New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Newly-elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership on key global challenges as both leaders spoke over the phone following Friday’s results of the UK general elections which handed the Labour Party a landslide victory.

“The Prime Minister said he looked forward to further deepening the strong and respectful relationship between both countries, and welcomed Prime Minister Modi’s leadership on key global challenges, such as climate change and economic growth,” the British PM’s office said in a statement after the call.

It also mentioned that the two leaders discussed the importance of the living bridge between the UK and India, the 2030 roadmap, and agreed that there was a wide range of areas across defence and security, critical and emerging technology, and climate change for the two countries to deepen cooperation on.

“Discussing the Free Trade Agreement, the Prime Minister said he stood ready to conclude a deal that worked for both sides,” Starmer’s office stated.

As both leaders agreed to work towards the early conclusion of a mutually beneficial India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), PM Modi also extended an invitation to Keir Starmer for an early visit to India.

PM Modi congratulated Starmer on his and the Labour Party’s “remarkable victory” in the general elections.

“Pleased to speak with Keir Starmer. Congratulated him on being elected as the Prime Minister of the UK. We remain committed to deepening Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and robust India-UK economic ties for the progress and prosperity of our peoples and global good,” PM Modi posted on X after the call.

Both leaders recalled the historic relations between the two countries and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen and advance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UK.

“Appreciating the positive contributions of the Indian community in the social, economic, and political development of the UK. The two sides agreed to continue to promote close people-to-people ties. Both leaders agreed to remain in touch,” the Indian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

–IANS

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Pune, July 6 (IANS) NCP (SP) Working President Supriya Sule on Saturday said that the Maharashtra government should release a white paper on corruption in the state.

“Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis must release a white paper on whether the 50 to 100 MLAs and MPs who have joined the MahaYuti are corrupt. He is the only person who can answer this question because he is the Home Minister of Maharashtra and he was the first person to raise these allegations,” Sule said while speaking to reporters after newly elected MP Ravindra Waikar was given a clean chit in a corruption case.

She criticised the ruling BJP for its alleged hypocrisy and corruption and demanded from the Deputy Chief Minister.

Sule also accused the BJP of a duplicitous approach where it first raises corruption allegations against political opponents, then welcomes them into its fold, and eventually elevates them to ministerial or legislative positions.

“This is like a washing machine. This means only two things: that corruption is acceptable to the BJP and that they are making corruption legal in India,” she said.

Sule also accused the BJP of using the ICE model – Income Tax, CBI and ED – to gain political influence in Maharashtra. She referenced the use of these agencies in various cases, including those involving Ashok Chavan, NCP (SP) leaders, and most recently, Ravindra Waikar.

In a sharp critique of the MahaYuti government in Maharashtra, Sule described it as an “MBBS government” – Mahagai (inflation), Berozgari (unemployment), and Bhrashtachari (corrupt) Sarkar.

She questioned the coalition’s stability and unity, asking, “How many engines does the MahaYuti government have? I thought they were a triple-engine government, but now they call themselves a double-engine government.”

Sule predicted a change in the state’s leadership, stating, “The government in Maharashtra will change in October.”

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Amid increase in the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across several fields, the Maharashtra Police have integrated AI to expeditiously solve various crimes, including burgeoning cyber and financial crimes, with the establishment of the Maharashtra Research and Vigilance for Enhanced Law Enforcement (MARVEL).

The company’s mandate is to strengthen intelligence capabilities and improve the state police’s ability to predict and prevent crimes using AI.

According to the state government, Maharashtra is the first state in the country to create such an independent entity for law enforcement.

The government will provide 100 per cent share capital to MARVEL for the first five years, amounting to Rs 4.2 crore annually.

The first installment of this share capital has recently been distributed, marking a significant step towards modernising law enforcement in the state.

On March 22, 2024, a tripartite agreement was signed between the Maharashtra government, the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur, and Pinaka Technologies Private Limited to establish ‘MARVEL’.

The company is registered under the Companies Act 2013, aiming to enhance law enforcement capabilities in Maharashtra through advanced AI technologies.

The integration of AI into the police force is expected to benefit crime-solving and prevention efforts by teaching machines to analyse information and mimic human thought processes.

Additionally, analysing available data can help predict potential crime hotspots and areas prone to law and order disruptions.

A Home Department officer said that Pinaka Technologies Private Limited, a Chennai-based company with experience in providing AI solutions to entities such as the Indian Navy, the Intelligence Department of Andhra Pradesh, the Income Tax Department, and SEBI, is collaborating on this venture.

The ‘MARVEL’ office is situated within the premises of the Indian Institute of Management in Nagpur, leveraging the institute’s expertise.

While Pinaka will deliver AI solutions tailored to the police force’s needs, the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur will collaborate on research and training initiatives.

The Superintendent of Police, Nagpur (Rural), and the Director of Indian Institute of Management Nagpur, will serve as ex-officio directors of the company.

Additionally, the Director of Pinaka Technologies Private Limited will also come on board.

The Superintendent of Police, Nagpur (Rural), will hold the ex-officio position of Chief Executive Officer.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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Jammu, July 6 (IANS) The special court on Saturday sent senior Kashmiri advocate Mian Qayoom to 14-day judicial custody.

Mian Qayoom was arrested by the State Investigation Agency (SIA) on June 25 in Srinagar during the investigation of the murder of Advocate Babar Qadri who was killed by terrorists in his home in the Hawal area of Srinagar city in September 2020.

Babar Qadri had accused Mian Qayoom of planning a conspiracy to get him killed.

Police had said that a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Saqib Manzoor was involved in Qadri’s killing. Manzoor and another militant commander were killed in a gunfight with police in Srinagar in 2022.

On Saturday, Mian Qayoom was produced before the court of special judge, Jatinder Singh Jamwal on the expiry of his second remand.

“The court has sent him to judicial custody till July 20,” officials said.

Courts designated to hear cases of NIA also take up cases of the SIA, a wing of J&K Police which enforces counter-terrorism laws in J&K.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Heart surgeon Mahmoud Pezeshkian was on Saturday declared Iran’s next President, convincingly defeating former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in the run-off by nearly 3 million votes to become the second non-cleric holder of the post.

While it can be seen simply as the reformist prevailing over the hardliner, the implications are deeper – and revealing about Iran’s political dynamics.

Let’s begin with the figures.

In the first round on June 28, Pezeshkian led with 10.41 million votes, while Jalili was not far behind with 9.47 million, out of the 24.5 million votes cast, or just about 40 per cent of the 61 million-odd electorate.

Prepoll favourite – Majles Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf – was a distant third with 3.38 million votes, while sole cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi got only 206,397 votes.

As the poll went into a run-off, Qalibaf, as well as two other conservative candidates who had withdrawn before the polls, called on their supporters to back Jalili.

The combined votes of Jalili and Qalibaf would have been enough to propel the former to victory – provided that the turnout had remained constant or not gone up significantly.

However, in the run-off on Friday, the polling percentage rose to around 50 per cent, as Pezeshkian secured 16.3 million votes (55.3 per cent) to Jalili’s 13.5 million (44.3 per cent).

While it seems that Pezeshkian’s relatively strong showing in the first round and promises of looser social curbs and negotiations to relieve sanctions convinced some of the 60 per cent of the absent voters to shed their apathy and come out to cast their ballot, it is also likely that the conservatives too mobilised more of their supporters.

The upshot is that all the votes that Qalibaf had garnered did not seamlessly transition to Jalili’s account. While after the first round, several of his supporters, including his poll campaign manager, had openly declared that they would support Pezeshkian in the run-off, it seems the sentiment went in much deeper in his core support base.

Qualitatively too, the result offers some compelling insights.

Pezeshkian’s vote base was not only the young and disenchanted voters or the country’s ethnic minorities – given he is an Azeri himself – but some senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials and high-ranking clerics too had come out in his support, apart from notable reformists like former Presidents Mohammad Khatami and Hasan Rouhani.

Former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was a mainstay of his election campaign.

On the other hand, Jalili, despite his close links to the Supreme Leader and the IRGC, was, by no means, the unanimous choice of the establishment.

Though Pourmohammadi, who was the real sensation of the election with his liberal stance on most issues and the acknowledgment of the concerns and aspirations of the absent voters, did not endorse anyone explicitly, his criticism of Jalili’s past actions on FATF recommendations indicated where his preference lay.

What this seems to suggest is that despite appearances and (chiefly Western) perceptions, neither is the Iranian establishment a monolith structure, nor is Iranian politics limited to just two opposing distinct and united reformist or conservative camps, but is a more fluid system due to many different sub-groups with their own agendas and aspirations.

This is true of the clerical establishment as well as the all-powerful (IRGC) – widely perceived as a state within the state.

And then, Pezeshkian’s victory – on his second bid (he was not allowed to run in 2021) – restored the cyclical reformist-moderate/conservative-hardliner trend in Iranian politics, dating back to the 1989 Constitution.

He has also become the second layman President after populist conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-13), who also came to power after winning the run-off in 2005.

The future course of Pezeshkian is scarcely enviable. He will soon make good on his promises to the people on social justice and rights – especially, curbing the Morality Police, ending the economic malaise and high inflation, and on the other hand, move to negotiate the end – or at least, a moderation – of sanctions.

All this entails challenging domestic and foreign dimensions. At home, he will have to strike a balance between public expectations and the establishment’s requirement to avoid disturbing the status quo.

On the external front, he will have to deal with the ongoing Gaza crisis and the outcome of the US elections later this year – with the prospect of the return of Donald Trump who had pulled the plug on the nuclear deal, adding to the headache.

The rest of the West also does not seem very receptive, given that there haven’t been congratulatory messages from Europe, unlike the Russian, Arab, Chinese, Indian, and Pakistani leaders.

Winning the election was less onerous, it seems.

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)

–IANS

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