DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 2025, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY RAJNATH, GABBARD HOLD TALKS TO DEEPEN TIES Designate Sikhs for Justice as terror organisation, Delhi tells Washington E SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, MARCH 17 DIPLOMACY EUROPE AND THE NEW AMERICA PAGE 13 DEFENCE MINISTER Rajnath Singh has asked Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence in the US administration, to designate Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), the pro-Khalistan separatist outfit, asa“terroristoutfit”,sourcestold The Indian Express Monday. Singh conveyed SFJ’s links with terrorist groups and Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI, during his meeting with Gabbard, sources said. Later, Gabbard met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Modi, in a post on X, said, “Glad to welcome @TulsiGabbard to India. Exchanged views on further advancingtheIndia-USComprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Bothcountries arecommittedto combating terrorism and enhancing maritime and cyber security cooperation.” The discussions assume significance since Gabbard also attended the conference of intelligence chiefs Sunday which was hosted by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Research & Analysis Wing chief Ravi Sinha CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPLAINED Islamic terror impacting India and Bangladesh: US intelligence chief EXPLAINED `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES, `20 IN ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard in New Delhi on Monday. PTI Moving to ● counter US NATIONAL Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard’s visit to Delhi and her presence at a conference of global intelligence chiefs, weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump met at the White House, signals the willingness in the two Capitals to cooperate closely on matters related to security, especially in meeting terror threats. China rising in Indo-Pacific, India and New Zealand seal defence pact China on Modi: Appreciate his positive remarks on bilateral ties PMs welcome launch of FTA talks, discuss security cooperation NEW DELHI, MARCH 17 SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, MARCH 17 Security personnel in Chitnis Park area of Nagpur on Monday. Dhananjay Khedkar EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, MARCH 17 VEHICLES WERE torched and police fired tear gas shells at mobsinNagpurMondayfollowing violence over rumours that a holy book had been desecrated during a demonstration in the citybyrightwingoutfits,includingBajrangDal, seekingremoval of the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Khuldabad. At least four policemen were injured in the clashes. Police officers said a group of protesters hadburntaneffigyof Aurangzeb but this led to rumours of a holy book being desecrated, and video clips began doing the rounds of social media. Nagpur Commissioner of Police Ravinder Singal, according to news agency PTI, said: “A photograph was set on fire, which instigated people. A case was registered regarding this, and an investigation is underway. Later, clashes broke out. Some police personnel have been injured, but no one sustained any serious injuries.” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Homeportfolio,said,“Iappealto people not to fall prey to rumours. Everybody should maintain peace. The administration is taking all necessary measures.” Union Minister and Nagpur MP Nitin Gadkari said, “Due to certain rumours, a situation of religious tension has arisen in Nagpur. The city’s history is known for maintaining peace in such matters. I urge all my CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 PAGE 1 ANCHOR SIGNALLING DEEPER strategic convergence in the face of an assertive China in the Indo-Pacific region, India and New Zealand signed a defence cooperation pact Monday and agreed to step up dialogue to enhance maritime safety. The agreementwas inked after Prime Minister Narendra ModimetPrimeMinisterof New Zealand Christopher Luxon who is in India on a five-day visit. The two leaders also discussed the issue of Khalistan separatist activities in New Zealand and India flagged its concern about “anti-India activities by some illegal elements”. After the bilateral talks, Modi said both sides decided to strengthen and institutionalise defence and security partnership and a roadmap will be prepared for cooperation in the de- fence industry sector. Modi said India and New Zealandsupportafree,openand secure Indo-Pacific. “We believe inthepolicyof development,not expansionism,” he said, in an oblique reference to China’s aggressive behaviour in the IndoPacific region. Luxon said Modi and he discussed a challenging strategic outlook in the Indo-Pacific. “I reiteratedourstrongcommitment to address shared concerns over our respective interests in contributing to a prosperous IndoPacific,” he said. According to the joint statement, the Prime Ministers “recognised that we face an increasinglyuncertainanddangerous world. They noted that, as maritimenations,IndiaandNew Zealand have a strong and common interest in an open, inclusive,stableandprosperousIndoPacific, where the rules-based international order is upheld”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE PrimeMinisterNarendraModiwithNewZealandcounterpart ChristopherLuxoninNewDelhionMonday. Anil Sharma A DAY after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India and China are “working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020”, when their military standoff began along the border in eastern Ladakh, China said Mondaythatit“appreciated”the “positive” remarks on bilateral relations. “Acooperativepasdedeux(a dance of two people) of the dragon and the elephant is the only right choice for both sides,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing, referring to China and India. She said China “stands ready toworkwithIndiatoimplement the important common understandingsbetweenthetwoleaders, take the 75th anniversary of China-Indiadiplomaticrelations as an opportunity, promote exchange and cooperation in various fields and at all levels, and advanceChina-Indiarelationson the track of sound and stable development”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ‘THERE IS NO FOOD ON OUR PLATE WITHOUT FISHING. WE DON’T HAVE ANY PROPERTY BUT THE SEA’ A tale of two protests: In coastal Karnataka villages, two port projects set off fears over fishing, livelihood PAVNEET SINGH CHADHA & KIRAN PARASHAR ANKOLA, HONNAVAR (KARNATAKA), MARCH 17 Women were among the protesters at Keni beach, in Karnataka’s Ankola, earlier this month. Pavneet Singh Chadha FOR THE past 17 years, Nilesh Harikantra (30), a fisherman in Keni-Bavikeri village in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district, has had the same morning routine. At 4 am, he and his crew pushtheir20-footdoni—acolloquialtermforasmallboat—into theshallowwatersof Kenibeach and launch the fishing nets. Afterafewhours,theyreturn Arabian Sea Nagpur tense as protest against Aurangzeb’s tomb triggers violence; cops teargas mobs Keni (Ankola) KARNATAKA Tonka I with the day’s catch — mostly sardines, mackerels and prawns — which is cured, dried and sold bywomeninthefamilyatthelo- calmarket.Butwhenhereached the beach earlier this month, a posse of policemen who had been camping there threatened to seize his boat. It was in November 2023 that the commercial port company, JSW Infrastructure Ltd, won the bid to develop a port at Kenionapublic-privatepartnership basis. At the time, the company said in a statement that the proposed port is “envisaged as anall-weather,greenfield,multicargo, direct berthing, deep-watercommercialportforhandling CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 US tariffs: Weighing challenge, potential as we work on trade deal, says Centre Commerce Secy: Goal to raise bilateral trade from $200 billion to $500 billion RAVI DUTTA MISHRA & AANCHAL MAGAZINE NEW DELHI, MARCH 17 COMMERCE SECRETARY Sunil Barthwal said Monday that the government is engaging with stakeholders to resolve challenges and identify opportunities arising from US tariffs which havesetoff aglobaltradewarinvolving major blocs such as the European Union and China. “Allthemeasuresrequiredto raise (India-US) trade from $200 billionto$500billionwillbediscussed bilaterally with the US. We are negotiating this bilateral tradeagreement,whichwehave said is multisectoral. It will address all the different issues between both countries. Everything important to both countries will be part of the negotiations,” Barthwal said. This is delinked from the issue of reciprocal tariffs, said an official speaking on condition of anonymity. The official added that the US investigation to determine the form and scope of reciprocal tariffs is still ongoing and multiple factors—including migration, trade deficits, and currency manipulation—could influencethedecision,makingit difficult to assess the impact on India. “They have an ‘America First’ policy—that is their outlook. After taking that outlook towards the world, what they decide against which country is their prerogative. From our perspective, we are proactively engaging with the US. So we are playing our role, and we are very happythatbothcountriesareactively engaged in these discussions, which is a very positive sign,” the official said. The Indian industry, particularlytheautomobileandagriculturesectors,continuestobeconcerned about US reciprocal tariffs, as India has the highest tariffs in these sectors. Sectors such as steel and aluminium are already feeling the impact of the 25 per cent tariffs imposed on these metals. The Indian Express reported Thursday that steel and aluminiumexportershadinformed the government that $5 billion worthof goodshadalreadybeen affected by Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on these metals, which took effect last week. Pankaj Chadha, Chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) India, said that since the voyage time to the US is around 60 days, about $1 billion worth of shipments are currently on the high CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Pirzada Taha Siddiqui (extreme right) and other clerics at Furfura Sharif in Hooghly district on Monday. Express Mamata at Furfura, hits out at Opp: ‘Not my first visit... here for harmony’ ATRI MITRA KOLKATA, MARCH 17 IN HER first visit in nearly a decade to Furfura Sharif, a prominent Muslim pilgrimage site in Hooghly district, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday hit out at the Opposition parties for questioning her “true intentions”, sayingeverythingwasnotlinked to the elections. SpeakingtomediapersonsafterreachingFurfuraSharif,where she was welcomed by Pirzada Taha Siddiqui and other clerics, theTMCsupremosaid:“Iamdisappointed to see reports in sections of the media questioning myintentionstocomehere.They are asking why am I going to Furfura Sharif. Is there any vote equation? This isn't my first visit to this place. I have been here about15-16timesbefore.Whydo you not ask this question when I visitKashiVishwanathTemplein VaranasiorPushkarinRajasthan? WhydoyoustaysilentwhenIcelebrate Durga Puja and Kali Puja or participate in Christmas celebrations?Whyweren'tquestions asked when I wished everyone duringHoli?”theTMCchief said. “The soil of Bengal is the soil of communal harmony, and our message from this platform is one of harmony, peace, and unity among all communities of the state,” she said. The chief minister reached Furfura Sharif in Srirampur subdivision in Hooghly district CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 In Uttarakhand village, school is a trolley ride, river and trek away AISWARYA RAJ PITHORAGARH, MARCH 17 THEIR HALL tickets secured to their transparent clipboards, four teenagers hopped into an open green trolley in Pithoragarh’s Gharuri village with practised ease. Around 150 metres across the turbid Gori Ganga, a school teacher tugged the trolley’s rope. Getting an education is no child’s play in Uttarakhand’s Gharuri village. In fact, the locals rely on the trolley bridge “for everything” — from rations and dairy to education. While most middle and senior school students from the village walk around 2 km to their schooldailyafterthetrolleyride, since last month, all board students have been trekking nearly 2.5 km to their centre, the Government Inter College in Lumti. Installed atop an old abutment (a support structure for a bridge), the trolley is the easiest way to get around in Gharuri, where the nearest pedestrian bridge is located at least 8 km away. Of Uttarakhand’s 3,333 bridgesand30trolleys,themaximum (13) are located in Pithoragarh. Tugging at the rope to bring the empty trolley to her side, Priyanka Samant, 15, who, like the other girls, is in her chequered kurta uniform, said, “I was 10 years old when I boarded the gharari (trolley) for the first time. It was scary at first.” In January this year, a video of the students taking the trolley across the Gori Ganga, dotted with mammoth rocks following a massive landslide in the village in 2020, went viral on social media. This prompted the Public WorksDepartment(PWD)todirect local teachers to take turns to operate the trolley. “When the children go to Students take the cable car to reach their school in Pithoragarh’s Gharuri village. Aiswarya Raj school now, they only need to pull the rope from one side. One teacher is on duty on the other side,” said Pushkar Singh, a local. For Bhavna Samant, 15, who was on the way to Lumti for her Class 10 board exams, the PWD directive has come as a source of relief. “Before the teachers were deputed, my arms would ache and my palms would get sore aftertuggingonthetrolley’srope,” she said. DeepakChand,alabassistant at the school who is on trolley dutyonceaweek,saidthey“discourage” children from attendingschoolwhenitrains.Tugging the rope to help five students crosstheriver,headded,“It’sunsafe to take the trolley during monsoon since the area is landslide-prone.” A 2023 ISRO report confirms that the Pithoragarh-KhelaMalpa route is among the most susceptible to landslides in the state. The district has also been affected by cloudburst, flash floods and heavy rainfall. The district was among the worst affected in the state during the 2013 deluge. Along with houses, locals say the river washed away a pedestrian bridge,cuttingGharurivillageoff from the entire region. Hari Chand, sarpanch, van panchayat, Gharuri, said, “The old bridge vanished in the 2013 floods. We could not cross the river for several days. Afterwards,wehadtowalk9km through the woods to cross the river. Then MLA (and former Chief Minister) Harish Rawat sanctioned a bridge in 2015, but only the pillars and abutment hadcomeupby2020.InJulythat year, a landslide destroyed the pillars.Thetrolleybridgewasset up on the abutment after that.” Claiming that the trolley bridge, which can ferry a total of 100 kg across the river at a time, was on the verge of getting CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Kolkata