Gwalior, June 26 (IANS) Gwalior turned a fresh page in its railway history on Thursday as Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North-Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia unveiled the long-anticipated Gwalior-Bengaluru Express—marking a major leap in connecting Madhya Pradesh’s heartland with Bengaluru — the technology capital of India.The Union Minister highlighted that the newly introduced train will cater to nearly 40 lakh residents, offering them direct access to enhanced rail connectivity.He added that the service will halt at key junctions, including Shivpuri, Guna, Ashoknagar, Bina, and Bhopal — ensuring widespread regional benefit and improved mobility across central Madhya Pradesh.The launch ceremony at Gwalior Railway Station was held in hybrid format, with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw joining virtually.Union Minister Scindia, also the Member of Parliament from Guna, travelled aboard the inaugural service to Ashoknagar, making scheduled halts at Shivpuri and Guna.During the journey, he engaged with passengers and residents, calling the train “a bridge of opportunity for over 40 lakh people” across Madhya Pradesh.The daily express service is set to commence from “Bengaluru on June 29”, and from “Gwalior on July 4”, with scheduled departure from Gwalior at 3:00 PM and arrival at “SMVT (Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal) Bengaluru at 7:35 AM” on the third day.Key stoppages include Shivpuri, Guna, Ashoknagar, Bina, and Bhopal.Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Scindia noted that Gwalior’s new airport terminal is nearing completion, while extensive re-development is underway at the city’s railway station.He also referenced major infrastructure projects, including the Rs 900 crore “Western Expressway” and the on-going extension of the “Gwalior–Sheopur broad gauge line” towards Kota.In his address, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasised the transformative scale of investment since 2014.“Railway allocation to Madhya Pradesh has increased from Rs 600 crore to Rs 14,747 crore,” he said, adding that 2,651 km of new rail lines and modernisation of 80 stations — including Gwalior — are in progress.He also announced a prospective “Gwalior–Agra passenger service”.During his address, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav affirmed Gwalior’s trajectory of development, highlighting its growing prominence in national progress.He announced that the Rs 8,500 crore Mumbai rail corridor would redefine infrastructure in the Chambal-Malwa region.CM Yadav projected Gwalior as an emerging hub for semiconductors, electronics, and petrochemicals.He also emphasised that the city is poised to lead in sectors such as industry, education, agriculture, and employment.–IANSsktr/pgh

Bhubaneswar, June 26 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said his government is prioritising the growth of maritime commerce in Odisha by constructing ports, jetties, and related infrastructure across various parts of the state.

In a major push to strengthen Odisha’s maritime infrastructure and promote port-led economic development, the Odisha government on Thursday signed two Concession Agreements – one for the expansion of Gopalpur Port and another for the construction of a captive jetty at the Jatadhari river mouth in Jagatsinghpur district – in the presence of Chief Minister Majhi at Lok Seva Bhawan.The Odisha government signed a concession agreement with JSW Utkal Steel Limited for the development of a captive jetty at Jatadhari river mouth in Erasama tehsil of Jagatsinghpur district with an investment of Rs 2,100 crore. The jetty will have a cargo handling capacity of 52 million metric tonnes (MMT).It is expected to generate 3,450 direct and indirect employment opportunities. Similarly, Gopalpur Ports Limited will invest Rs 16,554 crore in the expansion and modernisation of Gopalpur Port. Post-expansion, the port’s cargo handling capacity will increase to 50 MMT. The project is anticipated to create nearly 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.“These two projects will together bring an investment of over Rs 18,654 crore and generate around 8,450 jobs in the state. Maritime trade expansion is a key focus area of our government, and we are committed to developing jetties and ports across the coastline to boost Odisha’s economic future,” the Chief Minister added.He further announced that the state government plans to set up new ports at Inchudi and Bahuda, and has also prepared development plans for Subarnarekha and Astaranga ports.Majhi stated that the Odisha government aims to work in partnership with private companies in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode to develop maritime trade along Odisha’s long coastline.Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena emphasised the strategic role of jetties and ports in Odisha’s overall development.“Our government is committed to identifying potential coastal locations and developing ports, fish landing centres, and coastal infrastructure,” he said.–IANSgyan/dan

Lucknow, June 26 (IANS) The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has written to political parties requesting them to push for action in the matter of the “objectionable” speech delivered by Justice Shekhar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court, a Board official said on Thursday.AIMPLB General Secretary Mohammed Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi said Justice Yadav’s remarks on December 8, 2024, amounted to giving “a twisted and misdirected understanding of secularism, coloured by the strong religious consciousness of his own religious belief”.In a letter addressed to political parties, he said: “The Board feels that for the last six months, there has been no effective action in this matter. It appears that the political class of our country has not taken this issue seriously.”Justice Yadav had reportedly stated that India should run according to the will of the majority and made remarks perceived as targeting the Muslim community. A video of the speech was circulated widely on social media.Following the incident, the Supreme Court took cognisance and sought a report from the Chief Justice of the High Court.”We need to remind all the political parties/class that constitutional culture as contemplated by the Constitution of India, 1950, does not permit a Judge of a Constitutional Court to show his/her partisan approach while holding the position of a sitting Judge,” the AIMPLB official said.Board’s Office Secretary Vaquar Uddin Latifi shared excerpts of Mujaddidi’s letter, which said: “The Learned Judge appears to have not only forgotten the position that he commands but also disregarded the fact that the concept of a secular state.””The Constitution preaches by treating every citizen equally as far as their practices — many of them derived from their religion and culture — has space within the constitutional setup, and that is the secularism in our country, and not the definition of secularism that the Learned Judge believes in, by giving a twisted and misdirected understanding of secularism coloured by the strong religious consciousness of his own religious belief,” the AIMPLB official wrote in the letter.The freedom of faith and religion is an integral part of the social structure. Muslims at large also feel that many religious practices in interpersonal relationships are also necessary, wrote Mujaddidi.”The learned Judge appears to have forgotten that his strong religious consciousness targeting a particular religion, under the garb of his understanding of constitutionalism, shall hamper the rule of law,” he wrote.”Being a member of a Constitutional Court, the basic requirement of which is to remain neutral, the Judge has advocated his personal agenda to promote one kind of constitutionalism, which itself is unconstitutional and requires serious intervention from the mechanism set up within the Constitution itself,” he said.Even otherwise, diversity and inclusivity in our country do not permit a Judge to take sides as Justice Yadav has taken, and hence it is necessary that political parties/class take up this issue within the permissible procedure as stated in the Constitution of India, he said.Mujaddidi’s letter comes at a time when senior advocate and Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal has strongly criticised Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar for not acting on an impeachment motion filed against Justice Yadav, nearly six months after it was submitted.–IANSrch/vd

Chandigarh, June 26 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has “violated” the law by registering a disproportionate assets case against party leader Bikram Singh Majithia without holding either a preliminary or regular probe. It accused the government of indulging in a political vendetta to gag Majithia as well as divert attention from the “failure” of its ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ drive.Senior party leaders Balwinder Bhundar, Maheshinder Grewal and Daljit Cheema accused the government of misleading Punjabis and even committing contempt of court by stating that Majithia had been arrested in an Rs 540-crore drug case.”This is not only absurd but a bundle of lies for which the AAP leaders will be held accountable,” said Grewal, adding “the government should tell why it has not released a single complaint with regard to the Rs 540 crore figure it had concocted in”.He said in stark contrast, when AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia had been arrested in the Delhi liquor scam, there were specific complaints from liquor contractors that they had given bribe money to the duo.He also cited how earlier Majithia had been granted bail by the High Court in the NDPS case registered against him by the previous Congress government after it found that there was no recovery of drug money, no transaction had been proved and that no money had been exchanged.Grewal told the media that the public prosecutor stated on Thursday in the court that only a disproportionate assets case had been registered against Majithia.”Even this is fabricated. The properties mentioned in the complaint were in the Majithia family even before Bikram Majithia was born. The Majithia family is an old landed family with Bikram Majithia’s grandfather owning planes and even a Rolls-Royce car. It has also been wrongly imputed that Bikram Majithia was responsible for decision making in the Saraya Industries, as he had resigned as a Director of the company in 2007.”Another Akali Dal leader, Cheema, said all the allegations mentioned in the new case against Majithia had been submitted to the Supreme Court recently while seeking to cancel the bail given to the Akali leader in an NDPS case.”The Supreme Court did not take cognisance of the allegations, and now they have been recycled and turned into a new case,” Cheema said.He also cited how the AAP government had created a curfew-like situation in the Mohali court where Majithia was presented on Thursday, resulting in the “harassment” of litigants.Veteran leader Bhundar said the “vindictive” action had made people remember the Emergency and termed it as the “murder of democracy”.Bhundar said the AAP government had been trying to “implicate” Majithia for more than three years and had formed repeated Special Investigation Teams (SITs) and even suspended officers to force them to do their illegal bidding.He also thanked the opposition for expressing solidarity with Majithia and raising their voice against the “revengeful” action.Investigations by the SIT of the police probing the first information report (FIR) of 2021 and the Vigilance Bureau revealed massive laundering of drug money facilitated by Majithia, the government said on Wednesday.It further said preliminary investigations revealed that more than Rs 540 crore “drug money” has been laundered through several ways, including a huge unaccounted cash of Rs 161 crore deposited in bank accounts of companies controlled by Majithia, channelisation of Rs 141 crore through suspected foreign entities and excess deposition of Rs 236 crore without disclosure or explanation in company financial statements.–IANSvg/svn

Bengaluru, June 26 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar on Thursday rebutted statements by Congress MLAs criticising their own government, maintaining that there is no lack of control in the administration.Interacting with media near his residence here, Shivakumar, asked about several MLAs speaking out against the government and whether this reflected a lack of control by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, said: “I am not aware of any such developments. If there is anything, both the Chief Minister and I will discuss it with the party high command.”There is no lack of control in the administration — this is just a media narrative, he stated.Asked about his meeting with the Deputy Chairman for State Policy and Planning Commission and MLA B.R. Patil, Shivakumar said: “As the party’s state President, I needed to understand the facts. So I invited him for a conversation. He shared his views, and I will discuss the matter with the Chief Minister and also speak with Minister for Housing Zameer Ahmad Khan. Our party high command is also arriving shortly and will speak to everyone to gather more information.”Patil had alleged rampant corruption in housing allotments.Shivakumar further announced that the meeting scheduled for June 30 regarding the Hemavati Link Canal project has been postponed to July 4–5 following a request from Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti V. Somanna.”Since Union Minister Somanna is also the local MP, the meeting has been postponed to suit his availability. I have instructed the officials concerned accordingly.”The farmers and the BJP are opposing the implementation of the Hemavati Link Canal Project.”A meeting with the contractors of the Yettinahole project was planned today in Tumakuru. However, due to the absence of Home Minister G. Parameshwara, the meeting has been shifted to Bengaluru. It will now be held either tomorrow or the day after,” he said. Parameshwara hails from Tumakuru.Shivakumar also said that the Chief Minister has directed that the Yettinahole project must be completed within the scheduled timeframe. “Accordingly, the project’s progress is being reviewed. I visited Tumakuru to identify and assess problem areas in the project,” he said.”I have already visited Doddaballapur and Koratagere. I held discussions with Minister Parameshwara, who chairs the Cabinet Subcommittee. We are exploring the technical feasibility of water storage solutions in the region. I have also spoken with local leaders and residents to gather opinions. People have shared their concerns. We are studying whether a dam should be constructed at one site or two, or whether water can be stored using existing lakes based on public suggestions,” he stated.Responding to a question about JD-S Legislature Party leader Suresh Babu writing to Congress MLAs, Shivakumar said: “Suresh Babu should first fix his own party. Let him plug the leaks in his own fence. Let him sort out issues related to MLAs like G.T. Devegowda before commenting on others.”On the BJP comparing Indira Gandhi to Hitler and the FIR filed in this regard, Shivakumar said: “There are serious issues within the BJP. After the Emergency, it was under Indira Gandhi’s leadership that the people brought the Congress party back to power. Even in 1980, Indira Gandhi led the country. At that time, neither the Janata Party nor any other group could form a stable government. Indira Gandhi sacrificed her life for the country. Now, the BJP is raising these issues just for propaganda.””Fifty years have passed since the Emergency. That chapter is closed. Since then, under Congress’s rule, the country has stood strong. We agree with the statement of our leader, Mallikarjun Kharge, about the current condition of the country under BJP rule. Ask BJP MPs privately — they will tell you what kind of situation the country is in today,” he said.–IANSmka/vd

Patna, June 26 (IANS) Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav over the issue faced by Bihar, and asked the common people to consider their children’s future before voting in the upcoming elections.

Speaking at a massive public gathering in Barhara, Kishor, while targeting Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad, said the 30-35 years of their rule have pushed Bihar into backwardness, turning it into a labour-exporting state.“Children from Ara and Bhojpur are being forced to go to Gujarat to work as labourers. Meanwhile, PM Modi is taking your votes but building factories in Gujarat,” Kishor said, questioning the crowd.“When the vote is yours, why are the factories in Gujarat and not in Bihar?” he asked. The crowd responded enthusiastically, raising hands in agreement.In a passionate appeal, Kishor urged voters to break away from traditional political loyalties.“Don’t vote for leaders who have looted you and your children’s future. Next time, vote not for Lalu Prasad Yadav, Nitish Kumar, or PM Modi, but for the education and employment of your children,” Kishor said.He added that real change in Bihar will only come when people vote for their own issues, not for politicians.“Establish people’s rule in Bihar. Vote by looking at your children’s faces, not leaders’ faces,” he said.Kishor’s convoy received grand receptions across several towns en route from Patna to Bhojpur.Supporters welcomed him with drums, garlands, and slogans at various places, including Kayamnagar Bazaar, Bakhorapur, Nekham Tola, Saraiya Bazaar, Balua Bazaar, and others.Ahead of the meetings, Kishor also offered prayers at the Bakhorapur temple, signifying his grassroots connect.He thanked the Election Commission for allotting the “School Bag” as the election symbol of the Jan Suraj Party, calling it a symbol of hope, education, and transformation.“This school bag is the path to end poverty, illiteracy, and unemployment in Bihar,” he declared.Speaking to reporters after the event, Prashant Kishor reiterated that education is the foundation of Jan Suraaj’s ideology.“The only way to transform Bihar is through education. And the school bag symbolises that mission,” he said.He emphasised that Jan Suraaj’s dream is to ensure that the children of Bihar carry school bags, not migrate as labourers.“This is not just a symbol; it is a message to every household that we stand for your children’s future,” Kishor said.–IANSajk/dan

Mumbai, June 26 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday that the state government will go ahead with the development of 802-km Shaktipeeth Mahamarg costing Rs 86,300 crore, saying that the state Finance department has not raised objection regarding the infrastructure project.

The statement by CM Fadnavis comes after the state Finance department said the Rs 20,878-crore loan guarantee extended by the Maharashtra Cabinet will put financial burden on the state and the off-budget loan will impact the state’s capability of seeking the loan.The Finance department suggested to rethink on the state government’s build, operate and transfer (BOT) principle for mega infrastructure projects by deciding the priority use of financial resources available.The opposition parties have also asked the state government to rethink on project implementation as it will badly affect farmers in the state.However, the Chief Minister said that the development project will move forward as the finance department has not raised any objections.“There is no objection from the state Finance department. It has merely done its work of pointing out data and nothing else. Infrastructure across the world is built by availing loans,” CM Fadnavis told reporters after attending the business advisory committee meetings at the Vidhan Bhavan.He said that the construction of highways strengthens and expands the economy, adding that: “There was opposition to the Samruddhi Expressway as well, but it has changed the face of many districts. The Shaktipeeth Expressway will change the face of Marathwada and the drought-affected region of the state.”The Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway is one of the largest road infrastructure projects in the country.The proposed 802-km high-speed corridor, officially known as the Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Mahamarg, will connect Pavnar in Wardha district to Patradevi in Sindhudurg, near the Maharashtra-Goa border.The project had been halted due to farmers’ protests in 2024.The Maharashtra Finance department, on Tuesday, raised questions over borrowing at a higher rate for the project, pointed to the financial status of the state and advised the state government to rethink its Build, Operate and Transfer policy for mega infrastructure projects and prioritise such projects by the appropriate use of available financial resources.Meanwhile, NCP-SP Working President and party MP Supriya Sule said that the state government should rethink regarding the development of Shaktipeeth Expressway as the state Finance department has raised several critical points on loan guarantee extended to it.”The state is staring at the potential financial mismanagement due to this project. At a time when farmers are protesting against the land acquisition for the project, such financial burden will damage the financial health of the country. It is time for the state government to rethink the project,” Sule added.She also said that the Maharashtra government is facing a financial crunch to provide facilities of education, health and water, but wants to move ahead with a project which would be a financial burden on the state exchequer.”We do not want Maharashtra to get caught in financial bankruptcy. The issue needs to be raised at the national level as well,” she added.Congress MLC Satej Patil, who hails from Kolhapur and is leading the protest against the Shaktipeeth expressway, said that the Finance department has raised questions on the financial structure of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation — it will implement the Shaktipeeth Expressway project — as well.”It clearly shows that all is not well within the state government. There is disagreement within the state government itself over this project,” he added.He said that farmers across the state are opposing this project, and will continue to oppose it.–IANSsj/khz

Jabalpur, June 26 (IANS) In an unprecedented move that blends accountability with ecological restoration, the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur has directed Satna’s City Kotwali Station House Officer (SHO), Ravendra Dwivedi, to plant “at least 1,000 fruit-bearing trees” in Chitrakoot, District Satna, as a consequence of his failure to serve a court notice to a victim in due time.The directive, issued by a division bench, comes after SHO Dwivedi tendered a “formal apology” and accepted the penalty of ₹5,000 imposed earlier by the Inspector General of Police.In addition to paying the fine, Dwivedi has committed to completing the plantation drive between “July 1, 2025 and August 31, 2025”.The court has specified that “fruiting varieties such as mango, jamun, mahua, and guava” be planted.As part of the compliance process, photographs and GPS (global positioning system) coordinates of each sapling must be submitted to the High Court registry.Moreover, the SHO is tasked with maintaining the plantation for a period of one year to ensure their healthy growth and establishment.Importantly, the “entire cost” of this exercise will be borne by Dwivedi personally, underscoring a rare instance of direct and personal accountability within the law enforcement hierarchy.The court has also mandated that the “Superintendent of Police (SP), Satna”, conduct an on-site inspection of the plantation and file an affidavit confirming compliance.This affidavit must accompany the final report, which will be taken up for review during the next hearing scheduled for “September 16, 2025”.Legal observers note that this order marks a shift toward “restorative justice” and sends a strong message about institutional responsibility in matters concerning vulnerable victims.The case is now officially listed for further compliance. The court’s decision stems from a procedural lapse in a 2021 case where the Satna District Court sentenced one Ram Avtar Chaudhary to life imprisonment for molesting a minor.Upon appeal, the High Court issued a notice to the victim on September 30, 2024, which was to be served by the Kotwali police.However, the notice was never delivered, prompting the court to take strict action during last Tuesday’s hearing.–IANSsktr/pgh

New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s persistent demand that ECI provide machine-readable digital copies of the voter lists for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Vidhan Sabha elections appears to be legally untenable, said constitutional experts and sources on Thursday.

Election Commission of India insiders said an earlier Supreme Court verdict has already settled the matter in favour of the poll panel.They suggest that LoP Rahul Gandhi’s repeated attempts to rake up the demand for ‘machine-readable digital copies’ are nothing more than a publicity stunt, as the apex court has already ruled against such a demand.Poll panel insiders shared excerpts of the Supreme Court’s verdict on a writ petition filed in 2018 by Kamal Nath, the then president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, that said, “The format in which the draft electoral roll is supplied to the petitioner fulfils the requirement contained in the Election Manual.”“If the petitioner so wants, he can always convert it into searchable mode, which, of course, would require him to put his own efforts,” said the Supreme Court judgment.Insiders in the ECI have shed light on the apex court judgment in the backdrop of LoP Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of ‘fixed election’ in Maharashtra last November and the Election Commission’s invitation to him to sit for a doubt-clearing session, an offer which he has not accepted yet.“While it is factually correct that Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, has been demanding a machine-readable, digital copy of the electoral roll for the last seven months, such a demand by the Congress is not new,” said an official source.The demand, it seems, is part of a strategy by the Congress for well over eight years, a fact that appears to have been selectively obscured in the present representation, he said.“The position historically maintained by the Indian National Congress is not tenable within the contours of the prevailing legal framework. It may be recalled that this very issue has already been agitated by the Congress before none other than the highest constitutional court of the country,” he said.An ECI insider cited the Supreme Court decision on the matter, which said: “We find force in the submission of ECI. Clause 11.2.2.2 of the Election Manual uses the expression ‘text mode’. The draft electoral roll in that mode, i.e. text mode, has been supplied to the petitioner. The clause nowhere says that the draft electoral roll has to be put up on the Chief Electoral Officer’s website in a ‘searchable PDF’.”“Therefore, the petitioner cannot claim, as a right, that the draft electoral roll should be placed on the website in a ‘searchable mode’. It has only to be in ‘text mode’ and it is so provided,” said the SC verdict, quoted by the expert.–IANSrch/dan

New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) India on Thursday strongly condemned the demolition of the Durga Mandir (temple) in Dhaka, criticising the role of Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in allowing the destruction and projecting it as a case of illegal land use.”We understand that extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka. The interim government, instead of providing security to the temple, projected the episode as a case of illegal land use and allowed the destruction of the temple today,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.”This has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted. We are dismayed that such incidents continue to recur in Bangladesh. Let me underline that it is the responsibility of the interim government of Bangladesh to protect Hindus, their properties, and their religious institutions,” he stated.Earlier this week, the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) had highlighted another such incident, terming the vandalization of a Mahastri Manasa and Durga Temple in Dinajpur district by miscreants as a horrifying act of terrorising the Hindu minority community in the country.”The assailants vandalised the temple, smashed idols, and severed the head of the Goddess Manasa’s idol — an act of deep sacrilege designed to humiliate the minority community and instill fear. As the attackers fled, they threatened local Hindus with further violence, vowing to kill community members at the next opportunity,” read a statement issued by the HRCBM.”The institutionalised fear prevalent among Bangladesh’s Hindu community — fueled by years of targetted violence, social marginalization, and systemic failures was painfully evident in this case,” it added.India has taken a tough line on the rights of the Hindu minority and repeatedly stated that there is “systematic persecution of Hindu minorities” under the Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh.Responding to another question about China, Pakistan and Bangladesh holding their first trilateral meeting in Kunming recently, the MEA spokesperson said that New Delhi continues to keep a close watch on the developments in the neighbourhood that affect the interests and security of the nation.”We maintain a constant watch on developments in our neighbourhood that have a bearing on our interests and security. Our relations with individual countries, while standing on their own footing, also take into account the evolving context as well,” he mentioned.The first trilateral meeting was held in China’s southern Yunnan province on June 19 where all three countries vowed their commitment to a “shared” future.During the meeting, the three sides also agreed to enhance their cooperation for enhancing regional connectivity and deepening cooperation in the diverse fields of bilateral cooperation, including trade and investment, agriculture, digital economy, environmental protection and marine sciences, green infrastructure, culture, education, and people-to-people exchanges.Bangladesh’s growing outreach to China and Pakistan under the interim administration of Yunus remains quite noticeable since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024.For decades, Dhaka-Islamabad relations remained frigid and hostile. However, with Yunus at the helm, a silver lining is clearly noticeable in the case of Bangladesh-Pakistan relationship.Analysts believe that Pakistan is leveraging the situation by positioning its non-state actors in Bangladesh, making them mingle with Rohingya refugees and working in conjunction with the radical-Islamist coterie promoting anti-India activities.–IANSscor/as