13052025-TTB-01.qxd 5/13/2025 12:23 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 131 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  DELHI STARMER DOUBLES UK CITIZENSHIP WAIT TIME WORLD /thetribunechd OMAR VISITS POONCH, MEETS VICTIMS OF PAK SHELLING J&K BUOYED BY CEASEFIRE, INDICES LOG RECORD GAINS BUSINESS ISRO TO LAUNCH RISAT-1B SATELLITE ON MAY 18 BACK PAGE tuesday | 13 may 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com In first address to nation after strikes, Modi says Op Sindoor new normal, terror & talks can’t go together Says brave troops forced Pak to plead for mercy, army at terrorists’ funeral exposes neighbour’s ugly face Warns action against Islamabad only paused, no distinction between terror sponsors and terrorists Won’t take N-blackmail, talks only on PoK, terror: PM Aditi Tandon Hours after India, Pak DGMOs talk, drones seen in J&K, Punjab Tribune News Service AjayBanerjee New Delhi, May 12 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said Operation Sindoor was India’s new policy against terrorism and action against Pakistan had only been paused with every step of the neighbour being closely watched. In first remarks after Operation Sindoor which he described as “India’s pledge for justice that became a reality on May 7”, the PM said every terrorist in Pakistan now knew the consequences of wiping out the sindoor of India’s mothers and sisters. The Prime Minister delivered a firm message to the world that if talks happen with Pakistan, these will only happen on the PoK and terrorism. He added that “talks and terrorism and trade and terrorism cannot go together nor can blood and water flow together (a reference that India will keep the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan suspended)”. Declaring that India had Tribune News Service Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation on Monday. PTI wants to survive, it will have ❝ IfsPakistanclear. Terror and talks cannotto destroy terror infrastructure. India’ stand is go together. Terror and trade cannot go together... Water and blood cannot flow together. — Narendra Modi, PM avenged the April 22 barbaric faith-based killings in Pahalgam, the PM, in a televised address to the nation, said while Pakistan attempted to attack India’s borders, India attacked “its heart”. His reference was to the destruction of Pakistan Air Force bases and notorious terror hubs of the LeT and the JeM in STELLAR CAREER MATCHES INNINGS RUNS HIGHEST AVG 100s 200s 123 210 9,230 254 46.8 30 7 Muridke and Bahawalpur by the Indian military. The PM termed the latter two complexes “universities of global terrorism with links to major terror attacks in India, 9/11 and London tube bombings” and said Indian action had shaken the morale of Pakistan-based terrorists with over 100 killed. Saluting the armed forces, the BSF and the paramilitary, the PM said Operation Sindoor had drawn a new line in the national response to terror. He listed three dimensions of this new normal — first, a terror attack will be met with a befitting reply on India’s terms and terrorists continued on page 8 edit: pm’s firm message NewDelhi, May12 The Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan today spoke over the hotline and laid emphasis on “continuing with the commitment” that both sides “must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive and inimical action”. Just hours after DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai and his Pakistan counterpart Maj Gen Kashif Abdullah spoke, suspected drones were sighted near Samba in J&K and some areas around the Suranussi ammunition dump in Jalandhar. The Army was engaging them, said officials. “A small numbers of suspected drones being observed near Samba in J&K. Being engaged. There is no need to be alarmed,” the Army said. This even as several cities in Punjab, including Amritsar and Jalandhar, faced a blackout amid threat of air raids by the neighbour. Around midnight, the Army Both sides agree on troop cut, no firing along LoC DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai at a press conference on Monday. BLACKOUT IN AMRITSAR, FLIGHT RETURNS TO DELHI An IndiGo Airlines flight that had departed from Delhi to Amritsar was forced to return to Delhi due to a blackout in Amritsar. said the situation was calm and enemy drones were no longer being sighted. Lt Gen Ghai and Maj Gen Abdullah spoke at 5 pm, the Army said. Referring to the ongoing tensions, the Army said the DGMOs agreed that Tribune News Service VIRAT TEST LEGACY Gaurav Kanthwal S UNIL Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli... For the past five decades, cricket fans in India have never been in doubt about who would anchor Indian cricket as one legend after the other retired. But with Kohli announcing his abrupt retirement from Test cricket today, a huge void has been left in the sport. The 36-year-old, the most successful Indian Test captain with 40 wins in 68 Tests, called time on his 14-year-long career, having scored 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.8, including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. “As I step away from this format, it’s not easy but it feels right... I will always look back at my Test career with a smile,” he said, indicating a sense of contentment and a feeling that his trademark aggression had abated somewhat. Kohli, as a player and as a captain, led a fitness revolution in the team, ensuring every member had the stamina to compete consistently till the fifth day of a match. His brashness and aggression rubbed off on the team as they embarked on a journey to become the No. 1 Test side. King Kohli, Chase Master, Run continued on page 8 edit: King kohli Stopped nuke war, warned both with haltingtrade:Trump Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 12 US President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that his administration “stopped” a possible nuclear war between India and Pakistan by threatening them with halting trade if they didn’t end the conflict. No such talk on trade: Delhi India, however, rebutted the claim with sources saying that the US administration never brought up trade in any of the discussions it had with the Indian leadership after the launch of Operation Sindoor. The US administration made four calls to the Indian leadership — Vice-President continued on page 8 Didn’t hit Kirana Hills, not aware of US,China call 90-day what lies there: IAF on strike at N-site truce in high tariff war Ajay Banerjee KOHLI LEAVES “both sides must consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction at the border and forward areas”. The two nuclear-armed nations were locked in a fourday conflict (May 7 to 10) after India struck at terror camps in Pakistan to retaliate against the killing of 26 innocent people at Pahalgam. Today’s discussion was the second in 48 hours. The Pakistan DGMO had called up his Indian counterpart over the hotline at 3.35 pm on May 10 and proposed “a pause in the hostilities”. The two were scheduled to speak at noon today, but the call was rescheduled. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had announced on May 10 that the two DGMOs would speak at noon today. Officials in New Delhi refused to share the reason behind rescheduling the call. The call over the hotline is being considered important as government sources said the talks would take place only between the two militaries at the DGMO level. New Delhi, May 12 Amid speculation that Pakistan’s nuclear facility at Kirana Hills, northwest of Islamabad, may have been damaged during recent military exchange with India, a senior Indian Air Force officer on Monday said, “We have not hit it.” Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General of Air Operations at the IAF addressed , questions during a press conference and said, “We have not hit Kirana Hills and whatever is there.” The officer, who is leading India’s air operations against Pakistan, further said, “We are not aware of any nuclear facility at that location.” Also present at the press briefing were the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, and the Director General of Naval Operations, Vice Admiral AN Pramod. Air Marshal Bharti provided details about Operation Sindoor and the current pause in hostilities between India and continued on page 8 Air Marshal AK Bharti, Vice Admiral AN Pramod and Maj Gen SS Sharda in New Delhi. MUKESH AGGARWAL Air defence likened to Aussie bowlers Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 12 Praising the efficacy of the Indian air defence system in the conflict with Pakistan, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, today compared the “strike rate” of bringing down enemy threats with the wickettaking abilities of the 1970s’ fast bowling Australian duo Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee. ALL 32 SHUT AIRPORTS RESUME OPERATIONS All 32 airports that were shut for civil flight operations amid last week’s armed hostilities between India and Pakistan have now been reopened, the Airports Authority of India said. The integrated air defence system of the armed forces shot down all threats — drones, armed drones and missiles fired by Pakistan, said General Ghai while describing the success in Operation Sindoor. The DGMO cited the oftenquoted media sobriquet for the fast bowling Aussie duo, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if Thommo does not get you, Lillee must”. The comparison was to benchmark the efficacy of the air defence system’s robustness in hitting the incoming threats. continued on page 8 Geneva, May12 US and Chinese officials said on Monday they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs and call a 90-day truce in their trade war for more talks on resolving their trade disputes. Stock markets rose sharply as the two major economic powers took a step back from a clash that has unsettled the global economy. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the US agreed to drop its 145 per cent tariff rate on Chinese goods by 115 percentage points to 30 per cent, while China agreed to lower its rate on US goods by the same amount to 10 per cent. Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the tariff reductions at a news conference in Geneva. The two officials struck a positive tone as they said the two sides had set up consultations to continue discussing their trade issues. Bessent said the high tariffs would have meant a complete blockage of each side’s goods, an outcome neither side wants. China’s Commerce Ministry said the two sides agreed ROLLBACK OF LEVIES ■ US to drop its 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods to 30% ■ China to lower its rate on US goods by same amount to 10% ■ Trump had in April raised US tariffs on China to 145% ■ China retaliated by hitting US imports with a 125% levy $660 BILLION US-China trade volume last year to cancel 91 per cent in tariffs on each other’s goods and suspend another 24 per cent in tariffs for 90 days, bringing the total reduction to 115 percentage points. The ministry called the agreement an important step for the resolution of the two countries’ differences. The joint statement issued by the two countries said China also agreed to suspend or remove other measures it has taken since April 2 in response to the US tariffs. China has increased export controls on rare earths, including some critical to the defence industry, and added more US firms to its export control and unreliable entity lists, restricting continued on page 8 Commanders invoke scriptures, poetry to assert military might Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 12 Military commanders on Monday invoked a range of cultural, religious and contemporary phrases to deliver a message of operational dominance over Pakistan to both the nation and the world. The messaging began on Sunday when tri-services commanders, in their first joint briefing on Operation Sindoor, presented a compelling video featuring Pakistan-sponsored terror attacks and India’s firm responses. The visuals were accom- panied by “Shiv Tandav Stotram”, a powerful hymn celebrating Lord Shiva’s cosmic dance, reinforcing the cyclical nature of creation and destruction. Slides displayed alongside read: “When terror strikes our soil, India’s soul awakens”. The armed forces’ message – “If Pakistan hits, India will hit back harder” — wasn’t lost on anyone with the carefully selected hymn signalling the cyclical nature of creation and destruction. In the background, images of key Pakistan air bases, struck and LORD SHIVA’S ‘TANDAV’ TO DINKAR’S VERSES Military commanders invoked Lord Shiva’s “Tandav”, poet Dinkar’s defiant verses and even cricket legends to send Pak an unmistakable message: India’s response to aggression will be fierce and unrelenting razed, were displayed. During a second briefing on Monday, commanders played a new video featuring powerful verses from national poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s “Krishna ki Chetavani”, a segment from his epic “Rashmirathi” ringing along. The lines, “Hit vachan nahi tune maana, maitri kaa mulya na pehchaana, toh le ab main bhi jaata hoon, antim sankalp sunaata hoon; yachana nahi ab rann hoga, jeevan jaya yaa ki maran hoga” (You have disregarded the offer of friendship, so I pledge now a war unto victory or death), served as a clear message to Pakistan. When asked about the choice of Dinkar’s verse to support military messaging, Air Marshal AK Bharti turned to a segment from Today’s issue is of 16 pages, including four-page Delhi Tribune. c m y b “Ramcharitmanas” where Lord Rama takes aim at the ocean for its refusal to make way for his march to Lanka. “Vinay naa maaney jaldhi jad gaye teen din beeti, boley Ram sakop tab bhaya bin hiye na preeti” (There can be no love without fear), the Air Marshal said, adding, “The message has gone where it was intended to go.” Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai employed cricket analogies to emphasise the impenetrability of India’s defences. Calling Virat Kohli his favorite crick- eter, he recalled a famous 1975 poem dedicated to Australian bowlers Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee, who had demolished the English batting lineup that season. “Ashes to Ashes, dust to dust, if Thommo don’t get you, Lillee must,” said the Commander, telling Pakistan that breaching India’s military defences would be impossible. Navy Operations Commander VN Pramod too invoked the Vedic verse, “Sham no Varunah” (May Varuna, God of the oceans, be auspicious to us) to assert India’s naval superiority over Pakistan.