FRIDAY 09 MAY 2025 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR USA & UK ANNOUNCE A TRADE DEAL ‘WE WILL RESPOND IN ‘VERY, VERY FIRM’ MANNER TO ANY ATTACK ON US BY PAKISTAN’ P5 SENSEX 80,334.81 q411.97 WEATHER WIND SPEED MAY INCREASE TEMPORARILY UPTO 30-40 KMPH GUSTING TO 50 KMPH. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 35 AND 26 DEGREE CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. P9 NIFTY 24,273.80 q140.60 ` vs $ 85.38 LSG FACE TOUGH TASK AGAINST IN-FORM RCB ISHIBA’S FUTURE LINKED TO AMERICAN TARIFFS P7 GOLD `1,00,050 India hits back after overnight Pak attack SILVER `99,000 India downs Pak’s 2 JF-17s, DG ISPR admits loss PARWINDER SANDHU Pak strikes on multiple locations foiled, air defence unit disabled in Lahore NEW DELHI, 8 MAY RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY PARWINDER SANDHU Max. 83 % I In a major blow to the Pakistan Air Force, India struck down its two JF-17s in a strong retaliatory action engaging the air defence system. The response was part of the ongoing Operation Sindoor, initially launched by India on the intervening night of May 6-7. Admitting to their loss, Pakistani Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of InterServices Public Relations (DG ISPR), in a media statement said, “We regret to confirm that two JF-17 aircraft were lost during active duty.” Earlier, addressing the media during an Ministry of External Affairs briefing, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said that in the second edition of the Operation Sindoor launched on Thursday morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Pakistan’s Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations. Stating that the Indian response has been in the same domain with same intensity as Pakistan, the officer said that it has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised. NEW DELHI, 8 MAY Min. 39 % TEMPERATURE Max: 37.3 °C (-2.0) SUN RISES 05:34 hrs MOON RISES 16:14 hrs Min: 24.6 °C (0.5) SUN SETS 19:01 hrs MOON SETS 03:56 hrs THUMBNAILS People from border belt being offered food after shifting to safer zones following crossborder shelling by Pakistan in the wake of 'Operation Sindoor' at Mishriwala in Jammu on Thursday. nANI 5 women devotees killed in helicopter crash in Uttarkashi: Five women devotees and the pilot of the helicopter carrying them crashed in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi hills on Thursday morning. The victims were visiting the Chardham and the lone surviving pilgrim has been airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh. (P3) ndian armed forces targeted Pakistan’s air defence radars and systems at a number of locations on Thursday after Islamabad attempted to engage a number of military targets in northern and western India overnight using drones and missiles. BREAKING: In a major escalation, Pakistan tonight targeted Jammu city with drones and missiles and Indian air defence guns were firing back. Loud explosions were heard in the city shortly before 9 p.m. followed by the wailing of sirens and a complete blackout. Stating that the Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan’s, the Ministry of Defence said that it has been reliably learnt that a Pakistani air defence system at Lahore has been neutralised. In the wake of the Indian strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kash- mir conducted under Operation Sindoor, Pakistan launched a counter offensive on multiple defence bases located in the northern and western parts of the country during the night. However, the attempts were neutralised by the Indian armed forces who engaged the Integrated PM Modi reviews national preparation with secretaries of various ministries STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE A range of issues discussed during the meeting included strengthening of civil defence mechanisms, efforts to counter misinformation and fake news, and ensuring the security of critical infrastructure. NEW DELHI, 8 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday reviewed national preparedness and inter-ministerial coordination with secretaries of various Ministries and departments of the government, the PM’s office said in an official release. The meeting was held in the light of recent developments concerning national security and comes in the aftermath of India's ‘Operation Sindoor’ which targeted nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Earlier today National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also briefed the Prime Minister about the prevailing security situation. “PM Modi stressed the need for seamless coordination among ministries and agencies to uphold operational continuity and institutional resilience,” the PMO release said, adding that the Prime Minister “reviewed the planning and preparation by ministries to deal with the current situation.” The Prime Minister further directed the secretaries to undertake a comprehensive review of their respective ministry’s operations and ensure fool-proof functioning of essential systems, with special focus on readiness, emergency response, and internal communication protocols. Calling for continued alertness, institutional synergy, and clear communication as the nation navigates a sensitive period, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to national security, operational preparedness, and citizen safety. He also emphasised the need for continued vigilance, strong coordination between institutions, and clear communications amid spiralling tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the 22 April Pahalgam attack followed by India's retaliatory initiative on 7 May. A range of issues discussed during the meeting included strengthening of civil defence mechanisms, efforts to counter misinformation and fake news, and ensuring the security of critical infrastructure. The Prime Minister also advised the ministries to maintain close coordination with state authorities and ground-level institutions. The meeting was attended by the Cabinet Secretary, senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, and Secretaries from key ministries including Defence, Home Affairs, External Affairs, Information & Broadcasting, Power, Health, and Telecommunications. Cash at judge’s residence: CJI forwards ‘in-house’ panel probe report to Prez, PM AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 8 MAY Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, who is due to retire next week, has forwarded to the President and the Prime Minister the report of the top court-appointed "in-house" enquiry panel formed against the backdrop of the cash discovery allegations against the then Delhi High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Verma. “Chief Justice of India, in terms of the In-House Procedure, has written to Hon’ble the President of India and Hon’ble the Prime Minister of India enclosing therewith copy of the 3-Member Committee report dated 03.05.2025 along with the letter/response dated 06.05.2025 received from Mr Justice Yashwant Varma,” said a press statement released by the apex court on Thursday. Justice Varma is embroiled in a controversy surrounding the alleged discovery of a huge pile of burnt cash in the storeroom attached to his bungalow in the national capital after the fire brigade had gone there to douse a blaze on 14 March. Within two weeks, Justice Varma’s transfer from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, amid an in-house probe, was cleared by the Union government. The CJI Khanna-led Supreme Court Collegium had recommended that the Centre repatriate Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court. It had said that the proposal for the transfer of Justice Varma, who is the second senior-most judge in the Delhi High Court, to his parent High Court, i.e. the Allahabad High Court, where he will be the ninth in seniority, is "independent and separate from the In-house enquiry procedure". Justice Varma was taken off judicial work before being sent to the Allahabad HC. His shift to Uttar Pradesh came despite opposition from the bar associations in Lucknow and Allahabad. While Justice Varma has denied any wrongdoing, CJI Khanna constituted a 3-member committee in the last week of March to conduct an in-house inquiry. The enquiry panel comprised Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman, a judge of the Karnataka High Court. Counter UAS Grid and air defence systems. The government had earlier said that during Operation Sindoor, launched on the intervening night of 6-7 May, neither were any Pakistani military establishments were targeted nor were there any civilian casualties. According to the defence ministry, on the night of 7-8 May, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. It was learnt that IAF’s S-400 also dubbed as ‘Sudarshan Chakra’, the air defence missile systems, were made operational to neutralise the Pakistani drones and missiles. Agency reports quoted the Pakistani military as saying that India fired several drones at Pakistan overnight in which a military site was damaged. P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 62.03 100 terrorists killed, Rajnath Singh tells all-party meeting “ We do not wish to escalate the situation. But if Pakistan acts, we will not back down either,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had reportedly said while briefing political leaders at the all-party meeting. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 8 MAY Political leaders cutting across party lines hailed the armed forces on Thursday for carrying out 'Operation Sindoor' against terror hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to avenge the 22 April Pahalgam terror attacks, during an all-party meeting called by the government. “All parties supported the military action… The meeting was positive. All parties hailed the armed forces," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told newsmen after the meeting. The Centre had called the all-party meeting to brief political leaders on the military strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces targeting the terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meeting, informed party leaders that at least 100 terrorists were killed in Indian strikes under Operation Sindoor. “In Operation Sindoor, precise strikes were carried out on 9 terrorist hideouts. Around 100 terrorists were killed,” a leader who attended the meeting said, quoting Rajnath Singh. “We do not wish to escalate the situation. But if Pakistan acts, we will not back down either,” the Defence Minister had reportedly said while briefing the political leaders. Coming out from the meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said: “At this hour of crisis we are with the government. We don’t want to create any controversy at this hour.” The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said: “We are proud of our armed forces.” All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi complimented the government and the armed forces for carrying out Operation Sindoor.