Lieutenant General Syed Aamir Raza's loyalty to Field Marshal Asim Munir during the turbulent times appears to have stood him in good stead, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at R&AW.
A private hospital in Noida was sealed after its owner and staff were arrested for allegedly selling a five-day-old girl. Police are investigating the human trafficking case.
BEST employees continued their strike in Mumbai for a second day, causing significant disruption to public transport despite appeals from the Maharashtra Transport Minister and the invocation of MESMA. Commuters were forced to rely on alternative, overcrowded transport options, while the striking unions maintained their demands for budget merger, improved pay, and absorption of contractual workers.
Pakistan on Saturday brought in a Constitutional amendment to create a new post of chief of defence forces to ensure greater coordination and unified command among the three services.
Creating a powerful new chief of defence forces has split the Pakistan military into four competing factions, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
Operation Sindoor compelled Pakistan to undertake constitutional amendments, which is an acknowledgement that things did not go well for the neighbouring nation, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has said.
US President Donald Trump stated that Iran is eager to make a deal and predicted a sharp decline in oil prices due to abundant supply, amidst a Senate resolution to limit his war powers in Iran.
The Delhi High Court has validated the All India Tennis Association (AITA) elections held in September 2024, but stipulated that the elected body will operate as an interim arrangement under the supervision of a court-appointed Administrator.
The CBI has arrested five individuals and conducted searches across India in connection with the NEET UG paper leak case. Protests have intensified, and calls for the Education Minister's resignation have grown louder. Political parties are trading blame, and the Supreme Court is considering a plea for an overhaul of the National Testing Agency.
'As result, Netanyahu 'convinced' Trump to go to war with the help of overoptimistic Israeli intelligence assessments, essentially explaining to him that they only need to bomb Iran for 3-4 days, and the regime would then collapse.' 'Rather unsurprisingly, Netanyahu is ever since blaming his own intel service for the entire operation failing.'
Pakistan is considering creating a new position of 'Commander of Defence Forces' (CDF) to improve coordination and unified command among its military services, according to media reports. The move is part of broader defence reforms and is reportedly influenced by recent conflicts and the evolving nature of modern warfare.
While Asim Malik's role in Pakistan's recent warming up of relations with the US is acknowledged, army watchers note a recent distancing, what with Asim Munir not wanting his DG, ISI to share the limelight during his subsequent sojourns to Tampa and Brussels, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
Pakistan successfully conducted a training launch of the 'Fatah series' surface-to-surface missile with a range of 120 kilometers. The launch comes amid heightened tensions with India following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the test was part of the ongoing exercise 'INDUS' and was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters, including the missile's advanced navigation system and enhanced accuracy.
It also aims to reduce the powers of the Supreme Court, with some authorities shifted to the proposed Constitutional Court, and immunity to the president from criminal proceedings for life.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has reviewed the evolving situation in West Asia, directing departments to assist Indian nationals affected by recent developments and emphasizing the need for dialogue and diplomacy.
Asim Munir will have to find a well trusted aide to fill the crucial ISI post's when Asim Malik retires soon.
'If the Trump administration could gain access to the nuclear weapons, they would be satisfied -- at least they could control them.'
In the wake of the recent hostilities, both sides have moved from weapons to words, with India dispatching several delegations to visit more than 30 capitals across the world. A similar effort by Pakistan is set to start on Jun 2.
The CDS will be a four-star general and his salary will be equivalent to that of service chiefs.
The government has extended the tenure of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan up to May next year.
Kaziranga remains a critical stronghold for tiger conservation in India, but the recent deaths underscore the growing challenges of managing a thriving population within a limited landscape.
If Xi Jinping can establish control over the PLA Ground Force, relations between India and China will settle down to an even keel. The next few weeks will show whether Xi has finally succeeded in gaining control over the PLA Ground Force. That could bring about the substantive shift in India-China relations that both our leaders have been working for, observes Ambassador Prabhat Shukla.
'The selectors have named 24 because they felt that a larger pool is always available for selection during each game. However, when we play home games in Delhi, we will prune it down to 15.'
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey admitted that club football 'is going through crisis' due to the uncertainty over the future of the country's top-tier league ISL and said a collective effort is needed to tide over it.
"I am going to propose the holding of such manoeuvres," Singh, also chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Indian Armed Forces, said on the eve of his departure for Beijing on a week-long visit as the head of a tri-service delegation.
Five associates of controversial cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza have been issued recovery notices of over Rs 1.25 crore for alleged power theft at e-charging stations in Bareilly. Authorities are cracking down on illegal activities linked to the cleric and his associates.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country wants to resolve all issues, including Kashmir, with India through talks. He reiterated his "unwavering " support for the Kashmiri people during a speech in Muzaffarabad on the occasion of "Kashmir Solidarity Day. "
Top military officials from India and Pakistan highlighted their views at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, billed as Asia's premier defence forum, amid heightened tensions between the two sides following last month's military confrontation.
Army chief General Deepak Kapoor on Thursday met his United States counterpart and other top ranking military officers and discussed various issues including joint training and exercises between the two countries. General Kapoor, who is on a five day visit to the US, met Joint Chiefs of Staff committee Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, US army chief General George W Casey Junior and Central Command Chief General David H Petraeus in Washington.
The weekend army reshuffle is a clear sign that Musharraf will not step down as army chief in December, say analysts.
General Manoj C Pande, India's chief of army staff, visited military establishments in South Korea and interacted with the republic's senior military leadership.
Lt Gen Abbas -- commissioned in 1987 by Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in the 41 Baloch Regiment -- has formerly served as the personal secretary to the chief of former army chief Gen Raheel Sharif.
The strategy for the next week's US visit of Islam was finalised during a high-power meeting co-chaired on Wednesday by President Asif Ali Zardari and Premier Raja Pervez Ashraf, and attended by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen Khalid Wynne, army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and the naval and air force chiefs.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday directed the armed forces to carry out joint exercises with friendly foreign countries specially, in southeast Asia, in tune with India's 'Act East Policy'.
Almost five years later, the three services have still not fully understood that joint/theatre commands are not a discussion point; they are the prime minister's diktat on a military reform measure that is in line with what armed forces around the world have implemented, points out Ajai Shukla.
The Pakistan army's Bahawalpur Corps has always had a special significance for India as it keeps an eye on the Jaish e Mohammed, explains Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
'Failure to meet this schedule will leave us with no alternative but to refer the matter to the relevant FIFA decision-making body for consideration and decision... including the possibility of suspension.'
The name of Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's successor will be announced a day before he retires on November 29, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said on Friday.
Significantly, these 12 officers would form a major part of the team that the new army chief will inherit, observes Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W, India's external intelligence agency.
Gen Rawat will be able to serve as CDS for a period of up to three years after the government amended the rules extending the age of retirement to 65 years.
