Lahore, January 7

In a significant development, an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar on the charges of terror financing.

The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Gujranwala issued the warrant during a hearing in a terror financing case instituted by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police against some members of the JeM.

“ATC Gujranwala judge Natasha Naseem Supra issued an arrest warrant for Masood Azhar and directed the CTD to arrest him and present him in the court. The CTD told the judge the JeM chief was involved in terror financing and selling jihadi literature,” an official told PTI.

He said the ATC judge issued the arrest warrant for Azhar on the request of a CTD inspector.

Azhar is believed to be hiding in a “safe place” in his native town – Bahawalpur.

Following the Pulwama terror attack in February 2019 in India, Pakistan’s Punjab province police had launched a crackdown on terrorism financing and in this connection arrested six activists of the JeM in Gujranwala, some 130 km from Lahore.

The CTD said its teams raided the whereabouts of the JeM’s “safe house” and arrested its members—Muhammad Afzal, Muhammad Amir, Allah Ditta, Muhammad Iftikhar, Muhammad Ajmal and Muhammad Bilal Makki—and recovered lakhs of rupees from their possession.

“The suspects were collecting funds to finance activities of JeM. The chargesheet against them has been submitted to the Anti-Terrorism Court Gujranwala and they are being interrogated,” the CTD said.

Following immense international pressure after the Pulwama attack, the Pakistan government had arrested over 100 members of banned militant outfits including the JeM chief’s son and brother. The government also took control of the JeM, Mumbai terror attack mastermind Haifiz Saeed’s Jamaat-ud-Dawah (uD) and Falahai Insaniat Foundation (FIF) properties including seminaries and mosques across the country.

JeM had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.

Pakistan’s Punjab government claimed to have taken over the administrative control of the JeM headquarters — comprising Madressatul Sabir and Jama-e-Masjid Subhanallah – in Bahawalpur.

According to the government, some 600 students are studying there and none of them is associated with any banned outfit or involved in any terror activity.

In May 2019, the United Nations designated Azhar a “global terrorist” after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist the Pakistan-based JeM chief, a decade after New Delhi approached the world body for the first time on the issue.

The UN committee listed Azhar on May 1, 2019 as being associated with Al-Qaeda for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of”, “supplying, selling or transferring arms and related material to”, “recruiting for”, “otherwise supporting acts or activities of”, and “other acts or activities indicating association with” the JeM.

Azhar is a fugitive released by India in exchange of passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane IC-814 in 1999.

After his release in 1999, Azhar formed the Jaish-e-Mohammed and scripted many audacious terror strikes in India.

On February 26, 2019 India had launched air strikes on what was said to be JeM’s biggest training camp in Pakistan’s Balakot.

The global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is instrumental in pushing Pakistan to take measures against terrorists roaming freely in Pakistan and using its territory to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere.

The Paris-based FATF placed Pakistan on the Grey List in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action to curb money laundering and terror financing by the end of 2019 but the deadline was extended later on due to COVID-19 pandemic. PTI

New Delhi, January 6

The Indian Air Force has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Defence Studies and Research (IDSR) that would enable IAF officers to undertake doctoral research and post-graduate programmes in various areas, according to an official statement on Wednesday.

The IDSR is an autonomous institution of Gujarat University.

The MoU was signed under the patronage of the Gujarat government on December 29, the Defence Ministry’s statement noted.

“The MoU will enable officers of IAF to undertake doctoral research, post-graduate programme and post-graduate diploma covering various areas of interest that includes defence studies, defence management, national security, aerospace and aviation science and other areas of defence technology,” it mentioned.

As part of Project Akashdeep, the IAF has entered into such partnerships with various prestigious academic institutions to promote research by officers and create a pool of think tanks with strategic knowledge and intellectual skills, said the ministry. PTI

Gurugram, January 6

As the farmers’ demonstration is intensifying day-by-day, Haryana Police have installed barricades at four locations on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway to stop farmers from entering the national capital, resulting in blockages on the national highway.

These four key locations include Kapdiwas Chowk in Gurugram, Masani barrage in Dharuhera, Sangwari village in Rewari and Jaisinghpur Khera (Haryana-Rajasthan border) on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway.

With these blockages which resulted in traffic diversions on the expressway, the commuters going from Jaipur to Delhi and Delhi to Jaipur have to cover an extra 100 km to reach their destination.

Meanwhile, the police have diverted Jaipur-bound vehicles from Bilaspur, Kapriwas and Sidhrawali and Shahpura. Delhi-bound vehicles were diverted from Kotputli and Behror.

The Gurugram police have also set up barricades at Kapdiwas Chowk (Gurugram-Rewari border) after the clash between farmers and the police on Sunday.

With the NH-48 already blocked, heavy traffic movement is being seen on the alternative routes, like Pataudi Road and Kapdiwas Chowk in Gurugram, Bhiwadi in Rajasthan and Masani barrage in Rewari.

Following Sunday’s incident in which a group of farmers had breached police barricades and entered Bawal in Rewari with the intention of marching towards the national capital, Haryana Police along with CRPF, CISF, RAF and anti-riot team have been stationed on the Sabi flyover in Dharuhera located on the expressway to keep an eye on farmers protesting on the highway.

Meanwhile, hundreds of commercial vehicles, including many container trucks, are facing traffic hurdles between Kapdiwas and Masani barrage in Rewari for the past two days, though private and light commercial vehicles headed towards Jaipur are being diverted by the Rewari police towards Bhiwadi at Kapdiwas Chowk.

According to the police, over 2,000 farmers from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana and members of trade unions have gathered at Shahjahanpur (Haryana-Rajasthan border) on the national highway in support of farmers’ demonstration since December 13.

On December 29, farmers had broken the barricades at Shahjahanpur and they had entered Rewari on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, crossing the Shahjahanpur inter-state border in Rajasthan, as the police were not letting them enter Haryana.

“We are in touch with the adjoining districts to manage and control the situation and keep vigil on protesting farmers in Rewari. We have also deployed police personnel in Dharuhera and other protesting sites. In view of the current situation, we have diverted the traffic so that commuters do not face any inconvenience,” said Abhishek Jorwal, superintendent of police (Rewari).

Though both carriageways of the Delhi-Jaipur expressway were blocked at Shahjahanpur border since December 29, the Rewari Police installed containers and put up barricades near Masani barrage in Dharuhera on Sunday evening to stop farmers’ movement towards Delhi.

“Due to this clash between police and farmers the supply of essential things such as milk, vegetables was also hit for families staying in a group residential societies in Dharuhera located between Kapdiwas Chowk and Masani barrage,” said a member of Dharuhera-based RWA.

Aman of Alwar, a daily passenger, who was waiting for a bus at Gurugram’s Rajiv Chowk, said, “Before the farmers’ stir a number of buses were available heading towards Rajasthan but now only a few buses are heading towards Rajasthan and they are asking for extra fare due to route diversion.”

“We have alerted all the senior officials and their teams, and Bilaspur and Manesar police teams are already on alert. Barricades have been put up and extra force has been deployed at all the border points connecting Haryana with other states,” KK Rao, commissioner of police, said.

“We don’t want any confrontation with the police. We are here for our rights and our demonstration against the three agricultural laws will continue till they are rolled back. We will discuss our future course of action after meeting other union members,” said a member of Samyukt Kisan Morcha. IANS

New Delhi, January 6

Camping at protest venues near Delhi borders for around 40 days, braving severe cold and sporadic rain, farmers have asserted that their stir against the farm laws will intensify in the coming days, even as they deferred Wednesday’s proposed tractor march over a bad weather forecast.

The deadlock continues as the seventh round of talks with the Centre remained inconclusive, with the farmer groups sticking to their demand for the repeal of the three new laws, and the government listing out various benefits of the new Acts.

The national capital, meanwhile, reels under a spell of harsh winter. The city woke up on Wednesday to the rumble of thunder and the sound of hailstones hitting rooftops and windows as it received rain for the fourth consecutive day.

The rain, caused by a strong western disturbance, comes on the back of a “severe” cold wave that gripped Delhi in the run-up to New Year. On Friday, the mercury had plummeted to 1.1 degrees Celsius, the lowest in 15 years for January.

On Tuesday, the protesting farmers said they were deferring their proposed tractor march from January 6 to January 7 due to a bad weather forecast.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and some other parts of the country have been camping at several Delhi border points since November 28, demanding repeal of the farm laws, a legal guarantee on minimum support price for their crops and other two issues.

Last week, the government agreed to exclude farmers from penal provisions of the Air Quality Management ordinance and not to pursue the draft Electricity Bill.

Also read: There is absolutely no improvement in situation: CJI on talks between govt and farmers

Since the farmers arrived at the national capital’s borders, the Delhi Traffic Police has been posting alerts on its official Twitter handle to inform commuters about road closures across the city.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, it said Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli and Mangesh borders were closed for traffic movement.

“Please take alternative route via Lampur Safiabad, Palla & Singhu school toll tax borders. Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH-44.

“The Chilla and Ghazipur borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida & Ghaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. Please take alternative route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Bhopra & Loni Borders,” the traffic police said.

It said Tikri and Dhansa borders are also closed for traffic movement.

“Jhatikara Border is open only for LMV (Cars/Light Motor Vehicles), two-wheelers and pedestrian movement,” another tweet read.

According to the traffic police, people travelling to Haryana can take the routes via Jharoda (only single carriageway), Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera borders. — PTI

Srinagar, January 2

The Army on Saturday set up a feedback and grievance helpline in the Kashmir valley as part of its efforts to strengthen bond with people.

The helpline has been set up under the aegis of Chinar Corps or 15 Corps, which is responsible for guarding the Line of Control in the Valley.

“As part of Army’s efforts to further strengthen the bond of friendship between the ‘aawam’ and jawan, a feedback and grievance helpline has been established under the aegis of the Chinar Corps,” a defence spokesman said.

Bridging the gap

• The helpline has been set up under the aegis of the Chinar Corps or 15 Corps, which is responsible for guarding the Line of Control in the Valley
• The helpline number is 9484101010
• Contact can also be established through Telegram app, an Army spokesman says

The helpline number is 9484101010. The contact can also be established through Telegram app, the spokesman said.

“A ‘humsaya’ (companion) to the aawam, in good times and through any challenge, the aawam-jawan greater synergy will go a long way in establishing peace and prosperity for all,” he said. — PTI

Aman Sood
Tribune News Service
Patiala, January 6

Youth in several villages are connecting through social media and phone calls, while some are convening meetings. The purpose is to ensure that youth in large numbers reach the Delhi borders before the Republic Day, when farmer unions plan to hold a tractor rally in the National Capital.

Last week, farm unions had announced that thousands of protesting farmers would enter Delhi on January 26 and carry out a tractor parade if the three controversial laws were not repealed.

Unions, youth, farmers, labourers, arhtiyas and landlords are mobilising support for making the January 26 rally a success.

Congress leader Mansimrat Singh Riar said, “We are reaching out to everyone. We stand in solidarity with our elderly people, who have been sitting on fast in Delhi.”

He dismissed the BJP’s claims of the agitation being politically motivated. “First and foremost, I belong to the farming community. Politics takes a backseat when it comes to farmers’ struggle. This protest is of every farmer, who has been toiling hard in fields,” said Riar, who has spent a few days at the Delhi border.

For Ludhiana’s Baddowal resident Tarandeep Singh Grewal, the agitation has given him an opportunity to keep the youth of his area involved. He was doing his bit by keeping them informed about the ground reality of the protest at the Delhi borders.

“I, along with some other villagers, have been meeting youngsters and farmers who own tractors. We plan to reach the Delhi borders two days before the proposed tractor rally. However, I do hope that the matter is resolved soon and our brothers and sisters protesting in this biting cold return home. In case we need to go, we are ready. The tractor rally will be historic and apolitical,” he said.

Not only Punjab residents, but farmers and labourers, who live near the Patiala-Samana border in Haryana, are also supporting the agitation.