Monthly Archives: August 2018

PTI

Islamabad, August 20

Pakistan’s former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, a close aide of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, was arrested from his house here on Saturday under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the leakage of a confidential diplomatic cable.

Qureshi, 67, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s Vice-Chairman, was taken to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) headquarters after the arrest.

Qureshi was arrested under the Official Secrets Act for violating the secrecy of the official cable sent by the Pakistani embassy in the US to the foreign office when he was the Foreign Minister.

Former premier Khan has for long mentioned the missing cable as evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to remove him as the prime minister in April last year.

A first information report (FIR) registered against Qureshi by the FIA refers to the matter and invokes Sections 5 (wrongful communication of information) and 9 (attempt to commit or abet the commission of an offence under this Secrets Act) of the Official Secrets Act read with Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The development came only two days after PTI chief Khan was named in an FIR registered by the FIA under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act 1923 in the case.

“PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has been illegally arrested once again,” the PTI said in social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Qureshi was foreign minister when the issue of the diplomatic cable erupted.

The purported cipher (secret diplomatic cable) contained an account of a meeting between US State Department officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, and Pakistani envoy Asad Majeed Khan last year.

PTI General Secretary Omar Ayub confirmed Qureshi’s arrest by saying that he was arrested shortly after reaching home after addressing a press conference.

“Had hoped that the reign of lawlessness would have ended after the exit of the fascist PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement) government, but it appears that this caretaker government wants to break the records of their predecessor fascist government,” Ayub said.

Interim Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed Qureshi’s arrest on Geo News, saying the former foreign minister had been taken into custody in connection with the cipher case.

“He (Qureshi) is nominated in the case and will soon be presented in the court,” Bugti said, adding, “We have to enforce the law and all those nominated in the cipher case will be arrested and presented in court.”

Earlier, Qureshi rejected media reports about a split in the party and also demanded elections on time. He also said in the presser that he had recently met foreign ambassadors recently.

Qureshi was also arrested on May 11 and released on June 6.

Of late, Khan has come under increased scrutiny following the publication of a purported copy of the secret cable by the US media outlet The Intercept, with many in the previous government led by Shehbaz Sharif pointing fingers at the PTI chief for being the source of the leak.

Former interior minister Rana Sanaullah has said that if Khan had indeed lost the copy of the cable provided to him, it would constitute a crime under the Official Secrets Act.

Khan, 70, is currently serving a three-year jail term after he was sentenced by a court in a corruption case earlier this month.

PTI

Islamabad, August 20

In a dramatic turn of events, Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi denied on Sunday signing Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2023, claiming that he was shocked to know that his staff “undermined” his orders and failed to return the unsigned bills within the stipulated time.

In the statement posted on his X account, President Alvi claimed to have instructed his staff to return the bills unsigned within the stipulated time to render them ineffective.

“As God is my witness, I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill, 2023 and Pakistan Army Amendment Bill, 2023 as I disagreed with these laws,” said Alvi, who belonged to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party before assuming the post.

“I asked my staff to return the bills unsigned within the stipulated time to make them ineffective. I confirmed from them many times whether they have been returned & was assured that they were.”

“However, I have found out today that my staff undermined my will and command. As Allah knows all, He will forgive IA. But I ask forgiveness…,” he added.

His statement comes a day after the local media reported that the president has signed the two bills.

The report of the bill completing the process to become law emerged as former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, also a close aide of Khan, was arrested under the Official Secrets Act in connection with the leakage of a confidential diplomatic cable last year.

There was no statement from the President’s House. However, the Law Ministry in a statement expressed “grave concern” over the president’s post, saying that he should “take responsibility for his own actions”.

“As per Article 75 of the Constitution, when a bill is sent for assent, the president has two options: either give assent or refer the matter to the parliament with specific observations”, said the ministry.

It said that Article 75 does not provide for any third option and none of the two options were fulfilled and the President “purposely delayed the assent”.

“Returning the bills without any observations or assent is not provided for in the Constitution. Such a course of action is against the letter and spirit of the Constitution,” it said, adding that the president could have returned the bills with his observations like he did in the recent and distant past.

“He could have also issued a press release to that effect. It is a matter of concern that the president has chosen to discredit his own officials. The president should take responsibility for his own actions,” it said.

The two bills were among several laws passed by the outgoing National Assembly and several of them were already returned by the president.

Section 6-A of the secrets act creates a new offence of unauthorised disclosure of the identities of members of intelligence agencies, informants or sources. The offence would be punishable by up to three years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 10 million.

The amended Army Act among other changes provides for the punishment of up to five-year rigorous imprisonment to any person guilty of disclosing any information, acquired in an official capacity that is or may be prejudicial to the security and interest of Pakistan or the armed forces.

The controversy comes as the government launched a case last week against Khan for violating the secret act by using the cipher sent by its embassy in the US for political purposes.

Qureshi, a two-time foreign minister, was arrested in the same case on Saturday night. Former premier Khan has for long mentioned the missing cable as evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to remove him as the prime minister in April last year.

Khan, 70, is currently serving a three-year jail term after he was sentenced by a court in a corruption case earlier this month. The former cricketer-turned-politician-led government was ousted through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.

Eindhoven (Netherlands), August 20

The Netherlands and Denmark announced Sunday they will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, a long-awaited announcement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an important motivation for his country’s forces, embroiled in a difficult counteroffensive against Russia.

The promise of new fighter jets came the day after an unusually brazen Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian theatre that killed seven people and wounded almost 150 others in the northern city of Chernihiv. Zelenskyy vowed stern retaliation for the attack, whose victims included a slain 6-year-old girl dead and 15 wounded children.

After months of entreaties from Zelenskyy for F-16s to bolster the Ukrainian air force, the US recently gave approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to provide Ukraine the American-made jets. Zelenskyy travelled to both countries Sunday to finalise the delivery deals.

“F-16s will certainly give new energy, confidence, and motivation to fighters and civilians. I’m sure it will deliver new results for Ukraine and the entire Europe,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Ukraine hopes the jets give it a combat edge, after launching a counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

It’s not clear yet how soon the jets will be in Ukrainian hands or in Ukrainian skies. It depends on how soon Ukrainian crews and infrastructure are ready, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said after he and Zelenskyy inspected two gray F-16 jets parked in a hangar at the Dutch base in the southern city of Eindhoven.

“The F-16s will not help immediately now with the war effort. It is anyway a long-term commitment from the Netherlands,” the Dutch leader said. “We want them to be active and operational as soon as possible. … Not for the next month, that’s impossible, but hopefully soon afterward.”    

A few hours later, Zelenskyy was received by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen along with the country’s foreign minister, defence minister and Crown Princess Mary at the Skrydstrup air base in southern Denmark.

Frederiksen said Denmark would provide 19 F-16 jets to Ukraine. She said “hopefully” six could be delivered around New Year, eight more next year and the remaining five in 2025.

“Please take this donation as a token of Denmark’s unwavering support for your country’s fight for freedom,” the Danish prime minister said.

The Netherlands did not specify the number of jets it would provide. Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel that Ukraine would get 42 jets.

The Dutch and Danish governments are also involved in a coalition that is working to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the advanced fighter jets.

Zelenskyy declined to say how many Ukrainian pilots would undergo training in Denmark and later in Romania, citing security reasons. Denmark said Friday that the training is starting this month, and officials have previously said that Ukrainian pilots will need six to eight months of training.

Frederiksen said “more than 70” Ukrainian personnel were already in Denmark and getting ready to start training.

On Friday, the Netherlands and Denmark said the U.S. had authorized them to deliver American-made F-16s to Ukraine. Washington’s approval was seen as a major boost for Kyiv, even though the fighter jets won’t have an immediate impact on the almost 18-month war.

Washington says the F-16s — like the advanced U.S. Abrams tanks — will be crucial in the long term as Kyiv faces down Russia.

Ukraine has been relying on older aircraft, such as Russian-made MiG29 and Sukhoi jets. F-16s have newer technology and targeting capabilities. They are also more versatile, experts say.

In Ukraine, the governor of the Chernihiv region, Vyacheslav Chaus, said Sunday that the total number of people confirmed to have been wounded in the theater attack in the center of town Saturday had risen to 148.

“I am sure our soldiers will respond to Russia for this terrorist attack. Respond tangibly,” Zelenskyy said in a video address published in the early hours of Sunday at the end of a visit to Sweden.

In eastern Ukraine, Kharkiv regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Sunday that Russia was shelling the city of Kupiansk “all day long,” with an attack on Sunday afternoon in the city center wounding 11 people. A man was killed in Russian shelling of Vovchansk, also in the Kharkiv region, according to Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry.

Meanwhile in Russia on Sunday, the Defense Ministry said Sunday that its air defense systems had prevented an attack by three drones on the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine.

Russian air defenses also jammed a drone flying towards Moscow early Sunday, causing it to crash. Russia’s Defense Ministry called it “an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack.”

Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports briefly suspended flights, but no victims or damage were reported.

In the city of Kursk, five people were wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a train station, regional Gov. Roman Starovoit said. Kursk is the capital of the western region of the same name, which borders Ukraine.

Ukrainian authorities, who generally avoid commenting on attacks on Russian soil, didn’t say whether it launched the attacks.

Drone strikes on the Russian border regions are a fairly regular occurrence. Attacks deeper inside Russian territory have been on the rise since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Successful strikes have exposed the vulnerabilities of Moscow’s air defense systems. AP

Kulgam attack had left three soldiers dead earlier this month

PTI

Srinagar, August 20

The hunt is on for terrorists involved in the ambush in which three soldiers died in Kulgam district earlier this month, with security officials indicating the same group was behind attacks in Rajouri and Poonch this year.

A top security force officer said combing operations were underway in South Kashmir and quadcopters were being used extensively to track down the perpetrators of the attack. “Our assessment is that the group is still in South Kashmir and has not crossed over to the other side of the Pir Panjal mountain range. We are hoping for contact with the group before they cross over. If they manage to cross over, they will lie low for another extended period,” the senior officer said on the condition of anonymity.

Three Army personnel were killed by the terrorists in the Halan forest area of Kulgam on August 5. The troops had launched a cordon-and-search operation after picking up on signals about the possible movement of the terrorists through the forest area. A total of five soldiers were killed in Poonch in April and another five lost their lives in an attack at Bhattadurian in Rajouri in May.

“There is a striking resemblance between the attacks in Rajouri-Poonch earlier this year and the one in Kulgam recently. We believe that it is a group of six to eight terrorists who are operating on both sides of the Pir Panjal mountain range,” the official said. He said while most of the group consists of highly trained foreign terrorists, they are being supported by two to three local terrorists.

If Shimla is crumbling, successive governments are to blame. Warnings have been ignored, rules flouted with impunity

Pratibha Chauhan

THE manner in which the gross violation of building norms and court orders have taken place in Himachal Pradesh’s capital city, with successive regimes bending over backwards to accommodate the violators, a disaster of the kind experienced this monsoon was waiting to happen.

Related News

• Protect deodars at all costs
• Climate change a key factor behind devastation in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand

There is no denying that Shimla and the rest of the state witnessed unprecedented rainfail this year, but what is baffling is that most roads, buildings and tunnels made by the British a century ago survived, but the more recent constructions simply crumbled. Several norms have been laid down in the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act, 1977, and the Municipal Corporation Act to regulate construction activity, but there’s been a near absence of monitoring and implementation. Most parts of Himachal fall in Seismic Zone IV and V. In such a situation, a strong earthquake can wreak havoc.

The state government has notified the Shimla Development Plan (SDP), which proposes to throw open 17 no-construction green belts for need-based construction activity despite a blanket ban since December 2000. The Supreme Court has put on hold the SDP till all objections are addressed. The SDP also allows new constructions in the congested and thickly-populated core areas, which the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had prohibited.

The NGT had on November 16, 2017, also proposed that all constructions in the Shimla Planning Area be restricted to two-and-a-half floors. Even though Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has assured stringent implementation of building norms while ensuring adherence to drainage and quality parameters, the decision to allow construction in green and core areas is only an antithesis of this stand. There has been a resounding encore to reconsider the move.

Successive governments have notified seven retention policies to facilitate regularisation of unauthorised structures between 1997 and 2006. This, needless to say, only emboldened people to violate the norms. Incidentally, 12,857 applications have been received from across the state for regularisation of buildings raised in violation of laws. Had it not been for the High Court order of December 22, 2017, which struck down the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act, 2016, passed by the Assembly, the state government would have got powers to regularise unauthorised buildings, estimated to be over 25,000, all over the state.

There is no disputing the fact that Himachal residents have undertaken reckless construction, damaged trees and carelessly disposed of the debris in forests, despite the courts clearly directing the agencies concerned to penalise such offenders. The high-rise buildings did not come up overnight, and the government agencies have been implicit in their failure to regulate constructions. The implementation of the SDP, also called Vision 2041, is bound to spell doom for the town. It will open up the 17 green belts and allow more construction in the congested core area, which is already crumbling.

Distance from nullah, khud

Despite stipulation that no construction can be allowed at 3 metres from a nullah and 5 metres from a khud, several structures, including those of government departments, have come up right on the nullahs. A perfect example of the gross violation is by the Urban Development (UD) Department, which is entrusted with the task of ensuring planned growth. The office of the UD at Talland in Shimla, which has been vacated after being rendered unsafe, is located right on a nullah and amid a forest. The biggest violator seems to be the government itself. The Indira Gandhi Sports Complex on the Mall, to cite another example, is built on a nullah.

How far from trees, forest

Even as the MC laws clearly stipulate that the minimum distance of a building from a tree must be 2 metres and 5 metres from a forest, the entire town is dotted with buildings where trees jutt out of the roof or are inside the wall of the house after severe lopping. This ensures that the tree will eventually die as its roots are trapped in concrete. The building of the UD Department was constructed amidst a pristine deodar forest, violating the distance norms for trees. Now, almost a dozen trees right behind the building have fallen. The NGT had proposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh in case of damage to trees or forests in Shimla. The forest and MC authorities, however, wash their hands of by issuing a damage report with a pittance for a fine.

A study by the Himalayan Forest Research Institute mentioned that the absence of soil cover and concretisation has resulted in very poor regeneration of deodar trees. With the roots of the trees getting trapped in retaining walls and septic tanks, the deodars are drying up. Even worse are instances where acids and chemicals are injected into the roots of healthy trees. The trees dry up and are declared unsafe, paving way for construction. Most of the deodar trees are over a century old, with many having developed flat tops, indicating that these have achieved their life span, point out foresters.

Slope gradient

Even though the TCP regulations fix the maximum acceptable slope for development at 45 degrees, high-rise structures can be seen on slopes of up to 70 degrees, and in some places even more. It is surprising how the plans are being approved. Be it the high-rise building at Himland, which has been vacated, or several buildings in Dhalli, Sanjauli, Kachhi Ghati, Panthaghati and other localities, there is no adherence to the permissible slope of 45 degrees. The NGT in its November 2017 order had recommended that constructions should be allowed only up to 35 degrees.

Several multi-storeyed buildings have come right above the British-era Dhalli tunnel. In fact, the tunnel has developed a major seepage problem with fountains erupting from the roof and side walls on a rainy day, posing a threat to its very existence. For several years, construction was not allowed above the tunnel, but now the entire area is covered with huge buildings.

No lessons learnt

The collapse of a building in Kachhi Ghati area on the entry to Shimla last year had fuelled concerns about the safety norms for constructions in sliding zones. The situation in the area remains worrisome with several fresh structures having come up even though the NGT order restricting all new constructions is still in place.

The TCP regulations stipulate undertaking of a soil investigation report in the sinking and sliding zones before undertaking construction, even though a complete ban should have been imposed on fresh constructions in these vulnerable zones. The rules require obtaining a structural safety certificate before construction and occupation. A major portion of the Krishna Nagar locality where five buildings collapsed has come up on debris and rubble dumped from the construction in the town, making the houses highly vulnerable. Several houses are encroachments on forest land. Compelled by vote-bank politics, every political party has patronised and sheltered violators.

As part of future preparedness, especially after the recent devastation, it is imperative that a structural safety audit of buildings in the sliding and landslide prone areas be made mandatory. 

Jammu, August 20

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said people of Ladakh are concerned about their grazing land being encroached upon by the Chinese army.

“People have been affected as their grazing land has been encroached upon by the Chinese army. Everyone here is saying that the Chinese army entered and took over their grazing land while the Prime Minister told the nation that not even an inch of land has been encroached upon, but that is not true,” he said. Rahul, who paid tributes to his father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary after reaching at Pangong Lake in the morning, said: “People with whom I have talked to have a lot of complaints. They are not satisfied with the UT status also. They want representation as the UT is being run through bureaucracy.”

Rahul said as he was not able to come to Ladakh during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he decided to come to the UT and listen to the grievances of the locals. Earlier, he was received by Congress leaders and locals at Pangong Lake. Senior Congress leader of Ladakh Nawang Rigzin Jora accompanied him. — OC

Part of propaganda

Absolutely wrong, Rahul is defaming India by making statements like Beijing’s ‘propaganda machinery’. — Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP leader

Sitapur (UP), August 20

In a shocking incident, a Muslim couple were beaten to death with iron rods and sticks by their neighbours in Sitapur district. 

Three people have been arrested in the case, and police say that the murder was allegedly a result of an affair between the victim’s son and the daughter of one of the accused.

The couple, Abbas and his wife Kamrul Nisha, died on the spot in the attack and all the accused fled from the spot.

Sitapur Superintendent of Police Chakresh Mishra said a few years back Abbas’s son had eloped with a girl from the neighbouring household. A case was registered in this regard and Abbas’s son was sent to jail.

When Abbas’s son was released from jail a few days back, some members of the family planned the attack on the couple, police said.

“According to the villagers, the son of the deceased couple Shaukat and Rampal’s daughter Ruby had an affair. Shaukat had abducted Ruby in the year 2020. At that time, Ruby was a minor and after registering a case, the police sent Shaukat to jail. He again abducted and married Ruby in June,” Chakresh Mishra said.

Police say that the three main accused have been arrested and a hunt is on for the remaining two.

Mumbai, August 20

State-owned Bank of Baroda has put on the block a property owned by actor and sitting BJP MP Sunny Deol to recover Rs 56 crore through an e-auction to be held on August 25.

The Gurdaspur MP, whose latest flick “Gadar 2” is a box office success having already grossed over Rs 300 crore since the release last week, has been in default on a Rs 55.99-crore loan from the bank and interest and penalty, since December 2022, the second largest state-owned lender said in a public tender on Sunday. The bank, which has attached the property, Sunny Villa, located on Gandhigram Road in the tony Juhu area of the megapolis, has fixed the reserve price for the auction at Rs 51.43 crore and an earnest money deposit of Rs 5.14 crore.

Apart from Sunny Villa, the 599.44 square metre property also houses Sunny Sounds, which is owned by the Deols, and is the corporate guarantor to the loan, while his actor-politician father Dharmendra is the personal guarantor of the debt, according to the auction notice.

A bank spokesperson did not offer any other details when contacted such as when and how much was the loan availed of by the actor and what was the other guarantee it had for the loan as the value of the property was lower than the outstanding the borrower owed to the bank.

The tender notice further said the Deols still had the option of clearing the dues.

The actor is officially known as Ajay Singh Dharmendra Deol and has been representing the BJP from the Punjab seat since 2019 when he defeated Congress member Sunil Jhakar. — PTI

Loan default

• The Gurdaspur MP has been in default on a Rs 55.99-crore loan from the bank and interest and penalty since December 2022
• The bank, which has attached Sunny Villa, has fixed the reserve price for the auction at Rs 51.43 cr & earnest money at Rs 5.14 cr

wedded to olive green.pDf

Leh, August 19

Nine soldiers were killed and another was critically injured when their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Leh district of Ladakh on Saturday, officials said.

The accident took place near Kiari in southern Ladakh’s Nyoma, the officials said.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Leh P D Nitya said the Army vehicle, with 10 personnel on board, was on its way to Nyoma from Leh when its driver lost control and it plunged into a gorge at 4.45 pm.

A police team rushed to the spot and all the injured soldiers were shifted to an Army medical facility where eight personnel were declared dead. Another jawan died subsequently, she said.

The officer said one more jawan was undergoing treatment and his condition was stated to be “critical”.