China's 'One Belt, One Road' project causing 'anxiety' in Indian Ocean Region: US

New Delhi, May 6: Admiral Scott Swift, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, who held extensive talks with Navy Chief Sunil Lanba and Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar on Friday, categorically said that China's 'One Belt, One Road' project has caused "anxiety" in the region.

The top American Naval Commander made it clear that US is not relaxing its position on the South China Sea issue to garner China's support to ease tension in the Korean peninsula.

He also said that Trump regime hasn't changed its position on the South China Sea dispute.

Use of force and coercion by China in the region cannot be accepted at all, Admiral Scott Swift asserted.

The US Admiral's visit is intended to consolidate the growing defence relations between India and US and also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.

The top Navy officer also discussed the upcoming Malabar Naval exercise with the Indian Navy Chief.

Addressing a four-day-long Naval Commanders Conference, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba said the Indian Navy needs to expand its footprint to be a stabilising force in the Indian Ocean Region.

The Navy Chief emphasised on the "need for continued efforts towards modernisation, indigenisation and expanding the Navy's operational footprint so as to be a stabilising force in Indian Ocean Region."

The Indian and the US Navies cooperate with each other in terms of technical training, anti-piracy patrols, Navy to Navy staff talks, bilateral exercises such as MALABAR, as well as interact at various multilateral forums like RIMPAC. Warships from both navies call at each other's ports, which provides excellent opportunity for professional interaction and building ‘Bridges of Friendship' .

Admiral Swift was promoted to the rank of Admiral and assumed Command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet on 27 May 15. He is the 35th Commander since the Fleet was established in February 1941 with Headquarters at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.

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Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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