Deserves contempt: India rejects Pakistan's claim linking it to Waziristan attack
India on Saturday rejected Pakistan's attempt to blame it for a deadly suicide bombing in North Waziristan, where 13 Pakistani soldiers were killed.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned the accusation, saying, "We have seen an official statement by the Pakistan Army seeking to blame India for the attack in Waziristan on June 28. We reject this statement with the contempt it deserves."
advertisementEarlier in the day, a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a military convoy in the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The blast killed 13 soldiers and injured 10 others, along with 19 civilians, according to a local government official quoted by news agency AFP.
The suicide bombing was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group's suicide unit, a faction aligned with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).The attack marks yet another instance of escalating violence in Pakistan's tribal regions. Since the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has witnessed a sharp surge in attacks in its border areas. Islamabad has frequently accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering militants responsible for these cross-border assaults, an allegation Kabul denies.According to the news agency AFP, around 290 people, mostly security forces, have lost their lives in attacks by anti-government groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan so far this year.- EndsMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Pakistan
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Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Russia's 'Mr Nobody' gambles all with film on Kremlin propaganda
Live Events 'Persona non grata' 'Like musketeers' (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel When Moscow invaded Ukraine, Pavel Talankin , a staff member at a secondary school in Russia's Ural Mountains, was ordered to film patriotic lessons, songs and morning the school's event organiser and also a keen videographer, found the propaganda work so depressing that he wanted to quit his job in the industrial town of he received what he says was the strangest message of his life.A Europe-based filmmaker got in touch, offering to collaborate on a project to document the abrupt militarisation of Talankin's school in the wake of Russia's February 2022 invasion of its had earlier seen a post from a Russian company looking for people whose jobs had been affected by the war. Talankin said he was ready to receiving the foreigner's offer Talankin did not sleep all project changed his life teaming up with David Borenstein and shooting many hours of footage, Talankin last summer fled Russia with seven hard discs, leaving behind his mother, brothers and sisters and the town he the smuggled-out footage Borenstein, a Denmark-based US filmmaker, directed what became " Mr Nobody Against Putin ", an award-winning 90-minute documentary which exposes the intensity of the propaganda at Talankin's school and throughout premiered at the 2025 Sundance film festival in project cost Talankin dearly. Local officials banned his former colleagues from contacting him, he became a hate figure for supporters of the war and his school librarian mother was upset."I have become a persona non grata," Talankin, 34, told AFP from Prague, where he is now outlawed all criticism of the Russian military and the Kremlin and Talankin knew he had taken huge he has no regrets."I would do it all over again."He has been buoyed by the support of people featured in the film including those who lost their loved ones in the former colleague said she became ashamed that she, too, was "part of the system."The documentary reaped awards at festivals and the film crew hopes it will be available to wider audiences in Europe later this year. Borenstein said the film's success had been a "relief" because the multi-national crew overcame numerous obstacles including communication and above all he was "really scared" that if the film flopped Talankin's sacrifice would come to nothing."I knew the whole time that Pasha would have to leave Russia to make this project happen," Borenstein told AFP, referring to his co-director by his diminutive."That is a huge sacrifice for him, because his mum is there, his whole life is there, he does not speak English, not at that time."Talankin has not been able to join the crew to present the film at the Sundance festival in Utah and elsewhere due to paperwork issues, but the team hopes this will soon now he is learning English and adjusting to his new life in said he was heartened by the reactions at the viewer in the Czech Republic said he hated Russians but the film made him reconsider. "We knew nothing about what was happening to you," Talankin quoted the Czech as saying."It is a powerful and poetic piece of cinema," said producer Alexandra Fechner, who is promoting the film in France."This film shows the hidden side of propaganda in Russia , which targets the youngest members of society, children who are being taught a rewritten version of history and given guns!" she the war in its fourth year, Moscow has put society on a war footing and leveraged the educational system to raise a fiercely pro-Kremlin film features Wagner mercenaries telling children about hand grenades and teachers calling Ukrainians "neo-Nazi", and includes an audio recording of a wailing mother at her soldier son's critics also point to the documentary's empathy and light one episode, a history teacher tells pupils that the spiralling prices could soon make gas unaffordable for Europeans."The French will soon be like musketeers, riding horses, and the rest of Europe too," he said that by viewing the footage sent by Talankin nearly every day, he understood the effect of the dehumanising war-time at the beginning he found some of the clips shocking, months later his mind had become so used to the onslaught of the propaganda that he did not see the footage depicting the Wagner mercenaries as something abnormal."I was able to replicate among myself some of the feelings that maybe the students and people in the school felt," he said. "Looking at this propaganda every single day was a lesson in how desensitised you can become to it."A lot of the footage had not made it into the film, including the school's preparations for the possibility of a nuclear is located close to one of Russia's most sensitive sites, the Mayak nuclear reprocessing said Borenstein did not want the viewers to "drown in the enormous amount of negative material.""I have plans for this footage," Talankin said. "Sooner or later I will start slowly releasing it."
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
Diljit Dosanjh receives support from BJP amid calls to revoke citizenship over 'Sardar Ji 3'
— rpsinghkhalsa (@rpsinghkhalsa) Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh has gotten support from BJP national spokesperson RP Singh and former DSGMC chief Manjit Singh G amid backlash for his film ' Sardaar Ji 3 ' starring Pakistan actor Hania a post on his X account on Friday R P Singh described Dosanjh as "a national asset and a global ambassador of Indian culture" and slammed the Federation of Western India Cine Employees for demanding action against the celebrity."FWICE's call to revoke his Indian citizenship over an inadvertent and pre-incident film shoot is not only unfair but shockingly disproportionate. The film featuring a Pakistani actress was shot before the Pahalgam attack. If there is anguish, it can be expressed through a boycott or by urging that the film not be screened in India. But attacking Diljit's patriotism and demanding such an extreme step is simply irrational," he wrote."Did FWICE or others object then? TV news channels routinely invite Pakistani guests to boost TRPs. Should those anchors now relinquish their citizenship too? Let's not cheapen nationalism or weaponise patriotism. FWICE should reconsider its stance—such targeting of our own talent only weakens our moral standing," he Punjabi actor and BJP culture cell convener Hobby Dhaliwal extended support to Diljit at a press conference at the party's Chandigarh said that Diljit was not just an artist but a globally respected face of Punjabi culture . "At a time of national tension, attempts are being made to defame him with baseless allegations. This is unfortunate and condemnable," he said."Diljit is the son of this soil. Punjab stands with him—and India too," Dhaliwal expressed regret and disappointment over certain elements demanding the cancellation of the artist's citizenship and a ban on his films."Every citizen is patriotic, but using this as a pretext to target a single artist is wrong. BJP stands firmly with Diljit Dosanjh," he Akali Dal leader and former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Manjit Singh GK too issued a statement in Diljit's support and questioned "selective targeting" of Diljit.(With TOI inputs)
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
‘Don't care if I am trolled'—BJP leader stands with Diljit Dosanjh as FWICE demands his ouster
Ever since the film's trailer dropped on 22 June, Dosanjh has faced relentless criticism for acting alongside Hania. The trailer has since been removed from YouTube in India, and both the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) have spoken out against him, calling for a boycott of the film. FWICE went a step further, writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanding that Dosanjh's citizenship be revoked. '.@diljitdosanjh is not just a celebrated artist—he's a national asset and a global ambassador of Indian culture. FWICE's call to revoke his Indian citizenship over an inadvertent and pre-incident film shoot is not only unfair but shockingly disproportionate,' the senior BJP leader wrote on X. New Delhi: Amid backlash against Diljit Dosanjh's upcoming Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3 , which features Pakistani actor Hania Aamir, BJP national spokesperson RP Singh has come out in support of the singer-actor. Singh criticised the calls to suspend Dosanjh's Indian citizenship. .@diljitdosanjh is not just a celebrated artist—he's a national asset and a global ambassador of Indian culture. FWICE's call to revoke his Indian citizenship over an inadvertent and pre-incident film shoot is not only unfair but shockingly disproportionate. The film featuring a… — RP Singh National Spokesperson BJP (@rpsinghkhalsa) June 27, 2025 'No individual who publicly aligns with voices that glorify terrorism and insult India's sovereignty should be permitted to carry the credentials of Indian nationality,' FWICE stated. Singh, however, contends that this is a mere 'publicity stunt' by FWICE. 'Who has given the right to some organisation to ask for his citizenship [to be revoked]? Boycott his film, do not show [it] on any OTT [platform], and if he speaks [anything] anti-India, do criticise him. But the citizenship bit is taking it too far,' Singh told ThePrint. 'Do not care if I am trolled' Singh's post has attracted strong reactions online, but the BJP leader is unbothered. 'I don't need a certificate of nationalism or patriotism from anyone. The way Dosanjh presents himself, he is a humble soul, and he represents India wherever he goes. As long as he wears a turban, he is Indian, and we must remember that,' Singh said. In his X post, Singh also questioned whether there would be similar outrage over Indian cricketers playing against Pakistan in Dubai a month before the Pahalgam terror attack, or against TV anchors who host Pakistani panellists on debate shows. 'This is ridiculous. And I do not care if I am trolled. My views are clear,' he added. Dosanjh recently completed a successful concert tour with Dil-Illuminati and made international headlines with his Met Gala debut in May this year. He paid tribute to his Punjabi roots with an ensemble that nodded to Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, the erstwhile ruler of the princely state of Patiala. Meanwhile, FWICE remains firm in its stance. 'We do not want a citizen like him. He thinks he is God. Sardaar Ji 1 and 2 didn't do well. In this film, [Hania] Aamir has been cast so that everyone talks about it. Since he doesn't want to replace her, we will make sure he is replaced, not just from Border 2 and other films, but [from] our country too,' FWICE president BN Tiwari told ThePrint. FWICE's warning to Dosanjh Dosanjh has yet to issue an official statement addressing the widespread criticism. But in an interview with BBC Asia, he explained the decision to go ahead with the film's release. 'When the film was being made, the situation was OK. After that, there's been a lot of things…that are not in our hands,' said Dosanjh. Sardaar Ji 3 will not be released in India while it was released overseas, including in Pakistan, on 27 June. Early reports say the film's initial screenings in the neighbouring country have been 'houseful'. Meanwhile, FWICE has written a letter to Bhushan Kumar of T-Series, which is backing Border 2. The letter called the decision to retain Dosanjh in the cast a 'blatant violation' of its directive to boycott him. 'By choosing to collaborate with an artist who has so brazenly ignored the ongoing tensions and national sentiment, your production has directly undermined the stand taken by the Indian film industry in solidarity with the nation,' read the open letter, dated 24 June. Border 2 is the sequel to JP Dutta's cult classic war film Border (1997), set during the India-Pakistan war of 1971. Dosanjh plays a key role in the film. 'We have written to the National Defence Academy and [Defence Minister] Rajnath Singh about not giving permission to Border 2 for shooting. Dosanjh is challenging the entire country. It is a matter of national security,' said Tiwari. FWICE has not yet received a response from either the government or the makers of Border 2. The film workers' union also issued a letter to Dosanjh on 26 June. 'As an Indian, your first responsibility is towards your country. You have failed in that regard, and your professional choices have made it abundantly clear that the nation's interest is not your priority,' the letter states. It goes on to inform Dosanjh of the punitive measures being initiated. 'FWICE hereby issues a Non-Cooperation Directive against you with immediate effect. All associations affiliated with FWICE and their members are instructed not to cooperate with you on any current or future projects until such time as you publicly disassociate from the said collaboration and issue an unconditional apology to the Indian film fraternity and the citizens of India,' it further warns. (Edited by Prashant)
