India rejects Pakistan's 'baseless' charges; calls it 'epicentre' of global terrorism
New Delhi (PTI): India on Friday trashed Pakistan's allegations of backing terrorism against that country following the Balochistan train attack and said Islamabad should look inwards before shifting the blame on others for its "failures".
India also said the whole world knows "where the epicentre of global terrorism lies".
On Thursday, Pakistan accused India of "sponsoring terrorism" without directly implicating it in the Balochistan train attack that killed 21 passengers.
"We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, responding to media queries on Islamabad's allegations.
He also said, "The whole world knows where the epicentre of global terrorism lies."
"Pakistan should look inwards instead of pointing fingers and shifting the blame for its own internal problems and failures on others," he added.
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, at a weekly press briefing, was asked several questions about the deadly attack on Tuesday, which led to a hostage situation lasting for more than 24 hours.
Terrorists were in direct communications with Afghanistan-based planners throughout the incident, he said, adding Islamabad has repeatedly asked Afghanistan to deny the use of its soil for terrorist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) for their attacks against Pakistan.
"We urge Afghanistan to hold the perpetrators, organisers and financiers, of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan to bring all those who are concerned with this attack, including the real sponsors of terrorism, to justice," Khan had said.
When asked about any change of policy because India was blamed in the past for any activity by the BLA while this time the finger was pointed towards Afghanistan, the spokesman said there was no change in the policy.
"There is no shift in our policy. And again, the facts have not changed. India is involved in sponsoring terrorism against Pakistan," the spokesperson alleged without providing any evidence.
To another question, he claimed that India has been trying to destabilise its neighbouring countries and running a global assassination campaign.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
