Saturday, September 20, 2025 | Vol. 68 No. 299 | 42 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation Maha seals ₹80k crore steel deals MoUs set to generate 40,000 jobs, boost steel and green energy push BROTHERS IN ARMS | Pakistan’s Defence Minister clarifies the nature of defence pact with Riyadh, says doors open to other Arab nations should they want to enter into similar agreements ‘PAK NUCLEAR SHIELD AVAILABLE TO SAUDI’ Agencies ISLAMABAD Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI With a strong focus on job creation, the Maharashtra government on Friday inked nine MoUs with leading business conglomerates for a total investment of ₹80,962 crore. These investments are expected to generate over 40,300 jobs, the state announced. The MoUs were signed at the Steel Mahakumbh organised by AIIFA Steelex 2025, a major steel conclave in Goregaon. The event was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, and Industries Minister Uday Samant. The proposed projects will be located across Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Nagpur, and Wardha in Vidarbha; Raigad in Konkan; Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Marathwada; and Satara in Western Maharashtra. According to the CM’s office, Rashmi Metallurgical Industries will set up an integrated steel plant in Wardha with an outlay of ₹25,000 crore, creating 12,000 jobs. Jindal Stainless Ltd will invest ₹41,580 crore in a stainless steel plant in Raigad, generating 15,500 jobs. NPSPL Advanced Material (Atha Group) will invest ₹5,440 crore in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to set up a lithium battery material and carbon complex, employing 5,000 people. 4Cont on | nation Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif has said the country’s nuclear programme “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed under the countries’ new defence pact, marking the first specific acknowledgment that Islamabad had put the kingdom under its nuclear umbrella. Defence Minister Asif’s comments late Thursday night highlighted the significance of the agreement signed this week between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, who have shared decades-long military ties. Speaking to Geo TV, Asif was asked whether “the deterrence that Pakistan gets from nuclear weapons” would also apply to Saudi Arabia. “Let me make one point clear about Pakistan’s nuclear capability: that capability was established long ago when we conducted tests. Since then, we have forces trained for the battlefield,” he said. “What we have, and the capabilities we possess, will absolutely be made available to M Saleem Pandit SRINAGAR Jailed former JKLF militant leader Yasin Malik has claimed in an affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court on August 25 that former PM Manmohan Singh personally thanked him for meeting Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan in 2006. Malik, who is serving a life sentence in Tihar jail, said the meeting was not his own initiative but was arranged at the request of Indian intelligence officials as part of a backchannel peace process with Pakistan. Malik stated that then Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), V. K. Joshi, met him in Delhi before he visited Pakistan in the aftermath of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Joshi allegedly re- FPJ News Service NEW DELHI LONDON Eye for an i17 India’s iPhone 17 launch in Mumbai on Friday looked less like a tech drop and more like a T20 final — queues overnight, elbows flying, and tempers flaring. Apple fans weren’t just buying a phone; they were fighting for bragging rights. With scuffles breaking out at stores, it seems the real ‘smart’ feature was surviving the stampede with your dignity — and your screen — intact. SEE CITY The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea against the Karnataka High Court’s order upholding the State Government’s decision to invite Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq as the Chief Guest for the Dasara festival inauguration at Chamundi temple, Mysuru. As reported by Live Law A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed the matter after a brief hearing. Senior Advocate PB Suresh, appearing for the petitioner, argued that a non-Hindu person cannot be allowed to perform temple rituals. Justice Nath responded by pronouncing “Dismissed.” When the Trump wants Bagram airport back Agencies WASHINTON US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that his administration is trying to negotiate the takeover of Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, a former American military hub that fell into Taliban hands following the US withdrawal. Reacting to it, China on Friday said the decision to re-establish US presence at Bagram Air Base We’re trying to get it back, by the way. Okay, that could be a little breaking news. We’re trying to get it back, because they (the Taliban) need things from us. We want that base back, but one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. Donald Trump, US President should be left to Afghanistan and its people. Taliban official Zakir Jalal said the interim Afghanistan government “completely rejects” the idea. Trump’s remarks came dur- ing a joint press conference with the UK PM Keir Starmer at Chequers, the British leader’s official country residence, at the conclusion of the President’s two-day state visit to the UK. The two leaders also announced an agreement between the US and Britain during the event. Reflecting on the US exit from Afghanistan, Trump criticized the way the withdrawal was handled under his successor, Joe Biden. He recalled that his first administration (2016-2020) had intended to retain control of Bagram even while planning to pull troops out of Afghanistan. I f you have ever let the haunting notes of Ya Ali wash over you, you have already met Zubeen Garg — not just a singer, but an emotion that could travel across languages, borders, and generations. The man who could make a Bihu tune sound like a prayer and a rock ballad feel like a revolution is no more. Garg, one of Assam’s most be- loved cultural icons, died in a freak scuba-diving accident in Singapore at 52. He had travelled to Singapore to perform at the North East India Festival on September 20 and 21, a trip he had been excitedly inviting fans to join. “Come and explore the exotic part of India… I will be there throughout as Cultural Brand Ambassador and will perform on the 20th evening,” he said in a video message, flashing the warm smile that made him everyone’s Zubeen da. Born into a household steeped in literature and music, 1972–2025 Garg was named after Zubin Mehta, and music became his language before words did. He began singing at three, left col- lege in Jorhat to follow his calling, and built a career that celebrated Assam’s soul. His songs — from Maya and Anamika to the deeply personal Xishu, written for his late sister — carried the rhythms of the land, fusing folk traditions with modern sounds. But Garg refused to be boxed into one genre or one language. He sang in over 40 languages, a true citizen of music. Bollywood knew him for Ya Ali from Gangster, Jane Kya Chahe Mann from Pyaar Ke Side Effects, and Socha Nahi Tha from Kaante. On stage, he counsel persisted, claiming that temple puja is not a secular act and further alleging that Mushtaq had made objectionable remarks in the past, Justice Nath repeated his order. “We have said ‘dismissed’ three times. How many dismissals are required?” he remarked. The plea was urgently listed on Wednesday, as the event is scheduled for September 22. CJI BR Gavai had agreed to hear the matter today. Earlier, on September 15, the Karnataka High Court had dismissed similar petitions. The court held that the participation of a person of another faith in festivals of a different religion does not violate constitutional rights. 4Cont on | nation Rahul speaks like Urban Maoist: CM Kalpesh Mhamunkar MUMBAI 4Cont on | nation 4Cont on | nation India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership, which has deepened considerably in the last several years. We expect that this strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities. Randhir Jaiswal, MEA spokesperson were being made by both sides to achieve an “early conclusion of a mutually beneficial trade agreement.” Asked about the revocation by the Trump administration of the sanctions waiver to Indiaon the Chabahar port, he said that India was examining its implications. 4Cont on | nation Pitroda in hot water over Pak remarks Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation was a magician — switching between Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, and English songs with ease, his voice soaring, his energy infectious, his mastery of instruments dazzling. Beyond music, Garg was a man of action and conscience. He lent his voice to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, stood with flood victims through his Kalaguru Artiste Foundation, and during the pandemic, turned his two-storey home into a Covid-19 care centre. 4Cont on | nation Zubeen Garg: Assam’s eternal voice Senior journalist specialising in cinema, music and culture quested Malik to use the opportunity to meet not just Pakistani political leaders but also terrorist figures, including Hafiz Saeed, to support Prime Minister Singh’s peace efforts. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Friday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, over his recent social media post urging youth and Gen Z to “defend democracy and stop vote theft.” He accused Gandhi of using the “language of Urban Maoists” to mislead young voters and destabilize a democratically elected government. “Rahul Gandhi has asked Gen Z to topple a democratically elected government. This is not ‘vote chori’ (vote theft) — Rahul Gandhi’s brain has been stolen. He has no trust in the Constitution and rejects institutions. By making such calls, he is speaking like an Urban Maoist,” Fadnavis told reporters. He said India’s Gen Z is progressive, technology-driven, and committed to building the country’s future. “They are the ones who created India’s start-up ecosystem. Rahul Gandhi neither understands Gen Z, nor the youth, nor even senior citizens,” he added. Obituary Archita Kashyap MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi expected Riyadh to “keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities.” His remarks came a day after Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a defence pact that defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both. “India and Saudi Arabia have a wide-ranging strategic partnership, which has deepened considerably in the last several years. We expect that this strategic partnership will keep in mind mutual interests and sensitivities.” Jaiswal then turned his focus to the US. Describing the trade talks with Washington as “positive” and “forward-looking,” he said that all efforts SC junks plea against Banu Agencies 4Cont on | nation 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation Ashwin Ahmad NEW DELHI ‘Manmohan Singh thanked me for meeting LeT chief’ Nirav Modi plea admitted by UK court A UK court has admitted a plea by fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi to reopen his extradition proceedings, potentially delaying his return to India where he faces charges of defrauding Punjab National Bank (PNB) of Rs6,498 crore. According to officials, Modi’s legal team filed the application before the Westminster court last month. The court has now accepted it and issued a notice to the Indian government. “Nirav Modi, through his legal team, filed an application before the Westminster court in the UK last month, seeking to reopen the appeal against his extradition to India. The court has accepted it and a notice has been served to the Indian government,” said a senior government official, requesting anonymity. In his plea, Modi is understood to have argued—citing certain testimonies—that “if extradited to India, he will be interrogated by multiple agencies and may face torture during such interrogation,” the official added. (Saudi Arabia) according to this agreement,” he added. The two nations signed a defence pact on Wednesday declaring that an attack on one country would be treated as an attack on both. Asif clarified that the agreement was not aggressive but defensive in nature. “If there is aggression, whether against Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, we will jointly defend against it,” he said. The minister also underlined Pakistan’s longstanding military role in the kingdom, noting that “a large military and air force contingent” had been present in Saudi Arabia for decades. Delhi in strategic ties reminder to Riyadh When the counsel claimed that temple puja is not a secular act, Justice Vikram Nath repeated his order: “We have said ‘dismissed’ three times. How many dismissals are required?” Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda again found himself in the midst of a controversy after he said in an interview that during his visit to Pakistan he “felt at home” there. Though he also mentioned Nepal and Bangladesh in a similar vein, his remarks were pounced upon by the Bharatiya Janata Party which accused the Congress and the Gandhi-Vadra family of always being sympathetic to Pakistan and also linked them to the UPA government’s response to the 26/11 Mumbai attack, which had left 166 dead. Under attack, Pitroda issued a detailed clarification saying his aim was not to “belittle anyone's suffering or undermine legitimate concerns, but to foster honest conversation, empathy, and a more grounded and responsible approach to how India sees itself - and is seen - by others.” 4Cont on | nation PUNE BOTANIST LEAVES HOUSE TO PETS, BIRDS Gaurav Kadam PUNE Dr. Hema Sane, a professor who taught Botany at the Abasaheb Garware College in Pune from 1962 till her retirement in 2000 and who continued to publish academic books on the subject thereafter, passed away on Friday. She was 85. Renowned as the 'Encyclopedia of Plants,' Sane had become popular for embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle by shunning electricity. She lived in a house without electricity in Pune's Budhwar Peth all her life. She revealed that the reason behind not using electricity was her love for nature and the environment. "Food, shelter and clothing are the basic needs. Once upon a time, there was no electricity; it came much later, and I can manage without it," she had said in an interview. "I never felt the need for electricity in my whole life. People often ask me how I live without electricity, and I ask them how they live with electricity?" she had said. 4Contd on | nation