Regional
Modi’s education minister resigns in major win for Indian youth protesters
The minister announced his resignation on X just as police fired tear gas to scatter young protesters in New Delhi, hours before their leaders were set to hold another round of talks with ministers.
India’s education minister resigned on Saturday, handing a major victory to youth protesters who had demanded he quit to take responsibility for examination paper leaks, and who erupted in celebration on news of his departure.
“We have done it,” said Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party that led the protests, to loud cheers at the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi, Reuters reported.
“Considering the situation that has arisen at Jantar Mantar and across the country, so that anti-national forces do not take advantage of this situation … I have sent my resignation letter to the Prime Minister,” Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan wrote in his post.
“I deeply respect the aspirations, feelings, and legitimate expectations of the country’s youth.”
The minister announced his resignation on X just as police fired tear gas to scatter young protesters in New Delhi, hours before their leaders were set to hold another round of talks with ministers.
Pradhan, 57, is a senior leader of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and has been regarded as a rising figure, and even mentioned in the past as a potential BJP leader.
A minister since Modi first took office in 2014, he has held the petroleum and natural gas, steel, skill development and education portfolios, becoming education minister in 2021. His father was a veteran BJP leader and served as a junior federal minister between 1998 and 2004.
Pradhan’s resignation is “a victory of peace, patience & perseverance,” activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike for 26 days to support the youngster’s movement, wrote on X.
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Youngsters at the Jantar Mantar site shouted “Jai Hind”, a patriotic slogan meaning “Victory to India”, as the national anthem played on loud speakers and sweets were distributed among the crowd. At least 1,000 police officials stood nearby guarding the area, according to Reuters journalists at the site.
The leak of the high-profile medical college entrance test paper in May, which led to the cancellation of results and the government ordering a retest, affected 2 million young people.
Supporters of India’s youth-led “cockroach” movement had been protesting since June, but anger boiled over since police on Monday injured dozens of students, launching baton charges and firing tear gas to deter crowds of protesters marching on parliament.
The protests also reflect anger over job scarcity, corruption and government accountability.
“Young generation is here. This is win for the constitution,” protester Tluanga Ralte said, walking with a copy of the Indian constitution at the protest site after the minister’s resignation. “We are not a lazy generation.”
Federal authorities even on Saturday restricted access to the internet and to 18 metro stations to try to limit the protest in the capital, the latest day of such restrictions.
Pradhan is only the second minister to resign following a scandal since Modi came to power in 2014. M.J. Akbar resigned as junior foreign minister in October 2018 to fight allegations of sexual harassment made by more than a dozen women during India’s #MeToo movement.
Students, youth activists and opposition supporters had in recent days staged protests in the states of West Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, holding placards demanding Pradhan’s resignation and boycotting classes in some places.
Regional
At least 15 infants killed in Islamabad hospital fire
WATCH VIDEO: There were 16 newborns at the hospital’s gynaecology ward when the fire broke out, one of whom was rescued.
At least 15 infants were killed when a fire broke out at a state-run hospital in Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad, triggered by a fault in air conditioning systems, local broadcaster Geo TV reported on Wednesday.
The fire, which broke out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, started around two hours ago, the broadcaster said, adding that “cooling operations” were ongoing, Reuters reported.
There were 16 newborns at the hospital’s gynaecology ward when the fire broke out, one of whom was rescued, according to Geo.
Regional
Pakistan and Iran make significant progress in talks on Iran conflict
Pakistan and Iran have made “significant progress” in talks focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and efforts to find a path toward peace, Pakistan’s interior minister said on Tuesday after a visit to Tehran.
The discussions focused on measures to prevent further escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and accelerating an end to the conflict, according to a statement from the Pakistani military following a meeting between army chief General Asim Munir and Iranian leaders.
The two sides also discussed regional peace and possible ways to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict, the statement said.
“Iranian President candidly shared his government’s perspective and we had a very constructive exchange on the issues involved,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who accompanied Munir, said in a post on X.
Munir spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump before travelling to Tehran, Reuters reported on Monday.
Trump last week warned of economic consequences for countries providing “any type of lifeline to Iran” as Washington seeks to isolate Tehran. Iran, meanwhile, has threatened to halt all oil exports from the Gulf.
Regional
Pakistan’s Munir spoke to Trump ahead of Tehran visit, sources say
The White House Office of the Press Secretary did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.
US President Donald Trump spoke with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir last week ahead of Munir’s trip to Tehran on Monday, according to three Pakistani sources, with one saying the main US request was to use Pakistan’s influence to bring Iran back to negotiations, Reuters reported.
Trump last week warned of economic consequences against any country that provided “any type of lifeline to Iran” as he seeks to isolate the Islamic Republic. Iran has in turn vowed to shut down all oil exports from the Gulf.
Last week’s call, which has not been previously reported, was initiated by Trump, according to two Pakistani sources.
The White House Office of the Press Secretary did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.
Munir arrived in Tehran on Monday accompanied by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s military confirmed, saying it was “part of Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability.”
Pakistan, which has played a key mediating role between the US and Iran this year, has remained a trading partner of Iran throughout the recent fighting.
Munir was expected to meet with people close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, one Pakistani source said.
Another Pakistani government source said while US-Iran tensions were a focus of the visit, Munir was also expected to discuss recent attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi fighters on Pakistan’s ally Saudi Arabia as well as the recently signed mutual defence agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan’s earlier mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran resulted in an interim peace agreement signed in June. But the Islamabad Memorandum quickly faltered, amid new fighting between Iran and the US that has threatened to spiral into a wider regional conflict in recent weeks.
“There is a trust deficit on both sides,” a third Pakistani source said about the US and Iran, adding that Munir’s aim was to mitigate the lack of mutual trust on Monday.
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