FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 45 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | JULY 29, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Tejaswin smashes decathlon NR in Poland P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN WORLD No Modi-Trump call on Indo-Pak conflict: EAM PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit The scourge of stampedes P.6 THAILAND, CAMBODIA AGREE TO CEASEFIRE SPL DISCUSSION ON OP SINDOOR | India following 5-point approach to combat terrorism including a firm response PRESS Cinema BIGGEST CONCERTS IN INDIA 2025 P.16 DIVYA WINS FIDE WOMEN’S WORLD CUP INCESSANT RAIN SOAKS BHOPAL, 55.1 MM IN 24 HRS Temp gap narrows to just 2°C in Bhopal, Indore Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL ‘New India can go to any extent’ PTI NEW DELHI India's military action against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack marked a "new normal" in combatting crossborder terrorism with a fivepoint approach that included a firm response to terror acts, not yielding to nuclear blackmail and that blood and water cannot flow together, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in the Lok Sabha on Monday. During a special discussion on Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar also vehemently asserted that Washington did not play any role in ending the India-Pakistan conflict in May and said there was no phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump during those crucial weeks. Though a combative Jaishankar took on the previous Congress governments on a range of issues, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and the policy on China and Pakistan, a major highlight of his nearly-40-minute address was his articulation of the "new normal" in combatting terrorism emanating from Pakistan. "The challenge of cross-border terrorism continues, but Operation Sindoor marks a new phase. There is fp Briefs BHOPAL State to get ‘Mahseer Café’ Decisive action has replaced dossiers and the new India can go to any extent to uproot terrorism, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday while stating that Operation Sindoor was on pause as the armed forces had achieved the desired objectives. Initiating the special discussion on "India's strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam" in the Lok Sabha, Singh said the military action against Pakistan had sent a clear message to supporters of terrorism that India was committed to defend its motherland now a new normal. The new normal has five points," he said. Explaining the new normal, he added, "One: terrorists will not be treated as proxies, two: cross-border terrorism will get an appropriate response, three: terror and talks are not possible together and there will only be talks on terror, four: not yielding to nuclear blackmail and finally, terror and good neighbourliness cannot coexist, blood and water cannot flow together. This is our position." The external affairs minister also called for a united approach within India in dealing with terrorism, saying it was best reflected when parliamentary delegations visited various countries to apprise them of Operation Sindoor and India's policy on terrorism. "We can only succeed in ensuring zero tolerance against terrorism if we have a united voice in this country against terrorism. There must not be any division of opinion on this matter," he said. "The way the parliamentary delegations behaved abroad, I hope the same solidarity will permeate the proceedings in the House," Jaishankar said. Another highlight of the external affairs minister's address was his assertion that Washington had no direct role in ending the military conflict between India and Pakistan. He said Modi had a phone conversation with Trump on April 22, the day of the Pahalgam attack, and another on June 17, when the prime minister was in Canada. There was no call in between, he noted. Jaishankar also said trade did not figure in any discussion between India and the United States during that period. 4Continued on | P8 Tharoor declines to join debate Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, one of the party's most articulate voices in Parliament, has opted out of the much-anticipated debate on 'Operation Sindoor' scheduled for discussion on Monday, according to senior party sources. Tharoor's absence from the speakers' list has drawn considerable attention, particularly given his prominent role in leading a diplomatic outreach delegation to the United States following the operation. Pahalgam mastermind among three terrorists killed, say officials 4,811 doctors, 86k engineers in state looking for job: Minister Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Madhya Pradesh Government will sell mahseer fish at Mahseer Café in the state. The cafes are being started for the first time in Madhya Pradesh. See Pg2 LONDON ‘Do we switch off economy?’ Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami has rejected the West's criticism of India’s oil imports from Russia and said a country can’t “switch off its economy”. He said many of India’s European partners are also continuing to buy rare earth and other energy products from the same countries that they’re “refusing to let us buy from”. PTI SRINAGAR In a major breakthrough, the Army's elite para commandos on Monday gunned down the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack along with two of his associates in an encounter in a forest area on Srinagar's outskirts in Kashmir, officials said here. The officials said Sulieman alias Asif, who is believed to be the mastermind of the April 22 attack, was killed after the security forces launched a surprise action, codenamed 'Operation Mahadev', following a technical signal indicating use of a satellite phone that was used by the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack. The other terrorists killed in the action have been identified as Jibran -- who was al- legedly involved in the Sonamarg Tunnel attack last year -- and Hamza Afghani. As many as 26 persons -mostly tourists -- were shot dead by terrorists at Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam, which prompted the armed forces to launch Operation Sindoor on May 7 against the terror infrastructure in Pakistan. Additional reinforcements of the Army and other security forces have been rushed as intelligence inputs suggested the presence of another group of terrorists in the area, the officials said. Jibran was allegedly involved in last year's terror strike at the Sonamarg tunnel project at Gagangir in October last year. Seven people, including a doctor, were killed in the attack. 4Continued on | P8 The state’s list of job seekers runs long, if the data revealed in the assembly on Monday is anything to go by. And these are only the candidates registered with the employment office. In a written reply to Congress legislator Bala Bachchan, Technical Education Minister Gautam Tetwal disclosed that among the job seekers, or ‘Akankshi Yuva’, are 86,535 engineering graduates, 18,889 MBA degree holders, and 4,811 MBBS degree holders. Then, there are 17,354 pharmacy degree holders, 20,496 polytechnic degree holders, 74,831 ITI degree holders, 8,30,618 graduates, 6,22,587 12th pass, and 1,76,683 10th pass candidates. When contacted, Minister Tetwalstated that any youth registered with the employment office who wants to advance in their employment is considered an ‘Akankshi Yuva’.     Int’l Tiger Day State loses 28 big cats till July Experts call for urgent revival of corridors to curb deaths, ensure gene flow Rajan Raikwar BHOPAL Madhya Pradesh, home to largest tiger population in the country with 785 big cats, has also recorded the highest tiger mortality this year. By July 2025, the state has lost 28 tigers, including 25 tigers roam Bhopal’s fringes adults, semi-adults and cubs. Wildlife experts fear the number could rise by yearend. They cite overcrowding in reserves as a major reason behind increasing territorial fights, which often turn fatal. “Most reserves are saturated, but there’s scope to improve tiger density in San- Bhopal isn’t just bordered by forests; it’s also increasingly shared with urban tigers. As per rough estimates, around 25 tigers frequently move in and out of the Ratapani forest, skirting outskirts of Bhopal before retreating into the jungle.This movement is fluid and seasonal, but currently, five tigers are reported to be actively roaming the forest edges near the city.Experts say this growing urban-wild interface requires close monitoring to prevent conflict and ensure both human safety and wildlife conservation. jay Dubri, Nauradehi, Ratapani, and to some extent in Madhav National Park.Authorities also need to look beyond protected areas and focus on buffer zones and forests outside reserves,” said JS Chouhan, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife). 4Continued on | P8 ANI BATUMI India's young sensation Divya Deshmukh conquers the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. Divya created history as she became the first Indian to win the Women's World Cup 2025, beating Koneru Humpy with a score of 2.5-1.5 in the tiebreaks on Monday in Batumi. 4See also | Sports A fresh spell of incessant rainfall brought Bhopal to a standstill on Monday, causing traffic chaos and a sharp drop in temperature. Rainfall continued throughout the day, leaving several parts of the city waterlogged. According to meteorological department, Bhopal recorded 28 mm rainfall during the day, while another 27.1 mm poured overnight, bringing the total to 55.1 mm in the last 24 hours. Areas such as Samantar Road (near Nadra Bus Stand), Sunder Nagar and Alpana Tiraha witnessed waterlogging, posing problems for motorists and commuters. The constant rain led to a noticeable dip in temperature. Bhopal's day temperature Motorist wades through water-logged road at Samantar Road in Bhopal on Monday. Monsoon meter (in mm) SINGRAULI BIAORA SUSNER BHANPURA ZIRAPUR KHILCHIPUR MANASA GAROTH JAWAD NEEMUCH 263.3 186.4 180.4 180.0 177.0 145.6 144.0 142.2 136.0 105.0 settled at 25.5 degrees Celsius, down by 2.7 degrees, while night temperature stood at 23.2 degrees Celsius, creating a narrow day-night gap of 2.3 degrees Celsius. In Indore, a similar pattern was observed, with day temperature at 25.4 degrees Celsius and night temperature at 22.2 degrees Celsius, a difference of just 2.2 degrees. Alerts across state- A red alert has been issued for extremely heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, in Mandsaur and Neemuch districts. 4Continued on | P8 SC raps Vijay Shah over public apology PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up Madhya Pradesh Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for not issuing a public apology over his remarks against Indian Army officer Col Sofiya Qureshi, saying he was "testing the court's patience". A bench of Justice Surya REMARKS AGAINST COL SOFIYA QURESHI Kant and Joymalya Bagchi pointed out the minister's conduct was prompting it to doubt his intentions and bonafide. "What do you mean by an apology like this? He made the statement on the first date itself. We are talking about a public apology. Where is it on record? He is testing our patience," the bench said. Senior advocate K Parmeshwar, appearing for Shah, said he had issued a public apology, which was shared online, and would be placed on court's record. "What is an online apology? We are starting to have doubts about his intentions and bonafide. You place the apology on record. We will have to see it," the bench said. It asked the special investigation team (SIT) constituted to probe the statements made by the minister to submit its report by August 13. 4Continued on | P8