DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2025, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES India, France sign agreement for procurement of 26 Rafale-M for Navy SINCE 1932 ONE-DAY ASSEMBLY SESSION OVER PAHALGAM TERROR ATTACK J&KHouseslamsselectivetargetingofvictims, saysoutrageshowsitisstartofendofterrorism Can’t control a terrorist with a gun, but can end militancy if people with us, that time has come, says CM Omar ARUN SHARMA JAMMU, APRIL 28 Indian and French officials exchange signed copies of the agreement at Nausena Bhawan in New Delhi, Monday. PTI The Rafale-M can operate from Indian carriers with short deck and ski jump AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA NEW DELHI, APRIL 28 INDIA AND France inked an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) Monday for the procurement of 26 Rafale-M aircraft — 22 single-seater and four twinseater — for the Indian Navy. The procurement includes training, simulator, associated equipment, weapons and performance-based logistics. It also includes additional equipment fortheexisting Rafalefleetof the Indian Air Force (IAF), a statement from the Ministry of Defence stated. The Rafale-Marine is a carrier-bornecombat-readyaircraft withprovenoperationalcapabilities in maritime environments. Officials told The Indian Express that a key India-specific enhancement will be that the aircraft will be able to take off and land from a short deck with a ski jump, which is a feature of Indian aircraft carriers. INSVikrant,forinstance,uses a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) configuration. This means it launches aircraft using a ski jump and recovers them using arrestor wires. French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has a large, flat flight deck design with steam catapults and arresting gears. Officials said that among other weapons, ASTRA Mk1 airto-air Beyond Visual Range Missile will be integrated into the aircraft. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 INSIDE PUTIN DECLARES 3-DAY CEASEFIRE IN MAY TO MARK 80 YRS OF WWII WIN P 12 CWG ‘SCAM’: COURT ACCEPTS ED CLOSURE REPORT AGAINST KALMADI P 6 LAC disengagement later, geotagging of patrolling points, more surveillance, patrols NEW DELHI, APRIL 28 INDIA IS in the process of geotagging established patrolling points and other landmarks on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh to aid easier identification and demarcation of its boundary with China, which in turn would enable smoother patrolling by Indian troops while preventing clashes withChinesesoldiers,The Indian Express has learnt. This, along with increased surveillance, regular patrolling, frequent interaction between Indian and Chinese commanders at various levels and readjustment of Indian troops stationed along the LAC are among PAGE 1 ANCHOR E EXPLAINED AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA ● The first steps DISENGAGEMENT OF troops in Ladakh has allowed the two countries to take the first steps to repair ties, frozen since the PLA incursions five years ago. A pointer to this is the decision to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra in June this year. the tactical developments brought in by India in the last six months. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES, `20 IN ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM DESCRIBING PUBLIC outrage in Kashmir over the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam on April 22 as “the beginning of the end of terrorism”, MLAs across the TreasuryandOppositionBenches in the Jammu & Kashmir AssemblyhereMondayresolved “toresolutelydefeatthenefarious designsof thosewhoseektodisturbthecommunalharmonyand progressofthenationandofJ&K”. “This House is mindful of the sinister design behind the selective targeting of the victims of this attack,” said a three-page resolutionunanimouslyadopted by the Assembly, which held a one-dayspecialsessionMonday in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. The resolution, moved by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, said: “Such acts of terror(are)adirectassaultonthe ethos of Kashmiriyat, the values BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY MLAs ON RAZING OF HOUSES: ‘DON’T GO FOR COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT’ PAGE 5 enshrined in our Constitution, andthespiritof unity,peace,and harmony that have long characterised Jammu & Kashmir and our nation.” The Assembly also The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly observes silence in the memory of the Pahalgam terror victims, in Jammu on Monday. PTI It will be shameful on my part if I tell the Central government that 26 people have died, now give me statehood... OMAR ABDULLAH J&K CHIEF MINISTER CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Cong leaders stray from party line on support to govt, put it in a spot MANOJ C G NEW DELHI, APRIL 28 THE CONGRESS’S balancing act on the Pahalgam terror attack is threatening to come undone, and thanks to conflicting remarks by some of its own senior leaders. In the immediate aftermath of the strike, the party’s response was measured, walking the fine line of offering unconditional backing to the government in whatever action it took CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at a Congress event in Belagavi on Monday. PTI BJP hits out: Remarks shameful, do Kharge, Rahul control their party? EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, APRIL 28 ACCUSING THE Congress of “speaking the language of Pakistan” following the Pahalgam terror attack, the BJP Monday demanded that the main Opposition party take action against its leaders for making statements that are “being used” as “anti-India” propaganda across the border. Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad in New Delhi on Monday. Amit Mehra Ravi Shankar Prasad described as “shameful” and “unwarranted” remarks by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah and other Congress leaders, such as Saifuddin Soz and Mani Shankar Aiyar, and others linked to the party, such as Robert Vadra. Stating that these remarks come at a time when the nation is grappling with grief following the attack that left 26 people dead, Prasad accused the Congress leaders of seeking to “weaken India’s unity”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Govt blocks 16 Pak YouTube channels, objects to BBC use of word ‘militants’ MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL & DIVYA A NEW DELHI, APRIL 28 THE GOVERNMENT has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, and false and misleading narratives and misinformation Owaisi: Hindu brothers killed, Pak wants to instigate riots against India, its Army and security agencies following the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said Monday. It has also conveyed its displeasure to the BBC over its coverageof theterrorattack,objecting to the use of the word “militants”, instead of terrorists. The Pakistani YouTube channels that have been blocked in- cludesomeleadingchannelslike Dawn News, Samaa TV, Ary News, and Geo News. A source said the decision to block the channels was taken on the back of the Pahalgam terror attack,andtherecommendation was made by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The 16 channels have 63.08 million followers. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, APRIL 28 DEMANDING THAT Islamabad be placed in the Financial Action TaskForce(FATF)greylistforterror financing, AIMIM president and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi said Monday that Pakistan wants to instigate communalriotsinIndiaandthat“our Hindu brothers were killed” by terrorists in Pahalgam to send a message that “non-Muslims cannot” visit Kashmir. Addressing a press conference in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Owaisi said, “Be it ISI or ISIS or the deep state establishment of Pakistan, they want communal riots between HindusandMuslims.Thereason why our Hindu brothers were killed was that they wanted to tell us that non-Muslims cannot come to Kashmir. That’s their motive. We appeal to Indians to keep political differences aside andnotallowthosewhowantto weaken the country's unity.” Owaisi also demanded that Pakistan be placed in the FATF grey list. “They are funding terrorismfromillegalmoney.Soitis important to bring Pakistan in the grey list. We will demand this from the Government. We should also do a cyber attack on them, we have ethical hackers. We can also do a naval and air force blockade,” he said. The Hyderabad MP said that astheOpposition,itisimportant to take action. “The terrorists are from Pakistan from where they CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 With tech and local help, security forces close in on terrorists 2 Pak terrorists likely entered J&K over a year ago, involved in other attacks DEEPTIMAN TIWARY & MAHENDER SINGH MANRAL PAHALGAM, NEW DELHI, APRIL 28 THE TWO Pakistani terrorists suspectedtobebehindthekilling of 26peopleinPahalgamarebelieved to have entered Jammu and Kashmir about a year and a half agoaspartof agroupof infiltrators from Pakistan. It is suspected that the group entered through the Samba-Kathua regionbycuttingthroughthefence and has since been involved in several terror attacks. Their infiltration, sources said, had been investigated ear- lier too following certain terror incidentsintheValley,andaseniorBSFofficerevenreceivedconsiderable heat for it from the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to officials, teams of the Army, the Rashtriya Rifles andparamilitaryforcesarescanning the upper reaches of Anantnag, where the terrorists are suspected to be hiding. A source in Jammu and Kashmir Police said they are using technical evidence and inputs from local tribal communities to aid in their manhunt. The two Pakistani terrorists havebeenidentifiedbyAnantnag Police as Ali Bhai alias Talha and Hashim Musa alias Suleiman. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Local who hid in tree key witness, NIA takes him to site of massacre NAVEED IQBAL SRINAGAR, APRIL 28 A LOCAL man believed to have been hiding atop a tree for more than an hour after the first gunshotsrangoutatPahalgamisbeing questioned by police for crucial leads on the terrorists, The IndianExpresshaslearnt.“Hehas also been taken back to Baisaran valley by the National Investigation Agency to recreate the scene,” a source close to the investigation said. Police are also collecting evidence from his mobile phone, given that he viewed the entire At Baisaran meadow where 26 people were killed. File episode from a distance. Sources also told The Indian Express that on the day of the attack, at least 400 people were CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 At 14, Suryavanshi storms into record books with 35-ball century VENKATA KRISHNA B CHENNAI, APRIL 28 AS THE clock struck 10.30 pm, 10.2oversintotheirchaseof 210, Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi wrote his name in history books by depositing spinner Rashid Khan over midwicket. At 14 years and 32 days, he became the youngest ever to score a century in the IPL. It was also the second-fastest century everintheleague,in35balls.His head coach Rahul Dravid, who has been on a wheelchair be- cause of an injury, jumped up on his feet to applaud what was truly an innings for the ages. In its 18 seasons, the IPL has beenthegrandtheatreofdreams. Many “wonder boys” have come and stolen the show. Yet, no one hasdoneitinthemostbreathtaking fashion as Suryavanshi. His 38-ball101,withsevenfoursand 11 sixes, made short work of the chaseasRajasthanhunteddown GujaratTitans’totalof 209in15.5 overs in Jaipur. SuryavanshifromSamastipur in Bihar, who grew up watching videos of Brian Lara, has already gotmanyinIndiancricketexcited about his potential. PostingonX,formerchief selector and 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth wrote: “At 14, most kids dream & eat Icecream. Vaibhav Suryavanshi delivers a fabulous 100 against one of the contendersforIPL!composure,class and courage beyond his years. We are witnessing the rise of a phenom. Indian cricket’s next super star is here.” Even before Monday night’s knock, Suryavanshi had made a mark. Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit 11 sixes, 7 fours as Rajasthan Royals chased down 210 target against Gujarat Titans. Rohit Jain Paras Last November, he made headlines when, at 13, he hit a century against the Australia Under-19 team off 58 balls. All said and done, that was against boys. Last week, with their season struggling to take off, Rajasthan took a punt by sending him out against Lucknow SuperGiants, where he hit the first ball he faced for a six to announce his arrival. On Monday, he got off the mark by launching Mohammed Sirajfora90-metresixinthesecond ball before unleashing himself againstIshantSharma,avet- eran of 105 Tests. He hit Ishant for three sixes and two boundaries in the fourth over. Still in his early teens, Suryavanshi is a developing batsman, so his range is limited — it is mostly in the arc between long-on and square-leg on the leg-sideandbetweencoversand long-off on the off-side. With his abilitytopickthelengthearly,he reliesonmusclepowertosmash the white ball. Of the 11 sixes, eightcamebetweenmid-wicket andsquare-legoff thepacersand the spin bowling of Washington Sundar and Rashid. “Be it fast bowlers or spinners, I love to hit them,” he had told this newspaper earlier. And at 14, he doesn’t complicate the game plan. “My plan is always simple —if the ball is there to be hit, hit it. Don’t be in a double mind,” he had said. Once he got that big over off Ishant, he was prepared for everything that Gujarat threw at him. It was a night where line or length hardly mattered as there was something inevitable about the manner in which Suryavanshi went about his CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kolkata