Iranian official claims Pakistan will launch nuclear strike on Israel if Tel Aviv uses nukes
Pakistan denies
Tehran: A senior Iranian official has claimed that Pakistan has assured Tehran of a nuclear response against Israel if the Zionist state uses nuclear weapons in the ongoing conflict. Mohsen Rezaei, a top commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and member of the National Security Council, made the statement during an interview on Iranian state television.
“Pakistan has told us that if Israel uses nuclear missiles, we will also attack it with nuclear weapons,” Rezaei asserted, implying a potential deepening of regional hostilities.
Pakistan’s Shaheen-III missile, with a range of up to 2,700 kilometers, is capable of reaching Israeli territory. While the Pakistani military has not officially commented, the missile is believed to be operational under the country’s strategic forces.
However, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif later dismissed the claim, stating unequivocally that Islamabad had made no such commitment. In a post on X, Asif emphasised that Pakistan’s policy had not changed, but also cautioned that Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal, especially amid the current volatile situation, could embolden Tel Aviv to act more aggressively — raising the risk of a broader regional conflict.
Despite rejecting the nuclear claim, Pakistan has expressed firm diplomatic solidarity with Iran. On June 14, Defence Minister Asif urged Muslim countries to unite against what he described as Israeli aggression not just toward Iran, but also Palestine and Yemen. He called on countries maintaining ties with Israel to sever them and urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to craft a joint strategy.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a recent phone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, condemned Israeli airstrikes as violations of Iran’s sovereignty and called for urgent international intervention.
The Israel-Iran conflict has intensified dramatically, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites in cities such as Tehran and Mashhad. Iran has responded with its own missile attacks. Both sides have reported casualties.
Rezaei also warned that Iran has undisclosed capabilities and strategies that could shift the balance in the ongoing conflict, adding to global concerns over further escalation.
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Railway exams postponed after pro-Kannada activists protests over exclusion of language
Bengaluru (PTI): South Western Railway on Tuesday abruptly postponed its recruitment examinations following protests by pro-Kannada organisations over the conduct of tests only in English and Hindi.
Members of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike gathered outside exam centres in Bengaluru and Hubballi, demanding that the exams also be held in Kannada.
"The recruitment examinations have been postponed due to the protests and next dates would be announced later," a SWR official said.
Officials said the South Western Railway (SWR) had scheduled promotion examinations on Tuesday to fill 295 posts, including 194 posts of goods train manager.
Following the development, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urged the Union Government to ensure that Kannada-speaking candidates are not subjected to "such injustice".
He also sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to issue necessary directions in this regard, demanding that the cancelled examinations be conducted at the earliest, with provision to write them in Kannada.
The morning exams were postponed after members of the pro-Kannada organisation staged protests near the exam centres in parts of the state including Bengaluru. The exams scheduled for the afternoon hours have also been postponed, he said.
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike has been opposing the move to drop the local language from the recruitment exams, stating it could prevent local candidates from appearing.
Welcoming the postponement, the organisation warned it would resume protests if the exams are held again without meeting its demands.
"Every state language must be respected. Candidates must be allowed to write exams in their respective state languages...Kannada in Karnataka, Tamil in Tamil Nadu, Marathi in Maharashtra, so that local candidates can have better opportunities to serve in higher positions," Hanumanthappa Ambigeri, a member of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, told reporters in Hubballi.
Taking to social media platform 'X', Siddaramaiah said the Railway Department has abruptly cancelled the promotion examinations scheduled to be held today for 194 Goods Train Manager posts in South Western Railway and 101 LDCE posts in the Hubballi division, placing Kannada employees in uncertainty.
This follows strong opposition from Kannadigas and Kannada organisations, he said.
Siddaramaiah pointed out that thousands of Kannada-speaking employees had already raised objections over the lack of provision to write the examination in the local language.
Despite peaceful protests, he alleged that the department failed to respond in time, cancelling the examinations at the last moment and leading to the present confusion.
"Had the department acted early and allowed the examination in Kannada, this situation could have been avoided. Instead, its indifferent approach and last-minute cancellation after protests intensified is condemnable," Siddaramaiah said.
The chief minister claimed that this is not the first instance, nor will it be the last, of Kannadigas facing injustice in central government examinations.
"Due to the continued imposition of Hindi in recruitment processes across central departments, Kannada candidates have long been subjected to unfair treatment," he alleged.
"It is unfortunate that this has occurred even when (state MP) V Somanna serves as Minister of State for Railways. I had expected that he would stand for Kannadigas and address this injustice, but that expectation has not been fulfilled. He must move beyond words and act in the interest of Karnataka," he said.
Siddaramaiah said that Kannadigas have already experienced the adverse impact of the Centre's preference for Hindi and neglect of regional languages. Restricting central examinations to Hindi and English is unacceptable, he said.
"India is a union of states formed on linguistic foundations. We do not oppose Hindi, but we will not accept its imposition over Kannada. Kannadigas are not seeking employment or promotion as charity, but asserting their right in the language they were educated in," he added.
