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New Delhi also asked Turkey to dissuade Pakistan from using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem that Islamabad and Rawalpindi have harboured for decades.

In a strong message to Turkey over its support to Pakistan in recent times, the Government of India said on Thursday that New Delhi expects Ankara to encourage Pakistan to address the problem of cross-border terrorism emanating from it.

New Delhi also asked Turkey to dissuade Pakistan from using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem that Islamabad and Rawalpindi have harboured for decades.

As ties between India and Turkey have taken a hit with Ankara’s tilt towards Pakistan after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, India made it clear that relations between two countries are built on mutual respect and sensitivities of each other’s concerns.

“We expect Turkey to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem it has harbored for decades. Relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other’s concerns,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing today.

Turkey’s role in Pakistan’s escalations against India, which started with the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, came under focus during India’s Operation Sindoor response. Besides ideological and moral support to Islamabad, Turkey provided arms and weapons to Pakistan as well.

Bangladesh tearaway Nahid Rana is among the three members to withdraw from their upcoming tour of Pakistan, which is set to kick off next week at Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium. According to the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) cricket operations chairman, Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, there is a possibility that Nahid could have withdrawn from the squad, considering the difficult situation he faced when trying to leave Pakistan earlier this month due to the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.

Nahid was a part of Peshawar Zalmi’s squad when the players had to be withdrawn from the Pakistan Super League. Nahid’s national teammate, Rishad Hossain, was also a part of Zalmi’s squad, but he is touring with Bangladesh.

Fahim revealed that most of the players were hesitant to tour Pakistan but changed their minds after most of the Bangladesh players decided to embark on the three-match T20I series.

“What Nahid Rana and Rishad faced recently, you can’t blame them for being traumatised. Which is probably why Rana has withdrawn from the tour. Among the coaching staff, James [Pamment] and Nathan [Keily], who are our fielding coach and trainer, aren’t going. The rest are ready to go there,” Fahim said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

“There were hesitations among few other players. But later, when they saw others are going, they felt that it might not be difficult to go there and they changed their initial position,” he added.

According to Fahim, Pakistan provides high security during cricketing tours and said, “I saw during the Champions Trophy how much security is provided in Pakistan. I don’t think you can do more than that. The PCB chairman (Mohsin Naqvi) assured us to give the highest security.”

Bangladesh’s tour will feature three T20Is, reduced from the initial five-match affair. The series will kick off on May 28, the second will be played on May 30 and run through to June 1.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated that the recent cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was the result of a direct bilateral arrangement, and not influenced by international mediation, particularly from the United States. In an interview with the Netherlands-based broadcaster NOS, Mr Jaishankar highlighted India’s longstanding concerns over Pakistan’s use of terrorism as a state policy and stressed that India has every right to respond decisively to such threats.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed 26 lives. India responded with Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror-related sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian response resulted in the deaths of over 100 terrorists associated with groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Mr Jaishankar said that the continuation of Operation Sindoor served a strategic purpose. “The operation continues because there is a clear message in that operation – if there are acts of the kind we saw on April 22nd, there will be a response. We will hit the terrorists. If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them where they are,” he said.

He clarified that while the operation remained active in principle, it did not mean continued military engagement.

“Continuing the operation is not the same as fighting with each other. Right now, there is an agreed cessation of fighting and military action. So the operation is dormant,” he said. 

According to Mr Jaishankar, the ceasefire agreement was initiated by the Pakistani military on May 10 through hotline communication. 

“It was the Pakistani army which sent a message that they were ready to stop firing, and we responded accordingly,” he said. Mr Jaishankar again reiterated that while other countries, including the United States, expressed concern and made calls to both sides, the ceasefire was negotiated exclusively between New Delhi and Islamabad.

“The US was in the United States,” Mr Jaishankar noted pointedly, in response to a question about Washington’s involvement. He confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance had reached out – Mr Rubio to him and Mr Vance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi – but their role was limited to expressing concern. 

“We made one thing very clear to everybody who spoke to us, not just the United States but to everyone, saying if the Pakistanis want to stop fighting, they need to tell us. We need to hear it from them. Their general has to call up our general and say this. And that is what happened,” he said. 

Asked about claims by US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly suggested he had facilitated the ceasefire and offered to mediate what he described as a “thousand-year conflict,” Mr Jaishankar dismissed such claims. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to announce the senior men’s squad soon for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, starting June 20. The anticipation is at an all-time high for India’s squad for the England tour, especially after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. As per a latest report, the team selection will be done on May 24, Saturday. The England series will be start of India’s campaign in the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Multiple media reports have already claimed that Shubman Gil is set to take over the captaincy duties in the Test format for India after the retirement of Rohit from the format.

The India squad for the five-match Test series against England is set to be selected on May 24, Saturday, claimed a report in Sportstar. Multiple media reports have claimed that Shubman Gill is set to be named the India captain in the Test format, with Rishabh Pant likely to be his deputy for the series.

The England Tour will be the start of the young crop taking over Indian Test cricket. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin are gone. All eyes are on the likes of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharshan (if he is selected). 

The Supreme Court discussed whether waqfs are a fundamental part of Islam or a charitable act, as petitioners argued the Waqf Amendment Law violates rights and the government claimed waqfs are not essential to practice of the religion.

A discussion on waqfs – charitable donation to be de-linked from Islam or an integral part of that religion, ‘a dedication to God… for spiritual benefit’, – was a highlight in the Supreme Court Thursday as petitioners concluded arguments saying the Waqf (Amendment) Law violates fundamental rights.

Responding to the government’s argument Wednesday – that while ‘waqf’ is an Islamic concept it is not an essential part of the religion and, therefore, not a fundamental right – senior advocate Kapil Sibal told the court, “Waqf is a dedication to God… for afterlife. Unlike other religions, waqf is a charity to God…”

The court, though, pointed out that ‘religious donation’ isn’t exclusive to Islam; “… in Hinduism there is ‘moksha’,” Chief Justice BR Gavai said. “Charity is a fundamental concept of other religions too…”

And Justice Augustine George Masih, the second judge on the bench, referred to a similar provision in Christianity, and said, “We are all trying to get into ‘heaven’.”

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