In the Shirur area of Maharashtra’s Pune district, a youth was attacked on 30th March over a social media post on Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar. The incident unfolded near Nakshatra Building in the evening when a 24-year-old Vaibhav Santosh Bhosale, a resident of Pawar Mala, was attacked by the accused Roshan Devre and three others.
A case has been registered against the four accused at the Shirur Police Station on the victim Vaibhav Bhosale’s complaint. The police said the accused created a fake social media account in the complainant’s name on 8th January and posted objectionable content against Dr Ambedkar on the Bhimsena Maharashtra Group. This stirred discontent among the group members. Under the pretext of resolving the dispute, the accused called Vaibhav to meet them; however, the accused assaulted the complainant.
As per a Punekar News report, the accused Roshan Devre kicked and punched Bhosale and brutally assaulted him. The accused also threatened the victim to give his mobile phone. Upon refusing, Devre allegedly threatened to kill the victim.
“One of the four attackers struck Bhosale’s right arm with an iron rod, while another hit him on the head with a fighter tool, causing serious injuries. Meanwhile, a third assailant whipped him on the back with a blue cable,” Punekar News reported.
On Friday (28th March), frenzied Muslim mobs carried out processions in Medinipur city of West Bengal after accusing Hindu man of ‘insulting’ the Prophet Muhammad. They also raised genocidal slogans and vowed to kill those who commit ‘blasphemy.’
The development came hours after several radical Muslims in Medinipur took to Facebook to dogwhistle against a Hindu man over his posts on the social media platform.
One of them happened to be Syed Abu Jayed, the Secretary of Madrasha Madania Ahmadia Tazbidul Quran. He had shared the posts of the Hindu man calling for ‘strict action’
Screengrab of the Facebook post by Syed Abu Jayed
Later that day, he shared posts where a large mob of Muslims could be seen carrying out marches against the Hindu man. Syed Abu Jayed dubbed the procession a ‘peaceful’ protest against ‘insult’ to the honour of Prophet Muhammad.
He had uploaded a reel, which was juxtaposed with a highly provocative song dubbed ‘Labbaik ya Rasool Allah,’ which talks about the love of Muslims for Prophet Muhammad and their ability/might to avenge ‘blasphemy’.
Ironically, Syed Abu Jayed runs an organisation by the name of ‘Help For Needy Foundation (HNF).
Screengrab of the Facebook reel by Syed Abu Jayed
Another radical Muslim, who incited violence against Hindus, includes a Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader named SK Meheraj Ali.
Screengrab of the Facebook profile of Sk Meheraj Ali
He had uploaded reels on his Facebook profile with the caption ‘Insult to the honour of the Prophet in Medinipur.’ The video shows a group of Muslims who had gathered around a banner.
There was a background audio, which said, “Whoever talks ill of the Prophet till Qayamat (Judgment Day), the directive is that you kill him.”
This is reminiscent of the Sar Tan see Juda slogans raised by Muslims to lay the foundation for murdering people, whom they accuse of dishonouring Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.
Screengrab of the Facebook reel by Sk Meheraj Ali
Islamists in Medinipur, West Bengal, used Pak TLP founder Khadim Rizvi's statement, calling for the ßeheΔding of blasphemers, in their videos.
It should be noted that most ßeheΔdings and 'STSJ' calls in India have been inspired by Pak TLP. pic.twitter.com/ZgXNdnrzr0
The TMC leader shared a video of an Islamic cleric, who was leading the march of Muslims in Medinipur on Friday (28th March) against alleged blasphemy.
“I am warning the blasphemers sternly that we believers are still alive…We can give away our lives for the sake of Iman,” he was heard saying.
Screengrab of the Facebook reel by Sk Meheraj Ali
SK Meheraj Ali shared another video wherein one Islamic cleric declared, “If you need to give your life for the sake of Allah’s Deen, protecting the strength of Islam and the Quran and safeguarding the honour of the Prophet, then, don’t be afraid…Those who die for the Deen of Allah resurrect again.”
In one video, a Muslim man participating in the ‘peaceful procession’ against alleged blasphemy threatened to finish Hindus in 2 seconds instead of 15 minutes (a genocidal remark previously repeated by AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi).
Medinipur, West Bengal. Muslim mob threating a man who shared a meme on Prophet. pic.twitter.com/dkmIE2vq27
Blasphemy, STSJ sloganeering and Pakistani origins
Interestingly, the murderous chant of ‘Sar Tan se Juda (STSJ)’ which has been weaponised by Islamists in India against Hindus such as Kamlesh Tiwari, Yati Narsighanand Saraswati and Nupur Sharma, has been the gift of Khadim Hussain Rizvi.
After Salman Taseer was assassinated by Qadri in 2011, Rizvi took out a march to mobilise support for the assassin. Two slogans were chiefly chanted during the procession. One was “Rasool Allah, Rasool Allah” and the other, “Gustakh-e-Rasool Ki Ek Hi Zaza, Sar Tan Se Juda, Sar Tan Se Juda.”
Rizvi would ask the audience during the mass demonstrations, “Gustakh-e-Rasool ki Ek hi Saza?” The protestors would respond by chanting “Sar Tan Se Juda, Sar Tan Se Juda”.
While Rizvi died in 2020, his slogans have assumed a life of their own, living through murderous Islamists in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, who routinely invoke the call for the beheading of those perceived to have blasphemed against Prophet Muhammad.
In a sense, the Islamic cleric set a template for his radical co-religionists to follow, sanctioning the murder of those considered “guilty” of blaspheming against Prophet Muhammad.
On Friday (28th March), the New York Timespublished an article targeting the Indian public sector aerospace and defence company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The American newspaper dubbed HAL as a ‘major supplier of Moscow’s blacklisted state weapons agency.’ It insinuated that HAL shipped equipment sourced from a British manufacturer H.R. Smith Group, to the Russian arms agency ‘Rosoboronexport’.
This is despite clarification from H.R. Smith Group that the concerned equipment is not meant for military use.
“The records do not prove that H.R. Smith’s products ended up in Russia. But they show that, in some instances, the Indian company received equipment from H.R. Smith and, within days, sent parts to Russia with the same identifying product codes,” alleged the New York Times.
Screengrab of the report by The New York Times
“The Indian stateowned company, Hindustan Aeronautics, is identifiable in public records as a supplier to the Russian military but is not under financial sanctions,” it further claimed.
The American newspaper further attempted to guilt-trip India for not being overtly hostile to Russia, making aspersions about its supposed complicity in fuelling the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
The New York Times further claimed made H.R. Smith Group sent 118 shipments of ‘restricted technology’ to HAL for $2 million between 2023 and 2024.
It alleged that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited sold 13 shipments of parts (similar to the one procured from H.R. Smith Group) to Rosoboronexport for $14 million during the same period.
Indian govt slams The New York Times
Sources within the Indian government have rubbished the claims made by the New York Times as ‘factually incorrect’ and ‘misleading.’
“It (The New York Times) has tried to frame issues and distort facts to suit a political narrative,” they stated.
India Trashes New York Times Report. Sources say that the said "report is factually incorrect and misleading. It has tried to frame issues and distort facts to suit a political narrative.' pic.twitter.com/UsNQ3AzC8k
“Indian entity has scrupulously followed all its international obligations on strategic trade controls & end-user commitments. India’s robust legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade,” they emphasised.
Sources: We expect reputed media outlets to undertake basic due diligence while publishing such reports, which obviously was overlooked in the instant case.
The government sources concluded, “We expect reputed media outlets to undertake basic due diligence while publishing such reports, which obviously was overlooked in the instant case.”
This is not the first time when The New York Times has resorted to anti-India propaganda. OpIndia has repeatedly exposed their lies. Our extensive coverage can be read here.
A woman who visited the Hanuman temple in Urkondapeta, located under the Kalwakurthy police station limits in Nagarkurnool district, was allegedly gang raped by eight individuals, Telangana Police official said on Monday.
According to the Inspector of Kalwakurthy Police Station, a case has been registered, and an investigation is underway. Authorities are examining the details of the incident, and further information will be provided as the probe progresses.
“A woman who visited the Hanuman temple in Urkondapeta, under Kalwakurthy police station limits in Nagarkurnool district, was allegedly sexually assaulted by eight individuals. The incident has been reported, and we have registered a case. We are currently investigating the matter, and more details will be provided later,” the Police official added.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia Staff)
On 17th March, Nagpur witnessed one of its most violent communal incidents in recent years. Over 100 vehicles were burnt, and Hindu homes and shops were vandalised in Hansapuri. The violence reportedly flared up following rumours of desecration of the Quran by members of Hindu groups during protests against Aurangzeb’s tomb.
Security agencies now believe that Syed Asim Ali, a man facing trial for conspiring in the brutal murder of Hindu Samaj Party leader Kamlesh Tiwari in 2019, was at the centre of the violence. Intelligence reports have revealed that he was seen on CCTV at riot epicenter mobilising Islamists outside Ganeshpeth police station just hours before violence erupted.
Furthermore, his mobile records traced his presence at multiple flash points and showed calls to several individuals who are now under arrest. Notably, he had been rallying youth against the proposed Maharashtra Security Act alongside Fahim Khan, another accused in the Nagpur violence. Khan had even contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Nagpur against Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on a Minorities Democratic Party (MDP) ticket. MDP’s founder and chief, Hamid Engineer, has also been arrested in connection with the Nagpur violence.
Syed Asim Ali is also a former candidate of the MDP but received only 600 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections against Nitin Gadkari. Though he was arrested in connection with Tiwari’s murder and later released by the Supreme Court in 2024, Ali remained active in community mobilisation, specifically among radicalised youth. Following the violence, he disappeared.
Times of India quoted an unnamed intelligence officer saying, “Ali is untraceable since violence erupted in Nagpur. No one seems to have any clue about him even at his Zingabai Takli home or at his business outlet at Hansapuri. He’s aware police are trying to track him down.”
Kamlesh Tiwari murder – The slogan, the planning and Syed Asim Ali’s role
In 2019, Syed Asim Ali was arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari in Lucknow. Tiwari was brutally stabbed and shot in his office in broad daylight. The murder was fuelled by Islamist hate. Though Asim was not at the crime scene, he allegedly played a vital role in the conspiracy to kill Tiwari.
Back in 2017, Asim had created a front called the “Humanity Democratic Party”. Under its banner, he released a video titled “Kamlesh Tiwari apni maut ke kareeb hai, sirf maut ki saza ka haqdar hai”. The video effectively promoted killing him in cold blood over so-called blasphemy. Syed’s role, while contesting his bail plea in Sessions Court, was described by the prosecution as that of an ideological mobiliser.
The prosecution informed the court that Asfaq and Moinuddin, the main accused in the case, got in touch with Asim after watching the video and joined his front. Asfaq and Moinuddin were already planning to murder Tiwari since 2016. Furthermore, he was allegedly involved in the planning of Tiwari’s murder. The Lucknow court, citing the gravity of charges and his deep link to the communal conspiracy, had denied him bail in 2020.
Asim applied for bail in Allahabad High Court but his bail was denied on the grounds of “extreme communal hatred”. Later, in July 2024, the Supreme Court of India granted him bail, overruling the Allahabad High Court’s judgment. The apex court observed that while Asim was allegedly in touch with the main accused in the case and meant to provide legal aid, there were no other criminal antecedents against him.
The court further observed that Asim had already been incarcerated for over four and a half years, and 8 of the 13 accused had been released on bail. Sixteen of the 25 prosecution witnesses had already been examined by that time. The Bench, led by Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih, decided to grant him bail.
While the Sessions Court and High Court flagged multiple concerns in their judgments while denying him bail, the Supreme Court showed leniency and effectively allowed Asim to walk free on bail. However, less than a year later, he vanished after allegedly being involved in hatching a conspiracy to cause violence in Nagpur.
Syed Asim Ali’s social media accounts still active
Interestingly, the Facebook page, Instagram account and YouTube channel of Syed Asim Ali are still active. On 2nd October 2024, he posted a video announcing his return to social media, less than three months after the apex court granted him bail.
Another interesting aspect that came to the fore was that Asim was in talks with Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party in mid-January this year, and there were speculations that he might join it.
Source: Facebook
On 13th January, he confirmed his ongoing discussions with the party and asked his followers to join a Google Meet session.
OpIndia also spotted an old video that Asim uploaded on his old Facebook Page in 2018 where he openly called for murder of Kamlesh Tiwari.
In another video, followers of his party were seen burning an effigy of Kamlesh Tiwari. The title of the video clearly stated members of MDP would burn Kamlesh alive.
Source: Facebook
Despite his alleged role in Kamlesh Tiwari’s murder, the Azad Samaj Party attempted to rope him in, and he continued to maintain an active presence on social media.
Syed Naseruddin Chishty, the chairman of the All India Sufi Sajjadanshin Council (AISSC) and successor of the spiritual head of Ajmer Dargah, has hailed the BJP’s (Bharatiya Janata Party) initiative of distributing ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ kits to the underprivileged Muslims ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr. Chisty stated that the kit has reached 22 lakh people. He added that people are fortunate enough to live in a country which has Ganga-Jamuni culture as people are celebrating both Navaratri and Eid-ul-Fitr on 31st March. He also endorsed the Waqf Amendment bill.
“We are fortunate that we are living in a country which has Ganga-Jamuni culture. Yesterday, it was Cheti Chand, Navaratri is ongoing, and it is Eid ul-Fitr today. I am confident that across India today, you will see people congratulating each other on these festivals. It is the culture of the country to stay together, and this is our strength,” he stated.
Speaking on the Saugat-e-Modi kits, he conveyed, “This is a good initiative. We also try to reach out the people who are financially poor and help them to celebrate the festival. PM Modi has done the same as a Prime Minister of India. PM Modi has ensured that ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ reaches 22 lakh people in the country. I believe there is a need for amendment in the Waqf bill. I am confident that this bill will bring transparency.”
BJP Minority Morcha had launched its “Saugat-e-Modi” campaign, with the aim to distribute special kits to 32 lakh underprivileged Muslims across the country ahead of Eid. The initiative was kicked off from Nizamuddin in Delhi under the guidance of BJP National President JP Nadda and seeks to ensure that poor Muslim families can celebrate the festival without any hardship. As part of the campaign, 32,000 minority morcha workers collaborated with 32,000 mosques nationwide to reach the needy.
#WATCH | Ajmer | On 'Saugat-e-Modi' kits distributed before Eid, Chairman of All India Sufi Sajjadanshin Council and successor of the spiritual head of Ajmer Dargah, Syed Naseruddin Chishty says, "We are fortunate that we are living in a country which has Ganga-Jamuni culture.… pic.twitter.com/OEBj3TZHFL
According to Syed Naseruddin Chishti, the Waqf Amendment bill does not imply the demolition of homes or mosques. “It would be wrong to say this. This is a part of democracy. The government is in no hurry, this bill has been brought with great ease after discussion in the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee).” He added that he is absolutely certain that the change will ensure openness in Waqf’s operations and the protection of its assets. The community will benefit from the removal of encroachment and the increase in Waqf rent.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board is opposing the law, he pointed out, despite the fact that many Muslim religious authorities support it. “Why were people asked to wear black bands in protest against this bill? The amended law has not yet presented in the parliament. First let it be introduced, then mislead us by saying that our mosque will be taken away. When Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has assured no mosques will be taken away, still you are deceiving us like this,” he charged.
Meanwhile, BJP MP and chairman of the JPC committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Jagdambika Pal highlighted that this bill is for the betterment of Waqf. “This will end the row. Kerala’s thousands years old church was declared as Waqf. Properties of many places were given to Waqf. The new parliament was declared as Waqf property. So, it means that this bill will end this controversy,” he emphasised.
“While many Muslim clerics are supporting this bill, All India Muslim Personal Law Board is objecting to it. On the day of ‘Alvida Namaz’ they asked people to wear black arm bands in protest against this bill, and even today, on Eid, they have appealed to people to protest against it. But why,” he questioned.
#WATCH | Delhi | JPC Chairman & BJP MP Jagdambika Pal says, " While many Muslim clerics are supporting this bill, All India Muslim Personal Law Board is objecting to it. On the day of 'Alvida Namaz', they asked people to wear black armbands in protest against this bill, and even… pic.twitter.com/NY54M6xFDJ
“First, let the amended law come. Today, Muslims are thanking PM Modi for Saugat-e-Modi. While we are talking of ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas’ Congress, Owaisi and AIMPLB are looking at Muslims as a vote bank, doing appeasement. 1.25 crore people have sent their representation on this bill. We even heard people from all over the country, including Jammu and Kashmir’s Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. The bill will be tabled on the date BAC (Business Advisory Committee) gives,” Pal noted.
On the other hand, lending support to the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2024, the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) has urged the members of Parliament from Kerala to vote in favour of the Bill when it is tabled for discussion. In a press release dated March 29, 2025, the KCBC asked for the amendment of the “unconstitutional and unjust sections” of the Waqf Act. The press release referred to the Munamban land dispute in which the Kerala State Waqf Board laid claim to around 404 acres of land in the Munambam suburb of the Ernakulam district in Kerala.
The claims were opposed by 600 families living on the land, primarily Christians from the Latin Catholic community and Hindus from backward sections. The families insisted that they own the legal rights to the land as they purchased it decades ago from Farook College, which was once entrusted with its management.
Amit Gupta, the regional head of Tech Mahindra for Qatar and Kuwait, was detained on 1st January 2025 with no formal charges revealed. Since then, he has been languishing in a Qatari jail. Multiple media reports have confirmed that his detention has now crossed three months, and the Qatari authorities are not revealing the exact reason behind the detention, leaving his family in distress. Amit’s family has alleged he is in solitary confinement. Furthermore, he has not been provided with any consular access and there is no clarity on legal proceedings.
Detained without explanation
Amit’s father, JP Gupta, spoke to the media and said that his 42-year-old tech executive son was picked up by Qatari state security officials while he was out to have food on New Year’s Day. His family came to know about the detention the next morning. Since then, he has been in custody, which is getting extended repeatedly. First, he was put under 31-day detention, which was extended for 20 days and then for 15 days in March. Authorities have not provided any clarification to his family or the Indian authorities.
Speaking to CNBC-TV18, he said, “We still don’t know under what charges Amit has been detained… There is absolutely no clarity on the official charges, what Amit is accused of, or when he will be released. Each passing day makes things more suspicious for us.”
The only alleged reason shared informally, according to the family, is a vague accusation that Tech Mahindra “manipulated and took over other contracts”. Amit reportedly offered full cooperation, but the family says nothing has progressed since.
A senior official with a clean track record
Amit joined Tech Mahindra in 2012. In 2022, he was made the country head for Qatar and Kuwait. In 2013, he moved to Doha after completing an MBA in Marketing and Systems from the International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi, and a B.Tech in Computer Science from MNIT, Jaipur. Over the years, Amit rose from a senior sales manager to a key figure managing the regional operations in the Middle East for the company.
His father said, “All these years, life was as peaceful and content as any family would want until the 2nd of January, when we woke up to the tragic news of Amit being detained.”
Solitary confinement, minimal sunlight, and no consular access
According to his family, he has been kept in solitary confinement, allowing him to speak to them only for five minutes every Wednesday. Apart from that, Amit only gets 10 minutes of sunlight a day. His father added, “He has no interaction with others. Even after we visited Qatar for a month in February, all our efforts to provide him some relief have been in vain.” The family says they have managed to meet Amit only once, for 25–30 minutes.
The Indian Embassy also made efforts to ensure Amit gets official consular access, however, to date, there has been no clarity on that aspect of the case either. The family said, “His custody has been indefinitely extended.”
The family has met Vadodara’s Lok Sabha MP, BJP leader Hemang Joshi. He promised to take the matter with the Centre and meet officials in Qatar Embassy.
Gujarat: BJP MP Hemang Joshi says, "Our Baroda citizen, Amit Gupta, who has been working in Qatar Tech Mahindra for the past 10 years, and he had this problem. He was going out after eating, and the local security agency took him into custody. His parents had gone to Qatar for a… https://t.co/aeBnU3s4hbpic.twitter.com/e9dhJogfww
In a statement to CNBC-TV18, Tech Mahindra said, “We remain in close contact with the family, providing necessary support to them. We are also actively coordinating with authorities in both countries and adhering to due process. Ensuring the well-being of our colleague is our top priority.”
Hindustan Times quoted unnamed sources from the Indian Embassy in Qatar and stated that the mission is “providing all possible assistance” and is “closely following the case”. However, Gupta’s family say there has been “no positive response” from any side.
A painful wait for answers
Amit’s father said that they have submitted appeals to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister’s Office, and Tech Mahindra. However, they have been waiting for any tangible response. He said, “We expect little progress unless higher authorities intervene. The conditions Amit is living in now are extremely inhumane and cruel—for both him and us.”
This is the second high-profile case involving an Indian citizen being detained in Qatar in recent years. In 2022, eight former Indian Navy officers were arrested and later sentenced to death. Their sentences were commuted, and they were released in February 2024 following strong intervention by the Indian government.
The authorities might suspend a driver’s license if they fail to pay their traffic e-challan (fine) within three months. Similarly, if a driver receives three challans in a fiscal year for reckless driving or jumping red lights, their license could be seized for a minimum of three months, reported “The Times of India.”
These are a few of the steps the government intends to take to curb irresponsible drivers after it was discovered that there was widespread non-compliance and only 40% recovery of e-challan amounts, which are fines for breaking traffic laws. According to sources, if an individual has at least two outstanding challans from the previous financial year, the government has developed a system to link higher insurance costs.
The specifics were hammered up in response to a Supreme Court judgement that required 23 states and 7 union territories to submit compliance reports detailing the Central Motor Vehicles Act’s provisions for electronic monitoring. According to section 136A of the act, advanced technology including speed and CCTV cameras, speed guns, body-worn cameras and automatic number plate recognition systems must be deployed to improve traffic management and law enforcement. This is essential for impartial regulation and detection.
The report conveyed that Delhi has the lowest rate of recovery of fines raised by e-challans at just 14%, followed by Karnataka 21%, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh at 27% each and Odisha at 29%. Major states with recovery rates between 62% and 66% include Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Haryana. According to data, around 80% of people who addressed the courts or had their challans referred to them received relief from the fines levied by the police.
People don’t pay penalties promptly for a number of reasons, according to sources. These consist of defective challans and late challan alerts. They also stated that the government will develop a thorough standard operating procedure that will include minimum requirements for cameras and guarantee that notifications of outstanding challans are given to drivers or vehicle owners on a monthly basis until payment is received.
For instance, a driver or owner of a car will receive an e-challan notification within three days and they have thirty days to either accept and pay the fine or contest it before the relevant grievance authority. Failure to take action within the time period would be seen as an admission of responsibility and failure to make the payment within 90 days would result in the suspension of one’s driver’s license (DL) or registration certificate (RC) until the amount is received.
The DL or RC holder can upload data to contest the fine and report inaccuracies in a challan. The complaint must be resolved by the grievance authority within 30 days, otherwise the challenge will be dismissed. The government will provide drivers and owners a one-time window of three months to confirm and update data on the Vahan and Saarthi websites to address the persistent problem of people changing their addresses and mobile phone numbers without updating authorities. Afterward, providing services like Pollution Under Control (PUC) and insurance renewal, DL and RC will need updating mobile phone numbers.
Pakistan (an acronym in the name of a country), has been unstable since the beginning of time, time begins in Pakistan in 1947 just to be clear. Before that, nothing existed, and then boom, there came Pakistan. Since the beginning of time (that is 1947), Indians have been subjected to “Why a stable Pakistan is better for India”, since then, neither Pakistan got stable, nor did Indian journalists stop writing these reports.
Now let’s analyse why a stable Pakistan is better for India. First of all, a stable Pakistan is an obvious oxymoron but let’s just go with it for a minute or two or ten.
A stable Pakistan will mean they will have time to focus on sending terrorists in Kashmir, now tell me, how is that not beneficial for India? A stable Pakistan resulted in Kargil War after all, now how was that not beneficial for India, sorry, maybe it was not.
However, what about the terrorism in Kashmir, that started because of a stable Pakistan, how were mass murders in Kashmir Valley not better for India, oh, never mind.
Ok forget everything else, how is heroin being thrown across the Punjab border not better for India, because that happens only when Pakistan is stable. No, you tell me, how is throwing drugs in India not helpful for India. You can’t, because you are hateful.
Then there is the case of Thar desert, an unstable Pakistan struggles to smuggle all kinds of things through there, on the other hand, a stable Pakistan smuggles all kinds of things from there.
Hence proved that if there is a stable Pakistan, they will only do drugs smuggling and import terrorism in India, while they currently do drugs smuggling and import terrorism in India.
A section of Indians has long been enamoured with our arch-enemy and neighbour, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, deluded into believing that a flourishing and stable Pakistan would prove to be a game-changer for the Global South, unlock endless opportunities for trade and commerce, and contribute immensely in mutual growth and establishing a lasting peace.
This wishful thinking, often championed by the Left-leaning intelligentsia in media, academia, and policy-making, resurfaces every so often in op-eds and television debates. Their argument? India should aid Pakistan in stabilizing itself, for a prosperous Pakistan would somehow translate into regional harmony and security.
Indian liberals still enamoured by ‘Aman Ki Asha’ delusion
To this end, Shekhar Gupta’s The Print recently published a YouTube video analysis of how a stable Pakistan augurs well for India, and how the Balochistan insurgency, which critics attribute to India, isn’t helping New Delhi’s cause, and causing more strain in an already frosty relationship between India and Pakistan.
But let’s be clear: the idea that ‘a stable Pakistan will be better for India’ is an irrational narrative propagated by the same lobby that has been selling the ‘Aman Ki Asha’ dream for decades.
Pakistan’s very foundation rests on the divisive Two-Nation Theory, an ideology championed by Syed Ahmad Khan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and other architects of partition. From its inception, Pakistan was built on an identity defined in opposition to Hindu-majority India, ensuring that enmity towards its eastern neighbor would remain a key tenet of its national psyche.
Since then, Pakistan and its successive leadership have endeavoured little to rise above their anti-Hindu bigotry, infuse progressive ideals among their populace, and steer the country on the path to development and growth.
Instead, the animus for India has only grown, as witnessed by several wars waged by Pakistan against India, be it in 1948, 1965, 1971, or recently in 1999. And since the early 1990s, it has launched a proxy war against India by formulating its military doctrine ‘Bleed India with a Thousand Cuts’—using non-state actors to carry out terror attacks in India.
And yet, a section of Indians is labouring under the belief that an economically and politically stronger Pakistan bodes well for India in increasingly uncertain times, with wars and military conflicts being the order of the day.
As such, The Print is not the only Indian media outlet to harbour fallacies of a stronger Pakistan complementing India’s rising stature in geopolitics and its emergence as a growing regional power. The same erroneous sentiment has been echoed by several policymakers, academics, and business leaders who fail to acknowledge the fundamental ideological differences between the two nations. An opinion piece published in The Tribune in October 2024 contended that resuming trade with Pakistan will also help India.
An opinion piece published in The Tribune argued for normalising trade ties between India and Pakistan.
How flourishing Pakistan threatened India’s internal security and peace
What’s even more damning is that Pakistan’s period of relative economic and political stability—from the 1980s to the early 2010s—coincided with some of the worst attacks against India. These decades saw a sharp escalation in Pakistan-backed terrorism, culminating in the forced exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from their homeland, a continuous stream of terror attacks across Indian cities, and unprecedented violence in Jammu & Kashmir.
During the late 1980s and 1990s, when Pakistan was politically and economically stable under military rulers like General Zia-ul-Haq and later Pervez Musharraf, it aggressively funded and trained Islamist radicals to spread terror in India. The ISI played a key role in radicalising Kashmiri youth and equipping militant groups like Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammed, leading to the 1990 genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. Thousands of Hindus were either killed or forced to flee under threat of execution and mass rapes, as terrorists openly declared their intent to create an Islamic state in Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s economic growth allowed it to fund extensive networks of sleeper cells and terrorist groups that carried out devastating attacks on Indian soil. The 1993 Mumbai bombings, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, and numerous bomb blasts in Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and Bangalore through the 2000s were all orchestrated by Pakistan-based outfits with full backing from its military apparatus.
In contrast, as Pakistan’s economy deteriorated over the past decade, so has its ability to wage terror against India. Since the late 2010s, with Pakistan struggling to pay its debts, its state machinery weakening, and terror groups splintering due to infighting, India has seen a sharp decline in major terror attacks. Islamabad’s financial crisis has led to the collapse of its ability to fund large-scale operations against India. The rise of the Balochistan insurgency and growing internal conflicts in Pakistan-occupied territories have forced its military to divert resources inward, weakening its external misadventures.
A stable Pakistan does not mean a peaceful Pakistan. It means a Pakistan with more resources to pursue its decades-old objective of undermining India, be it through state-sponsored terrorism, diplomatic hostility, or radicalising segments of Indian society. A weakened Pakistan, on the other hand, diminishes its capacity to be a menace to India, reducing the security threats emanating from across the border, and also unburdening New Delhi from devoting significant resources to counter cross-border threats.
Those advocating for Pakistan’s stability should ask themselves: Has a stable Pakistan ever resulted in a friendlier Pakistan? The historical evidence overwhelmingly suggests the opposite. A strong Pakistan has always meant a more aggressive and terror-exporting Pakistan, while a weakened Pakistan has translated into relative peace for India.
India must remain clear-eyed about its adversary. While diplomatic engagement and economic interactions have their place, they must be guided by realism rather than wishful thinking and romanticised illusions of mythical harmony. The notion that Pakistan’s stability is a prerequisite for India’s progress is not just naive—it’s dangerously misleading. India must focus on its growth and security, without being encumbered by the fallacies of amity with a nation whose raison d’être is an unending enmity with India.
India’s strategic indifference to an imploding Pakistan
In the wake of Balakot airstrikes, PM Modi made a striking speech stating that Pakistan will die its own death—a thought that reflects a pragmatic approach to India’s geopolitical strategy. For decades, India’s Pakistan policy has oscillated between engagement and confrontation, but Modi’s assertion signals a shift towards strategic indifference. Instead of being consumed by Pakistan’s internal crises, India is better served by focusing on its development, economic growth, and global aspirations. The comments were also a scathing indictment of Pakistan’s self-destructive policies—its economic mismanagement, military overreach, and internal instability—will naturally lead to its decline, rendering India’s active intervention unnecessary.
This paradigm of strategic indifference delivers a body blow to the banal narrative that a stable Pakistan is in India’s best interest. As Pakistan reels under economic collapse, political chaos, and intensifying internal insurgencies—crises of its own making—its capacity to orchestrate cross-border terrorism has significantly waned. Modi’s stance is one of pragmatic realism: rather than expending resources to stabilise an inexorably hostile neighbour, India must remain focused on its own strategic priorities, allow Pakistan to bear the consequences of its self-inflicted decline.
