• BJP govt claims move aimed at targeting illegal migrants.
• Critics say measure reflects hardline stance on immigration.
• Order sparks fear among minorities about arbitrary expulsions.
  

India’s ruling Hindu-nationalist party has ordered detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in West Bengal state, sparking fear among minorities that it could lead to arbitrary expulsions.

The directive comes just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won power in the eastern state for the first time since the country’s independence in 1947.

The order calls on local authorities to set up “holding centres” for “apprehended foreigners” awaiting deportation, as part of a broader crackdown on illegal migration.

The government has defended its “detect, delete, deport” principle, saying those targeted are migrants staying illegally in the country.

“Illegal migration has security and socio-economic ramifications which are often well beyond law enforcement” read the order, issued last week.

The decision has fuelled anxiety among West Bengal’s roughly 35 million Muslims, many of whom share linguistic and cultural ties with neighbouring Bangladesh.

Critics say the measure reflects the government’s long-standing hardline stance on immigration, with top BJP members referring to Bangladeshi migrants as “termites” and “infiltrators” in the past.

The party has pursued similar policies in the neighbouring state of Assam, where it has overseen sweeping identification drives and largescale detentions.

Rights activists say hundreds have been deported to Bangladesh from Assam without due legal process, often based on ethnic profiling.

Many of them have been allegedly pushed across the border at gunpoint, according to activists and lawyers who have challenged the measures in court.

They argue the policies disproportionately impact the Muslim population by conflating religious identity with illegal migration.

The planned centres in West Bengal have drawn particular concern because of the state’s porous border with Bangladesh and its long history of migration.

The inclusion of Rohingya refugees in the order has also drawn criticism.

India has previously been accused by humanitarian groups of forcibly returning Rohingya to Myanmar, despite ongoing conflict there, in potential violation of international norms on refugee protection.

Adding to the unease of the Muslims, the BJP-led government in Assam on Monday introduced legislation to amend personal religious laws, which critics say could further marginalise minorities.

MAKKAH: Over 1.5 million Muslims began filling a vast tent city in the holy city of Makkah on Monday for an annual Hajj pilgrimage carried out against the backdrop of hopes for an end to the war in the Middle East.

The white-robed pilgrims on buses or on foot arrived at the sprawling encampment in Mina after performing the “tawaf” — walking seven times around the Kaaba at Makkah’s Grand Mosque.

The start of the Hajj came as US President Donald Trump continued to send mixed signals over a possible agreement to extend an uneasy ceasefire with Iran and a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite the uncertainty triggered by the conflict, Saudi officials noted over the weekend that more pilgrims had travelled from abroad to participate in this year’s Hajj than in 2025.

But, amid the spiritual euphoria experienced by the pilgrims in the days ahead of the Hajj, authorities in the kingdom signalled their readiness.

A video posted on social media by the Saudi defence ministry showed advanced air defence batteries positioned on the outskirts of Makkah.

“The air defence forces are responsible for protecting the skies over the holy sites and dealing with all aerial threats, ensuring the safety and peace of mind of the guests,” read the post.

Many pilgrims who spoke to AFP expressed their hope that peace would prevail soon.

“The war in Iran has affected the entire world. Nobody wants wars or harm to countries and peoples,” said Mohammed Chahada, an Egyptian in his 50s, as he walked through a crowd exiting the Grand Mosque.

Rituals

The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means.

During the Hajj, men wear a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers regardless of their social status or nationality.

Women must wear loose dresses, exposing only their faces and hands.

The first ritual of the Hajj requires walking seven times around the Kaaba. Pilgrims next walk seven times between the two hills of Safa and Marwa.

They then move on to Mina, around five kilometres (three miles) away, ahead of the main rite of the pilgrimage at Mount Arafat.

On Tuesday, the climax of the Hajj is the gathering on Mount Arafat, about 10 kilometres from Mina, where Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) delivered his final sermon.

The arduous, outdoor pilgrimage will be held against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions but also under punishing heat, with temperatures forecast to top 40°C for much of the week.

Despite the heat and the uncertainty over the war, pilgrims in Makkah were ecstatic.

“I have wanted to perform the pilgrimage my entire life, for 40 or 50 years,” said Jreish Mohammed, a 68-year-old decked out in the traditional attire from his native Morocco.

“And this year, my dream came true.”

US President Donald Trump wrote on Saturday that a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal with Iran is “largely negotiated,” as both countries and mediators in Pakistan reported progress.

Trump posted on social media that the emerging agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping passage whose closure upended global energy markets after the conflict started in February when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Trump did not say what else would be included in an agreement. “Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump said.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported early on Sunday that the agreement would allow Iran to manage the Strait of Hormuz. It said Trump’s assertion that an agreement was nearly final was “inconsistent with reality.”

Iran had said earlier on Saturday that it was working toward a memorandum of understanding laying out an approach to ending the war after its top officials met with Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the negotiations had resulted in “encouraging” progress towards a final understanding. Two Pakistani sources involved in negotiations said the deal being negotiated is “fairly comprehensive to terminate the war.”

Sources have told Reuters the proposed framework would unfold in three stages: formally ending the war, resolving the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and launching a 30-day window for negotiations on a broader agreement, which can be extended.

Earlier on Saturday, Trump told Axios that he expected to decide on Sunday whether to resume attacks on Iran. “Either we reach a good deal or I’ll blow them to a thousand hells,” Axios quoted him as saying.

One of the Pakistani sources said there was no guarantee the US would accept the memorandum; if it does, it would lead to further talks after the Eid holiday ends on Friday.

Trump to speak with Middle East leaders

Trump, whose approval ratings have been hit by the war’s impact on energy prices for US consumers, said on Friday he would not attend his son’s wedding this weekend, citing Iran among the reasons he planned to stay in Washington.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had a phone call on Saturday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. Axios reported that the leaders encouraged Trump to agree to the emerging framework.

Pakistan has aimed to narrow differences between Iran and the US after weeks of war have left the vital Hormuz waterway closed to most shipping despite a nervous ceasefire.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier on Saturday reiterated Trump’s terms for ending the fighting. “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. The straits need to be open without tolls. They need to turn over their enriched uranium.”

Rubio, who is visiting India, said some progress had been made and work was continuing.

“Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done. There is a chance that, whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say,” Rubio told reporters in New Delhi.

US Vice President JD Vance returned to the White House on Saturday afternoon, cutting short a trip to Ohio.

Iran denies it is pursuing nuclear weapons and says it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes. It has demanded supervision of the strait, an end to the US blockade on its ports and the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil sales.

“The trend this week has been towards a reduction in disputes, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators. We will have to wait and see where the situation ends in the next three or four days,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.

Baghaei said the issue of the US blockade on Iran’s shipping was important, but that its priority was ending the threat of new US attacks and the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, where Iran-allied Hezbollah is fighting Israeli troops who have moved into the south.

CDF Munir left Tehran on Saturday after talks with Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

Qalibaf said Iran would pursue its “legitimate rights,” both on the battlefield and through diplomacy, but added that it could not trust “a party that has no honesty at all,” an allegation Iran has made several times before.

He said Iran’s armed forces had rebuilt their capabilities during the ceasefire and that, if the US “foolishly restarts the war,” the consequences would be “more forceful and bitter” than at the start of the conflict.

Despite weeks of conflict, Iran has preserved its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium as well as missile, drone and proxy capabilities.