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At least one person was killed and four others were injured on Thursday after several blasts hit different parts of Balochistan including provincial capital Quetta, according to police. In Quetta, the explosion took place in the Spinny Road area. Police have cordoned off the area and are ascertaining the nature of the blast, Geo News reported. The explosions also took place in Naseerabad and Turbat districts of the province. According to police, at least three people were injured when a hand grenade exploded at the Dera Allah Yar Bhatti gate area in Naseerabad and one person was injured in a grenade blast in Turbat’s main market. Bomb disposal squad and rescue teams have arrived at the site of a blast in Quetta where, according to police, at least one person has died in the explosion. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Quetta Tariq Jawad told the media that 8 to 10 kg of explosives were used in the blast in the provincial capital. He said the deceased of the blast has not been identified yet, adding the preliminary investigation showed the victim was a passer-by. The SSP further said that no election-related was underway near the site of the explosion. The latest incidents come as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is scheduled to meet today (Thursday) to discuss the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan amid an uptick in violence. In a statement today (Thursday), a spokesperson of the ECO said the electoral body has sought an immediate report from the chief secretary and Balochistan police chief on multiple explosions in the province. The situation was further aggravated Wednesday as violence marred electioneering activities as multiple terrorist attacks in a row rocked various cities of Balochistan and KP resulting in several injuries. A day earlier, Rehan Zeb Khan, an independent candidate for NA-8 and a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was shot dead while canvassing in KP’s Bajaur district. On Tuesday, a bomb attack on the PTI’s election rally in Sibbi killed four people. The uptick in violence sounded alarm over the country’s security situation ahead of the general elections — scheduled to be held on February 8. The deadly explosion came just a few days before the national-level polls, with political parties leading their electoral campaigns in full swing amid heightened security and deployment of law enforcers to ensure the law and order situation across the country. With more than 128 million voters, various circles have raised concerns over the deteriorating security situation in the country, especially in the aforementioned provinces, with some lawmakers even moving the Senate seeking poll delay in light of security threats. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/1/israels-war-on-gaza-live-death-toll-in-gaza-nears-27000-66000-wounded

Hamas says it is still studying a proposal to halt the war in Gaza as Israeli bombardment continues. Palestinians released after being detained by Israeli forces in Gaza share harrowing accounts of suffering and torture while being held in Israel. Qatar’s PM warns if Israel’s war on Gaza does not end soon, the risks of a greater regional conflict will grow. At least 27,019 people have been killed and 66,139 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139. Palestinian journalist documents destruction of Gaza City Journalist Momin Abuowda has posted video on his Instagram account, reviewed by our verification unit, that shows the wreckage of Gaza City after the withdrawal of Israeli troops. “After more than 90 days, the Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the twin junction in the north of Gaza Strip,” Abuowda wrote in his post. If you’re just joining us It’s 7pm (17:00 GMT) in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. Here are some of the main developments this afternoon: The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 30,000 displaced people in schools near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis have no water, food or baby formula. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini says this “is the time to reinforce and not to weaken UNRWA” as the International Court of Justice calls for more humanitarian assistance. More than 30 protests have taken place across Israel demanding the return of captives held by Hamas in Gaza, Israeli outlet Ynet reports. Some protesters have been trying to block aid deliveries from entering Gaza for days. Palestinian authorities have demanded an international investigation after a mass grave containing dozens of bodies was found at a Gaza school. Palestinian news agency Wafa reports Israeli forces have detained at least 41 Palestinians, including a woman, during raids and searches on Wednesday. Click here to share on social media UK deputy PM says strikes weakening the Houthis Oliver Dowden has said that continued strikes by the US and the UK are weakening the Houthis, but that no ground forces will be sent to Yemen. “Let’s be absolutely clear from the start. We have no plans whatsoever to put boots on the ground,” Dowden said in remarks on Thursday. “We need to tighten the pressure on the Houthis because at the root of this lies a commitment from the United Kingdom to ensure stability and free trade of goods and movement,” he added. An aircraft takes off to join the US-led coalition to conduct air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen [US Central Command via X/Reuters] Click Qassam Brigades claim several attacks on Israeli troops in Gaza City The armed wing of Hamas says that it has taken part in heavy clashes throughout the city, and in the last hour has released statements claiming several attacks: Qassam fighters say they targeted several vehicles of the Israeli army, including one belonging to its engineering corps, with Yasin-105 rockets on the outskirts of the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in Gaza City. The group says it has hit “enemy concentrations” in the west of Gaza City with “heavy-caliber” mortar shells. It also said its fighters seized three Israeli drones south of the Zeitoun neighbourhood in the city. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/1/israels-war-on-gaza-live-death-toll-in-gaza-nears-27000-66000-wounded

Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah has announced the suspension of hostile operations against US troops as Washington ponders its response to a deadly drone attack that killed three of its soldiers. The group’s attempt to de-escalate late on Tuesday, which it said was motivated by a desire not to “embarrass” the Iraqi government, was met with some scepticism in the United States. The Pentagon alleges that there have been three further attacks since the attack in Jordan on January 28. end of list However, the White House has indicated that it is pondering a “tiered response” to Sunday’s attack. Speaking on Tuesday in Washington, DC, Biden tied the attacks to Iran. “I do hold them responsible in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it,” he said. However, he specified he did not want “a wider war” in the region. However, Al Jazeera correspondent Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, DC, said Republican hawks were calling for strikes inside Iran. “For months, this administration has been saying the biggest concern they have is that this will lead to a wider war, and it seems fairly clear that striking inside of Iran would make it more likely rather than less,” she said. The threat of escalation has risen since Sunday’s attack, with tension mounting across the region. On Wednesday, Iran said it would respond to any threats from the US. “We hear threats coming from American officials, we tell them that they have already tested us and we now know one another, no threat will be left unanswered,” said Hossein Salami, chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. Powerful element Kataib Hezbollah is the most powerful element in a group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has claimed more than 150 attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since October 7. The US has so far responded to that campaign by conducting air raids and imposing sanctions against Iran-backed groups in Iraq, particularly Kataib Hezbollah. In its statement on Tuesday, Kataib Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi noted that many of its allies, in particular Iran, “often object to the pressure and escalation against the American occupation forces in Iraq and Syria”. Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed said the statement aimed to “alleviate or reduce the burden, the pressure that the government in Iraq has been facing since … the beginning of these attacks”. The Iraqi government, he said, has been engaged in talks with US military officials to find mechanisms guaranteeing the withdrawal of US and coalition troops from the country. Hawks apply pressure In the face of Biden’s caution over the US response to the attack in Jordan, hawkish members of the Republican Party have gone into overdrive as they appeal for more direct military action against Iran. Senator Lindsey Graham called on the Biden administration to “strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces but as deterrence against future aggression”. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for “striking directly against Iranian targets and its leadership”. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/31/kataib-hezbollah-says-it-suspends-attacks-on-us-forces

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it could not deliver food to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis despite a “serious shortage” after delays at checkpoints. “I witnessed two people suffocating to death from the overcrowding,” says Mercy Corps aid worker after a rare food delivery reached northern Gaza. “We don’t know where they were injured or even their names,” Dr Omar Abu Taha tells Al Jazeera as Palestinians bury dozens of bodies, released by Israel, in Rafah. Israeli troops have stormed al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis and are demanding doctors and displaced Palestinians evacuate, the Palestine Red Crescent says. At least 26,751 people have been killed and 65,636 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139. Kataib Hezbollah announces halt of attacks on US forces Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah has announced the suspension of hostile operations against US troops as Washington ponders its response to a deadly drone attack that killed three of its soldiers. The group’s attempt to de-escalate late on Tuesday, which it said was motivated by a desire not to “embarrass” the Iraqi government, was met with some scepticism in the United States. Read the full story here. Coffins of Kataib Hezbollah members killed by US air strikes are carried through Najaf city in Iraq [Alaa al-Marjani/Reuters] Click here to share on social media Iran expresses confidence Israel’s leader soon out of power Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says he imminently expects Israel’s beleaguered leader to be done as prime minister and the Gaza war to subsequently wind down. “Diplomacy is moving forward on this path. Benjamin Netanyahu is nearing the end of his criminal political life,” said Amirabdollahian. Fears of American strikes on Iranian territory have emerged after the deadly drone attack on a US base in Jordan. But Iran’s top diplomat played the threat down. “The White House knows very well the solution to ending the war and genocide in Gaza and the current crisis in the region is political,” Amirabdollahian said. On Sunday, an organisation calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq killed three US soldiers and wounded dozens of others in the drone strike. Washington blamed Iran and President Biden said on Tuesday said he’s decided how to respond, but reiterated the United States is not looking for a “wider war in the Middle East … that’s not what I’m looking for”. Click here to share on social media Houthis threaten more attacks on US-UK warships after missiles fired Yemen’s Houthi militia has decided to keep up attacks on US and UK warships in the Red Sea in what it called “acts of self-defence”, stoking fears of long-term disruption to world trade. The group said all US and UK warships participating in “aggression” against its country were targets. On Wednesday, the Houthis fired missiles at the US warship USS Gravely. The US Central Command said the Gravely shot down a Houthi missile late on Tuesday. “The naval forces of the Yemeni armed forces, with the help of God Almighty, fired several missiles at the American destroyer USS Gravely in the Red Sea,” a Houthi statement said. The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have been attacking ships in and around the Red Sea, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war. Houthi fighters and supporters [File: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters] Click EU to pick country to lead Red Sea command: Borrell EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says he is hopeful it could be decided later in the day which member state could lead the upcoming EU mission to protect vessels in the Red Sea, adding this operation could be launched before mid-February. “We have to decide which country will take the command, where the headquarters will be and what navy assets the member states will provide,” he said before the start of an EU defence ministers meeting, adding he hopes the country leading the mission would be decided today. “Not all member states will be willing to participate, but no one will obstruct … I hope that on the 17th of [February] the mission can be launched,” Borrell said. He added the operation would be named Aspires, “which means protector”. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/31/israels-war-on-gaza-live-severe-hunger-in-gaza-as-aid-trucks-surrounded

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to 14 years in jail for illegally selling state gifts. The sentencing comes a day after Khan was given a 10-year prison term in a case related to the leaking of state secrets. The double sentencing against Pakistan’s popular politician comes about a week before the national elections on February 8. Khan is barred from running in the vote as his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party witnesses a massive crackdown by the state. More reactions to the sentencing Lawyer Rida Hosain says the haste in which Khan’s back-to-back convictions were announced is explicable. “The right to a fair trial lies at the heart of any civilised society governed by the rule of law. Even those accused of the harshest of crimes must get a fair process. It is blatant that there was no fair process in this case,” she told Al Jazeera. However, ex-Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali said the PTI’s legal team was given ample opportunity to present its arguments. “They failed to rebut or impeach the prosecution’s case,” he said. Click here to share on social media PTI says Islamabad police preventing party meeting The PTI say its central offices in Islamabad have been cordoned off and sealed by police. The party was scheduled to hold a general meeting at the premises in preparation for the upcoming elections. “Tehreek-e-Insaaf is being prevented from meeting even inside its office. Is it a level playing field?” the party said in a post on X, accompanied by a video showing police outside the building. Click here to share on social media WATCH: Who is Imran Khan? The former prime minister has long been at the centre of a political storm in Pakistan. A few months ago, Start Here, Al Jazeera’s online video explainer series, took a look at his life and career to explain how he became so popular – and so divisive. Watch the episode – featuring Farzana Shaikh, associate fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House; Uzair Younus, director, Pakistan Initiative, Atlantic Council; and Abid Hussain, Al Jazeera’s digital correspondent – below. Flawed and ridiculous decision: PTI official We have some reaction from Khan’s party. PTI official Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari has told Al Jazeera the sentencing of the opposition leader was “yet another sad day in Pakistan’s judicial history” that showed that the “judiciary is being dismantled. He described the ruling as “flawed” and “ridiculous” that “witnesses clearly seemed compromised”. “Star witnesses were changed … with no cross-questioning allowed, no final argument concluded, and the decision pops up like a predetermined process in play,” Bukhari said. Click here to share on social media Khan’s third conviction comes week before national elections It is the third conviction for Imran Khan, the embattled former prime minister and the main opposition leader, in the last few months. The sentencing comes only a week before the general elections, scheduled to be held on February 8. The verdict also includes a 10-year disqualification on Khan from holding public office, said his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Click here to share on social media Who is Bushra Bibi? Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Khan, commonly known as Bushra Bibi, gave herself up for arrest shortly after the verdict, reports said. Bibi, who has also been sentenced to 14 years in jail with Khan, is known for her spirituality and devotion to Sufism, a mystical form of Islam. Born Bushra Riaz Watto, she changed her last name to Khan after her marriage in 2018. Her husband and followers commonly refer to her as Bushra Bibi or Bushra Begum, titles that in Urdu denote respect. She has kept a low profile since her marriage to Khan, a former cricket hero who has been in the public eye for decades. Khan, right, and Bushra Bibi talk to reporters at the Lahore High Court in Lahore [File: KM Chaudary/AP] Click Imran Khan sentenced twice in two days The sentencing comes a day after the former prime minister and his close aide and ex-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years in jail in a case related to the leaking of state secrets. The so-called cypher case pertains to a diplomatic cable that Khan claims proves his allegation that his removal from power in 2022 was a conspiracy. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/31/imran-khan-sentencing-live-news-ex-pakistan-pm-wife-jailed-for-14-years

Pakistan has “definitely given a clear message to the entire region including India” through its response to Iranian airspace violation, said Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday. “[After the airspace violation,] Pakistan has left with no option other than responding to Iran. The response has definitely had a message for India too and the entire region too,” the premier said while speaking to a private news channel on Thursday. After Iran launched a surprise attack in Balochistan claiming to target a militant outfit last week, Pakistan’s military targeted terrorist hideouts inside the Iranian border on January 18. Pakistan’s retaliation, however, killed a number of terrorists during the intelligence-based operation — codenamed “Marg Bar Sarmachar”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said in a statement. Iran’s attack, which Pakistan’s Foreign Office termed “unprovoked and “unacceptable”, left two children dead and injured three girls, stating that it violated the country’s sovereignty. PM Kakar gave credit to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir for Islamabad’s response to Tehran. “Despite the prevailing political crisis, the entire nation supported the reaction.” “It was a difficult decision to make as we are very clear to immediately respond to such action from India. In this case, Pakistan has no border conflict with Iran. The whole world was looking towards Pakistan to see how we react to such violations.” The premier bluntly said: “Iran took a wrong step, so we responded, otherwise, we would have been chosen to stay silent. I still couldn’t find a logical reason behind Tehran’s move in the presence of active communication channels.” Amid heightening Pak-Iran tensions, the premier said that he deliberately avoided releasing a statement despite being pressed by many people. “I didn’t release a statement as the next response would be our true expression.” He also reiterated: “In the Iranian attack, our citizens were killed. On the other hand, Pakistan eliminated miscreants in his retaliative move.” To a question about avoiding such actions, PM Kakar urged both countries to activate all intelligence and military channels to further stabilise the Pak-Iran border situation. The situation is now returning to normalcy after Islamabad and Tehran mutually agreed that ambassadors of both countries will return to their respective posts by January 26. Moreover, the Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian will also undertake a visit to Pakistan on January 29 at the invitation of caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1151303-pakistans-response-sent-chilling-message-to-india-in-wake-of-iran-tensions-pm

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit the southern Pacific coast of Guatemala late Friday, Al Arabiya News reported citing the country’s INSIVUMEH seismological agency. El Salvador, a neighbour of Guatemala, felt the same earthquake that struck the Escuintla area of Guatemala. No immediate reports of damages or casualties have been made yet. The earthquake was recorded at a depth of 119 kilometres (73.9 miles) by the German Research Centre for Geosciences, which also reported a magnitude of 6.1. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1151833-60-magnitude-earthquake-hits-guatemala-el-salvador

Gaza’s Health Ministry says 174 Palestinians were killed and 310 wounded in the enclave in 24 hours. Israel intensifies bombings in Gaza, even as the International Court of Justice ordered it to take steps to prevent acts of genocide. In its highly anticipated interim decision, the court also said it has jurisdiction to rule in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel but did not call for an immediate ceasefire. Attacks on healthcare facilities continue in southern Gaza, with Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis completely losing power; in Rafah, three people were killed in an attack on a residential home. At least 26,257 people have been killed and 64,797 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139. 20 Palestinians arrested in occupied West Bank Israeli forces have arrested at least 20 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank in the past 24 hours, including former prisoners, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said. Since October 7, at least 6,305 Palestinians have been arrested across the occupied West Bank. Click Gaza death toll reaches 26,257 At least 26,257 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and 64,797 wounded since the start of Israel’s war, according to the latest update by the enclave’s health ministry. The ministry added that 174 Palestinians were killed and 310 injured in the past 24 hours. Palestinians retrieve bodies of relatives who lost their lives following Israeli attacks in Khan Younis [Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency] Click PLO says stopping UNRWA backing entails ‘great’ risks The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has urged the countries that said they were suspending the support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) to “immediately reverse their decision”. As we’ve reported, a number of Western countries have announced such steps after UNRWA said it had opened an investigation after Israel alleged some employees were involved in the October 7 attacks. PLO Secretary General Hussein AlSkeikh said the countries’ decision “entails great political and humanitarian relief risks”. “At this particular time and in light of the continuing aggression against the Palestinian people, we need the maximum support for this international organization and not stopping support and assistance to it,” he wrote on X. Israel says wants to stop UN refugee agency work in Gaza after war Israel has praised the US, Canada, Australia and Italy for suspending their funding for the UNRWA, saying it wants to completely stop the operations of the agency for aiding Palestinian refugees after the war on Gaza has ended. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz says Tel Aviv “aims to promoting a policy ensuring that UNRWA will not be a part of the day after, addressing other contributing factors”. “We will work to garner bipartisan support in the US, the European Union, and other nations globally for this policy aimed at halting UNRWA’s activities in Gaza,” he said in a post on X. Tensions at ‘all-time high’ along disputed border Imran Khan Reporting from Ebel el-Saqi, Lebanon We’re hearing from Hezbollah sources that four Hezbollah members were killed in a separate shelling attack in Bayt Lif in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army confirmed that they did use their air force to hit targets in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah responded with rockets within the last two hours, hitting the central Galilee. Tensions along this border continue to be at perhaps an all-time high. Both sides have said that they are prepared to go to war if necessary, but they’d rather have a diplomatic solution to all of this. Hezbollah says there will be no negotiations with Israel until there is a complete end to the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel is under very strong domestic pressure from those people who have been displaced on the northern side of its border. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/1/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-hospital-blackout-amid-khan-younis-assault Click here to share on social media

Mumbai, India – Driving through the Mira Road neighbourhood of Mumbai was a usual affair for 21-year-old Mohammad Tariq, who ran errands on his father’s white loading auto carrier. But on Tuesday, participants in a Hindu nationalist rally stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road. Young boys – mostly teenagers – dragged him out. They punched and kicked him and thrashed him with batons, flag staffs and iron chains, his 54-year-old father, Abdul Haque told Al Jazeera. Since then, Haque said, “[Tariq] has been terrified.” end of list The rally, which was shared over multiple live streams, turned into a mob, targeting several Muslims in the locality, rampaging through their shops and damaging vehicles while chanting “Jai Shri Ram” (Victory to Lord Ram). Similar rallies, often to the beat of booming far-right pop music, took place outside mosques and Muslim neighbourhoods across several states in India. The trigger was the consecration of a Ram temple in the ancient city of Ayodhya in northern India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. The temple is being built on the site where the 16th century Babri Masjid stood until 1992, when Hindu far-right mobs tore down the mosque, triggering nationwide riots that killed more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. Addressing the country from Ayodhya, Modi said that the “wheel of time” had turned, rejecting criticism over the increased religious tensions that have been simmering in India since he came to power in 2014. “Ram is not a problem but a solution,” he said. “We are laying the foundation of India for the next 1,000 years. We take a pledge to build a capable, grand, divine India from this moment.” Yet, as India celebrates its Republic Day on January 26, the inauguration of the temple, the Indian state’s role in it, and the violence and vandalism that religious minorities have faced since then are, to many, markers of a country that has moved away from the Constitution adopted this day in 1950. Soon after the consecration, a Muslim graveyard was set ablaze in the north Indian state of Bihar, a Muslim man was paraded naked in southern India, and a saffron flag representing militant Hinduism – was hoisted atop a church in central India. “This country is increasingly unrecognisable to me, where Muslims are like rubbish for them,” said Haque, on his way to a police station with his son after the Tuesday attack. “There were so many people [during the Mira Road attack] but no one stopped them from beating my child. It is shameful for society. It is a city of the blind.” ‘High priest of Hinduism’ The national broadcast of the temple inauguration, including the unveiling of the idol of Ram, brought India to a halt on Monday morning. Large LED screens were set up in villages, and people gathered at temples with their families to watch the ceremony live. Polarising speeches by Modi and his colleagues were broadcast in cinema theatres and on YouTube. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, an author and Modi’s biographer, noted that the event cast the prime minister as “the high priest of Hinduism”. “This is the origin of a new time cycle,” Modi said. “A nation rising after breaking the mentality of slavery … a thousand years from now, people will talk about this date, this moment. The Ram temple’s construction reflects Indian society’s maturity.” The union cabinet adopted a resolution to applaud the opening of the temple, stating that the country had “independence in 1947, but its soul was freed from centuries of colonial enslavement” on January 22. However, his critics say that the event was political, rather than a religious one. “It was more about Modi than Ram – a total instrumentalisation of Ram’s figure to serve the cause of an elected monarch,” said Apoorvanand, a professor at the University of Delhi. The celebrations in Ayodhya “indicate a change in the direction of the Indian state”, he added, referring to the participation of top celebrities and saints, where state-owned helicopters showered rose petals over the city. “This temple is a celebration of victory of violence against Muslims and it has been legitimised. Modi linked the source of nationhood to divinity [of Ram]; all values of the Indian republic stand destroyed.” India has been continuously slipping in international democracy indices and was tagged “partly free” for the third year in a row by Freedom House, a US government-funded nonprofit. Human Rights Watch warned last year of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) “systematic discrimination and stigmatisation of religious and other minorities, particularly Muslims”. The chest-thumping rise of Hindu nationalism and apparent departure from secular values also pose troubling questions for India’s international allies, especially in the West, who have strengthened ties with New Delhi in recent years and view it as a counterweight to China. “Modi has now positioned India to become a Hindu state in a formal sense, a move that would be welcomed by his large base but decried by many non-Hindus and critics as a betrayal of India’s secular traditions,” said Michael Kugelman, the director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute. Won’t ‘satiate the bloodlust’ Modi and the BJP appear poised for a comfortable win in the upcoming 2024 national election, according to most polls and many political observers. The PM did not need the temple opening to bolster his electoral prospects, said Kugelman, but the consecration gives him another shot in the arm. “He delivered on one of his most longstanding promises and has come through in a big way that will ripple across his electoral base – and beyond,” he added. But the construction of the temple will fail to “satiate the bloodlust” of the Hindu nationalist movement that went mainstream with the demolition of the mosque in Ayodhya in 1992, argued Apoorvanand. After the ceremony, he saw slogans being raised in his university for the demolition of other mosques contested by the far-right in the cities of Mathura and Varanasi. “There is no closure to all of this,” he said, adding that the temple