Pak cries foul after US terror tag for Lashkar proxy, blames 'Indian propaganda'
In a statement, it said, "Pakistan has effectively and comprehensively dismantled concerned outfits, arrested and prosecuted the leadership, and deradicalised its cadres."In a familiar move, Pakistan called itself a 'frontline state against terrorism' and claimed it had 'contributed tremendously towards achievement of global peace through its counter-terrorism efforts.'The statement also rejected India's evidence-backed assertion of Lashkar's role in the Pahalgam killings, calling it a bid to 'misuse international forums to defame Pakistan.''India has a track record of exploiting such designations to push anti-Pakistan propaganda with a view to divert international attention from its irresponsible and rogue behaviour, including ongoing human rights atrocities, especially in IIOJ&K,' it said, using its preferred term for Jammu and Kashmir.Pakistan also demanded that the international community adopt 'objective and non-discriminatory policies' in the fight against terrorism. This came even as Islamabad, increasingly rattled by Baloch militants targeting security installations in Balochistan, sought action against the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).Earlier in a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Department of State had designated the TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). India welcomed the decision.The US move is likely to have repercussions at the United Nations, particularly within the Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee, a key mechanism for global terror designations. India is expected to push for further international isolation of TRF and its parent Lashkar.Meanwhile, China, a permanent member of the Security Council which has routinely shielded Pakistan when it comes to sanctioning terrorists, reacted cautiously to the US move.'China calls on regional countries to enhance counterterrorism cooperation and jointly maintain regional security and stability,' said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.- EndsMust Watch
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
10 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Indian Navy key to power projection and regional stability: Vice Admiral Deshmukh
The Indian Navy has become an essential instrument of national power projection, diplomacy and regional stability in an age of rising strategic competition, resource control and security challenges, said Vice-Admiral Kiran Deshmukh in Kolkata. He was speaking at the launch of Yard 3034 (Ajay), the eighth and last ship of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) of the Arnala class, indigenously designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). The Vice-Admiral added that the geopolitical situation is rapidly changing, especially in the Indian Ocean region. 'As the global powers endeavour to assert themselves in this region, where 80% of the global trade flows, the Indian Navy needs to retain the stature of being the preferred security partner to the maritime threats that emerge and also the first responder in case of HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) missions,' Mr. Deshmukh said. 80% indigenisation 'Arnala class of ships will be important platforms for the Indian Navy in fleet operations. I am aware that over 80% of indigenisation has been achieved in building this advanced warship that is promoting the mission of self-reliant India in the present scenario where the supply chain disruptions have been a major cause of concern in the industries,' he said. India is among a few countries that can design and build various types of warships and submarines, he said while mentioning that GRSE has progressed to become one of the premier defence shipyards of the country, having a unique distinction of building more than 110 warships. The first ship of the Arnala class was commissioned on June 18, 2025 and delivery of the second ship is planned in August 2025. The warship will augment the Navy's underwater domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare and mine-laying capabilities. GRSE chairman-cum-managing director Commodore (retd.) P.R. Hari said the ship 'Ajay' is one among 16 anti-submarine warfare shallow water vessels being built for the Navy by two shipyards — eight each by GRSE and a sister shipyard. 'With 16 warships under construction for the Indian Navy and many more orders for warships expected, I am confident of GRSE delivering a century of warships to Indian Navy within a decade.' Mr. Hari said. In keeping with the naval tradition, Priya Deshmukh, wife of Mr. Deshmukh, launched the ship. Senior officials from the Indian Navy and GRSE were present for the event.
India Today
23 minutes ago
- India Today
12 Muslim men jailed for no crime: Owaisi on Mumbai train blasts verdict
After the Bombay High Court acquitted all 12 men convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi questioned whether the government would take action against the investigators who probed the serial High Court's verdict, delivered nearly two decades after coordinated explosions in Mumbai's suburban trains killed 189 people and injured over 800, said the prosecution had 'utterly failed' to prove the charges. It also questioned the authenticity of the confessions and pointed to torture, calling the investigation deeply in his acerbic style, wrote on X, '12 Muslim men were in jail for 18 years for a crime they didn't commit, their prime life is gone, 180 families who lost their loved ones, several injured, no closure for them. Will government take action against officers of Maharashtra ATS who investigated this case?(sic)' Tearing into the investigators, Owaisi said, 'In such cases where there is a public outcry, the approach by police is always to first assume guilt and then go from there. In many such terror cases, investigating agencies have failed us miserably.'The Hyderabad MP didn't spare the Congress either, which was in power in the state back then. 'Please remember which parties were ruling Maharashtra in 2006. They are also responsible for disregarding complaints of torture,' he claimed. On July 11, 2006, seven bombs hidden in pressure cookers exploded across first-class compartments of Mumbai local trains within 11 minutes. The state's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) later claimed the 12 accused were members of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), allegedly linked with Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). A special court in 2015 convicted them — five were sentenced to death and the rest to life High Court, however, set aside the verdict after over six months of hearings. It ruled the confessions were inadmissible and noted signs of 'copying' across statements. Making sharp observations bound to leave the Maharashtra ATS red-faced, the court said the accused had "successfully established" that they were tortured to extract the "non-application of mind", the bench held that the prosecution had "thoroughly failed" to prove its case beyond reasonable judgment noted that 'creating a false appearance of having solved a case by presenting that the accused have been brought to justice gives a misleading sense of resolution This deceptive closure undermines public trust and falsely reassures society, while in reality, the true threat remains at large.'- Ends
Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Martyrs' Day Rally: Abhishek sets poll tone: ‘BJP forced to chant Joy Bangla, now lotus will be uprooted from Bengal'
In a scathing attack on the BJP, TMC leader and No. 2 in the party, Abhishek Banerjee on Monday said the BJP will be sent to detention camps after next year's Assembly polls in the state and their leaders will be forced to chant 'Joy Bangla' in the next 10 months. Addressing the TMC's mega annual Martyrs' Day rally in Kolkata's Dharamtala area, Abhishek said the decision to call the BJP a 'Banglar Birodhi' (anti-Bengal) party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was to 'expose' its true character. 'Jonotar Gorjon, Bangla-Birodhider Bishorjon (the cry of people, immersion of anti-Bengal party) wasn't just a political slogan but the exposure of BJP's real character,' he said. Taking forward party supremo and aunt Mamata Banerjee's offensive against the main Opposition party in the state over the harassment of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states, the Diamond Harbour MP said: 'The BJP wants to take Bengalis to detention camps for speaking their language. I want to tell them clearly — after the 2026 elections, it is you whom we will send to the detention camps after defeating you democratically.' Without taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name, he said BJP leaders who used to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan are now saying 'Jai Ma Durga', 'Jai Ma Kali' under pressure. Last week, PM Modi at a BJP rally in Durgapur began his speech by invoking Goddesses Durga and Kali. 'This is the victory of the Trinamool Congress. This is the victory of the people of Bengal. The very people of Bengal whom they wanted to starve, the BJP leaders are now bowing before them and chanting Joy Maa Kali and Joy Maa Durga. This is the victory of 12 crore farmers, labourers, youth, adivasis and the victory of the culture and heritage of Bengal.' 'They (the BJP government at the Centre) used Income Tax to target Durga Puja committees and stop Durga Puja. They insulted Durga Puja, and now in this very land of Bengal, they have to stand and say Joy Maa Durga, instead of Jay Shri Ram. Mark my words, in 10 months, they will have to chant 'Joy Bangla',' the 37-year-old MP from Diamond Harbour said. He also accused the BJP of insulting the Bangla language and Bengal, 'which showed the way to the country during the freedom struggle and the renaissance'. 'Our poets and legends, Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, gave a face to the soul of the country through their works. The freedom fighters of Bengal like Rash Behari Bose, Bagha Jatin, and Khudiram Bose set an example with their fight not only in Bengal but across the Indian subcontinent. But the BJP insults the language they spoke,' Abhishek said to huge applause. He also lashed out against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for allegedly targeting Bengali-speaking citizens in his state and calling them Bangladeshis. 'A fortnight has passed since the Assam CM, sitting on an elected Constitutional chair, spoke against Bengalis. I want to know what disciplinary steps the BJP central leaders have taken against him. I appeal to our MPs to speak in Bengali in the current Parliament session, if required, and dare them to silence us,' he said. 'Why is the BJP so irritated if someone speaks Bengali? Is it because they couldn't win in Bengal? Bengalis take immense pride in their mother tongue and should enhance the frequency of speaking in Bangla manifold… You (BJP) think you can bend the TMC and people of Bengal according to your will? We were born in Bengal, not in Gujarat or UP, and we will neither bow before you nor sell our spines or surrender,' he added. Maintaining that Bengal doesn't discriminate among citizens of this country on the grounds of religion, language, food habits or customs, the TMC leader warned that if the divisive powers wanted to play with fire, then they would be the first to get smouldered by the flames. 'Do not suffer from the complacency that Trinamool will win no matter what because we have Mamata Banerjee to lead us. Of course, she will guide us. But you have to fight the battle on the ground and ensure that you do not concede an inch of land to those who have continuously hurt our self-respect,' Banerjee told party workers. Asserting that the TMC will come to power in West Bengal for the fourth consecutive term, the TMC leader, referring to BJP's poll symbol, the lotus, said: 'Before 2021 (Assembly polls), we used the slogan of 'Khela Hobe' (the game is on). This time we are saying, 'Poddo Phool Upre Fela Hobe' (the lotus flower will be uprooted).' (With PTI Inputs)
