Tag: Islamabad

  • Assembly polls: Uttar Pradesh’s ‘Islamabad’ residents gear up to vote for development

    By PTI

    BIJNOR (UTTAR PRADESH): As electioneering is gaining momentum, voters in Islamabad, too, are eagerly waiting for their chance to cast votes, and elect their new representative. This Islamabad has nothing to do with Pakistan’s capital, and is a village in Bijnor district, located approximately 40 km away from the district headquarters.

    It has a population of around 10,000, of which around 4,700 people are eligible to vote. Despite sharing its name with the neighbouring country’s capital, local people say the name ‘Islamabad’ has never been a cause of concern.

    However, they said the village needs developments and that they will vote for a candidate, who they believe, will address their concerns. “I don’t know how the name ‘Islamabad’ came into existence. But this name is in use since the days of my great grandfather,” Vijendra Singh, husband of village pradhan Sarvesh Devi, told PTI.

    When asked whether the name instilled a sense of insecurity among villagers, Singh said, “Never was there any sense of insecurity among the villagers over this issue and never did such a thought cross our minds. This name will continue.”

    Islamabad is largely inhabited by Chauhans, Prajapatis and has a Muslim population of about 400. “All of the people live in peace,” he said. Villagers here cultivate sugarcane, wheat, paddy and groundnut among the other crops, he said.

    On asked what the villagers would consider while casting votes, Singh said the small stretches of roads in the village are ‘kuccha’ and they need to be converted into ‘pucca’ roads. He also said there have been problems in selling paddy to government agencies, but the issue was resolved after the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) intervened.

    “We also want an inter-college so that girls can study here. But we have got no assurance from anyone. These are the issues that we will keep in mind while voting,” Singh, who is also an office-bearer of BKU, the organisation headed by farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, said.

    On asked about the probability of candidates in the constituency, Singh said the poll contest here is three-cornered between BJP’s Sushant Kumar Singh, who is also the sitting MLA, SP’s Kapil Kumar and BSP’s Mohammad Ghazi.

    An advocate and a resident of Islamabad village, 28-year-old Aditya Prajapati said, “We never had any sort of inferiority complex about the name. Yes, there have been a few instances when people in a lighter vein had asked ‘oh you are from Pakistan?’, but it did not go beyond this. None of the youths working outside faced any problems.”

    Mohammed Salman (30), an online trader and a villager, said, “We are living in this village for many generations.” He also said that Islamabad village is “very close” to his heart, and all the residents of the village take the name in a “very positively”.

    Sitting BJP MLA and party candidate from Barhapur Assembly constituency Sushant Kumar Singh told PTI that there were no issues with the name of the village. When asked to comment on the possibility of a name change, he said, “Anything in this regard will be done after the elections.”

    Kapil Kumar, the SP candidate from Barhapur told PTI, “The feeling of fear and concern had never cropped up because of the name Islamabad nor has there been any inferiority complex. The people of the village never demanded a change of name either. This name has continued after Independence.”

    Since coming to power, the Adityanath government has changed the names of several establishments, including those of Faizabad and Allahabad districts. They were renamed as Ayodhya and Prayagraj, respectively The Mughalsarai Railway station was renamed as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction and the Faizabad Railway station as Ayodhya Cantonment.

    On December 29, the Uttar Pradesh government renamed Jhansi Railway Station as ‘Veerangana Laxmibai Railway Station’. The Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7 and the results will be announced on March 10.

  • Drone spotted over Indian High Commission in Islamabad; issue taken up strongly with Pakistan

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A drone was spotted over the Indian High Commission complex in Pakistan last week, triggering a huge security scare in the mission, people familiar with the development said on Friday.

    The Indian mission has already taken up the issue strongly with the Pakistani authorities.

    It is learnt that the drone was spotted late last week.

    ALSO READ: Border Security Force opens fire after Pakistani drone spotted on IB in Jammu

    There is no official comment on the incident yet.

    The incident came to light amid growing concerns in the security establishment in India after explosives-laden drones were used to carry out an attack on the Jammu Air Force station on June 27.

    According to security officials, it was the first instance of suspected Pakistan-based terrorists deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to strike at vital installations in India.

  • Pakistan to invite PM Modi for SAARC summit in Islamabad: Report

    Pakistan Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be invited to Islamabad for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, Dawn reported.

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    The previous summit in 2016 was cancelled after India backed out following the terrorist attack on an Army camp in Uri where 19 soldiers died.

    The last summit of the leaders of the eight SAARC countries was convened in Kathmandu in late 2014. Recalling Prime Minister Imran Khan’s remarks that if India took one step forward, Pakistan would take two, Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal pitched for dialogue with New Delhi to solve all contentious issues.

    “We fought a war with India, relations cannot be fixed quickly,” Faisal said. So far, India’s refusal to engage Pakistan unless Islamabad addressed its concerns on cross-border terrorism has remained a sticky issue for holding the 19th SAARC summit.

    SAARC Summits are usually held biennially hosted by a member state in alphabetical order. The member state hosting the summit assumes the Chair of the Association. Besides India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate in the 2016 Islamabad meet. The Maldives and Sri Lanka are the seventh and eighth members of the initiative.

  • Army chief says stone pelters in J & K must be dealt with sternly

    A day after a 22-year-old Army jawan was killed in stone pelting in Kashmir, Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat said Saturday stone pelters are over ground workers of terrorists and they should be dealt with sternly.

    Gen. Rawat also sent a tough message to Pakistan, saying if Islamabad continues to support cross-border terrorism, then the Indian Army can resort to “other actions” too.

    Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to mark the Infantry Day, the Army chief, however, did not elaborate on what could be the possible action he was talking about.

    The Army had carried out “surgical strikes” on terror launch pads across the Line of Actual Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on September 28, 2016, following a string of terror attacks on military installations in India by Pakistan-based terror groups.

    The Army chief also asked Pakistan to desist from aiding and abetting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the Indian State was “strong enough” to ensure that the border state remains a part of India and no one can take it away by force or any other means.

    On death of jawan Rajendra Singh in stone-pelting in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, Gen. Rawat reiterated his earlier stand that the stone-pelters are nothing but over ground workers of terror outfits. “I still say the same… If they (stone-pelters) can kill people with such acts, are they not becoming like terrorists.”

    22-year-old Singh died at a hospital in Srinagar Friday after he sustained head injuries during stone-pelting by a group of youths on Thursday.

    “I want to tell them (stone-pelters) that no one will benefit from stone-pelting,” said the Army chief, adding tough action should be taken against the stone-pelters. He said the Army has got an FIR lodged in the case.

    Talking about Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, Gen. Rawat suggested that the neighbouring country was resorting to a “proxy war” to avenge its defeat at the hands of India in the 1971 war when Bangladesh was liberated.

    The aim of Pakistan, he said, is to keep the Indian Army “embroiled in this proxy war that they have lost.”

    “But, let me assure you, Indian Army and the Indian State is strong enough to ensure that Jammu and Kashmir remain part of India… No one else can take it away by force or by any other means, because legally, legitimately J-K is integral part of India,” he said.

    Asked about the cross-border infiltration, he said Pakistan would be wise to know that by indulging in such activities, harm is coming to Pakistan only.

    “We are capable of finishing any infiltrators who reach our side. But, if Pakistan continues to support infiltration, we can use other kind of action too,” Rawat said.

    He said Pakistan was continuing to fuel disturbances in Jammu and Kashmir, fully knowing that they will never succeed.

    “Legitimately, legally and by all rights, J and K is part of India. Pakistan somehow has been trying to annex this part of the country, more so after they lost East Pakistan with liberation of Bangladesh,” he said.

    The Army chief said despite the passage of so many years, Pakistan still has a desire to succeed in that.

    “And, with liberation of Bangladesh they decided to create a similar situation in Kashmir… Has Pakistan succeeded? They have not. And, Pakistan is fully aware they cannot succeed in Jammu and Kashmir, but they still hope they can succeed. It is just another way to keep the turmoil going and not allow development in the state,” he said.

    The Infantry Day is observed every year to commemorate supreme sacrifices made by Indian Army’s infantry against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Rawat earlier laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti to pay tribute to numerous infantry soldiers who died in the line of duty.