THE SUNDAY Vol. 36 No. 34 | Sunday, May 18, 2025 29 Pages | `5 & for State `6 | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper PLAY & PAUSE Weekend Sleeper cells: Fatal commodity you might be unaware of Good Life Impact of jaundice on children Bombay’s journey through a photographer’s lens Sunday Read Costao director Sejal Shah on her journey MANY VOICES, ONE MESSAGE | Delegations to travel to nearly 40 countries to stress India’s zero tolerance to terrorism policy Unity theme as 7 teams set to fan out with Delhi message ‘Narad Muni politics’ Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI (L-R) BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, Congress’s Shashi Tharoor, NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule, DMK’s Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, BJP’s Baijayant Panda, JDU’s Sanjay Kumar Jha and Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde are heading the delegations Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI The Centre on Saturday picked three MPs from Opposition parties, two from its NDA allies and two from the BJP to lead the seven delegations that would travel to nearly 40 countries from next week to convey India’s decision to conduct Operation Sindoor. The process was not without its hiccups. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attacked the display of political unity by urging the Congress mein hona aur Congress ka hona mein zameen-aasmaan ka antar hai.... The Congress is like the mighty Ganga, which has many tributaries… Some of them dry up and some get polluted – Jairam Ramesh on Shashi Tharoor Congress leadership to drop Gaurav Gogoi from its list of delegates. Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs announced that “in the context of Operation Sindoor and India’s continued fight against cross-border terrorism” seven  all-party delegations would visit “key partner countries”, including members of the UN Security Council later this month. It added that these delegations would be projecting India’s “national consensus and resolute approach” to combat- Dhankhar: Osama kill parallel in Op Sindoor PTI NEW DELHI Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday drew similarities between Operation Sindoor and the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan. Describing attacks on nine terror sites in Pakistan as the "deepest-ever cross-border strike" by India, the vice president recalled the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States. He was speaking at the Annual Convocation of Jaipuria Institute of ManagementDhankhar commended PM Modi and the Armed Forces for the operation’s suc- cess. Without naming bin Laden, he said that on May 2, 2011, a global terrorist who planned, supervised, and executed September 11 attacks inside the US was "dealt with" by the US forces "similarly". “Bharat has done it. And done it to the knowledge of the world," he declared. He said that a new "global benchmark" has been set. While maintaining the spirit of peace, the objective has been to strike at terrorism. For the first time, precise strikes were carried out deep across the International Border on the strongholds of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. He said the strikes were so precise that only terrorists were harmed. In operation Neptune Spear where Osama Bin Laden had been assassinated, the United States, in an audacious move, sent navy helicopters with 23 US Navy Seals, an inerpreter and a combat dog to the compund in Abbotabad where Osama lived, deep inside Pakistan. 4Contd on | Nation ing terrorism in all forms and manifestations. “They would carry forth to the world the country's strong message of zero-tolerance against terrorism,” the ministry said. Stating that Members of Parliament from different parties, prominent political personalities, and distinguished diplomats will be part of each delegation, the Ministry announced that those chosen to head these delegations include Shashi Tharoor 4Contd on | Nation The Congress on Saturday accused the ruling BJP of playing “Narad Muni politics” for including its party MP Shashi Tharoor’s name in the list of seven parliamentarians who would be heading allparty delegations abroad to explain Operation Sindoor for doing so without consulting the party leadership. The Congress general secretary termed the saffron party’s move “dishonest” and “outright mischievous” and insisted 4Contd on | Nation Trump in no hurry to sign pact with India Agencies NEW YORK US President Donald Trump has for the second time claimed that India offered to remove all tariffs on American goods, though this time he insisted he was in no hurry to finalise a trade deal despite the apparent breakthrough. In an interview with Fox News on Friday,  Trump described India as emblematic of the protectionist barriers he is determined to dismantle. “They make it almost impossible to do business. Did you know they’re willing to cut 100 per cent of their tariffs for the United States?” he asked. Yet he hedged on timing. “That’ll come soon. I’m in no rush. Look, everybody wants to make a deal with us,” he said, Did you know they’re willing to cut 100 per cent of their tariffs for the United States?… I’m in no rush. adding pointedly, “I’m not planning to make deals with everybody.” Reacting on Thursday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar cautioned that negotiations remain “complicated” and far from complete. “Nothing is decided until everything is decided,” he told reporters. “Any trade deal must be mutually beneficial; it must work for both countries. Until that is done, any judgment would be premature.” 4Contd on | Nation No HC relief to student over social media posts Overstaying Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has refused to grant interim relief to a finalyear law student of Symbiosis Law School who was suspended over her political social media posts, including one critical of the Indian Army’s recent “Operation Sindoor.” OPERATION SINDOOR The student was suspended by the Director of the institute on May 10, 2025, from all academic and non-academic activities “till further orders.” This decision was subsequently upheld by the Campus Disciplinary Committee (CDC) on May 13, which also barred her from appearing in internal, semester, and backlog exams during the suspension period. The court was informed that a First Information Report had been registered against one Rajas Madepaddi alias Siddik on May 8, and the student was found present with him at the time of his arrest in a Nagpur hotel. Attention was also drawn to the student’s social media activity. “Most of the posts appear to be political in nature,” Justice Rohit Joshi noted, adding, “however, one post appears to be contrary to the official version of the Government of India in relation to ‘Operation Sindoor’.” gators question her for further details. An FIR was filed at Hisar Civil Lines police station following a complaint by Sub Inspector Sanjay, confirmed Hisar police spokesperson Vikas Kumar. This wasn’t espionage with trench coats and dead drops. It was espionage 2.0—driven by hashtags, burner phones, and Instagram polls. Elegant, feminine, and lethal. Jyoti’s story began, as these stories often do, with a visa and a man. Danish, he called himself—Ehsan-urRahim, a diplomat at the Pakistan High Commission. They met in 2023 when she applied to visit Kartarpur. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation Six held for Pakistan espionage Rajesh Moudgil In the chrome-and-neon dazzle of influencer culture, Jyoti Rani Malhotra was a rising star. Her YouTube channel Travel with Jo was all Himalayan sunsets and chai with locals—her voice perky, her face always just-so in the frame. Her tagline: “The world is my home.” What no one knew was that her home had cracks deep enough to swallow a nation’s secrets. Until Friday. The knock on her Hisar apartment door came at dawn. No cameras, no warning. Just silence—and a warrant. Within an hour, one of India’s most photogenic vloggers had become its Jyoti Malhotra Arman Nuh most unlikely spy suspect. By evening, six arrests had followed: Devendra from Kaithal, the mild-mannered grad student who used Kartarpur pilgrimages to snap cantonment pictures; Guzala from Malerkotla, who moved cash with the precision of a stockbroker; Nauman, Arman, and Yameen—the silent shadows, couriers and Naumi Ilahi watchers. A network stitched across Punjab and Haryana, their roles choreographed like a spy thriller gone digital. Jyoti Malhotra has been charged under Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. She is now in five days’ police remand while investi- Agencies NEW DELHI The US Embassy in India on Saturday warned that people who stay in the US beyond their authorised period of stay will face deportation or a permanent ban on travelling to the US in the future. In a post shared on X, the US Embassy in India stated, "If you remain in the United States beyond your authorized period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States in the future." Meanwhile, a federal appeals court refused to allow the Trump administration to restart deporting migrants to nations other than their own without prior notice or the opportunity to seek protection from persecution or torture, CNN reported. The US First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's request to block a lower court decision halting the policy. The court's decision comes amid rising concerns over reported plans to send the spy who vlogged CHANDIGARH will lead to deportation, says US Delhi gave in to US on IMF vote: Cong Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI INDIA-PAKISTAN CEASEFIRE ‘UK, US working on CBMs and dialogue’ Agencies The Congress on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of buckling under “US pressure” and not voting against the $2.1 billion International Monetary Fund loan to Pakistan. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote in a post on “X” that “Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is now criticising the IMF for approving the over $2 billion in loans to Pakistan on May 9th, 2025.” However, he pointed out that “On April 29th itself - before the Modi Govt woke up the INC had said that the IMF Executive Board was meeting on May 9th to consider this issue and that India should oppose it forcefully.” Ramesh on April 29 had cautioned the Centre about the loan application saying: “The IMF has just announced that its Executive Board is meeting on May 9th, 2025 to consider Pakistan's request for a new $1.3 billion loan under the IMF's Resilience and Sustainability Facility. The INC expects India to strongly oppose this assistance.” 4Contd on | Nation ISLAMABAD Britain on Saturday claimed it is working with the US to ensure the ceasefire between India and Pakistan endures and that "confidence-building measures" and dialogue take place, foreign minister David Lammy said on Saturday. The claim adds weight to US President Donald Trump's assertion that he helped broker the cease fire. "We will continue to work with the United States to ensure that we get an enduring ceasefire, to ensure that dialogue is happening and to work through with Pakistan and India how we can get to confidence and confidence-building measures between the two sides," Lammy told Reuters in Pakistan's capital Islamabad at the end of a two-day visit. The US had said after the ceasefire was struck that talks should take place in a thirdcountry venue but no dates or location for the talks have been announced. "These are two neighbours with a long history but they are two neighbours that have barely been able to speak to one other over this past period, and we want to ensure that we do not see further es- We will continue to work with the US to ensure dialogue is happening – David Lammy calation and that the ceasefire endures," Lammy said. Asked about India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, potentially squeezing Pakistan's water supply, Lammy said: "We would urge all sides to meet their treaty obligations." Delhi said last month it had "put in abeyance" its participation in the 1960 pact, which governs use of the Indus river system, a move Pakistan says it would consider an act of war if it disrupted access to water in the agriculturally dependent nation. 4Contd on | Nation