India has sent out a stern message to Pakistan with Parliament strongly condemning the Pakistan Military Court’s verdict sentencing Jadhav to death on charges of spying. File photo

Islamabad, April 13

The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday declined to comment on the death sentence awarded to alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, saying the world body was not in a position to judge the case.“We are not in a position to judge the process or to have a position on this particular case,” The Dawn quoted UN secretary general’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, as replying to a poser.“Overall in terms of relations between India and Pakistan, we underline and continue to underline the need for the parties to find a peaceful solution and to engage through engagement and dialogue,” he added.Earlier, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif ruled out any possibility of an immediate execution of Jadhav, citing three appellate forums were available for him under the law.India has sent out a stern message to Pakistan with Parliament strongly condemning the Pakistan Military Court’s verdict sentencing Jadhav to death on charges of spying.

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Replying to the issue in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour on April 11, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that the government would do whatever is possible to give justice to Jadhav.Singh said India’s request for basic consular access to Jadhav was repeatedly denied.External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in a suo motu statement made in both Houses of Parliament, warned Islamabad of consequences in bilateral relations if the death sentence on Jadhav was carried out.She said if the decision of the Pakistani court was implemented, it would be a pre-meditated murder asserting that there was no evidence against Jadhav.There were also strong protests in front of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.Jadhav, who was arrested in March last year by Pakistan and accused by the country of spying, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on Monday triggering tension between India and Pakistan.Observers and experts on criminal or espionage-related laws in a majority of countries have suggested that the death sentence against Jadhav is a clear violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention that makes it mandatory for every government to provide consular access to an arrested foreign national by officials of his/her government. ANI

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat greets ex-servicemen and their families on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the 11th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles in Dehradun on Saturday.

Tribune News service

Dehradun, April 9

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat participated in the golden jubilee celebrations of 11th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles held here yesterday evening. Congratulating the ex-servicemen on the occasion, he said he was proud that he came from an Army family. His father served in the Indian Army.  He said each household in Uttarakhand was connected to the armed forces in one way or the other. He said the youth of the state aspired to serve in the armed forces and a majority of the youth were serving the nation. He wished the Garhwal Rifles good luck. He also met the ex-servicemen and their families present on the occasion.

The British attitude towards its former colonies, and now Europe, is one of being inadequately rewarded. For the first time since Partition, Britain is in retreat. 70 years ago, it looked away from India, carrying its spoils and treasures to the extent it could, leaving behind borders and hatreds that still bleed today.

John Lockwood Kipling with his son Rudyard Kipling.

Drawing of a wood carver, from a collection depicting craftsmen of the North-West Provinces of British India, Lockwood Kipling. Courtesy: Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The wooden sculpture of a tiger felling a British soldier

 

THAT the castles and museums of the United Kingdom are filled with the treasures of its former colonies is a fact well known to all. Upon entering Windsor Castle one sees the crown (among various others) of the kingdom of Togo. Also on display are other things from other kings: the finery of Maharaja Ranjit Singh stares from inside one glass case; a 500-year-old Persian carpet adorns the cordoned-off centre of another room. The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) houses one of Tipu Sultan’s swords and the infamous musical organ carved into a wooden sculpture of a tiger felling a British soldier. If the British feel any remorse about their plunder, it is not made explicit in the arrangement of such objects. Instead, how these artefacts are curated, presented and lit all seem to reiterate what the British very likely believe: the exemplary safekeeping and artful exhibition is a favour to those to whom these objects belong, who would have otherwise destroyed, smuggled or sold them off.One of the latest exhibitions mounted in the V&A follows a similar line. Comprised mostly of objects from the museum’s extensive collection, the exhibit titled “Lockwood Kipling: Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London” commemorates the career of the man who was father to Rudyard Kipling and the force behind the Mayo School of Industrial Arts, now National College of Arts, in Lahore. It is a tale compellingly told through Kipling’s sketches of local craftsmen, intricately carved doors from Chiniot and beautiful silver inkwells. In one alcove, a movie about Lahore, its colours splashing and vibrant, plays on a loop. The courtyard of the Badshahi Mosque looms on the wall, its frescoes and motifs splayed with high-definition intensity before the visitors milling about.John Lockwood Kipling, of course, did not construct the Badshahi Mosque, and nothing in the exhibition makes any such explicit claim. At the same time, the arrangement of the objects, and the anointing of Lockwood Kipling as a curator, illustrator, architectural sculptor and visionary par excellence presents a very particular thesis regarding the British and their activities in India. Pages from The Journal of Indian Art, his crucial role in the establishment of art schools in Bombay and Lahore, his training of craftspeople, and his conversion of ordinary objects into objects of art all point to the larger premise that the British hold dear: without them there would be no Indian art, and definitely no appreciation of art.This, then, is the more pernicious thesis about empire, increasingly en vogue and cherished in post-Brexit Britain. The day I happened to walk through the exhibit was in fact Brexit Day, the official occasion when British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered the letter to her European Union counterparts. The year since the Brexit vote – and the months to come in which its details will be spelled out – has undoubtedly been one of great uncertainty for the British. Those who voted to leave allege they gave more than they got back, that being in the EU was a raw deal, not quite worth it. There had never been enough reciprocity, never enough gratitude, never much deference or appreciation. All of these premises are interesting to consider when walking through the Lockwood Kipling exhibit at the V&A and its effusive homage to a man who is feted as doing so much for Indian art. While Britain’s relationship with the rest of Europe was certainly not the exploitative one that defined its colonial enterprise, there are some commonalities of tone and tenor here that are worth noting. Chief among them is the premise that Britons generally give more than they receive. This precept is everywhere in the Lockwood exhibit, in the sketches that show how much the elder Kipling valued the craftspeople he met, and in the colleges he set up so that Indian craftsmanship would endure. It is, in sum, a message to fellow Britons: we have done much ‘good’ in the world, and the world has not paid us back.All of this is, of course, a lie. The British plundered India, used its natural resources, eviscerated its existing institutions and generally created a hierarchy that they dominated and that enabled them to cart away India’s treasures for the sort of “safekeeping” they still claim to be undertaking. The former colonies who suffered under them have long known these British claims to be untruths; they have also – in the hundreds of years since the British arrived and the 70 since they left – been forced to reckon with the aftermath, with the realisation that the lost glory of the past – whether it was Mughal or Ottoman or Rajput – cannot be the basis of the victories of the present. Perhaps, for the first time since Partition, Britain is once again in retreat. Seventy years ago, it looked away from India, carrying away its spoils and treasures to the extent it could, leaving behind borders and hatreds that still bleed today. Now, it turns away from Europe with the same sulky petulance, the same attitude of having been inadequately rewarded for its imaginary magnanimity. This second retreat, however, while different in character and circumstance, suggests an inwards gaze that the British have perhaps not seen since the colonial era. If the British Empire in retreat created revisionist histories that placed colonisers at the heart of the preservation of the subcontinent’s art and heritage, post-Brexit Britain will similarly create ones that suit the purposes of the present. In a supreme irony, the conquering British of the past can, in this sense, learn from those it once conquered—Pakistanis and Indians and others who are used to looking back, indeed, very far back — for consolation and confirmation of their own glory.By arrangement with the Dawn

Harjit Sajjan, Canadian Defence Minister

KV Prasad

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 7

Taking forward the bilateral relations on to the next stage, Punjab-born Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan will be travelling to New Delhi and Punjab later this month.Sajjan is scheduled to arrive on April 17 for an interaction with Defence Minister Arun Jaitley as both countries look to increase engagement in the sector. India and Canada at present have agreed  to explore cooperation in cold climate warfare, peacekeeping, participation in Defence Staff College training, naval linkages and staff exchanges, as also in Defence Research and Development, specially security science and technology.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“This  visit is about what can we do more… how can we expand… it is an exploratory visit to provide stimulus for defence sector cooperation,” Canadian High Commissioner Nadir Patel told the Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents here.On the concerns over radical groups, especially from Punjab remaining active in Canada, he said while the issue does come up during official interactions, a vast majority of Sikhs are making meaningful contribution to the Canadian society and were peace-loving. However, when any laws are broken, the authorities will act immediately and security agencies in Canada take these [violations] seriously, he said. India and Canada have two separate dialogues, a Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and a meeting between Deputy National Security Advisors. Among the 12 lakh Canadian-Indians, some five lakh are emigrants from Punjab while the Gujaratis at three lakh are the second largest.The High Commissioner said investment in India is now hovering around  Canadian $14-15 billion, in pension funds and large-scale infrastructure operations. There are some 1,000 Canadian companies doing business with India.Some 40 per cent of the pulses India consumes are imported from Canada with the two-way trade recording $8 billion. “Most Indians may not be aware that the potato finger chips they have are produced by Canadian company McCain while Bombardier supplies coaches for Metro.”Patel said there has been a 70 per cent rise in the number of students who preferred to pursue quality education at a lesser cost in Canada, while tourism grew at 16 per cent.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 29

The Haryana Home Department has said that all arms licences will become invalid if not generated with the Unique Identification Number (UIN) after March 31 and directed that all licenses after March 31, 2016, be fed into the new Arms Licence Issuance System (ALIS) and generated with the UIN.Stating this here today, a spokesman of the department said in a written communication, all District Magistrates, Joint Commissioner of Police, Faridabad and Gurugram; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Panchkula; and the State Project Coordinator, National Informatics Centre (NIC), Chandigarh, had been directed to ensure that all licences fed in the old National Database of Arms Licenses (NDAL) System up to April 1, 2016, be generated with the UIN number. They had also been asked to inform within 15 days about the progress made so far in this regard to the office of Additional Chief Secretary, Home, he said.The spokesman said directions had been issued to upload the details of every arms licence on the NDAL or NDAL-ALIS software and UIN of every arms licensee generated on or before March 31, 2017, in NDAL. Also, it had been directed that the officials of the Licensing Authority would coordinate with the officials of Immigration, Visa and Foreigner’s Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) of NIC or District Informatics Officers and get the login ID and password generated.

BUDGAM ENCOUNTER: MILITANT GUNNED DOWN, 3 CIVILIANS KILLED IN CLASHES

THERMAL IMAGERS WITH POOR BATTERY LIFE HAMPER ARMY OPS

TREATMENT METTED OUT TO ARMY VECHILES IN KASMIR

GUNFIGHT VIDEOS BESIEGE SOCIAL MEDIA

KAPURTHALA SAINIK SCHOOL IN TATTERS

AK-47, MIG FIGHTER MAKER EYES INDIA, INDONESIA TO JOIN DEFENCE ELITE

CLASHES NEAR ENCOUNTER; 3 DIE

BAJWA WANTS QUOTA IN SECURITY FORCES FOR BORDER YOUTH

TAX GHOST FOR AAM ADMI

FUSION BANDS AT DOGRA REUNION

PUNJAB NEWS 29 MARCH 2017

• Guv addresses Assembly, showcases financial bankruptcy of Punjab
• Capt Amarinder Singh takes on Parkash Singh Badal on CPS issue
• No change in red beacon policy, says Punjab CM
• White Paper on state’s fiscal mess: Guv
• Bill on CPS post in Budget session, says Amarinder
• Bir Devinder, Arshi ask govt not to give vehicles to MLAs
• Liquor vend draw today
• Lal Singh is Mandi Board Chairman
• Govt to observe Tohra’s death anniv
• Farmers get auction notices, want debt waiver expedited
• Delay in services defy purpose of Sewa Kendras
• No Badal-bashing by guv, but focus on ‘inheritance of loss’
• Time ticking on poll promise, govt says 485 drug dealers nabbed in 10 days
• U­TURN GOVT PUTS PROCESS ON HOLD TILL FURTHER ORDERS, MANY CONG LEADERS AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE OBJECTED TO THE REVIEW ORDER
• Faux pas by transport dept leaves Cong govt red-faced

The Union Finance has got away with changes to 40 laws without MPs, barring a few, noticing them or raising their voice against such unilateralism. Passing or changing laws without debate weakens the parliamentary institution and democracy, and fuels autocratic tendencies. The Speaker allowing the unethical clubbing of non-money law amendments with the Finance Bill 2017 was bad enough; doing it at the eleventh hour was clever but ugly. Jaitley would not have been that easily successful had India’s parliamentarians been half as awake, alert and assertive as their counterparts in the US who have forced an all-powerful President to withdraw a healthcare Bill meant to replace Obamacare.Apart from flouting the Supreme Court order on Aadhaar and putting to risk of theft or misuse the personal data of citizens, the government has introduced a last-minute amendment that empowers tax officials to search and seize anyone’s property if they have “reason to believe”, or are satisfied, “that for the purpose of protecting the interest of revenue, it is necessary to do so.” They need not disclose or explain to anyone — even the appellate tribunal – the reason for the raid. Worse, the law applies retrospectively—1962 onwards. In post-1975 cases property can be confiscated. Another amendment seeks to remove the limits imposed on companies donating to political parties. It will delete the provision requiring them to disclose donations. In one stroke corporate funding of politicians has been made anonymous by a government that insists on citizens’ transparency in financial transactions.Yet another objectionable amendment attempts to wind up, merge or overhaul tribunals which take up for adjudication subjects previously handled by the Supreme Court. Set up by various Acts of Parliament, these tribunals will come under the Centre, which will fix terms for the appointment and removal of their chairpersons and members. Post Emergency tools meant to whittle down the judiciary’s independence, tribunals will now be under Central control. Being made part of the Finance Bill means these amendments with far-reaching consequences will get passed without scrutiny either by Parliament or its standing committees.

The government has already withdrawn security from former Akali leaders and some sitting MPs. Tribune file photo

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

At least 585 policemen on security duty with politicians and their aides are now available for general policing following the pruning of security. The number is expected to swell further.The development is part of the Congress government’s move to curtail the VIP culture where security guards had become a means to show off one’s status and harass the public.The details of the withdrawn security are stated in an interim report of a committee headed by DGP (Law and Order) HS Dhillon to review security to constitutional and public functionaries.The report submitted to DGP Suresh Arora lists details of the political leaders, including former elected members, their staff and advisers who were given security seven to eight times more than allowed as per rules.Arora said the report would be submitted to the government soon after the pruning of security. “The first phase involved leaders of all political parties. The committee is analysing security given to certain other individuals now.”The government has already withdrawn security from former Akali leaders and some sitting MPs. Prominent among them are Akali leaders Sikander Singh Maluka, who had 31 guards, Gulzar Singh Ranike and Surjit Singh Rakhra, who had 18 and 17 guards, respectively.Those spared are top Akali leaders, including former CM Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and former Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia as they are availing Z-plus security.

Badals spared

• The details of the withdrawn security are stated in a report of a committee headed by HS Dhillon
• Those spared are former CM Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and former Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia

Post-riots, slew of rewards, reforms in Gurdaspur jail

Cellphones seized from the jail. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

The Gurdaspur prison authorities have announced several rewards for inmates who showed “exemplary behaviour” during the rioting in the jail on Friday night.According to an official spokesperson, the jail authorities presented four barracks with TV sets, while giving the go-ahead for the establishment of a bakery unit for prisoners desirous of doing factory work.More than 25 prisoners who had requested their transfer to other prisons for personal reasons have been shifted to the jails of their choice/hometown.About four dozen cases of leave, pending with the DC’s office, have been cleared, the spokesperson added.The barrack in which trouble started will be converted into an activity centre, with computer, English, yoga and music classes set to commence next week.A special IGNOU enrolment drive has started in the prison, with 31 inmates responding to the prison officials’ initiative to join various courses (BA, LLB etc).

10 mobile phones seized from Hoshiarpur prisonHoshiarpur: Ten mobile phones, two chargers and two headphones were recovered from various barracks of the Hoshiarpur jail during a search that started last night and continued till the wee hours of on Sunday. Jail Superintendent Vikramjeet Singh Panthey stated that the search was conducted by the prison staff led by Deputy Superintendent Harbhajan Singh, Assistant Superintendent Asha Nand and Naginder Singh — on the directions of ADGP (Jails) Rohit Chowdhury. One mobile phone each was recovered from barrack numbers 14, 18, 19 and 22 and two each from barrack numbers 15, 17 and 12. None of these phones had a SIM card. The city police station has been asked to investigate the matter and take action against the accused. OC

Ministers take houses meant for Speaker, Leader of Oppn

AAP says govt should follow the set practice

Congress minister Charanjit Singh Channi

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

Even as the Congress government opened its inning by taking steps to shun the VIP culture, some of his ministers have taken fancy to particular government accommodation.Two Cabinet ministers have preferred houses at Sector 2 here which are designated for the constitutional posts of the Speaker and the Leader of Opposition. The move has invited strong criticism from AAP.In the house allotment cleared by the Chief Secretary, Cabinet Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has retained House No. 46 otherwise designated for the Leader of Opposition. Prior to Channi becoming the CLP leader in the last Assembly, the house remained with Sunil Jakhar and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal in their capacity as the Leader of Opposition.Channi claimed that it was wrong to say it was designated house of the CLP leader. “The house has been in possession of Bhattal when she was Deputy CM and a minister. Since I am already occupying this house, it was allotted to me. Moreover, the house allotment is the prerogative of the CM,” he said.Leader of Opposition HS Phoolka said he had not raised any demand, but the government should respect the democratic practice in the matter.Similarly, the house designated for the Speaker (House No. 42) has been allotted to Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu. Earlier, the house was in possession of previous Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal. The new Speaker has been allotted House No. 10, which was earlier allotted to Madan Mohan Mittal, BJP minister in the previous government.“The matter may not be raised since the Speaker is from the ruling party. But it is against the democratic practice,” said an official.KP set to be SpeakerWhile Rana KP Singh is set to be elected as the Speaker on Monday, Ajiab Singh Bhatti, Tarsem Singh DC and Vijay Inder Singla are frontrunners for the post of Deputy Speaker.Seats to be finalisedIt is learnt that after AAP objected to seat allocation to its MLAs and those of its allies in the Assembly, a revised seating arrangements as per the party position and defined norms has been given to AAP and the SAD. The seat allocation will be changed after consulting both parties.

Matters of house

• Cabinet Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has retained House No 46 in Sector 2, Chandigarh, otherwise designated for the Leader of Opposition
• The house designated for the Speaker (House No 42) has been allotted to Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Cong MLA asks depts about ‘favours’ sought by Akali leader

Barinder Singh Pahra

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, March 26

Barinder Singh Pahra, Congress MLA from Gurdaspur, has asked government departments to prepare a list of works done by former SAD legislator from GS Babbehali without following a procedure. Babbehali was the Gurdaspur MLA from 2007 to 2017 before Pahra unseated him in the recent Assembly elections.Pahra yesterday convened a meeting of Health, Rural Development and Panchayats and Transport departments, and the Municipal Committee (MC), asking officials to submit details of “favours” sought by the former MLA before March 29. He said based on these inputs, he would present a ‘white paper’ to the state government.The trigger for such a move was snapping of power supply to streetlights. The MC has run up an electricity bill of nearly Rs 13 crore over 10 years. Pahra questioned the civic body as to why the bill was pending for so long.Sources said the MC failed to pay the dues as funds were diverted to other works against the rules. MC chief Narinder Shampy is a Babbehali loyalist. For the past several years, SAD councilors are in majority in the House.

CM for crackdown on traffic violators

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

Taking a serious note of the death of eight persons in two major road accidents in less than 24 hours, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has directed the state Transport Department to expedite the process of review of bus permits and take all illegally plying buses off the roads at the earliest.The Chief Minister has warned the officials concerned that no laxity on these issues will be tolerated.The review process, which covers former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s Orbit buses that have been in the news for their violation of road safety rules, has already started, an official spokesperson said.He said Saturday’s accident in Barnala, in which four persons were killed, involved a speeding Orbit bus.He has also directed the traffic enforcement authorities to crack down on speeding and violation of traffic rules by vehicles, especially buses, and asked the department to examine the feasibility of installing speed governors in public transport.The Chief Minister has ordered the Transport Department and the traffic police to launch a statewide drive to prevent such mishaps.Capt Amarinder has also asked the department to check the possibility of installation of speed governors in public transport, especially buses and trucks, which are found to be the main reason in a majority of the road accidents in the state. InDecember last year, 12 teachers had died in a fog-related road mishap in Fazilka district.

All SHOs transferred in Muktsar

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, March 26

All 10 Station House Officers (SHOs) in the district were transferred today.Inspector Bikramjit Singh had been shifted as the SHO, Lambi; Inspector Narinder Singh as the SHO (City), Muktsar; and Inspector Baljit Singh as the SHO (Sadar), Muktsar.Inspectors Balkar Singh and Boota Singh have been shifted as SHO (City), Malout, and SHO (Sadar), Malout, police stations.The other SHOs and their new postings are: Sub-Inspector (SI) Periwinkle Grewal, Gidderbaha; SI Jaswant Singh, Kabarwala; SI Gurwinder Singh, Bariwala; Inspector Puran Chand, Lakhewali; and SI Paramjit Singh, Kotbhai.A police spokesperson termed the transfers as “routine”, ruling out political interference.Attempts to contact Baljot Singh Rathore, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), proved futile. Jaspal Singh, Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Muktsar, said he was out of station.Muktsar is the home district of SAD patron and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

HC asks CS to intervene in marriage palaces’ row

The Bench was told that incorrect information about sealing of marriage palaces had been provided. file photo

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Punjab Chief Secretary to intervene after the Bench was told about the supply of incorrect information about sealing of marriage palaces. He has been asked to depute a “responsible officer not below joint secretary’s rank for being present in the court on the next date of hearing for rendering assistance.Taking a serious view of the matter, Justice Rajan Gupta also made it clear that the prayer for appointing a local commissioner to conduct a survey would also be considered on the next date of hearing.

As the petition filed by Kulwinder Singh against IAS officer Vishwajit Khanna and other respondents came up for resumed hearing, amicus curiae or the friend of the court Ravi Kamal Gupta referred to the affidavit dated February 28 filed on the state’s behalf. He told the court that the affidavit contained incorrect information. “Some marriage palaces stated to have been sealed are still functioning. Besides, there is nothing to show that any action has been taken against the marriage palaces which have encroached upon the forestland,” he added.The amicus also told the court that “certain such structures” functioning as marriage palaces were near a cantonment area. They were functioning without sanction to operate as marriage palaces. He also sought the appointment of a local commissioner “in the light of affidavit filed by the state”.The state counsel sought additional time to seek instructions and apprise the court. The contempt petition has its genesis in an order passed by the High Court on January 21, 2012.A Division Bench had set a three-month deadline for the state to consider the cases of “shutdown” of marriage palaces after the court was told that the government had framed policy guidelines for regularisation of existing and new marriage palaces.

Govt doles out slew of sops for inmates in Gurdaspur jail

JAILBREAK BID Day after, prison authorities announced several rewards for inmates who showed good behaviour during the rioting

From page 01 CHANDIGARH/GURDASPUR: The Gurdaspur Central Jail authorities announced several rewards and sops for inmates as normalcy returned to the prison on Sunday.

HT PHOTONormalcy returned to the Gurdaspur Central Jail on Sunday.

The authorities got cracking on the task of introducing sweeping reforms in the prison, on the directions of Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday. The authorities arranged for a team of doctors to check on inmates in all the barracks. The team did not come across any incident of even minor injury.

In a sign of gratitude for protecting and saving the lives of four staff members during the rioting by about 150 inmates, the jail authorities have presented four barracks with TV sets, while giving a go-ahead for the establishment of a bakery unit for prisoners desirous of doing work.

In another gesture, more than 25 prisoners who had requested their transfer to other prisons for personal reasons have been shifted to the jails of their choice.

Further, nearly four dozen cases of leave, pending with the DC office, have been given the sanction as a reward to inmates who did not join the rioting mob of miscreants, said the spokesperson.

A helpline is being launched in the DC office for expediting parole requests, while arrangements are being made to provide the prisoners with special facilities to meet their relatives for the whole of next week.

The barrack in which the trouble started will be converted into an activity centre, with computer, English, yoga and music classes set to commence next week, the spokesperson said.

Further, a special IGNOU enrolment drive has started in the prison, with 31 inmates responding to the prison officials’ encouragement to join various courses (Matric, 10+2, BA, Basic, LLB).

Talking to HT, jail superintendent Dilbgah Singh Gill said, “Normalcy has returned to the jail and we are in talks with the inmates. A few gangsters and hardcore criminals had created the ruckus. We have formed a peace committee comprising officials and prisoners to look into the issues.”

On the reasons behind the violence, Gill said some inmates claim that warders were rude to them. “But the basic reason is that we intensified checking and surveillance to check flow of drugs and use of mobile phones. Some hardcore criminals felt suffocated and resorted to violence out of frustration,” Gill said.

Inmates had gone on rampage on Friday and the violence escalated through the night, during which warders were beaten up, furniture was burnt and a hole was carved out in the boundary wall of the jail by the prisoners in a bid to flee. The situation was brought under control by SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) commandos and other cops numbering around 3,000. Tear gas shells and gunshots were fired to thwart the jailbreak attempt.

Sidhu in full flow as he adds colour to his thanksgiving event in Amritsar East

SIDHU IS VISITING EACH OF THE 153 WARDS OF HIS CONSTITUENCY TO THANK THE VOTERS FOR HIS VICTORY IN THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

AMRITSAR:From riding an Enfield motorcycle to doing bhangra to the beats of ‘dhol’, taking blessings from elders to helping the handicapped — it was super Sunday for cabinet minister Navjot Sidhu who paid a visit to his Amritsar (East) constituency to thank people for his victory in the elections.

SAMEER SEHGAL/HTPunjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu performing bhangra with party workers at Mudhal village in Amritsar on Sunday.

As part of his thanksgiving initiative, Sidhu is visiting each of the 153 wards of his constituency.

Dressed in black, Sidhu reached Mudhal village of his constituency to kick off his day. A cricketer turned politician who is also a favourite face in television was a star among residents. As many rushed for photographs and selfies, he obliged them all.

Apart from a flurry of public addresses where he promised development of the segment, he also urged the party workers and leaders to stay united.

He met the residents, touched feet of the elders and took their blessings. Spotting a physically challenged on a tricycle, he was quickly took ₹1000 out of his pocket and gave it to him.

As youngsters went crazy for a ‘selfie’ with the star, Sidhu not only obliged them all, but also shook a leg or two to the beats of ‘dhol’ when requested by this fans.

Winding up the visit, he assured the people of his constituency that he would pay back the love and support shown to him through development and better governance.

The three-time Amritsar MP, who left the Bharatiya Janata Party and later joined the Congress in January just days ahead of the February 4 assembly elections in Punjab, won the Amritsar East assembly seat, earlier held by his wife Navjot Kaur, with a margin of over 42,000 votes.

A file photo of a US F-16. —PTI

Washington, March 25

Two top Senators have urged the Trump administration to push for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to India to build its capability to counter security threats and balance China’s growing military power in the Pacific.

Senators Mark Warner from Virginia and John Cornyn from Texa in a joint letter to US Defence Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, the Trump administration must make the fighter jet acquisition a priority during initial bilateral discussions with India.

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India has launched an effort to expand its combat aircraft fleet and the competition has reportedly narrowed down to Lockheed’s F-16 and Saab’s Gripen.

Noting that the last F-16 for the US Air Force rolled off the production line in Fort Worth in 1999, the two Senators said India remains the only major F-16 prospect customer.

“A primary factor in India’s decision will be compliance with Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, which will require establishing some level of local production capacity,” Warner and Cornyn wrote.

“Given the strategic significance of India selecting a US aircraft as the mainstay for its future Air Force and the potential for a decision this year, we ask that the administration make the fighter acquisition a priority during initial bilateral discussions,” they said.

Warner, who is a Democrat and Cornyn from the Republican Party are the co-chairs of the influential Senate India caucus, the only country specific caucus in the US Senate.

“We urge you to weigh in forcefully with the White House on the strategic significance of this deal, both to America’s defence industrial base and to our growing security partnership with India,” said the letter dated March 23.

Making a strong case for the sale of F-16s to India, the two Senators said this would represent a historic win for America that will deepen the US-India strategic defence relationship and cement cooperation between our two countries for decades to come.

“It would increase interoperability with a key partner and dominant power in South Asia, build India’s capability to counter threat from the north, and balance China’s growing military capability in the Pacific,” they said.

India, they said, increasingly serves as an integral partner in the United States’ security architecture in the volatile South Asia region, helping to protect our joint interests and deter common threats, and has emerged as a critical trading partner, they noted.

As such “it is in our national interest to work with India to progress democratic principles through regional security partnership and burden sharing,” they said.

“To this end, we support the co-production of our legacy F-16 aircraft in India to help sustain the United States’ current fleet of aircraft and aid a critical Indian security need with a proven American product,” Cornyn and Warner wrote.

The competition for the fighter jets, they wrote, presents an opportunity to solidify and strengthen the significant gains made in the bilateral US-India defence relationship over the two previous administrations, they said. —PTI