MONDAY 5,582 23 MARCH, 2026 facebook.com/TheMorningStandard Pakistan has seen a sharp resurgence in terrorist activity by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. Deaths from terrorism in Pakistan were at their highest since 2013 with the country recording 1,139 terrorism-related deaths in 2025. That accounts for one in five terror related deaths around the world last year X.com/TheMornStandard 250TH US ANNIV TRUMP TO FEATURE ON GOLD COIN PAGE 9 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Emergency CCS meet reviews West Asia crisis RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called an emergency meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to take stock of the domestic situation due to the evolving West Asia conflict and chalk out the strategy to mitigate the war’s impact on India. The CCS meeting, chaired by the PM and attended by key ministers, assessed the availability of critical needs of common people, including food, energy and fuel security , . The CCS is the highest decision-making body on security and strategic matters. Its members include Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Exter nal Af fairs Minister S Jaishankar. According to statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) after the CCS meeting, discussions were held on the expected impact on critical sectors such as agriculture, fertilisers, petroleum, power, MSMEs, shipping, and finance. The PM directed that a group of ministers and secretaries be created to work dedicatedly in a whole-of-gover nment approach to deal with the effects of the conflict. The prime minister also suggested that sectoral groups be set up and they work in consultation with all stakeholders. The PMO statement further said that the war between USIsrael and Iran will have a big impact on the global economy . “The ongoing conflict in West Asia will have significant short, The conflict in West Asia will have significant short, medium and longterm impact on the global economy; its effect on India were assessed and counter-measures discussed — PMO Key ministers attend meet Ministers holding key portfolios including home, external affairs, defence, finance, and petroleum attended the meeting medium and long-term impact on the global economy and its effect on India were assessed and counter-measures, both immediate and long-term, were discussed,” it added. The meeting discussed measures to ensure continued availability of essential needs and assesssed the conflict’s indirect impact on farmers and their requirement for fertilizer for the Kharif season. The PM described the conflict as an evolving situation in which the entire world is affected in some form or the other. “In such a situation, all efforts must be made to safeguard the citizens from the impact of this conflict,” the prime minister asserted. The prime minister instructed that all arms of governments should work together during the crisis period to ensure least inconvenience to the citizens. He also asked for close coordination with state government to ensure there is no black-marketing or hoarding of important commodities. ‘INDIA INC FACES RAW MATERIAL SHORTAGE’ New Delhi: Indian companies are facing disruptions ranging from shipment delays to shortages of key raw materials due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said on Sunday. In a statement, CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said the conflict has disrupted key maritime routes and supply chains. “Indian companies are experiencing downstream effects, from shipment delays to constraints in key energy inputs, as well as emerging shortages in essential raw materials across several sectors that rely heavily on timely cross-border flows,” he said  NEW DELHI  J8.00  Pyxis Pioneer, a vessel which left Port of Nederland in Texas, brought 16,714 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at New Mangalore Port in Karnataka on Sunday | PTI Tehran responds by threatening to blow up US infra in West Asia A G E N C I E S @ Tel Aviv, Tehran IRAN on Sunday threatened to “irreversibly destroy” key infrastructure across West Asia and “completely close” the Strait of Hormuz if the US follows up on President Donald Trump’s threat to attack Iranian power plants unless the key waterway is fully opened in 48 hours. The tit-for-tat threats came as the war entered its fourth week and continued to reverberate across West Asia, with global alarm mounting over reckless strikes by both sides around nuclear sites. Trump, under pressure over rising fuel prices, wrote on Truth Social that the US would “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants “starting with the biggest one first” if Tehran did DAY not fully reopen the strait within 48 hours, or 23:44 GMT on Monday . Iran said it would respond to any such attacks by targeting US energy IT, and desalination , infrastructure across the region. Iran’s defiance came a day after its missiles evaded Israel’s much-vaunted air defences and struck two southern towns, including Dimona which houses a nuclear facility injuring dozens. , Iran said the strike on Dimo- 23 Israeli rescue teams at a site struck by an Iranian missile in Arad, southern Israel, on Sunday | AP na was in response to an earlier attack on its nuclear site at Natanz. The impact from the war continued to be felt across the region. Early Sunday morning, AFP reported that blasts and air raid sirens were heard in Jerusalem as Iran launched a fresh barrage of missiles at Israel. Israel launched a wave of strikes on the Iranian capital Tehran in response. Iran also kept up retaliatory attacks on Gulf nations it accuses of serving as a launchpad for US strikes.Saudi Arabia said Sunday it detected EVEN as the Opposition has threatened to boycott the Delhi Assembly’s Budget session, which is scheduled to begin on Monday the government has planned a Kheer , Serenani ceremony. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will attend the ceremony, after which she will table socioeconomic data about the city . The Budget session will also see tabling of various reports of the Controller and Auditor General on the audit of Delhi’s finances, revenue, and Delhi Jal Board, which can create heated debate in the house if the Opposition attends the session. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party has said that it will boycott the session if suspension of its four MLAs is not revoked. Leader of Opposition Atishi wrote to Speaker Vijender Gupta about the issue and said that the suspension amounted to violations of democratic norms. Atishi wrote, “It is with deep regret that I must state that from the first sitting of the first session to the first sitting of the fourth session, your approach towards the Opposition has been not only concerning but also inconsistent with democratic values.” P3 DIGITAL ARREST Modi is longest serving elected govt head ‘CBI officials’ dupe K’taka man of `15 cr Assam BJP minister joins Congress In a major blow to the BJP in election-bound Assam, minister Nandita Gorlosa on Sunday joined the Congress. She will contest the elections from the Haflong constituency in the hill district of Dima Hasao, which she represents in the Assembly. IN one of the biggest cyber fraud cases in the country an 81-year-old , businessman in Belagavi in Karnataka has been cheated of `15.45 crore by cyber criminals by placing him under “digital arrest”. The police said the victim, received a WhatsApp call on February 5 from individuals posing as officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They told the businessman that SIM cards registered in his name were linked to illegal activities and one of them had been used to contact a senior executive of Jet Airways, who they said had already been arrested. The criminals told him that he was under investigation in a mon- ■ The number of terror attacks in India fell by 43%. India accounted for 2% of terror-related deaths Four outfits—Islamic State, Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen, TTP, and al-Shabaab—were responsible for 70% of terror-related deaths | P7 TRUMP WANTS STRAIT FREED IN 48 HRS, IRAN NOT BUDGING EXPRESS READ E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Belagavi ■ The US would hit and obliterate Iranian power plants starting with the biggest one first if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, or 23:44 GMT on Monday — US President Donald Trump A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi TANKS A TONNE! India sees 43% decline in attacks PAGES 12 ‘Kheer’ ceremony for Assembly Budget session PM Narendra Modi on Sunday became the longest-serving head of an elected government in India. He completed 8,931 days in office as head of government, combining his terms as Gujarat Chief Minister and Prime Minister, surpassing ex-Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar. P7 Pakistan recorded more than 1,000 terrorism People killed in incidents in 2025, which has pushed it to the top 2,944 terrorist place in the latest Global Terrorism Index ranking attacks globally in 2025 Pak accounts for 1 in 5 terror deaths epaper.morningstandard.in US President Donald Trump is all set to feature on a gold coin to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, amid questions over legality of move PAKISTAN WORST HIT BY TERROR, INDIA SEES FALL IN ATTACKS: REPORT Targeted through WhatsApp The police said the victim received a WhatsApp call on February 5 from individuals posing as officials from the CBI. They told the businessman that SIM cards registered in his name were linked to illegal activities. The criminals told him that he was under investigation in a money-laundering case involving `25 lakh. ey-laundering case involving `25 lakh. They again contacted him between February 7 and March 9, and coerced him into transferring money multiple times, ultimately taking `15.45 crore. A complaint was filed with the cybercrime police on March 18. Investigators have since frozen sev- eral bank accounts linked to the accused and managed to trace `90 lakh and block it from being withdrawn. A special team has been formed to track perpetrators and recover the remaining amount. Belagavi Police Commissioner Bhushan Gulabrao Borse said that no legal provision of digital arrest exists in India and urged citizens not to fall prey to such threats or claims. He said no law-enforcement agency in the country conducts the investigation through WhatsApp. Cybercrime officials warned that fraudsters are increasingly impersonating officers from agencies like CBI to manipulate victims into transferring money Senior citizens . and business owners are being targeted in particular. WAR IN RISKY PHASE WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said the war is at a ‘perilous stage’ following strikes on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility and in Dimona near an Israeli nuclear research centre. “ Attacks near nuclear sites are a threat to environmental safety.” three ballistic missiles around the capital Riyadh. One was intercepted, and two fell in uninhabited areas, the defence ministry said. The UAE said it responded to new missile and drone attacks from Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was noncommittal when asked about US threats to strike Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hor muz isn’t opened, and whether Israel would join. “US President knows exactly what he’s doing. And whatever we do we do together and as far as possible in confidence.” P9 Air ticket fares likely to surge from today S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi BRACE for higher airfares from Monday as the temporary price cap imposed by the government in December, in the wake of the Indigo crisis, is set to expire. It comes at a time when the airlines have seen a rise in operational expenses on account of the circuitous routes taken by international flights due to the ongoing war in West Asia between US-Israel and Iran. Airlines had recently introduced a fuel surcharge to offset the higher operational expenses due to the rise in price of Aviation Turbine Fuel. Referring to the Indigo crisis in December, the order said, “The prevailing situation has since stabilised, with restoration of capacity and normalisation of operations across the sector.” While removing the fare cap, the government has directed airlines to exercise pricing discipline and warned that “excessive or unjustified surge in fares during periods of peak demand or disruptions” could force the government to reintroduce fare caps or make other interventions in the public interest. “Airlines shall ensure that fares remain reasonable, transparent and commensurate with market conditions, and that passenger interests are not adversely impacted,” it said. The order also comes in the backdrop of the Federation of Indian Airlines, which represents three major airlines in the country calling for the roll, back of a recent announcement by the ministry mandating that 60% of seats in any flight be allocated free of cost.