15:38 Blood shed by jawans in Pulwama will not go in vain: Amit Shah: BJP President Amit Shah Friday asserted the blood shed by the soldiers in the recent Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir will not go in vain. Stating that the NDA government had a “zero tolerance towards terrorism,” Shah, addressing party workers in Ramanathapuram, also recalled the martyrdom of two CRPF jawans from Tamil Nadu who were among those killed in the dastardly attack days ago.
Addressing BJP workers for the first time after his party clinched a poll deal with the ruling AIADMK on Tuesday, he exhorted cadres to work for the victory of all the 40 alliance candidates in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Be it the “AIADMK, PMK or the BJP,” party workers should work for the victory of alliance nominees to ensure the re-election of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, he said.
He mocked at the DMK and Congress combine over alleged corruption and asked if such an alliance will be able to deliver good governance. — PTI
15:34 Want a piece of the PM?:
If you want to wear your heart on your shoulder, a popular sari shop in Dadar, Mumbai, serves up some visual treats. PM Narendra Damodardas Modi’s face along with the achievements of this government (according to the sari’s designers) is up for grabs at just Rs 1000 a piece. Apart from the PM, there are digital images of the Statue of Unity, army jawans fighting the enemy and such like. No demonetisation though which was supposed to have saved the country and ended the menace of black money. We hear 50 orders have been placed for the saris.
Stop shoving and get in line.
15:31 No decision on Indo-Pak World Cup clash yet: CoA: The Committee of Administrators (CoA) running Indian cricket, on Friday, decided against taking any stand on the World Cup clash against Pakistan but said it would individually urge ICC members to “sever ties with any nation that is a terrorist hub”. There has been a call to boycott the June 16 World Cup face-off against Pakistan at the Old Trafford in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, which killed more than 40 CRPF personnel.
In a meeting to address the spiralling speculation around the match, the CoA deliberated on the matter but did not take any position for now. Committee of Administrators chairman Vinod Rai and member Diana Edulji spoke about the issue after the meeting. Briefly, this is what Rai said:
— No decision yet on India’s World Cup match against Pakistan. A call will be taken later.
— BCCI will submit concerns on Pak to the ICC via an email. “We will express concerns to ICC. We are in talks with government on scheduled India-Pakistan clash in World Cup,” Rai said.
— There will be no IPL opening ceremony, and the money that was to be spent on the ceremony will be donated to the families of the CRPF jawans to who died in the Pulwama encounter.
— The BCCI has also asked for more security for players during the ICC world cup.
— The BCCI email also suggests to the ICC that the cricket community in the future should not play with countries from where terror emanates.
“We’ll write to ICC expressing our concerns about attacks that took place and that security of players, officials and everybody else must be taken care of. We’re telling cricketing community that in future we must sever ties with nations from where terror emanates,” Rai said.
Rai added that 16th June (India vs Pakistan match in World Cup) is very far away. “We will take a call on that much later and in consultations with the government,” he said.
14:52 Jammu-Srinagar NH remains closed for third day, 1700 vehicles stranded: Over 1700 vehicles are stranded as the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for the third consecutive day Friday due to landslides triggered by heavy rains in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir. Five landslides triggered by rains struck the strategic 270-km highway at Khuni Nallah, Panthiyal, Digdole, Battery Cheshma and Maroog, blocking the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country. The highway was blocked on Wednesday.
The vehicles are stranded on the highway in Ramban, Udhampur, Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, they said. Officials said road clearance operations are going on full swing. No traffic has been allowed to move from Nagrota area of Jammu towards Kashmir Valley in view of the closure of the highway, they said. The lurking threat of more landslides has created fear among hundreds of passengers travelling on the highway.
The Batota-Doda-Kishtwar road is also blocked at two places and work is on to clear the road, they said. The Moghal road connecting Kashmir Valley’s Shopian district with Jammu region’s Poonch district is closed for the past one month due to heavy snowfall. — PTI
14:44 Yashwant Sinha says PM should he resign if he went ahead with photoshoot: Rebel BJP leader Yashwant Sinha asks for Modi’s resignation. “PM should come clean on what he was doing in the afternoon/evening of Feb 14 when Pulwama attack took place. If the NSA did not inform him immediately he has no business continuing in his post. If he did and PM still remained unconcerned then he must go.”
14:26 No cricket with Pak: Congress: Manish Tewari, Congress, has a different view from his party colleague Shashi Tharoor: Tewari, who is the party’s spokesperson said, “Till the time, terrorist organisations and their bosses who are sitting in Pakistan encourage terrorist activities in India, cricket should not be played with Pakistan.”
Tharoor today stirred the Pulwama pot when he said he wanted India to play cricket with Pakistan in the upcoming world cup. “We should not make cricket a substitute for other actions that our government should be able to take,” he said.
14:15 Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey won’t appear before Parl panel on Feb 25: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will not appear before the Parliamentary panel on IT on February 25, and instead the company is sending its Head of Public Policy Colin Crowell.
The Parliamentary panel on Information Technology had summoned Twitter head Jack Dorsey to appear before it on February 25, and had refused to meet “junior officials” of the microblogging site during its meeting on February 11.
The meeting had been called against the backdrop of growing concerns about safeguarding citizens’ data privacy and the possibility of social media platforms being used to interfere in the upcoming elections.
“We thank the Parliamentary Committee for its invitation to hear Twitter’s views on ‘Safeguarding citizen rights on social/online news media platforms’. These are issues for all Internet services globally.
“Colin Crowell, Global Vice President of Public Policy for Twitter, will meet with the Committee on Monday,” a Twitter spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement on Friday. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the government has been warning social media platforms of strong action if any attempt was made to influence the country’s electoral process through undesirable means. — PTI
13:56 Two suspected Jaish terrorists arrested in UP: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad has arrested two alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists from Deoband in Saharanpur district, Director General of Police O P Singh said on Friday. The two men arrested are Shahnawaz Ahmad Teli from Kulgam and Aquib Ahmad Malik from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. Both were involved in recruiting members for the JeM, the DGP told reporters. Asked whether the two men were involved in the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, Singh said, “It’s difficult to tell whether they came here before the Pulwama attack or after that. The probe is on.”
He added, “Two weapons and live cartridges were seized. Of the two, Shahnawaz is said to be a grenade expert. We will seek transit remand and investigate when they came here from Kashmir and who is funding them and what was their target. We are in touch with the J&K Police.”
13:02 Rahul calls out ‘prime time minister’ over photoshoot after Pulwama attack : In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the “prime time minister” continued shooting for a film till even three hours after news of the Pulwama terror strike came in. There was an ocean of pain in the country’s hearts and in the homes of martyrs and he was smiling and doing a photoshoot in the waters, Gandhi said on Twitter with the hashtag ‘PhotoShootSarkar’.
“Even after three hours of the news of the 40 jawans being martyred in the Pulwama terror strike, the prime time minister continued with a film shooting,” the Congress president tweeted in Hindi.
On Thursday, the Congress cited media reports to allege that Modi continued shooting for a film in the Corbett National Park on February 14 for “self propagation”, and stayed put till the evening despite the attack on a CRPF convoy in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district in the afternoon that day.
Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, addressing a press conference, also claimed the prime minister continued to “have tea and samosas at seven o’clock in a PWD guest house when every single Indian household didn’t eat food (that day)”.
The BJP’s Twitter handle responded saying it was fake news. “Rahul Ji, India is tired of your fake news. Stop sharing photos from that morning to shamelessly mislead the nation. Maybe you knew in advance of the attack but people of India got to know in the evening. Try a better stunt next time, where sacrifice of soldiers isnt involved.”
Image: One of the pictures tweeted by the Congress president of the PM at Corbett national park.
12:45 Rahul, Vadra Jr in Tirupati: Tirupati: Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Raihan Vadra en route Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vaari Temple.
12:41 Stop sending our soldiers home in coffins!: “The bottom line is that disproportionate losses should be avoided at all cost and terrorists should be denied tactical successes that act as opium for them to become bold to achieve perceived victory. This is a long war and instead of rushing to achieve quick success, the objective should be not to give any success to the terrorists in terms of casualties and freedom of movement. ‘Every soldier martyred by terrorists in combat is a moral victory for them,” says Brigadier Narender Kumar (retd). Read the incisive column here
12:34 J-K govt moves SC for transfer of Pak terrorists to Tihar jail: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday moved the Supreme Court seeking the transfer of seven Pakistani terrorists from Jammu jail to Tihar prison here on grounds that they were allegedly indoctrinating local prisoners.
A bench of Justices L N Rao and M R Shah sought a response from Centre and the Delhi government on the plea. Jammu and Kashmir government’s standing counsel Shoaib Alam said terrorists belonging to various organisations need to be shifted out of Jammu jail as they were involved in the indoctrination of local prisoners. If not Tihar, they can be shifted to other high security prisons in Haryana and Punjab, he said. To this, the bench said it will hear the matter and asked Alam to ensure that a copy of the notice is served to the seven terrorists also.
A day after the Pulwama attack on February 14, the Jammu and Kashmir government moved the apex court to shift a Lashkar-E-Taiba terrorist out of Jammu jail. — PTI
12:12 India, S Korea sign 7 pacts, Modi honoured with Seoul peace prize: India and South Korea signed seven agreements on Friday to enhance cooperation in key areas, including infrastructure development, media, start-ups and combating trans-border and international crime, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country. Modi, who is on a two-day visit to South Korea to strengthen India’s strategic ties with the country, was accorded an official reception at the Blue House, the executive office and official residence of the South Korean President Moon Jae-in Seoul.
He also met First lady Kim Jung-sook.
The memorandum of understandings were signed after the two leaders held “constructive” talks on enhancing bilateral cooperation in a number of areas including trade, investment, defence and security.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that seven documents between India and South Korea were signed/exchanged in the presence of the two leaders on cooperation in media, start-ups and police among others.
An MoU was signed between Korean National Police Agency and the Ministry of Home Affairs to enhance cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries and combat trans-border and international crimes.
Another agreement was signed for releasing a joint stamp, commemorating Princess Suriratna (Queen Hur Hwang-ok), a legendary Princess of Ayodhya, who went to Korea in AD 48 and married King Kim-Suro. A large number of Koreans trace their ancestry to the princess.
The two sides also signed an agreement to continue operations of Korea Plus organisation that facilitates investments by Korean companies in India. Korea Plus was operationalised in June 2016, and comprises representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy of South Korea, Korea Trade Investment and Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and Invest India.
Modi is visiting South Korea on the invitation of President Moon. This is his second visit to the Republic of Korea since 2015 and second summit meeting with the South Korean president. The Prime Minister was awarded the Seoul Peace Prize on the occasion. The PM said, “This award does not belong to me personally but to the people of India, the success India has achieved in the last 5 years, powered by the skill of 1.3 billion people.”
— PTI
12:01 If you’re headed to Shimla : The National Highway 5 blocked at several places in the Kinnaur district after heavy rain last night. This is the gate at the Shimla-Kinnaur entry which was damaged after a boulder fell on it.
11:53 5 Army men still trapped in avalanche in Kinnaur: Himachal Pradesh: Operation to rescue five Army personnel trapped in an avalanche at Namgya in Kinnaur district has been resumed. Over 200 persons of the Army, ITBP, local police and District Disaster Management are deployed in the rescue operation.
Image: File pic
11:27 Tharoor: Feckless govt did not even declare national mourning! :
Update: Shashi Tharoor adds to his earlier statement demanding India play Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup in June. “Our government did not even declare national mourning wants to cancel a match 3 months from now? Is that a serious response to 40 lives taken in cold blood? BJP wants 2 divert attn from its own fecklessness & inept handling of the crisis.We need effective action, not gesture politics.”
11:25 Boycotting Pak in WC means defeat without fight: Tharoor :
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor weighs in on statements made by former cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Sunil Gavaskar on whether India should play Pakistan at the cricket World Cup in June. Tharoor said that the height of the 1999 Kargil War, India played Pakistan in the cricket World Cup, and won. “To forfeit the match this year would not just cost two points: it would be worse than surrender, since it would be defeat without a fight,” he said.
Harbhajan Singh has once said that India must sever all ties with Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack on February 14 when 40 Central Reserve Police Force jawans were martyred. India and Pakistan are scheduled to face-off in the 2019 ICC World Cup in Manchester on June 16.
“One mistake will not correct the other one. Since we played in 1999 does not mean we should go ahead and do it again. We need to stand with our government and our soldiers. This is the time to talk and have a discussion which is far, far bigger than the World Cup. World Cup is not everything. Our country comes first, our soldiers come first and our government comes first. Cricket is not our first priority, our priority is our nation,” Harbhajan told India Today.
Sunil Gavaskar had said yesterday, that said India will be the ones to lose out if they concede their Cricket World Cup match to Pakistan in Manchester. Instead, Gavaskar said, India should play Pakistan, beat them and ensure they did not qualify for the semifinals.
11:23 SC asks 11 states to take action against assault on Kashmiris : The Supreme Court Friday directed chief secretaries and DGPs of 11 states to take “prompt” and necessary action to prevent incidents of threat, assault and social boycott of Kashmiris in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi also directed that police officers, who were earlier appointed as nodal officers to deal with incidents of mob lynching, would be now responsible to deal with cases of alleged assault on Kashmiris.
The bench asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to give wide publicity to nodal officers so that they can be approached by those facing such incidents.
“The chief secretaries, the DGPs and the Delhi Police Commissioner are directed to take prompt and necessary action to prevent incidents of threat, assault, social boycott etc. against Kashmiris and other minorities,” the bench also comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna said.
Former J-K CM Omar Abdullah reacts to the SC directive, tweeting, “Grateful to the Hon Supreme Court of India for doing what our elected leadership in Delhi should have been doing. The union HRD minister was busy living in denial & a Governor was busy issuing threats. Thank goodness the Hon SC stepped in.”
10:56 IOC ‘suspends discussions’ with India for hosting global events : The denial of visas to Pakistani shooters in the Delhi World Cup has jeopardised India’s chances of hosting the Olympics or any global event with the International Olympic Committee suspending all such discussions with the country and recommending that no big tournament be awarded to it.
India denied visas to Pakistani shooters for the World Cup that starts on Saturday in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, which killed 40 CRPF personnel. As a result, the IOC revoked the two Olympic quotas on offer in the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol competition of the event.
However, the bigger repercussion was the world body’s declaration that it would not engage with India on discussions to host major events. The country aspires to host the 2026 Youth Olympics, the 2032 Summer Olympics and the 2030 Asian Games.
The Indian Olympic Association has already sent an expression of interest to the IOC for the 2032 Games and the bidding process for the 2026 showpiece is expected to start next year.
The IOC said its stand against the country will remain until clear “written guarantees are obtained from the Indian government to ensure the entry of all participants in such events in full compliance with the rules of the Olympic charter.”
“This situation (at the ISSF World Cup) goes against the fundamental principles of the Olympic charter, in particular the principles of non-discrimination…,” the IOC stated after a meeting of its executive board in Lausanne on Friday evening.
“As a result, the IOC executive board also decided to suspend all discussions with the Indian NOC and government regarding the potential applications for hosting future sports and Olympic-related events in India…,” it added.
The world body also urged the international federations to neither award nor hold sports events in India until the “guarantees are obtained.” The Indian Olympic Association expressed helplessness but did say that the current situation does not look good for the country’s sporting future. “We have tried our best but ultimately it is the government (which has to grant visas). It is a dangerous situation for all sport in the country,” IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta told PTI in Delhi.
“In addition to not being able to host events in India, there may be problems for our athletes to take part in international events. We will approach the government again so that the situation does not reach that far.
“It is a violation of Olympic Charter and the country’s image has been lowered. If the Indian government does not give guarantees within 15 to 20 days, another letter may come from IOC,” he added. Besides their aspiration to host the Olympics, India already have the hosting rights of the 2021 men’s world boxing championships. — PTI
10:40 Sensex, Nifty start on a tepid note: Benchmark indices started on a negative note Friday as investors turned cautious after the release of the minutes of RBI’s last policy meet, in which governor Shaktikanta Das argued the need to look at growth concerns. Besides, subdued cues from other Asian markets too weighed on investor sentiment here.
The BSE Sensex was trading 75.24 points, or 0.21 per cent, lower at 35,823.11. Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty fell 25.95 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 10,763.90. In the previous session, the 30-share index settled 142.09 points, or 0.40 per cent higher at 35,898.35. The broader Nifty gained 54.40 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 10,789.85. Top losers in the Sensex pack in morning trade include Kotak Bank, Tata Steel, L&T, RIL, Axis Bank, NTPC, Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, HDFC and ITC, falling up to 3.39 per cent. – PTI
10:40 Sensex, Nifty start on a tepid note: Benchmark indices started on a negative note Friday as investors turned cautious after the release of the minutes of RBI’s last policy meet, in which governor Shaktikanta Das argued the need to look at growth concerns. Besides, subdued cues from other Asian markets too weighed on investor sentiment here.
The BSE Sensex was trading 75.24 points, or 0.21 per cent, lower at 35,823.11. Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty fell 25.95 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 10,763.90. In the previous session, the 30-share index settled 142.09 points, or 0.40 per cent higher at 35,898.35. The broader Nifty gained 54.40 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 10,789.85. Top losers in the Sensex pack in morning trade include Kotak Bank, Tata Steel, L&T, RIL, Axis Bank, NTPC, Tata Motors, HDFC Bank, HDFC and ITC, falling up to 3.39 per cent. – PTI
10:18 UNSC strongly condemns ‘heinous and cowardly’ Pulwama attack: The powerful UN Security Council has strongly condemned the “heinous and cowardly” Pulwama terror attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed and underlined the need to hold perpetrators of these “reprehensible acts” of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.
Forty Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a suicide attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14, sparking outrage in the country.
“The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir, which left 40 Indian paramilitary forces dead and dozens wounded on February 14, 2019, for which Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility,” the UN Security Council said in a statement on the ‘Suicide Bombing in Jammu and Kashmir’ on Thursday. — PTI
09:59 How we are pushing Kashmir to the brink: Omar has some questions: Omar Abdullah, who had delivered one of the finest moments of the republic by declaring in the Lok Sabha in 2008 that “I am a Muslim and I am an Indian, and I see no distinction between the two’, on Thursday confronted India with a telling testimony on the state of the nation a decade later.
“An environment is being created today where you are forcing those who never looked at the (Kashmir) issue through (the prism of) the two-nation theory. They are forcing us to think whether that was a right or wrong decision,” Omar told a news conference in Srinagar against the backdrop of attacks on Kashmiris in several parts of the country after the Pulwama massacre.
09:40 Have not joined Congress: Surgical strikes commander Lt Gen DS Hooda refutes rumours:
Lt General D S Hooda (retired), who was the commanding officer during the 2016 surgical strike, has denied reports of having joined the Congress.
I have not joined the Congress party, Hooda said when asked whether he had joined Congress, which has asked him to prepare a report on national security.
Hooda was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command during the terror attack on Uri army camp and the subsequent surgical strike in September 2016.
The Congress has on Thursday roped in Hooda to prepare a “vision document” for the country’s security, more than two months after the former army commander said the surgical strike was “overhyped and politicised”.
“The Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) is setting up a Task Force on National Security to prepare a vision paper for the country,”‘ the Congress said in a statement here.
It added that Hooda will lead the Task Force and prepare the paper in consultation with a select group of experts.
— ANI
09:21 3 kg beef can be traced but not 350 kg RDX, asks Congress leader:
Delhi Congress working president Haroon Yusuf created a controversy by alleging that three kg beef could be traced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi but not 350 kg RDX, referring to the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
Senior BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad termed the statement “scandalous and irresponsible”
“@narendramodi Ji can trace 3 kg of beef but cannot trace 350 kg of RDX #ModiFailsNationalSecurity(sic),” Yusuf alleged in a tweet.
He later defended his tweet.
“What I have said is reality. Can you deny it? Lynching was done for polarisation. You can catch 3 kg beef, kill innocents, but not 350 kg RDX. Isn’t Modi informed by security agencies,” Yusuf said.
Delhi BJP vice president Rajiv Babbar claimed Yusuf’s remarks exposed the Congress’s “double face”.
“They can not even wait for a few days and have started defaming security agencies. This exposes their double face. They claim solidarity with the government in all-party meeting and soon start seeking political gains through their shameful comments,” Babbar alleged.
Delhi BJP Minority Morcha president Mohammad Haroon termed Yusuf’s statement “very objectionable”.
“The Pulwama attack shocked the nation and in the meantime Yusuf has issued very objectionable statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and tried to give it a communal colour,” he alleged.
Yusuf’s statement is an attempt to “divide” the country on “communal lines”, he claimed.
— PTI
08:41 Encounter breaks out in J-K’s Baramulla:
An encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in Sopore township of Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Friday morning, police said.
Acting on specific input, the security personnel launched a cordon and search operation in the Warpora area of Sopore, they said.
A senior official said the search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists fired at the search party of the security men, who then returned fire.
The exchange of fire was on and further details were awaited, he added.
— PTI
08:27 Olympic body punishes India for declining visas to Pak team after Pulwama:
All the 16 Olympic quotas allotted to New Delhi World Cup were withdrawn owing to denial of visas to Pakistani shooters in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack.
This was announced by the International Shooting Sport Federation president Vladimir Lisin during his address to the season-opening World Cup at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.
Pakistan shooters’ participation in the tournament became the bone of contention since the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama killed more than 40 CRPF personnel last Thursday.
It was learnt that the International Olympic Committee is deliberating on the matter and a decision of its Executive Board is likely to be issued at 10 pm local time of Switzerland (02:30 IST Friday), officials said.
“The International Olympic Committee informed us this World Cup will not be included in the competitions for Olympic quotas. In this case, the quotas will be distributed in another World Cup. No one can be discriminated and we have to follow the IOC decision as part of the IOC family,” Lisin said during his address.
National Rifle Association of India president Raninder Singh, though, said that they are still looking for a resolution so that the quotas for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are not withheld.
“Nothing is cancelled as of now. The status as of now is we don’t know. We are waiting. There are meetings that are going on where the position is being assessed by the IOC and the government. Everyone is working very hard but it is a very peculiar position. It is very unprecedented scenario and it is unfortunate,” Raninder said.
Denied visas in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, the Pakistan’s shooting federation on Wednesday wrote to the international body, asking it to drop the two 25m rapid fire pistol quotas for 2020 Olympics.
Pakistan had applied for visas for two shooters in the rapid fire category as the event in New Delhi also serves as a qualifier for the 2020 Olympic games.
— PTI
07:56 Farmers’ march to Mumbai suspended after talks with Maharashtra govt:
A leading farmers’ organisation announced suspension of its ongoing protest march from Nashik to Mumbai over agrarian concerns after talks with the Maharashtra government.
The All India Kisan Sabha, backed by the CPI-M, announced suspension of the 180-km march from Nashik to Mumbai after a three-and-a-half hour meeting of its representatives with state ministers Girish Mahajan and Jaykumar Rawal.
The farmers had embarked on the march on Thursday morning, but it was called off later.
“The meeting (held Thursday) yielded positive results. We will suspend the march today,” AIKS president Ashok Dhawale said after the meeting between the two sides at Ambebahula village in Nashik.
This is the second time in the last one year that farmers were on the roads to protest against the “betrayal” of peasants by the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state.
Earlier, they had planned to launch the march on Wednesday but it was deferred by a day allegedly after the state police stopped scores of farmers approaching Nashik from districts like Thane, Palghar and Ahmednagar.
In a late night meeting on Wednesday, the AIKS had asked the government to give its assurances in writing, a demand Mahajan agreed to. Mahajan had held parleys on behalf of the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation.
The AIKS, however, had decided to proceed with its march from Nashik till the government kept its word.
— PTI
00:27 Pak asks ICJ to ‘dismiss’ India’s claim for relief to Jadhav:
Pakistan on Thursday asked the International Court of Justice to ‘dismiss or declare inadmissible’ India’s claim for relief to Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is on a death row in the country.
Jadhav, 48, a retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of ‘espionage and terrorism’ after a closed trial in April 2017.
His sentencing evoked a sharp reaction in India. India on Wednesday questioned the functioning of Pakistan’s notorious military courts and urged the top United Nations court to annul Jadhav’s death sentence, which is based on an ‘extracted confession’.
Making the final submission in the ICJ on the last day of the hearing, Pakistan’s counsel Khawar Qureshi said, “India’s claim for relief must be dismissed or declared inadmissible.”
“India’s claim for relief (in the Jadhav case) remains as far fetched now as it was then (May 8, 2017),” he told the judges in his concluding remarks.
Closing the arguments, Pakistan’s Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan said, “India seeks relief which they cannot claim from this court.”
Asserting that the military court in Pakistan works according to the Constitution, he asked the ICJ to ‘dismiss India’s request’ in the case.
Khan also assured the court that the process of judicial review in Pakistan was robust and Jadhav can avail it if he chooses.
“Jadhav has been charged with terrorism for which an FIR has been registered with the police that is a civilian agency.
“The military courts have sufficient proof of espionage and the said military court on the available evidence and the judicial confession proceeded to convict him despite he being given the option of going for a judicial review, he has refused to do so,” Khan told the court.
He said India claims consular access, “surely (it) was not allowed for good reason in terms of the agreement of 2008, specially for the reason that commander Jadhav being involved in espionage.”
Khan also raked up the Kashmir issue and said Pakistan was awaiting India’s response on Samjhauta train blast case and has sought evidence on his country’s role in the Pulwama terror attack.
After his submission, ICJ top judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf adjourned the hearing and said a date for the judgement would be announced later.
On Wednesday, Harish Salve, who was representing India in the case, said that the time has come for the ICJ to make Article 36 a potent weapon for protecting human rights.
On Pakistan’s military courts, he said the International Commission of Jurists and European Parliament have criticised their functioning and added that anything diluting provisions of Vienna Convention must fail.
India moved the ICJ in May 2017 for the ‘egregious violation’ of the provisions of the Vienna Convention by Pakistan by repeatedly denying New Delhi consular access to Jadhav.
The four-day hearing in the Jadhav case opened Monday amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following one of the worst terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. — PTI
Source: Rediff