India

The video promises a “caravan of heroic martyrs coming from Afghanistan to liberate Kashmir”. LONDON: A chilling new video from the al-Qaida has asked Muslims in Kashmir to emulate “brothers” in Syria and Iraq and wage a violent jihad against India. The video, which includes a statement read by Maulana Asim Umar, a senior leader [...]

A large portion of India still predominantly lives in tribes, and one of the largest of these communities is witnessing a Christian revival, media sources reveal. Hundreds of men, women and children who used to follow Hinduism are now professing Christianity as their religion, media sources say. Ask Dinesh Shur why so many tribal people are [...]

Opposing any move to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits by creating protected settlements in the Valley, radical separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Wednesday claimed certain havens were being sought to be created in certain places in southern, central and northern Kashmir. “Pandits are a part of the Kashmir society and they will always be welcome [...]

Perhaps finding a mention in President Pranab Mukherjee’s joint address to the Parliament for the first time, it was welcomed by Kashmiri Pandit organisations. The Narendra Modi Government has flagged the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley with “dignity, security and assured livelihood,” an issue on which it will lay special emphasis during its [...]

Narendra Modi, who was unwelcome here only a few years ago, is now a “fashion icon” to the American media. After his stunning electoral triumph, three major US publications — Time, New York Times and the Washington Post — have lauded the new Indian Prime Minister’s dressing style from his “trademark Modi Kurta” to his [...]

India last Wednesday said it expects Australia to return a 900-year-old ‘Dancing Shiva’ statue and another stone sculpture bought from a disgraced Indian antiquities dealer. “We are satisfied with the steps taken and cooperation extended by the Australian government in response to this issue,” India’s High Commissioner Biren Nanda said in Melbourne. “We had formally requested [...]

A recent speech by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the praise of Sindhi culture has created a sudden interest in the Sindhi heritage and culture and has galvanized the Sindhi communities around the world. “I just finished listening to the PM’s remarks as Rita (my wife) got a YouTube link to it just today! [...]

Sanskrit was the new cool on social media on Wednesday after three cabinet ministers were seen taking oath as members of Parliament in the ancient language. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took oath in Sanskrit as members of the 16th Lok Sabha. But were they [...]

Kashmiri Pandits on Wednesday staged a protest at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk and threatened to launch fast-unto-death sit-ins if the Kashmir Temples and Shrines Bill was not passed in the J&K Assembly. The Bill is pending for the past five years. Apart from the Temples and Shrines Bill, Kashmiri Pandits asked the state government to investigate [...]

For Prime Minister Narendra Modi rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) was not just an empty poll promise made in the heat of elections. Less than a week into office, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), under the guidance of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), has initiated an ambitious project to rehabilitate people who [...]