DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2025, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 22 PAGES SINCE 1932 `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `15 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM OFFICIALS BRIEF UNION MINISTERS ON AVAILABLE OPTIONS AFTER IWT PAUSE Not a drop to Pak, says Jal Shakti Minister as Govt explores 3 options on Indus waters Technical intelligence, credible inputs have confirmed Pak link: Delhi to foreign govts Islamabad halts canals project after Delhi’s announcement HARIKISHAN SHARMA NEW DELHI, APRIL 25 CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, APRIL 25 A COMBINATION of “technical intelligence”and“credibleinformation” from intelligence sourcesincludingcriticaleyewitnesses has confirmed the identity of the Pahalgam attack terrorists and established the Pakistan “link”, New Delhi has conveyed to the international community over the past two days, The Indian Express has learnt. This has been part of some of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s phone calls with 13 world leaders, and meetings in Delhi between more than 30 ambassadors and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other senior officials in the Ministry of External Affairs. Theyhavebeenbriefedabout the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which 26 civilians were killed. Army to conduct security audit of tourist spots, redeploy forces AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, APRIL 25 THEARMYWILLconductasecurityauditof populartouristareas in the Valley and consider redeploymentof itsexistingtroopsin the hinterlands of Kashmir to areasmarkedvulnerable,TheIndian Expresshaslearnt.Theexerciseis part of the overall security plans toensurethesafetyoftouristsand anincident-freeAmarnathYatra. At least 26 people were killed by terrorists in an attack on Tuesday at Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley. With summer approaching, a more dynamic deployment of troops in the higher reaches wouldbeonthecardstoprevent infiltration of terrorists from across the border and to deny themhideouts.Extensivepatrols for operations and area domination across the Valley floor as well as in the higher reaches will becarriedoutaspartof thesummer strategy, the officials said. Temporary operating bases — where troops can operate for a fixed period of time, say 72-96 hours—willbeputtomaximum use so that security forces can CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NETWORK IMPORTANT TO STAND UNITED, DEFEAT TERRORISM: RAHUL IN J&K ENT SURGEON SHOT IN NECK, STOMACH BATTLES FOR LIFEIN AIIMS DELHI PAGE 9 Foreign leaders and envoys have been told that the “electronicsignature”of theterrorists and the terror group, The ResistanceFront,hasbeentraced to at least two locations in Pakistan, it is learnt. Foreign governments have also been told that some terrorists have been identified and their past activities – also involvement in terror attacks – have confirmed that they came CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E The test, ● the Yatra THE PAHALGAM terror attack has prompted a relook at security preparedness across J&K. It also comes at a time when security forces go on high alert ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra. Patrols are extensive, with special focus on the higher reaches. ADITI KHANNA LONDON, APRIL 25 PAKISTAN DEFENCE Minister Khawaja Asif has admitted the country’s history of supporting, trainingandfundingterroristorganisations as “dirty work” for the West, a mistake for which he said Pakistan had suffered. In an interview with Sky News airedovernight,newspresenter Yalda Hakim questioned Asif on Pakistan’s response and stance on terrorism in the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif earlier this week. “You do admit, sir, that Pakistan has had a long history of backing and supporting and training and funding these terrorist organisations,” asked Hakim. “Well, we have been doing this dirty work for the United CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 After visas cancelled, Homes of 2 wanted for Pahalgam Centre tells states to terror attack blown up overnight send back Pak citizens BASHAARAT MASOOD SRINAGAR, APRIL 25 MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL NEW DELHI, APRIL 25 BIG PICTURE PAGE 17 The 26 Lives It was just another day at the picturesque Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam. Until terror struck. PAGE 1 ANCHOR A DAY after it announced suspension of visa services to Pakistan nationals, Union Home Minister Amit Shah Friday directed states to identify people under 14 visa categories — including film, journalist, pilgrim and business — and ensure their prompt return. As a result, states such as Gujarat and Odisha have already begun the process to ensure their departure. The measure, taken on the back of the terror attack in Rana Simranjeet Singh The retreat ceremony at the Attari border on Friday. Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people – mostly tourists, includesmedicalandstudentvisas but exempts long-term, diplomatic and official visas. “There CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 TellsSClawrespectsreligiouspractices of Muslims,isonfirmlegalground ANANTHAKRISHNAN G NEW DELHI, APRIL 25 ASSERTING THAT the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 “stands on firm Constitutional ground,” the Centre has told the Supreme Court that the newly enacted law “respects essential religious practicesof theMuslimcommunity by leaving matters of faith and worship untouched, while legitimately regulating the secular, administrative facets of Waqf management as authorised by the Constitution”. Initspreliminarycounter-affidavit filed Thursday, while opposing an interim stay on provisions of the Act, the Centre said the law's “legislative design...ensures that no person is denied access to courts, and that the decisions affecting property rights, religious freedom, and public charity are made within the bounds of fairness and legality”. On old “Waqf by user” properties that lack documentary proof, given that the proviso to Section 3[1][r] of the latest Act only protects those that are registered before the amendments came into force on April 8, the Centre said while registration Doing dirty work for decades: Pak defence minister on terror links Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi being briefed by commanders in Srinagar, Friday. ANI E X P L A I NE D MOVING SWIFTLY a day after it formally informed Pakistan that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was being suspended with immediate effect, the government Friday looked at the options available to utilise the waters of the Indus basin rivers in the short, medium and long terms. Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil said, “We will ensure that not even a drop of water from the Indus river goes to Pakistan.” The decision to pause the IWT was one among a series of measuresagainstPakistaninthe wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 civilians were killed on April 22. At a meeting in New Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Jal Shakti Minister Patil, Power Minister Manohar Lal were briefed by officials on the options available to the government following the suspension of the IWT. Theofficials,itislearnt,made a presentation, drawing attention to options that could be exercised in the short term, medium term and long term to utilise the waters of the Indus basin rivers. The government is exploring all legal and technical aspects of possible measures, including diversion of water, that can be taken in the near future. While there was no official statement after the meeting, Patil, in a post in Hindi on X, said, “The historic decision taken by the Modi government on the IndusWaterTreatyiscompletely justified and in the national interest. We will ensure that not even a drop of water from the Indus river goes to Pakistan.” The IWT was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960, following nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan.Accordingtoprovisions Govt defends Waqf law: Misleading narrative built on waqf-by-user THEHOMESoftwomenfromthe Valley wanted for the Pahalgam terror attack were “demolished using explosives” during the night in south Kashmir. While Asif Ahmad Sheikh’s house was demolished at Mongaham in south Kashmir's Tral, Adil Hussain Thoker's house atGurrevillageinsouthKashmir's Bijbehara was also blown up on the night of April 24-25. Villagers said the houses were “demolished using explosives”.Policeareyettocomment on the development. On Thursday, J&K Police had released the names of three sus- The destroyed house of terror suspect Asif Ahmad Sheikh at Tral in Pulwama on Friday. Shuaib Masoodi pects who targeted tourists at Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, killing 25 tourists and a local pony-wallah. Apart from two Pakistan na- tionals, Thoker’s sketch figured among the three. A resident of south Kashmir, Thoker had gone to Pakistan on a visa in 2018 and returned to Valley last year. has been mandatory since the Mussalman Wakf Act of 1923, “no trust, deed or any documentary proof has been insisted upon in the amendment or even prior thereto”. “The only mandatory requirement for being protected under the proviso is that such ‘waqf by user’ should be registered as on 08.04.2025 since the registration has always been mandatory as per the statute governing waqfs since last 100 years,”itsaid,addingthat“waqfs by user registered before the amendment would therefore continueto be treated as waqf in terms of the proviso”. Backing the prospective operation,theCentre said“concept of ‘waqf by user’ was in vogue during the period where the writing or executing deeds for anything was a rare phenomenon”. It said that “when the country has entered into a completely different era in 2025, no one can still insist for ‘oral’ creation of waqf when no other document (sale deed, gift deed, will, etc) is permitted without written form”. Pointing out that non-registration drew a penalty even in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE WORLD TRUMP ADMN WALKS BACK CANCELLATION OF STUDENT VISAS CRIMEA WILL STAY WITH RUSSIA, SAYS TRUMP AS PUTIN MEETS U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY PAGE 14 Moving away from China, Apple plans to sell only India-made iPhones in US: Report ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU NEW DELHI, APRIL 25 APPLE IS planning to move the production of all iPhones for the US market to India by 2026 in a major pivot away from China amid US President Donald Trump’s trade war, according to a Financial Times report. Apple’smoveisbeingseenas an attempt to shield itself from any additional tariff action against Beijing. While this would mark the Cupertino-based tech giant’s biggestmoveawayfromChina,a country where it has meticulously built up a deep and complex supplier base, it would simultaneously have to significantly ramp up its productioncapacityinIndiainjustayear. Apple sells more than 60 million iPhones in the US each year. In the last financial year, it produced iPhones worth $22 billion inIndia,whichisaround20%ofits global production capacity. The companyexportediPhonesworth around $18 billion from India. Apple was caught in the crossfire of Trump’s retaliatory tariffs that hit China the hardest. While there have been some concessions along the way, such as the US administration exemptingsmartphonesandcomputers from many of the levies, there is fear that the categories could see fresh tariffs in the future, something Trump has hinted at. India received a relatively lower tariff rate and was also among the many countries where the US paused retaliatory tariffs for 90 days. Making and exporting from India, therefore, could be a more cost-effective proposition for Apple. Thetechgiantdoubleddown on production in India in 2020, after the Indian government announced its production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Visionary scientist who dreamed big, steered ISRO through tough times AMITABH SINHA NEW DELHI, APRIL 25 CHANDRAYAAN-3 WAS scheduled to make its landing on the Moon on August 23, 2023. A day earlier, The Indian Express had reached out to K Kasturirangan, the charismatic former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), seeking an interview to mark the occasion. Having suffered a heart attack a monthago, andnotin thebest of health,Kasturiranganwasreluctant, andsent a messagethat the best he would be able to do would be to send a few lines of written responses. But a day later, just ahead of the landing, he indicated that he would like to talk, and appeared onavideocallfromhisBengaluru home where he was recovering. “I have not been keeping well, and did not want to do interviews. But you have asked a very interesting question about Vikram Sarabhai, and I wanted to talk about this. After all, I am amongst the last few remaining whoisproudtohaveknownand worked closely with Sarabhai,” Kasturirangan said, and went on tohavea conversation thatwent on for more than half an hour. Kasturirangan, a celebrated space scientist who also served as member of Rajya Sabha and a member of the erstwhile Planning Commission, passed away in Bengaluru on Friday morning. He was 84, and ailing for the last two years due to agerelated complications. His condition had deteriorated last month, and he had been under palliative care at home. The question that had aroused his interest on the Moon-landing day related to Sarabhai, widely considered the father of India’s space programme, and a man he admired deeply. Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, in his DR K KASTURIRANGAN 1940 - 2025 tribute,wrotethatKasturirangan would often tell him how profoundly he had been impacted personally and professionally by SarabhaiandSatishDhawan,another space stalwart. Sarabhaialsohappenedtobe the teacher under whom Kasturirangan completed his PhD, in cosmic X-rays, at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. Sarabhai,whiletalkingabout theroleof spaceprogrammeina developing country like India way back in 1968, had famously remarked that he did not have the “fantasy” of India competing with other advanced nations in the exploration of Moon, other planets, or manned missions, andwouldmuchratherseeISRO working for the benefit of common people, and help in providing solutions to the country’s problems. When asked if ISRO was finally diverging from Sarabhai’s vision now that it not only had a full-fledged exploration programme but was also planning to send humans into space, Kasturirangan had said, “I am glad you asked this. And this is importanttounderstandtherole that India’s space programme plays. It is true that Sarabhai saw space technologies as a tool to fulfil India’s developmental requirements. He was of the view that in a developing country like India, space technology could ensure optimal utilisation and management of the limited resources. He used to forcefully argue that timely, accurate and precise information about our critical resources was essential. We had primitive communication systems at the time. We needed massive improvements ineducationandhealthsystems. We needed good information in meteorology which could predict rains so that we could plan our agricultural activities. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2