‘Moment of pride’: India celebrates Rishi Sunak’s ascent to British PM

Britain's newly appointed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives at the podium to deliver a speech outside 10 Downing Street in central London, on October 25, 2022. (AFP)
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Updated 26 October 2022
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‘Moment of pride’: India celebrates Rishi Sunak’s ascent to British PM

  • Sunak’s appointment coincides with Diwali, the annual Hindu festival that marks new beginnings
  • Commentators say the victory of a minority member sets an example that India itself should follow

NEW DELHI: From politicians to ordinary citizens, Indians celebrated on Tuesday a “moment of joy and pride” as Rishi Sunak took office as UK prime minister, becoming the first-ever Hindu politician and person of color to lead Britain.

Sunak, 42, was born in south England to parents of Indian heritage who emigrated from British colonial East Africa six decades ago. His grandparents were originally from Punjab.

Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, is a fashion designer and the daughter of Narayana Murthy, who co-founded the tech giant Infosys and is one of India’s richest men.

As his ascent to power was sealed on Tuesday, a day after he prevailed in a Conservative Party leadership race, Indian media celebrated the appointment with headlines including “Indian son rises over the empire” and “Battered Britain gets ‘desi’ big boss” — 75 years after their country cast off two centuries of British colonial rule.

“For every Indian no moment of happiness is bigger than this. This shows that the world over there has acceptance for Hindus,” Sudhanshu Mittal, national spokesperson of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, told Arab News.

“No field is left where an Indian is not excelling and leading the way. Britain has always been an inseparable part of every Indian’s imagination because for many years they ruled.”

Sunak’s appointment coincided with Diwali, the annual Hindu festival that marks new beginnings.

Manoj Ladwa, chief executive and chairman of the London-based media and publishing house India Inc Group, recalled how seven years ago, also on Diwali, Britain’s former premier David Cameron said during a reception in honor of Indian PM Narendra Modi that “it won’t be long till there is a British Indian Prime Minister Downing Street.”

“Today, on Diwali a most auspicious day for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, and almost seven years from David Cameron’s prophetic declaration, we have a British Indian Hindu Prime Minister! Whatever our political beliefs, it is a moment of joy and pride for so many of us,” Ladwa said.

“Rishi Sunak is our story. A child born in the UK to immigrant parents who through sheer hard work and dedication sought to give their children a better life, with a focus on education and good values, he has climbed to hold the highest public office in the land. And by virtue of this, has become one of the most powerful and influential leaders in the world.”

In the popular imagination, Sunak’s appointment was likened to revenge on the former colonial power.

“It’s a moment of pride for all of us,” Shiv Shankar Prasad, trader based in Mokama town in the eastern state of Bihar, told Arab News. “English people ruled over us for two hundred years and now an Indian is their Prime Minister.”

But political commentators were more realistic, seeing the victory of a minority member as an example that India itself should follow rather than a symbolic victory.

“Rishi Sunak becoming PM does not mean that India is ruling Britain. All that it shows is that British society has become more mature, open and it’s not your religion, it’s not your race which matters but the citizenship of the country,” said Aditya Mukherjee, history professor Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

“We should learn a lesson from them.”

For Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a Delhi-based author and journalist who has been focused on Hindu nationalistic politics, a Hindu politician taking over 10 Downing Street should be an inspiration for the Indian powers that be to increase their own minority representation.

“It should give us a moment to decide whether we are going to enable minorities to get into important pivotal positions in governance,” he said.

“All minorities of this country have become insecure, and they occupy much fewer important positions than they did a few years ago. We should use this occasion to improve the minority representation in the government.”


US military judge reinstates 9/11 mastermind plea deal — official

Updated 5 sec ago
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US military judge reinstates 9/11 mastermind plea deal — official

  • Prosecution can appeal decision but it was not immediately clear if they would do so
  • Agreements triggered anger among some relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks

WASHINGTON: A US military judge has reinstated plea agreements for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants, an official said Thursday, three months after the deals were scrapped by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The agreements — which are understood to take the death penalty off the table — had triggered anger among some relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks, and Austin said that both they and the American public deserved to see the defendants stand trial.
“I can confirm that the military judge has ruled that the pretrial agreements for the three accused are valid and enforceable,” the US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The prosecution has the opportunity to appeal the decision, but it was not immediately clear if they would do so.
The plea deals with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices were announced in late July in a step that appeared to have moved their long-running cases toward resolution after years of being bogged down in pre-trial maneuverings while the defendants remained held at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.
But Austin withdrew the agreements two days after they were announced, saying the decision should rest with him given its significance.
He subsequently told journalists that “the families of the victims, our service members and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out in this case.”
Much of the legal jousting surrounding the men’s cases has focused on whether they could be tried fairly after having undergone methodical torture at the hands of the CIA in the years after 9/11 — a thorny issue that the plea agreements would have avoided.


US military ready to carry out lawful orders of next administration, Pentagon chief says

Updated 07 November 2024
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US military ready to carry out lawful orders of next administration, Pentagon chief says

  • “The US military will also continue to stand apart from the political arena;,” Austin wrote

WASHINGTON: US Défense Secretary Lloyd Austin told troops that the Pentagon was committed to an orderly transition to the incoming administration of Donald Trump, adding that the military would not get involved in politics and was ready to carry out “all lawful orders.”
“The US military will also continue to stand apart from the political arena; to stand guard over our republic with principle and professionalism; and to stand together with the valued allies and partners who deepen our security,” Austin wrote in a memo to troops that was sent out on Wednesday night.


Germany arrests a US citizen over accusations of spying for China

Updated 07 November 2024
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Germany arrests a US citizen over accusations of spying for China

  • The suspect, who was only identified as Martin D., was arrested in Frankfurt
  • His home was being searched

BERLIN: Germany’s federal prosecutor office said it arrested an American citizen on Thursday who allegedly spied for China.
The office said that the suspect, who was only identified as Martin D., was arrested in Frankfurt and that his home was being searched.
The accused, who until recently worked for the US Armed Forces in Germany, is strongly suspected of having agreed to act as an intelligence agent for a foreign secret service.
Earlier this year, he contacted Chinese government agencies and offered to transmit sensitive information from the US military to a Chinese intelligence service, according to an investigation by Germany’s domestic intelligence service.
He had obtained the information in question in the course of his work in the US army, the prosecutor’s statement said, without giving any further information.


Offering Putin Ukraine concessions ‘suicidal’ for Europe: Zelensky

Updated 07 November 2024
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Offering Putin Ukraine concessions ‘suicidal’ for Europe: Zelensky

  • Zelensky blasted those who were urging him to give in to some of President Vladimir Putin’s hard-line demands
  • “There has been much talk about the need to yield to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions ...” Zelensky said

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said it would be “suicidal” for Europe to offer the Kremlin concessions to halt its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to European leaders at a summit in Hungary, Zelensky blasted those who were urging him to give in to some of President Vladimir Putin’s hard-line demands, and urged Europe and the United States not to loosen ties following the election of Donald Trump.
“There has been much talk about the need to yield to Putin, to back down, to make some concessions ... It’s unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all Europe,” Zelensky said, according to a copy of the address provided to AFP by the Ukrainian presidency.
He accused some European leaders, without specifying who, of “strongly” pushing Ukraine to make “concessions to Putin” — something Kyiv says would only embolden the Kremlin leader and encourage further aggression.
“We need sufficient weapons, not support in talks. Hugs with Putin won’t help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse,” Zelensky said.
The summit was being hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has repeatedly railed against the West’s multi-billion dollar support to Kyiv.
Zelensky also urged Europe and the US to preserve their strong ties following Trump’s election victory this week.
The Republican has repeatedly criticized American aid to Ukraine and said he could end the war within hours of taking office.
“We do hope that America will become stronger. This is the kind of America that Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs. This is the connection between allies that must be valued and cannot be lost,” Zelensky said.
As he repeated a call for more Western arms for his struggling army, Zelensky said Europe had to realize that North Korea was effectively “waging war” on the continent.
“North Korea is now, in effect, waging war in Europe. North Korean soldiers are attempting to kill our people on European soil,” he said, referring to reports Pyongyang has deployed troops to Russia to support the invasion.


US military judge reinstates 9/11 mastermind plea deal: official

Updated 07 November 2024
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US military judge reinstates 9/11 mastermind plea deal: official

  • The prosecution has the opportunity to appeal the decision, but it was not immediately clear if they would do so

WASHINGTON: A US military judge has reinstated plea agreements for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants, an official said Thursday, three months after the deals were scrapped by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The agreements — which are understood to take the death penalty off the table — had triggered anger among some relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks, and Austin said that both they and the American public deserved to see the defendants stand trial.
“I can confirm that the military judge has ruled that the pretrial agreements for the three accused are valid and enforceable,” the US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The prosecution has the opportunity to appeal the decision, but it was not immediately clear if they would do so.
The plea deals with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices were announced in late July in a step that appeared to have moved their long-running cases toward resolution after years of being bogged down in pre-trial maneuverings while the defendants remained held at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.
But Austin withdrew the agreements two days after they were announced, saying the decision should rest with him given its significance.
He subsequently told journalists that “the families of the victims, our service members and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out in this case.”
Much of the legal jousting surrounding the men’s cases has focused on whether they could be tried fairly after having undergone methodical torture at the hands of the CIA in the years after 9/11 — a thorny issue that the plea agreements would have avoided.