NEW DELHI, Aug 8: Police in India’s capital briefly detained an employee of a nuclear facility for making telephone calls to Pakistan, freeing him after he explained he had been talking to his uncle.

Shariq Usmani, working on a project in the Defence Research and Development Organization, was picked up from his New Delhi home on Wednesday on suspicion of espionage, they said.

The police said they suspected Usmani of spying for Pakistan when they traced calls from his house to an address in Karachi three days ago.

Usmani was freed on Thursday after he said he had been speaking to one of his uncles. —AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...