THURSDAY 19 JUNE 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 |LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR KCR AND JAGAN COLLUDED TO TAP MY PHONE: Y S SHARMILA NO SURRENDER: IRAN WARNS USA OF ‘IRREPARABLE DAMAGE’ P11 SENSEX 81,444.66 q138.64 ‘INDIA MAINTAINED HEALTHY GROWTH RATE DESPITE GLOBAL VOLATILITY’ P6 NIFTY 24,812.05 q41.35 ` vs $ 86.52 P12 GOLD `1,02,305 HARSHIT RANA IN INDIA’S SQUAD AHEAD OF FIRST TEST P16 SILVER `1,11,000 RAINFALL: 012.2 mm US had no role in brokering ceasefire: Modi to Trump RELATIVE HUMIDITY BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 76.95 CM Mamata rejects Centre’s proposals on ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’, ‘Bangla Diwas’ India has never accepted, will never accept mediation in bilateral relations with Pakistan: PM WEATHER Generally Cloudy sky. A few spells of light rain/ thundershower likely to occur. Max. 98% Min. 95% SHAHID K ABBAS NEW DELHI, 18 JUNE TEMPERATURE Max: 27.7˚C ( -6.1 ) Min: 25.7 ˚C ( -1.3 ) SUN RISES 04:52 hrs MOON RISES 23:38 hrs SUN SETS 18:23 hrs MOON SETS 11:05 hrs New Moon on 25 June THUMBNAILS S etting the record straight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear to US President Donald Trump that the USA had no role in brokering the ceasefire between India and Pakistan last month. During a 35-minute phone conversation Mr Modi also pointed out that there was no discussion on a US-India trade deal during the recent hostilities. “India has never accepted, does not accept, and will never accept mediation in its bilateral relations with Pakistan,” Mr Modi clarified. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the two leaders discussed India-Pakistan relations, with PM Modi clarifying that there was no discussion of trade deals or mediation between India and Pakistan during the recent conflict. Notably, Congress and other Opposition parties have consistently been demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence on the repeated claims by US President Trump that his threat of cutting trade with India and Pakistan led to the ceasefire. “India has made it clear to the world that it will not tolerate terrorism and will take all necessary actions to combat it,” Mr Misri said, quoting the Prime Minister. Briefing President Trump on Operation Sindoor and India's action against terrorism, PM Modi emphasised that the operation was measured, precise, and nonescalatory. The call came after a scheduled meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G7 Summit was cancelled due to Mr Trump's early departure, the Foreign Secretary said. India, Canada agree to restore High Commissioners, end diplomatic rift CDS General Anil Chauhan during the commissioning ceremony of INS Arnala at Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. nANI Axiom-4 mission eyes 22 June as probable new launch date: After multiple rounds of delays and rescheduling, the Axiom-4 mission — which includes Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla — is now targeting a probable launch date of 22 June, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Wednesday. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 JUNE Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have agreed to restore high commissioners to each other's capitals, marking a significant step towards repairing bilateral ties between the two nations. The decision was arrived at during a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada. The diplomatic rift between India and Canada began in 2023, when then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in the killing of proKhalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated", but the row over Nijjar's killing led to a downgrade in diplomatic ties. India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case and expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats. The restoration of high commissioners is the first step in a series of "calibrated and constructive" measures to restore stability in the relationship. Both nations have agreed to resume seniorlevel dialogues on trade, peopleto-people contact, and connectivity. India launches Operation Sindhu to evacuate nationals from Iran STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 JUNE In view of the deteriorating situation due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, India has launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from Iran. The Government of India has been taking various steps over the last several days for the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. “As a first step, the Indian Embassy has evacuated 110 Indian students from northern Iran, assisting them in safely crossing over into Armenia on June 17. The students have travelled by road to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, under the supervision of our Missions in Iran and Armenia. These students departed Yerevan on a special flight at 1455 hrs on June 18 and will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of June 19 as part of the initial stages of Operation Sindhu," the MEA said in a statement. As part of the operation, the Indian Embassy in Iran has been assisting large numbers of Indian nationals in moving from areas seeing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country and to subsequently evacuate them using available and feasible options. the MEA statement said. Trade negotiations, which were paused due to the diplomatic strain, will also be taken up soon. The two leaders, during their meeting, underscored the importance of “restarting senior ministerial as well as working-level engagements across various domains to rebuild trust and bring momentum to the relationship”. They also discussed the importance of restarting the stalled trade negotiations. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 18 JUNE Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today attacked the Centre for imposing its political agenda on state governments, objecting to directives urging states to observe 25 June as ‘Samvidhan Hatya Divas’ (Constitution Murder Day) and 20 June as “Bangla Divas”. Speaking at a press conference at Nabanna, Miss Banerjee said the move concealed a political agenda and accused the Central government of itself “undermining democracy and federalism every day by disregarding constitutional principles.” Miss Banerjee was referring to a letter written to the state chief secretary where it was mentioned that 25 June has been notified as "Samvidhan Hatya Diwas" (Constitution Assassination Day) vide Ministry of Home Affairs Notification dated 11 July 2024. “Those who break the Constitution every day are now pretending to mourn its death. This is pure hypocrisy,” Miss Banerjee said. “How can the Centre impose such directives on state governments when democracy is being systematically dismantled? We see governments being toppled arbitrarily in states like Bihar, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh through political manipulation.” Rejecting the proposal for Bangla Divas observance on 20 June, she asked: “Who decided this date? On 20 June (1947), a resolution was passed stating Bengal would remain with India, while East Bengal would align with Pakistan. We achieved independence on 15 August ~ two months later. Would you dictate which day Bengal should observe? This is an utter insult to the people of Bengal. Here, we recognise Bangla Divas only on Poila Baishakh.”