Tag: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

  • Anti-Muslim slogans call for murder at event organised by BJP

    Anti-Muslim slogans call for murder at event organised by BJP

    Inflammatory, anti-Muslim slogans calling for murder were raised in New Delhi, India, on Sunday during a march “against Colonial-era laws” in the country — an event organised by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Upadhyay, reported The Wire.

    The event, organised under the ‘Bharat Jodo Movement’, demanded the end of “colonial-era laws” by implementing a Uniform Civil Code. The event was reportedly held without police permission.

    In photos and videos of the event doing the rounds on social media, violent and inflammatory anti-Muslim slogans were raised at the event, including slogans directly calling for the murder of Muslims. The Delhi Police have registered an FIR against unknown persons.

    https://twitter.com/asfreeasjafri/status/1424366863711043587?s=21

    People are questioning why an FIR has been registered against unknown people when their faces are clearly visible.

    Senior Journalist Barkha Dutt tweeted: “Revolting anti-Muslim slogans in heart of the capital is a clear example of hate speech and incitement to violence.”

    “I do not agree with the sedition law or with the phrase anti-national but if ever there was an apt definition of it, it is these men, caught on tape,” tweeted the journalist.

    Indian journalist Smita Sharma tweeted, “Video clips doing the rounds of vitriolic dangerous sloganeering against Muslims in the heart of the capital.”

    Sharma further said, “These are not fringe elements or just stupid crowds. They have been emboldened. Will @DelhiPolice act against these toxic anti-nationals?@CPDelhi.”

    Journalist Maya Mirchandani tweeted, “A group gets permission to hold a sit in at Jantar Mantar supposedly for unity in the country, then raises genocidal slogans against Indian Muslims in the heart of Delhi, a stone’s throw from parliament. Under govt’s nose, under @CPDelhi nose. How? #rightwingextremism #hatespeech”

  • ‘The world has seen true face of so-called Indian democracy,’ Pakistan demands answers

    ‘The world has seen true face of so-called Indian democracy,’ Pakistan demands answers

    In a statement released by the Foreign Office regarding India’s use of Israeli spyware, Pegasus, to hack Prime Minister Imran Khan’s phone, Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez stated, “We call on the relevant UN bodies to thoroughly investigate the matter, bring the facts to light, and hold the Indian perpetrators to account.”

    The statement further said, “We condemn in strongest possible terms India’s state-sponsored, continuing and widespread surveillance and spying operations in clear breach of global norms of responsible state behaviour.”

    “Keeping a clandestine tab on dissenting voices is a long-standing textbook ploy of the RSS-BJP regime to commit human rights atrocities in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and peddle disinformation against Pakistan,” read the statement.

    “The world has seen the true face of the so-called Indian ‘democracy’. We are closely following these revelations and will bring the Indian abuses to the attention of appropriate global platforms.”

    The recent revelations by Pegasus Project show that the Indian government had targeted Prime Minister Imran Khan’s phone for surveillance in 2019. Analysis of the more than 1,000 mostly Indian phone numbers selected for potential targeting by using Pegasus spyware strongly indicates intelligence agencies within the Indian government were behind the selection.

  • Pakistan on FATF grey list because of ‘Narendra Modi’s govt’, Pak to take action

    Pakistan on FATF grey list because of ‘Narendra Modi’s govt’, Pak to take action

    Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar admitted that Pakistan is on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) because of the “efforts of Narendra Modi’s government”.

    Jaishankar, while addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal efforts made on forums like G20 or G7 made nations realise that terrorism is everyone’s problem.”

    “FATF, as all of you know, keep a check on fundings for terrorism and deals with black money supporting terrorism. Due to us, Pakistan is under the lens of FATF and it was kept [on] the grey list. We have been successful in pressurising Pakistan and the fact that Pakistan’s behaviour has changed is because of pressure put by India by various measures. Also terrorists from LeT and Jaish, India’s efforts through UN, have come under sanctions,” Jaishankar reportedly told the BJP leaders, according to The Print.

    The Foreign Office (FO) responded by saying that the Indian foreign minister’s statement that the Modi government had ensured Pakistan remained on the FATF grey list had vindicated Pakistan’s longstanding stance on “India’s negative role” in the global financial watchdog.

    “Pakistan has always been highlighting to the international community the politicisation of FATF and undermining of its processes by India. The recent Indian statement is just further corroboration of its continued efforts to use an important technical forum for its narrow political designs against Pakistan,” read the FO statement.

    “While Pakistan has been sincerely and constructively engaged with FATF during the implementation of the action plan, India has left no stone unturned in casting doubts on Pakistan’s progress through disgraceful means,” said the FO statement.

    “Following the recent confession by [the] Indian government, India’s credentials for assessing Pakistan in FATF as co-chair of the Joint Group or for that matter any other country are subject to questions, which we urge FATF to look into,” the statement said.

    On June 25, FATF President Dr Marcus Pleyer said Pakistan would remain on the grey list till it addresses the single remaining item on the original action plan agreed to in June 2018 as well as all items on a parallel action plan handed out by the watchdog’s regional partner — the Asia Pacific Group (APG) — in 2019.

  • Kangana Ranaut shares Saleem Safi’s video, urging her fans to stand with India

    Kangana Ranaut shares Saleem Safi’s video, urging her fans to stand with India

    Kangana Ranaut has shared senior Pakistani journalist Saleem Safi’s video from his show, in which they are talking about Kashmir, Indian journalists, political parties sympathizing with Pakistan from India.

    Sharing the clip on her Instagram stories, Kangana wrote: “Listen carefully, if you don’t stand with your nation. Who will?”

    In the video, Safi is asking a question to PML(N) MNA Mushahid Ullah Hussain that how will the miseries of Indian Occupied Kashmiris will end? Replying to the host, Mushahid said: “Pakistan’s role is very important in this matter. We need to take this issue in a sustained way. India is very big country and some of them are our sympathizers. There is Arundhati Roy, Mamta Bannerji, Congress Party, Communist Party, there are also Left Parties and Dalit Parties as well. every Indian is not with Modi.

  • India struggles to breathe

    India struggles to breathe

    A video has been making rounds on social media, where a person can be seen begging and crying for an oxygen cylinder. Like him, millions of Indians are struggling to find oxygen for their loved ones amid a devastating second wave of coronavirus.

    According to report, the second-largest populated country in the world has had 3,498 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

    The BBC has documented the breaking points of Indian hospitals and crematorium, which has left hospitals in India overwhelmed. Donations have been pouring in to India from all over the world and in different cities, the Indian Army is setting up temporary hospitals and making its medical staff available to fight the deadly Covid 19.

    While talking to CNN, Narendra Taneja, a spokesman for the ruling Indian Party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that, “We are in power, we are the government in India so of course responsibility is first and foremost ours, good or bad, whatever it is. It is our responsibility and we’re trying our very level best.” The BJP came under fire when despite the several warnings, large mass rallies held between March and April ahead of state elections.

    Earlier this week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked US President Joe Biden and President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, for their help and support.

    From Pakistan, in a letter to Indian PM Modi, Managing Trustee of Edhi Foundation Faisal Edhi offered to arrange all the necessary supplies. He stated,” As a neighboring friend, we sympathize with you greatly and during this strenuous time, we would like to extends our help in the form of a fleet of 50 ambulances along with our services to assist you in addressing, and further circumventing the health conditions.”

    The Indian government has advised all its citizens to get vaccinated as soon as possible. According to experts, a double mutant variant is adding fuel to India’s crisis as there are 243 cases every minute.

  • Saudi Arabia to introduce Hindi scripture, yoga in school curriculum

    Saudi Arabia is planning to add two Hindu scriptures Ramayana and Mahabharata to the national school curriculum.

    As per details, the objective is to revamp the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) image according to Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman’s (MBS) Vision 2030.

    Crown prince MBS wants to make Saudi Arabia culturally and religiously more dynamic and tolerant to fit in the global economy and to reduce its dependency on oil. It is an imperative initiative that is much needed to bring foreign investment to Saudi Arabia.

    The report further stated that other cultural elements like yoga and Ayurveda will also be included in the school curriculum.

    Besides literature from Hinduism, the curriculum will now involve the history and culture of other countries as well. The government has taken majors steps to overhaul the orthodoxy and bring cultural innovation after MBS took control in KSA.

    A Saudi yogi, Nouf Almarwaai even tweeted screenshots of her son’s social studies exam with questions about Hinduism, Buddhism, and Hindu epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata. She is also dubbed Saudi’s first Yogiacharya and has even been awarded a Padma Shri by India.

  • PM Imran wishes Manmohan Singh a speedy recovery

    Prime Minister Imran Khan wished former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a speedy recovery from COVID-19.

    The veteran Congress leader tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

    The 88-year-old was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) with fever. Singh remains stable a day after he was admitted.

    Earlier today, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also tested positive for COVID.

    According to media reports, new COVID-19 cases in India reached more than 270,000 on Monday, a new record. The total cases are now more than 15 million, the second-highest after the US. India reported 1,761 deaths due to the coronavirus today. Pakistan on Monday banned travellers from India due to concerns over Indian variant. Britain also added India to its “red list” of countries. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also called off his trip to New Delhi in the wake of the rising coronavirus cases in India.

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received severe backlash over the BJP government’s mishandling of the COVID situation in India.

  • Russian president’s ‘blank cheque’ to Pakistan: What you need to know

    Russian president’s ‘blank cheque’ to Pakistan: What you need to know

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently visited Islamabad after nearly a decade and delivered an “important” message to the Pakistani leadership from President Vladimir Putin.

    “I came with a message from my president that ‘tell Pakistan we are open for any cooperation, whatever Pakistan needs Russia is ready for it’,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by a senior Pakistani official who, according to The Express Tribune, attended the closed-door meeting.

    The Russian president’s offer was dubbed by the official as a “blank cheque” as they revealed that Putin had conveyed to Pakistan through his top diplomat that Moscow would help Islamabad in any manner.

    “If you’re interested in gas pipelines, corridors, defence or any other cooperation, Russia stands ready for it,” the official quoted Lavrov as saying, explaining what he meant.

    “It is now up to us to follow up this successful visit,” the official said.

    At the joint news conference with his Pakistani counterpart, the Russian foreign minister had said Moscow was ready to supply Pakistan with “special military equipment” to enhance its anti-terrorists potential. He, however, did not provide further details.

    Relations between Pakistan and Russia have undergone transformation in recent years thanks to the new alignments and strategic realities.

    The rapprochement between the former Cold War rivals began in 2011 when Pakistan’s relationship with the US hit the rock bottom. At that time, a decision was taken to bring a strategic shift in Pakistan’s foreign policy. The shift envisaged reaching out to Russia as part of Pakistan’s efforts to diversify its foreign policy options.

    The two countries initially worked quietly to find common ground. The years-long efforts had resulted in the Russian decision to send its troops to Pakistan for the first time in history for joint exercises in 2016. Moscow even overruled the Indian objections over holding joint drills with Pakistan.

    Since then, the two countries have been regularly holding these exercises and they are looking to further deepen that cooperation.

    Pakistan is hoping that Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit the country, something that would complete the Pak-Russia ties from being Cold War foes to friends.

    In contrast, Russian ties with once its solid ally India are heading in the opposite direction. The two still have good relationship but the usual warmth they expressed earlier have been missing.

  • Modi writes to Imran with ‘desire for cordial relations with Pakistani people’

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said to Prime Minister Imran Khan that “as a neighbouring country, India desires cordial relations with the people of Pakistan”.

    The above was said in Modi’s Pakistan Day message to the premier, wherein he extended his greetings to the people of Pakistan who celebrated the anniversary of the Lahore Resolution across the country.

    The message was conveyed to PM Imran by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad through the Foreign Office (FO).

    “For this, an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility, is imperative,” Modi said in the message. He also sent his wishes to the prime minister and the people of Pakistan, who were facing a “difficult time for humanity” due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

    “Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration,” the message concluded.

    Modi’s comments come days after Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, speaking during the Islamabad Security Dialogue, said that lasting peace in the sub-continent will remain elusive until the resolution of the Kashmir issue, stressing that it was time for Pakistan and India to “bury the past and move forward”.

    The army chief had noted that stable Indo-Pak relations were the key to unlocking the potential of South and Central Asia by ensuring connectivity between East and West Asia.

    But this potential has always remained hostage to the disputes and issues between the two “nuclear neighbours”, he said.

    “The Kashmir issue is obviously at the heart of this. It is important to understand that without the resolution of Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, [the] process of sub-continental rapprochement will always remain susceptible to derailment due to politically motivated bellicosity.”

    “We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward,” he said, adding that the onus for meaningful dialogue rested with India. “Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in occupied Kashmir.”

    It is worth mentioning here that recently Bloomberg reported that the government of United Arab Emirates (UAE) was facilitating the development of a four-step “roadmap for peace” between Pakistan and India.

    The report cited the surprise joint statement by directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India on February 25, that agreed to end Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire violations (CFVs) as the outcome of the talks brokered by the Emirati government months earlier.

    The report also stated that progress on the Pakistan-India “peace” process had been discussed during Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed’s meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the former’s visit to New Delhi on February 26.

  • ‘That’s why he prayed for Modi’s victory’: Imran accused of receiving funding from India’s BJP, Israel

    The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership has accused Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan of receiving funding from India and Israel, as Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has also drawn a link between the claim and the premier hoping Narendra Modi won the 2019 election to become his Indian counterpart.

    Ahead of the Indian general election, Imran had expressed his wish for Indian hardliner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to win the election as “they were more prone to holding dialogue with Pakistan”.

    Addressing a protest demonstration in front of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday, Maryam demanded that PM Imran came clean if there were no skeletons in his closet.

    “Imran Khan received funding from India and Israel in his own and in the bank accounts of his friends, and through ‘Hundi’ also,” she added.

    Maryam further said that one of the BJP leaders, Andarjeet Dosal, and an Israeli person transferred funds to Imran’s accounts that he used to operate with his own signatures.

    She said that having received funds from the BJP, Imran prayed for victory of Narendra Modi in 2019 elections and was hopeful of his success.

    Now, she maintained, Imran was saying that he had no knowledge of transfer of funds and the same was done by some agents. “Either he is foolish or trying to make a fool out of the people.”

    The PML-N leader said that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) disclosed 23 secret accounts of Imran he used to operate with his signatures, and the same were kept secret from the ECP as well.

    PM Imran should also tell as to who were the agents who brought him in power and imposed him on 220 million people of Pakistan, Maryam said, alleging that the ECP scrutiny committee denied releasing facts about the case because Imran did not permit it. “The one who called us thieves turned out to be the biggest thief himself,” she added.

    She said that a long list of Imran’s crimes came to light before the ECP’s scrutiny committee, but it had been instructed to go slow on him and that was why the scrutiny committee had been investigating the matter for three years.

    Maryam said the shocking revelations should have prompted a decision within three days. “During the 80 hearings of the case, Imran sought a stay of proceedings 30 times, requested four times to keep the proceedings secret, and also moved the high court six times while challenging authority of the ECP,” she said.

    Maryam said the public knew who imposed him on the people. “Pakistan has changed now and you cannot commit dacoity on the votes of its people anymore,” she added.

    She said now that Imran had confessed to his crime, ECP should announce the punishment for him.

    PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman also severely criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership, and repeated the allegations levelled by the PML-N leader. “Imran Khan is an agent of Jews and he contested elections while using funding from India and Israel,” he claimed.

    Fazl said he had always told the people of Pakistan that Imran Khan was a Jew agent.

    Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the Imams of mosques in Islamabad had refused to receive Rs10,000 per month stipend from the government, adding those might be Indian and Israeli funds. “Those are Hindus and Jews who are supporting the Imran government,” he added.

    The PDM president said some institutions had brought the country to such a bad state of affairs, saying the ECP was facing severe pressure and was serving its own interests.”

    “Those powerful selected a fool person so that they should actually rule while sitting behind the scenes,” he added.

    Other leaders of the anti-government alliance also delivered fiery speeches against the current government setup.