime fist could shatter any threat. This tri-service ballet, choreographed by the Navy, Army, and Air Force under a unified resolution, compelled Pakistan to plead for a halt on 10 May: for India, a tactical pause, not a ceasefire. PAKISTAN PLEADS FOR CEASEFIRE At 15:35 hours IST on 10 May, India's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, received a hotline call from his Pakistani counterpart: reeling under the weight of devastation, a desperate plea for ceasefire. India, firmly in command and unswayed by Pakistan's theatrics, made no mention of a ceasefire. Instead, it conveyed a measured understanding of a 'stoppage of firing": a subtle yet sharp reminder — a distinction that underscored who controlled the battlefield and who begged for mercy. Even after the agreed-upon understanding of 'stoppage of firing", Pakistan, true to its treacherous instincts, couldn't resist testing India's resolve. EYE-IN-THE-SKY EVIDENCE Within hours, swarms of low-grade Chinese and Turkish drones dared to probe Indian defences, only to be shredded mid-air by our indigenous air defence systems. Meanwhile, the Pakistani establishment cloaked itself in denial, spinning propaganda-laced press briefings and offering not a shred of credible proof to back its empty boasts. Satellite images of their gutted airbases and their silence on other already destroyed significant military assets screamed louder than any statement. In stark contrast, India responded with military dignity, releasing full-motion video proof of each strike, reinforcing not just the accuracy of its operations, but the transparency and professional pride of its armed forces. THE ENEMY'S EXTENDED HAND Indian Armed Forces roared in PoK and deep inside Pakistan, but let us not forget: the combat does not end with the last missile fired. Pakistan did not fight this combat alone. Behind its crumbling bunkers and burnt radar towers stood the silent machinery of its enablers, China and Turkey. Both nations didn't just cheer from the sidelines; they supplied drones, missile systems, battlefield surveillance — emboldening a regime that thrives on blood, deceit, and jihad. Let us call it what it is: complicity in terrorism. Every drone that flew from a Pakistani terror hub had names stamped from Ankara. Every encrypted transmission shielded from our jammers had roots in Beijing. And as Indian airbases were put on alert, Islamabad found confidence in the distant echo of Baku's government support. TIME TO CUT THE STRINGS Is this acceptable to us as a sovereign nation? Absolutely not. It is time we weaponise not just our armed forces but also our economic muscle and cultural consciousness. We Indians must boycott their goods, cut down student exchanges, and cancel our trips to these nations that help their economies flourish while they finance our wounds. For too long, we have been silent consumers while our enemies cashed in on our markets and minds. India must declare in no uncertain terms: those who assist our enemies, even by stealth, will face the full weight of Indian resolve. STEEL IN THEIR VOICE, FIRE IN THEIR VOW On the evening of 10 May, as the guns fell silent across the Line of Control, India's military leadership stepped forward not with humility, but with measured steel. In New Delhi, at the tri-service press briefing, Commodore R. N. Nair spoke for every sailor, soldier, and airman when he affirmed that 'we remain ever prepared, ever vigilant; any misadventure will meet decisive response." His words, carried on the assured tenor of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and echoed by officers such as Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofia Qureshi, wove together a singular truth: India may choose to speak softly, but its instruments of power roar with unerring precision. Less than twenty-four hours later, on 11 May, the tone sharpened further. At another tri-service briefing, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai issued a cold warning that 'cost escalation is left to your imagination; it will be fierce and punitive." Vice Admiral A. N. Pramod followed with equal gravity: 'This time, if Pakistan dares take any action — and Pakistan knows what we are going to do — that's all," while Air Marshal A.K. Bharti reminded the world that IAF's job is to 'hit the targets, not to count the body bags." In those few sentences, India's military high command crystallised a framework of calibrated deterrence: unflinching resolve backed by unassailable capability. PM MODI'S MANIFESTO OF RESOLVE On the evening of 12 May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the people of India was nothing less than a manifesto of India's sovereign will. Standing before the Tricolour, he declared with unshakeable resolve that 'Operation Sindoor has redefined the fight against terror, setting a new benchmark, a new normal." Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid down a blistering triad that now defines India's new security paradigm: a red line etched in fire. First, Decisive Retaliation: No act of terrorism against India will go unanswered. The response will be swift, surgical, and crushing: not limited by geography or convention. Terror camps, launchpads, or handlers — wherever they are — will be struck at their source at India's choosing of time, place, and force. Second, No Tolerance for Nuclear Blackmail: The era of Pakistan hiding behind its nuclear bluff is over. India will no longer be held hostage to the illusion of deterrence when the enemy sponsors cowardly acts of proxy war. If you shield your terrorists with nuclear threats, be prepared — India will pierce through that veil with precision and unflinching resolve. Third, No Distinction Between Terrorists and Their Sponsors: The mask has fallen. Be it Lashkar, Jaish, TRF, or their army and political overlords in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, India now sees no line between terrorists and the states that protect them. Anyone providing safe haven, funding, or ideological cover to terror groups will be treated as direct combatants. Those who aid terror will fall with terror. AMONG THE GUARDIANS OF THE SKIES The next morning, at Adampur Air Force Station on 13 May, the Prime Minister took the pulse of the warriors who had struck so swiftly and so surely. ''Bharat Mata ki Jai' is not just a slogan, it is the oath of every soldier who risks his life for the nation," he proclaimed, asserting that our chants 'send shivers down the enemy's spine." He hailed the operation as 'a trinity of India's policy, intent, and decisive capability," and praised the flawless execution that saw our missiles and drones 'demolish fortifications; the enemy never even saw it coming." His words carried an unambiguous warning: 'Not just terrorist bases and airbases, but even Pakistan's malicious intent and audacity have been destroyed." ECHOES OF A BROADER CAMPAIGN In the quiet that has followed, one truth resonated: Operation Sindoor is not an isolated chapter, but the opening salvo of a broader campaign to reaffirm India's rightful dominion over every inch that falls within its constitutional and historical map. We refrained from deep occupation in PoK not from weakness, but from wisdom; understanding that true victory lies in sustainable security, not transient conquest. By dismantling terror hubs and exposing nuclear pretensions, we forged the conditions for eventual restoration without igniting a continental war. Concluding this saga of calibrated force and moral clarity, India stands at a new dawn. Our armed forces — Army, Navy and Air Force, BSF, Paramilitary forces, and the entire constellation of defence scientists and engineers — have proven that the vermilion of Sindoor is the colour of our resolve. We mourned the fallen in Pahalgam with candle-lit vigils, and we answered their sacrifice with thunderous retribution that will echo through the pages of history. Yet our mission remains unfinished: to secure every valley, every ridge, and every sliver of our sovereignty, until PoK once again thrives under the embrace of the Indian Constitution. In the end, the legacy of Operation Sindoor will be its demonstration that India can be both compassionate and unyielding, principled and powerful, moral and militarily masterful. We have shown that for India, justice is not a slogan, but a strategy; and that when the nation's courage is tested, we will not ask for permission to defend ourselves. We will simply act, with the indomitable spirit of a civilisation that has long held the banner of dharma aloft, ensuring that no aggression ever finds sanctuary on our sacred soil. IN MEMORY OF THEIR COURAGE To the bravehearts martyred during Operation Sindoor — soldiers who wore the uniform of our nation: Jawan Murali Nayak, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar Sharma, IAF Sergeant Surendra Kumar Moga, Rifleman Sunil Kumar, BSF Sub-Inspector Mohammed Imtiaz, and BSF Constable Deepak Chingakham — your supreme sacrifice is why we breathe in freedom today. We also bow our heads to innocent civilians who lost their lives to cowardly attacks in Pahalgam and during Operation Sindoor. And to the unsung citizens of Jammu, Poonch, Akhnoor, Udhampur, Pathankot, Amritsar and beyond: you endured drone strikes, missile assaults, shelling, and sleepless nights. Your homes were shattered, families torn apart, yet you chose to stay — resilient in the face of terror. While we watched from comfort, you lived every second under fire. To the emergency responders, civil defence volunteers, doctors, and health workers: your courage may not wear medals, but it holds the country together. India remembers. India salutes. India owes you all. top videos View all For in the land of Lord Rama, when the vermilion is smeared by blood, patience is not silence — it is the breath before the roar. Operation Sindoor was that roar. Deeply interested in India's geopolitical and internal security discourse, Deepak Singh is currently functioning as the Divisional Incharge of the BJYM, BJP, Jharkhand. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. tags : Indian Army Narendra Modi Operation Sindoor pahalgam terror attack Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 23, 2025, 17:47 IST News opinion Opinion | Operation Sindoor: India's Saga Of Steel-Forged Resolve
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
What the India-Pakistan conflict costs South Asia
The long-standing India-Pakistan conflict continues to place a heavy economic burden on both countries. Its impact affects the neighbourhood as well, hindering economic growth, discouraging investment, and diverting valuable resources away from development, towards defence and security instead. According to some estimates, the 87-hour conflict cost both countries nearly $1 billion per hour, amounting to $20 billion each day. If the hostilities had continued for a full month, the cumulative cost could have exceeded five hundred billion dollars, with India absorbing over $400 billion. The fallout has paralysed the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and disrupted economic integration in a region home to 1.8 billion people and 27 per cent of the world's poor. Compared to the EU or ASEAN, South Asia is one of the world's least integrated regions, with intra-regional trade accounting for under 5 per cent of these countries' total trade with the world. Even before the latest conflict, trade ties were fragile, notably between India and Pakistan, whose official bilateral trade plunged from nearly $2.5 billion in 2018 to about $1.2 billion in 2024. The recent crisis has driven this figure effectively to zero as both cut off all remaining trade (including transit and third-country re-exports). This sudden freeze shrinks overall SAARC trade volumes, given that India-Pakistan exchanges, however limited, are also part of the $23 billion intra-SAARC trade, which remains far below an estimated $67 billion potential, according to the World Bank. Other bilateral trade flows (India-Bangladesh, India-Nepal, etc.) continue, but the conflict has injected caution and disruptions region-wide. In short, a region already trading much below its capacity is seeing a further contraction in internal trade. The last SAARC summit was held in 2014, and the 2016 summit in Islamabad was cancelled after the Uri attack, as India and some other members pulled out. Since then, no summit has taken place, and the organisation has remained inactive. A major reason for this deadlock is that all decisions must be unanimous. This allows any disagreement, especially between India and Pakistan, to block progress for the whole group. Despite SAFTA launching 19 years ago to boost trade, intra-SAARC trade stayed under 5 per cent. In comparison, ASEAN reached about 25 per cent. This low trade is due to high tariffs, long sensitive goods lists, and a lack of trust. ASEAN succeeds because it allows flexible cooperation, but SAARC lacks that option. As a result, over one-third of regional trade is excluded from tariff benefits. In response to SAARC's dysfunctionality, India has been promoting BIMSTEC as an alternative, excluding Pakistan and aligning with its 'Act East' policy. Though this move intends to avoid political obstacles, it also weakens regional unity, as not all South Asian nations are its members. Following the terrorist attack in Kashmir in April, Indo-Pak formal trade has collapsed or, in some cases, remains uncertain and disturbed. For instance, India has imposed a blanket ban on all goods from Pakistan, effectively halting bilateral trade. Similarly, due to the ban on routes, logistics networks are paralysed, and informal trade across Punjab and Kashmir has ceased. Consequently, the once-symbolic Wagah-Atari route is now under military oversight. Yet besides India and Pakistan, smaller neighbours also risk facing serious fallout due to their dependence on regional stability. In Bangladesh, disrupted supply chains and waning investor confidence threaten the export-led economy, especially in garments and pharmaceuticals. India has already banned RMG garment imports of Bangladesh via land routes. For landlocked Nepal, disruption of Indian transit routes would choke off essential imports such as fuel, medicine, and building materials. A prolonged crisis would deter foreign investment and derail infrastructure plans. Though Nepal will continue balancing ties with India and China, the unresolved border issues make it prone to Indian pressure. This is especially significant given that many Nepalis work in India. India's ban on transit through Pakistan also blocks Afghan produce from reaching the Indian market. Overall, roughly $640 million per year worth of Afghanistan's fruits, nuts, and other agricultural exports can no longer travel via the Wagah border. While the India-Pakistan conflict may appear localised, in a globalised world, no economy is immune. Similarly, neighbouring countries, often seen as peripheral, are in fact active strategic players that are often impacted by the historically rooted conflict. If this rivalry continues to seep into the region, neighbouring countries will possibly have to abandon SAARC and recalibrate their foreign policies to look beyond South Asia for trade, investment, and economic cooperation. Regionally, South Asia cannot thrive without collective leadership, cross-border trade, and people-to-people exchanges. Although Article 10 of the SAARC charter prohibits raising bilateral disputes, the Indo-Pak conflict casts a long shadow over the forum. For South Asians, they will continue to be deprived of the economic and other benefits that they so rightfully deserve. The writer is Senior Director of the international think tank IPAG India, which also has a presence in Dhaka, Melbourne, Dubai and Vienna
