BJP ally JD(U) joins Opposition leaders in urging centre to halt arms supply to Israel
New Delhi: The Janata Dal (United), a key ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has joined Opposition leaders in calling on the Indian government to cease the supply of arms and ammunition to Israel amidst its ongoing conflict with Gaza. The appeal was led by JD(U) General Secretary KC Tyagi, who, along with other Opposition leaders, met with Mohammed Makram Balawi, Secretary General of the League of Parliamentarians for Al Quds, in Delhi on Sunday.
The League of Parliamentarians for Al Quds is an independent institution that coordinates global parliamentary efforts in support of the Palestinian cause, in line with United Nations resolutions and efforts to maintain peace in West Asia.
Tyagi said that the JD(U) has historically supported the Palestinian cause, a stance echoed by the Indian government, including during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He stressed the importance of ending the violence against civilians in Gaza and upholding UN resolutions related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Following the meeting, Tyagi and other leaders issued a joint statement urging the Union government to refrain from supplying arms to Israel. The statement condemned the "Zionist aggression and the heinous genocide of the Palestinian people" and asserted that India's complicity in the conflict would be contrary to its longstanding commitment to justice and human rights.
The signatories of the statement include Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, Samajwadi Party Rajya Sabha MP Javed Ali Khan, Congress spokesperson Meem Afzal, and other prominent figures from various political parties.
Reports have surfaced earlier this year suggesting that India may have been supplying drones and other military equipment to Israel, although the government has neither confirmed nor denied these claims. This issue has drawn international attention, particularly following Spain's refusal to allow an Israel-bound ship carrying arms from Chennai to dock at its port in line with its ban on arms exports to Israel since the conflict began.
The ongoing conflict escalated on October 7 when Hamas launched an incursion into southern Israel, resulting in significant casualties. In response, Israel has conducted extensive air and ground strikes on Gaza, leading to widespread devastation and a significant loss of life.
India has traditionally supported a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, advocating for direct negotiations aimed at establishing a sovereign and independent state of Palestine coexisting peacefully alongside Israel.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
In Qatar, Trump once again claims he 'helped settle' tensions between India and Pakistan
Doha, May 15 (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Thursday repeated his claim yet again that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.
"…And by the way, I don't want to say I did, but I sure as hell helped settle the problem between Pakistan and India last week, which was getting more and more hostile,” he said while addressing US military personnel at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
"And all of a sudden, you'll start seeing missiles of a different type. And we got it settled. I hope, I hope I don't walk out of here and two days later find out that it's not settled, but I think it is settled,” Trump said.
This is the sixth time since Saturday that Trump has claimed that the US brokered the “ceasefire” between New Delhi and Islamabad.
India carried out precision strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
Indian government sources in New Delhi have been maintaining that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect. They said no third party was involved.
In his address to US troops on Thursday, Trump again claimed that he talked to the countries about “trade”.
“Let's do trade instead of do war. And Pakistan was very happy with that, and India was very happy with that, and I think they're on the way, you know, they have been fighting for about 1,000 years in all fairness,” he said as he laughed slightly.
"So I said, you know, I could settle that up. I can settle anything. Let me set it up. Let's get them all together. How long have you been fighting? About 1,000 years. Oh, that's a lot. I'm not sure about that. I'm not sure about settling. That's a tough one. They've been fighting for a long time, but we got that settled. Nobody, boy, everybody was very happy. I'll tell you that looked like it was really going to be escalating out of control,” he added.
On Saturday, Trump announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” after a “long night of talks mediated by the United States.”
Later, in a post on Truth Social, Trump offered to work with India and Pakistan for a “solution” on Kashmir, while crediting Washington for helping the two nations arrive at the “historic and heroic decision” of stopping the conflict.
India has always maintained that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter with Pakistan and there is no space for any third party.
