
Release innocent Kashmiris arrested post-Pahalgam, National Conference MP appeals to govt during Op Sindoor debate
Ahmad, the Anantnag-Rajouri MP, said he is from the area where the attack occurred on April 22. 'Home Minister (Amit Shah) is here and I am sure that all the murderers will be punished. Our demand to you is to give stringent punishment to them,' he said.
Ahmad said several people from Rajouri and Poonch, which are part of his constituency, were killed in Pakistani shelling across the border following Operation Sindoor.
Citing the death of 20-year-old Mohammad Parvez in police firing near Jammu a few days ago, the MP said, 'I want the Home Minister to take notice of such innocent killings and take action against those who kill a 20-year-old youth. If action is not taken, the law will lose the trust of people. I am saying this because such incidents happen in Kashmir and action is not taken.'
'I want to request the Home Minister that if any innocent people have been arrested and are in jail after Operation Sindoor and Pahalgam attack, their cases should be reviewed and they should be released,' said the MP.
He demanded that the government provide bulletproof ambulances and build bunkers in border areas. He also sought a railway link between Rajouri and Poonch. 'Arrangement should be made that if such incidents (Pahalgam attack) happen in the future, local innocent and unarmed people are not affected,' he said.
Mehdi, the Srinagar MP, said after Pahalgam, 'a war had started against the people of Kashmir too'. He said more than 2,000 people were jailed and Kashmiris were 'defamed on social media to such an extent' that more than 11 cases of violence against them occurred in UP, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. More than 100 Kashmiris, including students and businessmen, were beaten and removed from hostels, he added.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
7 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Congress, 'China guru' Rahul Gandhi hate Indian armed forces: BJP
After the Supreme Court rapped Rahul Gandhi over his alleged derogatory remarks about the Army, the BJP on Monday claimed that the "China guru" and his party hate Indian armed forces and that he is being remote controlled by foreign forces. The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the proceedings against Gandhi before a Lucknow court over his remarks about the Army during his December 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra. The court, however, censured the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, saying if he is a true Indian, he would not say such a thing. Reacting to the development, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said in a post on X, "The Supreme Court has once again reprimanded 'China Guru' Rahul Gandhi for making irresponsible statements concerning India's national security and territorial integrity." "Imagine, a leader of the opposition being repeatedly rebuked for speaking such recklessly," he said. Malviya also took on the Congress leader over his recent "dead" economy remark, calling it "a diplomatic disaster on multiple fronts". "His recent 'dead economy' jibe is just the latest in a long series. In doing so, he implicitly admitted that Russia, a long-standing ally, is struggling, while bizarrely endorsing a hostile state like Pakistan as having a robust economy," he said. Echoing US President Donald Trump's criticism of the Indian economy, Gandhi said on August 1 that everybody except Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman know that the country's economy is "dead". Referring to Gandhi's remarks on the surgical strike and Operation Sindoor, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that the Congress leader and his party "hate" Indian armed forces. "Sena ka Apman Congress ki pehchan (Insulting the Congress is the hallmark of the Congress)," he said in a post on X. "Rahul and Congress hate Indian Armed Forces," he charged, adding, "Today SC has slammed him." Another BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said on X that the Supreme Court's poser to Gandhi about his claim exposed him. He said, "Supreme Court asks Rahul Gandhi - 'How did you know that China had occupied land?'" This question by the Supreme Court has not only "exposed" Gandhi, but further got the attention back on the "secret MoU that Gandhi-Vadra family had with China", he said.


Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Pakistan's army chief is cosying up to Donald Trump
Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan's army chief, could hardly have wished for more. For almost two years, he had been under fire at home over his meddling in politics. Wracked by debt and insurgent violence, his country had been sidelined in geopolitics as America and other rich countries courted India, Pakistan's arch-rival. And yet there he was, enjoying a private lunch with Donald Trump in the White House on June 18th, just over a month after Pakistan's brief conflict with India. Then, at the end of July, came further snubs for India: branding it a 'dead economy', Mr Trump imposed tariffs of 25% while hailing a new trade deal with Pakistan. The Field Marshal's fortunes reflect a shift in American policy that affects India, China and the Middle East. America's close ties to Pakistan deteriorated after American forces killed Osama bin Laden in his Pakistani hideout in 2011. America then lost interest after leaving Afghanistan a decade later. But to India's dismay, America and Pakistan are now rebuilding ties with a focus on trade, counter-terrorism and consultation on Middle Eastern policy. America may even sell arms again to Pakistan (it currently gets around four-fifths of them from China). Pakistan's politics may be at a turning point, too. There is still broad public support for Imran Khan, the jailed former prime minister (and one-time cricketer) who was barred from parliamentary polls in 2024. Even so, Field Marshal Munir's popularity has surged since the conflict with India. And the military-backed civilian government now has the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to alter the constitution (after a controversial re-allocation of seats). That has ignited rumours that the army chief could become president too, opening a fourth period of military rule since independence in 1947. The future of the world's second-largest Muslim country and its relations with America, India and China thus depends increasingly on one question: what exactly does Field Marshal Munir want? The man himself declined an interview request (as he has done for all media since his appointment in 2022). But Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Pakistan's military spokesman, tells The Economist that talk of his boss becoming president is 'nonsense'. He also challenges the idea that the Field Marshal is more ideological than recent predecessors. Unlike most of them, the Field Marshal is the son of an imam. He was educated in a madrasa and can recite the Koran by heart. He is also the first Pakistani army chief not to have trained in America or Britain. Yet General Chaudhry argues that the army chief is 'well versed' with the West and resolutely opposed to Jihadist groups operating on Pakistani soil (one of which India blames for the terrorist attack that triggered the recent conflict). Among his troops, the army chief often voices distaste for mullahs who have 'made religion a business,' General Chaudhry says. On India, however, the military spokesman says the Field Marshal's personal views were reflected in a speech on April 16th, six days before the attack in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir. Some suggest the Field Marshal was improvising when he invoked the idea that Hindus and Muslims could not co-exist in one nation, and described Kashmir as India's 'jugular vein'. Pakistan denies involvement in the Kashmir attack. But in that speech, the military spokesman suggests his boss was articulating 'what he stands for, what he is ready to die for', partly as a response to the rise of Hindu nationalism in India. Others who have regularly met the army chief describe him as both pious and pragmatic, with a keen interest in the economy. Though he prays five times daily, says one, he does not 'apply spirituality to statecraft'. He admires the modernisation drive of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. Like MBS, he can be vindictive and has a temper, especially when talking about Mr Khan, who (as prime minister) sacked him as intelligence chief. And his appetite for risk is greater than that of his predecessor, who favoured quiet (and ultimately fruitless) diplomacy with India. Even some critics credit the Field Marshal with resisting foreign pressure not to respond to India's initial air strikes. But his ultimate political ambitions are uncertain. Some predict he could grab the presidency soon to capitalise on his domestic popularity and Mr Trump's fondness for strongmen. That would institutionalise his authority (foreign and business leaders already try to deal with him directly on many matters). It would also offset the risk that a less pliant civilian leadership might replace him as army chief when his current term expires in 2027. Critics cite his promotion to Field Marshal in May, comparing him to Ayub Khan, Pakistan's first dictator and only other officer of that rank. Pakistan is not under martial law but 'Asim law', Mr Khan, the ex-prime minister, said in a statement from prison on July 24th. The counter-argument is that the current 'hybrid' leadership works in the Field Marshal's favour. Aged just 57, he is the most powerful army chief since Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999. He has a co-operative and able prime minister and, if the current political compact endures, he can remain as army chief indefinitely (there is no term limit or mandatory retirement age). He and civilian leaders also share an interest in suppressing Mr Khan's supporters (dozens of whom have recently been jailed, including 108 on July 31st alone) before parliamentary polls due by 2029. A more overt power grab might fuel support for Mr Khan, including in the armed forces. Either way, the Field Marshal would probably still enjoy America's backing. He recently earned its praise for killing and capturing leaders of a local offshoot of Islamic State. He has sparked interest from Trump associates in Pakistan's crypto and mining sectors. And he has positioned Pakistan as a potential means to advance America's interests with Iran and its efforts to get more Muslim countries to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. In return, America has toned down criticism of Pakistan's programme to build longer-range ballistic missiles, which officials from Joe Biden's administration considered a threat to America. It has resumed some aid programmes. It is also considering selling weaponry, including armoured vehicles and night-vision goggles, to help Pakistan combat local insurgents. And American officials are examining Pakistan's evidence to support its claims that India backs those insurgencies, although they are unconvinced so far. The Field Marshal's aim is to build a more sustainable, multi-faceted relationship with America. There is potential for progress. It is, however, a high-wire act. The prospects for economic co-operation are uncertain given Pakistan's poor investment climate. Mutual distrust hampers efforts to combat terrorism. And while Pakistani officials suggest that closer ties with America will not come at China's cost, the Chinese leadership may disagree. Then there is India. Field Marshal Munir wants to bring it to the negotiating table. Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, is determined to resist and has vowed to respond to any more terrorist attacks with further military action. Asked how Pakistan would react to that, its military spokesman says it would begin by striking deeper within India. 'We'll start from the east,' he says. 'They also need to understand that they can be hit everywhere.' The Field Marshal's grip on power may have increased since May. But so too have the risks of a bigger clash between South Asia's nuclear strongmen.
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
24 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Protest vs protest: Govt prepared for Cong, BJP agitations, says K'taka HM
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday said all necessary security precautions have been taken ahead of the protests planned by the ruling Congress and BJP here on August 5. While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will lead a rally against vote theft during the Lok Sabha polls last year at Freedom Park in the city, the opposition BJP will hold a counter-protest at Vidhana Soudha to inform the public about the misleading stand of Congress. The day will also see state-wide protests by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) employees. Speaking to the reporters, the Home Minister said, The government has the capability to handle everything. Adequate police personnel have been deployed for security. Instructions have been issued for all necessary measures. He also said the report of the statewide survey of Scheduled Castes (SC), overseen by Justice Nagamohan Das Commission, will be submitted to the Chief Minister on Monday. After that, the government will act based on the contents of the report. We undertook this with the intention of ensuring internal reservation, and we will implement it, said the minister.