PM makes strong pitch for Uniform Civil Code, asks ‘how can country run on 2 laws?’

New Delhi: In the wake of the deadly terror strike in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday personally reached out to the Chief Ministers of all states, instructing them to take immediate action to identify and deport Pakistani nationals who are overstaying in India beyond the newly imposed visa deadlines, according to official sources.

During the calls, Shah emphasized the urgency of locating any Pakistani nationals still residing in their respective states and ensuring their departure in compliance with the fresh directives. He also made it clear that while overstayers must be deported, Hindu Pakistani nationals holding valid long-term visas are exempt from these measures and should not face any action.

This directive follows India’s sweeping decision to revoke all visas issued to Pakistani nationals from April 27 onwards. Medical visas, however, will remain valid only until April 29. The government has also urged all Indian citizens currently in Pakistan to return home at the earliest.

Furthermore, as part of its comprehensive response to the April 22 terror incident, India has withdrawn Pakistani access to the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). Pakistani nationals currently in India under SVES were given a 48-hour deadline—until Friday—to leave the country.

The Home Minister had just returned from a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir and attended a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in Delhi, where key decisions were taken, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed foreign envoys about the nature of the Pahalgam attack and the measures India is undertaking in its aftermath.

Addressing a public gathering in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack and asserted that India will "identify, track, and punish" every terrorist and their "backers," vowing to pursue the perpetrators to the "ends of the earth."

The government has also begun consultations with both ruling and opposition political parties, seeking unity on national security even as questions were raised regarding potential lapses that led to the attack.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to make a landmark visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, becoming the first Indian prime minister in four decades to set foot in the port city of Jeddah.

The high-profile visit comes at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and signals a renewed chapter in the India-Saudi partnership.

During the prime minister's visit, Modi and the Crown Prince will co-chair the second meeting of the India-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council, a forum established during the prime minister’s 2019 visit to institutionalize deeper engagement between the two nations.

Six pacts ready to be signed — more may follow

According to high-level sources cited by news agency PTI, India and Saudi Arabia will ink at least six key memoranda of understanding (MoUs) during Modi's visit. These will cover vital sectors including space exploration, energy, healthcare, scientific research, culture, and advanced technology.

“Negotiations were still underway late Monday to finalise additional MoUs,” a senior official confirmed, adding that over a dozen agreements were on the table — some of which may be signed at the official level even if not during the PM’s presence.

Hajj quota, pilgrim support on the agenda

In his bilateral meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Modi will also raise issues related to Hajj, including India’s annual pilgrimage quota. Sources said that the prime minister aims to ensure smoother coordination and increased support for Indian pilgrims.

India’s Hajj quota for 2025 has grown to 175,025 from 136,020 in 2014, with arrangements already in place for 122,518 pilgrims. However, around 42,000 Indians are unlikely to make the journey this year due to delays by Combined Haj Group Operators in securing agreements.

Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Suhel Ajaz Khan, highlighted Jeddah’s dual importance — both as a historical trade hub with India and as the primary gateway to Mecca. “Hajj is a vital aspect of our bilateral ties, and the Indian government places immense importance on ensuring a seamless pilgrimage experience,” he said.

On Wednesday, the prime minister is also scheduled to visit a factory in Jeddah that employs a large number of Indian workers — a gesture underlining the critical role of the Indian diaspora in strengthening bilateral relations.

Notably, Modi was awarded Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash, in 2016 — a testament to the deepening diplomatic and personal rapport between the leadership of both nations.

The US military has struck the western Yemeni oil port of Ras Isa, leaving dozens of workers and paramedics dead, and dozens more injured.

The facility in Hudaydah governorate was hit at least two times on Thursday night, with the second strike coming as civil defense and rescue teams were extinguishing fires and recovering victims. The second attack killed at least five paramedics.

The Palestinian Information Center and al-Manar TV now report that at least 38 people have been killed in that attack, while 102 others injured.

The Yemeni government slammed the attack as a clear war crime aimed at supporting the Zionist regime and enabling it to continue the Gaza genocide.

It said the strikes prove that the US deliberately attacks civilian infrastructure in Yemen with false justifications.

The government vowed that this crime would not pass without painful punishment, and the US would reap nothing but humiliating defeat and failure.

The US military claimed the port was a source of fuel for the Ansarullah resistance movement.

The governorates of Sana'a, al-Bayda and Hudaydah were also hit with multiple strikes.

The United States intensified its deadly attacks on the country last month at President Donald Trump’s direct orders.

Washington claims the raids are strictly aimed at protecting shipping activity around Yemen, alleging that the regional waterways’ maritime security had been endangered by Sana’a.

Yemeni officials have, however, roundly rejected such claims, underlining that the country only targeted vessels belonging to the Israeli regime and ships taking supplies to it.

The operations implemented by Yemen’s Armed Forces began in October 2023, when the Israeli regime, the US’s most cherished regional ally, began taking the Gaza Strip under a genocidal war.

More than 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed as a result of the warfare, which receives hugely enhanced and unstinting arms support on the part of Washington.