Monthly Archives: August 2018

New Delhi, April 22

An invitation to a leading Chinese dissident to participate in a conference in Dharamsala next week could develop into another irritant between India and China.Dolkun Isa, a leader of World Uyghur Congress (WUC) who lives in Germany, has been invited to the conference being organised by the US-based ‘Initiatives for China’. Uyghurs and many other Chinese dissidents in exile are expected to attend and discuss democratic transformation in China.China’s unhappiness about reports that Dolkun has been given the visa was reflected in Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying saying, “What I want to point out is that Dolkun is a terrorist in red notice of the Interpol and Chinese police. Bringing him to justice is due obligation of relevant countries.”When asked about the issue, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup today said, “We have seen the media reports and External Affairs Ministry is trying to ascertain the facts.”Dolkun has been quoted by media as saying he would take a final call on attending the event only after assessing his security in India. — PT

Invited for Dharamsala event

• Dolkun Isa, a leader of World Uyghur Congress who lives in Germany, has been invited for a conference in Dharamsala next week
• Uyghurs and other Chinese dissidents are likely to attend and discuss democratic transformation in China

Ishfaq Tantry
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, April 20
The J&K Police today strongly refuted the allegations of the mother of a Handwara minor girl that her daughter had been in illegal custody.
A police report submitted to the J&K High Court said the girl was not molested by an Army man as alleged by some quarters. Instead she was “molested” by two local boys on April 12 afternoon, it claimed.
“On April 12, around 3.15 pm, a schoolgirl (name withheld) approached the police station, Handwara, with a grievance that she was molested, dragged and slapped by two local boys while she was coming out of a public lavatory at Main Chowk, Handwara, and this act defied her modesty,” the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, submitted in the status report filed through Senior Additional Advocate General NA Beigh today.
“She further stated that while molesting her modesty, the boys were telling “kya Kashmiri ladke mar gaye hai” (have Kashmiri boys died). She identified one of the boys as Hilal Ahmad Banday of Handwara and with regard to the other boy, she said she did not know him. Accordingly, a case vide Fir No. 130/2016 under Sections 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 341 of the RPC (illegal confinement) was registered,” the report states, adding that in the “meanwhile some subversive elements raised a hue and cry in the town that an Army personnel had forcibly molested a minor schoolgirl in a public lavatory.”
“This incited/provoked the locals and the news spread like wildfire in the whole Handwara town. The situation took an ugly turn and a violent mob gathered at Main Chowk. To disperse the mob and to tackle the situation, Army personnel resorted to firing, resulting in death of two persons, besides inflicting injuries to some youths,” the police reports states, while blaming the Army for the civilian killings at Handwara Chowk on April 12.

New Delhi, April 18

Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz today indicated that his country may consider a request by India for a visit by its NIA team to further probe the Pathankot terror strike, days after top Pakistani envoy ruled out the same.Aziz said Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit’s comments that the bilateral peace process was “suspended” did not mean “cancelled or given up” and hoped that the Indo-Pak dialogue will resume soon.On whether India’s National National Investigation Agency (NIA) team will be allowed to visit Pakistan in connection with Pathankot attack probe, Aziz told CNN-NEWS18 in an interview that “once the stage is reached…India makes a request and then we 

will see”.

Claiming that Basit’s comments that cooperation not meaning reciprocity were “over-interpreted”, he said he did not exclude option of NIA’s visit to Pakistan.”I don’t think he used that word. He said that right now cooperation is more important than that of reciprocity and does not exclude option and he said that let’s cooperate and then thing will work out. So, I don’t think one should over interpret statement, he (Basit) just said that cooperation is more important which is true,” Aziz said.Earlier this month, Basit had indicated that an Indian probe team is unlikely to be allowed to visit Pakistan, which had sent its JIT to probe the terror attack at the air base, saying, “…the whole investigation is not about question of reciprocity in my view. It is more about extending cooperation or our two countries cooperating with each other to get to the bottom of the incident”.Aziz also downplayed Basit’s remarks on “suspension” of Indo-Pak peace process, saying “… suspending doesn’t mean cancelled or given up”. For the time being you called it suspended as obviously after January, four months have passed, and to that “extent dialogue is suspended but I hope it will resume soon,” he added.He also alleged that the recent arrest of the former Indian naval officer, Kulbhushan Jadhav, was “not the case of one individual. It is network which is operating in Baloachistan. We have arrested some more people… We don’t want consular access to affect our investigating in to this entire episode.”Jadhav was arrested last month by Pakistan authorities, who alleged that he was an Indian spy, an allegation rejected by India that has sought consular access to him. —  PTI Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit’s comments that the bilateral peace process is “suspended” does not mean “cancelled or given up”. I hope the Indo-Pak dialogue will resume soon. – Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister

Govt too hopeful of probe team visit

• Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government was hopeful a NIA team would soon visit Pakistan to gather evidence in the Pathankot attack case
• “We are hopeful that a team of NIA will visit Pakistan soon,” Rijiju said. Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit had indicated that Indian team might not be allowed to visit Pakistan

There are no human rights in PoK: Kiren Rijiju
short by Ankur Vyas / 10:09 am on 15 Apr 2016,Friday
Reacting to recent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said, “There is no human rights [there]. This has been amply exposed many times.” Notably, students reportedly carried out a demonstration in Muzaffarabad area of PoK, condemning the “oppressive rule” by Pakistan. They were raising the issue of job vacancies being opened only to Pakistani youth.

The One Rank One Pension scheme, brought in last November to benefit more than 2.5 million ex- servicemen and war widows, on Wednesday received ex-post facto approval from the Cabinet.

Under the scheme, pension would be revised on the basis of the pension of retirees of calendar year 2013 and the benefit will be effective from July 1, 2014.

In future, the pension would be revised every five years.

“The Financial implications on account of grant of OROP would be Rs. 10,925.11 crore for payment of arrears and annual financial implication would be Rs. 7,488.7 crore,” a statement here said.

Lt COL SANDEEP BHANOT (RETD), has joined the Sanjha Morcha team as President Harayana Unit , we all wish  him all the best and welcome him to the folds of Sanjha Morcha . He is Bcom Graduate  and commissioned from IMA in 1987 in the corps of ASC  and  Took premature retirement in 2008 after 21 years of service. At Present he  running his own successful business and wants that  ESM to start their own ventures instead of seeking security jobs which are lowly paid and compromises status of ESM irrespective of ranks in civil.

we are hopeful that he will come out with solid schemes for ESM for self employment which is Sanjha Morcha first priority

ribune News Service

Srinagar, April 28

In a remarkable achievement, 15 students of the state, attending the Army’s Kashmir Super 30 Engineering Coaching programme at Srinagar, have cracked the JEE (Mains) Exam this year.The coaching programme was conducted by the Army’s Dagger Division on behalf of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps.”This year, 26 students had attended the Army’s Kashmir Super 30 programme at Srinagar, and out of them 15 have qualified in JEE (Mains) Exam 2016,” a defence spokesman said. “Facing stiff competition wherein close to 15 lakh candidates had appeared in the exam at the national level, the success of 15 students from J&K stands testimony to the students’ diligence, perseverance and intellect backed by the passionate and professional conduct of the Super 30 programme.”The spokesman said 11 successful candidates were eligible for the IIT (Advance) exam while all 15 could seek admissions in various engineering colleges as per their merit.”While the excellent results achieved by the Army’s Kashmir Super 30 programme are a big motivator for the youth of the state, it also furthers the Army’s resolve and commitment towards empowerment of the youth of Kashmir,” he said.

11-month free coaching

The Army’s Super 30 programme provides 11-month free coaching to a select group of 30 students from J&K for the Joint Entrance Exam for engineering courses. The Super 30 students are selected based on a state-wide exam conducted by the Army with training partner Centre for Social Responsibility and Learning (CSRL).The selected students are also provided free lodging and boarding.

First meeting of foreign secretaries since Pathankot; terror, Kashmir their concerns

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar (left) with his Pakistan counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry (centre) and Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit (R) after a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday. Tribune Photo: Mukesh Aggarwal

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 26

India and Pakistan foreign secretaries met finally on Tuesday, their first interaction since the Pathankot terror attacks, and both countries put forward their concerns: India raised the issue of terrorism and Pathankot, while Pakistan harped on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir being the core issue between the two countries.

Pakistan also raised the issue of the arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav, a man it accuses of working for the RAW. India flatly refuted these allegations and, according to sources, India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar even told his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry that no spy agency would put their agent in the field with his own passport and without a visa.

India also pressed for immediate access to Yadav, something that India has been asking of Pakistan since Yadav’s arrest. What raised eyebrows was the fact that Pakistan released a statement on the talks even while the meeting was in progress.

In a meeting that lasted 90 minutes, Jaishankar told Chaudhry, “Terrorist groups based in Pakistan targeting India must not be allowed to operate with impunity.”

India also rebutted all allegations of its involvement in Baluchistan. Dismissing allegations of Yadav being a spy, India pointed that he was an abducted naval officer.

India also demanded early and visible progress on both Pathankot and 26/11 attacks.

The statement released by the Pakistan High Commission said that Chaudhry had taken up the issue of Yadav and expressed serious concern over the RAW’s alleged involvement in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi.

“He said such acts undermine efforts to normalise relations between the two countries. He also conveyed concern over efforts by the Indian authorities for the release of the prime suspects of the Samjhauta Express blasts,” the Pakistan statement said.