Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai promoted as army deputy chief
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, the face of the army during Operation Sindoor, has been promoted as the deputy chief of army staff (strategy) and will continue to hold the post of director general military operations (DGMO), officials aware of the matter said on Monday.
Ghai was among the top officials who briefed the media after the four-day military clash with Pakistan under Operation Sindoor --- India's strikes on terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the Pahalgam terror strike in which 26 people were shot dead.
The verticals that will come under him in the new role include military operations, military intelligence, strategic planning and information warfare, the officials said, asking not to be named. Last week, President Droupadi Murmu awarded Ghai the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal for distinguished service during conflict, a recognition of his work as the commander of Srinagar-based HQs 15 Corps.
Ghai, along with his air force and navy counterparts, briefed the media twice, on May 11 and 12.
The understanding between India and Pakistan to cease military hostilities was announced on May 10 evening, after Ghai and his Pakistani counterpart Major General Kashif Abdullah talked over the hotline and agreed to stop all military actions against each other --- on land, in the air and sea.
The two DGMOs spoke again on May 12 to uphold the truce. The confidence building measures then discussed included continuing the May 10 commitment that both sides 'must not fire a single shot' or initiate any aggressive action against each other and consider troop reduction in forward areas.
Between the launch of the operation in the early hours of May 7 and the ceasefire on the evening of May 10, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK and killed at least 100 terrorists, and the Indian Air Force struck targets at 13 Pakistani air bases and military installations.
Last week, it emerged that India's targeting of locations within Pakistan during the May 7-10 clash was more extensive than was previously known, with a Pakistani document acknowledging that Indian drones had struck locations ranging from Peshawar in the northwest to Hyderabad in the south.
Pakistan's Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, which was mounted in response to Operation Sindoor, 'folded in eight hours' on May 10 belying Islamabad's ambitious target of bringing India to its knees in 48 hours, chief of defence staff General Anil Chauhan said on June 3.
In the May 11 briefing, Ghai said Indian forces had exercised immense restraint and their actions were 'focused, measured and non-escalatory,' but any threat to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or safety of the country's citizens will be met with decisive force.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Pakistan will go to war if India denies water under IWT, says Bilawal Bhutto
Pakistan's former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday said his country will go to war if India denies Islamabad its fair share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India put in abeyance the 1960 agreement soon after the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 people. Home Minister Amit Shah last week announced to never restore the historic accord. Bilawal's comments came two days after Pakistan's Foreign Ministry criticised Shah's "brazen disregard" for international agreements. Bilawal, in a speech in parliament, rejected the Indian decision to suspend the agreement and threatened to get Pakistan's share of water. "India has two options: share water fairly, or we will deliver water to us from all six rivers," he said referring to the six rivers of the Indus basin. Live Events He said that the IWT was still in vogue as the agreement cannot be held in abeyance. "The attack on Sindhu (Indus River) and India's claim that the IWT has ended and it's in abeyance. Firstly, this is illegal, as the IWT is not in abeyance, it is binding on Pakistan and India, but the threat itself of stopping water is illegal according to the UN charter," he said. Bilawal, who is head of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), also threatened that if India decides to follow through on the threat, "we will have to wage war again". The former foreign minister also highlighted the importance of talks and cooperation, especially in counterterrorism efforts. "If India and Pakistan refuse to talk, and if there is no coordination on terrorism, then violence will only intensify in both countries," he said. Bilawal also accused India of "weaponising terrorism for political purposes". He claimed that during his diplomatic visits to the UK and European nations as foreign minister, it was evident that India had lobbied hard to reverse Pakistan's progress on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) front. "At a time when Pakistan had successfully moved from the FATF grey list to the white list, India made every effort to drag us back to the grey list using false narratives and diplomatic pressure," he claimed. Bilawal also said that Pakistan succeeded in raising the issue of Kashmir on the world stage and President Donald Trump had spoken in favour of mediation on Kashmir. Apart from immediate steps such as putting the IWT in abeyance and stopping all trade with Pakistan, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.
Time of India
43 minutes ago
- Time of India
Remembering Emergency: When India banned Coke and brewed nationalism in a bottle called Double Seven
HighlightsIn 1977, following the end of the Emergency and the fall of nearly three decades of Congress rule, the newly elected Janata Party government launched Double Seven, India's first government-backed cola, as a symbol of economic self-reliance and political change. The introduction of Double Seven was spearheaded by George Fernandes, the then Industry Minister, who expelled Coca-Cola from India due to its refusal to comply with local equity regulations, leading to the development of the indigenous beverage by Modern Food Industries. Despite a grand launch and the tagline 'The Taste that Tingles', Double Seven failed to capture the public's interest, facing stiff competition from established brands, and ultimately faded from the market after Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980. In the summer of 1977, just after the 21-month Emergency ended and India turned the page on nearly three decades of uninterrupted Congress rule, a new political force was not the only thing bubbling to the surface. The newly elected Janata Party government had shown the door to Coca-Cola and unveiled its own fizzy response -- Double Seven. The country's first "sarkari cola" was launched as a symbol of economic self-reliance and political change. Named after the landmark year that brought the Morarji Desai-led Janata coalition to power, Double Seven was more than a beverage; it was a political statement in a bottle. The indigenous cola had an elaborate launch at the annual trade fair at Pragati Maidan. The Double Seven cola , popularly known as "Satattar" (77 in Hindi) was manufactured and marketed by the makers of Modern breads - Modern Food Industries - a government-owned company. Interestingly, then MP H V Kamath was also awarded a cash prize for coming up with the name "77". Although "77" was not ready for sale until 1978, the name was chosen because 1977 was the year of big changes in India -- such as the end of the Indira Gandhi government and Coca-Cola. At the helm of affairs in the cola episode was then Industry Minister George Fernandes, who decided to throw Coke as well as IBM out of India over their refusal to follow the provisions of what was then the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. Rahul Ramagundam wrote in Fernandes' biography "Life and Times of George Fernandes" that the provision stipulated that foreign companies should dilute their equity stake in their Indian associates to 60 per cent. Fernandes wanted Coca-Cola Company to not just transfer 60 per cent of the shares of its Indian firm but also the formula for its concentrate to Indian shareholders. The company said it was agreeable to transferring a majority of the shares but not the formula, which it contended was a trade secret. The company exited the Indian market as the government denied a licence to import the Coke concentrate. Fernandes then introduced the indigenous drink "77". The government asked the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru to develop the formula. Sold with the tagline "The Taste that Tingles", the cola did not strike the same chord with the public as Coca-Cola, amid tough competition from brands like Campa Cola, Thums Up, and Duke. "I remember the launch of Double Seven at the annual trade fair at Pragati Maidan, a proud gift from the Janata Party, an indigenous drink supposedly superior than Coca-Cola and a stark reminder of Indira Gandhi's humiliating defeat in the recent general elections," author Sunil Lala says in his book "American Khichdi", published in 2009. Tata McGraw Hill's book "Advertising Management: Concepts and Cases" also mentions Double Seven as an example of government branding and "swadeshi" marketing gone awry. Hill cited the launch of Double Seven as a business school case study in government-backed branding, highlighting the campaign's missteps and beverage-market context of the late 1970s. The end of Double Seven, not so surprisingly, coincided with Indira Gandhi reclaiming power in 1980. Coca-Cola made a comeback in October 1993, post-liberalisation of the Indian market by the P V Narasimha Rao government and has maintained a strong presence ever since. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has also referred to the episode in his book "India: From Midnight to the Millennium and Beyond". "Heedless to the signal these exits sent to the world - whose brief hopes that a change of government might have led to a more welcoming investment climate were poured down the same drain as the Coke - the Janata ministers chose to celebrate the departures of these multinationals as a further triumph for socialism and anti-imperialistic self-reliance," Tharoor wrote in the book. The Emergency was imposed 50 years ago on June 25, 1975, by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. Triggered by political unrest and a court verdict invalidating Gandhi's election, the Emergency suspended civil liberties, censored the press and saw mass arrests of opposition leaders.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Pak politicians urge government to reconsider Trump's Nobel Prize nomination
Several Pakistani politicians and notable figures have asked the government to reconsider its decision to recommend President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize after the US bombed Iran's three nuclear government, in a surprise move on Friday, announced that it would nominate Trump for the prestigious award due to his peacemaking efforts during the recent India-Pakistan letter of recommendation, signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, has already been sent to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in Norway. But the decision came under scrutiny after the US bombed Iran's Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites, joining Israel to dent Tehran's nuclear Dawn newspaper reported that some leading politicians demanded the government review its decision in light of the latest development. Veteran politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who heads the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), demanded that the government rescind its decision.'President Trump's claim of peace has proven to be false; the proposal for the Nobel Prize should be withdrawn,' Fazl told workers at a party meeting in Murree on said that Trump's recent meeting and lunch with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir 'pleased Pakistani rulers so much' that they recommended nominating the US president for the Nobel has supported the Israeli attacks on Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Iran. How can this be a sign of peace?' Fazl questioned.'With the blood of Afghans and Palestinians on America's hands, how can he claim to be a proponent of peace?'Trump had campaigned for office as a 'peacemaker' who would use his negotiating skills to quickly end wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but both conflicts are still raging five months into his senator Mushahid Hussain wrote on X: 'Since Trump is no longer a potential peacemaker, but a leader who has willfully unleashed an illegal war, Pakistan government must now review, rescind and revoke his Nobel nomination!'He said Trump had been 'trapped by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin )Netanyahu and the Israeli war lobby, committing (the" biggest blunder of his presidency'. 'Trump will now end up presiding over the decline of America!'Trump 'engaged in deception and betrayed his own promise not to start new wars', Mushahid said in another post, strongly condemning the US attacks on Iran. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Ali Muhammad Khan wrote 'reconsider' on his X account, highlighting the 'US attack on Iran and continuous US support of Israeli killings in Gaza'.In a separate post, the Opposition PTI condemned the 'unprovoked' US strikes and voiced 'total support' for Iran's Hasan, head of PTI's political think-tank, said the government's decision was now a 'cause of unmitigated shame and embarrassment for those who were instrumental in making the choice'.'That's why it is said that legitimacy can neither be bought nor gifted,' said Hasan, as he took a jibe at the also denounced the US' 'total disregard for international covenants' through attacks on senator Afrasiab Khattak said, 'The sycophancy adopted by the Pakistani ruling elite in nominating President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize is not part of normative conduct in international diplomacy.''It was most embarrassing to announce the nomination hours before Trump ordered to bomb Iranian nuclear sites,' the veteran politician noted. Jamaat-i-Islami chief Naeemur Rehman has said the decision 'undermines our national dignity and grace'.Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan's former ambassador to the US, termed the move 'unfortunate' and said it did not reflect the public's journalist Mariana Baabar, in a post on X, said that 'today Pakistan does not look too good either', sharing the government's post announcing its intention to nominate Trump for the and activist Fatima Bhutto asked: 'Will Pakistan withdraw its nomination for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize?'Tune InMust Watch
