Army commanders' conference begins in Delhi, first high-level meet post Op Sindoor
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Scroll.in
40 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
Rush Hour: Centre denies that India lost Rafale ‘jets', Trump warns BRICS of tariff hikes and more
We're building a brand-new studio to bring you bold ground reports, sharp interviews, hard-hitting podcasts, explainers and more. Support Scroll's studio fund today. It is incorrect to say that multiple Rafale jets of the Indian Air Force were shot down by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Defence Secretary RK Singh has said. During an interview to CNBC-TV18, Singhrefused to answer a question regarding the losses the Air Force suffered during the initial phase of the four-day conflict. 'You have used the term Rafales in the plural, I can assure you that is absolutely not correct,' Singh told CNBC-TV18. 'Pakistan suffered losses many times over India in both human and material terms and more than 100 terrorists,' said the defence secretary. He reiterated that the government had given the Indian military operational freedom during the conflict. This came following a remark by Captain Shiv Kumar, India's defence attaché to Indonesia, on June 10 that the Indian Air Force had lost fighter jets to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor on May 7 because of the 'constraint given by the political leadership'. Read on. The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has issued provisional scholarship letters to 40 out of 106 selected candidates for the 2025-'26 National Overseas Scholarship, saying that the remaining 66 will receive theirs 'subject to availability of funds'. In previous years, all selected candidates were issued letters at the same time. Although the Union government has funds, they cannot be released without clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said an unidentified official from the ministry. Read on. United States President Donald Trump on Sunday said that Washington will impose an additional 10% tariffs on countries aligning with the 'anti-American policies' of the BRICS grouping. He did not elaborate on which policies he believed were against the interests of his country. BRICS comprises India, Brazil, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Leaders of the BRICS nations met in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. In January, Trump had warned members of the BRICS against attempts to replace the US dollar as a reserve currency by repeating a 100%-tariff threat that he had made after winning the presidential election in November. Read on. The Preamble to the Constitution cannot be altered just like a person cannot change their parents, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said. He also claimed that no country had changed its Preamble, apart from India during the Emergency. The remarks came nearly 10 days after the vice president said that the addition of the words 'secular' and 'socialist' to the Preamble was a 'sacrilege to the spirit of sanatana'. In June, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh called for a review of the inclusion of the words 'secular' and 'socialist' in the Preamble. The RSS is the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Read on.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Asim Munir fires back: Pakistan needed no China or Turkey, says India's ‘axis' claim is fiction, 'shoddy camp politics'
Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir didn't hold back. Standing before new officers at the National Defence University in Islamabad, he tore into India's claim that Pakistan leaned on China and Turkey during the May conflict. In his words, 'Insinuations regarding external support in Pakistan's successful Operation Bunyanum Marsoos are irresponsible and factually incorrect and reflect a chronic reluctance to acknowledge indigenous capability and institutional resilience developed over decades of strategic prudence.' He called India's attempt to drag other states into the fray a cheap trick. 'Naming other states as participants in the purely bilateral military conflagration is also a shoddy attempt at playing camp politics,' Munir said, brushing off talk of a bigger nexus as just spin. A blunt warning Munir didn't stop at a denial. He promised a punishing response to any future strike. 'Any attempt to target our population centres, military bases, economic hubs and ports will instantly invoke a deeply hurting and more than reciprocal response,' he said. For him, the battlefield isn't decided by imported gear or catchy headlines. It's grit and discipline that matter. Or as he put it, 'Wars are not won through media rhetoric, imported fancy hardware, or political sloganeering, but through faith, professional competence, operational clarity, institutional strength and national resolve.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo India's charge: A hidden 'unholy' axis India doesn't buy it. Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh, the Deputy Chief of Army Staff, laid out what he called the real picture. At a defence event in Delhi, he said, 'China is able to test its weapons against other weapons, so it's like a live lab available to them. Turkey also played an important role in providing the type of support it did.' According to Singh, China fed Pakistan live updates of Indian troop positions while Turkish drones filled the skies. His blunt verdict: India faced not one enemy, but three. How it began Operation Sindoor wasn't born in a vacuum. On 22 April, militants attacked tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan. On 7 May, India struck back, hitting terrorist camps in Pakistan-held territory. What followed was four days of drones, missiles and artillery fire — some of the fiercest exchanges between the two since Kargil. It ended, officially, when both Director Generals of Military Operations agreed to stop on 10 May. India claims its strikes were so punishing that Pakistan had no choice but to sue for peace. Live Events Beijing keeps its distance Caught in the middle of the allegations, China plays it safe. When pressed, the Chinese foreign ministry said only, 'China and Pakistan are close neighbours enjoying traditional friendship. Defence and security cooperation is part of the normal cooperation between the two countries and does not target any third party.' Not exactly a denial, not quite an admission either. Behind the denials and threats is an old rivalry that refuses to stay quiet. Pakistan, once again describing itself as the region's 'net security provider,' still faces whispers about terror safe havens. India, meanwhile, is wary of an axis forming around its borders. For all the new weapons and fresh alliances, the script feels familiar. This clash might have ended with a handshake between the two Director Generals of Military Operations, but the story is far from over. Pakistan continues to deny any link to the Pahalgam attack, even as India says the safe havens remain. Munir's tough words fit the old script: Pakistan as the regional stabiliser, India as the aggressor. On India's side, the claim is simple — the battlefield is bigger than the Line of Control and so are the players. So the guns are silent, for now. But whether you believe Munir or Singh, there's one truth no one can deny: the next spark is never too far away.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
China plays down its backing of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor after Gen. Singh's ‘live-lab' jibe
When India's Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Rahul R Singh , said Beijing gave Pakistan real-time help during Operation Sindoor , it was a blunt admission: 'China used the conflict as a live lab' to test weapons and tactics. Mao Ning, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, brushed it aside. 'I am not familiar with the specifics you mentioned,' she said. She insisted China and Pakistan are close neighbours with 'traditional friendship' and their defence ties 'do not target any third party'. While highlighting China-Pakistan's all-weather ties, Mao said India and Pakistan are and will always be each other's neighbours. They are important neighbours of China as well, she said. "Over the past weeks and months, China has closely followed the developments between India and Pakistan, actively promoted talks for peace, and worked to maintain regional peace and stability. China welcomes and supports India and Pakistan in properly settling differences and seeking fundamental solutions through dialogue and consultation. China stands ready to continue playing a constructive role for this end', she said. When pointed out that China's active support in providing live inputs to Pakistan during the conflict was contrary to her assertion that the close ties do not target any third party, Mao said, "I am not sure how that allegation came about. Different people may have different perspectives'. Live Events 'What I can say is, China-Pakistan relations do not target any third party. This is China's policy. On India-Pakistan relations, we support the two sides in properly addressing differences through dialogue and consultation and jointly keeping the region peaceful and stable'. The reality on the ground tells a different story. A live-lab demonstration in plain sight From 7 to 10 May, Indian forces struck terror camps inside Pakistan. Pakistan did not stand alone. Chinese satellites fed Islamabad fresh intelligence while Pakistani commanders kept lines open with their Indian counterparts. In the air, Pakistani J-10C fighters carried Chinese PL-15 missiles. The HQ-9 air defence systems scanning Indian aircraft were Chinese too. Lt Gen Singh said China's support was decisive. Türkiye helped by sending hardware but not on the same scale. The old playbook, upgraded In 1965, 1971 and Kargil in 1999, China stayed in the background, offering diplomatic lines and token backup. This time it stepped forward with tools that changed the fight. China's intelligence and surveillance grid tied Pakistan's war effort together in real time. Civilian Chinese fishing boats watched Indian naval movements. China's BeiDou satellites guided Pakistani missiles to their targets. Pakistani drones and cyber teams leaned heavily on Chinese methods. The so-called 'one-front reinforced' scenario has moved from theory to reality. Propaganda, silence and nudges Diplomatically, Beijing stayed just far enough away to dodge open blame. It did not condemn the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack until it had to. It echoed Pakistan's line, calling India's retaliatory strikes 'regrettable'. It helped dilute the UN Security Council statement so it did not name the group behind the attack. Chinese state media did the rest. They amplified Pakistan's claims, exaggerated Indian losses and skipped over why India struck in the first place. Chinese analysts raised alarms about a possible nuclear escalation, urging calm. All of it was carefully timed. Not just talk, hardware too This was more than press statements. For the first time, Chinese fighters, missiles and air defences were pitted directly against Western systems India had bought. This was a live trial run for Beijing's arms industry. Reports say China used the fight to test platforms, gather performance data and market its gear abroad. Pakistan is lining up more. After Sindoor, Islamabad wants China's J-35 stealth fighters, KJ-500 early warning aircraft and HQ-19 missile shields. The pipeline is wide open. The idea that China and Pakistan are separate fronts is finished. Troops still guard Ladakh heavily despite last year's partial pullback. The ceasefire with Pakistan is shaky at best. India now needs soldiers, sensors and supplies ready on both sides at all times. Lt Gen Singh called it a 'one-front reinforced challenge'. He is not wrong. Defence spending, which has slipped from 17 percent of central spending in 2014 to 13 percent now, needs to catch up. Talk and token strikes will not do. If China can fight next to Pakistan without putting boots on the ground, India needs new ways to respond. It should not be trapped into predictable airstrikes alone. Hit supply chains, revisit old treaties like the Indus Waters, use diplomatic and economic levers where they hurt the most. Quiet pressure can work as well as open force. When asked about Beijing's operational backing to Pakistan during the current normalisation process with India, Mao said Beijing wants steady growth of ties with New Delhi. 'Indeed, the China-India relations are at a crucial stage of improvement and development. We stand ready to work with India to move bilateral relations forward on a sound and steady track', she said. Operation Sindoor was more than a counterstrike. It was a test run for China's next move. If India does not adapt, that lab Beijing ran in Pakistan will not be the last.
