Pakistan has always wanted to have good relations with its neighbours, says Asif. AP/PTI

Islamabad, August 7

India and Afghanistan should and must respond positively to Pakistan’s peace efforts and not mistake Islamabad’s desire for peace and good relations with its neighbours as its weakness, said Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.

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Addressing a press conference at the PML-N House in Sialkot, Asif said Pakistan has always wanted to have good relations with its neighbours, and especially with India and Afghanistan, and maintained that both countries are currently not responding positively to Pakistan’s initiatives for durable peace in the region.

The Dawn quoted him, as saying, “It’s high time for both India and Afghanistan to come forward as good neighbours and give positive response to Pakistan’s peace initiatives and end the blame game.” He alleged that India is violating the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and attempting to destabilise Pakistan economically and politically. He also said that Pakistan is fully capable of defending its territory through its armed forces.

On the issue of terrorism, Asif said that the federal government has been battling it successfully for several decades, by uprooting and crushing terrorists. He said that the world was praising Pakistan’s frontline role against terrorism.

He also alleged that India and the United States were involved in an international conspiracy to sabotage the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, posing great danger to the subcontinent.

He pointed out that Pakistan had never been taken into confidence by the international community on all the clauses of the treaty.

Pakistan has now effectively taken up the burning issue of stoppage of water by India into Pakistani rivers with the World Bank which had been playing its role as a guarantor in the Indus Water Treaty. He said Pakistan wanted an amicable solution to the problem and was making all-out sincere international efforts to resolve this prolonged issue as soon as possible.

He disclosed that the issue of construction of the controversial Kishanganga dam had almost been resolved by Pakistan and India about one-and-a-half years ago, but progress on it was halted due to suspension of further talks by India thrice afterwards. — ANI

Srinagar, May 30

Northern Command Chief Lt Gen D Anbu today visited the Army formations and units in south Kashmir, where he was briefed by the field commanders on the prevailing security situation and the measures instituted to ensure peace and calm.While interacting with troops, the Northern Command Chief complimented them for their alertness, initiative and synergy with other security forces, which has resulted in the successful conduct of operations, including the recent counter-terrorism operation, in which a top terrorist commander was killed, an Army spokesman said. Lt General Anbu exhorted them to continue with the same dedication as the entire nation looked up to them, the spokesman said.The Northern Command Chief along with Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen JS Sandhu also took stock of the security and administrative arrangements for the Amarnath yatra, scheduled to commerce from June 29, and stressed the need for close coordination with the civil administration to ensure a smooth yatra. — TNS

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley today said no country could indefinitely win wars only on the strength of imported equipment.He was giving away Raksha Mantri’s Awards for excellence in recognition of performance among ordnance factories and defence public sector undertakings.India is the biggest importer of weapons and equipment and around 65 per cent of its needs are fulfilled though imports. The minister emphasised the need for defence preparedness, particularly on the strength of domestic manufacturing.

Army personnel Tanzin Chhultim

New Delhi, August 3The Himachal Pradesh government has announced Rs 20 lakh compensation to kin of Army personnel Tanzin Chhultim, who lost his life in Shopian encounter on Thursday.Two Army personnel–Major Kamlesh Pandey and Sepoy Tanzin Chhultim–were killed and two other personnel were injured when terrorists opened fire on a search party of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district.

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A police official said a cordon and search operation was launched by Army in Zaipora area of Shopian during Wednesday night following intelligence inputs about the presence of militants there.He said that during the search operation, the terrorists fired upon the party in which four army personnel were injured.He said the injured were taken to hospital, where two of them succumbed to their injuries.In another encounter, two terrorists were killed in Kulgam district early on Thursday morning. ANI

SP Tyagi

New Delhi, May 30

The Delhi High Court today stayed a trial court order allowing former IAF chief SP Tyagi, a key accused in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, to travel to Indonesia.Decrying the “special treatment” given to Tyagi, Justice I S Mehta said: “I do not understand, why the accused persons always want to travel abroad… why should he (Tyagi) be given the special treatment.”Staying the trial court order till July 12, it agreed to the CBI contention that the 71-year-old former IAF chief, who is on bail, might tamper with the ongoing probe in the case.The court, which is hearing the CBI’s appeal against the grant of bail to Tyagi and two other accused, said: “You (Tyagi) are facing trial in a case and also getting special treatment. What is this? Till July 12, you will not travel.” — PTI

There are as many as 18.11 crore customers of subsidised LPG in the country. Fie photo

New Delhi, July 31

The central government has ordered state-run oil companies to raise subsidised cooking gas (LPG) prices by Rs 4 per cylinder every month to eliminate all the subsidies by March next year, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday.

The government had previously asked Indian Oil (IOC), Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) to raise rates of subsidised domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) by Rs 2 per 14.2-kg cylinder per month (excluding VAT).

Now, the quantum has been doubled so as to bring down the subsidy to nil, he said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here.

Every household is entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates in a year. Any requirement beyond that is to be purchased at market price.

“Public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) were authorised to increase price of subsidised domestic LPG cylinder by Rs 2 per cylinder (14.2-kg) per month (excluding VAT) with effect from July 1, 2016,” he said.

Oil companies had hiked LPG rates on 10 occasions since that go-ahead.

“The government vide its order dated May 30, 2017, has again authorised OMCs to continue to increase the effective price of subsidised domestic LPG by Rs 4 per cylinder effective June 1, 2017, per month (excluding VAT) till the reduction of government subsidy to ‘nil’, or till March 2018, or till further orders, whichever is earliest,” he said.

Oil companies have raised rates twice since then, the last being on July 1 when rates were up by a steep Rs 32 per cylinder — the steepest increase in six years. This hike was because of the May 30 order as well as reflection of hiked tax rates under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

Subsidised LPG now costs Rs 477.46 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi. It was priced at Rs 419.18 in June last year.

The rate of non-subsidised LPG, which consumers pay after exhausting their quota of below-market priced bottles, costs Rs 564.

“The price for the other subsidised cylinders (i.e. 5 kg) would be increased proportionately by the OMCs,” Pradhan said.

The subsidy on LPG was Rs 86.54 per cylinder for July, he said.

There are as many as 18.11 crore customers of subsidised LPG in the country. These include 2.5 crore poor women who were given free connections during the last one year under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna.

There are another 2.66 crore users of non-subsidised cooking gas. — PT

‘GUARDIANS OF GOVERNANCE’ VOLUNTEERS WANTED BY 10 JUN 2017 :

FWD RESUME BY POST OR EMAIL- pesco34chd@yahoo.com

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PUNJAB NEWS:::28 MAY 2017

• Rs 26-cr mine: I-T returns belie cook’s hefty bid
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• Capt orders intensification of drive against illegally plying vehicles
• Punjab DGP Suresh Arora, adviser Chahal, OSD Sekhon to attend KPS Gill’s cremation
• Amarinder speaks to Rajasthan CM over assault on four Sikhs in Ajmer
• Two held for assault on R’sthan Sikhs
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• Men of liquor contractors put up ‘nakas’

   

INDIA’S National Security Adviser Ajit Doval does not appear to have brought back good tidings after a visit to Beijing. The standoff on the India-Bhutan-China trijunction is likely to persist and even stretch into months unless China has a change of heart. But the interaction at the top political level may have ebbed the threat of a clash that could spiral into something worse. India’s commendable restraint, in acute short supply when it comes to Pakistan, may have played a no mean role in reorienting the resolution of the military dispute towards talks. India did not react when the Chinese media stooped to name calling Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Doval. Instead of joining battle with the Chinese media in cyberspace and losing control over the narrative, India has sought to steer the conversation back among diplomats by drawing attention to the established mechanisms for addressing the border issue. The fly in the ointment is that China may have tried to strengthen its infrastructure in a disputed area but it was doing so on its territory. So while India wants a simultaneous withdrawal of troops from both sides, China wants Indian soldiers to first walk back. Many compromise formulas have been aired such as a simultaneous withdrawal by Indian troops and the Chinese road building crew. But any withdrawal by Indian troops while the PLA stays put will mean India may lose face after having jumped in the fray on behalf of Bhutan. Can a compromise formula work in a dispute that has the imprints of a broader geostrategic competition? We will never get to know whether the differences were discussed during the closed-door meetings in Beijing. But from all indications, both sides are in for a long haul since trust and mutual understanding are at a discount. The smooth conduct of the BRICS NSAs’ meeting suggests that the border dispute may not cast a shadow on the forthcoming five-nation summit. That suggests the diplomats have succeeded in decoupling the border standoff from Sino-Indian cooperation in BRICS. In the current environment of unsettled global equations, that should be an achievement.