New Delhi, Nov 16: In a major breakthrough in the Red Fort area car bomb blast case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Kashmir resident who had allegedly conspired with “suicide bomber” Dr Umar Un Nabi to carry out the terror attack, which claimed 13 lives.

Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the car involved in the blast was registered, has been arrested from Delhi by the NIA, the federal probe agency said in a release.

The NIA had launched a massive search operation after taking over the case from the Delhi Police.

Investigations by the probe agency had revealed that the accused, a resident of Samboora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pampore, had conspired with the “suicide bomber”, Umar, to unleash the terror attack.

Amir had come to Delhi to allegedly facilitate the purchase of the car, which was eventually used as a “vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED)” to trigger the blast, the NIA said.

This was the first time the probe agency has described Dr Umar Un Nabi, who was behind the wheel when the car exploded near the Red Fort on November 10, as a “suicide bomber”. Also, NIA has for the first time used the term “vehicle-borne IED” for the car.

The NIA has forensically established the identity of the deceased driver of the “vehicle-borne IED” as Umar Un Nabi, a resident of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir and an assistant professor in the general medicine department of Al Falah University in Faridabad.

The anti-terror agency has also seized another vehicle belonging to Umar. The vehicle is being examined for evidence in the case, in which NIA has so far examined 73 witnesses, including those injured in the blast.

Working in close coordination with Delhi Police, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Haryana Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, and various sister agencies, the NIA is continuing its investigation across states.

It is pursuing multiple leads to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the “bombing” and identify others involved in the case, the release said.

New Delhi, Nov 16: Ministers of State, Defence, Sanjay Seth will lead India’s delegation to the Dubai Air Show 2025, taking place on 17-18 November in the UAE.

The team includes senior officials from the Defence Ministry, Defence Production, External Affairs, and the Armed Forces. Sanjay Seth is expected to hold bilateral talks with his UAE counterpart on the sidelines of the event and will chair a major industry round table involving around 50 companies from India, the UAE, Australia, the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Italy. The discussions will focus on boosting collaboration in defence technology and manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’ framework.

He will also inaugurate the India Pavilion, which will feature exhibits from HAL, DRDO, Corel Technologies, Dantal Hydraulics, Image Synergy Ekxplor and SFO Technologies. Beyond the Pavilion, 19 Indian firms, including Bharat Forge, BrahMos, Tech Mahindra and HBL Engineering, will showcase their platforms independently, alongside 15 Indian startups presenting defence-tech solutions. The Indian Air Force will participate with the Suryakiran Aerobatic Team and the LCA Tejas. The biennial Dubai Air Show draws more than 1,500 global exhibitors and over 148,000 aerospace professionals from 150 countries, including leading international manufacturers such as Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Embraer, Thales, Lockheed Martin and Bombardier.

Srinagar, Nov 16: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah will chair the 32nd meeting of the Northern Zonal Council on Monday, 17th November, 2025, in Faridabad, Haryana.

The Northern Zonal Council comprises the states/UTs of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Chandigarh. Senior officials from the Government of India, state governments, and Union Territories will also participate in the meeting. This meeting is being organized by the Inter-State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, with the Government of Haryana as its host.

Under Sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, five Zonal Councils, including Northern Zonal Council, were established.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah is the chairperson of the Northern Zonal Council and the Chief Minister of Haryana is its vice-chairperson. The Chief Minister of one member state (rotating every year) acts as the vice-chairperson. From each member state, the Governor nominates two ministers as members of the council. Each Zonal Council has also formed a permanent committee at the level of Chief Secretaries. Issues proposed by the states are initially presented to the permanent committee of the concerned Zonal Council for discussion. After consideration by the permanent committee, the remaining issues are then presented to the Zonal Council meeting for further deliberation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the vision of TEAM BHARAT and the Zonal Councils have been significantly contributing in this direction. With the belief that strong states make a strong nation, the Zonal Councils provide a structured mechanism for dialogue and discussion on issues affecting two or more states or the centre and states, and through this, serve as an important platform to enhance mutual cooperation.

The role of the Zonal Councils is advisory, however, over the past few years, these councils have proven to be an important factor in promoting healthy bonds of mutual understanding and cooperation in various fields. With the cooperation of all state governments, central ministries, and departments, a total of 63 meetings of the various Zonal Councils and their permanent committees have been held in the last eleven years.

The Zonal Councils provide an excellent forum for resolving and progressing issues and disputes between the Centre and the Member States/UTs, among the Member States/UTs, and within the zone. The Zonal Councils also discuss broad issues of national importance, including the speedy investigation of cases of sexual offenses against women and children and the implementation of Fast Track Special Courts (FTSC) for their swift disposal; providing brick-and-mortar banking facilities within the designated area of every village; implementation of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112); and various regional-level common interest issues such as strengthening nutrition, education, health, electricity, urban planning, and the cooperative system.