15:51 PM: Proud Abhinandan, Nirmala are from Tamil Nadu: PM Narendra Modi plays the regional card while in the state to inaugurate developmental programmes. In Kanyakumari, the PM said,” Every Indian is proud that the brave Wing Commander Abhinanadan is from Tamil Nadu. I am also proud that India’s first woman Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is from Tamil Nadu.”
This is the first time the PM has mentioned the Wing Commander in Pakistan custody directly by name. He did make a quip yesterday, at a science award function where he said, “You are folks who spend your lives in a laboratory, and are used to conducting pilot projects. A pilot project is followed by scalability. Now a pilot project has been completed. Now we have to make it real. Earlier it was just a practice session”.
The ‘pilot project’ remark did not go down well with several people pointing out it was tasteless.
15:20 Tremors hit Palghar again, this time measuring 4.3: Tremors of 4.3 magnitude jolted parts of Palghar district in Maharashtra on Friday, an official said. The intensity of tremors is the highest recorded in the region since November last year, the official said. Parts of Palghar district, especially Dahanu and Talasari talukas, have been experiencing such tremors routinely since November. The last round of tremors was witnessed on February 20.
“Today, the tremors were experienced at 11.14 am. It measured 4.3 on the Richter scale, which is the maximum for the last four months,” Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) chief Santosh Kadam said.
“The epicentre was once again Dundalwadi village in Dahanu taluka, which has become the worst affected region as far as tremors are concerned,” he added.
The tremors were recorded by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Due to the constant fear of earthquake, residents of the villages in Dahanu and Talasari talukas have been spending day out of the house and taking shelter in makeshift tents. — PTI
15:04 Why Punjab CM won’t go to border to receive Abhinandan: As news broke that IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman would be reaching India from Lahore via the Attari-Wagah border, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh offered to receive the Wing Commander at the Attari border. The Congress leader had tweeted his request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “Dear @narendramodiji, I’m touring the border areas of Punjab & I’m presently in Amritsar. Came to know that @pid_gov has decided to release #AbhinandanVartaman from Wagha. It will be a honour for me to go and receive him, as he and his father are alumnus of the NDA as I am,” he wrote.
But he clearly thought the better of it, bowing to protocol.
Singh told news agency, ANI, “Would love to go (to receive Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman) but there’s laid out protocol that whenever anybody comes back like it happened to Prisoners of War in ’65 & ’71, they had to first go for a medical and then be debriefed. I think same process will be followed here.”
The IAS pilot is expected to reach Wagah some time after 5 pm. Reports say he has already left Lahore and is on his way to the Indo-Pak border.
By the way, the Punjab CM is the person in our 11:27 am post.
14:41 Need of the Hour: Statesmanship!: “A good opportunity has thus been provided for both countries to back away from the brink without loss of dignity.
”There is every reason why they should strain every nerve, and grab every chance, shedding all thought of belligerence and showing who’s the boss, to establish, maintain and preserve all it takes to lift themselves by their bootstraps,” says BS Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant.
14:37 India cancels ‘Beating Retreat’ at Attari ahead of pilot’s arrival: The Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah Border will not be held today, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon announced. He said a senior team of the Indian Air Force will receive Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. According to reports the IAF pilot who was in Pakistan’s custody since Wednesday will reach Wagah at around 6 pm. India reportedly wants to keep Abhinandan’s return free of ceremony.
Once the news spread of Abhinandan’s return at Wagah, people started gathering at the border to welcome him. “My home is 150 km 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 Abhinandans arrival.
Meanwhile, a special thanksgiving prayer was organised today by state Home Guards at Kalikambal Temple in Chennai ahead of Varthaman’s release.
In other news, Pakistan which had closed its airspace for the last two days, will be opening it by 6:30 pm today.
14:10 Funeral today of IAF pilots killed in chopper crash :
As India celebrates the imminent return of IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, spare a thought for the families of the six IAF personnel killed in a chopper crash in Budgam on February 27.
In Mathura, the mortal remains of Indian Air Force’s Corporal Pankaj Nauhwar have been brought to his residence at Jarelia Bajna. He lost his life in the crash of the Mi-17 V5 helicopter in Budgam.
On Wednesday, an IAF helicopter crashed in Budgam, killing both its pilots and four others on board besides a local resident.
13:22 India’s Muslims are microcosm of our diversity: Sushma@OIC :
EAM Sushma Swaraj at the OIC conclave in Abu Dhabi, where she is a guest of honour. Excerpts from the speech…
— OIC members constitute 1/4th of the United Nations and almost a quarter of humanity. India shares much with you, many of us have shared dark days of colonialism.
— I’m honoured to join colleagues from nations that represent a great religion and ancient civilisations. I stand here as a representative of a land that has been a mountain of knowledge, beacon of peace, source of faith & traditions, home to many religions and one of the major economies.
— Many of us saw the light of freedom and ray of hope at the same time, we have stood together in solidarity in our quest for dignity and equality.
— Terrorism is destroying lives, destabilizing regions and putting the world at great peril. Terror reach is growing and the toll it is taking is increasing.
— I carry the greetings of my PM Narendra Modi and 1.3 billion Indians, including more than 185 million Muslim brothers and sisters. Our Muslim brothers and sisters are microcosm of the diversity of India… They practice their respective beliefs and live in harmony with each other and with their non-Muslim brothers. It’s this appreciation of diversity and coexistence that has ensured that very few Muslims in India have fallen prey to to poisonous propaganda of radicalist and extremist ideologies.
Terrorism in each case is driven by distortion of religion. Fight against terror is not a confrontation against any religion. Just as Islam means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence.Similarly every religion stands for peace.
13:15 Sushma Swaraj addresses OIC : At the OIC in Abu Dhabi, the empty Pakistani chair as Guest of Honour Sushma Swaraj gives her speech.
13:11 MEA to brief Parl panel on Indo-Pak relations post Pulwama terror attack:
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs will be briefed on the current Indo-Pak relations by the foreign affairs ministry on Friday. The committee headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will meet in Parliament House this afternoon.
“The parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs will receive a briefing from the MEA on the current situation with Pakistan…” Tharoor tweeted earlier.
The briefing will be on the present Indo-Pak relations in the light of the recent strain in relationship after the Pulwama attack and a air strike by India, officials said.
The committee will also be briefed on the “new regime” in Pakistan led by Prime Minister Imran Khan and its relationship with India in light of the recent developments, they said.
Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. It came 12 days after the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers. — PTI
12:44 ‘We soldiers fight for the Indians standing behind us’: It is a time when all army and air force units in Kashmir and Punjab are on a high state of alert. Weapons are being readied, troops are mentally ready, unit locations are secure, rehearsals are being carried out and soldiers are getting deployed along the border.
In certain posts at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, it is still snowing. The day time temperature is a couple of degrees below 0 and the night time temperature plummets to a minus 30 degrees.
12:40 Pak minister tells parl Masood Azhar’s madrassa was bombed by IAF:
Pakistan Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed inadvertently admitted in the Pakistan parliament that ‘Azhar Sahab’s madrassa — the Madrassa Taliban — is located in Jabba, Pakisan, at the place bombed by IAF jets.
The railway minister 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 side but Indian jets didn’t cross Kargil. But (this time) their 14 jets entered Jabba in Pakistan, where Azhar Sahab’s Madrasa is located… Madrasa Taliban is there. Yes it is…”
Jaish-e-Mohammad, led by Azhar Masood, had taken responsibility for the February 14 attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Kashmir in which 40 personnel were killed.
Reacting to Ahmeds speech, Naveed Kamran, a Pakistani citizen, tweeted, “Sheikh Rasheed should resign and treason case against him should be registered against him for releasing this information in Par.”
12:29 Abhinandan’s parents get standing ovation on board flight to Delhi: It may have been after midnight when the Chennai-Delhi flight came to a stop at the tarmac but there was no scramble to get bags from the overhead bin or rush towards the exit because all eyes were focused on one couple — the parents of IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.
Air Marshal (retd) S Varthaman and Dr Shobha Varthaman were given a standing ovation as passengers made way for them in the early hours of Friday, ensuring that they couple gets off first.
Abhinandan, who was captured by Pakistan on Wednesday, is expected to be released on Friday. In photos and videos shared by passengers on social media platforms, the couple, who came to Delhi on their way to Amritsar to bring their son home, can can be seen acknowledging the clapping, cheers and thank yous with nods of their heads.
The plane landed at the Delhi airport about an hour after midnight. The couple left for Amritsar soon after landing in Delhi. They are all set to receive their son most likely at the Wagah border.
Abhinandan’s family has served the Indian Air Force for generations, since the second World War. Air Marshal S Varthaman, a recipient of several honours, including a Param Vishisht Seva Medal, said in a message, “Abhi is alive, not injured, sound in mind, just look at the way he talked so bravely… a true soldier… we are so proud of him.” — PTI
12:07 Pilot’s return our diplomatic victory: Amit Shah: BJP President Amit Shah Friday said creating the situation for the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan was a diplomatic victory, ahead of the expected arrival of the captured pilot.
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”. — PTI
11:52 Abhinandan to reach Wagah after 2 pm : Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman leaves from Islamabad for Lahore. He will reach Wagah border near Amritsar, after 2 pm. IAF officer, Group Captain Joy Thomas Kurien (pictured), India’s Air Advisor in Pakistan, will escort him home.
11:47 Pak FM boycotts OIC meet over Sushma’s attendance : Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi boycotts the foreign ministers’ meet of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation states in Abu Dhabi. He said he will not attend the Council of Foreign Ministers as a matter of principle for having extended an invitation to India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj as a guest of honour.
Sushma Swaraj, who is in Abu Dhabi, 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 today. 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.
Pakistan, a member of the OIC, tried to get Swaraj ‘disinvited’ from the Abu Dhabi meet following India’s air strike on the terror camp in Pakistan. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday said the OIC is “our home” so he will go there but will not hold talks with Swaraj.
The OIC had disinvited India from its conference in 1969 in Morocco at Pakistan’s behest. The OIC has usually been supportive of Pakistan and often sided with Islamabad on the Kashmir issue.
The MEA said Foreign Minister of United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan invited Swaraj as the ‘guest of honour’ to address the inaugural plenary and that India was happy to accept the invitation.
Image: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi
11:27 Name this man: Quick quiz: Who is this former royal and politician, in the news today, as Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is set to return to India at noon today.
11:19 Writer, columnist, actor Mukul Sharma dies :
Mukul Sharma, a polymath and writer, died in Delhi, yesterday. He was 69.
He is survived by his wife Binita and daughters Kamalini and Konkona.
To moviegoers he is remembered as the protagonist of Parama, the Bengali film directed by Aparna Sen, his former wife.
Sharma was the editor of Science Today magazine, brought out by the Times of India and has been a columnist for The Sunday Times, Mid Day and The Illustrated Weekly.
Image: Mukul Sharma and Rakhee in a still from the film, Parama.
10:59 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 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 ‘Guest of Honour’,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
Pakistan, a member of the OIC, tried to get Swaraj ‘disinvited’ from the Abu Dhabi meet following India’s air strike on the terror camp in Pakistan. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is also attending the meeting.
The OIC has usually been supportive of Pakistan and often sided with Islamabad on the Kashmir issue. — PTI
10:42 India’s claims of killing terrorists are spurious: Kugelman:
Michael Kugelman, one of the most astute observers of developments in South Asia, responds to Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir’s offer to visit the Jabba, the site of the bombing by India. Kugelman, who is Deputy director @AsiaProgram and South Asia senior associate @TheWilsonCenter, responds: “Thanks for the offer 🙂 But I’ve already seen plenty of credible reports on the ground (and there is also satellite imagery) that make quite clear that Indian claims of killing hundreds of terrorists — or even of destroying terrorist facilities – are spurious if not outright false.”
10:27 The josh is high at Attari as Abhinandan set to return :
ON a regular day, the atmosphere at Attari, the border with Pakistan at Wagah, is charged with high definition patriotism. Slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai ring out from the crowds gathered to watch the BSF match goosesteps in mock hostility towards its Pakistani counterparts.
Today, the patriotic fervor will be at its peak.
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, captured by Pakistan during an aerial combat, is expected to be handed over to India at the Wagah border.
The pilot is likely to be brought by Pakistani authorities from Rawalpindi to Lahore and handed over first to the International Committee of Red Cross under rules of the Geneva Convention before being brought to the JCP between 12 pm and 2 pm to return home.
Varthaman will be debriefed by defence and security officials after his return.
A team of Indian Air Force officials will receive Wing Commander Abhinandan at the Wagah border on Friday evening,
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”.
At the armed forces press conference yesterday, Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor, the assistant chief of Air Staff, said, “We are happy that our pilot who had fallen across the Line of Control and was in the custody of Pakistan is being released. We are extremely happy to have him back. We only see it as a gesture which is in consonance with the Geneva Conventions.”
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has offered to receive Wing Commander Varthaman at the Attari border. The Congress leader tweeted his request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”Dear @narendramodi ji, I’m touring the border areas of Punjab & I’m presently in Amritsar. Came to know that @pid_gov has decided to release #AbhinandanVartaman from Wagha. It will be a honour for me to go and receive him, as he and his father are alumnus of the NDA as I am,” he wrote.
09:20 Pompeo hopeful India-Pak tension would come down:
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday he had “good conversations” with Indian and Pakistani leaders and was hopeful that the rising tension will come down between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Over the last two days, Pompeo spoke to the leaders of the two countries including External affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
“We were and continue to be very engaged with the issue between India and Pakistan,” Pompeo told reporters travelling with him from Hanoi, Vietnam to Manila in the Philippines.
“I spent a good deal of time on the phone last night talking to leaders in both countries, making sure there was good information exchanged, encouraging each country to not take any action that would escalate and create increased risk,” he said.
“I had good conversations, and I am hopeful that we can take down the tension there, at least for the time being, so they can begin to have conversations that don’t portend risk of escalation to either of the two countries. So we’re working hard on that,” Pompeo said. — PTI
09:17 US welcomes Abhinandan’s release, asks Pak to act against terrorists:
The United States has reaffirmed its demand that Pakistan abide by its United Nations Security Council commitments to deny safe havens to terrorists and block their access to funds as it welcomed Islamabad’s decision to release the captured Indian Air Force pilot.
In a surprise announcement during a joint session of Parliament on Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be released on Friday as a gesture of peace.
Pakistan detained Varthaman 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.
“We welcome Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s commitment that Pakistan will release on Friday the Indian pilot held in its custody,” a State Department spokesperson told PTI responding to a question on the announcement made by Khan in the Pakistani parliament.
Simultaneously, the US has urged both India and Pakistan to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions.
“The United States continues to urge both sides to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation, including through direct communication. Further military activity will exacerbate the situation,” the State Department spokesperson said.
“We reiterate our call for Pakistan to abide by its United Nations Security Council commitments to deny terrorists safe haven and block their access to funds,” the spokesperson said.
09:11 Masood Azhar is in Pak, he’s very unwell: Pak FM :
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday admitted that terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan.
Speaking to CNN, Qureshi said, “He is in Pakistan. According to my information. he’s very unwell. He is unwell to the extent that he cannot leave his house.”
When asked why Pakistan hasn’t yet arrested Azhar who caused so much tension between India and Pakistan, Qureshi said Pakistan wants evidence so that it can stand in a court of law and follow a legal process.
“If they (India) have evidence share with us so that we can convince the people and the judiciary,” he said.
At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed and many injured on February 14 in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a JeM suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.
India has strongly reiterated its appeal to all members of the international community to support the proposal to list terrorists, including Azhar, as designated terrorists under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council, and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.
08:28 1 civilian injured in ceasefire violation by Pak in Uri:
One civilian was injured Friday in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing towards Indian posts and villages in Kamalkote area of Uri in Baramulla district on Thursday evening, the officials said.
They said the intermittent firing continued through out the night. One civilian has been injured in the firing.
Indian Army has responded to the Pakistani firing in adequate measure, the officials said.
The ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops comes as tensions between India and Pakistan rose following the February 14 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed.
Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group claimed responsibility for the attack. — PTI
00:03 We won’t move on talks with Trump: North Korea:
North Korea’s foreign minister says Pyongyang’s position will not change even if the US seeks further talks.
Ri Yong Ho’s statement came after the summit in Vietnam between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without agreement.
Trump said the US had refused demands for all sanctions to be lifted.
But at a late-night news conference, Ri insisted the North had only asked for partial sanctions relief, not a complete lifting.
He said his country had made “realistic” proposals including the complete decommissioning of the Yongbyon nuclear research centre, under the watch of US observers.
In return, he said, the North had wanted only partial sanctions relief.
Ri said Pyongyang had also offered to permanently halt nuclear and long-range rocket testing. He added that it might be hard to see an opportunity such as the Hanoi summit again.
“Our principal stand will remain invariable and our proposals will never change, even if the United States proposes negotiations again in the future,” he told reporters.
Source: Rediff