Page 1460 - Politics
People gather at Wagah Border to welcome IAF pilot, security tightened
Amid tight security, people in huge numbers from across India have gathered at the Wagah Border in Punjab to welcome Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who will be released by Pakistan this afternoon.Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had on Thursday announced that the country will release the IAF pilot.Earlier today, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi stated that the "Indian pilot will be released this afternoon via Wagah."Once the news spread, people started gathering at the border to welcome him."My home is 150 kms away from here. I have come here only for Wing Commander Abhinandan. Even I have a son. It is an emotional moment for all of us here," said a local.Vir Singh, an 80-year-old man, was seen beating drum enthusiastically to express his happiness ahead of Abhinandan's arrival.Meanwhile, a special thanksgiving prayer was organised today by state Home Guards at Kalikambal Temple in Chennai ahead of Varthaman's release.India used diplomatic and ...
Pak FM boycotts OIC meet over Sushma Swaraj's participation
Pakistan on Friday boycotted the 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is being held in Abu Dhabhi, expressing reservation over Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's participation in the meet.While speaking at the joint session of the Parliament in Islamabad, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said", I will not attend Council of Foreign Ministers as a matter of principle for having extended invitation as a Guest of Honour to Sushma Swaraj.""I had requested to postpone the OIC meet in view of the warm relationship it had with Pakistan. They explained their position. On February 26, I wrote a letter that Pakistan will re-consider their participation in view of the invitation extended to Sushma Swaraj. On February 28, the Opposition added one point to the letter to the OIC. They recommended that I abstain from participating at the OIC- in light of this decision of Pakistan Parliament," he added.Swaraj will ..
Have not made anti-national remark, only criticized Modi: Balakrishnan
In the wake of protests from the BJP, CPI-M leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said on Friday that he had made no anti-national remark but only criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi after India's aerial attack on terror camps in Pakistan.
Amarinder congratulates Abhinandan; to stay away from Attari
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday welcomed IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman back home while choosing not to receive him at the border to ensure that the military protocol is not violated in any way.
Former finance secy A N Jha joins 15th Fin Comm as member
Former finance secretary Ajay Narayan Jha Friday joined the 15th Finance Commission as a member, pursuant to the resignation of Shaktikanta Das. Jha, a 1982 batch IAS officer of Manipur cadre, superannuated as a finance secretary to the Government of India on February 28. "Ajay Narayan Jha today joined the Fifteenth Finance Commission as its member. He joins in place of Shaktikanta Das who had resigned as a member of the Commission after being appointed as governor, Reserve Bank of India," an official statement said. Jha had also served as the secretary to the 14th Finance Commission which was headed by former RBI Governor Y V Reddy. Set up in November, 2017, the 15th Finance Commission, headed by former Planning Commission member N K Singh, is mandated to recommend distribution of net proceeds of taxes between the Union and the states, for a period of five years - April, 2020 to March, 2025, among others.
MDMK, BJP workers clash ahead of PM visit, Vaiko arrested
MDMK leader Vaiko and scores of his supporters were Friday arrested after BJP and MDMK volunteers clashed in Kavalkinaru area on the border of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts, police said. Vaiko had announced that black flags would be shown to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protest against his visit to Tamil Nadu. He gathered at Kavalkinaru along with his supporters and gave a speech listing out the alleged betrayal of the state by the Central government on various issues including Cauvery. Even as Vaiko was speaking, MDMK and BJP cadres clashed, pelting stones at each other, police said. Police swung into action and arrested Vaiko and his party workers. MDMK men carried placards which read "Modi go back as you betrayed Tamils." Police said BJP volunteers also demanded the arrest of Vaiko, adding he was spreading lies about the Central government. Police said as many as 100 people had been arrested. Vaiko and his party cadres were refused entry into Kanyakumari ...
Petition filed in Pak court to stop the release of Indian pilot
A Pakistani citizen on Friday filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court to stop the imminent release of the captured Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinanadan Varthaman, saying he committed crime against the country and should be put on trial here. Pakistan detained the Indian Air Force pilot on Wednesday following a fierce engagement between air forces of the two sides along the Line of Control when his MiG 21 fighter jet was downed. The Pakistan government on Thursday decided to release him as "a first step" to open negotiations with India to de-escalate tension after a terror attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed left 40 CRPF personnel dead. The petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) sought the court's order to stop Prime Minister Imran Khan's government from handing over the Indian Air Force pilot. The petitioner said the Indian pilot had violated the airspace of Pakistan to bomb the country and therefore he committed crime against Pakistan and should face trial
US offers $1 mn for information on Osama bin Laden's son
The US is offering a $1 million reward for information on the whereabouts of Hamza bin Laden, the son of slain Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, who is emerging as a leader in the terror group's network, the State Department has announced.
Pak ignores India's request to sent back IAF pilot by air
Hours after Pakistan announced its decision to release Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, India conveyed to Islamabad that it wants him to be sent back via aerial route and not through the Wagah land border, official sources said. However, late in the night, Pakistan communicated to India that he will be returned through the Attari-Wagah border. The Indian defence establishment was also mulling over sending a special aircraft to Pakistan to bring back Wing Commander Varthaman who was captured by Pakistan during an aerial combat on Wednesday. Varthaman will now return home through the Wagah border which is around 25 km from Lahore in Pakistan. The IAF pilot's MiG 21 was shot and he bailed out after bringing down one Pakistani F-16 fighter during a dogfight to repel a Pakistani attack on Wednesday morning. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday announced that Varthaman will be released on Friday as "peace gesture". Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after ...
Pakistan Army targets border areas in Poonch, woman injured
The Pakistan Army Friday heavily shelled areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, leaving a woman injured, officials said. This is the eight consecutive day that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire. An Army official said, "Pakistani troops resorted to firing and mortar shelling along the LOC in Krishnagati sector of Poonch district and it ended around 0130 hours". The firing and mortar shelling continued night long in several sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts, he said. "The Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively", the official said. A woman identified as Naseem Akhtar was injured in the firing in Mankote area of Poonch, officials said. They said Pakistan troops used heavy guns including Howitzer 105 mm in shelling civilian areas in Poonch district. On Thursday, a woman was killed and a jawan was injured when Pakistani Army heavily shelled civilian areas and forward posts in six sectors along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri districts,
Special camp for voters registration in Pondy
Special camps would be held at all the polling stations in Puducherry on March 2 and 3 to enable new voters register, the Department of Elections announced Friday. Booth level officers would assist applicants at the polling stations, Chief Electoral Officer V Candavelou said in a release. He said the arrangement has been made following directives of the Election Commission that "no eligible voter should be left out of the democratic exercise." In case applicants already possessed Electoral Photo Identification Cards but their names were not found in electoral rolls, they can submit a copy of the card along with other documents during the camp, the release said.
Sushma likely to raise terrorism issue at OIC meet in UAE
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is in Abu Dhabi to attend the foreign ministers' meet of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) states where she is expected to raise the issue of terrorism, amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror attack. Swaraj will attend the inaugural plenary of the two-day meeting on Friday. It is for the first time that India has been invited to a meeting of the OIC, an influential grouping of 57 Islamic countries, as the guest of honour. India's engagement with the OIC comes in the midst of escalating tension between India and Pakistan. The ties strained further after Indian fighter jets bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. Pakistan carried out a retaliatory aerial raid on Wednesday. "EAM @SushmaSwaraj arrives in #AbuDhabi for the Ministerial Meeting of @OIC_OCI. India has been invited by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of UAE as the ...
Pakistan Foreign Minister will not attend OIC meet
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday announced he will not attend a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the UAE due to his Indian counterpart's presence at the event.
People gather at Attari, await return of captured pilot
Hundreds of people flocked the Attari border Friday to catch a glimpse of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who is expected to touch home soil after his release from Pakistan. Wing Commander Varthaman, son of a decorated IAF veteran, was captured by Pakistan after his jet went down following a strike by an enemy missile. Varthaman's MiG 21 was shot and he bailed out after bringing down one Pakistani F-16 fighter during a dogfight to repel a Pakistani attack on Wednesday morning. He has been in Pakistan since then. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in Parliament on Thursday that Varthaman would be released on Friday as a "peace gesture". Patriotic fervour prevailed at the border with border residents singing songs, beating drums and carrying the tricolour in their hands. Barely one-km away from the Indo-Pak border, people sang patriotic songs and raised slogans like "Bharat Mata ki Jai". A Sikh youth from a nearby area was seen carrying a huge garland, while an elderly ..
Qureshi says he wont attend OIC over its failure to rescind invitation to Swaraj
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday announced that he will not attend a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) being hosted by the United Arab Emirates over the grouping's failure to rescind the invitation to his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj. Swaraj has been invited to the OIC meeting as a guest of honour despite strong protest from Pakistan. Qureshi informed Parliament that he would not be attending the conference in the UAE on March 1-2. Reiterating his protest against the OIC's decision to invite to Swaraj to attend the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in Abu Dhabi, Qureshi said he will not attend the session due to the inter-governmental organisation's failure to rescind the invitation to his Indian counterpart. Mentioning that the "UAE has always helped Pakistan in difficult times", Qureshi noted with regret that despite Pakistan's protest, the OIC's invitation to Swaraj was not rescinded. "There was no consultation over the ..
Pak shells Uri sector, one civilian injured
One civilian sustained injuries on Friday in fresh Pakistani shelling in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.The injured was rushed to a hospital, they said.Giving details, the officials said Pakistan violated the ceasefire at Gawahalan, Chokas, Kiker and Kathi posts in the Uri sector.More details are awaited.On February 27, the Pakistan had shelled the Uri sector. Uri in Baramulla district is close to the Line of Control.
Pak minister opposes IAF pilot's release, says India could attack Pak later
Pakistan Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has opposed the release of Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, expressing apprehension that India could launch an offensive after he is sent back.In a speech in Pakistan Parliament, Ahmed, who is the chief of Awami Muslim League, admitted that terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed has a camp in Jabba in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan."During (former Prime Minister) Vajpayee's time this was not the situation. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has a different thinking. People say Modi planned this attack keeping in view the Lok Sabha elections. What if India attacks us again after we hand over to them the IAF pilot. I want to tell you, Modi is sitting there. What if he attacks tomorrow. Every Muslim residing in India is looking towards Pakistan," he said.The Pakistan Railway Minister was on Thursday addressing a Joint Session of Pakistan Parliament on "Indian Aggression".Ahmed said, "During the Kargil War, one plane crashed and dropped on the Pakistan .
US launched diplomatic effort before Varthaman's release (News Analysis)
The US had launched diplomatic efforts to tamp down the rising New Delhi-Islamabad tensions before Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's announcement that he was going to free the Indian pilot captured by his country and there were signs that Washington may have had advanced information about it.
Masood Azhar is in Pakistan, Qureshi admits
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan and is "very unwell", adding that Islamabad is open to "any step" that will lead to a de-escalation of tensions with India.
Any party writing off Congress will do so at own peril: Amarinder (IANS Interview-Part II)
Two years ago, when the Congress party was losing elections and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was surging ahead on its theme of making a 'Congress Mukt Bharat' (Congress-free India) a reality, one leader stood up, reversed the trend and delivered when the party was in the dumps at the national level.