Latest news with #Syed
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Ceasefire a welcome thing': Hyderabad man returns from Iran after war scare, thanks Indian government
HYDERABAD: It was a case of all's well that ends well for Syed Mahfuz Ali Abedi whose plans to return to India from Iran had almost crashed after the war broke out with Israel. But thanks to the evacuation flights by the Indian govt, Ali and his wife could return safely to Hyderabad. They were among the 17 who arrived in the city on Tuesday after being brought back to Delhi under 'Operation Sindhu'. Having completed his academic courses in Iran, the 32-year-old from Yakutpura had booked his tickets to India for June 18. Ali had been in Iran's Qom for almost eight years. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad But Israel's attack on Iran on June 13 changed everything. With the airspace closed, the couple had little hope of returning. The message of the Indian embassy in Iran to Indian citizens to register if they wanted to return home was circulated. Ali, who was alerted by a friend's family in Tehran, registered himself and his wife. Finally, the couple along with a friend's mother boarded the flight from Mashad and landed in India on June 24. "The ceasefire is a welcome thing. People can feel safe and life can continue normally," he said. Though Qom was not directly hit in the attacks, there were missiles directed 30 km close to the city by Israel, he said. "At Qom, no one felt it would come under any direct attack, though other cities were targeted," he said. Ali said that there are many who preferred to stay back.
Hype Malaysia
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hype Malaysia
(Video) Syed Saddiq Acquitted Of All Corruption Charges After 5-Year Legal Battle
Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq can finally feel relief after five long years. The politician has been acquitted of all corruption charges and escaped a prison sentence, a multimillion ringgit fine and caning. Earlier today (25th June 2025, Wednesday), a three-judge Court of Appeal panel led by Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim unanimously acquitted Syed of his corruption and money laundering charges after allowing his appeal. With this, the Court of Appeal set aside the former Youth and Sports Minister's conviction, seven-year prison sentence, RM10 million fine and two strokes of the cane. In July 2021, Syed, who was then the wing chief of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Armada), entrusted with control of Armada funds, was charged with abetting Bersatu assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali in committing criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM1 million of the organisation's funds. He was also charged with misusing property for personal gain and faced two counts of money laundering. When reading the unanimous decision, Justice Noorin Badaruddin said the lower court erred when it failed to evaluate the evidence and the legal elements required to prove the charges against Syed. She added, 'We reviewed and found the judge failed to consider all the evidence in the case and that there was a serious lapse in the decision-making process. The judge must explain how his logic considered all the evidence in the defence.' Following the verdict, Syed appeared in front of the attending press. Then, along with his family members, he performed a sujud syukur (bowing to show gratitude) prompted by his father. Also making an appearance at the courthouse to show support for the politician was actress Bella Astillah. The actress sat with Syed's family members in court and was seen comforting them after the verdict. It must have been a relief for Syed to be acquitted of his charges. Supporters also expressed gratitude over the verdict through social media. Check out some videos from the courthouse after Syed was acquitted: Sources: New Straits Times, MalayMail, Free Malaysia Today What's your Reaction? +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Prayagraj family returns from Iran safely, thanks govt for all help and care
Syed Ghazanfar Abbas, a resident of Rani Mandi in Prayagraj, along with his son, daughter and sister, finally returned to their hometown on Monday after getting stuck in war-torn Iran for several days. Syed Ghazanfar Abbas, resident of Rani Mandi, along with his family after returning safely from Iran on Monday. (HT) The family could never forget the day when they had just left the hotel in Qom city, Iran on June 13 to catch a flight to Tehran when the war between Israel and Iran started. Amidst the chaos, Syed Ghazanfar Abbas was told that the flight was cancelled and that he and his family would have to stay back in the same hotel for some time. The sudden change in conditions had stalled air travel for four days. When Syed reached Prayagraj on Monday morning with his family, he first thanked the Indian government for every possible care and assistance extended at every step, which made their safe return to his homeland possible. Syed said that the Indian Embassy made all arrangements to take us out of the hotel in Qom city, from where we were sent in a Volvo to Mashhad city with complete arrangements having been made for food and accommodation in a five-star hotel. We were brought to Delhi in a flight with full security at 6.30 pm on the night of June 22 from Mashhad airport. The flight reached Delhi airport at 11 pm on Sunday, he added. Every Indian came out of the plane with a tricolor in their hands. As per him, to welcome the Indians back home, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita was present at the airport, who kept meeting everyone one by one and welcoming them. After arriving in India, since Syed had already booked tickets for his family members in Jammu Mail for Prayagraj, they boarded the train from Delhi station and arrived in Prayagraj on Monday morning. To greet the family back home safely, a gathering of well-wishers kept pouring in throughout the day to enquire about their well-being and the situation in Iran. Narrating his experience in Iran, Syed kept telling people that in the hotel where he stayed with his family in Qom and Mashhad city of Iran, all were scared to see Israeli missile and drone attacks and their sound for two hours. 'I had never seen such a war before in life. Iran's air defense system used to destroy those missiles in mid air itself. The siren used to ring throughout the night, and many times it came to my mind that I should leave everything to Allah, for whatever happens, he will take care of us,' he said.
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
‘We thought it was the last night of our lives': Students evacuated from Iran
BENGALURU: Darkness fell over Iran on a cold Friday evening, and this time, it was one of the darkest nights the city has faced. 'It was 3:30 in the evening on June 13 — I will never forget that date or time. Just one kilometer from our dormitory, missiles fell. There was a boom, like thunder. At first, we didn't know what had happened. When we realized it was a missile strike, we were numb and shaken,' recalls Syed Mohsin Raza from Alipur, a second-semester MBBS student at Shahid Beheshti University who was staying in District 3, where the bombing initially began. Syed was among the batch of students evacuated from Iran and who landed on Sunday. Shockwaves shattered the windows of Tehran's buildings and the dormitory walls shook. 'We first thought it was just an army vehicle or something,' he said. 'But then the windows broke, the opposite building shook… we saw it with our own eyes. We saw the missile and air defence system, and understood it was serious.' The Indian Embassy in Tehran was close by, but they couldn't go. 'We contacted the embassy. We called them and asked for help as the situation was getting worse,' Syed said. Syeda Faize Zainab, who lived in District 6 of Tehran, remembers the chaos in her dormitory, running and hiding in the basement with the hope of saving her life. 'There was bombardment and explosions all around, and we had to hide in the basements. We thought we would die, that it was the last night of our lives,' says Syeda.
Express Tribune
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Freedom from eternal Hindu scorn? Paradox of Jinnah's Pakistan
The writer is a chemical engineer with interest in Society, Politics & Economy. Contact him at: Listen to article The irony of Pakistan's birth is this: the people who would inhabit its land never truly allowed to escape possessive identities, the ancient curse of caste and hierarchy, or the feudal-clientelist systems that still strangle them. They were denied the chance to build a modern state rooted in self-determination and individual rights. Jinnah provided an exit — outwardly embraced but never implemented by the State of Pakistan, yet. Both Muslims and Hindus were marginalised after the British seized Bengal in 1757. Yet while Hindus adapted, Muslims sank into a slumber of self-condemnation. Even Sir Syed's push for modern education and Iqbal's calls to awaken Muslim potential were met with apathy. Pakistan was not born from organic grassroots struggle. It emerged unexpectedly — a byproduct of lobbying by Muslim ashraafia in UP, demanding British-granted political rights, employment, and support for business opportunities. These concessions came not from British compassion but to counterbalance Hindu nationalism. Jinnah and the Muslim League (1906), initially loyal to the British Raj (a shield against Hindu majoritarianism), sought a negotiated constitutional role for Muslims in a united India, mirroring the early Congress demands (1885). But Congress later rejected any reforms for Hindu self-rule that accommodated Muslims. The British, however, enforced electoral reforms and held legislative elections in 1937. Muslims remained blind to Hindu discrimination, evident in communal violence particularly after Bengal's partition, and to the League's hard-won safeguards like separate electorates (1909). Gratitude failed to translate into votes: The League flopped in 1937. Why? The answer was naked self-interest. Muslim-majority provinces clung to their feudal strongholds, abandoning the plight of minority-province Muslims — their support could have fortified the League's fight against Hindu domination. Let's see how each province failed to support Jinnah's Nobel cause: Punjab, ruled by British-crafted feudal-military-bureaucratic loyalists (the future PakRaj), gave the League just 2/84 seats. Sindh, trapped in sufi-wadero culture but resentful of Hindu traders, granted only 3/35 seats. Sindhi nationalists triumphed. NWFP (KPK), obsessed with Pashtun nationalism under the Red Shirts, rejected the League entirely (0/36 seats). Bengal, home to the 1857 Revolt's sepoys, was receptive (40/119 seats), but peasant parties dominated. Balochistan had no elections; Kashmir remained a princely state. Congress won 8 of 11 ministries but refused to share power, oppressing Muslims under its rule, as documented in Jinnah's 1938 'Suffering Muslim Minorities' report. A crushing outcome for Jinnah. Yet he didn't give up and reinvented the League: from an ashraafia guild to a mass movement, shifting focus from resisting British to defying Majority Hindu rule. He synthesised Hindu discrimination with religious emotion, weaponised it, and crafted the 'Two-Nation Theory' demanding a separate Muslim state in the 1940 Lahore Resolution. (Congress had demanded full independence in 1930.) British control waned. Their constitutional reforms — falling short of independence but including Muslim safeguards — were rejected by Congress, radicalising Hindus against both the British and Muslims. Jinnah established that Muslims, a perpetual minority in united India (Hindus 66%, Muslims 24%, 1941 Census), without doubt face eternal discrimination by Hindus' legislative domination - passing laws adversely affecting Muslims, leading to their social, economic and cultural erasure. The British last-ditch effort to preserve India under a weak federal structure (Jinnah favoured) collapsed due to Congress's objection after the July 1946 elections, splitting the subcontinent: Congress won Hindu support for united India; the League became Muslims' sole voice for Pakistan. Jinnah's political mantra and surging public sentiment coerced reluctant provinces to switch sides: Sindh endorsed Pakistan first (1943) under GM Syed, backing Jinnah in 1946, though Syed later became disillusioned by Pakistan's federal politics and demanded Sindhudesh. Punjab joined only when Pakistan's inevitability became obvious (1946). East Bengal overwhelmingly accepted Pakistan in 1946. NWFP, perhaps fearing Afghan annexation, agreed but remained immersed in the Pakhtunistan dream. Balochistan was reluctant but coerced (March 1948) and still rebels. Kashmir, a Muslim-majority princely state, was invaded by Pakistan in 1947 after its Hindu ruler opted for India. India's intervention birthed the Line of Control and conflict between the two nations. India blamed Pakistan for the recent Pahalgam incident and launched retaliatory strikes. However, Pakistan's swift and overwhelming response — leveraging advanced Chinese military technology — forced India into an immediate ceasefire, at least for now. British intransigence after the January 1946 elections pushed Jinnah to call for Direct Action Day (16 August 1946), triggering Bengal riots that spread nationwide. The Raj's indifference, poor management and hasty withdrawal ignited history's largest migration and over a million deaths. Pakistan — a state for some Muslims of India — was born on 14 August 1947. Jinnah was fully aware of the new country's socio-political and economic impediments and its "moth-eaten, truncated" territory. Besides, he knew that millions of Muslims spread across India could not benefit from his design, yet he endeavoured to provide freedom to those who did not want it to begin with. Jinnah's calculus — perpetual Hindu domination of all Muslims versus a flawed independent Pakistan — drove him to choose the latter. The ultimate irony is that post-1857, the British cultivated a Punjab-centric feudal-military-bureaucracy in a close, dependent relationship to secure their rule, which oddly could not help them retain power in India. They never imagined this system would outlive them, morphing into the governing structure of Pakistan, as the PakRaj. Jinnah was acutely aware of their presence and inherent opposition to a modern, democratic, egalitarian Pakistan and their dominance of politics, governance and economy. Jinnah's stark warning was that while Pakistan could not be easily challenged externally, it would collapse under its own contradictions — the PakRaj, denied genuine and fair democratic rule, resulted in Pakistan's breakup in less than a few decades. Alas! There is never a precise time to undo past wrongs; one must willfully choose to correct the course — it is always a matter of will.
