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Pakistan should “look inwards” instead of shifting blame for its failures onto others, India said on Friday. This came in response to Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan accusing New Delhi of being involved in “sponsoring terrorism” as he answered questions about the hijacking of the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan.

“We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan,” stated India’s Ministry of External Affairs. “The whole world knows where the epicenter of global terrorism lies.”

Without directly implicating India, Khan said on Thursday that the hijacking of the train was “orchestrated from abroad”. Twenty-one passengers and four security personnel were killed by the militants during the attack. Read on.

The Tamil Nadu has allocated funds from its exchequer to compensate for the Rs 2,152 crore withheld by the Union government under the Samagra Shiksha scheme. Presenting the state Budget for 2025-’26, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said that Rs 46,767 crore has been allocated for the School Education Department in 2025-’26, compared to Rs 44,042 crore in 2024-’25.

The Union government has said the amount under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, to support elementary and secondary school education, will not be released to the state unless Tamil Nadu implements the National Education Policy and its three-language formula.

The three-language formula refers to teaching students English, Hindi and the native language of a state. Tamil Nadu has opposed its implementation, stating that the formula is a method to impose Hindi in the state. Read on.

Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest on Friday and prevented from leading Friday prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid. Authorities detained him at his residence in the Nigeen area.

Farooq, the 14th mirwaiz of Kashmir, was scheduled to deliver his weekly sermon at the historic mosque in Nowhatta. His detention follows the Centre’s decision to ban his political outfit, the Awami Action Committee, and the Jammu Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen, for activities deemed to be “anti-national”. Both parties are part of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.

Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, the managing body of the mosque, condemned the move as “arbitrary and unjustified”, especially during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, and called for Farooq’s immediate release, citing a violation of religious freedom and deep public distress. Read on.

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