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Hans India
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Ram Gopal Varma asks 'What God is doing?' amidst Air India crash
Mumbai: As the entire nation mourns the loss of life in the horrific Air India crash in Ahmedabad, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma said that only God knows what he is doing. In the recent past, some unfortunate events have taken place which have left everyone shocked to their core. Reflecting on all that has happened, Ram Gopal Varma took to his X timeline and wrote, "GOD knows what GOD is doing?" Talking about the horrific Pahalgam attack, he added, "You to a beautiful location for a vacation and terrorists shoot you". On April 22, militants ended up killing around 26 civilians in the Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, mainly targeting Hindu tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the attack. Avenging the attack, the Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor, attacking terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). This led to cross-border tension between the two neighbors. Shifting his focus to the Bengaluru stampede, the 'Sarkar Raj' maker shared, "You go to celebrate in a trophy parade and you die in a stampede". On June 4, eleven people lost their lives in a stampede in Bengaluru, during a victory parade celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru's first Indian Premier League win. He also expressed grief over the horrific Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad saying "You fly in a plane and the plane crashes." "You are eating a meal in your hostel and a plane falls on you," he added. On Thursday, Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed soon after taking off. The aircraft plunged into a residential complex near BJ Medical College. Out of the 242 people on board the flight, only 1 survived, leaving 241 dead. After taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.38 p.m. (IST) the plane lost control moments later.
New Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Shashi Tharoor answer's son's tough question at US press briefing; cites evidence of Pak culpability in Pahalgam attack
The Indian all-party diplomatic delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, faced a pointed question during a press conference in New York — from none other than Tharoor's own son. Ishan Tharoor, a foreign affairs columnist at The Washington Post, took the mic to pose a serious question about Pakistan's alleged involvement in the recent Pahalgam terror attack. When Ishan rose to ask the question, Tharoor jokingly remarked, 'It shouldn't be allowed.' Tharoor clarified for the audience that the journalist questioning him was indeed his son. When Ishan introduced himself and picked up the mic to ask his question, the senior Tharoor gestured to lift the mic higher. Thereafter the proceedings shifted to a serious mode. Ishan Tharoor asked whether any country had sought evidence from the Indian delegation regarding Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people, most of them tourists. He also asked about Pakistan's repeated denials of any role. Tharoor responded that while foreign governments had not demanded evidence, 'the media have asked in two or three places.' He emphasized that India would not have taken military action without solid proof: 'Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence.' Tharoor outlined three main reasons behind India's conclusion of Pakistan's involvement. He cited Pakistan's 37-year record of supporting terrorism while issuing denials. He referenced the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the safe haven given to Osama bin Laden near a Pakistani military facility, and the intercepted communications between terrorists and handlers during the Mumbai siege. 'They will dispatch terrorists and deny it until they are caught red-handed,' he said. Tharoor noted that the Resistance Front, widely recognized as a proxy for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack within 45 minutes—before most of the world had even heard of the incident. Though the claim was later retracted, he said, the initial admission was telling. India has presented evidence against the group at the UN Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee, though listing was blocked, allegedly due to Pakistan's membership on the committee.
NDTV
06-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Shashi Tharoor On 3 Reasons Why Pak Can't Hide Its Link With Terror
New Delhi: Shashi Tharoor has given three reasons why Pakistan can't deny its involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists. Mr Tharoor was responding to a question during a discussion hosted by a US think tank when he gave the three points. Here are the three key points Shashi Tharoor presented "The first is that we have had a 37-year pattern of repeated terror attacks from Pakistan accompanied by repeated denials. I mean Americans haven't forgotten that Pakistan didn't know allegedly where Osama bin Laden was until he was found in a Pakistani safe house right next to an army camp in a cantonment city. That's Pakistan. Mumbai attacks, they denied having anything to do with it; one of the terrorists was captured alive, his name, his identity, his address in Pakistan, everything was revealed under interrogation. He told us where he was trained, what was done. The US intelligence as well as ours recorded the chilling voice of the Pakistani handler giving minute by minute instructions to the killers in Mumbai, telling them where to go and they were monitoring Indian TV and saying there are people hiding on the third floor of that hotel, go and shoot them there. This kind of thing is going on... So we know what Pakistan is all about. They will disperse terrorists, they will deny, they did so until they are actually caught red handed." "Second point, the moment this [Pahalgam terror attack] happened, within 45 minutes or so a group called the Resistance Front claimed credit. Who is the Resistance Front? It is a well-known proxy front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned terror organisation listed by the United Nations, listed by the US State Department, which enjoys safe haven in the town of Muridke in Pakistan. The evidence about the Resistance Front and its doings was presented by India to the UN Committee on Terrorism in December 2023 and again in 24. But the problem was of course Pakistan too is a member of that committee. The Resistance Front was not listed by the UN, but its identity was known and publicised. These people then claimed credit within a time span. There were no media present when these killings took place. Most of the world hadn't even learned about this when they claimed credit. So that was itself a smoking gun. They repeated that claim 24 hours later. And having repeated that claim 24 hours later, their handlers must have woken up to the gravity of this, and told them to take it off their site. So they did. But the fact is the credit claim was on record and the world has seen it." "Third, when the first strikes happened on the terrorist camps [in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir], funerals were conducted, including for members of some of the key [terror] organisations, the Jaish-e-Mohammed in particular and the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The funerals were conducted and photographs emerged on social media showing Pakistani generals and police officers in uniform attending these funerals, being conducted by relatives of these terrorists. So we are looking at three concrete pieces of evidence as far as India is concerned. But finally I can add to the mix, we also have intelligence services. They have been studying these terrorist attacks very carefully. They have identified at least four of the five perpetrators and they know who they are. In fact, I'm told, and I don't have access to the direct intelligence information, but I have been reliably informed, they know that two of them are Pakistanis and the other two were locals who had exfiltrated, as the term, out to Pakistan for training 10 years ago and clearly were sent back for this mission."
Indian Express
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘37-year pattern': Shashi Tharoor on evidence of Pak involvement in Pahalgam terror attack
In a pointed rebuke to Pakistan's denials of involvement in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said that India had acted only after gathering 'convincing evidence' of culpability, citing what he called a 37-year pattern of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York as part of an all-party Indian delegation visiting the United States, Tharoor responded to a question from his son, Ishaan Tharoor, a journalist with The Washington Post. 'Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post. Definitely asking a question in a personal capacity,' the younger Tharoor said, drawing laughter from the audience. 'Mostly to say hi before you go off to your next engagement.' After the pleasantries, Ishaan posed a pointed question about the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people. He asked whether any governments had requested India to present proof of Pakistan's involvement and how Tharoor responded to Islamabad's denials. Tharoor, the leader of one of the Indian delegations that went around the world, said India was not asked to produce evidence by any foreign governments. 'But the media has asked this question,' he said. 'Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence.' 'There are three particular reasons I want to draw your attention to. First, when you have a 37-year pattern of repeated terror attacks from Pakistan accompanied by repeated denials… Americans haven't forgotten that Pakistan allegedly didn't know where Osama bin Laden was, until he was found in a Pakistani safehouse right next to an army camp in a cantonment city, he added. He continued: 'Second, in the Mumbai attacks, they denied having anything to do with it, but one of the terrorists was caught alive — his name, his identity, his address in Pakistan, everything was revealed, and he disclosed where he was trained. The US intelligence, as well as ours, recorded the voice of a Pakistani handler giving minute-by-minute instructions to the killers in Mumbai.' 'So, we know what Pakistan is all about.' Tharoor's remarks come amid escalating diplomatic pressure following the Pahalgam attack, which was claimed within minutes by the Resistance Front — a group that Indian intelligence agencies have described as a proxy for Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant organization officially designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations and the United States. 'Who are the Resistance Front?' Tharoor asked rhetorically during his remarks. 'They're a well-known proxy front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned terrorist organisation.' The all-party delegation has visited several countries across the Western Hemisphere — including Guyana, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil — in an effort to present India's position on terrorism and explain its military response, Operation Sindoor, which targeted what India described as terror infrastructure across the Line of Control. On Thursday, the delegation met US Vice President J D Vance at the White House for a 25-minute meeting. According to Indian officials, Vance expressed 'complete understanding, support, and respect' for India's measured reaction in the wake of the attack. The Indian group includes lawmakers across the political spectrum — among them MPs Sarfaraz Ahmad, Ganti Harish Madhur Balayogi, Shashank Mani Tripathi, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Milind Deora, Tejasvi Surya, and former Indian ambassador to the US, Taranjit Sandhu. In his response to his son, Tharoor had added with a smile: 'I didn't plant it, I promise you. This guy does this to his dad.'
Hindustan Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
In US, Shashi Tharoor's son grills him on Pakistan role in Pahalgam terror attack. Congress MP gives ‘three reasons'
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is in the United States leading an all-party delegation, was asked a question by his son, Ishan, on Thursday about Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam attack. Ishan asked whether any country had asked the delegation led by his father for evidence of Pakistan's involvement in the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. He also asked about Pakistan's consistent denial of its involvement in the attack. To this, Tharoor said that India would not have retaliated in the way it did if there was not convincing evidence against Pakistan. Responding to his son's question, Tharoor said, 'I'm very glad you raised this. I didn't plant it, I promise you,' before adding that no country had asked for any such evidence. 'Very simply, no one had any doubt, and we were not asked for evidence. But the media have asked in two or three places. Let me say very clearly that India would not have done this without convincing evidence,' Tharoor said. Further elaborating on Pakistan's involvement in terrorism, Tharoor highlighted the country's 37-year pattern of terror attacks accompanied by repeated denials. He brought up the Mumbai attacks in 2008 and Osama Bin Laden's location near an army base in Pakistan. 'But there were three particular reasons I want to draw your attention to all of you. The first is that we've had a 37-year pattern of repeated terror attacks from Pakistan, accompanied by repeated denials. I mean, Americans haven't forgotten that Pakistan didn't know, allegedly, where Osama bin Laden was until he was found in a Pakistani safe house right next to an army camp in a cantonment city. That's Pakistan,' Tharoor said. 'Mumbai attacks- They denied having anything to do with it. One of the terrorists was captured alive. His name, his identity, and his address are in Pakistan. Everything was revealed under interrogation. He told us where he was trained and what was done,' he added. Tharoor also talked about the recording of the Pakistani handler giving minute-by-minute instructions to the killers in Mumbai, which he said was recorded by both Indian and US intelligence. 'We know what Pakistan's all about. They will dispatch terrorists. They will deny they did so until they're actually caught with red hands. That's the first," he added. Shashi Tharoor highlighted that the Resistance Front (TRF), which he called a 'well-known proxy front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba', claimed responsibility for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack 'within 45 minutes or so' of the tragedy. Tharoor said that the Resistance Front is 'a banned organisation listed by the United Nations and the US State Department, which enjoys safe haven in the town of Muridke in Pakistan' and added that India had already presented evidence about the Resistance Front and its doings to the UN Committee on Terrorism in December 2023 and again in 2024. However, since Pakistan was also a member of the committee, the UN did not list the Resistance Front, but its identity was 'known and publicised', Tharoor added. India was pursuing the listing of TRF in the United Nations by the UN Security Council's UNCC 1267 sanctions committee. 'The world hadn't even learned about this (attack) when they claimed credit, so that was itself a smoking gun. They repeated that claim 24 hours later, and having repeated that claim 24 hours later, then their handlers must have woken up to the gravity of this and told them to take it off their side, so they did, but the fact is the credit claim was on record and the world has seen it," Tharoor said. For his third point, Tharoor highlighted how funerals were conducted for the members of terrorist organisations such as Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba after India's first strike on May 7. India launched Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on May 7 and hit nine terror bases across Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) through precision strikes. "When the first strikes happened on the terrorist camps, funerals were conducted, including for members of key organisations, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The funerals were conducted, and photographs have emerged on social media showing Pakistani generals and police officers in uniform attending these funerals being conducted by relatives of these terrorists. So we're looking at three concrete pieces of evidence as far as India is concerned". With ANI inputs.
