Latest news with #PMML
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Time of India
Ashwani Lohani to be director of PM Museum & Library
NEW DELHI: A railway engineer credited with restoring the world's oldest working steam locomotive for running the Fairy Queen between Delhi and Alwar now has the task of transforming Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML, earlier known as Teen Murti) in Delhi. PM Modi-led appointments committee of the Cabinet has appointed Ashwani Lohani , 67, as the PMML director. Lohani, who has headed Railway Board, Air India and Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation in his long career, has been appointed "on contract basis for three years from the date of assumption of charge, or until further orders," the order issued on Wednesday states. He has been appointed "in the rank and pay of secretary to govt of India by keeping recruitment rules of the post in abeyance." Known as a "turnaround specialist," Lohani's name figures in the Limca Book of Records' 2007 edition for earning four engineering degrees at the age of 21 in 1979. He is also a Guinness record holder in 1998 for running the Fairy Queen. He piloted the nomination of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Bodhgaya's Mahabodhi Temple as world heritage sites. He was heading ITDC in 2001-02 and is credited with substantially improving Delhi's Ashoka Hotel. Lohani's blog lists "turning around sick corporations" among his main interests. At Air India, he launched the airline's longest nonstop between Delhi and San Francisco.
Indian Express
05-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Former Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani is new director of Prime Ministers Museum and Library
Former Air India chief Ashwani Lohani, an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME) officer of the 1980 batch, has been appointed as the director of the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) in New Delhi, months after the tenure of former power secretary Sanjiv Nandan Sahai came to an end. In the interim, Lily Pandeya, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, was officiating in the role. In an order dated June 4, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved Lohani's appointment for a tenure of three years. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly. Besides serving as the Air India chairman and managing director twice, Lohani has also served as the chairman of the Railway Board of Indian Railways after being appointed to the post in 2017. After retiring from government service, he joined the GMR Group, where he served as chief executive officer. Earlier, in 2001, he joined the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) as chairman and managing director. In 2004, he became the commissioner and managing director of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC), a position he held for almost six years, spanning three different terms. He is credited with turning around the ITDC and MPSTDC during those stints. The Centre recently reconstituted the society and executive council of PMML, with several new names being added. The executive council, which previously had 29 members, has now been expanded to 34 members. While Nripendra Mishra, former principal secretary to the prime minister, was reappointed for a five-year term as the chairperson of the organisation, prominent new members included former Union minister Smriti Irani, NITI Aayog former vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar, retired Army General Syed Ata Hasnain, renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and Vasudev Kamath from Sanskar Bharati, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Culture. Some of the other new members include Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, and educationist Chamu Krishna Shastry, archaeologist K K Mohammad, who was part of the Babri Masjid excavation team in 1976, and B R Mani, the former head of the National Museum. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the president of the PMML society, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is the vice president. As the director, Lohani will also become a member of the seven-member executive council of the organisation, headed by chairman Nripendra Misra. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Turnaround man' Ashwani Lohani appointed director of PM Museum and Library
Ashwani Lohani (in blue suit) NEW DELHI: A railway engineer credited with restoring the world's oldest working steam locomotive for running the Fairy Queen between Delhi and Alwar now has the task of transforming Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML, earlier known as Teen Murti) in the national capital. PM Modi-led appointments committee of the Cabinet has appointed Ashwani Lohani , 67, as director of PMML. Lohani, who has headed Railway Board, Air India and Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation in his long career, has been appointed 'on contract basis for three years from the date of assumption of charge, or until further orders whichever is earlier, in the rank and pay of secretary to govt of India by keeping recruitment rules of the post in abeyance,' says the order issued Wednesday. Known as a 'turnaround specialist,' Lohani's name figures in the Limca Book of Records' 2007 edition for earning four engineering degrees at the age of 21 in 1979 and is a Guinness record holder in 1998 for running the Fairy Queen. He piloted the nomination of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Bodhgaya's Mahabodhi Temple as world heritage sites. He was heading ITDC in 2001-02 and is credited with substantially improving Delhi's Ashoka Hotel. Lohani's blog lists 'turning around sick corporations' among his main interests. At Air India, he launched the airline's longest nonstop between Delhi and San Francisco.
News18
30-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Pakistan-Backed TRF-LeT-PMML Nexus Sums Up 21st-Century Hybrid Warfare: Sources
Last Updated: This situation mirrors LeT's 2008 Mumbai attacks, executed under pseudonyms like Deccan Mujahideen, the sources said The thin line between Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and The Resistance Front (TRF) was shattered following rallies in Pakistan on May 28, Indian intelligence sources have told CNN-News18. The world must take note of these global jihadists backed by the state of Pakistan and its military leadership, they added. 'The TRF-LeT-PMML nexus epitomises 21st-century hybrid warfare, where TRF masks violence, Pakistan Markazi Muslim League spreads ideology, and the Pakistani state ensures deniability. This ecosystem is evidenced by the increasing frequency of attacks from Pahalgam to Reasi, carried out with complete deniability," said a source. This situation mirrors LeT's 2008 Mumbai attacks, executed under pseudonyms like Deccan Mujahideen, the sources said. LeT and TRF employ grey zone tactics, such as disinformation and proxy attacks, similar to Russia's hybrid warfare in Crimea, they added. 'The merging of operational roles between Lashkar and TRF marks their foray into hybrid warfare, blending kinetic terrorism with political legitimisation and state-backed impunity," a source said. 'The TRF-LeT-PMML alliance operates a successful hybrid mechanism." According to the sources, TRF functions as LeT's operational front, claiming attacks like the Pahalgam massacre, where 26 people, mostly Indian Hindus, were killed, providing LeT with deniability. Saifullah Khalid later boasted about the Pahalgam attack at a Pakistan Markazi Muslim League rally, claiming global recognition. PMML rallies are attended by LeT leaders, such as Saifullah Khalid (PMML president) and Talha Saeed (son of LeT founder Hafiz Saeed), said sources. This illustrates the merging of terrorist ideology with mainstream politics, with even the Punjab assembly speaker present on stage, they added. 'They have state approval to celebrate events like Youm-e-Takbeer, Pakistan's nuclear test day, which grants LeT legitimacy while laundering recruitment and funding through activities like blood donation camps," a source told CNN-News18. 'LeT finances TRF operations via PMML front companies and charities like Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). Earlier US treasury designations confirm PMML as an LeT alias. Gulf donations often reach Pakistan, where ISI allocates significant funds to TRF and LeT for operations in Kashmir. TRF and LeT operate in phases, as seen in the Pahalgam attack. Phase 1: TRF claimed responsibility, framing the attack as indigenous resistance. Phase 2: LeT validation, with Khalid admitting the role at a PMML rally, and Indian intelligence tracing attackers to LeT safe houses." In June 2024, TRF claimed a bus attack on Hindu pilgrims in Reasi, but forensic analysis linked the weapons to LeT smuggling networks. This tactic of targeting minorities to incite communal conflict is similar to LeT's 2008 Mumbai strategy, said sources. Post-2019, when India abrogated Article 370 sections in Jammu and Kashmir, LeT created TRF as a secular front, sources said. Despite the branding, 80% of TRF cadres are trained in LeT's Pakistani camps, they added.
Hindustan Times
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
As India exposes Pakistan globally, its ministers seen sharing stage with Lashkar terrorists
Despite Pakistan's repeated denial of any links to terrorism or of sheltering terrorists, a recent event in Punjab province on May 29 told a different story. Several Pakistani ministers were seen sharing the stage with individuals listed among the world's most wanted terrorists. The public event in Kasur in Pakistan's Punjab, organised by the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), was held to mark Youm-e-Takbeer. Close aides of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, food minister Malik Rasheed Ahmad Khan and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, were purportedly seen sitting beside Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders Saifullah Kasuri, Talha Saeed, who is the son of Hafiz Saeed, and Amir Hamza. The speeches at the gathering saw designated terrorists and ministers spewing hate at India, including the mention of the Pahalgam attack by Kasuri. The Pakistani ministers were seen greeting and welcoming the extremists onto the stage and interacting with them at the Kasur event. According to an India Today report, Pakistan minister Malik Rasheed publicly equated terror figures with national identity, stating that in today's time, Pakistanis are represented by the likes of Hafiz Saeed and Saifullah Kasuri. Rasheed even announced that the Shehbaz Sharif-Pakistan government would offer a job to Lashkar commander Mudasir's brother after the LeT militant was killed in India's airstrike on the terror outfit's headquarters in Muridke. Saifullah Kasuri, believed to have coordinated the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 persons, surprisingly appeared at this PMML rally. The Indian government attributed the Pahalgam terror attack to LeT's proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF). The LeT commander did not only purportedly raise anti-India slogans but also hailed terrorists killed during India's Operation Sindoor as "martyrs". At the rally, Kasuri is heard saying, "India labelled me the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack while I was busy taking part in events and people's happiness took the name 'Kasur', 'Kasuri', so many times that now the entire world knows me as famous." couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the videos. Kasuri was reportedly believed to have been given shelter by the Pakistani spy agency ISI in Bahawalpur. Amir Hamza, a US-designated terrorist and co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was also present at the rally in Kasur. He delivered anti-India speeches and raised slogans at the event. Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui shared a video of Hamza on X, where he is heard saying, "Kashmir will become Pakistan, Jammu will become Pakistan, Indian Punjab will become Khalistan." These collaborative appearances between Pakistan's ministers and extremists only cement the global belief of the growing nexus between ISI and terror organisations. Meanwhile, PMML organised rallies in Karachi and Rawalpindi as well, to witness the Youm-e-Takbeer day. Terrorists were seen openly gathering in Kasur, carrying holders and billboards of Field Marshal Asim Munir and Hafiz Saeed. PMML organised another rally in Gujranwala to mark the anniversary of Pakistan's nuclear test on May 28, wherein LeT commander and US-designated terrorist Muzammil Hashmi sent a message to "his enemy". "Listen carefully, you threaten us with your bullets. Modi, we are giving you a message that when our children did not get afraid of your missiles, how will we fear your bullets," Hashmi was purportedly heard saying at the event. He further said that neither could India's elders make us afraid, nor can you (Modi). Hashmi said that Pakistan is a country that never forgives its enemies. Pakistan has repeatedly denied sheltering terror outfits and terrorists while blaming India for accusing it of encouraging cross-border terrorism. These purported photos and videos of the militants with Islamabad's politicians are proof enough to indicate the growing nexus between them. India's all-party delegations have been visiting the nation's international partner countries over the past week, briefing them about New Delhi's stance on terrorism against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor. From the Shashi Tharoor-led delegation to that led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, the teams, with members cutting across party lines, have exposed Pakistan and its links to terror outfits. Recently in Panama, the Tharoor-led delegation met with the country's President and foreign minister, and showed them pictures of Pakistani Army officials at the funeral of UN-designated terrorists who were killed during Operation Sindoor. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, a member of the delegation led by BJP leader Baijayant Panda, on Thursday said that there is clear evidence of Pakistan's involvement with terrorism. Exposing Islamabad, Owaisi pointed out the promotion of Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir as Field Marshal and how a US-designated terrorist was seen sitting beside him at a celebratory event. Similary, all 7 delegations have been exposing Pakistan's links with terror outfits and terrorists.
