Evening NEWS DIGEST
27 Feb.2017: 29 Jamadiul Awwal 1438: Vol:8, No:127
Can’t share details of govt
response on Sharia banking: RBI
New Delhi:The
response given by the Finance Ministry on an RBI report about the introduction
of Sharia banking in India cannot be disclosed, the central bank has said. RBI
was asked to give the copy of the letter sent to it by the ministry on the
recommendation of its Inter Dept. Group (IDG) regarding Islamic banking. The
central bank had sought response from the Dept. of Financial Services (DFS)
under the finance minister whether their letter can be disclosed under RTI. “In
this regard we have been advised by the DFS, Govt of India that the letter is
exempt under Section 8 (1) (c),” RBI said in response to an RTI application
filed by PTI. The Section bars disclosure of information “which would cause a
breach of privilege of Parliament or the state legislature”.RBI had earlier
proposed opening of “Islamic window” in conventional banks for gradual
introduction of Sharia-compliant or interest-free banking in the country.“In
our considered opinion, given the complexities of Islamic finance and various
regulatory and supervisory challenges involved in the matter and also due to
the fact that Indian banks have no experience in this field, Islamic banking
may be introduced in India in a gradual manner.“Initially, a few simple
products which are similar to conventional banking products may be considered
for introduction through Islamic window of the conventional banks after
necessary notification by the government,” the RBI had told the Finance
Ministry in a letter, copy of which was received in response to the RTI query.PTI
Now CBI to probe financial
irregularities at AMU
New Delhi:AMU, which is
under scanner over irregularities in faculty hiring and financial matters, is
in for more trouble as the CBI is also probing similar allegations.After HRD
Ministry had in September last year issued a showcause notice against the VC of
AMU, Zameeruddin Shah, on a complaint of irregularities in faculty hiring and
financial issues, CBI too had sought a written reply from the University
officials in Dec. last year. According to the University officials, they had
sent a reply to CBI by January, but, a CBI official wanted more explanation on
the matter. So the agency visited the University again this month.However, agency
is mum over their further investigation which they carried out during their
visit to the University. “A CBI official visited on February 18 and asked for
more explanation on a reply that was sent by the University earlier, to a query
in the month of December. The allegations are of financial irregularities,
similar in nature to those being probed by the HRD Ministry too,” said Javed
Akhtar, Registrar. hindustantimes
Dr Joshi, Sushma ahead in
race for top post as Pranab’s tenure ends in July: The Hitavada
New Delhi:Who will
be India’s next President? Initial discussions in the BJP have catapulted
veteran party leader Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj as top favourites.Informed sources, however, say the names of two
other women politicians are also doing the rounds -- Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra
Mahajan and Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu.Interestingly, L K Advani, once a
staunch backer of the man who is today PM , is not being considered for the
post of head of state that will fall vacant in July. Although these names have
emerged in the discussions between the BJP and RSS, the final picture will
become clear once the results of Assembly elections in 5 States become known. Swaraj,
65, is also being considered for the top post for more than one reason.Not only
has she emerged as “a good minister” in the Modi Govt, her elevation will also
help the RSS shrug away charges that it is anti-women.IANS/ The Hitavada
SIMI chief Safdar Nagori,
10 others get life terms in sedition case: PTI
Indore: SIMI chief Safdar
Hussain Nagori and 10 other activists of the banned group were on Monday
awarded life imprisonment in a 2008 sedition case by a special court. Special
Additional Sessions Judge BK Paloda pronounced that all 11 SIMI activists were
guilty under various IPC sections relevant provisions of the UAPA.On a plea of
10 of the accused lodged in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Central Jail, they were
informed about the court’s judgment through video conferencing.Besides
45-year-old Nagori, the others convicted are Hafiz Hussain (35), Aamil Parvaz
(40), Shivli (38), Qamruddin (42), Shahduli (32), Qamran (40), Ansar (35),
Ahmed Baig (32), Yasin (35) and Munroz (40).Nagori, Parvaz, Qamruddin, Qamran,
Shivli, Ahmed Baig and Hussain were also convicted under IPC Section 122
(collecting arms with intention of waging war against the govt of India).In its
84-page judgement, the court observed, “It appears from the activities of the
convict that they don’t have faith in the lawfully and constitutionally
established Govt of India...Their acts are against national unity and integrity
of the country. They are involved in illegal activities by fomenting religious
hatred with an aim to create serious danger for the entire humanity.”PTI
2013 Harda riots: SC asks
MP govt to place chargesheet before court
Bhopal: While hearing a
petition that alleged that the 2013 riots in Khirkiya tehsil of Harda district
were not properly investigated, the Supreme Court has directed the MP govt to
place the chargesheet, along with its translated version, before it within four
weeks. Riots took place in Kheda and Pahatgaon villages under Chhipabad Police
Station on Sept. 9, 2013, over an alleged case of cow slaughter. Later, a
postmortem report had revealed that the animal had died because it had consumed
polythene bags.While 54 persons had lost their houses and businesses, 12 FIRs
were registered by the police naming Surendra Singh Rajput alias Tiger as the
main accused in all the cases.Seeking a CBI probe in the case, activist Anurag
Modi had moved the High Court with a prayer to book BJP leader and former
minister Kamal Patel and his son Sudip alleging that they had instigated the
riots with an eye on the assembly elections slated three months later. The
petitioner had submitted what he called evidence of the duo’s alleged
involvement in the riots.Holding that the investigation in the case was
complete, the High Court rejected the plea after which the petitioner moved the
apex court. indianexpress
ED declines all request,
issues 4th summon to Zakir Naik
The Enforcement Directorate
(ED) has turned down all the fears and requests of Dr Zakir Naik, and has
issued its fourth summon to Naik with an instruction to be present for
interrogation, within next 10 days in India.Last week, Dr Naik through his
lawyer had handed over a letter with a request to mail him the list of
questions, which he would reply back attached with required documents.The
agency has declined all his requests. Sources within the agency told India
Today, "We have rejected all his request of video-conferencing via Skype
and his written reply through email, etc. He has no other option now, then to
come to India and face the interrogation. The department has replied to his
advocate in writing and also by sending an email to Dr Naik."While
replying to Dr Naik, the ED officials issued him the fourth summon with an
instruction to appear before the ED office, within next 10 days.Meanwhile, Dr
Naik's sister Nailah Noorani has been summoned for this week. She owns 90% shares in 6 dummy companies formed by Dr Naik,
to launder money of about Rs 200 crore and more. Dr Naik's confidant Aamir
Gazda (who is in judicial custody till March 8) is a 10 % shareholder in these firms. indiatoday
ED offers Zakir Naik last
opportunity to join probe, issues fresh summons: indiatvnews
IS ‘interested’ in India,
wants to spread its ideology here, says Freed doctor:ANI
New Delhi: An Indian doctor
recently freed from the clutches of the Islamic State has said that the dreaded
terror group is “very much interested” in India, and wants to spread its
ideology in the country. Dr K Ramamurthy, who was captured by the Islamic State
in Libya two years ago, told ANI in an exclusive interview that his captors
were aware of India as well as its recent progress in the fields of education
and economic growth. “These ISIS people are well-educated youngsters who know
about India and its development… They are interested in India. They want to
spread their ideology to other parts of the world, including India,” he said.The
doctor said that though he was abused verbally by his captors, they refrained
from doing him physical harm. “They forced us to watch videos of what they did
in Iraq, Syria, Nigeria and other places. The videos were a bit difficult to
watch,” Dr said. The doctor said he was asked to conduct surgeries in Islamic
State hospitals. “But I told them that as I was a 61-year-old man suffering
from backache and nerve pain in my right leg, it was difficult to stand for
more than 15 minutes at a stretch. I also informed them that I had no training
in surgery. So they pulled me out of Mahakama jail and put in another. I saw
all kinds of attacks there,” Dr said. He claimed IS cadre
were a dedicated lot who strictly followed every rule prescribed for them. HT/ANI
I got rape threats for
calling out ABVP, says Kargil martyr's daughter
New Delhi: The crack in her
voice does not impair the statement that she makes but they do commission a
moment of thought. Gurmehar Kaur, daughter of Captain Mandeep Singh who was
killed in the 1999 Kargil War, has said she has received a barrage of threats
including that of rape after she spoke out against the ABVP, a student union
linked to the ruling BJP, following the violence at Delhi's Ramjas College on
Wednesday."I've been getting a lot of threats on social media. When you
open the profile picture that I changed, you keep seeing there are people
threatening me and calling me an anti-nationalist. I think it's very scary when
people threaten you with violence or with rape. There is this guy called Rahul
and he's given a very detailed explanation in a comment saying how he would
like to rape me. That is very scary," she said on NDTV's show We The
People tonight. ndtv
Received rape threats on
Twitter, says DU student who took ABVP on
BJP MP compares Kargil
martyr’s daughter with Dawood Ibrahim
Mysuru :
Journalist-turned-polician and BJP MP Pratap Simha has triggered a social media
storm after posting a photograph on Twitter, comparing Gurmehar Kaur, daughter
of a Kargil war martyr and a Delhi University student who opposed the ABVP,
with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. thehindu
Congress slams Minister,
BJP MP for controversial remarks against Kargil martyr’s daughter
Central ‘squeeze’ on funds
for Dalit scheme leaves thousands in lurch
Manoj Kumar Paswan, a Dalit
student from Nawada district in Bihar, has lived a hard life, coming as he does
from a poor marginal farmer family. He and his family saw a ray of hope after
he got a scholarship in 2016 to get a degree in computer applications from a
college in Nagpur.One year on, he is back to square one. The promised money
from the central government's Post Matric Scholarship scheme, which was to be
routed directly to his college, has not materialized. He is back in the
village, repeatedly visiting the welfare office, pleading for a solution.
"My seniors in college got the scholarship. But mine never came. The
college said there are some issues, we are trying to sort them out. How can I
continue like this? I came back home to pursue the matter with the welfare
officer here," he told TOI from Nawada.His is not an exceptional case, as
revealed by data collected by the Dalit advocacy group, National Campaign for
Dalit & Human Rights (NCDHR). In response to a complaint made by them, the
social justice ministry told them that they had released nearly Rs 5,000 crore in
2015-16 and 2016-17 but the states had demanded almost double of that, Rs
9,120.56 crore. "What has happened is that in the beginning, states
continued to provide scholarships to Dalit students but the central govt put a
squeeze. Finally, the pipeline dried up and the students were left high and
dry. Colleges started demanding fees from the students or told them to quit.
Thousands have been affected by this tragedy," said Paul Diwakar of NCDHR. timesofindia
SC order: Nearly 10,000
dalit govt employees may be demoted in Karnataka
Bengaluru: The fate of
nearly 10,000 dalit govt employees hangs in the balance as they face the threat
of being demoted, with the Supreme Court recently scrapping reservation in
promotions.The Congress govt is gearing up to challenge the apex court order
and is taking great pains to work out a please-all formula to prevent political
damage ahead of the 2018 assembly polls."We are in a sensitive and tricky
situation. If we fail to stand by the dalits, they will brand our party
anti-dalit, which could have a huge impact on our election prospects.And if we
decide to fight for them, the other backward and upward communities will view
us with contempt," said a worried senior minister.Law and parliamentary
affairs minister TB Jayachandra said govt is in the process of seeking the
opinion of accountant general (AG) on what best can be done."Based on his
inputs, we will take a final call," he added. timesofindia
As SC Scraps Reservation In
Promotions, Nearly 10,000 Dalit Staff May Be Demoted In Karnataka
UP: Tension in Bulandshahr
over video ‘insulting’ 'deities'
Agra:Bulandshahr’s Pahasu
area was tense on Sunday after a video which allegedly showed a man using
objectionable language against gods and goddesses went viral. Members of right
wing organisations, in search of the accused, reached his family’s home, and
resorted to stone- pelting. An FIR was lodged against the man while his family
was detained for interrogation.According to police, the man in the video is
seen abusing gods, women and PM Narendra Modi. The video was allegedly made in
Hyderabad where the accused, a native of Pahasu, works in a carpet factory.
Police added that after seeing the video, workers of right wing organisations
reached his Pahasu home and created a ruckus, but did not find him. A mob then threw
stones at them, leading to a clash.“Some people injured in the stone pelting
were hospitalised. “The video was made
by some Rihan from Pahasu. A police team has been sent to Hyderabad to nab him.
indianexpress
Youth booked for comments
against RSS on social media
Shahjahanpur(UP): A youth
was booked today for allegedly making "derogatory comments" against
RSS on Facebook. A delegation of BJP workers today submitted a memorandum
demanding registration of a case against the accused, in-charge Kotwali city RN
Verma said. "Derogatory comments have been made against RSS involving
freedom fighters and revolutionaries. On complaint of RSS worker Abhinav
Mishra, an FIR has been lodged," he said. PTI
U.P. polls: 57.36 percent
voter turnout recorded till 5 P.M.
Lucknow :The fifth phase of
Uttar Pradesh assembly polls witnessed a voter turnout of 57.36 percent till 5
P.M. on Monday.The voting is being held across 11 districts. The districts
going to polls in this phase are Amethi, Sultanpur, Faizabad, Barabanki,
Ambedkarnagar, Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Basti, Siddharthnagar and
Sant Kabir NagarWhile there are 52 constituencies in this phase, elections are
being held in only 51 seats as the Election Commission (EC) has postponed polls
in Alapur after the death of a Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Chandrashekhar
Kanauji.ANI
Now, Uma Bharti and Naqvi
say BJP should have fielded Muslims in UP polls
New Delhi: Union Ministers
Uma Bharti and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday echoed Home Minister Rajnath
Singh's stand on the BJP fielding Muslim candidates in the ongoing UP assembly elections.Bharti, Minister for Water
Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, said the Bharatiya Janata
Party made a "huge mistake" by not fielding any Muslim candidate.Her
Cabinet colleague Naqvi too said it would have been better if their party had
fielded Muslim candidates.Rajnath Singh had earlier said Muslims should have
been given tickets by the BJP in the UP assembly elections."I am really feeling
sorry that we could not field a Muslim. I spoke with (BJP President) Amit Shah
and (state party President) Keshav Prasad Maurya about how we could have
brought a Muslim to the assembly," Uma Bharti told CNN-News18.IANS
Not fielding Muslims in UP a mistake: Uma Bharti
Would've been better had
BJP given tickets to Muslims in UP: Naqvi
UP polls: As Ayodhya votes,
Vinay Katiyar plays Ram temple tune again:HT
LUCKNOW: Ayodhya temple
movement of 1990s catapulted both the BJP and firebrand OBC leader Vinay
Katiyar into limelight.For the largely marginalised Katiyar, the building of a
Ram temple as promised by the BJP is still the most important issue, even in
the current UP assembly
elections.“Mandir ke bina Ayodhya kya hain? Uske bagair koi bhi vikas nahin ho
sakta. Mandir se hi kalyan hoga. Usisey vikas hoga. Isiliye main kehta hoon ki
Ayodhya vaasiyon ko toh sirf mandir chahiye (What is Ayodhya without temple?
There can be no development without temple. In fact, temple is integral to
Ayodhya’s development. That is why I say that Ayodhya residents can’t do without
temple),” Katiyar told HT over phone.
Ayodhya: Hanumangarhi
priest allows repair of mosque on temple land
Standing shoulder to
shoulder with their hands held firmly, Mahant Gyan Das of Ayodhya's famed
Hanumangarhi Temple and his childhood friend Sadiq Ali survey the ongoing
repair of Shah Alam mosque. The election din and dispute over Ramjanmabhoomi Babri
Masjid, less than a kilometre away from the mosque, has not taken away their
bonhomie a wee bit.Shah Alam mosque, whose walls were crumbling and pillars
falling off till seven months ago, stands on a land belonging to Hanumangarhi
shrine.The mahant has allowed its reconstruction as local municipal body had
ordered its demolition. The land for the temple was gifted by then Nawab of
Awadh Shujaudullah in 1765. When Ayodhya municipal council wrote to Gyan Das on
July 25 last year asking his opinion whether to demolish the dilapidated
structure or repair it, his mind immediately raced to the horrors of 1992
demolition of Babri masjid, that is less than a kilometre away from here. "Kindly
decide on repair or razing off the structure (Tatkaal jirnodwar athwa dhwastikaran
sunischit karein. taaki bhaviyasa main koi apriya ghatna roki jaa sake"
the letter said. "Within 24 hours, I rang up my childhood friend Sadiq,
who I fondly call `Babu', and asked him to begin the repair work before polls.
We didn't want to see any disharmony between our community for yet another
time" Das recalls. Though he faced stiff opposition from both Muslims and
Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parish ad, he told the civic authorities that his
decision was final. "Muslims told me that according to Sharia laws, I
can't pay for their mosque. I agreed but I said I will bring my friend who will
oversee the work. Hindus objected to my gesture. I told them we don't want to
see another Babri episode in our peaceful Ayodhya before 2017 polls," he
says. timesofindia
Aurangzeb tried to ensure
welfare of Hindu, Jain temples: US Historian
New Delhi:Historian Audrey
Truschke refuses to buy the argument that Aurangzeb razed temples because he
hated Hindus saying it has roots in colonial-era scholarship, where positing
timeless Hindu-Muslim animosity embodied the British strategy of divide and
conquer.In her new book, she also says that had Aurangzeb’s reign been 20 years
shorter, he would have been judged differently by modern historians.Truschke,
an assistant professor of South Asian history at Rutgers University in Newark
and an avid follower of Mughal history, New Jersey, has now come up with a new
biography on Aurangzeb."Aurangzeb: The Man and The Myth", published
by Penguin Random House, takes a fresh look at the controversial Mughal
emperor.According to Truschke, Hindu and Jain temples dotting the landscape of
Aurangzeb's kingdom were entitled to Mughal state protection, and he generally
endeavoured to ensure their well-being."By the same token, from a Mughal
perspective, that goodwill could be revoked when specific temples or their
associates acted against imperial interests. Accordingly, Emperor Aurangzeb
authorised targeted temple destructions and desecrations throughout his
rule," she claims."Many modern people view Aurangzeb's orders to harm
specific temples as symptomatic of a larger vendetta against Hindus. Such views
have roots in colonial-era scholarship, where positing timeless Hindu-Muslim
animosity embodied the British strategy of divide and conquer," she
writes.She says there are, however, numerous gaping holes in the proposition
that Aurangzeb razed temples because he hated Hindus.PTI/ jagran
RSS-affiliated schools
bloom across Bengal: thehindu
Whether it is
demonetisation or the arrest of Trinamool Congress MPs in the chit fund scam,
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has been
at loggerheads with the BJP govt at the Centre.However, the bitter acrimony
seems to be absent when it comes to granting govt affiliation to RSS-controlled
schools in Bengal.State govt gave affiliation to more than a dozen such schools
last year. These schools are run by the Vivekananda Vidyavikas Parishad
(VVP).VVP is the Bengal chapter of the Vidya Bharti Akhil Bhartiya Siksha
Sansthan, an RSS-affiliated organisation. VVP’s website clearly states that its
primary objective is to establish an education system which will create a
generation of “youths with a Hindu mindset.”“Our aim is to develop an ideal
education system which will create a generation of youths who will have Hindu
mindset along with well developed spiritual outlook,” states website of VVP,
which is run by RSS pracharaks and was founded in Bengal in 1982.
Shankaracharyas multiply,
so do legal tangles
Haridwar: The recent
episode of a Haridwar-based sadhu, Swami Achyutananda, who anointed himself as
shankaracharya of the Dwarka Sharda peeth on Mahashivratri day has brought into
focus the proliferation of shankaracharyas across the country.Adi
Shankaracharya who started the monastic order set up only four 'maths' whose
chiefs were to be ordained as shankaracharyas. But it is estimated that over 50
seers have proclaimed themselves as shankaracharyas of various peeths, although
exact numbers are hard to come by. Disputes and litigation are ongoing in many.In
the Dwarka Sharda peeth, for instance, there are currently three seers,
including Achyutananda, who have declared themselves shankaracharya. Swami
Swaroopananda, the incumbent shankaracharya of the peeth, soon after
Achyutananda's anointment, claimed he would file a criminal case against the
seer.Haridwar sadhus say that the move by "a few individuals who are
desperate to grab high religious offices by any means" is giving the seer
community a bad name. These things are very disappointing, and put the sadhu
community under a cloud," said Swami Ravindra Puri of Mahanirwani Akhara.
Another seer Brahma Vidyanand said, "None of the self-styled
shankaracharyas can hope to fulfil the stringent eligibility conditions for
becoming a shankaracharya laid down by Adi Shankaracharya. Only someone with
pure conduct and character, possessing deep knowledge of the scriptures
including the Vedas, Vedantas, Puranas, and Prasthanatrayee, which includes the
Upanishads, Brahmasutra and the Gita, can be appointed shankaracharya."
The anointment must have the sanction either of predecessor, or of the Kashi
Vidwatparishad, a body of scholars based in Varanasi, he added. timesofindia
Waqf property grabbers will
be punished: Naqvi
New Delhi:Union Minister
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday expressed concern over a large number of waqf
properties being encroached upon and warned of "strict action"
against the guilty."Serious irregularities in state waqf boards have come
to our notice. A high-level inquiry is on into these matters and strict action
will be taken against those responsible," Naqvi said.Addressing the 75th
meeting of Central Waqf Council here, the Minister said the land grabbers were
creating obstacles in the development of waqf properties and utilisation of the
same for welfare of the society.Naqvi said a one-man "Board of
Adjudication" at the Central level has been established under the
chairmanship of retired Supreme Court justice to deal with complaints and
disputes regarding waqf properties.Three-member tribunals are being established
in the states to deal with such problems, he said, adding that 24 states have
established these tribunals so far.IANS
Counter-terror ops: CRPF
back to its ‘mandate’ in J&K
New Delhi: The Central
Reserve Police Force (CRPF), is moving back to its old mandate in J&K ,
when it was sent there in 1989 for carrying out counter-insurgency operations
aggressively. K Durga Prasad, director general of India's largest paramilitary
force, two days before his retirement, in an exclusive interaction, said that
"we (CRPF) are now not just doing normal law and order duty in Kashmir. We
are engaged actively in intelligence based counter-terror operations where our
men hunt down the militants in their den."Prasad said that CRPF was
originally sent to J&K two decades back for counter-insurgency operations
only. However, this role had been reduced to normal law and order duty in
disturbed areas in last several years.TOI
Indian officials are
cynical: Chinese media
NEW DELHI: India's foreign
affairs officials are "pessimistic" and "cynical" despite
the "positive" results of last week's foreign secretary level talks,
said a newspaper run by the Communist Party of China."While most Chinese
scholars and critics received the dialogue positively, believing it may thaw
the atmosphere and propel the bilateral relations into a new era, their Indian
counterparts turned out to be rather pessimistic-if not cynical, quoting the
"unsolved" issues regarding India's NSG bid as well as the UN ban on
JeM chief Masood Azhar," said an Op-Ed today in the Global Times.TOI
Muslim sects should come
together for peace, says Syed Bilal Chishty
Jaipur: Muslims leaders
have acknowledged the rising sectarianism promoted by various Islamic sects in
Rajasthan.
Leaders of different
sects—Sufis, Deobandis (Saudi School of Islam) and Shias—have called for
organising joint meetings of various sects to reduce tension that has often led
to law and order issues.Recently, Sunni Muslims didn't allow the burial of a
follower of the Wahabbi school at their burial ground in Chittorgarh.At a
session on 'Ittehad and Islam', Syed Bilal Chishty, 'gaddi nashin' and a 'khadim'
at Dargah Ajmer, said, "Members of Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind (JUH), a social
organ of Deobandi Muslims, visited the dargah in Ajmer which represents Sufi
Muslims in last November. This had a positive impact on followers of both
schools in the Indian sub-continent. The idea is to create common platforms to
bury differences and to make Muslims part of the progressive society."He
asked Muslims to remember the verse in Holy Quran which says that there's no
difference between an Arab and a non-Arab, black and white.Yasmeen Farooqui,
member, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said that sectarian
divisions can be seen in some regions and not across the country. "These
regions have been identified and AIMPLB is working to bridge the gap to
minimize such conflicts," Farooqui said. Such interactions between various
sects are required for peace, said Mohammad Atiq, secretary of the Marwar
Muslim Educational Trust, underscoring the importance of scholarly work to
counter the divisive narrative emerging from ignorance.TOI
Bhopal: Combination of
modern and religious education need of the hour said Habibullah
Bhopal: Former chairperson
of the National Commission for Minorities Wajahat Habibullah has said that
temporal education devoid of religious content will not do the world any good.
“All major scientific inventions and discoveries were first used for
destruction and then put to peaceful uses shows what knowledge sans the
moralising influence of religion can do”, he said, quoting the example of the
atom bomb.Habibullah was speaking as the chief guest at the annual function of
Muslim Education and Career Promotion Society (MECAPS) here on Sunday at
Ravindra Bhavan Auditorium.The ex-IAS officer, who was also the Chief
Information Commissioner of India, said that synergy between worldly and
religious education is what the Muslims in India need. “I never went to a
madarsa but the religious education which my mother gave to me played a key
role in whatever little I could achieve in my life”, he said.
freepressjournal
15 years after Godhra: The
politics of hate still divides us;Harsh Mander
‘Preplanned inhuman
collective violent act of terrorism’: What Modi got away with in the Godhra
case: Manoj Mitta
WORLD
French parliamentarians
call on Hollande to recognise Palestinian state
Some 154 French lawmakers
sent a letter on Sunday calling on President Francois Hollande to recognise the
Palestinian state.“France must demonstrate its determination to break the
deadlock in [the Israeli-Palestinian] conflict by solemnly reaffirming, in the
name of the inalienable right of self-determination, that the Palestinian
people are entitled to a state,” they wrote. “This is the way to respect
international law as well as the security of Israel.”Parliamentarians from
across France’s political spectrum signed the letter. They asked Hollande to
“show himself” as being “up to the challenge and not miss this rendezvous with
history.” They said he should recognise the state of Palestine now. Middleeastmonitor
Mahmoud Abbas: Defend
two-state-solution for a Palestine state
Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the international community to defend the
two-state-solution in an address at the opening of the 34th session of the
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR).Abbas told member states on Monday
that Israel was moving towards an "apartheid solution" in Palestine
in light of a new Israeli law passed earlier this month that legalised dozens
of Jewish-only settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land.He also
cautioned states from moving their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem, in a
warning seen as a direct response to promises made by US President Donald Trump
during his campaign for the White House in which he threatened to move the US
embassy from Tel Aviv to the divided holy city."Palestine will remain the
litmus test for this council … and whether it succeeds or not, will be crucial
for the credibility of the human rights system throughout the world," said
Abbas. aljazeera
'Defend two-state solution'
says Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
Israel denies Netanyahu's
statements about int'l forces in Gaza
Nazareth, (PIC) A high
ranking Israeli government official denied on Sunday Israel’s Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements about deploying international forces in the
Gaza Strip.The Israeli official told Radio Israel that Netanyahu rejected a
suggestion made by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to deploy
international troops in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu reportedly told Minister
Bishop that Israel learned from long experience that it can’t rely on
international forces to protect it.
101 Israeli settlers break
into 3rd holiest site in Islam
https://english.palinfo.com/news/2017/2/27/101-Israeli-settlers-break-into-3rd-holiest-site-in-Islam
Jerusalem, (PIC) 101
Israeli settlers stormed the holy al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday as part of the
morning break-in shift. 101 Israeli settlers, escorted by policemen and two
intelligence officers, broke into al-Aqsa Mosque via al-Maghreba Gate and defiled
its plazas.Over the past couple of days, 267 Israeli settlers stormed al-Aqsa
Mosque—third holiest site in Islam.
UN envoy decries violence
against Rohingya refugees in Myanmar
Dhaka: Rohingya refugees
who fled violence in Myanmar have told how government forces gang-raped women,
slit people's throats and threw children into burning houses, a UN envoy has
said after a mission to neighbouring Bangladesh.Yanghee Lee said the accounts
given by Rohingya who had crossed into Bangladesh since a crackdown across the
border in October indicated the violence was "far more extensive"
than she had previously realised."There was not a single account I heard
which was not harrowing," said the human rights observer in a statement
after her four-day visit to Bangladesh that ended on Friday.AFP
Iran’s Rouhani to run for
second-term – senior official
Iran’s President Hassan
Rouhani has decided to run for re-election scheduled in May, Iran’s IRNA
reported on Sunday, quoting the vice president for parliamentary affairs.“In
recent weeks, Mr. Rouhani has reached a conclusion to take part in the
presidential elections,” Hossein-Ali Amiri told IRNA reporters.According to the
Iranian constitution, President Rouhani is eligible to run for presidential
election for a second term. Middleeastmonitor
Turkmen official says
Russia is not abiding by Astana commitments
A representative of the
Turkmen component in the Syria High Negotiations Committee has accused the
Russians of failing to comply with the commitments they made during talks in
the Kazakh capital, Astana. Mohammed Shemaly made his comments as the Syrian
regime forces continue their bombardment of opposition areas.Shemaly warned
that Russia’s lack of commitment could influence the course of the Geneva 4
negotiations, since an effective ceasefire is a necessary confidence-building
measure in the political process. He explained that during the past two days,
the Syrian regime forces have shelled a neighbourhood in Homs, central Syria,
which resulted in numerous deaths, although the district has been under siege for
more than four years.
Suspected Russian raid
kills 13 in northwestern Syria
At least 13 civilians were
killed Monday by a suspected Russian airstrike in Syria’s northwestern Idlib
province, according to a pro-opposition civil defense official. A warplane
struck a residential neighborhood in Ariha town in Idlib’s northern
countryside, Mohamed Hashem said. He said three buildings have been destroyed
in the raid. “Around 30 people are still trapped under rubble,” Hashem said.
Monday’s attack came despite a ceasefire -- brokered by Turkey and Russia --
that went into effect in Syria last December. World Bulletin
Senior Taliban leader
killed in Kunduz air raid
A senior Taliban commander
has been killed in an air raid in northern Afghanistan, the armed group said on
Monday.Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, who oversaw a Taliban offensive that briefly
seized Kunduz city in 2015, had previously been reported dead several times by
Afghan officials.Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, confirmed Akhund's
death in a statement blaming the United States.Akhund was one of three fighters
killed in an air raid by an unmanned aircraft in the Kunduz province, a senior
Taliban official in the province told the Reuters news agency on condition of
anonymity.Aljazeera
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:09 PM)
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