Modi | Pakistan

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Instagram recently with selfie-style videos shot after hours in a bid to win over young voters following Gen Z protests that highlighted growing frustration over a lack of job and education opportunities. From clips showing the prime minister in a biker jacket and sunglasses against a rap soundtrack, to others that borrow the theme song from the sitcom Friends to signal his dependability, the messaging of Modi’s party has pivoted towards the young. A vertically shot clip posted on July 31 featuring Modi uttering a casual greeting, “Hi, friends” was the latest in his digital charm offensive that aims to win over 400 million Gen Z voters ahead of general elections in 2029. “They are platforms where you broadcast a well-rehearsed and disciplined political message to millions of followers in a top-down manner,” said Delhi-based political columnist Asim Ali. The pivot to youth-focused social media follows protests last month that led to the resignation of the education m...

An Indian parliamentary panel called on Wednesday for Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg to apologise for the temporary removal of a video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India, the world’s most populous country, is Meta’s largest market by users, with hundreds of millions of people using Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Modi’s video, addressing students during youth-led protests on July 23, was briefly removed from Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, but was later restored. Meta has said it was caused by technical error. Nishikant Dubey, who heads the parliamentary committee on communications and information technology, said the panel blamed Meta. “Deleting the prime minister’s video was not the work of an intermediary, but that of a publisher,” Dubey said, a lawmaker in Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Zuckerberg will have to apologise within three days.” Joel Kaplan, chief global affairs officer at Meta, said he met with India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday and a...

ISLAMABAD - In a scathing critique of the Indian government, former Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Monday held the Modi regime directly responsible for the ongoing terrorism and security failures in the region following the killing of innocent labourers in Kulgam.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to “forgive” protesters who abused him during recent youth-led demonstrations that dealt a rare political setback to his government. The remarks came after the online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) mobilised large protests in New Delhi and other cities over examination paper leaks, posing the biggest challenge to Modi’s government in recent years. Some protesters featured in widely circulated videos shouting insults at the prime minister have since faced online abuse from Modi supporters as well as police complaints, according to local media reports. Police have also asked social media platforms, including Meta and X, to take down what they described as abusive and manipulated content targeting the premier. “The country and the world witnessed what happened at Jantar Mantar. Some mischievous youngsters hurled vile abuses,” Modi, 75, said in a video posted on Instagram late on Friday. “Words were used that do not belong to civilised society — directed not just at...

Police in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad have registered a case against the head of Meta India over multiple videos posted on the company’s Facebook platform that depicted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an “abusive manner”, a senior police officer said on Friday. Police are preparing to send a notice to Meta Platforms regarding the case, which had not been issued as of Friday, said V Aravind Babu, deputy commissioner of police for cyber crimes in Hyderabad. Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on Friday. The case adds to a string of tensions between Meta and Modi’s government over content tied to the prime minister. India’s IT ministry summoned Meta executives this week after Facebook briefly restricted a Modi post last week, with a top official saying the government wanted Meta to explain the matter at the highest level. A Meta spokesperson said at the time that the post, which was Modi’s first where he addressed massive student protests that forced the resignation of the...

Indian activists are challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over the use of AI-powered surveillance at the largest youth protest in decades, with one court case set to become a test of federal powers even after agitation ended. The surveillance controversy erupted during last week’s student protests over exam paper leaks, when demonstrators posted pictures on social media of a mobile police surveillance van equipped with cameras on a telescopic mast providing a 360-degree view of the gathering. One protester, student activist Aishe Ghosh, has asked the Delhi High Court to declare mass surveillance of protesters unconstitutional and direct the destruction of all personal data collected during the protest, as well as order the framing of guidelines on how surveillance technology can be used. Ghosh is pressing on with the case even though the protest ended after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned in a rare setback for Modi, who has since announced a panel to overhaul the cheating-prone...

A CHILD holds a placard during a gathering in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party in Mumbai.—AFP • Indian PM posts video promising remedial steps amid growing youth anger • Experts say social media-driven activism signals changing political trends NEW DELHI: Nearly five weeks after the leaders of India’s youth Cockr­oach Janta Party (CJP) began their protest dema­n­ding the resignation of the education minister over exam paper leaks, Pri­me Minister Narendra Modi, 75, posted a rare selfie video: he said he was pained by their suffering and promised remedial steps The video, posted late on Thursday on Instagram, where CJP amassed 22 million mainly Gen Z followers in a matter of days in May, was not enough to satisfy the thousands of protesters who had gathered in central Delhi, braved a massive police crackdown days earlier, and then inspired protests across the country. On Saturday, the education minister stepped down, meeting the protesters’ main demand, in a rare such setback for Modi. The resignation...

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday a special task force to reform the country’s exam system, a day after his government’s education minister resigned. The social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had drawn thousands of demonstrators, mainly students, to the capital’s Jantar Mantar site in New Delhi, forming one of India’s largest anti-government protests in recent years. Modi said in a video posted to X that his administration “decided to set up a high-powered task force” led by Nandan Nilekani — the co-founder of India’s IT giant Infosys — “which will focus on examination reform”. “Our examination system must be reliable. Our examination system must be transparent. Our examination system must make maximum use of technology,” Modi added in the video statement. Modi said the government “will work to ensure the credibility of upcoming examinations as quickly as possible”. Weeks of protests over exam irregularities and other issues affecting young Indians culminated on Saturday with ...

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday a special task force to reform the country’s exam system, a day after his government’s education minister resigned. The social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had drawn thousands of demonstrators, mainly students, to the capital’s Jantar Mantar site in New Delhi, forming one of India’s largest anti-government protests in recent years. Modi said in a video posted to X that his administration “decided to set up a high-powered task force” led by Nandan Nilekani — the co-founder of India’s IT giant Infosys — “which will focus on examination reform”. “Our examination system must be reliable. Our examination system must be transparent. Our examination system must make maximum use of technology,” Modi added in the video statement. Modi said the government “will work to ensure the credibility of upcoming examinations as quickly as possible”. Weeks of protests over exam irregularities and other issues affecting young Indians culminated on Saturday with ...

Modi breaks silence after education minister quits over protests sparked by May exam paper leak scandal

Indian leader Narendra Modi said he clinched a uranium supply agreement while visiting Australia on Thursday, securing a fuel source that will play a crucial role in his nation’s nuclear energy ambitions. Faced with an almost-insatiable appetite for electricity in the world’s most populous nation, Modi has outlined plans to substantially scale-up nuclear power generation in coming years. Australia lays claim to around 28 per cent of the world’s uranium resource, but legal hurdles and political sensitivities have hindered exports to India. “We have signed an important agreement today on nuclear energy,” Modi said after talks with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. “This will pave the way for uranium supplies from Australia to India and give our clean energy objectives fresh momentum.” A joint statement said the arrangement allowed long-term uranium exports for “exclusively peaceful purposes”. The exports would fall under safeguards established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “The ar...

India will supply BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missiles to Indonesia, an Indian government official said on Tuesday, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi started a two-day visit to Jakarta. Indian sources earlier told Reuters that the deal, worth around $630 million, would likely be signed during Modi’s visit. Indonesia would be the third country to sign an agreement to buy the missiles, which are manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. The deal would mark a major expansion of India’s defence exports and deepen strategic ties with Southeast Asia’s largest economy at a time of growing competition with China for influence in the Indo-Pacific. BrahMos missiles, jointly developed by India and Russia, are among the world’s fastest cruise missiles and can be launched from land, sea and air platforms. The Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles can be integrated on Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets in the Indonesian Air Force. The Indian government did not respond to earl...

India gave a red-carpet welcome on Monday to Myanmar’s junta leader-turned President Min Aung Hlaing — his first trip abroad since becoming civilian leader — with talks focusing on security and trade. The former military chief met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, where they shook hands outside New Delhi’s sprawling Hyderabad House. Modi told the Myanmar leader that “India remains Myanmar’s trusted neighbour, a reliable partner and steadfast first responder in times of crisis”, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said. Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as Myanmar’s president in April, continuing his rule from a civilian post five years after snatching power in a military coup. Modi also “reaffirmed India’s readiness to support peace and dialogue in Myanmar”, Jaiswal added. New Delhi’s top career diplomat, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, told reporters after the meeting that discussions included border security and the impact of the civil war in Myanmar, which borders India’s northeastern s...

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington, reaffirming the importance of a relationship that has come under growing strain, a week after the United States held a warm summit with China. After joining US President Donald Trump in Beijing a week ago, Rubio — visiting both Asian powers for the first time — flew to New Delhi and saw Modi for more than an hour, inviting the premier to visit the White House soon. Rubio “underscored the strategic importance of the US-India partnership, rooted in our shared democratic, profound economic and commercial opportunity and the strong personal ties” between Modi and Trump, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, glossing over last year’s friction between the world’s two largest democracies. Modi, in a post on X, said he was “happy” to receive Rubio. “We discussed sustained progress in the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and issues related to regional and global peace and secur...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took selfies at the Colosseum and admired the view over Rome ahead of talks focused on trade on Wednesday. In a video posted on X, Meloni also thanked Modi for bringing along a packet of “Melody” toffees on his visit, with the two seen laughing over the present — a play on their names. Wrapping up a tour of Europe, Modi landed in Rome on Tuesday for the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Italy in 26 years. Modi previously visited Italy for a G20 meeting in 2021 and a G7 summit in 2024. In a joint opinion in Italy’s Corriere della Sera daily, the two said they wanted to “reach and exceed the €20 billion ($23bn) target for trade between Italy and India by 2029”. Particular sectors of interest would include defence, aerospace, car parts, clean technologies and textiles, they said. “We aim to forge a powerful synergy between Italian design, manufacturing excellence, and world-class supercomputers… and India’s rapid eco...

INDIAN PM Narendra Modi’s penchant for not taking questions during interactions with the press did not go down well with journalists in Norway, who wanted to quiz the visiting dignitary. Mr Modi is on a six-day, five-nation tour, and landed in Oslo on Monday to attend the third India-Nordic Summit. According to The Hindustan Times, the episode unfolded at a joint press statement by PM Modi and his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Støre. As the two leaders were leaving the venue after their briefing, which did not include a Q&A, a voice rang out across the room: “Prime Minister Modi, why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” The voice belonged to Helle Lyng, a journalist with the local newspaper Dagsavisen, who was part of the media contingent covering the visit. “Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, would not take my question, I was not expecting him to,” she subsequently posted on X. She later also attended the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing on PM Modi’s Norway vi...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “significantly” cut the size of his motorcade to save fuel, a government source said on Wednesday, days after Modi urged citizens to tighten their belts amid a surge in energy prices triggered by the Iran war. Modi appealed to people on Sunday to adopt austerity measures, including avoiding unnecessary foreign travel, using public transport, reducing gold purchases and cutting their use of cooking oil, as soaring global energy prices put pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Following the appeal, some critics on social media questioned the large motorcades of senior Indian politicians, Modi’s domestic flights and his upcoming Europe visit on his official aircraft. The number of vehicles in Modi’s motorcade was reduced while ensuring essential security components, in line with the protocol of the Special Protection Group that guards the prime minister, the source said, without specifying the motorcade’s actual size. Modi gets the highest level of personal ...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark this week on a multi-nation tour to the United Arab Emirates and four European countries, officials said on Monday. Modi will start his whirlwind tour from the UAE — where a 4.5 million-strong Indian community lives — on Friday, India’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Modi will meet with the UAE’s leader, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with energy cooperation high on the agenda amid global supply disruptions caused by the Middle East war. “The visit will serve to promote the significant trade and investment linkages between the two countries,” the statement said. The premier will then travel to the Netherlands between May 15 and 17 on his second visit there since 2017, with defence, semiconductors and “a strategic partnership on water” between the two countries on the agenda. Modi’s visit “early in the tenure of the new government will provide an opportunity to further deepen and expand” India’s partnership with the Dutch, the ministry said. Bilateral...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the people of to cut down on petrol and diesel consumption amid supply disruptions due to the Middle East war. India is one of the few countries in the region that has not increased the prices of petrol and diesel for domestic consumers or rationed supplies. But it has increased prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) — a primary cooking fuel in this country — after disruptions following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which led to Iran’s near-total blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. “We have to reduce our use of petrol and diesel. In cities with metro lines, we should try to travel by metro … If we must use a car, then we should try to car pool,” he said, addressing a gathering in southern Telangana state. He added that restrictions on use were also necessary to save foreign currency spent on fuel imports. “We must also place a strong emphasis on saving foreign exchange, as petrol and diesel have become so expensive globally.” Modi also urged peopl...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed a “record” victory on Monday in key elections in opposition-held West Bengal state after official trends and partial results showed a thumping majority for his Hindu nationalist party. Votes were still being counted under tight security in the state of more than 100 million people, one of five states and territories that held elections in April and May where results were also being announced on Monday. The results should put Modi on a stronger footing while he battles a series of economic and foreign policy challenges, including high unemployment rates and a pending US trade deal, ahead of a general election in 2029. In keenly fought West Bengal, where Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has never won before, the party was leading in 156 of the 293 seats and had won 48 others, according to the Election Commission of India. “The 2026 West Bengal Assembly Elections will be remembered forever,” Modi said on social media. “People’s power has prevailed and BJP’s politics...