ISLAMABAD: War with India is not an option, as the use of force could only worsen the situation, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said on Friday, adding that his country “has always been for talks” to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries.
Sharif said this during a meeting with President Mamnoon Hussain, reported Pakistani newspaper The Nation, quoting a senior government official who cited the conversation between the two leaders. Sharif said his government desired friendly ties with India, all its neighbours, and the world at large for sustainable development.
Tariq Fatemi, special assistant to Pakistan PM on foreign affairs; and Asif Kirmani, special assistant to Sharif on political affairs, attended the meeting. “They (Sharif and Hussain) discussed the regional situation and the LoC (Line of Control) violations by India,” an official statement said, adding: “Sharif told Hussain he had raised the issue with the US on his last visit to Washington to meet President Barack Obama.”Sharif said the US and world powers also wanted IndiaPakistan dialogue but alleged New Delhi was not cooperating, according to the official. “We have always been for talks,” he was quoted as saying. Another official said the Premier was concerned about the “US discrimination on the civil nuclear deal”. Sharif pledged to continue to convince the US for an India-like agreement.

Chandigarh, November 18

The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation today allotted the work of showcasing a tableau of unique initiatives of the Model Burail Jail at the Republic Day parade on Rajpath to a company for Rs 20 lakh.

MC officials said on November 22, the company would first showcase the project to the Defence Ministry and submit its entry on the theme. A committee, which will select entries submitted by the states and union territories, will decide the fate of the same.

“Model jail tableau is not final. If the committee decides that some other thing should replace it, we will work on that,” a senior MC official said.

Burail Jail is the country’s first jail where inmates prepare food for thousands of children of anganwadis. All jail inmates have their bank accounts. It has already been declared plastic-free with ban on use of plastic items on its premises.

Instead of the traditional LPG cylinders, about 60 per cent energy needed for cooking at jail is fulfilled by biogas plants. The jail has its first exclusive outlet, Srijan, at Sector 22, where all products made by jail inmates are sold. One can get a variety of items from furniture to food products at the outlet. — TNS

Rajnath Singh. Tribune file

Bum La (Arunachal Pradesh), November 15

Despite differences in perception between India and China on the boundary issue, the armies of the two countries had been sensible enough to reduce tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Friday.

He also said that there had been no tension at LAC near Bum La.

During a visit to the forward post of Bum La on the India-China border, Singh congratulated the Indian Army for showing “great maturity” in all situations.

“I have got the opportunity to interact with jawans here. I am very happy to be informed by my jawans that at this India-China border, which is LAC, we are working very sensibly and Chinese PLA (People’s Liberation Army) is also operating sensibly. There is no tension here at LAC that is near Bum La,” he told reporters.

“During my Bumla visit I have come to know that despite perceptional differences on the boundary issue both the Indian Army and the PLA have been sensible enough to reduce tensions on LAC,” he said in a tweet.

He also visited the memorial of Paramvir Chakra winner Subedar Joginder Singh.

“At the time of the war of 1962, he sacrificed his life and showed indomitable courage and valour,” he said in a tweet in Hindi. PTI

Kulbhushan Jadhav. — File photo

Islamabad, November 14

Pakistan on Thursday ruled out any deal with India in death-row convict Kulbhushan Jadhav’s case and said any step taken to implement the ICJ’s decision will be according to its Constitution.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal’s remarks came a day after Pakistan Army said the government was considering various legal options for the review of Jadhav’s case.

Jadhav, 49, 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. India has maintained that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy.

In a major victory for India, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 17 ruled that Pakistan must review the death sentence given to Jadhav.

Faisal in his weekly press briefing in Islamabad said, “There will be no deal…all decisions will be as per local laws.” He said any step taken to implement the decision of the ICJ regarding Jadhav will be according to the Constitution.

During Jadhav’s trial in the ICJ, India had argued that consular access was being denied to its national in violation of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Rejecting Pakistan’s objection to admissibility of the Indian application in the case, the ICJ in its 42-page order held that “a continued stay of execution constitutes an indispensable condition for the effective review” of the sentence of Jadhav that had strained relations between the two neighbouring countries.

The bench, however, rejected some remedies sought by India, including annulment of the military court’s decision convicting Jadhav, his release and safe passage to India.

After much dilly-dallying, Pakistan on September 2 granted India consular access to Jadhav under the direction of the ICJ.

Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran.

Faisal also condemned the recent verdict by India’s Supreme Court to award the site of the Babri Masjid to the Hindus.

He said the mosque was in possession of Muslims for over 450 years.

“The Babri mosque verdict has shredded so-called secularism in India,” Faisal said.

He said Pakistan would do “everything” to highlight the “injustice” in the case.

He said about 12,000 Sikhs visited Kartarpur on the opening day of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

He also said anybody from Pakistan can to Kartarpur but the media would need special permission for coverage.

The historic Kartarpur corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan. — PTI

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Sultanpur Lodhi, November 11

A sea of devotees from across the country thronged the historic Gurdwara Ber Sahib here on Monday, a day ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

The highly revered Gurdwara Ber Sahib is where Guru Nanak gained enlightenment at the end of the 15th century.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will pay obeisance at the shrine later in the day. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur will also be present.

President Ram Nath Kovind will address the celebrations on Tuesday.

A majority of the pilgrims are coming from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Bihar and Maharashtra. Even devotees are coming from abroad, largely from Britain, Canada and the US.

“For the past one week, we are getting an average of 4-5 lakh devotees at the gurdwara every day. Today and tomorrow, we are expecting over 25 lakh devotees,” an official at the shrine told IANS.

Ninety langars or community kitchens are running round-the-clock in the town to serve the visiting devotees.

A grand light and sound show is being conducted every evening here to sensitise the masses about the teachings and philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev. The show will continue till November 15.

Security has been beefed up and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed to manage the crowd in all the prominent places, a senior police official told IANS.

Organisers say the desire of devotees is to pay obeisance at the historic Gurdwara Ber Sahib and to have a ‘shnaan’ (dip) in Kali Bein. The devotees are feeling fortunate to have achoola’ (sip of water) from the holy Bein.

It is believed that Guru Nanak disappeared into the waters of the Bein rivulet, reappearing three days later as the enlightened Guru. The ground of Gurdwara Ber Sahib marks the spot, where Guru Nanak entered the rivulet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 9 morning paid obeisance at the Ber Sahib Gurdwara, before heading for Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor and flag off the first lot of pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

The three-storey Gurdwara Ber Sahib was built by the ruler of Kapurthala in the mid-20th century and features slender octagonal pillars, a marble sanctum and stucco designs at the entrance.

Sultanpur Lodhi, some 200 km from Chandigarh, is dotted with gurdwaras commemorating events from Guru Nanak’s life.

Along with Gurdwara Bebe Nanaki, built to honour Guru Nanak’s sister, is the Gurdwara Sant Ghat, about two km upstream of Ber Sahib, where he emerged from his three-day immersion in the Bein.

Hatt Sahib honours the grain store, where Guru Nanak was employed; and the 13 weights, used by the Guru Nanak to measure provisions are preserved here.

The prison cell, where the Guru was imprisoned under false charges is Gurdwara Kothri Sahib; and Guru ka Bagh is where Guru Nanak lived with his wife, Sulakhni, and their two sons, Baba Sri Chand and Baba Lakhmi Chand. IANS

A Pakistani national takes a selfie with Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu at Kartarpur on Saturday. Photo by writer

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Kartarpur (Pak), November 9

After lying low since his resignation as a Cabinet minister in July, Navjot Singh Sidhu was the cynosure of all eyes as he crossed over to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib through the Kartarpur corridor along with other devotees today.

Absent at the official function on the Indian side at Dera Baba Nanak, he was the centre of attraction on other side of the border.

Not only did he share the main stage inside the gurdwara with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol, he was literally mobbed by devotees, who were a part of the first jatha that went through the corridor and those who had crossed through Attari to be a part of the 550th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak.

Imran Khan credited Sidhu for the Kartarpur corridor. Earlier, as soon as Sidhu reached the Integrated Checkpost at Dera Baba Nanak before passing through the corridor, party MLAs, cutting across party lines, congratulated Sidhu on the opening of the corridor.

During his address at the inaugural ceremony, Sidhu said the completion of the corridor within 10 months was nothing short of a miracle. He thanked Pakistan PM Imran Khan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for realising the dream of the Sikh community.

“I am thanking Modi ji also, it doesn’t matter if we have political differences. I am sending a Munnabhai MBBS-style hug to you Modi sahab for this,” said Sidhu. Taking a swipe at those who had criticised him for hugging Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa during Khan’s swearing-in ceremony last August, he said the hug has worked. He called for opening up the India-Pakistan border for trade, saying “Yeh dil maange more (This heart wants more).”

Every fraternity has its black sheep. The Men in Black are no exception. The clashes between law practitioners and law enforcers in New Delhi have prompted the Bar Council of India (BCI) to ask various Bar bodies to identify lawyers who are indulging in hooliganism and bringing the legal institution into disrepute. The profession has also been tainted by the influx of unqualified persons. Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jitendra Singh Tomar had quit as Delhi’s Law Minister in 2015 after he was arrested on the charge of obtaining a fake degree from a Bihar-based law institute. The development had taken place months after the BCI notified the Certificate and Place of Practice (Verification) Rules with the objective of filtering out pseudo-advocates.

In 2017, a verification drive by the Bar Council had revealed that at least one-third of the lawyers on the premises of Indian courts were fake. Later that year, the Law Commission of India had recommended a slew of amendments to the Advocates Act (Regulation of Legal Profession), 1961. The Commission had observed that advocates’ unprofessional conduct, such as going on ‘frequent strikes’ to protest over ‘irrelevant issues’, had reached ‘terrifying proportions’. The proposals, including making lawyers liable to compensate litigants if they struck work, had triggered protests across the country, with the apex Bar body asserting that the ‘utterly regressive’ Bill’s right place was in the dustbin, not in Parliament.

Though the amendments have not seen the light of day amid stiff resistance from the lawyers, it is beyond doubt that the profession needs a self-regulatory mechanism. There should be a uniform qualifying examination, coupled with thorough verification of the person’s documents and credentials, before enrolment as an advocate. The norms for post-enrolment disqualification and re-enrolment must also be made stringent. The chambers should have no place for the likes of Santosh Kumar Singh, an aspiring lawyer and a former IPS officer’s son who is serving life sentence for the 1996 rape-murder of Priyadarshini Mattoo. Unscrupulous elements can’t be allowed to hold the government, the judiciary and the public to ransom.

Centaur Hotel is being used as a sub-jail to detain politicians. File photo

Srinagar, November 3

As winter sets in, the J&K administration is looking for an accommodation to shift 34 political detenues from the Centaur Hotel here as it lacks proper heating arrangements, officials said.

The winter chill has already started taking a toll on the health of the detenues — National Conference, PDP and People’s Conference leaders and prominent social activists — and the security personnel guarding them.

They have been lodged at the hotel on the banks of the scenic Dal Lake since August 5 when the Central government announced its decision to abrogate J&K’s special status under Article 370 of the Constitution and split the state into two Union Territories.

According to the officials privy to the development, Centaur Hotel, owned by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), has submitted a bill of Rs 2.65 crore to the Home Department for 90 days for boarding and lodging of the detenues.

The administration has, however, rejected the claims of the Centaur Hotel and argued that the facility was converted into a subsidiary jail on August 5 and therefore, government rates would be paid.

The rates sanctioned by the administration would be around Rs 800 per day as against Rs 5,000 charged by the hotel, the officials said.

During winter, temperature in Srinagar dips below the freezing point.

The seat of administration in the newly created UT has moved from Srinagar to Jammu for the winter months.

The officials said some measures would be taken soon for shifting the detenues to different locations.

The MLA hostel on Residency Road in the heart of the city could have been an alternative accommodation, but it is now occupied by former MLAs hailing from Jammu and newly elected councillors.

Unwilling to dislodge the former MLAs and councillors, the administration has started looking for a state-run or private hotel for shifting the detenues, they added.

The officials said talks were on with a private hotel in the high-security cantonment area, where some detenues, including Sajad Lone of People’s Conference, Ali Mohammad Sagar of the NC, Naeem Akhtar of the PDP and former IAS officer Shah Faesal, could be accommodated. — PTI

2,000 short-service & emergency commissioned officers played big roles in India-Pakistan wars. Army Commanders’ Conference discussed a pension scheme for them.

New Delhi: Nearly 2,000 short-service and emergency commissioned officers, who played crucial operational roles in the India-Pakistan wars 1965 and 1971 but could not be absorbed into the Army, may soon start getting a monthly pension of Rs 30,000.

This was among the many issues discussed at the Army Commanders’ Conference Wednesday.

The proposed pension scheme is on the lines of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ scheme for freedom fighters and their families.

Sources in the Army said the force had moved a proposal to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in March this year. The ministry examined it and sent it back to the Army with some queries. The Army is currently in the process of filing its replies.

A senior Army officer said on the condition of anonymity that about 2,000 such personnel have been identified.

“They could not be absorbed, despite playing crucial operational roles in both the wars,” the officer said, adding they deserve the monthly pension like other war veterans.

In May this year, the Union cabinet approved the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) for such short-service and emergency commissioned officers.

The Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare, under the MoD, had written to the states last year to ensure that World War II veterans get a monthly assistance of Rs 10,000, even though there are very few such surviving veterans.Several states had not increased the amount to Rs 10,000, despite repeated reminders from the ministry.