FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 BRIEFLY ABVP bags top posts in DUSU polls: | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI A war of words flared up between the BJP and the Opposition Congress after the ruling party flagged claims by Yasin Malik, the incarcerated chief of the banned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) that he had met Lashkar-e-Taiyyaba (LeT) chief and 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed as part of a back-channel peace process and that the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had thanked him for his efforts. Malik, who is serving a life sentence in a terror funding case, made the claims in an affidavit submitted to the the Delhi High Court last month in response to a National Investigation Agency (NIA) plea which sought the death penalty for him. Amit Malviya, BJP leader in charge of the party’s IT cell, Singer Zubeen Garg dead in scuba diving accident in Singapore Guwahati, 19 September The singing sensation from Assam, Zubeen Garg, died in Singapore after a freak accident on Friday. According to reports, Garg exp erienced breathing difficulties while scuba diving and was rushed to Singapore General Hospital, where he was declared dead. Garg is survived by his wife and father. He had travelled to Singapore to BHUBANESWAR attend the North East Festival, and was scheduled to perform on Friday. Known for his soulful voice and versatility, he was 52 years old. The singer shot to fame with the song “Ya Ali” from the 2006 film Gangster. He had worked with various music industries, including Assamese, Bengali, and Hindi films, and had recorded around 38,000 songs in 40 different languages. PM Modi, among others, expressed shock and sadness over Garg’s sudden death. “Shocked by the sudden demise of popular singer Zubeen Garg. He will be remembered for his rich contribution to music. His renditions were very popular among people across all walks of life. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," PM Modi said in a post on the ‘X’ platform. PARWINDER SANDHU New Delhi, 19 September facilities, Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur and Markaz Taiba near Muridke, while the Army simultaneously targeted seven other locations, including Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot; Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad; Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli; Barnala in Bhimber; and Sarjal. The decision to relocate their bases reflects a significant tactical adaptation by JeM and | Saturday, 20 September 2025 No scope for third-party mediation between India & Pakistan, says MEA ‘India committed to taking partnership with USA to new heights’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 19 September STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 19 September Former PM Manmohan Singh (R) shakes hands with JKLF Chairman Yasin Malik (L), during a meeting in New Delhi, 17 February 2006. FILE PHOTOGRAPH said on X on Friday: “If these new claims are true, they raise grave questions about the UPA’s handling of national security and back-channel diplomacy,” he added. The Congress came out in defence of former PM Manmohan Singh on Friday and slammed the BJP for questioning his meeting with Malik. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera accused the BJP of hypocrisy, pointing out the party's past interactions with Malik. "A Prime Minister extending courtesy to someone claiming to pursue peace should not raise eyebrows," Mr Khera said in a post on X, emphasising: "What truly shocks is why the RSS met Yasin Malik in 2011? The BJP was not even in power then." Mr Khera also highlighted the BJP's past engagement with Malik, including that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, when he intervened with the UPA government in May 2007 to let Malik's Safar-e-Azadi (March for Freedom) proceed. Poll panel denies Rahul’s mass voter deletion allegations STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 19 September The Election Commission of India Friday rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of mass voter deletion, calling them "incorrect and baseless." Mr Gandhi has claimed that millions of voters, largely from opposition-leaning communities, were deliberately removed from electoral rolls using fraudulent methods during the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections. The ECI explained that electoral rolls are prepared in accordance with the law, and any correction, deletion, or inclusion can be made only by following the procedure laid down in law. "No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public," the EC said in a press note. It added that no name is deleted from the roll without issuing a notice to the affected person and giving them an opportunity to be heard. In the Aland constituency of Karnataka, 6,018 applications for voter deletion were submitted online, out of which only 24 were found genuine and accepted. The remaining 5,994 applications were rejected after verification. An FIR was registered by the Electoral Registration Officer in February 2023, suspecting the genuineness of the large number of deletion applications. In Maharashtra's Rajura constituency, 7,792 applications for new voter registration were received, out of which 6,861 were found invalid and rejected. An inquiry was conducted, and a crime case was registered at Rajura Police Station. JeM, HM relocate to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after Indian strikes in Operation Sindoor Hours before the high-profile India–Pakistan match in Dubai on 14 September, the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) conducted a public recruitment drive at Garhi Habibullah in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mansehra district. Sources indicate that, in the aftermath of the destruction of their bases during India’s Operation Sindoor, both JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have begun a calculated strategic shift of their activities into Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. On 7 May, the Indian Air Force struck two major | Sam Pitroda stirs row by calling Pakistan home; BJP terms remarks ‘anti-India’ New Delhi, 19 September STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE SILIGURI Malik’s claim ignites war of words between BJP, Cong STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi: The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, swept the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) polls on Friday, with Aryan Maan elected president and the ABVP also clinching the secretary and joint secretary posts. Maan bagged the top post after defeating nine other candidates who contested for the position. He secured 28,841 votes, way ahead of the 12,645 votes garnered by National Students' Union of India (NSUI) candidate Joslyn Nandita Choudhary. | HM, which now views PoK as vulnerable to Indian precision strikes, while KPK offers greater depth due to its geography, proximity to the Afghan frontier, and existing jihadi safe havens dating back to the Afghan war. Sources further confirmed that the movement is being conducted with full awareness and direct facilitation of Pakistan’s state structures, as evidenced by overt JeM gatherings held under police protection and the tacit involvement of political-religious outfits like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). Revealing details of the recruitment drive which was conducted seven hours before cricket match, the sources said that it was organised jointly by JeM and JUI under the garb of “Deobandi religious gathering.” It may be recalled that the rally, whose videos went viral on social media, was addressed by Maulana Mufti Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, alias Abu Mohammad (photo). Kashmiri was guarded at the rally by both JeM cadres armed with M4 rifles and local police officers, including Inspector Liaqat Shah of Garhi Habibullah Police Station, clearly indicating both state complicity and the boldness of JeM’s revivalist strategy. Rahul Gandhi’s close aide and Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) chief Sam Pitroda sparked a controversy on Friday by terming Pakistan “home”, with several BJP leaders calling it an “anti-India” approach of the Congress. His observation of finding ‘striking similarity’ between p e ople of India and n e i g h b o u r i n g n a t i o n s, i n c l u d i n g Pakistan and Bangladesh and advocacy for ‘neighbourhood diplomacy’, attracted sharp reactions from many ruling party leaders, who slammed his alleged ‘undying love’ for the “terror-sponsoring” nation. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 19 September India on Friday asserted that there is no role for any third party in resolving issues between India and Pakistan. ''All issues between India and Pakistan are bilateral...there is no scope for third-party mediation,'' Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing. He was asked for his comments on recent statements made by Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar about the latter's discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the wake of the hostilities between India and Pakistan in May. On reports that Pakistan is rebuilding the terrorist camps destroyed by the Indian forces during ''Operation Sindoor'', the spokesperson said the whole world is now aware of the nexus between the terrorists, the Pakistani state, and the military establishment. He said the global community fully realises that the world has to fight terrorism and cross-border terrorism. In this regard, the spokesperson referred to the declarations adopted by recent multilateral summits, which highlighted the need to step up efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Amid the recent easing of trade tensions with Washington, India on Friday reaffirmed its commitment to taking the Indo -US comprehensive global strategic partnership to new heights. At a media briefing here, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said a trade delegation from the USA was in New Delhi earlier this week and held talks with Commerce Ministry officials. The talks, he said, were positive and forward-looking. The two sides have decided to intensify efforts to conclude a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), the spokesperson added.