The Ideas Page: India’s GDP debate — Right questions, wrong numbers 9 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2026 JOURNALISM of COURAGE MuMbAI, lATE CITy, 20 PAgES ₹5.00 l www.indianexpress.com DA I ly f R O M : A h M E DA b A D , C h A N D I gA R h , D E l h I , j A I P u R , kO l k ATA , l u C k N O W , M u M b A I , N Ag P u R , PAT N A , P u N E , vA D O DA R A REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 - 20 RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 CLOSE TO THE LATE AYATOLLAH KHAMENEI, HE wAS IRAN’S FORMER NUCLEAR NEGOTIATOR 140 168 210 Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani killed, says Israel as war rages Netanyahu says head of Basij militia also killed; no response yet from Iran 63 Business as Usual By EP UNNY LATEST Parisa Hafezi, Jana Choukeir & Maayan Lubell Dubai, Jerusalem, March 17 OpEN TO ‘gIvE ANd TAKE’ AppROACH, SAyS WANgCHUK pAgE 6 ISRAELIPRIMEMinisterBenjaminNetanyahuonTuesdaysaid IsraeliforceshavekilledIran’ssecurity chief Ali Larijani, one of themostpowerfulfiguresinthe Islamic nation. He also claimed that Gholamreza Soleimani, who led the volunteer Basij militia, has been eliminated too. “This morning, we eliminated Ali Larijani... the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, that group of gangsters that effectivelyrunsIran.Alongsidehim, we also eliminated the commander of the Basij (Soleimani). They are the gangsters’ assistants who are terrorising South Korean monks protest against President Trump’s call to allies to send warships. AP l NATO’S REfuSAl TO hElP A fOOlISh MISTAkE: TRuMP Ali Larijani was a former Speaker of Iran’s Parliament. AP fIlE l hITTINg IRANIAN REgIME pM MOdI SpEAKS TO AL NAHyAN, CONdEMNS ATTACKS ON UAE pAgE 12 l fujAIRAh PORT hIT; DubAI the population on the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities,” he said in a statement. “We are undermining this »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 INfRA WITh NEW WAvE Of STRIkES, SAyS ISRAEl ShuTS AIRSPACE AgAIN l DRONES TARgET u.S. EMbASSy IN IRAq MORE REPORTS, PAGES 15, 16, 17 Trump’s counter-terror chief quits: ‘Iran posed no imminent threat’ Clear we started this war due to pressure from Israel: Joe Kent Julian E Barnes & Robert Draper Joe Kent’s wife was killed while fighting the Islamic State group in Syria in 2019. AP JOE KENT, one of the United States’topcounterterrorismofficials, announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing his opposition to the Iran war and what he said was Israel’s in- fluenceovertheTrumpadministration’s policies. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent, the director Washington, March 17 »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 6 Ukrainians, American in NIA net: ‘Supply of drones to insurgents, illegal entry in Mizoram’ Nirbhay Thakur New Delhi, March 17 ILLEGALLY ENTERING restricted areas in Mizoram, crossingintoMyanmarwithout permits, training ethnic armed groups and facilitating the supply of drone consignments from Europe to insurgentlinked networks. These are the key charges against the seven foreign nationals — six Ukrainians and one from the US — who were detained by law enforcement Divya A & Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, March 17 FOURDAYSaftersixUkrainian nationals — and an American citizen — were arrested on charges of conspiring to carry out terrorist activities against India, the Ukrainian governmenthaslodgedanofficialprotest with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), demanding the “immediate release” of its Soumyarendra Barik »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THE BIG PICTURE INSIdE AN AI dATA CENTRE pAgE 14 stakeholders to bring an amendment to make the change possible, which they THE CENTRE may soon allow saidwasbeingnecessitateddue the ministries of Home Affairs, totheproliferationofAI-generExternal Affairs, Defence, and ated misleading content on the Information and Broadcasting internet. Although these five ministoissuecontentblockingorders tosocialmediaplatformsunder tries are currently being disSection 69 (A) of the Informa- cussed, the scope could also tion Technology (IT) Act, 2000, widen to allow regulators like the Securities and a power currently Exchange Board only available to EXPRESS of India (SEBI) to the IT Ministry, send takedown The Indian Exorders directly to press has learnt. tech companies. This will impact tech platforms like Insta- For a long time now, SEBI has gram, Facebook and YouTube beenflaggingtheissueofincorwhich may start receiving rect financial information blocking orders from a wide through financial influencers range of government agencies. on the internet. Currently,therearetwoparAccording to two senior officials, the government is hold- allelcontentblockingmechaning inter-ministerial dis- isms in India. One is under »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 cussions with various New Delhi, March 17 exclusive »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 citizens and “unimpeded consular access”. Accordingtoastatementissued by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry,thecountry’sambassador toIndia,OleksandrPolishchuk, met MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George in New Delhi and handed over an “official note of protest”. The seven foreign nationals were arrested in a coordinated Centre looks to empower more ministries to block social media content Inter-ministerial discussions on, officials flag proliferation of AI-generated misleading content agencies in an extraordinary operation Friday at three airports on charges of conspiring to carry out terrorist activities against India. The American national was detained by the Bureau of ImmigrationatKolkataairport.Of the six Ukrainian nationals, three were detained at Lucknow airport and three at Delhi airport. All were brought to Delhi and produced before a magistrate Saturday, who remanded them to three days’ Ukraine protests arrest of 6 nationals; seeks consular access, release HOME, FINANCE, I&B AND DEFENCE Residents and volunteers at the drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, Tuesday. AP RELATED REPORT, PAGE 16 Pak strike on Kabul hospital kills 400; ‘massacre dressed up as op’, says India Omid hospital treated hundreds, provided vocational training to locals Shubhajit Roy New Delhi, March 17 OVER 400 people were killed and more than 250 injured in an airstrike by Pakistan on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Tuesday, sharply escalating tensions between the two neighbours. Condemningthe“barbaric” attack, India called it a “heinous act of aggression by Pakistan” and “a blatant assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty”. Rejecting the Afghan charge, Pakistan said it “precisely targeted military installationsandterroristsupportinfrastructure” Monday night. In New Delhi, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said, “India unequivocally condemns Pakistan’s barbaric airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul onthenightofMarch16.Thisis a cowardly and unconscionable act of violence that has claimed the lives of a large number of civilians in a facility which can by no means be justified as a military target. Pakistan is now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation.” “This heinous act of aggressionbyPakistanisalsoablatant assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional peace and stability. It reflects Pakistan’s persistent pattern of reckless behaviour anditsrepeatedattemptstoexternalise internal failures throughincreasinglydesperate acts of violence beyond its borders,” he said. “That this attack was carried out during the holy month »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 E. EXPlainEd Amid LPG crunch, Govt asks States to fast-track piped gas projects From skirmishes to conflict Sukalp Sharma Skirmishes that used to occur frequently along the Durand Line have escalated into a conflict in which Pakistan and Afghanistan are targeting each other. Islamabad accuses Kabul of providing safe havens to the TTP and Baloch insurgents, and of allowing attacks from its soil — a charge Afghanistan rejects. A fragile ceasefire effected last year collapsed this year after a wave of attacks. IN A bid to rapidly expand piped natural gas (PNG) access and coverage amid the shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) due to the West Asia conflict, the Centre has written to States to expedite approvals to city gas distribution (CGD) firms for laying pipelines. This comes amid the Centre’s appeal to LPG consumers — commercial users as well as households — to shift to PNG, wherever feasible, to take New Delhi, March 17 The Nanda Devi vessel, which crossed the Strait of Hormuz, arrives in Gujarat, Tuesday. ANI some pressure off LPG supplies. The government has also advised consumers to use »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 l INFORMATION SERVICES BETTER EqUIPPED TO DEAL WITH MISINFORMATION IN INDIA AND ABROAD On the table: Global media outreach proposal with IIS officers in foreign missions Divya A Thesourcessaidthataspart of a proposed cadre restructuring of the IIS, which is the cenAIMING TO directly engage tral service responsible for govwith media across the world, ernment communications projectIndia’sgrowthstoryand under the I&B Ministry, a procounter adverse narratives, the posal has been sent to the MinMinistry of Information and istry of External Affairs (MEA) Broadcasting (I&B) has pro- to create 40 IIS posts in Indian posed to create a new global missions abroad. outreach unit within the Press According to sources, the Information Bureau initiative aims to PagE 1 (PIB). The proposal highlight India’s economy, trade poincludes 40 cadre posts for Indian Intential, culture and formation Service (IIS) officers heritage, tourism and infrain foreign missions to exclus- structure development as the ively handle media and com- country’s global stature rises. munications. “In this age of fake narratives New Delhi, March 17 anchor and misinformation, there is a need to present an Indian perspective directly to the world,” sources said. The need to expand New Delhi’s global outreach has been felt for several years, they said. “In the wake of Operation Sindoor, it was felt that handling misinformation and countering fake narratives would be a key concern in the times to come. There has also been considerable interest in commerce and economic developments as New Delhi signed a slew of trade agreements. It was therefore felt that a coordinated inter-ministerial The purview of the I&B Ministry’s new initiative will not include foreign policy, which remains the prerogative of the MEA. approach could be more impactful,” sources said. However,thepurviewofthe new initiative will not include foreign policy, which remains the prerogative of the MEA External Publicity (XP) division, norwillitcoverdefenceandna- tional security issues. “The proposal is currently under review. Discussions at the level of senior officials or ministers may follow once the MEA responds,” sources said. The MEA, the I&B Minister’s office and the I&B Secretary did not respond to an emailed request from The Indian Express for comment. The proposal envisages dedicated media and communications officers in several foreignmissions,onthelinesof many embassies in New Delhi that have specialised officials for such roles. At present, in smaller and mid-sized Indian missions, particularly in Global South countries,media and communications responsibilities are handled by diplomats, usually at the First Secretary or Second Secretary level, as an additional charge. Sofar,theMEA’sXPdivision has handled engagement with foreign media in New Delhi. ThePIB’snewdivision,tobe headed by a Director Generallevel officer, will disseminate information from various central ministries to foreign journalists based in New Delhi. Its exactroleandteamsizearestill being finalised, sources said, adding that it may work in coordination with the MEA’s XP division or supply information to it. Accordingtoacommunication issued by the I&B Ministry last year, the official heading this division will be part of the newly created Central Media & Communication Board. The Board will include DirectorGenerals from PIB, the Central Bureau of Communication (formerlyDAVP),thePressRegistrarGeneralofIndia,AllIndia Radio, and Doordarshan. “Thereisanew-foundinterestintheworldaboutIndiaand »CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mumbai