Existing three federal economic immigration programs under Express Entry to be replaced by a single consolidated pathway

In a development that could impact thousands of Punjabis aspiring to settle in Canada, the Canadian government has announced plans to replace the existing three federal economic immigration programs under Express Entry with a single consolidated pathway.

According to the government’s Forward Regulatory Plan for 2026-2028, released recently, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) will be repealed and merged into one “federal high-skilled immigration class”.

This information is based on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s official Forward Regulatory Plan 2026-2028 released on April 8.

It says the move aims to simplify the increasingly complex Express Entry system, introduced in 2015, and make it more responsive to Canada’s current labour market demands.

“The goal is to simplify a system that has become increasingly complex and better align immigration with current labour market needs,” the regulatory plan states.

Under the proposed changes, eligibility criteria for entering the Express Entry pool will be unified. Applicants will require at least one year of skilled work experience (either Canadian or foreign), a minimum language proficiency of CLB 6 and a high school education as the baseline qualification. The existing separate rules for each program will be removed.

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) used to invite candidates is also expected to undergo revision. Greater weightage is likely to be given to higher earnings, valid job offers in in-demand occupations and strong labour market performance, while points for certain factors like Canadian education or a sibling in Canada may be reduced or eliminated.

This overhaul is being seen as one of the most substantial structural changes to Canada’s skilled immigration system in over a decade. Immigration experts believe it will benefit candidates with strong job offers and high-paying skills but could alter the competitive edge currently enjoyed by certain applicant profiles.

The proposal is currently at the planning stage. Public and stakeholder consultations are scheduled to begin in Spring 2026. Until the changes are finalised and implemented, the existing Express Entry categories will continue to operate as usual.

For the Punjabi diaspora in Canada and aspirants in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, this development signals a potential shift in how permanent residency applications will be processed in the coming years.

What does an emboldened Pakistan mean for India, and how is Islamabad’s strategic calculus likely to shape vis-à-vis India

The two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, the pause in the conflict in West Asia, and the start of talks in Islamabad raised hope for peace. However, an uncertain outcome of the talks has left the ceasefire in jeopardy.  Even though the proposals from the US and Iran have been discussed widely, the details and, more importantly, the future of the talks remain unclear.  Irrespective of the lack of any outcome and the environment of deep mistrust between Tehran and Washington, Pakistan will cherish its position as a mediator and see it as a pathbreaking opportunity to rebuild its much-desired strategic relevance and enhance its credibility in geopolitics. Pakistan positioned itself as a convenient venue given the past complexities related to obvious venues, including the Gulf and Europe.  The Iran crisis has indeed been extremely unnerving for Pakistan, given its high potential to escalate multifold challenges for Islamabad.

pproximately 15 to 20 per cent of Pakistan’s population is Shiite Muslims, and news of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death during a joint US-Israeli air strike on February 28, 2026, led to violent protests in Pakistan. There has been condemnation of the US strikes on Iran, and Pakistan would not risk sectarian tensions at this point, when the country is under massive pressure with the ongoing conflict on the border with Afghanistan.

Tensions have escalated between Islamabad and Kabul, and Pakistan continues to blame the Taliban for patronising and sheltering the militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistan has demanded that Afghanistan formally declare the TTP as a terrorist organisation. TTP has been emboldened post August 2021, expanded its militant network, integrated with existing separatist/insurgent groups, advanced its tactical capabilities and has continued to relentlessly target the security personnel in Pakistan. Islamabad’s punitive measures against Kabul, which include an increase in trade tariffs, closure of border check posts, the repatriation of the Afghan refugees and finally the strikes in mainland Afghanistan leading to significant civilian casualties, have failed to persuade Afghanistan to adhere to the demands of the Pakistani leadership.

Pakistan’s southwestern province, Balochistan, which has remained restive with raging insurgency, cannot remain immune to the ripples of instability and tensions in Iran, given the geographical proximity it shares with Iran. In this respect, two issues are critical.

First, Iran-based Sunni separatist militant group Jaish-al-Adl (Army of Justice) has been reportedly drawing support and emulating the war tactics of the separatist groups in Balochistan in Pakistan, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).  The second issue is the attacks on the  China-Pakistan Economic Corridor by the BLA and the TTP.

Pakistan’s economy is heavily dependent on remittances for its sustenance. Interestingly, around USD 20 billion in remittances come from the Gulf, and instability in the region will dissuade Pakistani nationals from going to the Gulf for work.

On the diplomatic front, Pakistan juggles with complex choices and enjoys the leverage to act as a convenient mediator, given-  Field Marshal Asim Munir’s freshly revived bonhomie with the US President Donald Trump, historical and rich ties with Saudi Arabia, and eternal brotherhood and long-standing alliance with Beijing, a significant stakeholder, given China’s economic and strategic interests and footprint in the region.

The reset of ties with the US has been the top priority for the military-led state, given its deep financial, strategic and reputational interests. Pakistan not only credited President Trump for the ceasefire between India and Pakistan during the May 2025 conflict but also nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Given its desperation to manage its goodwill with the White House, Pakistan refrained from opposing the US and Israel’s strikes in Iran. The best choice for Pakistan was to leverage its position with the Americans and offer itself as a channel of communication between Iran and the US.

Pakistan’s relationship with the Gulf became complicated with the Iran crisis. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share warm historical ties, and the Saudis top the list of Islamabad’s traditional donors and partners for managing financial distress. Iran’s strikes on Saudi Arabia did challenge Pakistan’s commitment to honour the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in September 2025, which includes a clause on a collective defence framework. Although Pakistan had no intentions of engaging militarily in the Iran crisis, it repeatedly communicated Riyadh’s displeasure to Tehran and also reminded Tehran of the SMDA.

Pakistan is facing strategic complexities and security challenges within and from all sides of its borders. The likelihood of a Kabul-Islamabad truce is extremely bleak, given the history of the strained relationship between the two neighbours. The TTP is the dominating issue at this point, but the fact is that bilateral tensions have complex dimensions, including the contested Durand Line and Pashtun nationalism in Pakistan’s frontier province. Pakistan-India tensions continue, and Pakistan’s projected threat perceptions seem to have intensified with Pakistan’s inability to address its economic vulnerabilities and security challenges. Continuation of the crisis in Iran will have serious strategic, financial and sectarian repercussions for Pakistan and Islamabad’s integration in the peace process is well understood.

China’s role has been that of a relatively silent but effective player in the process. Beijing is a significant trading partner for Iran and the largest importer of Gulf energy resources. As much as China’s power calculus would welcome a dent in US dominance, a prolonged war in West Asia would hit Beijing’s energy supplies, damage the prospects of its export markets, and threaten its strategic investments in the region. Beijing’s engagement in the ceasefire process provided Pakistan with an element of credibility and neutrality. Pakistan and China also issued a joint five-point peace proposal.

While the result of the US-Iran negotiations remains uncertain, Pakistan certainly sees itself as a beneficiary and will be emboldened. Its reinforced relationship with the US could potentially revive the much aspired security assistance from Washington. Two questions are crucial in this context for New Delhi:

1) Will the diplomatically bolstered Pakistan use this opportunity to build its strengths as a nation-state?

2) What does an emboldened Pakistan mean for India, and how is Pakistan’s strategic calculus likely to shape vis-à-vis India?

The end of the Naxal menace in Chhattisgarh and with it the classification of Nelangur, a remote village in the state’s Narayanpur district, as a “highly sensitive” zone has finally resulted in residents there getting relief from their most worrisome problem – lack of water.

For the first time, every household in the village has received tap water connection that is now functional, ending a long struggle with scarcity of one of life’s essentials, officials said on Sunday.

The development comes shortly after Chhattisgarh, particularly the Bastar region, which had grappled with Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) for over four decades, was declared free of armed Maoists on March 31. Narayanpur is one of the seven districts of Bastar region.

“Located in the rugged Orchha block near the Maharashtra border, Nelangur was once classified as a highly sensitive zone. The difficult terrain and past security concerns had made the delivery of basic services a monumental challenge for the state administration,” a government official admitted.

The arrival of tap water reflects sustained administrative efforts to integrate the most remote corners of the state into the developmental mainstream, Narayanpur Collector Namrata Jain said in a release.

“The water supply system was established under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Water is being lifted from the source using solar-powered pumps and supplied directly to homes through pipelines. This has ensured a steady supply while reducing dependence on the conventional electricity grid,” she said.

For the residents of Nelangur, located 52 km from the district headquarters, the project has been life-changing, she said.

Women, who previously trekked long distances to fetch water, said the doorstep delivery has eased their daily routines and improved hygiene standards.

The pace of development in the region picked up significantly after a security camp was established jointly by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and state police in the village in April last year, officials said.

Connectivity has also improved with the introduction of a regular bus service between Narayanpur and Nelangur under the Mukhyamantri Bus Seva scheme.

The successful implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in Nelangur serves as a testament to the government’s reach in border areas, further strengthening public trust in the state’s post-conflict reconstruction efforts, they added.

The government declared Chhattisgarh Naxal-free on March 31 this year after a relentless campaign by security forces deep into the forested strongholds of the ultras left the movement without leaders and cadre, most getting neutralised or preferring to lay down arms.

India on Sunday said China’s move to assign “fictitious names” to Indian territory to manufacture “baseless narratives” cannot alter the reality but could impact ongoing efforts to normalise bilateral ties.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi “categorically rejects” any “mischievous attempts” by the Chinese side to assign such names to places which form part of the Indian territory.

India had reacted sharply when China resorted to renaming certain places in Arunachal Pradesh in May last year as well as in April 2024.

“India categorically rejects any mischievous attempts by the Chinese side to assign fictitious names to places which form part of the territory of India,” Jaiswal said.

“Such attempts by China at introducing false claims and manufacturing baseless narratives cannot alter the undeniable reality that these places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, were, are, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” he said.

Jaiswal said these actions by the Chinese side “detract from ongoing efforts to stabilise and normalise India-China bilateral ties”.

“China should refrain from actions which inject negativity into relations and undermine efforts to create a better understanding,” he said.

Jaiswal was responding to a media query on the issue.

The relations between the two countries witnessed a major downturn following the 2020 eastern Ladakh border row. In the last one-and-a-half years, the two sides have initiated a series of measures to rebuild the relations.

In a fresh list released recently, China has renamed certain places in the Indian territory.

The Chinese Civil Affairs Ministry released the first list of the standardised names of six places in Zangnan in 2017, while the second list of 15 places was issued in 2021, followed by another list with names for 11 places in 2023.

Zangan is the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet.

Traders rush to save their goods, face delay in arrival of fire tenders

Several shops in the heritage market of Kasauli town were gutted in a fire which broke out in the early hours of Monday.

According to onlookers, the fire was triggered by a blast in an LPG cylinder in one of the shops, and it soon spread to nearby establishments.

According to preliminary information, three restaurants and a chemist shop suffered immense damage. The situation worsened as multiple LPG cylinders exploded one after the other, thus intensifying the blaze.

Fire tenders have been rushed from nearby areas, like Parwanoo, to assist in firefighting operations, as there was no let up in the fire.

Traders rushed to the spot in an attempt to save their goods but battled problems, like delay in arrival of fire tenders, said Nitin Sahu, a local trader.

Huge plumes of black cloud were seen rising in the sky from a distance, as the blaze was yet to be controlled till 7:00 am this morning.

COL SS RAJAN Bombay sappers FROM BANGLORE JOINS BACK ALL INDIA SANJHA MORCHA

Govt hikes windfall tax on diesel to Rs 55.5/litre, ATF to Rs 42/litre

Army Chief reviews indigenous drone tech in Bengaluru

Colonel Sonam Wangchuk, the Kargil war hero, dies of heart attack

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My salute to the Sanjha Morcha Fraternity.
Regards, Col Rajan

Col SS Rajan , a veteran who is always is a strong Sapper officers , a daring personality who spearheaded OROP agitation at Jantar Mantar in 2015 , and he has full support from veterans from Southern Sates .

He was an active member of All India Sanjha Morcha but due to his health problems he said good bye to Sanjha Morcha ,now we the Fertility of Sanjha Morcha welcome him back with folded hands to Sanjha mocha family. He is a good writer and takes up veterans cases/problems very aggressively and whole heartedly .

Recently Col SS Rajan( Ex-President South ofSanjha Morcha) being bestowed the Veteran Achiever Award by the COAS on 08 Apr 2026,

Standing from Left to Right:

1. Comdt ASC Centre & College, Bangalore.
2. COAS
3. Col Rajan holding the Veteran Achiever Medallion & Parchments document of the Award.
4. CoS, HQ Dakshin Bharat Area, Chennai.

Govt hikes windfall tax on diesel to Rs 55.5/litre, ATF to Rs 42/litreDuties levied to increase domestic availability of the fuel amid the war in West Asia

The government on Saturday hiked export duty, or windfall tax, on diesel to Rs 55.5 per litre and on aviation fuel ATF to Rs 42 a litre.

The duty hikes would be applicable with immediate effect, the finance ministry said in a notification.

The government had, on March 26, imposed an export duty of Rs 21.50 a litre on diesel, and Rs 29.5 per litre on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). The duties were levied to increase domestic availability of the fuel amid the war in West Asia.

They were also aimed at not allowing exporters to take undue advantage due to price differences, as globally crude oil prices had risen since the beginning of the war.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, triggering sweeping retaliation from Tehran.

On April 8, Iran, the United States and Israel agreed on a two-week ceasefire in the war that tore across the Middle East and disrupted the global energy market.

Export duty on petrol continues to remain nil.

The Army shared images of Gen Dwivedi at NewSpace Research and Technologies

Amid the rapid expansion in the use of drones in warfare, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi reviewed the latest technological developments and assessed private sector capabilities during a visit to Bengaluru.

The Army shared images of Gen Dwivedi at NewSpace Research and Technologies, where he was briefed on indigenous advancements in unmanned and high-altitude systems. One image showed the Chief being presented a drone resembling systems used in the West Asia conflict.

In a post on X, the Army said the interaction highlighted advancements in swarm drone technologies and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) capabilities. These are critical for ensuring persistent surveillance and robust communication support in harsh operational environments.

The Army said its focus remains on harnessing indigenous innovation to enhance situational awareness, enable high-altitude operations and accelerate the integration of autonomous systems.

Following Operation Sindoor, the Northern and Central Army Commands reached out to the domestic industry, seeking technological solutions in drones, artificial intelligence and advanced satellite communication systems.

The Ministry of Defence, in September last year, released the Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR), outlining requirements for a wide range of drone systems.

The Army has asked industry to develop options for ‘kamikaze’ systems, vertically launched anti-tank loitering munitions, high-altitude drones with satellite communication capabilities and drone-based radars capable of detecting targets under tree cover. It has also sought high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance swarms and systems capable of neutralising enemy radars.

In addition, the Army has sought AI-based solutions for decoding and translating intercepted enemy communications, real-time drone threat detection, counter-drone electronic warfare, detection of camouflaged military assets, autonomous signal interception and AI-assisted combat communication systems.

The Northern Command is critically dual-tasked, managing intense security challenges on two fronts — the Line of Control with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Eastern Ladakh. The Central Command oversees areas along the LAC in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

During Kargil War, Colonel Sonam Wangchuk, then a Major, led 30 personnel from Ladakh Scouts to recapture Chorbat La on May 30, 1999

Colonel Sonam Wangchuk (retd), a Kargil war hero awarded the Mahavir Chakra, died of a heart attack at his home on Friday. He had been living a retired life in Ladakh and was about 61 years old.

The Mahavir Chakra is the second-highest wartime gallantry award.

On May 30, 1999, then a Major, Wangchuk was tasked with leading a column of 30 personnel from the Ladakh Scouts to recapture Chorbat La in the Batalik sector along the Line of Control with Pakistan in Ladakh, which had been occupied by the Pakistani Army.

His gallantry award citation stated that while under heavy enemy fire in extreme high-altitude conditions, he initiated a daring counter-ambush, killing 10 enemy soldiers and forcing others to abandon their posts, allowing the unit to take control of the entire ridge.

His actions were vital in clearing the enemy along the Chorbat La axis in the Batalik sector and securing the Line of Control.

Former Indian Army Chief General V.P. Malik, who was heading the Army during the Kargil War (May–July 1999), posted on X: “Very sad to learn about the passing away of Sonam Wangchuk, MVC, Kargil war hero who captured Chorbat La with his Ladakh Scouts troops. A brave leader and a thorough gentleman. Heartfelt condolences to the family. Salute to the braveheart. Om Shanti.”

The Leh-headquartered 14 Corps of the Indian Army posted on X: “The General Officer Commanding and all ranks express profound grief on the untimely demise of Colonel Sonam Wangchuk, MVC (Retired), and extend heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.”

The 14 Corps described him as a distinguished veteran of the Kargil War, remembered for his exemplary courage and inspiring leadership in the Batalik sector. His indomitable spirit and military acumen contributed significantly to the nation’s success in some of the most challenging high-altitude operations.

His legacy of leadership, patriotism, and unwavering commitment to duty will continue to inspire generations, the post said.

Former Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Y.K. Joshi (retd), himself a gallantry awardee of the Kargil War, posted on X: “Very sad to learn about the sudden demise of Col Sonam Wangchuk, MVC, who breathed his last early this morning due to a heart attack. My deepest homage to the brave soldier.”

“Col Wangchuk, a recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra, was a true hero of the Kargil War. His dedication, bravery, and selfless service will be remembered forever. May his soul rest in peace,” he added.