Mumbai, May 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said there is a dawn of the ‘Orange Economy’ in the country and India is emerging as a global hub for film production, digital content, gaming, fashion, music and live concerts.

In his speech at the first WAVES Summit here, the Prime Minister said, “To the creators of the world – dream big and tell your story. To investors – invest not just in platforms, but in people. To Indian youth – tell your one billion untold stories to the world.”

“In India, 10x growth has been witnessed in the OTT. Screen size may be getting small, but the scope is infinite. The screen is getting micro, but the message is mega!” he opined.

PM Modi said youth can play a major role in the content creation. “I believe in you and the Content Creators, and there’s a reason behind it. There are no boundaries or baggage in the youth’s spirit and working style. Therefore, your creativity flows freely, and it has no hesitation or reluctance.”

“WAVES is a wave of culture, creativity, and universal connect. It highlights India’s creative strengths on a global platform. The World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit, aptly abbreviated as WAVES, is more than just a name. It embodies a true wave of culture, creativity, and universal connection,” said the Prime Minister.

He added, “India, with a billion-plus population, is also a land of a billion-plus stories. Right from the first moment, the Summit is roaring with purpose. In the very first edition, the WAVES attracted the attention of the world.”

“From the Red Fort, I have spoken about ‘Sabka Prayas’. Today, my belief has become stronger that the efforts of all of you will take WAVES to new heights in the coming years. This is the right time to create in India and create for the world. The world is exploring new ways for storytelling, but India has a treasure of stories of a thousand years, which is timeless, thought-provoking and truly global,” he said.

“Over the years, I have sometimes met people from the gaming world, sometimes from the music world, sometimes I have met filmmakers, and sometimes I have met faces shining on the screen. In these discussions, issues of India’s creativity, creative capability and global collaboration often came up,” he said.

“Today, in Mumbai, artists, innovators, investors, and policymakers from over 100 countries have gathered under one roof. Together, they are laying the foundation for a global ecosystem that celebrates talent, creativity, and innovation on an international scale,” he said.

“Today, 112 years ago, on May 3, 1913, the first feature film, Raja Harishchandra, was released in India. Its producer was Dadasaheb Phalke, and yesterday was his birth anniversary. In the last century, Indian cinema succeeded in taking India to every corner of the world,” said the Prime Minister.

New Delhi, April 30: Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif’s admission on country’s role in harbouring terrorists and sponsoring terror factories on its soil recently, came not just as a shocker but also exposed its brazen terror designs as well as terror trail, that remains not just limited to Kashmir but goes beyond many frontiers, even to the Islamic nations, Middle-East and Europe.

Pakistan’s terror footprints across the globe got more accentuated with Pakistan’s Defence Minister’s open confession on the country’s history of supporting terrorist organisations, as he said, “We have been doing this dirty work for the US for the past three decades, including the West and the UK.”

The bloodbath in Kashmir’s Pahalgam is the latest dastardly act of terror, conducted by Pakistan-based terrorists, plotted and guided by handlers based there. A key Pakistan link is emerging here also, as Hashim Moosa, who served in the Pakistan Army earlier, has been found to be one of the key attackers in Baisaran valley. A massive manhunt is underway to nab Moosa, the former para commando in Pakistan’s Special Services Group, who then switched to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to conduct terror strikes in India.

For many years, Pakistan has used its soil as a launchpad for cross-border terrorism, insurgency, and extremist ideology. Its track record in sponsoring, sheltering, and exporting terrorism is one of the most dangerous and destabilising forces in the world.

In 2018, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also admitted to the Pakistani government’s role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba. Former Pak Army General Pervez Musharraf had also conceded that his forces trained militant groups to fight India in Kashmir.

An account of how Pakistan is exporting terrorism globally

Afghanistan: Taliban and Haqqani network attacks

Pak-based terror groups were found to be the key conspirators behind numerous deadly attacks on Afghan civilians, government targets and international forces, including the 2008 Indian Embassy bombing in Kabul and the 2011 attack on the US Embassy in Kabul.

Pakistan’s ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) has been widely documented as supporting the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network, providing them with funding, training, and safe havens.

Its role in the Indian Embassy bombing in Kabul was also documented in a book by senior journalist Carlotta Gall, who wrote, “The embassy bombing was no operation by rogue ISI agents acting on their own. It was sanctioned and monitored by the most senior officials in Pakistani intelligence.”

Iran: Jaish ul-Adl Attacks

Pakistan-based Sunni extremist group Jaish ul-Adl repeatedly attacked Iranian security forces in Sistan and Baluchestan province. In response, Iran carried out missile and drone strikes inside Pakistan’s Balochistan province, targeting what it described as Jaish ul-Adl hideouts.

Iran has repeatedly accused Pakistan of harbouring and failing to act against Sunni militants who stage attacks across the border.

Moscow Concert Hall Attack (2024)

In April, a Pakistan link emerged in the investigation of the Moscow terror attack. Russian authorities identified the mastermind as a Tajik national and are probing connections to Pakistan, with reports suggesting that the attackers may have had logistical or ideological support tracing back to Pakistani networks.

United Kingdom: 2005 London Bombings

The July 7 London bombings, carried out by four British Islamist terrorists, were linked to training and indoctrination in Pakistan. Three of the bombers — Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, and Germaine Lindsay had spent time in Pakistan between 2003 and 2005, getting trained in terror-training centres.

Osama bin Laden’s elimination exposed Pakistan globally

In the 2011 US raids that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan’s Abbottabad, it exposed Pakistan’s brazen defence of the dreaded terrorists and also exposed its systemic failure in counterterrorism efforts.

Bin Laden lived undetected for years in a compound near Pakistan’s Military Academy, affirming the Pakistan government’s protection and alleged collusion.

Amethi, April 30: BJP workers on Wednesday burnt an effigy of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, as he arrived in Amethi. The effigy was burnt outside a guest house near Sanjay Gandhi Hospital.

Police were deployed in large numbers and managed to pacify the agitators before Gandhi’s arrival.

Rahul Gandhi reached Amethi on a one-day visit to inaugurate the open-heart surgery operation theatre at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, which is managed by the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust. Gandhi, a trustee of the hospital, was greeted by hundreds of supporters with garlands in Jais town during a brief stop.

On Tuesday, Gandhi visited his Raebareli constituency. He chaired a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting at Bachat Bhawan, where he reviewed development projects and discussed plans with officials from 78 departments.

During the visit, Gandhi also inaugurated a solar power and EV charging facility, unveiled a statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Bachhrawan, and distributed 15 hand carts to needy residents. He also visited the rail coach factory in Lalganj and addressed party workers in the Sareni Assembly segment.

A political row also erupted in Raebareli after the BJP Yuva Morcha leaders put up posters targeting Gandhi over his push for a caste census. The posters, seen in Harchandpur, read: “You would divide using casteism, we will unite using nationalism. Please spare our Raebareli of caste-based politics.”

Rahul Gandhi won the 2024 Raebareli Lok Sabha seat by defeating BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh with a margin of 3.9 lakh votes and a 66.17 per cent vote share, reclaiming the Congress stronghold once held by his mother, Sonia Gandhi.

Gandhi, who won from Raebareli seat, held for a long time by his mother and former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.