Marcus Trescothick: England Staying Positive, Embracing Challenge to Score Big
In a bombshell interview with Al Jazeera, former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claimed that Pakistan has no idea where UN-designated terrorist and Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is suggesting he may be in Afghanistan. Bhutto challenged India to share concrete intelligence if Azhar is on Pakistani soil. He also claimed that Pakistan cannot capture Azhar if even NATO failed to do so in Afghanistan. The startling statement has reignited global scrutiny of Pakistan's counterterrorism stance, given Azhar's role in major terror attacks in India. Bhutto also defended Pakistan's handling of Hafiz Saeed, saying he is in custody, contrary to reports. As Pakistan deflects responsibility, India demands accountability. Is Pakistan sheltering terror masterminds? Or is it simply powerless? Watch the full report.#masoodazhar #bilawalbhutto #pakistanterror #jaishmohammad #hafizsaeed #terrorism #pakistan #operationsindoor #terroristan #pakafghanborder #unbannedterrorists #indiapakconflict #counterterrorismfail #toi #toibharat #bharat #trending #breakingnews #indianews
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Deccan Herald
28 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
When tactical successes don't translate to peace
On June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion with a spectacular attack targeting Iran's top military commanders and nuclear scientists. In the currently popular Indian parlance, it would be called ghar mein ghus ke maarna (roughly translated as 'hitting the enemy in his den') – a policy that has all along evoked admiration among a section of opinion in India and an urge to emulate in May, India had put up its best yet publicised performance of the above policy by launching Operation Sindoor targeting top symbols of Pakistan's brazen terror. Both attacks were followed by an aerial war. However, barring a key aspect examined at the end of this essay, the similarity between the two situations ends Israel has lived in a perennial state of conflict and spends around 9% of its GDP on defence. In contrast, India spends barely 2%, admittedly with a larger GDP, but also much larger security challenges. Second, there is no parallel between the two situations from the moral and international law angle. India's legitimate fight has been against Pakistan's attempts from its inception to change the territorial status quo and destabilise India through overt and covert warfare. On the other hand, Israel's policy, especially in respect of the Palestinians, has violated all norms of international Israel is up against militarily far weaker adversaries and at best a nuclear threshold state in Iran, but one that is no match for the technological superiority of the US-supplied Israeli war machine. India, on the other hand, faces two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan's war machine is not much inferior to India's and its backer – China – possesses formidable military power. This imposes limitations on India's ability to the Israeli attacks, combined with the US bombardment of key nuclear facilities, caused considerable damage in Iran after its air defences were largely neutralised. The damage caused by India to Pakistan's military installations was no match. According to the information from official sources, India was able to neutralise Pakistan's air defences sufficiently to be able to successfully attack airbases in the early hours of May 10. Our official discourse also maintains that Pakistan was chastened enough by this stage to ask for a ceasefire. Why India did not press home this advantage remains unclear. In raising this aspect, I have in mind further degradation of Pakistan's war machine and not unrealistic expectations generated by our political and strategic discourse, such as taking back PoK or Haji Pir etc. that were voiced in the wake of the in the UN debates and voting on resolutions, Israel appears isolated. But it is militarily the most powerful country in its region and no longer faces any meaningful opposition from the Arab world. It enjoys solid US backing. Other Western countries may disagree with it on Palestine, but share its goal of preventing Iran from going contrast, we are now pretty much on our own in dealing with the security challenge from Pakistan. While there was widespread condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack, no country named Pakistan as the perpetrator, and there were multiple calls for restraint from the international community wary of a wider war between two nuclear-armed countries. China's support for Pakistan was palpable during the conflict, and India's bugbear Field Marshal Asim Munir was the toast of the White House not too long China's iron brother Pakistan continues to be valuable to Washington too, albeit transactionally, because of its geographic location. Further, if we are aiming at reviving the level of international focus on terrorism that prevailed for a decade plus after 9/11, we may be in for disappointment. The global agenda has moved on. While robust deterrence and coercion are indispensable in dealing with Pakistan, the foregoing provides a reality check for those with the desire to emulate Israel..A measured over the years, Israel has notched up several brilliant tactical successes against its adversaries, but has no peace. The Palestinian problem continues to fester, and estimates of a setback to Iran's nuclear programme range from a few months to a few years. Most credible observers believe that only diplomacy can achieve its enduring capping. Israel has shunned diplomacy in dealing with its adversaries for several years now and has followed a policy, euphemistically described as mowing the grass, to degrade their military capabilities our case, notwithstanding the brilliant tactical success of Operation Sindoor, we are nowhere close to putting an end to Pakistan's terror, much less resolving our larger Pakistan problem. Pakistan's terror infrastructure is largely intact. Asim Munir's position has strengthened, at least for now. Following the Mumbai terror attack, we progressively abandoned bilateral diplomacy with Pakistan, castigating it for having failed to change the conduct of the Pakistani state. Pakistan's hardline posture under Asim Munir, combined with the justified anger of the Indian public at Pakistan's conduct and Pakistan's salience in our electoral politics, makes its resumption extremely security-centric approach over the last few years has also failed to achieve the above goal. But for want of any other instrumentality, we cannot afford to dilute it. Therefore, we too may be faced with the need to mow the grass periodically, albeit in a field strewn with nuclear weapons. This is integral to the new normal announced by Prime Minister Modi on May 12..(The writer is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan and author of India's Pakistan Conundrum: Managing a Complex Relationship)
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Dropped from official holiday calendar by L-G, ruling NC starts preparations for ‘Martyrs Day' in Srinagar
Ruling National Conference (NC) on Monday (July 7, 2025) held a special meeting in Srinagar to review the preparations on the occasion of the death anniversary of Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah, wife of the party founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, and 'Martyrs' Day' on 13th July. The preparations assumed significance because J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha removed the 'Martyrs Day' from the official holiday calendar of the government after the Centre ended J&K's special constitutional status in 2019. 'A review meeting was convened at the party headquarters, Nawa-e-Subha, Srinagar, to assess the ongoing arrangements for the annual observance of the death anniversary of Madar-e-Maharban Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah (on July 11) and Martyrs' Day on 13th July. The meeting was chaired by the General Secretary, Haji Ali Muhammad Sagar,' a NC spokesman said. Mr. Sagar directed the party cadre to ensure a special prayer ceremony is held at the Naqsband Sahib graveyard where 22 locals, who lost their lives in the rebellion against the Dogra rule, are buried. Top J&K government officials, including the then Governor, would join the regional parties in paying tributes to those killed by the soldiers of the Dogra monarch in 1931 in Kashmir. However, no official ceremony is held at the graveyard of those who were killed in 1931 after 2019. There is a growing demand from the regional parties to reincorporate July 13 in the holiday calendar of J&K. The ruling NC too advocated its inclusion but failed to do so because of the special powers granted to the L-G in the Union Territory (UT). 'The government should declare July 13 as a gazetted holiday in memory of the martyrs of 1931. The 'Martyrs' Day' should be observed at the State level, as it used to be,' J&K Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said. 'This government is in danger only because of its underperformance and its failure to fulfil promises made to the people. Otherwise, it has a strong mandate for a full five-year term,' he added.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
HC grants bail to ITR espionage accused
Cuttack: In a development related to Chandipur espionage case, the Orissa high court granted bail to Basanta Kumar Behera, a contractual air conditioning operator at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, who had been in custody since Sept 2021 for allegedly spying for a Pakistani agent. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Behera was one of four DRDO contractual employees arrested in the sensational case that was initially investigated by the state police and later transferred to the State CID-Crime Branch. The case involved allegations of leaking sensitive missile testing information to a foreign handler. Justice Gourishankar Satapathy, while granting bail on July 1, underscored the importance of the constitutional right to a speedy trial under Article 21. The court observed, "If the state is unable to provide a speedy trial, it should not oppose the plea of bail merely on the ground that the crime committed is serious." The court noted that Behera had earlier availed interim bail on two occasions without violating any of the imposed conditions. Considering his prolonged incarceration, his compliant conduct during interim release, and the bail already granted to co-accused Sachin Kumar Chhata and Tapas Ranjan Nayak, the court found sufficient grounds to approve Behera's bail application. Advocate Ashutosh Mishra, appearing on Behera's behalf, confirmed that all necessary procedures are being expedited for his client's release. "As of now, Basanta Kumar Behera is in Balasore Jail. We are in the process of fulfilling the bail conditions, and he is expected to be released within a day or two," Mishra told TOI on Monday. Behera was granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh with two solvent sureties. He has been directed to report to the local police station once every fortnight for the next six months, preferably on Sundays. Additionally, he must not leave the jurisdiction of the trial court without prior permission and is required to submit his current residential address, mobile number, and other relevant details to both the court and investigating agency. The trial, currently pending before the 3rd additional sessions judge in Balasore, has made little progress in the past nearly four years.
