Cong condemns Israel's plan to take over Gaza, questions Modi govt's silence
New Delhi, Aug 8 (PTI): The Congress on Friday condemned Israel for its plans to occupy Gaza City, saying it is not just an assault on the people of Palestine but on humanity, even as it questioned the silence of the Modi government on the issue.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said, "The prime minister and his government have been demonstrating extreme moral cowardice during the genocide that has been in stark evidence in Gaza over the past eighteen months."
Noting that Israel is now all set to take over Gaza City, to begin with, Ramesh said, "This move has been widely criticised. But Mr Modi and the external affairs minister continue to remain totally silent."
"The Indian National Congress condemns in the strongest possible terms Israel's latest plans in Gaza. It is an assault not just on the Palestinian people, but on humanity itself," Ramesh added.
The condemnation came after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet approved plans to takeover Gaza City in the Palestinian enclave by a majority vote overnight.
The security cabinet approved the plan as part of a five-point aim primarily to "disarm" Hamas, a decision that triggered fears of further escalation in the nearly two-year long war in the region.
The Israeli authorities have given five objectives for its actions -- disarming Hamas; returning all hostages taken by the group on October 7, 2023; demilitarising the Gaza Strip; taking security control of the territory; and establishing “an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority”.
The Prime Minister and his government have been demonstrating extreme moral cowardice during the genocide that has been in stark evidence in Gaza over the past eighteen months.
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 8, 2025
Israel is now all set to occupy Gaza city-- to begin with. This move has been widely criticised. But…
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Pak court grants bail to PM Shehbaz's daughter and her husband in graft case
Lahore (PTI): A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted bail to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's daughter Rabia Imran and her husband Imran Yousaf in a mega corruption and money laundering case.
Judge Ashfaq Ahmed allowed the bail petitions of the couple and restrained the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting them till May 7.
"The special court (central) Lahore granted interim pre-arrest bail to PM Shehbaz's daughter, Rabia Imran and her husband Imran Yousaf till May 7 in a mega corruption and money laundering case as the couple personally appeared before the court along with their counsel after arriving from the UK, where they had gone in 2022 to evade arrest," a court official said.
Last week, an accountability court had suspended the perpetual arrest warrants issued against the couple in the multi-billion corruption case, related to the Punjab Saaf Pani Company case.
The accountability court had issued perpetual warrants for their arrest in 2022 during the tenure of the Imran Khan government.
The PM's daughter and her husband had fled to the UK in 2022, and the court subsequently had declared them proclaimed offenders.
Interestingly, the country's anti-graft body -- National Accountability Bureau (NAB) -- that had instituted the multi-billion corruption case against the couple told the accountability court that it has no objection if the court suspends their warrants.
PM Shehbaz was also nominated in this corruption case but has been acquitted because of a lack of evidence.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has consistently alleged that the acquittal of PM Shehbaz and other ruling coalition members in various mega corruption cases is the result of a "compromised judiciary" and a "NAB-PMLN nexus" (referring to a perceived alliance between the NAB and the military-backed government).
His party has claimed these acquittals represent the "demise of justice" and has accused the judiciary of acting as a "silent accomplice" to state-backed political terrorism.
Khan was ousted from power in April 2022 through a no-confidence motion. Subsequently, he was arrested in August 2023 and has been in jail in multiple cases since then.
