News Analysis India

Tag: Pakistan

  • Cases registered against medical students in J-K for celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Police has registered two cases against medical students here under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India in a T20 international cricket match, officials said on Tuesday.

    The cases have been registered against the students living in hostels at the Government Medical College in Karan Nagar here and SKIMS Soura, the officials said.

    The two cases under the UAPA have been registered in Karan Nagar and Soura police stations respectively, they said.

    Videos of the celebrations of Pakistan’s victory against arch-rivals India at many places in the valley went viral on social media.

    The match took place on Sunday in Dubai.

    At many places, fire crackers were also burst following Pakistan’s victory.

    The J-K Students Association has, meanwhile, urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to withdraw the UAPA charges on humanitarian grounds.

    In a statement, national spokesperson of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, said the UAPA charges against students is a harsh punishment which will ruin their future and “will further alienate them”.

    “We are not justifying their act, but it will result in their career assassination. The charges will have serious consequences on academic and future career of the students,” he said.

  • Facebook says quickly introduced measures to remove abusive comments against cricketer Shami

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Facebook on Monday said it quickly introduced measures to remove the abusive comments against Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami, who faced criticism on social media following the national team’s first-ever loss to Pakistan in World Cup history.

    The US-based company, which has itself been courting controversy over its handling of hate speech in India, said it will “continue to take action against those that violate its Community Standards”.

    “No one should have to experience abuse anywhere, and we don’t want it on our platforms. We quickly introduced measures to remove the comments that directed abuse at an Indian cricketer and we’ll continue to take action against those that violate our Community Standards,” a Facebook spokesperson said.

    The spokesperson also said the company has recently announced updates to its bullying and harassment policy that increases protection for all public figures.

    “Additionally, we have tools like Hidden Words that protect you from having to see bullying comments and abuse in your Direct Message requests, and Limits, which protects you when you experience or anticipate a rush of abusive comments and messages,” the spokesperson noted.

    Facebook’s rules do not allow attacks on people based on their protected characteristics, which includes race, religion, nationality or sexual orientation. This includes the use of emojis when used in a hateful context. Bullying and harassment is also not allowed on the platform.

    Facebook has also introduced a number of tools and features to help users, especially celebrities to manage unwanted or abusive interactions. While Shami has been one of India’s best fast bowlers in recent times and has performed well over the last five years, the trolls on social media linked his ordinary performance on Sunday night to his religion.

    There were also several people who offered support to the 31-year-old cricketer. Other Indian players were also trolled online after the crushing loss on Sunday. India lost their T20 World Cup opener by 10 wickets on Sunday with Shami emerging the most expensive bowler on the night, giving away 43 runs in 3.5 overs.

    Former and current India stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, along with some political bigwigs, extended their support to Shami.

  • Would rather talk to Kashmir’s youth for development: Shah on NC chief seeking talks with Pakistan

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday hit out at National Conference president Farooq Abdullah for seeking talks with Pakistan, saying the government would rather talk to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir for making it the most developed in the country.

    The home minister, who is on a visit to Jammu and Kashmir — his first since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 — remotely inaugurated several development projects and laid the foundation stone of some.

    “I read in newspapers that Farooq Abdullah has suggested that the government should talk to Pakistan. He has a right to his opinion but we would rather talk to the Kashmiri youth,” Shah said while addressing a function at the SKICC here.

    “The repealing of Article 370 had only one intention — to put Kashmir, Jammu and newly created Ladakh (Union Territory) on the path of development. You will see the fruits of our efforts by 2024,” he said.

    The article, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated in August 2019 and the state was bifurcated into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

    Shah inaugurated a 500-bed hospital at Bemina, completed at a cost of Rs 115 crore, laid the foundation stone for the Handwara Medical College, a Rs 46-crore steel girder bridge over the Ferozepur Nallah in Baramulla district and road projects worth Rs 4,000 crore, among others.

    The home minister, who is on his Jammu and Kashmir visit’s third day, said that those who advocate talks with Islamabad and separatists should be asked what has Pakistan done in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

    “Compare the development between this side and PoK. Do they have electricity, roads, healthcare and toilets. There is nothing (on the other side). You (Kashmiris) have the same rights as any other Indian,” he said.

    Without naming the Congress, the National Conference and the Peoples’ Democratic Party, he said while only three medical colleges were set up by the “three families which have ruled Jammu and Kashmir”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured seven new medical colleges and these are coming up.

    “Earlier, 500 youths could become doctors. Now 2,000 youths can become doctors from these new medical colleges. Nobody will need to go to Pakistan to study medicine,” he said.

    Shah said the schemes and the plans of the Modi government will ensure that Jammu and Kashmir will be the most developed province of the country.

    He sought the cooperation of the people to realise this dream.

    “It is only the youth of Jammu and Kashmir who can work towards achieving this goal,” he said.

    Asserting that the government is aiming to wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir and put an end to civilian killings, Shah said nobody would be allowed to disrupt peace and development in the Union Territory, which has a special place in Prime Minister Modi’s heart.

    Defending the curbs on internet services and imposition of curfew in the aftermath of abrogation of Article 370, he said that “some people would have misled the masses. Who would have been killed? The Kashmiri youth. We know how heavy the coffin of a young son is for an old man”.

    He said that 40,000 people have been killed in Kashmir in violence and it should stop now.

    “This many people do not die even in wars. We have to come back and take Kashmir to new heights of development,” he said.

    The minister said Rs 12,000 crore worth of investment has already come to the Union Territory and the government aims at a total of Rs 51,000 crore by the end of 2022 to provide five lakh jobs to the local youth.

    Shah said “three families” are answerable to the people for their failure to develop Jammu and Kashmir over the past seven decades.

    “The new phase of development under the leadership of Modi has started in J&K but attempts are being made by inimical elements to create hurdles. I have come here to assure you that nobody will be able to create a hurdle and disrupt peace and development,” Shah said.

    He said a new phase of development has started and this cannot be stopped by anyone.

    Listing various steps taken by the government since the formation of the BJP government at the Centre, Shah said five lakh jobs are being created in Jammu and Kashmir, while 20,000 people have been provided government jobs in the past two years.

    “The three families used to say who will come and invest in J&K. In just six months after announcing a new industrial policy, we have got an investment of Rs 7,000 crore in Jammu and Rs 6,000 crore in Kashmir and are looking forward to an investment of Rs 50,000 crore by the end of 2022, the minister said.

    Targeting the “three families”, he said they were asking what the government is going to give to Jammu and Kashmir.

    “We have a long list of what we have given to J&K and the people know it very well but the people are demanding an answer from them as to what they have given to J&K despite ruling the erstwhile state for the past seven decades. Have you thought of anyone else other than your own family members?” Shah asked.

  • Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat says Curbs may return to Kashmir, accuse Pakistan of proxy war

    By Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat on Saturday accused Pakistan of carrying out a proxy war even as he said the curbs enforced in the aftermath of the scrapping of Article 370 may return to the Kashmir Valley.

    He said Pakistan’s proxy war was aimed at creating a fear-psychosis as “a semblance of peace and tranquility was happening” in Jammu & Kashmir.

    Speaking at the 1st Ravi Kant Singh Memorial lecture series in Guwahati, he said whenever Jammu & Kashmir was relatively peaceful, Pakistan would create a situation where innocent people would be killed to generate fear.

    “We should not allow the exodus to happen at all. The adversary will always try to do something to make us fall into a trap,” Gen Rawat said, referring to the recent killings of Kashmiri Pundits, Sikhs and migrant workers in the Valley.

    He said in the wake of the civilian killings, the intelligence network was being strengthened and the monitoring of people intensified there.

    “People do not like the armed forces to become intrusive but we will have to get back into this fold again and carry out activities to ensure the terrorists do not carry out any activity,” Gen Rawat said.

    Talking about the standoff with China, he admitted the delay in the resolution of issues but added they were getting resolved faster than in the 1980s. 

  • Probe would be conducted to check if Amarinder Singh’s Pakistani friend has links with ISI: Punjab Deputy CM

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has said a probe would be carried out to ascertain whether Aroosa Alam, a Pakistani journalist who has been visiting former chief minister Amarinder Singh for several years, has links with the ISI.

    Singh hit back at the Congress leader, saying Randhawa is now resorting to personal attacks.

    The deputy chief minister said it “would be probed” whether Alam has any links with Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), adding that he has asked the director general of police (DGP) to look into it.

    Singh said Alam had been coming to India for 16 years with due clearances from the Centre.

    “You were a minister in my cabinet@Sukhjinder_INC. Never heard you complain about Aroosa Alam.

    “And she’d been coming for 16 years with due GoI clearances. Or are you alleging that both NDA and @INC India led UPA govts in this period connived with Pak ISI?,” the former chief minister’s media adviser quoted him as saying on Twitter on Friday.

    Randhawa, who also holds the home portfolio in Punjab, claimed that Singh has been friends with Alam for years, she stayed in India for many years and her visa was extended by the Centre from time to time.

    He told reporters in Jalandhar on Thursday that it was only after the recent developments in the Punjab Congress, which saw Singh’s exit as the chief minister, that Alam went back to Pakistan.

    Randhawa said when Singh was the chief minister, he kept saying that being a border state, Punjab always faced a threat with several seizures of drones and ammunition coming in from across the border.

    “Aroosa was in India for four-and-a-half years and her visa was also extended from time to time. Why did Delhi not cancel her visa? Why did she leave India when we went against Amarinder Singh?” he asked, referring to developments in the Punjab Congress last month.

    “I think all this needs to be probed and Captain Amarinder too will have to give answers to these questions,” the Congress leader added.

    Hitting back at Randhawa, Singh said, “So now you’re resorting to personal attacks @Sukhjinder_INC. One month after taking over this is all you have to show to the people. What happened to your tall promises on Bargari & drugs cases? Punjab is still waiting for your promised action.”

    He said instead of focussing on maintaining law and order, the deputy chief minister has put the DGP on a “baseless investigation”.

    “What I’m worried about @Sukhjinder_INC is that instead of focusing on maintaining law and order at a time when terror threat is high and festivals are around the corner, you’ve put @DGP Punjab Police on a baseless investigation at the cost of Punjab’s safety,” he said.

    Randhawa has stepped up the attack on Singh after the latter’s unceremonious exit as chief minister.

    He called Singh an “opportunist” after the former chief minister announced that he would launch his own political party.

    Randhawa also accused Singh of betraying Punjab for the last four-and-a-half years.

    On Tuesday, Singh said he would soon float his own political party and is hopeful of a seat-sharing arrangement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in next year’s Punjab Assembly polls if the farmers’ issue is resolved in their interest.

    Randhawa had accused the former chief minister of betraying Punjab and siding with those who never thought about the welfare of the state.

    “Punjab does not fear Pakistan or China. If Punjab today faces any threat, then it is from Amarinder Singh,” he had said.

  • We can never live in peace, unless talks are held with Pakistan: Farooq Abdullah

    By PTI

    JAMMU: National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on Thursday batted strongly for talks with Pakistan and said “unless you do not talk to Pakistan, we can never live in peace in J&K”.

    He said that if there would have been friendship between India and Pakistan, people would have come here (in Jammu and Kashmir) to eat and drink tea from Sialkot (Pakistan).

    “We would have gone there (Sialkot). In the past, this was happening. People used to come in trains before Independence”, Abdullah said “I confidently say, even today, unless you (India) don’t talk to Pakistan and shake hands of friendship with each other, we can never live in peace, never, take it from me in writing”, he said while addressing a party meeting here.

    He said that wars have taken place between Indian and Pakistan.

    “Only the poor got killed in these four wars. In future war, this will happen again. Both have nuclear bombs. It will be more disastrous,” Abdullah added.

    He said that if there is friendship with Pakistan, the money spent on planes and weapons will be given to farmers and the poor to remove their poverty.

    “See, we have reached 101 rank in the global hunger index. We have gone down to Somalia”, Abdullah added.

  • Pakistan’s fishing in troubled waters of Afghanistan: Army Chief General MM Naravane

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s western front continues to remain unstable and it fishing in troubled waters of Afghanistan is going to come and bite it in the future, Army Chief General MM Naravane said on Thursday.

    Without naming Pakistan, he said the infiltration bids and terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir have increased during the last two and half months and these “activities” are being sponsored by “our western neighbour”.

    When asked at a defence conclave if Pakistan can now concentrate more of its assets towards India as it sees its western front with Afghanistan under its control, Naravane replied: “I think it is too early to draw that conclusion.”

    “I think their western front is equally if not more unstable. I think it is going to come and bite them, whatever they have been fishing in the troubled waters. It is going to bite them and they will realise how it hurts,” he said.

    There has been increasing concern in the Indian security establishment following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on August 15.

    The concern is over the possibility of terror spillover from Afghanistan into Jammu and Kashmir through Pakistan and rise in terrorist activities, particularly by groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed following the Taliban wresting power in Kabul.

    Naravane on October 9 had not ruled out the possibility of Afghan-origin foreign terrorists attempting to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir once the situation stabilises in Afghanistan and had cited similar instances when the Taliban was in power in Kabul over two decades ago.

    Naravane said on Thursday that there has been an increase in Pakistan-backed infiltration and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir during the last 2-2.5 months.

    Five army personnel were killed in an attack by terrorists in Surankote in Poonch district on October 11, while four soldiers laid down their lives in a gunfight with the ultras in Mendhar last Thursday.

    Earlier this week, Naravane visited the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, where a massive operation to track down terrorists hiding in forest areas of Mendhar, Surankote and Thanamandi has been going on since October 11.

    The army chief explained the Jammu and Kashmir situation and said “from about the third week of February, when we had the ceasefire understanding between the DGMOs, there was the lull on the Line of Control (LoC).”

    In fact, there has been no ceasefire violation from February till the end of June and the beginning of July, he mentioned.

    “During this period, not only were there no ceasefire violations, but even the other trans-LoC activities (infiltration, etc) that normally takes place…also saw a downturn,” Naravane stated.

    From the end of June and the beginning of July, there has definitely been an increase in these activities, the army chief mentioned.

    “A number of infiltration bids have been made. We have been able to foil a few of them. But definitely, there has been an increase in the activities in the last two-two and a half months or so,” he said.

    However, the Indian Army has its plan in place as it has a strong counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency grid that is reviewed from time to time, he mentioned.

    “These activities will continue but there is no denying the fact that it is being sponsored by our western neighbour and without that support, this terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir could not be flourishing. They would not be able to carry out these activities unless they have this state backing,” he said.

  • Centre opposes before Delhi High Court plea seeking electricity for Hindu migrant families from Pakistan

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Centre has told the Delhi High Court that 200 families of Hindu migrants from Pakistan are residing in “illegal” camps on a Defence land in North Delhi and a plea seeking electricity connection for them should be dismissed for being misconceived.

    The Centre further said that in August 2018, it accorded sanction for transfer of the land in question to the Defence Research and Development Organization and has been consistently following up with the local authorities for the removal of unauthorized encroachment there.

    The Ministry of Defence was responding to the notice issued in September by a bench headed by Chief Justice DN Patel to the Centre, Delhi government, and others on the plea which concerns 200 families of Hindu migrants from Pakistan, comprising almost 800 people, who are living in Delhi Jal Board Maidan in North Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar area.

    The plea was filed by one Hariom, who works for the welfare of ‘minority migrants’ from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in India.

    Responding to the plea, the Centre said “the present petition seeks inter-alia seeking electricity connection for 200 Hindu minority migrants families who are currently the occupants of Delhi Jal Board Maidan, Shah Alam Road, Adarsh Nagar, North Delhi. The present petition is misconceived in as much as the camps which have been set-up/established at the Land, are illegal and have been established as a result of encroachment on Defence Land.”

    The affidavit filed by Defence Estates Officer, Delhi Circle, Delhi Cantt., Ministry of Defence also said “not only is the answering respondent not the competent authority to provide electric connections or provide any assistance of any sort to migrants but also in view of the illegal encroachment the petition is misconceived and frivolous and deserves to be dismissed in-limine.”

    In the affidavit filed through lawyer Amit Mahajan, the Centre added that in July 2018, it had also “taken up the matter for disconnection of electricity/water supply of the unauthorized occupants with Delhi Jal Board and North Delhi Power Limited.”

    The petitioner had told the high court that the present case concerned migrants from Pakistan– mostly from Sindh who are living here without electricity for the past few years.

    “During the pandemic when all schools have gone online, there is no electricity in the Jhuggis (slums) and future of their children is in dark,” said the plea, filed through advocates Samiksha Mittal, Akash Vajpai, and Ayush Saxena.

    The petitioner had said that he approached various government authorities but could not succeed in getting electricity for migrants and some of them even applied to Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd, which was turned down on the grounds that valid ownership proof of applied address was required.

    The plea claimed that most of the migrants were living on long-term visas and they have an Aadhaar card also with the same address on which they are currently living, which consequently proved their occupancy.

    However, as per the discom, Aadhaar can be used as identity proof but not as proof of occupancy of the premises, it said.

    The plea thus sought a direction for providing electricity connection to the migrants on the basis of their Aadhaar card, long term visa, and passport under the DERC (Supply Code and Performance Standards) Regulations, 2017 and to also include these documents like identity proof and Aadhaar card as proof of occupancy.

  • India must not play Pakistan in T20 World Cup game: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale

    By PTI

    PUNE: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday slammed Pakistan for the spurt in terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, including targeted killings of migrant labourers, and said India must have an ‘aar paar ki ladaai’ with its neighbour to set things right.

    He also said India should not play its scheduled T20 World Cup match against Pakistan on October 24 in order to teach the latter a lesson.

    “If Pakistan does not stop its activities in the (J-K) Valley, then there has to be an aar paar ki ladaai (all out war to settle things once and for all). In J-K, attacks are taking place on migrant labourers, local Kashmiri Pandits are being targeted. It is Pakistan’s ploy to not allow development in the Valley,” the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment told reporters.

    “By resorting to such militant attacks, there is an attempt to spread fear among the workers who are coming to the Valley from UP and Bihar. But the Centre will not fall prey to such tactics and a strategy is being formed to end militancy. There is need to conduct another surgical strike against Pakistan, which needs to vacate PoK and stop terror activities,” the minister added.

    Queried on the upcoming T20 match between the two nations, Athawale said India should not play Pakistan, adding that he would express his opinion on this matter to BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

    Speaking about other issues, the RPI(A) leader said the Supreme Court had allowed states to take a decision on reservations in promotions, but states were taking the “opposite decision”.

    “We appeal to the states to allow reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in promotions. We also want the Centre to come up with a law in the regard,” the minister said.

    He said his party was also in favour of a caste-base census, though the government’s stand was that such an exercise may increase casteism in the country, he said.

    “A caste-based census will give us the population count of communities, and this will help bring in welfare schemes for them in a better way,” Athawale said.

    He rejected NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s allegations that the Centre was using probe agencies under its command to target opposition parties and leaders.

    “These agencies are under the Centre but they function independently. The government is not telling them whom to target,” he added.

  • India trails Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh on hunger index due to government’s lack of efforts: Akhilesh Yadav

    Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's remark came in the backdrop of India slipping to 101st position in the GHI 2021 of 116 countries.