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Indian Express
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
MEA: Pakistan record on terror clear
A day after United States Military General Michael Kurilla called Pakistan a 'phenomenal partner' in counter-terrorism, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) criticised Islamabad for its continued support to terrorism, calling the terror attack in Pahalgam 'the recent example of cross-border terrorism'. In response to a question on Central Command Chief General Kurilla's comments at the Congressional hearing a day earlier, during the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal recalled how one of the conspirators of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Tahawwur Rana, was recently extradited from the US to India and also mentioned how Osama bin Laden was given shelter in Pakistan. 'The record of Pakistan, of what Pakistan actually is, is very clear, we all know Pahalgam's attack is only a recent example of cross-border terrorism. Only recently, the conspirator, one of the conspirators of 26/11, Tahawwur Rana, was extradited from the US to India. Obviously, none of us has forgotten that Pakistan gave shelter to Osama bin Laden …You would be aware that Dr Shakil Afridi, who helped locate Osama bin Laden, is still imprisoned by the Pakistani military,' the MEA spokesperson said. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
Indian Express
10-06-2025
- Indian Express
Video shows man pinned down at Newark airport, Indian consulate in touch with US authorities
The Indian Consulate in New York said they have gotten in touch with authorities in the United States after videos purportedly showing 'an Indian student' being handcuffed and pinned to the floor at the Newark airport came to light on Sunday night. Posted on X by an Indian-American entrepreneur, Kunal Jain, the videos and photographs showed an unidentified young individual handcuffed and crying at the airport. Jain, who tagged the Indian Embassy in Washington DC and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his series of posts, said he was speaking in 'Haryanvi language and accent' and was pleading that the authorities were bent upon declaring him mentally unfit. Taking cognisance of this, the Indian Consulate in New York said on Monday evening, 'We have come across social media posts claiming that an Indian national is facing difficulties at Newark Liberty International Airport. We are in touch with local authorities in this regard.' The Consulate remains committed to the welfare of Indian nationals, they said. According to Jain, who said he witnessed the event firsthand, the young man appeared to be in distress and was crying as the Port Authority Police officers restrained him. There is no confirmation if the said individual has left Newark or has arrived in India, as per those aware of the matter. Authorities are presently trying to ascertain the date and time of the video, and the identity of the said individual, they said. Calling it a human tragedy, Jain wrote on X, 'I witnessed a young Indian student being deported from Newark Airport last night — handcuffed, crying, treated like a criminal. As an NRI, I felt helpless and heartbroken.' Photographs and video clips shared by Jain show the young man being restrained by officers from the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), the agency responsible for law enforcement across major transport hubs in New York and New Jersey. A call made by The Indian Express to Port Authority Police Department at Newark International Airport didn't elicit any details, except for the officer saying that 'the PAPD doesn't get involved in deportations'. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
Indian Express
05-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Former Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani is new director of Prime Ministers Museum and Library
Former Air India chief Ashwani Lohani, an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME) officer of the 1980 batch, has been appointed as the director of the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) in New Delhi, months after the tenure of former power secretary Sanjiv Nandan Sahai came to an end. In the interim, Lily Pandeya, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, was officiating in the role. In an order dated June 4, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved Lohani's appointment for a tenure of three years. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly. Besides serving as the Air India chairman and managing director twice, Lohani has also served as the chairman of the Railway Board of Indian Railways after being appointed to the post in 2017. After retiring from government service, he joined the GMR Group, where he served as chief executive officer. Earlier, in 2001, he joined the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) as chairman and managing director. In 2004, he became the commissioner and managing director of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC), a position he held for almost six years, spanning three different terms. He is credited with turning around the ITDC and MPSTDC during those stints. The Centre recently reconstituted the society and executive council of PMML, with several new names being added. The executive council, which previously had 29 members, has now been expanded to 34 members. While Nripendra Mishra, former principal secretary to the prime minister, was reappointed for a five-year term as the chairperson of the organisation, prominent new members included former Union minister Smriti Irani, NITI Aayog former vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar, retired Army General Syed Ata Hasnain, renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and Vasudev Kamath from Sanskar Bharati, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Culture. Some of the other new members include Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, and educationist Chamu Krishna Shastry, archaeologist K K Mohammad, who was part of the Babri Masjid excavation team in 1976, and B R Mani, the former head of the National Museum. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the president of the PMML society, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is the vice president. As the director, Lohani will also become a member of the seven-member executive council of the organisation, headed by chairman Nripendra Misra. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
PM chairs meeting on tourism hit by Pahalgam attack
In a first meeting addressing the concerns of the tourism sector in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, PM Narendra Modi Tuesday took stock of the situation and discussed ways to bring back tourists to the Valley. According to sources, the meeting also focussed on coming up with new ways to promote tourism across the country, including for domestic as well as international visitors. The meeting was attended by Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Shekhawat, Tourism Secretary V Vidyavathi, Additional Secretary Suman Billa, and senior PMO officials including Principal Secretaries to the PM, P K Mishra and Shakikanta Das. 'Attended the review meeting chaired by honourable PM @narendramodi to assess the progress in the tourism sector,' Shekhawat said on X after the hour-long meeting in the afternoon. 'His visionary leadership is the guiding force for all our efforts in making Bharat a top global tourist destination,' he added. The Pahalgam attack has hit the tourism potential in the Valley immensely, with stakeholders in the industry raising concerns that not only is this holiday season a washout, but the adverse sentiment may affect the industry in the years to come. However, as per sources, the Centre is mulling steps to boost confidence in the security situation in other parts of the country, and focus on tourism revival in the months to come. In the wake of the terror attack, several countries — including the US and the UK — had issued advisories to their citizens to refrain from visiting the state, further denting the sentiment among international visitors. The meeting comes just ahead of the Amarnath Yatra scheduled to start from July 3 this year. The tourism sector had seen a massive turnaround after the security situation in the Valley improved following the abrogation of Article 370. As per the Ministry of Tourism figures, tourist arrivals had climbed from 34 lakh in 2020 to a record 2.36 crore in 2024, including 65,000 foreign tourists. The 2025 season opened strong too, with 8.14 lakh visitors to Srinagar's Tulip Garden in 26 days. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
