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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Educated Muslims being hounded: Owaisi

Mumbai: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has flayed what he termed as a ‘media trial’ in the alleged TCS Nashik conversion case and claimed that educated Muslims youth are being deliberately targeted as part of planned ‘hate campaign’, here on Saturday. Reiterating full faith in the judicial process, Owaisi said that justice cannot be handed out through media narratives or television debates and the law must be allowed to take its own course. “We are seeing a very dangerous trend… Now,...

Educated Muslims being hounded: Owaisi

Mumbai: AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has flayed what he termed as a ‘media trial’ in the alleged TCS Nashik conversion case and claimed that educated Muslims youth are being deliberately targeted as part of planned ‘hate campaign’, here on Saturday. Reiterating full faith in the judicial process, Owaisi said that justice cannot be handed out through media narratives or television debates and the law must be allowed to take its own course. “We are seeing a very dangerous trend… Now, educated Muslims are being picked out for orchestrated allegations and media campaigns. This doesn’t augur well for society and justice itself with the media playing the role of the judge and jury,” said Owaisi sharply. Flanked by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen state President Imtiaz Jaleel, Owaisi also emphatically said that it was wrong to link his party with the TCS case prime accused Nida Khan, “who will be ultimately proven innocent in the courts”. He expressed concerns over the slur campaign driven by malice and political motives against his party as well as Nida Khan in some sections of the media even before the investigations were completed or a judicial scrutiny. “Merely because some allegations have been hurled at a young woman professional, attempts are being made to paint her ‘guilty’ through media trials, even before judicial scrutiny. But, we have complete faith in the judiciary and are confident that the court will eventually exonerate her,” asserted Owaisi. Public Discourse Raising questions on the probe and accompanying public discourse with stress on the alleged recovery of certain ‘evidence’ from Nida Khan’s home, he sharply questioned: “Since when have a burqa, a niqab or religious literature become objectionable… Is wearing a hijab now regarded as evidence of a crime?” He said that these details along with baseless allegations are sensationalism in the media to create further prejudice against the minority community and reflected a deep-rooted hostility aimed at harassing educated Muslim men and women. Owaisi pointed out that a complaint in the TCS Nashik case was filed by a leader linked with the ruling party, and as per the software giant’s statement, Nida Khan was not with its HR Department and transferred even before the controversy erupted, contradicting several media reports. Of the nine cases lodged in the matter till date, in one case, she was accused of hurting religious sentiments, but nobody can comment on it before the court pronounces its verdict, he pointed out. Court Fight Dismissing attempts to drag and link the AIMIM into the row, he referred to a party Municipal Corporator Matin Patel who was booked merely on the basis of certain allegations and vowed to contest the matter in the court. Here Owaisi cited multiple examples of educated Muslims being scrutinised – including in Delhi when some educated youths were arrested for possessing a book by the legendary Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib and they were later released. There was another one from Allahabad where some Muslim boys were targeted for writing an Urdu ‘sher’ (couplet) prompting judicial intervention, and predicted that even in the Nashik TCS case, the truth will ultimately prevail as no criminal charges against Nida Khan may stand. AIMIM to set up voter help-desks AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi said his party is developing a digital application containing electoral records of all 288 Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra for 2002-2024, to help voters in the SIR process. For this, the AIMIM will set up help desk centers in its strongholds to facilitate the process and ensure proper utilisation of voter data. Alleging discrepancies in electoral records, he said such errors create huge problems for the voters, especially the poor or illiterates. Owaisi mentioned how of the nearly 27 lakh names placed in the adjudication list in West Bengal, “90 pc were poor Muslims.” These centers would be open for all Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Dalits, Adivasis and the general public needing assistance with the electoral records.

Talisman Sabre 2025: Military Signals from the Indo-Pacific

What happens when 35,000 troops from 19 nations train across land, sea, air, cyber, and space? It’s a glimpse into warfare’s future.

The Indo-Pacific remains the centre of 21st-century strategic rivalry, and few events showcase its military choreography better than the ongoing Talisman Sabre 2025 exercise. Running from 13 July to 4 August, this is the largest and most complex edition since the drills began in 2005. With over 35,000 personnel from 19 nations—including first-time host Papua New Guinea—its scale reflects mounting regional security concerns and a pressing need to display allied coordination amid rising geopolitical tensions.


The inclusion of Papua New Guinea is notable. As China expands its Pacific influence via infrastructure, aid, and security deals, the US and allies are deepening defence ties. PNG’s role as participant and host adds a key node to the Indo-Pacific security network.


Launched in 2005 as a US-Australia drill, Talisman Sabre has grown into a vast, multilateral exercise spanning air, land, sea, cyber, and space. Each edition has tracked shifting strategic priorities—from counterinsurgency to great-power rivalry. The 2025 version focuses on joint command, digital battlefields, and long-range precision strikes, reflecting a maturing coalition readying for complex, multi-domain operations.


What sets 2025 apart

The 2025 edition marks several firsts. HMS Prince of Wales and USS George Washington are participating together for the first time, highlighting expanded maritime reach and NATO–Pacific alignment. The debut overseas deployment of the US Army’s Typhon missile system, with a live SM-6 launch, signals a shift towards distributed, mobile firepower.


For the first time, a joint HIMARS battery from the US, Australia, and Singapore conducted live-fire drills, showcasing deep interoperability. A new US-Australia Combined Air and Missile Defence HQ marked progress in integrated theatre planning. Most forward-looking was the launch of the Multinational Information Operations Centre, coordinating joint cyber, electromagnetic, and narrative operations.


India’s role, though not frontline, is noteworthy. Six Indian officers are embedded in the planning structure, marking a shift from past observer-only roles. Their integration signals growing defence diplomacy, competence, and strategic intent.


Though officially non-targeted and defensive, Talisman Sabre 2025 is widely seen as preparation for Taiwan Strait and South China Sea contingencies. Long-range strikes, amphibious landings, and contested-domain drills point to planning for high-intensity conflict in those theatres.


The timing and lineup send a message to both adversaries and regional partners. Participation by France, Japan, India, the UK, and PNG alongside core allies underscores a commitment to a rules-based Indo-Pacific. It signals a shift from bilateral defence to multilateral cooperation and visible readiness.


China has not stayed silent. Officially downplayed, the exercise has been labelled by Chinese military commentators as having “provocative proximity” and “targeted symbolism.” Whether this is mere rhetoric or signals a measured response remains unclear.


India’s quiet calculus

For India, participation in Talisman Sabre represents more than symbolic alignment. The visit of Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, and his high-level meetings with Australian and US counterparts reflect India’s desire to deepen operational familiarity without formal alliance entanglements.


This aligns with India’s doctrine of being an "autonomous strategic actor" and a "net security provider" in the Indian Ocean and beyond. Participation in a planning capacity allows India to both contribute to and learn from joint operations without diluting its strategic autonomy. It also enables India to strengthen bilateral and trilateral ties—particularly with Australia and Japan—beyond the Quad framework.


Talisman Sabre reflects the rise of "coalitions of the willing"—flexible, mission-specific alignments without formal treaties. The US, UK, Australia, Japan, and India increasingly act in coordination without NATO-style structures.


This model suits countries like India, which favour strategic flexibility over fixed alliances. However, it poses challenges for ASEAN, whose members must balance new security ties with a preference for neutrality amid US-China rivalry.


AUKUS, though not formally linked, casts a shadow. Shared themes—missile defence, cyber integration, and joint command—signal deeper Indo-Pacific military integration.


Talisman Sabre 2025 may be less about any single headline event and more about its cumulative impact on regional security perceptions. In a contested Indo-Pacific, these drills sharpen capabilities and shape the geopolitical mindset of friends and rivals alike.


The real impact is the clear demonstration of intent: to deter aggression, uphold freedom of navigation, and offer smaller states an alternative security framework. Exercises like Talisman Sabre are not war rehearsals but acts of deterrence, where coordination, complexity, and continuity speak louder than words.


As the exercise nears its close, one message is clear: readiness is not an act but a habit, and in the Indo-Pacific, that habit is becoming shared.


(The writer is a foreign affairs expert. Views personal.)

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