New Delhi, March 25: For Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, countering the pro-Iran Shia mobilisation in the country is increasingly becoming a headache. For Pakistan, countering this mobilisation is important as it is threatening to become bigger. However, the dilemma the establishment faces is that it cannot use its official machinery to take on the mobilisation of the Shias.

Pakistan has chosen to mediate between Iran and the United States, and hence it needs to remain neutral. Any direct action against the Shia mobilisation would infuriate Iran, and this is something that Islamabad wants to avoid.

An official said that Pakistan has now brought back its proxies to take on this problem. The Pakistan Army chief has ordered hardline Sunni elements and leaders from the Sipah-e-Sabah (SeS) and Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) to take on the Shias who are mobilising in large numbers in support of Iran. These groups have, in the past, come to the rescue of the Pakistan establishment. When it comes to countering protesters who were seeking justice for jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, it was these elements who took to the streets.

The members of the SeS and JuD have the backing of the army and ISI and have been given a free hand to indulge in street violence against those who are questioning the establishment, an official said.

The SeS is a banned Sunni Deobandi Islamist organisation and a former political party that was founded in 1985. This outfit came into existence only to oppose Shia influence in Pakistan. The SeS has a history of being involved in sectarian conflicts, including violence with the Shia organisation, Shipah-e-Muhammad, Pakistan.

The JuD, on the other hand, is the charity wing of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The JuD follows the Ahl-i Hadith interpretation of Islam, which is similar to Wahhabism and Salafism.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that by involving the SeS and JuD, the Pakistan army chief would look to put down the mobilisation of the Shia. Since these groups have no accountability, the violence would not be blamed on the state, but on two individual organisations. This helps in the deniability factor, when Pakistan speaks with Iran, the official added.

Such violence will no doubt be scrutinised internationally and by foreign Intelligence agencies. The establishment would, however, try to get away by putting the blame on the SeS and JuD, while stating that it has nothing to do with them.

Another official said that both groups have been given immunity by the establishment. This means that they can choose to act the way they please.

Another official said that with such a plan in place, one could anticipate street violence and bloody clashes with the Shias in Pakistan.

By trying to mediate between Iran and the US, Pakistan wants to place itself in a position of power. Pakistan also wants to claim geopolitical relevance by offering to mediate between the two warring nations.

Field Marshal Asim Munir has taken this task upon himself and has been engaging directly with Iranian President Masood Pezeshkian. He has also been leveraging his relations with some of the Gulf nations and the US.

With Pakistan wanting geopolitical relevance, it cannot afford to officially crush the mobilisation that is taking place in support of Iran. If Pakistan ends up angering Iran at this juncture, then Tehran may not come to the table. This would hurt Pakistan’s ambitions of playing mediator and reclaiming geopolitical importance, another official said.

The JuD and the SeS have readily accepted what the Pakistan army chief has said, as they have done in the past. Officials say that both these outfits have had an agenda against the Shias for a long time, and hence the offer made by Field Marshal Munir is more than welcome for them.

Mumbai: The city woke up to clear, sunny skies and rising temperatures on Tuesday, March 24, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a ‘heatwave’ alert. As daytime temperatures are set to rise sharply, residents are urged to take necessary precautions to protect themselves from the heat. Meanwhile, Mumbai’s air quality has fluctuated over the past 24 hours but has continued to remain in the ‘poor’ category.

According to the IMD, Mumbai is likely to witness temperatures ranging between 22°C and 36°C, indicating a noticeable spike in heat levels. Citizens have been advised to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, stay well hydrated, and opt for light meals to cope with the increasing heat and humidity.

Morning observations from key weather stations suggested a rise in temperatures compared to the previous day. Colaba recorded 28.6°C, while Santacruz registered 30°C, both reflecting warmer conditions. Neighbouring regions reported even higher temperatures, with Thane touching 38°C and Navi Mumbai recording 36°C.

On the air quality front, Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remained largely unchanged over the past 24 hours. As per AQI.in data, the city recorded an overall AQI of 112, placing it in the ‘poor’ category.

Throughout the day yesterday, the AQI levels fluctuated between ‘moderate’ and ‘poor’. The lowest AQI reading of 67 was recorded at 5.30 am this morning, before gradually rising to a high of 124 at 8.00 am.

At a local level, several areas continued to report significantly poor air quality. Subhash Nagar recorded the highest AQI at 263, falling under the ‘unhealthy’ category. This was followed by Govandi West (253), Kannamwar Nagar (250), Rajiv Gandhi Nagar (243), and Savitribai Phule Nagar (233), falling into the ‘Unhealthy’ category.

In contrast, some parts of the city reported relatively better air quality with Gamdevi Station 1 recording the lowest AQI at 25 (Good). Green Hills recorded an AQI of 47, also falling into the ‘good’ category. Other areas such as Mulgoan (58), Worli (72), and Malad (73) remained ‘moderate’ range.

As per standard air quality classifications, AQI values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’ and levels above 300 are classified as ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’.

Panaji, March 23: The South Goa Police arrested 20-year-old Soham Sushant Naik in the wee hours of Monday following an intense public outcry over an alleged sex scandal involving 25 to 30 minor girls. Naik, a resident of Madegal-Cacora and the son of a BJP Curchorem Municipal councillor, was taken into custody after a mob of concerned citizens and local leaders picketed the police station.

The investigation suggests a disturbing pattern of abuse spanning the last three years. According to preliminary reports, the BJP corporator’s son allegedly engaged in sexual relations with numerous minors, filming the encounters and subsequently using the footage to threaten the victims into silence.

The scandal came to light last week after Soham Sushant Naik allegedly boasted about his actions during a social gathering, showing explicit videos of the victims to his associates. As rumours of the sexual abuse recordings spread through South Goa, local tension reached a boiling point.

However, before this, the case was being discussed in South Goa for the last few days. Local citizens gathered at the Kudchade police station on Sunday night seeking action as the case was linked to a local BJP corporator. Finally, the police took the corporator’s son Soham Naik into custody.

The action came after the accused showed some videos to his friends at a drinking party last week. This led to the revelation of the years of alleged sexual abuse of minors by the BJP leader’s son.

On Sunday, Curchorem residents had marched to the police station demanding a fair probe into the alleged sex-racket videos involving minors.

The protestors had warned of a bandh if police failed to act immediately and arrest the accused within 48 hours. The residents had also demanded that the police register a suo motu FIR in the case rather than wait for victims to come forward.

State Congress president Amit Patkar demanded that the government step in, take suo motu cognisance, and order a prompt, impartial, and time-bound enquiry into the horrific case.

The South Goa Police are currently investigating the digital evidence and determining the full scale of the exploitation of the minor girls by Soham Sushant Naik.

Soham Sushant Naik remains in custody as forensic teams work to recover the alleged videos used for blackmailing the minor girls.