Plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the spot. A purported video of the aftermath of the explosion also surfaced on social media showing thick dense white smoke.
'The bottom line is that at least now we should take an honest look at this business of NSG membership (or Masood Azhar for that matter.),' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
This will be after over two decades that the 'black cat' commandos of the elite counter-terror force will be taken out from VIP protection duties, a task not originally charted for it when the force was conceptualised and raised in 1984.
Specialists from the counter-terror drone wing of the NSG also demonstrated the functioning of its counter-UAS mechanism at the technical area of the IAF station, sources said.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, was brought to India on Thursday after being "successfully extradited " from the US, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said. The 64-year-old Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin landed in Delhi in a special plane on Thursday evening, ending days of speculation of when and how he will be extradited, officials said. The NIA said in a statement that it had secured the successful extradition after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring to justice the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem that claimed 166 lives. Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the the three-day terror siege of India's financial capital.
'An ardent advocate of nuclear disarmament, Obama may even be secretly heaving a sigh of relief that the NSG is unlikely to reach unanimity of opinion on India's candidature,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The landmark India-US civil nuclear deal of 2008, brokered during Manmohan Singh's tenure as Prime Minister, is seen as a crowning achievement in his foreign policy legacy. The agreement ended India's nuclear isolation, fostered a strategic partnership with the US, and opened doors to advanced technologies and defense cooperation. This historic deal also laid the groundwork for India's engagement with the global nuclear community.
Dutt, along with about 200 'black cats' commandos, had boarded an IL-76 aircraft of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC) to fly the first batch of the counter-terrorist strike force to Mumbai soon after the western metropolis reported multiple shootouts and public killings in the night of November 26, 2008.
On Friday, May 3, 2024, the National Security Guard and the Delhi police conducted a security mock drill at the Parliament building. The primary objective of the drill was to assess and synchronise the readiness of the security forces to counter potential future threats effectively.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying sounded firm about China's stance that all new members that join the NSG must sign the NPT.
A low-intensity blast occurred near a multiplex in Delhi's Rohini on Thursday, injuring one person and sparking panic. The explosion took place near a park in the same area where a previous blast occurred in October. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi accused the BJP-led central government of failing to maintain law and order in the national capital.
A purported Telegram post circulated on social media, which claimed that the blast was carried out in retaliation to the "targeting" of pro-Khalistan separatists allegedly by Indian agents.
Locals said there was a "chemical-like" smell at the site and thick white smoke everywhere as panic gripped the Paschim Vihar area after the blast happened near a CRPF school.
A lowdown on why NSG membership is important for India
The visit comes ahead of the NSG plenary meeting in Seoul on June 23 and 24.
The United States on Friday called on members of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group to support India's membership for the elite atomic trading club during its crucial meeting in Seoul next week.
Stating that India's entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group will "shake strategic balance in South Asia and even cast a cloud over peace and stability in the entire Asia-Pacific region", an article in the state-run 'Global Times' however said China could support India's inclusion in the 48 member nuclear club if it "played by rules".
'The onus is now on China to explain to the world why it feels Pakistan should accompany India on the question of NSG Membership!! China's not so covert help for Pakistan's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes will stand exposed,' says former ambassador G Parthasarathy.
A contingent of about 140 personnel in black overalls, balaclava headgear and carrying special assault rifle MP-5 added dashing sheen to the parade.
China on Monday said India's membership bid in the NSG has become "more complicated" under the "new circumstances" as it again ruled out backing New Delhi's entry in the grouping, saying there should be non-discriminatory solution applicable to all non-NPT signatory countries.
India's case for NSG membership is also being strongly pushed by the US, which has written to other members to support India's bid at the plenary meeting of the group expected to be held in Seoul on June 24.
If China's behaviour in the past on ticklish issues is any indication then China could eventually support India's NSG application, says Rup Narayan Das.
China's state media on Tuesday defended Pakistan's nuclear record, saying it was A Q Khan who was responsible for atomic proliferation which was not backed by the government and argued that any exemption to India for Nuclear Suppliers Group entry should also be given to Pakistan.
India on Thursday secured Mexico's backing in its bid to become member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group as it aggressively scouted for support ahead of a crucial meeting of the 48-nation nuclear trading bloc in Vienna.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup also asserted that India's participation in the NSG would have further strengthened nuclear non-proliferation regime and made global nuclear commerce more secure.
Chinese chief negotiator Ambassador Wang Qun told ANI on Friday, "NSG will not take up India's case as of now. There are differences on admitting non-Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty members. Signing the NPT first is one of five criteria (for membership). These have not been set by China, but by group as a whole."
China's official media on Tuesday went public over India's Nuclear Suppliers Group bid for the first time, saying New Delhi's membership of the elite club will not only touch a "raw nerve" in Pakistan and increase a nuclear arms race in the region but also "jeopardise" China's national interests.
Membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group ensures continued availability of fuel sufficient to operate India's nuclear plants.
On July 31, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard were killed in an airstrike that hit a residence Haniyeh uses in Tehran.
India on Friday rejected China's contention that it must sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty to get membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
India on Friday denied that a team of National Security Gaurd was visiting Bangladesh amidst reports that it was in Dhaka to study the recent terrorist attacks that have shocked that country.
China continued to stonewall India's entry harping on the need to have a criterion for countries like India which have not signed the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty and clubbing India's case with that of Pakistan for which it is batting.
The decision for their deployment in counter-terror operations was taken by the Union Home Ministry recently and they will be put to use soon after their acclimatisation programme is over, the officials said.
Swaraj said India was hopeful that it will be able to convince China to give its backing.
All ranks and file of the elite force gathered at NSG headquarters in Palam to pay their tributes to the slain hawaldar, who was a member of NSG's 51 Special Action Group.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a gazette notification under the National Security Guard Act, empowering the NSG Director General or an Inspector General of the force authorized by DG NSG to requisition aircraft from any operator registered in India in the interest of public safety for public service.
According to the Dawn, Pakistan submitted its membership application on May 19, a week after India, which applied on May 12.
China on Monday said differences remain among members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group over the inclusion of new countries and the issue was not even on the agenda of the grouping's meeting in Seoul this week, a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asserted that Beijing was not opposing India's entry
China on Monday said there is no change in its stance on admission of non-NPT states into the Nuclear Suppliers Group
India on Thursday hit back at China for its statement that Nuclear Suppliers Group membership can't be a "farewell gift", saying it was not seeking the membership to the 48-nation grouping as gift but instead based on its non-proliferation record.
