Saturday, May 10, 2025 | 36 Pages | `5 & for State (+4 pages) `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 186 | Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) NATION Reducing family size in South could reduce its representation due to delimitation. GAMES World Pope Leo XIV celebrates first mass as pontiff BCCI suspends IPL 2025 owing to IndiaPakistan military tensions Edit A new pope, a familiar path AIR DEFENCE | India thwarts attempts of 400 Pakistani drones at 36 locations to probe air defence system; inflicts heavy casualties in retaliatory shelling Long night of snoop drones Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Pakistan sent between 300 and 400 drones at 36 locations across the Indian border on May 8-9 and India was able to bring “a number of these drones” using “kinetic and non-kinetic methods” the briefing officer on Operation Sindoor said on Friday. Addressing the media on how Pakistan had escalated the situation, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said that Pakistan had sent 300-400 drones at 36 locations and preliminary investigation showed that Turkey’s SONGAR drones were used during these strikes. Col. Qureshi added that “on the intervening night of May 8 and May 9, Pakistan army tried Briefs MOVE ON TERRITORIAL ARMY Amid heightened tensions with Pakistan, the Central Government on Friday empowered the Chief of Army Staff to activate all officers and personnel of the Territorial Army under Rule 33 of the Territorial Army Rules, 1948. A Defence Ministry notification sanctioned 14 of the 32 Infantry Battalions for deployment across all major Army Commands, including Andaman and Nicobar. The order will remain effective till February 2028. IPL suspended amid tensions The Indian Premier League has been suspended for a week due to the escalating military tensions between India and Pakistan. The BCCI cited national interest following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s missile strikes in response. Thursday's Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals match was halted mid-way after air raid alerts. 24 airports shut till May 15 At least 24 airports in northern and western India, including Srinagar and Chandigarh, remain closed for civilian flights until May 15, sources confirmed on Friday. This extension follows an initial closure period set to end on May 10, due to the ongoing military conflict between India and Pakistan. Airlines, including Air India and IndiGo, have canceled flights to these airports, such as Jammu, Amritsar, Leh, and Bikaner, as a safety precaution. Affected passengers will be offered waivers or full refunds. WHAT IS SONGAR? Songar is a low-cost Turkish drone equipped with cameras that can function both in day and night and can be fitted with several types of weapons to remotely destroy targets. According to the wikepedia, it is 65 cm × 62 cm × 75 cm during transportation and 105 cm × 62 cm × 75 cm during flight. Fully armed and equipped it is 45 kg and capable of operating at a a of 1,300 ft to 9,200 above mean sea level. to attack military installations on the western borders. From Leh to Sir Creek, Pakistan army used drones for infiltration.” She said the Indian Armed Forces used kinetic and non- kinetic methods to neutralise these drones which were used to test the air defence system and to “gather intelligence”. The officer said “an armed Pakistani UAV also tried to attack the military station in Bhatinda, but the attempt was detected and neutralised.” In response to Pakistan's attack, Colonel Qureshi said, armed drones were launched against four Pakistani air defence sites installations. Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force, who spoke about the air operations, said on May 8-9 night Pakistan military carried out multiple violations of Indian airspace along the entire western border with the intent to target military infrastructure. “Pakistan military also resorted to firing of heavy calibre weapons along the LoC. Along the international border and LoC drone intrusions were attempted.” 4Contd on | Nation US Vice President JD Vance (R) said on Thursday that India and Pakistan should de-escalate tensions, but he added that the U.S. cannot control the nuclear-armed Asian neighbors and a war between them would be "none of our business" and could force “neither side to lay down arms.” "We want this thing to de-escalate as quickly as possible. We can't control these countries, though," Vance said in an interview on Fox News show "The Story with Martha MacCallum." "What we can do is try to encourage these folks to deescalate a little bit, but we're not going to get involved in the middle of war that's fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with Trump wants quick de-escalation: WH US President Donald Trump wants to see the conflict between India and Pakistan de-escalate “as quickly as possible”, the White House said on Friday. WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The President has expressed he wants to see this de-escalate as quickly as possible. He understands these are two countries that have been at odds with one another for decades, long before President Trump was here in the Oval Office. This is something the Secy of State and, of course, now our national security advisor as well, Marco Rubio, has been very much involved in.” —PTI America's ability to control it," he added. He said the US would “continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels”. On an earlier occassion Vance had said that “Our hope Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn’t lead to a broader regional conflict.” 4Contd on | Nation unprovoked drone and missile attack on May 7 evening. The office said Pakistan had launched the attack at 8-30 p.m. on May 7 but it deliberately did not close the airspace for civilian airliners in order to use them as a shield. Singh said Pakistan knew “fully well that its attack on India would elicit a swift air defence response”. Yet, she said, it did not close its airspace to civil airliners. NEW DELHI India has accused Pakistan of using commercial aircraft and citizens as shields while attacking India with drones and UAVs on the intervening night of May 8-9 endangering aircraft flying in the area. During a briefing on Operation Sindoor, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force charged that Pakistan deliberately did not close its civil airspace despite launching a failed and Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI India on Friday said after firing drones at Amritsar, which houses the Golden Temple, and 14 other cities on May 7, Pakistan resorted to making “preposterous and outrageous claims” that Indian armed forces were targeting their own cities like Amritsar and blaming it for their actions. Raising the issue during the briefing on Operation Sindoor, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, “Instead of owning up to its actions, Pakistan made the preposterous and outrageous claims that it is the Indian armed forces that is targeting its own cities like Amritsar and trying to blame Pakistan... They are wellversed in such actions as their history would show....” Misri added that Pakistan had resorted to a similar tactic when it came Nankana Sahib, another holy shrine of the Sikhs. “Pakistan spread disinformation that India targeted the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara through a drone attack, which is yet another blatant lie... Pakistan is trying desperately to impart a com- India abstains as IMF throws Pak lifeline FPJ News Service MUMBAI New Delhi has sounded alarm over the International Monetary Fund’s decision to release a second tranche of $1 billion to Pakistan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), pointing to Islamabad’s chequered history with global lenders and warning that the funds risk being diverted from intended reforms. India abstained from voting. In a sharply-worded statement, India questioned the wisdom of repeated IMF bailouts for Pakistan, noting that the country has borrowed from the Fund in 28 of the last 35 years. “Had previous programs succeeded, Pakistan wouldn’t be knocking again,” India said, adding that the nation has had four IMF programs since 2019 alone. India flagged “serious con- cerns” that the funds could indirectly support state-sponsored terrorism, and criticised Pakistan’s military for its sweeping influence over economic policy. Despite civilian leadership, the army’s control remains entrenched, including its lead role in the Special Investment Facilitation Council. Quoting a 2021 UN report, India reminded the IMF that military-owned enterprises form Pakistan’s largest business conglomerates — a fact that undermines transparency and reform. India also cited the IMF’s own evaluation of prolonged lending to Pakistan, which warned that political considerations appear to outweigh economic discipline. With a ballooning debt load and little sign of systemic change, India warned the IMF may have created a precedent — turning Pakistan into a “too big to fail” debtor. MUMBAI Court says current climate demands Army morale be upheld; Justice Kant praises service of experienced officers. The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the relieving of all women Army officers currently in service until the next date of hearing, issuing a significant interim order amid rising tensions following the recent Pahalgam terror attack. A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed, "Without creating any equity in their favor, it is directed that all officers-in-service be not relieved till the next date." The case specifically pertained to Lt. Col. Geeta Sharma, a Short FPJ News Service Pakistan launched a fresh wave of drone attacks targeting 26 locations — from J&K to Gujarat — for the second night on Friday, with the defence ministry saying the enemy's attempts to hit vital installations, including airports and air bases, were successfully thwarted. Some members of a family were injured in Ferozpur, Punjab, the only known injuries in the attacks carried out after darkness fell. All the states that border Pak were under a blackout. —PTI Agencies WASHINGTON Islamabad painting ‘Pak used civil aircraft as shield’ it communal: Misri munal hue to the situation with an intention to create a communal discord,” he insisted. Earlier on Thursday, the Foreign Secretary had also pointed out how Pakistan had launched a targeted attack on the Sikh community in Poonch. 4Contd on | Nation DAWOOD RUMOURS There were reports on Friday that don Dawood Ibrahim has left Pakistan. However, sources in the security establishment denied these reports. They said he is very much in Pakistan and there is a strong possibility that he might be used by the ISI yet again to launch an operation in Mumbai. – S Balakrishnan See Mumbai Review meet CM Devendra Fadnavis chaired a high-level security review on Friday. The meeting resulted in a series of decisive measures including cancellation of leaves of senior officials in key departments and conducting mock drills in each district. The state government will also establish war rooms and launch public awareness campaigns in housing societies. See Mumbai Pause on release of women officers SC BOOST TO ARMY 26 PLACES TARGETED Diplomatic channels being used for de-escalation: US Service Commission officer who was recently relieved despite not being dismissed. Appearing for Sharma, Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy urged the Court to let her continue serving, citing her meritorious record and the precedent set in the Babita Puniya case, which enabled Permanent Commission for women. Guruswamy reminded the Court how Col. Sofiya Qureshi led ‘Operation Sindoor’ after a similar judicial reprieve reported Live Law. Justice Kant, expressing deep respect for Army personnel, stated, "This is not the time to have these officers run around courtrooms... 4Contd on | Nation Colonel Sofiya Qureshi 4Contd on | Nation 4More reports in | Nation