On June 12, 2025, a Boeing 787 crashed into a medical college shortly after take-off in India’s western city of Ahmedabad, killing 260 people in the deadliest air disaster for a decade.

Indian authorities are expected to issue an interim report in the coming days, a source of frustration to the victims’ relatives, who had been expecting a final disclosure.

Suresh Patni, a driver, came to the site where the plane exploded in a ball of flame, engulfing his teenage son Akash at his family’s tea stall.

“We are here today only to remember him on his first death anniversary,” Patni told AFP.

“He was a good student and could have done really well for himself.” Patni commemorated Akash with a framed photograph and a life-size cutout, decorated with flowers and surrounded by scattered rose petals and lit lamps.

The crash killed 241 people on board the plane and 19 people on the ground.

Fragments of bags, clothes, and a melted shoe lie half-buried in the charred earth at the site, alongside dead trees with burned trunks.

“It pains us when we hear an aeroplane flying overhead,” Patni said, adding that their home was near the flight path of the airport in Ahmedabad, the main city in the state of Gujarat.

“Our house is still at the same location,” he said. “But we don’t feel like staying here… we are reminded of the same faces and memories.”

‘Important for closure’

Nearby, a woman wept as she embraced a framed picture of her deceased relatives, while another family scattered rose petals at the ruins of the hostel in honour of their son.

Relatives of the victims had expected a final report by Friday to explain why the disaster happened.

But with investigations continuing, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to issue only an interim report. As required by international law, the AAIB published a preliminary report a month after the disaster.

That 15-page document said the fuel supply to the jet’s engines was cut off moments before impact, raising questions about possible pilot error.

It also published a conversation between the captain and his co-pilot about the fuel supply being cut off — two brief sentences that sparked theories of pilot suicide.

The report was met with strong criticism.

It did not say why the fuel switches were turned off — whether it was the fault of a pilot, or a result of a malfunction.

Relatives of the victims are meeting at a conference organised by lawyers, along with aviation and air safety experts in Ahmedabad. They are due to hold a candlelight vigil after sunset.

“Why are authorities taking so much time to assess the crash?” asked Nilesh Joshi, whose wife Kaminiben Nilesh Joshi was killed while returning home to Britain after attending a wedding in India.

“The release of the report is important for closure, for people like me who have lost their loved ones,” Joshi, who had come from London to attend the conference, told AFP.

Only one passenger survived, Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who has said he has “significant psychological scars” following the crash — in which his brother died — and “constant unanswered questions” about why it took place.

Vijay Sengal still remembers the deafening sound when the plane came down. Sengal, a sanitation inspector at a nearby hospital, was one of the first to try to rescue the injured.

“When we tried to pick up bodies, the body wouldn’t come… instead, it was someone’s hand, someone’s leg,” he said.

He said that he, like many others, avoids the area after dark, fearing it is haunted.

“We believe in gods and also in souls,” he said. “Those passengers sitting in the plane, maybe they still have some work stuck, their last wish still unfulfilled.”

Dhaka has accused Indian authorities of attempting to force migrants across the border without due process, complicating efforts to stabilise ties following the 2024 ousting of Sheikh ​Hasina and India’s broader effort to identify and deport undocumented migrants.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India’s ​Border Security Force (BSF) described the discussions as “cordial, positive and forward-looking”, according to the statement ⁠released at the end of a four-day meeting of top border officials in New Delhi.

​The regular talks also covered “illegal, inadvertent and forcible crossing at border areas,” an increasingly contentious issue in ​recent months.

Bangladesh and India share a more than 4,000-kilometre border, one of the world’s longest. India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which governs key border states including Tripura, West Bengal and Assam, has said tackling alleged undocumented migration is ​a priority and has been trying to push Bengali-speaking Muslims branded “illegal infiltrators” into Bangladesh since last year.

Bangladesh ​has said it has sent more than a dozen letters to New Delhi seeking an end to the practice.

The ‌BGB ⁠has reported foiling several alleged attempts in recent weeks and has stepped up deployments, intelligence operations and drone surveillance in border areas.

Earlier this week, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said that any push-ins without due process were “absolutely unacceptable,” warning they could undermine efforts to improve bilateral ​ties.

Bangladesh said it had ​intensified patrols and launched ⁠awareness campaigns along parts of the frontier to tackle the alleged forced crossings, while India said in May it had asked Dhaka to verify the nationality ​of more than 2,860 suspected Bangladeshi nationals living in India without formal documentation.

The ​joint statement ⁠said the two sides also discussed human trafficking, border deaths, smuggling, infrastructure and implementation of the Coordinated Border Management Plan.

“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, tranquillity and stability along the India-Bangladesh border,” the statement ⁠said, adding ​they would strengthen coordinated patrols, enhance vigilance, improve real-time ​information sharing and step up joint action against trans-border criminal networks.

The top border officials will next meet in Dhaka in November, the ​statement said.

Earning just over two dollars for an hour of video, her mundane recordings are invaluable for global tech companies teaching machines how to move like humans in the real world.

The 25-year-old is one of a growing army of thousands of AI system trainers in the world’s most populous country.

“Who else will give you 250 rupees an hour just for doing housework?” said Sriramyachandra from her kitchen in Chennai in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state.

“I may get a robot myself in the future,” she added.

Artificial intelligence chatbots and image generators crunch reams of digital data, but building systems to navigate real-life environments is more challenging.

Developers think feeding first-person footage, called “egocentric data”, into specialised AI models will help robots copy humans.

Some AI trainers work at home, others in factories or specialised studios — using video glasses, head-mounted cameras and motion sensors.

“It blares ‘hands not detected’ when I’m not recording properly,” said Sriramyachandra, who sends recordings via a special app to the AI data company Objectways.

The firm, which has offices in India and the United States, lists Fortune 500 multinationals as clients. It works with Amazon SageMaker, a platform for machine learning models.

‘Better things’

The humanoid robot market is booming, with investment bank Morgan Stanley predicting there could be over a billion in use by 2050, mostly for industrial and commercial purposes.

“Folding clothes, coffee making… cooking a very specific thing, sandwich making,” Objectways head Ravi Shankar said, listing videos requested by clients.

“Some jobs are supposed to be taken over, so humans can go and do better things.” In India, the emerging field of spatial AI is providing new employment — for now.

The 50-year-old CEO is US-based, but hires workers from Tamil Nadu, where he grew up, one of India’s international technology hubs.

At a Karur textile factory, busy with workers attaching labels to caps and ironing cloth bags, AFP saw eight people wearing head cameras and smart glasses supplied by Objectways.

India has positioned itself as a global middleman for the creation, processing and annotation of AI data.

“It’s likely that these data collection services will increase”, said digital labour expert Aditi Surie, from the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in Bengaluru.

Informal workers

India is aggressively developing its AI industry, but its leaders are aware that, alongside the technology’s much-hyped benefits, automation poses risks.

Government think-tank NITI Aayog said that most discussions around artificial intelligence and labour “focus on white-collar professionals and predict an almost certain loss of jobs in the segment” without urgent action.

“Little attention, if any, is paid to how AI can serve India’s 490 million informal workers, the very people who form the backbone of our economy,” it said in a report released ahead of a global AI summit in India this year.

The think-tank has examined how the technology could help or harm dozens of professions — from cobblers to sewer cleaners, farmers to tea sellers.

For the last decade, 55-year-old Ponni has sat on a roadside in Bengaluru, the city known as India’s Silicon Valley, making flower garlands.

She, too, has been paid to have a phone strapped to her forehead.

“The next generation… who might have to do work similar to mine — they will face a problem,” Ponni said.

Always wearing a camera

At an Objectways studio, AI system trainers film themselves performing household tasks in fake, fully furnished apartment rooms.

After several thousand hours of filming, the wallpaper is changed to provide clients with variety.

“Today I sit here, tomorrow I stand there,” said engineering graduate Rani N., 21, on a break from filming herself, once again, folding a towel.

Each video lasts about four minutes, and she records around 90 a day — on nearly every conceivable spot on the bed.

She says the job is “tolerable”, but feels like she’s always wearing a camera.

In other rooms, colleagues arranged pencil sharpeners, water bottles and crayons in patterns, recording with depth-sensor cameras.

Qanat Consulting Services in Andhra Pradesh, an Objectways subcontractor, supplies about a dozen larger data firms with recordings.

Some of its 2,000 contributors perform tasks with motion-sensor bands on their “wrists, hands and legs”, CEO Thaslim Pattan said.

Manish Agarwal of Bengaluru-based Humyn Labs, not related to Objectways, records conversations as well as videos.

Contributors discuss assigned topics — ranging from politics to entertainment — for clients wanting to process speech patterns.

Agarwal denies that robots will steal jobs, believing that networks of humans and robots “will work together” one day, he said.

“A welder in India could be managing a welder-robot in Prague,” he said.

The cloud-computing unit said the fire led to an emergency power shutdown at the facility, isolating a local point of presence in Delhi and reducing network capacity across the metropolitan area.

Google Cloud did not say when the fire occurred or whether it caused property damage or injuries.

Such disruptions can cascade across businesses and users, slowing apps, websites, and internal company systems.

The incident affected network traffic from Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and nearby regions, causing periods of elevated latency, the company said on its status page.

Google Cloud, one of the world’s largest cloud providers, competes with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure and is widely used to process large data volumes and run artificial intelligence tools.

There was no workaround while restoration efforts continue, the unit said, adding that it was exploring additional traffic mitigation measures to limit the impact.

He made these remarks during a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan while responding to remarks by Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative to UN Nasir Ahmad Faiq.

Earlier in the session, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad detailed the use of Afghan soil by terrorists and its impact on Pakistan, calling for the Afghan Taliban to take action against militants. He also spoke about Pakistan’s counter-terrorism measures.

Responding to Faiq’s comments on Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operations, Ambassador Ahmad said: “Pakistan’s actions, including those conducted in March, were directed solely against the terrorist and military support infrastructure that is operating from Afghanistan. And it is in no way directed against the brotherly people of Afghanistan.”

On March 16, the Afghan Taliban had accused Pakistan of striking a hospital in Kabul; however, Islamabad denied the accusations, maintaining that the strikes targeted terrorist infrastructure linked to hostile activity in Pakistan and no civilian facility was targeted.

In response to the Afghan diplomat, Ambassador Ahmad reiterated Islamabad’s position that strikes targeted “drone storage and technical support infrastructure and ammunition storage sites, which were being used by the Afghan Taliban regime to carry out attacks against innocent Pakistani civilians”.

“The strikes were precise, deliberate and professional. No hospital or drug rehabilitation centre or civilian facility was targeted by these strikes. And as part of established practice, video footage of all six strikes was released by the Ministry of Information shortly after the operation, clearly showing the nature of the targets.

“The secondary explosions visible in the footage further confirmed that ammunition storage facilities were indeed struck with precision. So all insinuations to the contrary are not based on facts and are in fact just propaganda,” he asserted.

The ambassador said three key expectations of the international community were at the core of the day’s discussion: “inclusive governance, good governance, human rights, women and girls’ rights, and counterterrorism”.

Noting that there were expressions of concern regarding all three points, Ahmad pointed out that there were “clear demands from the majority of those who took the floor for the Taliban regime to comply with those commitments … with the exception” of India.

The Pakistani envoy remarked: “It does not come as a surprise to us, hearing comments made by the Indian representative … And we listened to, in fact, a long list of so-called development and humanitarian activities and support that India is purportedly carrying out in Afghanistan.”

He said that the Indian representative’s remarks seemed a “long prologue to something he actually intended to say, and something that he actually wanted to utilise and abuse this forum. And that was to target Pakistan”.

“So to us, it is absolutely clear — India’s key aims and objectives, even though under the garb of, under the disguise of development or humanitarian assistance, its key aims and objectives in Afghanistan are solely driven by the singular goal of destabilising Pakistan, including by using terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. And that includes the TTP, which so many of my colleagues around the table condemned, and the BLA, which acts as a proxy of India to perpetrate terrorism inside Pakistan,” he said.

Ambassador Ahmad added that the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) — Fitna al Hindustan — was “supported and financed by India to destabilise and target Pakistan”.

‘India’s newfound love for Taliban’

In his remarks, Pakistan’s envoy pointed out that the Indian representative did not condemn the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the BLA even once.

“Yes, Fitna al Hindustan, who have been carrying out attacks targeting innocent Pakistanis who have tragically lost their lives at the hands of these terrorists,” he said.

He added: “I think for some time we are amused, perhaps, to listen to India’s newfound love for the Taliban. We know all the history, what’s there in the background. All those years, we knew what India’s position was. But for us, this is not a coincidence. This shift of policy comes at the heels of Pakistan’s successful counterterrorism operations against the terrorist hideouts and camps that are operating inside Afghanistan with the active support of India.”

Contending that New Delhi’s “hostile policies and complicity” were further validated by its envoy’s remarks during the session, Ahmad said, “I seriously believe that this behaviour should be a cause of concern for the Security Council and the international community.”

The ambassador went on to quip that India must find it “discomforting” to see its terrorist infrastructure being destroyed in Afghanistan by Pakistan’s security forces.

Referring to India’s calls on others to comply with international law, he said, “It would be laughable if we are not aware of India’s own record, and if the matter under consideration in the council was not that serious, for we know that India’s true face is truly exposed before the international community.

“It is a serial violator of international law,” he asserted.

Ambassador Ahmad further stated that India was not only a “state sponsor of terrorism” in India-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan, but also it was “openly aiding, abetting and financing terrorism elsewhere”, including extraterritorial assassinations in the US and Canada.

“It talks of international law. It is in serious breach of Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. It has seriously violated the Indus Waters Treaty by declaring that it is holding it in abeyance, without any reason, justification, and in complete defiance of the treaty’s provisions and international law.

“It was talking about cricket and sportsman spirit, and we know the sportsman spirit when it refuses to play, or if it refuses to shake hands with the players. This is a country that is coming to the Council and telling us what cricket and sports could bring in terms of peace and harmony,” the envoy said.

He added, “I think we should seriously consider also how we allow countries to take the floor in this council, and under what rules and etiquette they should be speaking in this council.”

Concluding his remarks, Ambassador Ahmad advised India to “do a little bit of introspection”.

“It can do [so] by discontinuing its policies of aggression, subversion and sabotage against neighbouring countries, particularly Pakistan,” and calling on the country to “look inwards”.

“Pakistan is well aware of India’s motives and evil designs. But we will not allow them to nourish terrorists and threaten our national security,” he said.

Ambassador Ahmad concluded: “I would say that we have stopped them before and we will do it again, and we will do it always.”

‘Verifiable, non-reversible action’

Ambassador Ahmad earlier told the UNSC that Islamabad’s demand from the Afghan Taliban was simple and clear: “verifiable and non-reversible action“ against terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory.

“Regrettably, this demand remains unmet,” he said.

And while the window for course correction was narrowing, it remained open, he added.

“We hope the Taliban realise this in earnest and cooperate with the international community for the long-term peace and development of Afghanistan and, above all, in the best interest of all Afghans,” he said.

There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

For its part, Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP. But, officials say those appeals have gone unheeded, while the Afghan Taliban reject these allegations.

During the UNSC meeting, Ambassador Ahmad noted that it had been nearly half a decade since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

“It was hoped that this would end the bloodshed and Afghanistan would be at peace with itself and its neighbours,” he said.

The envoy added that with the end of the civil war, it was “anticipated that the Taliban would take positive steps to transform into a responsible governing authority by adhering to their international obligations and commitments, and that they would lead Afghanistan into an era of stability and progress, provide the long-awaited relief to all Afghans and live in harmony with immediate neighbours”.

“For decades, terrorism has been a major problem in Afghanistan, with implications not just for Afghanistan, but the immediate neighbourhood and beyond. Afghanistan has a history of being a safe haven for terrorist groups, including those used as proxies by our adversaries to target Pakistan and other countries,” he highlighted.

It was “our expectation that the Taliban would take concrete and verifiable actions against terrorist groups such as the TTP, BLA and its Majeed Brigade, Islamic State-Khorasan, East Turkestan Islamic Movement and their affiliates that are operating with impunity on Afghan soil”.

“Regrettably, they have failed to undertake action, showing complete disregard for the legitimate security concerns of Pakistan and other countries,” the ambassador said.

He added that, besides “independent analysis and reports of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which clearly outline the terrorism situation in Afghanistan and the ground realities, along with the recent exponential rise in terrorist attacks in Pakistan, these developments serve as glaring reminders of the precarious situation and the continuing threats posed to international peace and security”.

“As a direct result of the freedom with which these terrorist groups operate in Afghanistan, Pakistan has borne the brunt of their attacks, as well as the Taliban’s growing nexus with these terrorist groups.

“And once again, a significant number of Afghans are found to be involved in terrorism inside Pakistan,” he added.

Ambassador Ahmad said these terrorist groups had access to advanced weapons and sophisticated equipment, including drones.

“Much of this can be traced back to the multi-billion dollar worth of arms and ammunition left behind by foreign forces — which was meant for use by the previous Afghan national government,” he said.

Moreover, during counter-terrorism operations by Pakistan, there have been more than 290 cases of seizures of such weapons, which are used for terrorism and suicide bombings in the western parts of Pakistan, and which have exacted a heavy toll of human life and material losses, he told the UNSC.

In 2025 alone, Pakistan reported more than 5,300 terrorist incidents and lost more than 1,200 lives to terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, he said.

In this connection, he recalled that a vehicle-borne IED attack by the TTP on a police post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 9 resulted in the martyrdom of 15 police officers.

“Our investigations revealed that the attack was planned by terrorists in Afghanistan.”

‘Pakistan will not sit idle while suffering from terrorist acts’

Ambassador Ahmad said: “It is deplorable that the Taliban have reverted back to their old tactics of providing safe havens to terrorist groups and chosen the perilous path of complicity, backed by an outside actor, the historic spoiler and instigator of chaos — that has moved fast as an opportunist to wage a proxy war against Pakistan.

“Let me make it clear: Pakistan will defend itself against whosoever attempts to harm our sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security.”

Ambassador Ahmad recalled that numerous diplomatic efforts were made to counsel the Taliban.

He said: “We thank friendly countries for their genuine mediation efforts, particularly Qatar, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and most recently, China, to find amicable solutions.

Yet the Taliban’s continued intransigence and even refusal to publicly denounce and condemn terrorist groups such as the TTP and BLA is deeply disturbing — it is evidence enough of their complicity and active support for these groups. Pakistan will not sit idle while suffering from terrorist acts. We will respond in self-defence, as and when needed and always in conformity with international law and International Humanitarian Law,” he said.

Pakistan raises questions on UNAMA

Referring to a recent report by the UN secretary general, he said it “seems to largely externalise the responsibility for Afghanistan’s multifaceted challenges”.

“The fatalities of terrorists and their supporters as a result of counter-terrorism operations are mentioned within the ambit of ‘civilian casualties’, posing serious questions on the credibility of UNAMA’s reporting from Afghanistan and the nature of their engagement with the Taliban,” Ambassador Ahmad said.

He remarked that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was “swift in reporting incidents of cross-border actions and casualties but fails to provide the overall context — which is the grave terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan and its cross-border impact directed at Pakistan that is harming Pakistan and killing innocent Pakistanis”.

Ahmad further said that the report also did not provide information on the destabilising accumulation of small arms and light weapons inside Afghanistan.

“Nor does it adequately shed light on Afghanistan’s illicit economy, with its complex web of money laundering and terror financing networks, including hundi and hawala networks. Instead, the report resorts to shifting the blame on external dynamics, with little regard for the Taliban’s own policies that have brought Afghanistan to the brink of disaster,” he said.

The envoy stressed that “we must not lose sight of the fact that it is the Taliban’s reckless style of governance and flawed ideologies of extremism, suppression and radicalisation that have brought upon Afghanistan the calamities it faces today”.

“The Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2026, we are told, is underfunded at 14 per cent — again a direct result of Taliban’s unwillingness to prioritise the welfare of Afghans over their own interest and authoritarian control,” he pointed out.

Noting that several references had been made to the Pak-Aghan border closure in the report, he said: “Let me clarify that the closure of border between Pakistan and Afghanistan does not, from Pakistan’s perspective, affect the movement of humanitarian supplies.

“Pakistan has been processing and facilitating the passage of humanitarian goods and material. However, the Afghan Taliban regime refuses to let them pass and keeps the border closed on its side, even to receive such life-saving cargoes, which obviously is to the detriment of the Afghan people.”

He went on to say that the worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan “aligned with Taliban’s failings and deceitful narrative to meet the demands of the international community”.

“Women and girls are denied their fundamental human rights and dignity, with discriminatory and abusive practices — a clear violation of their international obligations as well as of Islamic laws, traditions and tenets of the Muslim faith. The Afghan people are being held hostage to these inhumane restrictions, oppression and selfish behaviour,” he said.

He said that Pakistan took numerous steps to support Afghanistan, including humanitarian relief efforts, political engagement, providing incentives to boost bilateral trade, offering transit concessions, issuing student and medical visas, conducting high-level visits to Kabul and participating in various regional cooperation initiatives to help Afghanistan succeed in its quest to find its rightful place in the international community.

For over four decades, he continued, Pakistan welcomed millions of Afghan refugees “despite limitations and insufficient international support, dealing with huge caseloads of illegal Afghans, including those without documentation, posing a serious threat to our security”.

But these were never meant to stay indefinitely, he added.

The ambassador called on the UN secretary general to “clearly outline the status of third country resettlement cases of Afghans in a transparent manner — cases that are pending for years, despite being a tiny fraction of what Pakistan had to deal with, in the face of national security threats that no country would tolerate”.

“While we provide all possible facilitation, the international community must step up and shoulder its responsibility. Shifting the blame of Afghanistan’s woes to the inflow of Afghan returnees will not solve the problem,” he said.

Ambassador Ahmad further said, “We look forward to the next steps of the UN-led Doha Process and action plan for its Mosaic approach, to address Afghanistan’s multifaceted challenges comprehensively, with well-defined objectives and a realistic roadmap as the only viable pathway for normalisation”.

Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said, were bound by geography, deep-rooted ties, civilisational links dating back centuries, and fraternal bonds of faith, culture and ethnicity.

“No country has suffered more from the consequences of conflict and instability in Afghanistan than Pakistan. So we understand, and we also know, that no country stands to benefit more from peace, prosperity and stability in Afghanistan than Pakistan.

“Pakistan’s demand from the Taliban is simple and clear: verifiable and non-reversible action against terrorists. Regrettably, this demand remains unmet. The window for course correction is narrowing but is still open. We hope the Taliban realise this in earnest and cooperate with the international community for the long-term peace and development of Afghanistan and, above all, in the best interest of all Afghans,” he said, concluding his address.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a sweeping victory in elections in the eastern border state of more than 100 million people, promising to “detect, delete and deport” illegal migrants.

India shares a long and porous border with Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where migration has historically been driven by economic hardship and longstanding family links.

On taking power, the new West Bengal government ordered the establishment of detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingya refugees, a mainly Muslim people who fled persecution in Myanmar.

State Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, speaking in the capital Kolkata on Sunday, said nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi citizens had been deported across the border.

“We have started the work of deporting Bangladeshi infiltrators who do not fall under the purview of the Citizenship Amendment Act,” Adhikari said, saying the government had “established holding centres in all districts of the state” in May.

“From these centres, 4,800 Bangladeshi infiltrators have already been deported so far,” he added.

“Another 836 people are currently in the holding centres… we are making arrangements to deport the 836 soon,” Adhikari said.

The deportation campaign comes against a backdrop of longstanding political tensions over immigration in the border state.

Top Indian officials have referred to migrants as “termites” and “infiltrators”.

Critics say the BJP’s rhetoric and policies have added to the unease and marginalisation of India’s more than 200 million Muslims, accusing the party of conflating religious identity with illegal migration.

Rights groups have previously accused India of also pushing hundreds of Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh without due process.

Relations between India and Muslim-majority Bangladesh soured after a 2024 revolution in Dhaka ended the autocratic rule of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, an ally of New Delhi, who fled to India.

A new government in Dhaka was elected in February, and relations have since slowly improved. Bangladesh and Indian border force chiefs are due to meet in New Delhi on Monday.

Carrying paper cockroach masks and pamphlets, the protesters called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who has faced criticism over the irregularities, including question paper leaks and technical glitches.

The CJP has garnered millions of followers on social media since its launch last month.

Modi’s government has blocked the movement’s X account in the country, a move the CJP has challenged in a Delhi court.

Political analysts say the group’s popularity has begun to dent Modi’s image despite his party’s recent victories in key state elections, even as wider frustration grows over rising fuel prices and gas shortages brought by the Iran war.

Header image: A girl wears a cockroach themed mask, as supporters of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) listens to Abhijeet Dipke, head of the CJP, during a sit-in protest demanding the resignation of Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in New Delhi, India, June 6, 2026. — Reuters

Sooryavanshi, 15, is fresh off a breakout campaign in the Indian Premier League in which he topped the scoring charts with 776 runs in 16 matches, while also breaking Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a season.

His performances for the Rajasthan Royals made him the first player in IPL history to be named both the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the Best Emerging Player, with many tipping him for a spot in the senior Twenty20 International side.

Selectors also fired Suryakumar Yadav as captain following a poor run of form, just three months after he led the country to World Cup glory at home.

Should Sooryavanshi go on to make his debut against either Ireland or England, he would become the youngest player to represent an Indian men’s senior team, bettering great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut aged 16.

“We’ve seen what he can do, towards playoffs, almost single-handedly carried Rajasthan Royals,” selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar told reporters.

“Not just this season, had a great start and to back it up in a competition that is as competitive and high-pressure, he’s a game-changer. We’ve got high hopes of him and he has picked himself.”

Agarkar added that Iyer, who replaces Suryakumar Yadav, had been appointed captain after guiding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the Indian Premier League title in 2024, while also leading other franchises in the league.

Iyer last played a T20I in 2023.

“Led a team to (IPL) title, his own performances have been good. He was close to being part of the World Cup squad, in my opinion, he was a ‘stand-out candidate’,” Agarkar added.

India play Ireland in two T20Is later this month, before a five-match series against England in July.

The BCCI also named their squad for this year’s men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games in Japan, which includes veteran bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

The Asian Games men’s competition will begin on September 24, with the final scheduled for October 3.

T20I Squad for Ireland and England series: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Nitish Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Squad for Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Speaking during the presentation of the UNSC’s Annual Report to the General Assembly on Friday, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad called for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute, according to a press release. Pakistan coordinated and drafted the introduction to the annual report.

Subsequently, in his statement, India’s UN envoy, Harish Parvathaneni, accused Pakistan of misusing the UN platforms for its so-called “divisive political interests”. He also asserted that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India”.

In turn, Political Coordinator at the Pakistan Mission Gul Qaiser Sarwani, utilising the right of reply, pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir “remains an internationally recognised dispute on the agenda of the Security Council”.

“No amount of obfuscation can alter the historical, legal and international character of this dispute. Jammu and Kashmir never was, neither is, and nor will ever be so-called an integral part of India,” the official declared.

“I would advise the Indian representative to carefully read the report, rather than denying facts, deflecting attention and misleading the august Assembly,” Sarwani said, highlighting facts stated in the Annual Report.

He continued: “Nearly eight decades after the Council’s resolutions, calling for a UN-supervised plebiscite, the Kashmiri people continue to be denied their inalienable right to self-determination.

“Meanwhile, arbitrary detentions, restrictions on fundamental freedoms, demographic engineering and other human rights violations continue in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The gravity of the situation was reflected in the Joint Communication issued by United Nations Special Procedures on 16 October 2025.”

Sarwani emphasised that “by refusing to implement Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, India continues to disregard its obligations under the UN Charter, including Article 25, which requires member states to accept and carry out” the UNSC’s decisions.

He then went on to shed light on New Delhi’s “troubling record: sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, perpetrating state terrorism in the IIOJK, conducting state-backed assassination campaigns in foreign countries, stoking violence against minorities, support for destabilising activities in the region and disregard for international law, including its unlawful attempt to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance”.

Continued relevance of Kashmir, Palestine issues

In his remarks, Ambassador Ahmad said the UNSC’s Annual Report for 2025 highlighted the continued relevance of long-standing disputes on the council’s agenda, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and the Question of Palestine.

“Pakistan believes that durable peace in South Asia requires a just settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, who must be allowed to exercise their right to self-determination promised to them by the Security Council and the international community,” he said.

Ahmad highlighted that more than 20 communications concerning the India-Pakistan Question were brought to the attention of the UNSC during the reporting period, adding that the council also held closed consultations under this agenda item in May 2025.

This, he said, underscores that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which has remained on the UNSC’s agenda for more than seven decades, continues to engage its attention.

Ambassador Ahmad also raised the Palestine question, calling for the implementation of the UNSC’s Resolution 2083, which was adopted in November 2025 and endorsed US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.

He noted that the continuing tragedy in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in Gaza, remained high on the UNSC’s agenda.

Referring to the unanimous adoption of Pakistan-sponsored Resolution 2788 in July 2025, Ambassador Ahmad said that it reflected a shared commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes and the fuller utilisation of the UN Charter’s mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution.

The envoy noted that Pakistan coordinated and drafted the introduction to the UNSC’s 2025 Annual Report in its capacity as the Council President in July 2025.

“As a penholder, Pakistan’s objective was to make the report comprehensive, objective, analytical, and consensus-based, while recognising that further improvements remain possible,” the press release noted.

Underscoring the importance of a more democratic and accountable multilateral system in light of current global challenges, the envoy expressed Pakistan’s concern over the use of veto among the member states and called for reforms within the UNSC.

Ahmad opposed the expansion of permanent seats and veto powers, arguing that such measures would undermine the objectives of reform.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to comprehensive UNSC reform that serves the interests of the wider UN membership, encapsulated in its position: “Reform for all, privilege for none.”

Carrying paper cockroach masks and pamphlets, the protesters called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who has faced criticism over the irregularities, including question paper leaks and technical glitches.

“We want accountability from the government,” Utkarsh Raj, a medical college aspirant, told AFP at the protest site, which was watched closely by police officers in riot gear.

“How is it that exam papers get leaked in this country? How is this right?” added Raj, 16.

Protesters were led by Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Boston University graduate who arrived in New Delhi from the United States on Saturday.

“The youth of the country will no longer fear anyone, they will fight,” Dipke, a former political communications strategist for the opposition Aam Aadmi Party, told supporters at the rally.

“Cockroaches don’t ever fear, they never die either,” said Dipke, as others shouted in unison.

Protesters said young people were justifiably angry.

“India deserves better administration of such crucial exams by the government,” said 20-year-old Sarthak, who gave only one name.

Last month, authorities scrapped the nationwide medical college entrance exam after investigators uncovered a question paper leak.

Indian media reported suicides of teenagers following the fiasco over the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET), one of the country’s most competitive exams.

That came on top of another scandal related to online marking system in tests taken by nearly two million high school students.

“Young people have to give these exams and they can’t have a situation where these exam systems have no credibility left,” said Sapan Gyan, 52, who accompanied his sons to the protest.

Modi’s government has blocked the movement’s X account in the country, a move the Cockroach Janta Party has challenged in a Delhi court.

Senior cabinet minister Kiren Rijiju has accused the group of seeking followers from Pakistan and the “anti-India gang”.

The group, which has amassed roughly 22 million Instagram followers since launching in mid-May, is the largest online expression of dissent against the Hindu nationalist Modi’s 12-year-old rule, fuelled by persistently high youth unemployment and recurring leaks of examination papers that threaten to derail the careers of millions of students.

Political analysts say the group’s popularity has begun to dent Modi’s image despite his party’s recent victories in key state elections, even as wider frustration grows over rising fuel prices and gas shortages brought by the Middle East war.

India has nearly 400 million people aged 15 to 29, and generating non-farm jobs for them remains one of its biggest challenges despite rapid growth.

The urban youth jobless rate was nearly 14 per cent in April. Many educated young people are also stuck in low-paid or insecure jobs that do not match their skills, economists say.

Abhijeet Dipke, the 30-year-old Boston University graduate behind the online movement, said he was flying back from the United States to seek police permission for a peaceful protest on Saturday against the education minister.

The parody “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) — echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — has won millions of online followers on social media since its launch last month.

CJP was set up after India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly called young people who criticised the government “cockroaches” and “parasites” during a hearing. Kant later said his comments were taken out of context.

Dipke, a political communications strategist who formerly worked with the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), created the fictional party online on May 16.

Its popularity has soared, using the slogan “a political front for the youth, by the youth, for the youth”.

‘Overwhelming response’

Dipke has called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who has faced criticism over alleged irregularities in several key examinations.

“On my way to India … Leaving my fate in the hands of the Constitution,” Dipke wrote in a post on X on Friday.

Sonam Wangchuk, 59, a prominent activist from occupied Ladakh, who spent six months in detention after being arrested in September following deadly protests demanding autonomy for the Himalayan territory, has said he will join the protests.

India tightly regulates social media content, and some of the CJP’s social media handles have been blocked.

But its Instagram handle, still online in India, has more than 22 million followers — more than double the BJP’s 9m followers on the same site, as well as the main opposition Congress Party’s 13m followers.

Dipke earlier called on followers not to gather at the airport upon his arrival.

“The overwhelming response from those who want the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan to our call to join us at Delhi Airport was beyond our imagination,” he said, in a video message on X, posted on Thursday.

“It is not feasible for so many people to assemble at the airport as it would cause inconvenience to the public and the security forces,” he said.

He said he would go immediately to the police “to seek permission directly for our peaceful protest” on Saturday.

“We are law abiding citizens and have to act responsibly,” he added. “So, please, be mindful that nobody should create any kind of disturbance.”

The blaze — the deadliest the city ​has seen since 2022 — broke out at ⁠a hotel in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, which media ​said was popular among patients being treated at ​a hospital nearby and their relatives.

A criminal case has been lodged and the owner of the building has ​been arrested, police said.

A city-wide crackdown will be ​undertaken against all guest houses and other establishments operating in ‌violation ⁠of fire safety norms and building by-laws, the chief minister’s office said in a post on X late on Wednesday.

Non-compliant premises will be ​sealed and those ​responsible prosecuted, ⁠it said.

The foreign nationals killed in the incident included people from ​Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique and Liberia, according to ​media ⁠reports.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the information.

India’s foreign ministry is in touch with the ⁠embassies ​concerned and is extending all ​necessary assistance, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a post on ​X.

Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and routine disregard for safety regulations.

The fire broke out in the morning at Flourish Stay, a bed-and-breakfast in a congested neighbourhood in the south of the city, Delhi Police said in a statement.

“It is with profound sorrow that 21 persons have been declared dead in this tragic incident,” the force said.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the nationalities of the victims. Several people had jumped out of the burning building in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar to escape the flames, witnesses said, with residents dragging mattresses from a nearby store to try to break their fall.

“People spread mattresses, and a woman from the third floor jumped on it with a little kid,” witness Sher Khan said.

Television footage showed two people jumping from a higher floor of the building as it was engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing out.

Local people who helped in the initial rescue said the fire broke out on the ground and first floors of the four-storey building, trapping those on higher floors.

“There is a mattress shop here … We took the mattresses from there and laid them on the road to help those who were jumping out of the building,” Wasim Raja, a local resident, told news agency ANI.

The police force said rescue and search operations were continuing, with more than 40 people taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

The blaze was eventually brought under control with the help of eight fire engines, police said.

“All concerned agencies remain deployed at the spot to ensure every possible assistance to those affected,” the force added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “tragic”.

“My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones,” his office said in a statement on X.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Electrical short circuits, often caused by poorly maintained wiring, remain the leading cause of fire incidents in India.

In March, a fire at a government-run hospital in eastern India killed at least 10 critically ill patients.

The controversy, after the board acknowledged cybersecurity vulnerabilities in a digital marking system, is the latest to rock India’s examination system, sparking mounting criticism of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

The board’s chairman Rahul Singh and secretary Himanshu Gupta were transferred to other government departments, according to an order issued late Tuesday.

Anger at the CBSE erupted last month when 19-year-old cybersecurity researcher Nisarga Adhikary alleged that weaknesses in a new marking system could compromise grading.

Around 1.8 million students took the CBSE 12th grade examination this year, the final test before graduating.

The CBSE said the online marking system, deployed this year, was aimed at increasing “accuracy and efficiency” of results.

But many students said it had assigned incorrect grades or issued results to the wrong students.

The CBSE said it has “contained” vulnerabilities identified and launched a re-evaluation portal for students complaining of incorrect grades.

Call for protests

But anger has mounted.

Young Indians are pressing for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while online satirical group, the “Cockroach Janta Party”, has called for peaceful protests on Saturday in New Delhi.

Abhijeet Dipke, a 30-year-old Boston University graduate behind the online movement, said he would return to India to lead a demonstration.

The parody “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) — echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — has won millions of followers on social media since its launch last month.

Sonam Wangchuk, 59, a prominent activist from the held-Ladakh region, who spent six months in detention after being arrested in September following deadly protests demanding autonomy for the Himalayan territory, has said he will join the protests.

The controversy follows a separate examination scandal last month, when authorities scrapped the nationwide medical college entrance exam after investigators uncovered a question paper leak.

Indian media reported suicides of teenagers following the fiasco over the National Eligibility Entrance Test, one of the country’s most competitive exams and attracting millions of candidates.

The exam has been rescheduled for later this month.

India’s Central Bureau of Investigation arrested the “kingpin” it alleged was behind the leak, naming him as a chemistry lecturer involved in the examination process on behalf of the National Testing Agency.

The former military chief met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, where they shook hands outside New Delhi’s sprawling Hyderabad House.

Modi told the Myanmar leader that “India remains Myanmar’s trusted neighbour, a reliable partner and steadfast first responder in times of crisis”, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.

Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as Myanmar’s president in April, continuing his rule from a civilian post five years after snatching power in a military coup.

Modi also “reaffirmed India’s readiness to support peace and dialogue in Myanmar”, Jaiswal added.

New Delhi’s top career diplomat, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, told reporters after the meeting that discussions included border security and the impact of the civil war in Myanmar, which borders India’s northeastern states.

“Stability and peace in Myanmar is obviously a major interest for India,” Misri said.

“Not just for the security of the northeast and the safety and security of people living along the 1,643-kilometre-long border that we have with them, but also for our interests — such as connectivity to Southeast Asia,” he said.

But he also stressed that any solution to the conflict in Myanmar would have to come from its citizens themselves.

Cybercrime

“Eventually, the difficulties that face Myanmar will have to be sorted out by the people of Myanmar talking amongst themselves,” he said.

“This will have to be a Myanmar-led solution and a Myanmar-owned solution.”

India has long supported plans for infrastructure initiatives to link India’s landlocked northeast to the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar, as well as a highway to Thailand — routes that cut through areas of conflict.

“Obviously, in these circumstances, it’s a little difficult to meet preset targets and dates,” he said.

Bilateral trade was more than $2 billion in 2025-2026, according to New Delhi.

India also discussed cybercrime, and Misri said that New Delhi had repatriated more than 2,400 Indians from cyberscam centres in Myanmar in the past year, with around 150 “still stuck” in the country.

“Our engagement with Myanmar is not intended to be a commentary on the internal political arrangements in that country,” he said.

“We have always proceeded on the principle that sustained dialogue is what is important and what is an imperative for India as a neighbour,” he added.

“Disengagement only produces a vacuum that others go on to fill, to our detriment — and those others have no interest in democracy, I can assure you about that,” he said, without giving further details.

Min Aung Hlaing arrived in India on Saturday, first stopping in the eastern state of Bihar, with a visit to the Buddhist pilgrimage site of Bodh Gaya — where believers say that the Buddha attained enlightenment.

He is expected to hold talks with business representatives during his five-day visit and will travel to the financial hub Mumbai.

Hydraulic cranes and ropes were used to dismantle the 21-metre (70-foot) sculpture in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, before it was taken away on an open-top flatbed truck, AFP journalists saw.

“The statue was remo­ved on Monday afternoon after locals complained it was swaying in the wind,” state lawmaker Sharadwat Mukherjee told AFP.

Mukherjee said the statue would be kept in a government warehouse while authorities decide on a new location.

The gold-coloured stat­ue, depicting the 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami star lifting the World Cup trophy, was unveiled in December during Messi’s much-publicised GOAT tour of India.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2026

Customers can deposit and withdraw rupees through the so-called immediate payment service channel, the company said on Monday.

They will also have access to spot trading across a range of assets, alongside perpetual futures contracts covering major crypto assets, the company said.

Coinbase, which had discontinued its services in India in 2023, resumed crypto trading last year after registering with the Financial Intelligence Unit.

“India has long been one of the most important markets in crypto: in terms of developer talent, trading activity, and the broader adoption of blockchain technology,” said John OLoghlen, Coinbase’s regional managing director for Asia Pacific.

India requires crypto exchanges to comply with its anti-money laundering rules.

The country levies a 30 per cent tax on crypto trading gains, among the highest globally, but has yet to outline regulations for the asset class.

The former military chief will also hold talks with business representatives during his five-day visit, according to both governments.

“A warm welcome,” India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, posting pictures on social media of Min Aung Hlaing walking down a red carpet in India’s eastern Bihar state.

Min Aung Hlaing will start his trip with a visit to the Buddhist pilgrimage site of Bodh Gaya —where believers say that the Buddha attained enlightenment.

“His visit reflects the strong spiritual, historical and people-to-people ties that bind our two countries and the depth of our ongoing cooperation,” Jaiswal said.

He will meet Prime Minister Modi and President Droupadi Murmu on Monday in New Delhi, India’s foreign ministry said, before travelling to the financial hub Mumbai.

“Both leaders will discuss how to strengthen ties further,” Jaiswal told reporters in New Delhi on Friday.

“There is also an important business component of the visit as to how two countries can strengthen their economic ties as well.”

Bilateral trade was $1.95 billion in 2025-2026, according to New Delhi.

Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as Myanmar’s president in April, continuing his rule from a civilian post five years after snatching power in a military coup.

His swearing-in ceremony was attended by representatives from the neighbouring nations of China, India and Thailand as well as 20 other countries, according to parliamentary officials.

The Gir National Park, in the western state of Gujarat, is the last remaining natural habitat of Asiatic lions, whose numbers have risen from 627 to 891 in five years, according to a census, reflecting conservation success even as new risks emerge.

The recent string of deaths may be linked to babesiosis, a tick-borne parasitic disease, said Arjun Modhwadia, the state’s forest and environment minister, citing preliminary findings and cautioning that laboratory confirmation is awaited.

“The exact cause will be confirmed after analysis, but initial indications point towards babesiosis,” he told reporters in Gandhinagar.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2026

The nearly 700-kg animal had already been sold for ritual ​slaughter when authorities stepped in, citing security ​concerns after a surge of public interest ahead ⁠of Thursday’s festival.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed ordered the ​buffalo be spared, the buyer refunded, and the animal ​moved to the national zoo in Dhaka.

“At the last moment, the decision was taken to spare the buffalo from sacrifice due ​to security concerns and the unusual level of ​public interest,” a ministry official said.

What began as a routine ‌Eid ⁠purchase quickly turned into a nationwide curiosity after videos went viral. Crowds gathered at the farm, with visitors travelling from far afield to see its blond ​fringe and calm ​demeanour.

Farm owner ⁠Ziauddin Mridha said the name came from his younger brother, who spotted the resemblance.

Mridha ​added that the animal is unusually gentle and ​needs ⁠careful upkeep, including frequent feeding and regular baths.

Albino buffaloes are rare in Bangladesh, where most cattle are dark, ⁠making ​it a standout during the ​peak Eid livestock season — though it was the nickname that likely saved ​its life.

Home Minister Amit Shah is known for his hardline stance on national security, illegal migration and transnational crimes.

“Amit Shah stressed the need for strict enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy against illegal constructions, particularly within 0-15 kilometres of the international border,” the Home Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

“He directed the concerned authorities to demolish all such unauthorised constructions.”

Shah urged officials to boost efforts “to effectively address infiltration, narcotics smuggling, encroachment, terror financing, and other trans-border crimes”, according to the statement.

Shah issued the order while in the western state of Rajasthan, which borders Pakistan.

The bidders are Tata Advanced Systems, joint ventures between Larsen and Toubro-Bharat Electronics, and Bharat Forge-BEML, all of them Indian companies.

India approved a programme to build the stealth fighter jets and invited interest for the same from defence firms last year, weeks after the military conflict with Pakistan.

The programme is critical to boost the strength of the Indian Air Force, whose fleet of mostly Russian aircraft has shrunk to below 30 squadrons in recent months, compared to the approved strength of 42.

The push aligns with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s larger ambition to ramp up local manufacturing and boost its military might.

Washington has pitched its advanced F-35 jet to India and Russia has countered that by offering its own fifth-generation Su-57. India has maintained a distance from both offers.

New Delhi has long relied on importing machinery and weapons for its armed forces, but Modi’s recent push has helped boost domestic manufacturing.

India’s defence production hit a record high of $16.09 billion in the financial year ended March 2025.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in West Bengal state in early May with a hardline policy to “detect, delete and deport” illegal migrants.

India’s right-wing have long argued that illegal migration is a national security threat, and warned of changing demography in India’s border states.

West Bengal government’s last week ordered the setting up of “holding centres” for “apprehended foreigners”, singling out both Bangladeshis and Rohingya.

The decision has fuelled anxiety among West Bengal’s roughly 35 million Muslims, many of whom share linguistic and cultural ties with neighbouring Bangladesh.

Indian police officer Shirshendu Pati, from the Swarupnagar Police Station about 10 kilometres from the Bangladesh border, said streams of people had arrived since Tuesday.

“People who say they are from Bangladesh and want to return home have been coming here since yesterday,” Pati told AFP.

‘Holding centre’

Pati said that the process had “been peaceful and smooth so far”, and they received about 200 people on Tuesday and 40 people early Wednesday.

“While we verify their identities and complete the necessary paperwork, all of them are in a holding centre,” he said, noting they will be handed to India’s border security force and sent to Bangladesh.

“The local administration is catering to all their needs including food, water and lodging,” Pati added.

On Tuesday, Home Minister Amit Shah announced the formation of a special committee on demographic change.

“Illegal migration and other reasons for unnatural demography change are a big challenge for any country’s present and future,” Shah said in a speech.

“Demographic change is a serious issue linked not only to our sovereignty but also to national security, law and order (and) profound changes in social structure,” Shah added.

Top BJP members have previously referred to Bangladeshi migrants as “termites” and “infiltrators”.

Critics say BJP’s rhetoric and policies have added to the unease and marginalisation of India’s estimated 200 million Muslims, accusing the party of conflating religious identity with illegal migration.

The West Bengal centres have drawn particular concern because of the state’s porous border with Bangladesh and its long history of migration.

Relations between India and Muslim-majority Bangladesh soured after a 2024 revolution in Dhaka ended the autocratic rule of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, an ally of New Delhi who subsequently fled to India.

The detention order’s apparent inclusion of Rohingya refugees — a mainly Muslim group who fled Myanmar during a brutal military crackdown in 2017 — has also drawn criticism.

The brief meeting between the countries’ top diplomats — Australia’s Penny Wong, India’s S Jaishankar, Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio — was the third such gathering of the group known as Quad since September 2024.

The Quad meeting came as the US and Iran have been circling around a possible deal to end their three-month conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The group unveiled its first joint infrastructure project, a port in Fiji.

“We are going to be partnering on issues of port infrastructure, in particular in response to insufficient port capacity in the Pacific Islands, we are announcing plans to work with Fiji,” Rubio said, adding that the initiative would be “a practical demonstration of our collective ability to deliver high-quality, resilient infrastructure”,

The four-nation group had lost some momentum last year after failing to hold a leaders’ summit, amid tensions between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Washington’s tariffs and other matters.

“We are beginning to show real achievements and real accomplishments,” Rubio said.

“We are deeply committed to this partnership. It is a linchpin and a cornerstone of our global strategy as a nation in the US.”

He said the group agreed to launch an initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security and a critical minerals framework.

The minerals framework will guide how to leverage economic policy tools and coordinate investment to strengthen critical minerals supply chains — including in mining and processing — and in critical minerals recycling, Rubio said.

The initiative could be significant for Japan after China halted shipments of some minerals used in aerospace, defence and semiconductor industries following a diplomatic dispute.

Previous Quad meetings have put forward initiatives to maintain “the free and open maritime order” in the Indo-Pacific by improving information gathering on what is happening in their waters.

Leaders’ summit

New Delhi has pressed for a Trump visit to India, a trip that would likely be tied to a Quad summit. Analysts have questioned whether a lack of leader-level engagement has downgraded the Quad’s importance.

Foreign ministers did not comment on the possibility of a summit later this year, but over the weekend, Rubio said that diplomats would work toward a meeting later this year.

“The absence of a leaders’ summit has raised some doubts, but that does not necessarily indicate declining importance,” said Premesha Saha, a senior policy fellow at the Asia Society Australia in Melbourne.

“If the Quad can keep delivering at the ministerial and working levels, it can remain relevant even without regular leaders-level signalling.”

The Quad countries share concerns about China’s growing power and Rubio — who arrived in India on Saturday for a four-day visit aimed at shoring up relations with New Delhi — has stressed the importance of maintaining a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Beijing has criticised the Quad as a Cold War-style construct aimed at containing its development.

India, too, has territorial disputes with China, though Modi had signalled a willingness to improve ties with Beijing amid his tensions with Trump.

The directive comes just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won power in the eastern state for the first time since the country’s independence in 1947.

The order calls on local authorities to set up “holding centres” for “apprehended foreigners” awaiting deportation, as part of a broader crackdown on illegal migration.

The government has defended its “detect, delete, deport” principle, saying those targeted are migrants staying illegally in the country.

“Illegal migration has security and socio-economic ramifications which are often well beyond law enforcement” read the order, issued last week.

The decision has fuelled anxiety among West Bengal’s roughly 35 million Muslims, many of whom share linguistic and cultural ties with neighbouring Bangladesh.

Critics say the measure reflects the government’s long-standing hardline stance on immigration, with top BJP members referring to Bangladeshi migrants as “termites” and “infiltrators” in the past.

The party has pursued similar policies in the neighbouring state of Assam, where it has overseen sweeping identification drives and large-scale detentions.

Rights activists say hundreds have been deported to Bangladesh from Assam without due legal process, often based on ethnic profiling.

Many of them have been allegedly pushed across the border at gunpoint, according to activists and lawyers who have challenged the measures in court.

They argue the policies disproportionately impact the Muslim population by conflating religious identity with illegal migration.

The planned centres in West Bengal have drawn particular concern because of the state’s porous border with Bangladesh and its long history of migration.

The inclusion of Rohingya refugees in the order has also drawn criticism.

India has previously been accused by humanitarian groups of forcibly returning Rohingya to Myanmar, despite ongoing conflict there, in potential violation of international norms on refugee protection.

Adding to the unease of the Muslims, the BJP-led government in Assam on Monday introduced legislation to curb polygamy and amend personal religious laws, which critics say could further marginalise minorities.

Earlier this month, Modi called on Indians to conserve fuel and foreign exchange and avoid gold purchases, among other austerity measures, to better manage the energy shock and economic headwinds.

“The prime minister giving a call to conserve foreign exchange, as far as possible, is very important,” Sitharaman said, adding that the stress on ‘3Fs’ — fuel, fertiliser and foreign exchange — should be viewed in this context.

India has been reeling under the effect of rising crude prices and supply disruptions after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Israel war on Iran.

High prices of crude, fertilisers and gold are creating some challenges on the external front, Sitharaman added, while speaking at an event in Mumbai.

India, the world’s third-largest oil importer and consumer, raised prices of petrol and diesel again on Monday, the fourth increase in May in a bid to recoup some losses.

Sitharaman said that the Indian government’s revenue is expected to be hit by one trillion rupees in FY27 due to a reduction in excise duties on fuel.

For hundreds of thousands of Indians, merchant shipping jobs are a lucrative proposition despite the inherent risks.

The attack on Pooniya’s ship killed two fellow Indians — the country’s sailors are among the highest merchant maritime casualties from the Middle East war.

Dalip Singh and Ashish Kumar Singh were the first Indians killed in the conflict, after their oil tanker was hit on March 1 by projectiles off Oman’s Khasab port.

“There was a huge noise and the whole ship shook,” Pooniya recalled.

“I thought something had gone wrong with the engine, but a missile had hit us,” Pooniya added, who had been on the Palau-flagged MV Skylight.

“The whole ship was up in flames.”

Pooniya, 26, had travelled together with Dalip to Dubai, where they boarded the tanker.

“Everyone jumped into the sea wearing life jackets,” Pooniya told AFP, now back home in India. “I screamed for Dalip, but he was gone in the fire.”

India is one of the largest contributors of sailors on merchant shipping worldwide, with more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to the country’s shipping ministry.

Eleven merchant sailors have been killed in the conflict, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). At least four were Indian.

Iran has restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — which normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments — since the United States and Israel launched attacks on February 28.

The US has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.

‘Flurry of missiles’

Ships have been hit by projectiles and fired on in dozens of incidents, according to the British maritime security monitor UKMTO.

An Indian-flagged ship carrying livestock from Somalia was reported to have been hit and sunk off Oman on May 13 — all 14 crew were rescued.

Thousands of Indians are among the estimated 20,000 seafarers stranded by the Strait of Hormuz blockade.

But Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen’s Union of India, said people just want to earn.

“We have a massive unemployment problem,” he said. “Being on a ship is a convenient way out for many, as it is a relatively well-paying job for the qualification it demands.”

Dalip, 25, a high-school graduate from the hot deserts of Rajasthan, was an engineering support member, on his second voyage.

“Year after year, he failed to get a government job,” his younger brother Manoj Singh, 24, told AFP.

Desperate for a better life for his family, Dalip borrowed money and enrolled himself in a maritime training programme, and secured a job on a merchant ship.

Dalip’s salary — $450 dollars a month — was roughly three times the average income of a rural household.

His brother Manoj Singh, a stone cutter, had been hoping to follow him to sea — a plan he has since abandoned.

“My father died of shock after hearing that my brother was dead,” he said. “I cannot afford to leave home now.”

The family of the ship’s captain, Ashish Kumar Singh, 38, from the eastern state of Bihar, is mourning his death.

“I just want the government to help me get my husband’s remains back,” said his wife, Anshu Kumari. “How do I otherwise get closure?”

Raju Ram, 33, also from Rajasthan, has been on a tanker in the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates since April, waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

He has witnessed a “flurry of missiles” near his vessel.

“It is risky, of course,” he told AFP, by telephone from the vessel. “But at least our families respect us for the money we send back home.”

Pooniya, meanwhile, says he has few other options.

“The jobs that people like us get in India, you are always stuck in a cycle of debt,” he said. “In this line of work, at least the money is good.”

They never made it. At the ghat, the British colonial police opened fire. Bodies fell and were thrown into the river. The survivors fled, or were captured and tortured. The rest, with nowhere else to go, returned to the gardens.

In his book, Plantation Labour in India (1931), Rajanikanta Das wrote that “kicking, punching, and various forms of physical torture by European officers against coolies frequently created situations of conflict in the tea gardens. In 1891 alone, 106 incidents of riots and clashes took place in the tea plantations of Assam.” Such resistance continued for years and eventually exploded into the major movement of 1921. Tea workers wanted to return to their homelands, and the spark spread across plantations in the two valleys. One of the immediate causes behind the uprising was the reduction of workers’ wages.

The workers from Assam travelled through Sylhet towards the Meg­hna river port in Chandpur. Along the way, tea workers from various plantations in Sylhet joined them. Their plan was to board steamers from the Meghna ghat to Goalanda and then continue by train to their respective birthplaces. How­ever, on May 20, the workers eager to return home faced a horrific tragedy.

As they marched towards Chandpur, under the rallying cry of Mulluke Cholo, Gurkha soldiers stationed by the colonial authorities fell upon them without mercy.

Many were killed; for countless others, the dream of returning home died at that ghat. Trapped, they were absorbed permanently into the tea gardens of this region as bound labourers.

That blood-soaked day has since become a symbol of broken dreams and defiant resistance — and it is why, every year on May 20, tea workers across Bangladesh observe Cha Shramik Dibosh: Tea Workers Day.

More than a hundred years have now passed. The British are gone, as are the Pakistanis. Bangladesh is a sovereign nation with a booming tea industry — 166 tea garden estates, over 116,762 registered workers (and thousands more casual workers). Yet, the state has never officially recognised May 20 as Tea Workers Day.

Tea is not merely a beverage in today’s Bangladesh — it is part of our culture, a foreign-exchange earner, and a source of national pride. And this institution was built, brick by brick, leaf by leaf, on the labour of men and women whose ancestors were brought here as indentured workers, stripped of their freedom and dignity, forced to clear jungles, plant seedlings, and build the bungalows inside which their overseers lived in comfort. Their descendants continue that labour today, earning Tk 187 a day and receiving some aid (including grain rations and primary healthcare), crowded into cramped quarters in “labour lines,” often without healthcare or educational opportunities. Official recognition of May 20 as Tea Workers Day would cost the government nothing, but it would mean everything to a community that has spent a century being told that their history does not matter.—The Daily Star (Bangladesh)/ANN

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2026

India is no stranger to scorching summers but years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense.

Temperatures in several cities across the country of 1.4 billion people have recently hovered well above 45 degrees Celsius.

The deaths were reported in the southern state of Telangana, with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy calling for “statewide vigilance” to safeguard public health.

“The intensity of the heat has reached unprecedented levels” and officials in Telangana should issue advance warnings about precautions to be taken during heatwaves, Reddy’s office said in a statement.

Health experts say that extreme heat can lead to dehydration that thickens the blood and, in particularly severe cases, causes organs to shut down.

The local government in Telangana advised the elderly, children and pregnant women not to venture out in daytime unless necessary.

Earlier this week, the India Meteorological Department predicted above-normal temperatures and intense heatwave conditions in several parts of the country.

Temperatures in the capital New Delhi and other nearby cities have stayed over 40°C throughout this week, sending power usage soaring to record levels.

In addition to the burning midday heat, overnight minimum temperatures are also high, giving people little respite.

India, the world’s most populous nation, is the third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and relies heavily on burning coal for power generation.

It has committed to achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2070 — two decades after most of the industrialised West.

The country’s highest officially recorded temperature is 51°C, measured at Phalodi in Rajasthan in 2016.

Paying his first visit to India, Rubio said the two democracies were on the same page on all major issues, brushing aside recent unease in New Delhi over trade, China and the Iran war.

India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar agreed that the two countries had a “convergence of national interests in many areas” but publicly took Rubio to task over US President Donald Trump’s assault on visas.

Jaishankar said he “apprised Secretary Rubio of challenges that legitimate travellers face in respect of visa issuance”.

“While we cooperate to deal with illegal and irregular mobility, our expectation is that legal mobility should not be adversely impacted as a consequence,” he said, noting that visas were key for US-India tech cooperation.

Trump, who has made curbing non-Western immigration a key political priority, has ramped up restrictions and fees for H-1B visas used largely by Indian tech workers, sending applications tumbling.

The Trump administration followed up on Friday by saying that applicants for permanent residency, even when in the United States legally, must leave for processing, likely splitting up many families for extended periods.

Trump has been influenced by nativist critics who say Indian workers take away skilled jobs from Americans who would have earned more.

Last month, Trump reposted a far-right commentator who described India as a “hellhole” and inaccurately alleged that Indian immigrants lack English proficiency.

Asked about racist remarks in the United States about Indians, Rubio said, “every country in the world has stupid people”.

“Our nation has been enriched by people who come to our country,” said Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants.

He said the immigration reforms were “not India-specific” but in response to a “migratory crisis” in the United States.

Aligned on ‘all’ issues

Rubio, who is paying an unusually long four-day, four-city trip to India, called the country “one of our most important strategic partners in the world”.

“It begins with the fact of our shared values. We are the two largest democracies,” Rubio said.

“Our nations are strategically aligned on all of the key issues that will define the new century — all the great challenges that are before us now in the modern era,” he said.

The New York Times reported that when Rubio was asked about ties between Washington and Islamabad, he said, “I don’t view our relation with any country in the world as coming at the expense of our strategic alliance with India.”

Such statements of US-India partnership would have raised few eyebrows over the past two decades as Washington put a top priority on building ties with the billion-plus nation, seeing it as a natural counterweight to a rising China.

But Trump abruptly shook up core assumptions of US foreign policy. He temporarily imposed punishing tariffs on India, held a friendly visit last week to China and has hailed India’s historic adversary Pakistan, which has positioned itself as the key mediator on the Iran war.

Pakistan has also heaped praise on Trump over his diplomacy in a short conflict last year with India, which launched unprovoked strikes following the Pahalgam attack in India-occupied Kashmir.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi annoyed Trump by refusing to credit him with ending the war.

Asked if India objected to Pakistan’s newfound role as a mediator, Jaishankar said it was for the United States to decide its partners, and acknowledged that differences will emerge between the two countries.

“The Trump administration has been very forthright in putting forward its foreign policy outlook as America First,” Jaishankar said.

“We have a view of India First,” he said.