FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 335 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | MAY 19, 2025 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Nation Cong leaders picked by govt should listen to their conscience: Party P.7 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL WORLD 8 KIDS AMONG 17 KILLED IN HYDERABAD INFERNO PTI HYDERABAD fp Briefs MUMBAI 8 killed in factory fire Eight persons, including three women and a child, were killed in a massive fire at a factory in Maharashtra's Solapur district on Sunday, officials said. Prima facie, a short in the circuit triggered the blaze around 3:45 am at Central Textile Mills situated on the Akkalkot Road in Solapur MIDC, around 400 km from Mumbai. VIZIANAGARAM 2 held with explosives Andhra Pradesh Police and their Telangana counterparts held a joint operation that led to the arrest of two men suspected of planning blasts in Hyderabad. Siraj Ur Rehman (29) from Vizianagaram was detained following a tip-off. Explosives, including ammonia, sulphur, and aluminium powder, were seized from his premises during a search, police said on Sunday. "In the course of the investigation, Rehman revealed details leading to the detention of another individual, Syed Sameer (28), from Hyderabad," police added. LONDON 'Confidential impediment' A London High Court judge who refused Nirav Modi's latest bail application this week has taken note in his judgment of a "confidential impediment" in the long-drawn extradition proceedings against the imprisoned diamantaire wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges. Smoke billows from a building after a fire broke out in Hyderabad family have been living there for over a century. The family is said to be running a jewellery shop in the city. "Now only two members of the family are left. I want to offer my condolences. I was informed by DG Fire Services that most of the deaths happened due to asphyxiation and fumes...let the report come, it is very painful," he said. Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand told PTI that most of the buildings, includ- ing the one that caught fire, at Gulzar House and surrounding areas are of 100 to 200 years old. Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services Director General Y Nagi Reddy, who inspected the spot, told reporters that the fire was reported between 6- 6.15 am. During the rescue operation, one Fire official was also injured and admitted to hospital. Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy in Hyderabad. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon 4Continued on | P8 Narendra Modi Prime Minister Five drown in Vidisha, Mauganj Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Tragedy struck twice in state over the weekend as five people, including three brothers, drowned in two separate incidents in Vidisha and Mauganj districts, police said on Sunday. In the first incident, two children died while bathing in a pond in Amarpura village under Shamshabad police station area of Vidisha district on Saturday evening. According to Shamshabad police station in-charge Vir- India clinch U19 SAFF title Edge B’desh in penalty thriller In Mauganj, three brothers lost their lives while trying to save one another from drowning in Nihai river endra Kumar, 14-year-old Kartik Yadav and 12-year-old Aryan Shakya had gone to pluck mangoes in a nearby orchard. While returning, the boys ventured into a pond to cool off. Unaware of the depth, they drowned. “The boys were likely unable to judge the depth of the water,” the officer said. A case has been registered. In a separate incident in Mauganj's Papkhar village on Sunday, three brothers lost their lives while trying to save one another from drowning in Nihai river. Police said that Aman Tiwari (18), Abhay Tiwari (17), and their cousin Abhishek Mishra (24) had gone to bathe in the river. According to local reports, Abhishek accidentally drifted into deeper waters. 4Continued on | P8 Five escape from juvenile home FP News Service KHANDWA Agencies YUPIA In a night charged with intensity and national pride, India’s U19 team emerged champions of the 2025 SAFF Men’s Championship, defeating Bangladesh 4-3 in a dramatic penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. The match was a true test of grit, heart, and focus — a highstakes finale that saw India lifting the title for the second time amid deafening chants and a wave of tricolour. India’s early dominance bore fruit as Shami Singamayum struck a brilliant opener, curling a beauty past the Bangladesh keeper. Bangladesh equalised with a determined second-half goal, turning the tide and testing the composure of the Indian backline. Five juveniles escaped from Khandwa Juvenile Home early Sunday morning. They made a hole by breaking through a wall with an iron rod. The escape happened around 4 am when the boys, who were all from Khargone district, created a hole large enough to crawl through. CSPAbhinav Barange reported that the juveniles had been in custody for about a year on theft charges. The boys carefully planned their escape. They chose to make the hole in a section of the outer wall where security cameras couldn't see them. They used an iron rod, also called a ‘sabbal,’ to break through the wall bit by bit until they created a tunnel big enough to fit through. Staff at the reform home discovered empty beds during PUNE INDORE NASHIK E-paper Brand Sutra Efficacy - The Real Hit P.12 ‘No expiry date to Indo-Pak pause on hostilities’ Op Sindoor effect: IMF slaps 11 new conditions on Pakistan PTI NEW DELHI There is "no expiry date" to the understanding reached between Indian and Pakistani Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) on cessation of hostilities nearly a week back, the Indian Army said on Sunday. The clarification came following reports that the arrangement between the two militaries on stopping the hostilities is ending this evening. The Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan on May 12 decided to continue with the understanding of halting all military actions. The arrangement was originally reached for two days when the DGMOs held a conversation over the hotline on May 10. "As far as continuation of break in hostilities, as decided in DGMOs interaction of May 12 are concerned, there is no expiry date to it," the Indian Army said in a brief clarification. 4Continued on | P8 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slapped 11 new conditions on Pakistan for the release of the next tranche of its bailout programme and warned that tensions with India could heighten risks to the scheme's fiscal, external, and reform goals, according to a media report on Sunday. The new conditions imposed on Pakistan include the parliamentary approval of a new Rs 17.6 trillion budget, an increase in the debt servicing surcharge on electricity bills and lifting restrictions on import of more than three-yearold used cars. The Express Tribune newspaper said the Staff Level report, which the IMF released on Saturday, also said that "rising tensions between India and Pakistan, if sustained or deteriorate further, could heighten risks to the fiscal, external and reform goals of the programme". The report further stated that tensions between Pakistan and India have risen sig- PTI NEW DELHI IANS NEW DELHI India's pharmaceutical industry, which has emerged as the largest supplier of affordable generic medicines, is poised to grow at 7.8 per cent year-on-year in April 2025 driven by strong demand and new products, according to experts at India better healthcare and jobs in factories and labs across the country. From small towns to big cities, India’s pharma growth is creating opportunities and saving lives," a government official nificantly over the past two weeks, but so far, the market reaction has been modest, with the stock market retaining most of its recent gains and spreads widening moderately. The IMF report has shown the defence budget for the next fiscal year at Rs 2.414 trillion, which is higher by Rs 252 billion or 12%. Compared to the IMF's projection, the government has indicated allocating over Rs 2.5 trillion or an 18% higher budget, after confrontation with India early this month. India carried out precision strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. 4Continued on | P8 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Razaullah Nizamani Khalid alias Abu Saifullah Khalid, who was the brain behind the 2006 attack on the RSS headquarters, was killed by three unidentified gunmen in Sindh province of Pakistan on Sunday, officials here said. Khalid used to head the terror operations of Lashkar-e- EAM embarks on 3-nation visit PTI NEW DELHI External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will embark on a sixday visit of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany beginning Monday during which he is expected to highlight Pakistan's relentless support to cross-border terrorism. It will be Jaishankar's first foreign visit after the four-daylong military confrontation between Indian and Pakistani armed forces. "External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay an official visit to the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany from May 19 to 24," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday. Taiba (LeT) from Sindh province, the Nepal in early 2000 officials said. and had many A close associate aliases including Viof Abu Anas of node Kumar, MoLashkar, Khalid hammed Salim and was the masterRazaullah. He was mind of the attack involved in multiple on the Rashtriya terror strikes in Razaullah Khalid S w a y a m s e v a k India, they said. Sangh (RSS) headHe left his residence at Matli quarters at Nagpur in which this afternoon and was all three terrorists were shot gunned down by assailants dead. near a crossing at Badni in Besides the RSS attack, the Lashkar operative was involved in the Indian Institute of Science terror attack of 2005 in Bengaluru, in which IIT professor Munish Chandra Puri was killed and four others injured. The terrorists had escaped from the scene. Later, police investigated the case and chargesheeted Abu Anas, who is still at large. Govt teacher booked for pro-Pak post Probe underway into links between Odisha YouTuber and 'Pak spy' Jyoti Suspended from duty FP News Service ASHTA A government school teacher in Sehore district has been booked and suspended after allegedly sharing a video on social media that showed a Pakistani woman praying for the safety of Pakistani soldiers during Operation Sindoor. The incident has triggered widespread outrage. The accused, Shahnaz Parveen (45), a teacher posted at a government school in Mehtwara village under Ashta block, is said to have shared the controversial video earlier this week. Following a formal complaint lodged by Bajrang Dal members Rakesh Singh and Lakhan Singh at Jawar police station on May 13, police initiated action. Jawar police station incharge Neeta Deharwalsaid that a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for sharing content deemed sympathetic to an enemy country. “We are completing procedural formalities. An arrest will be made soon,” she said. IANS SRIHARIKOTA The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday suffered a setback as its 101st mission, PSLV-C61 carrying the EOS-09 satellite, faced a technical malfunction in the launch vehicle. The malfunction led to the mission failure, and the satellite could not be successfully de- ployed.The indigenous PSLV, or Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - PSLV-C61 -- lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in said.India has also emerged as a key supplier of vaccines. The country’s pharma sector supplies 55-60 per cent of UNICEF’s vaccines, meeting 99 per cent of WHO’s DPT (Diphtheria, Whooping cough and Tetanus) vaccine demand, 52 per cent for BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin is a vaccine primarily used against TB), and 45 per cent for measles. From Africa to America, Indian vaccines save millions. At home, these schemes create jobs for young Indians, from factory workers to scientists. Foreign investors are pouring in with Rs 12,822 crore in 2023-24 alone, because they see India’s potential. The government welcomes 100 per cent foreign investment in medical devices and greenfield pharma projects, making India a hotspot for global companies. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 PTI BHUBANESWAR Sriharikota with the aim of placing EOS-09 into a Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit (SSPO). While the first and second stages of the launch vehicle performed normally, ISRO Chairman Dr V. Narayanan said that an unexpected issue arose during the third stage, preventing the successful deployment of the satellite. The Odisha Police have started an investigation into the alleged links between a Puri-based YouTuber and Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested on the charge of passing on sensitive information to Pakistani intelligence operatives, an officer said on Sunday. The police found that Malhotra, who runs a YouTube channel, Travel with JO, and hails from Hisar in Haryana, had visited Puri in September 2024 and came in contact with a woman in the coastal town, who is also a YouTuber, Puri SP Vinit Agrawal said. Jyoti, whose YouTube channel and Instagram account have 3.77 lakh subscribers and 1.33 lakh followers respectively, allegedly was in contact with a Pakistani staffer working at the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. On May 13, India had expelled that Pakistani official for allegedly indulging in espionage. The woman in Puri had also travelled to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan recently, the SP said. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 ISRO’s 101st mission faces mid-air snag Indian pharma sector ranked 3rd in world Ratings. The country’s pharma sector is now ranked 3rd in volume and 14th in value globally and contributes as much as 20 per cent of the world’s supply of medicines. The turnover of the Indian pharma industry touched Rs 4,17,345 crore in 2023-24 growing steadily at over 10 per cent annually for the past five years."For the common man, this means more medicines at lower prices, ISLAMABAD: Hours after India decided to send its delegations to key partner countries to put across its resolve to tackle terrorism against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that he will send a diplomatic team to important world capitals to present the country's stance. The decision was made by Prime Minister Shehbaz on Saturday after a telephone conversation with former foreign minister and chief of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, according to the Prime Minister's Office. Pakistan's decision to send its delegation came hours after India announced that it would send seven all-party delegations to key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, later this month to convey India's message of zero tolerance against terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor Lashkar terrorist killed by gunmen in Sindh offgrid Country leads in affordable drugs Copycat Pak to send delegation abroad PTI ISLAMABAD 4Continued on | P8 a morning check. Police were immediately called at the scene. Officers have taken statements from reform home workers and begun searching for escaped juveniles. Authorities have filed a case about the breakout and are investigating how the boys got access to the iron rod. They are also reviewing security procedures at the facility to prevent similar escapes in future. Police teams are now searching the surrounding areas, focusing on routes that might lead to the boys' hometown in Khargone. MUMBAI Edit Twin Prahar on B’desh P.6 Israeli strikes kill 103 in Gaza TRAGIC | Suspected short circuit triggers blaze near Charminar A blaze triggered by a suspected short circuit in a building near the iconic Charminar here on Sunday killed 17 people, including eight children, belonging to an extended family. The fire broke out at a building in Gulzar House here, police said. "All 17 who were shifted to hospitals were brought dead," a senior police official told PTI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the loss of lives and announced ex-gratia. A narrow staircase was the only escape route for the inmates of the building, but they could not rush out, a Fire Department official said. The building housed jewellery shops on the ground floor and people were residing in a flat above, police said adding smoke spread and people suffocated. AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi told reporters that the family has been residing there for 125 years, indicating that generations from the particular UJJAIN Russia’s biggest drone attack on Ukraine KYIV Russia overnight into Sunday launched one of its most intense drone attacks on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022. Russia fired a total of 273 exploding drones and decoys overnight, Ukraine's air force said. Of those, 88 were intercepted and a further 128 lost, likely having been electronically jammed. The attacks targeted the country's Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. According to data from Ukraine's air force, this would be the largest drone attack Russia has launched against Ukraine since the start of the war, but Ukrainian officials have not confirmed this. The number of drones fired exceeds Russia's previous largest known single drone attack of the war, when Russia pounded Ukraine with 267 drones on the eve of the war's third anniversary.