SATURDAY 17 MAY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘RAHUL’S MEETING WITH DALIT STUDENTS WILL CHANGE BIHAR POLITICS’ ISRAELI STRIKES KILL ATLEAST 93 PEOPLE IN GAZA P5 OTHER MINISTERS TAKE MONEY TO CLEAR FILES: KONDA SUREKHA P9 P4 SENSEX 82,330.59 q200.15 IPL: RCB HOST KKR, EYE PLAYOFFS SPOT NIFTY 25,019.80 q42.30 ` vs $ 85.60 P12 SILVER `97,000 GOLD `96,000 RAINFALL: 000.5 mm Multi-party outreach to expose Pak propaganda RELATIVE HUMIDITY BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 64.90 Rajnath urges IMF to reconsider its $1 bn aid to Pakistan Reports said that the 48-member delegation will present evidence against Pak to the global community WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Possibility of light rain or thundershower in some areas Max. 85% Min. 53% TEMPERATURE Max: 35.9˚C (+0.1) Min: 27.8˚C (+1.1) SUN RISES 04:56 hrs MOON RISES 21:36 hrs SUN SETS 18:10 hrs MOON SETS 07:22 hrs New Moon on 27 May STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 MAY THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 MAY T Dark clouds hover over Kartavya Path after rain, in New Delhi on Friday. nANI UN revises India's economic growth downwards for 2025 to 6.3 pc: The United Nations has revised India's economic growth downwards for 2025 to 6.3 per cent, and said that despite a projected moderation, the country remains one of the fastestgrowing large economies. The growth will be supported by resilient consumption and government spending, it said. In its report titled 'The World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2025', UN said the global economy is at a precarious juncture, marked by heightened trade tensions and elevated policy uncertainty. (See Page 12) he government has formed a 48-member multi-party delegation to be dispatched to major world capitals with a brief to expose Pakistan's hand in the recent Pahalgam terror attack and to mobilize global support against cross-border terrorism, sources said on Friday. According to the sources, the delegation will present India's evidence against Pakistan to the global community and will be led by Minister of Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju. The 48-member delegation will be divided into eight groups, consisting of six members each. Separately, other sources have also confirmed that the government has finalised a plan to send multi-party delegations for a diplomatic outreach with other countries to present India’s point of view on the recent India-Pakistan conflict in wake of the Pahalgam attack, in which 26 tourists were killed by unidentified terrorists. The delegation is expected to include popular parliamentarians from the BJP-led government and the Opposition parties, including Congress’ Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, Aam Aadmi Party’s Vikramjit Singh Sahney and All India Majlise-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s Asaduddin Owaisi among others. Besides, the delegations will also comprise former diplomats and other specialists. The multiple groups will leave for different destinations across the world from May 22 to June 1. The Congress has meanwhile consented to participate in the multi-party delegations that the government is planning to send to other countries to present India’s point of view on the recent India-Pakistan conflict and the subsequent ceasefire. "Keeping national interest above all, Congress will certainly join the delegation of multiparty MPs,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said disclosing that the “Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has spoken to the Congress President, who will depute party leaders." Though the Ministry of External Affairs was yet to formally confirm the planned initiative, sources however indicated that a move has been finalised to mobilise the multi-party delegations to visit other countries with the mission to bring the focus back on the core issue of terrorism in the global community. Previously in the past, erstwhile governments have also sent multiparty delegations to present the country’s view point. In 1994, Prime Minister P V Narasimha Omar, Mehbooba spar over Tulbul project resumption SP SHARMA JAMMU, 16 MAY While the tension on the borders was gradually de-escalating, a fierce war of words broke out between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti on Friday on the issue of revival of the long stalled Tulbul Navigation Project in North Kashmir after the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) by India following the massacre of 26 tourists in the Pahalgam terror attack. The confrontation between the two leaders escalated within a few hours, and Omar accused Mehbooba of trying to please some people sitting in Pakistan by opposing the project. The issue became hot after Omar, on Thursday evening, posted a video of the abandoned Tulbul project. Omar wrote on X: “The Wular lake in North Kashmir. The civil works you see in the video is the Tulbul Navigation Barrage. It was started in the early 1980s but had to be abandoned under pressure from Pakistan, citing the Indus Water Treaty. Now that the IWT has been “temporarily Murmu confers Jnanpith award on Jagadguru Rambhadracharya STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 MAY President Droupadi Murmu on Friday conferred the 58th Jnanpith Award on Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya at a function held at Vigyan Bhawan here. On the occasion, the President congratulated Jagadguru Rambhadracharya. She also congratulated renowned Urdu poet and lyricist Gulzar for the Jnanpith Award who could not attend the Award ceremony. She wished that Gulzar soon become fully healthy and active and continue to contribute to art, literature, society, and the country. The President said literature unites and awakens society. From the social awakening of the 19th century to our freedom struggle in the 20th century, poets and writers have played a great role in connecting people. The song 'Vande Mataram' composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay has been awakening the children of Mother India for almost 150 years, and will always do so. From Valmiki, Vyas, and Kalidas to the works of eternal poets like Rabindranath Tagore, we feel the pulse of a living India. This pulse is the voice of Indianness. Murmu praised the Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust for awarding outstanding litterateurs of various Indian languages since 1965. She said in the process of awarding outstanding literary figures in Indian languages, the selectors of the Bharatiya Jnanpith Award have selected the best literary figures and have preserved and promoted the dignity of this award. suspended, I wonder if we will be able to resume the project. It will give us the advantage of allowing us to use the Jhelum for navigation. It will also improve the power generation of downstream power projects, especially in winter”. Hitting back at Omar, PDP leader Mehbooba wrote on X: “Weaponizing something as essential and lifegiving as water is not only inhumane but also risks internationalising what should remain a bilateral matter.” Saying that he will continue to oppose the IWT, Omar wrote back: “Actually what is unfortunate is that with your blind lust to try to score cheap publicity points & please some people sitting across the border, you refuse to acknowledge that the IWT has been one of the biggest historic betrayals of the interests of the people of J&K. I have always opposed this treaty & I will continue to do so. Opposing a blatantly unfair treaty is in no way, shape, size, or form warmongering, it’s about correcting a historic injustice that denied the people of J&K the right to use our water for ourselves.” Rao sent Leader of the Opposition Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, Salman Khurshid and other leaders to make India’s case at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, where a Pakistan-sponsored resolution that sought to censure India on human rights in J&K was defeated. After the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also sent multi-party delegations to different continents with dossiers on Pakistan’s links to the terror attacks. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said Operation Sindoor was not yet over, issuing an open warning to Pakistan to mend its ways when it comes to harbouring terrorism. He also urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reconsider its onebillion-dollar assistance to Islamabad and refrain from providing any support in future as well. “Our actions were just a trailer, we will show the full picture, if need be. ‘Attacking and eliminating terrorism’ is the new normal of New India,” he said loud and clear during his address at the Bhuj Air Force Station in Gujarat. Stating that India’s fight against terrorism was not just a matter of security, but has now become a part of the national defence doctrine, Singh said the focus is on rooting out hybrid and proxy warfare. Speaking about the ongoing ceasefire between the two countries following two SC asks Bengal govt to pay 25 pc DA to state govt employees AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 16 MAY In an interim relief to lakhs of state government employees, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the West Bengal government to pay them dearness allowance (DA) at the rate of 25 per cent. A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta ordered the state government to comply with its directive within a period of three months. The Justice Karol-led Bench posted the long-standing dispute over DA arrears for further hearing in August. After getting unfavourable orders from the Calcutta High Court, which directed the state government to make immediate payments for the DA arrears, the West Bengal government filed a special leave petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court. In its decision, the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal government to clear DA arrears, holding that DA arrears are the legitimate right of the state government employees and not a gift of charity. The state government, in an affidavit before the Calcutta High Court, had pleaded that paying DA arrears, as per the court's direction, might lead to a financial disaster. The West Bengal government employees, under the umbrella of the Joint Forum of State Government Employees, have been conducting protest demonstrations in support of their demand for DA at par with Central government employees and the arrears accrued on it. In December last year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced an additional four per cent DA for the state government employees. However, the joint forum has described the increase as just an eyewash, as a gap of 36 per cent still remains with the Central government employees. Over 120 leading traders in Delhi announce boycott of Turkey and Azerbaijan RAHUL GAHLAWAT The two countries openly supported Pakistan amid tensions with India following its action against terrorist infrastructure in the neighbouring country. NEW DELHI, 16 MAY In a decisive move, more than 120 leading traders of Delhi, on Friday, announced a boycott of all types of commercial engagement with Turkey and Azerbaijan at the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). The move came in the wake of the two countries openly supporting Pakistan amid tensions with India following its action against terrorist infrastructure in the neighboring country. Speaking to The Statesman, CAIT Secretary General and MP Praveen Khandelwal said, “It is deeply unfortunate that Turkey and Azerbaijan, who have benefited from India’s goodwill, aid, and strategic support in times of distress, have now chosen to side with Pakistan, a country known globally for its support to terrorism. Their position not only hurts India’s sov- ereignty and national interest but also directly insults the sentiments of 140 crore Indians.” “The Indian trading community has always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the nation and whenever any country dares to challenge India’s integrity by standing with enemies of peace, we will respond with the strongest peaceful weapon at our disposal – economic disengagement,” the MP added. Khandelwal further said that the organization would launch a nationwide awareness campaign to educate and mobilize traders, consumers, and travel profes- sionals to join the boycott in the interest of national sovereignty, security, and pride. The key decisions taken during the conference include nationwide boycott of Turkish and Azerbaijani goods, refraining from any new business ties and trade deals, and cancellation of tourism plans. CAIT National President B C Bhartia said that the traders’ community expressed strong resentment and disappointment with both the countries, calling their actions “ungrateful and hostile”. It was unanimously agreed that such nations do not deserve any economic cooperation or trade advantage from India, he added. rounds of talks between the director generals of military operations, the defence minister said India has kept Pakistan on probation on the basis of its behaviour. “If the behaviour improves, it is fine; but if there is any disturbance, harshest punishment will be given,” he said. Clearly outlining that Pakistan has started rebuilding its terror infrastructure destroyed following the strike and destruction caused by India during Operation Sindoor, Singh said, “Pakistan will spend the tax collected from its citizens to give around Rs 14 crore to Masood Azhar, the head of Jaish-eMohammed terrorist organisation, even though he is an UN-designated terrorist. "The Pakistan government has also announced financial assistance to rebuild the terror infrastructure of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaishe-Mohammed located in Muridke and Bahawalpur. Certainly, a large part of IMF’s one billion dollars assistance will be used to fund the terror infrastructure. "Will this not be considered indirect funding by the IMF, an international organisation? Any financial assistance to Pakistan is no less than terror funding. The funds India gives to the IMF should not be used, directly or indirectly, to create terror infrastructure in Pakistan or any other country,” he said. Pak’s foreign minister embarrassed after quoting fake report on PAF supremacy STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 MAY Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar landed himself in thick soup after he claimed about Pakistan’s Air Force being called the “Undisputed King of the Skies” Citing a news report, which later turned out to be doctored, Dar during his address to the Senate said, “Telegraph writes Pakistan Air Force is the undisputed king of the skies.” Debunking the claims, the fact check unit of India’s Press Information Bureau’s stated that an image circulating on social media claims to show the front page of UK-based newspaper The Daily Telegraph, featuring a headline that reads: "Pakistan Air Force: The undisputed king of the skies” dated 10th May 2025. However, claiming that the image was AI-generated, PIB wrote, “The Daily Telegraph has NEVER carried any such article.” It also shared the video of Dar making the claim. It was captioned “This #fake claim was further amplified by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his statement to the Senate on 15 May 2025. By endorsing a completely fabricated image and headline, #Pakistan intentionally lent official weight to a piece of digital deception.” What further fueled the embarrassment was the fact that the fake news and its exaggeration by the Foreign minister, was fact checked by a Pakistani journalist, Imran Mukhtar.