Evening NEWS
DIGEST
28 Feb.2018:11
Jamadiul-2 1439:Vol:9, No:131
INDIA
Lawyers’ Association wants Bombay HC Judge
hearing Sohrabuddin Case brought back
Mumbai: 3 days after Bombay high court decided
to reassign Justice Revati Mohite-Dere, the judge hearing a key set of
petitions in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh-Kauser Bi fake encounter case and hand
those those cases to a new judge, the Bombay Lawyers’ Association (BLA) has
written to the chief justice asking her to take “remedial action”.In a letter
addressed to acting chief justice Vijaya
Kamlesh Tahilramani,association has claimed that the transfer “is particularly
intriguing considering how Mohite-Dere has consistently reprimanded CBI’s
approach to the case.”Only 3 weeks ago, Mohite-Dere had begun hearing a batch
of petitions challenging the discharge of some senior IPS officers in the
alleged fake encounter case. Among them was a revision plea filed by
Sohrabuddin’s brother Rubabuddin, challenging the discharge of IPS officers DG
Vanzara, Dinesh MN and Rajkumar Pandian. 2 other revision applications filed by
CBI against the discharge of ex-Gujarat IPS officer NK Amin and Rajasthan
police constable Dalpat Singh Rathod were also being heard by her. In these
three weeks, Mohite-Dere had on several occasions came down heavily on CBI for
not cooperating with the court in the matter. “It is the primary duty of a
prosecuting agency to place all evidence on record before the court. However,
in this case, despite the court’s repeated queries, CBI has chosen to argue only
on the role of the two officials whose discharge it has challenged,”Mohite-Dere
had said.Each time the court had sought documents like the charge sheet,
witness statements, notices and warrants issued in relation with the case, CBI
has asked for time to arrange for them. The registrar’s office of the Bombay
high court, while reshuffling the courts’ assignments, had claimed it was only
a routine exercise. But the lawyers’ association today in its letter expressed
its concerns over the move. “The power of [the] chief justice is to be
exercised in consonance with conventions and above all keeping in view the
larger public interest,” the letter states. The letter further points to the
recent decision press conference of 4 senior judges of the SC in which they
complained about the ‘selective assignment of cases’ by CJI Dipak Misra. The
decision to take the assignment away from Mohite-Dere comes at a time when she
was hearing arguments by senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani in the petition
filed against the discharge of Pandian from the matter. Jethmalani was expected
to complete his arguments on Feb.26 and start with arguments against the plea
challenging Vanzara’s discharge from the case. She has been hearing the matter
on a daily basis since Feb. 9 this year.thewire
Bombay Lawyers Association slam reassignment
in Sohrabuddin encounter case
In Rahul Gandhi's 'How did Loya die?' series,
a question on removal of yet another judge
Continuing his attack on the Govt in the Justice BH Loya death case, Congress
president Rahul Gandhi today pointed out that "yet another judge"
hearing the politically-sensitive Sohrabuddin fake encounter case has been
removed from her position." Sohrabuddin case claims yet another Judge.
Justice Revati Dere, who challenged CBI has been removed. Judge J T Utpat,
asked Amit Shah to appear and was removed. Judge Loya asked tough questions. He
died. #HowDidLoyaDie?" Rahul tweeted today, with a link to a news story on
the removal of Justice Revati Mohite-Dere last week. indiatoday
Delhi HC stays bar council of India order to
Gujarat bar council to proceed against senior lawyer
Delhi High Court put on hold a direction of
the apex lawyers body, BCI, to Gujarat bar council to start disciplinary
proceedings against senior advocate Dushyant Dave for statements allegedly made
by him regarding the death of Special CBI Judge BH Loya.Loya, who was hearing
the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, had died allegedly of
cardiac arrest in Nagpur on Dec.1, 2014 when he had gone to attend the wedding
of a colleague’s daughter. Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to Bar Council
of India (BCI) and questioned its jurisdiction to direct the state lawyers’
body on the mode and manner of carrying out the proceedings. Apart from the
BCI, the court also sought the response of the Gujarat State Bar Council and
listed the matter for further hearing on Aug.2,till when it has stayed BCI's
Jan.24 order.PTI
Haj 2018: Relief for pilgrims as airfares
slashed by Rs 20,000 to Rs 97,000
A month after it scrapped subsidies for Haj
pilgrims, the Govt has announced a
significant reduction in airfares for devotees travelling to Saudi Arabia, with
the prices of round tickets being slashed by Rs 20,000 to Rs 97,000.Union
Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi described the move as a "major step"
that would end the "political and economic exploitation of Haj performers
as was being done during Congress-led UPA regime , allegedly in the name of
offering subsidies. The minister said the move sought to address concerns about
airfares going up after Haj subsidy was abolished last month. "PMO took a
keen interest in this (bringing down the rates). The decision is in line with
our empowerment without appeasement policy, Naqvi said. Govt made available
details of the 2014 airfares to highlight the price difference. 18-49%
reduction in rates will be available on tickets for Jeddah and Medina on
national carrier Air India, Saudia and Flynas, an air carrier based in Saudi
Arabia. The maximum difference of about Rs 97,000 is on the Srinagar fare,
which has almost been halved. A round ticket from the Kashmir city cost Rs
1,98,350 in 2014 and will now come for Rs 1,01,400. The minimum cut -- of
around Rs 20,000 -- will be on a ticket from Varanasi, which is down from Rs
1,12,300 to Rs 92,004. Haj pilgrims can leave from 20 embarkation points (EPs).
Indore is another EP but there are no devotees flying out from the Madhya
Pradesh city this year. Air India will serve pilgrims from seven EPs --
Chennai, Goa, Mumbai, Nagpur, Varanasi, Kolkata and Srinagar. Saudi Airlines
will transport devotees from another seven -- Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore,
Cochin, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Lucknow. Pilgrims from Aurangabad (Maharashtra),
Bhopal, Gaya, Guwahati, Mangalore and Ranchi can travel by Flynas. The airfare
from Ahmedabad, Delhi and Mumbai airports -- Rs 98,750 per head in 2014 -- will
now cost Rs 65,015, Rs 71,853 and Rs 57,857 respectively. After the abolition
of subsidies, Govt had asked the airlines not to charge "undue" fares
from Haj pilgrims, Naqvi said. There used to be a political and economical
exploitation of devotees during the UPA regime in the name of subsidy and it
was shown as if a big favour was being done to them. There is no corruption,
commission now, he added. The minister said the revised airfares were inclusive
of GST.Asked how the fares in 2017 compared with those of 2014, Naqvi said
there was not much of a difference in the rates last year. UPA-declared fares
had become the standard rates, he said. The minister was also asked why the NDA
Govt had taken this decision now, almost
four years after coming to power. A total of 1.75 lakh Muslims would undertake
the pilgrimage this year from India. PTI
Modi Govt Slashes Airfares For Haj Pilgrims,
Maximum Price Cut For Kashmiris
Jharkhand Govt
is fearing of our lawsuits against police atrocities: PFI speaks on ban
A resolution passed by the Central Secretariat
meeting of Popular Front of India at Mysore stated that the ban imposed on the
organization by the BJP Govt of
Jharkhand is intended to eliminate the kind of activism the organization has
demonstrated in the state through legal and democratic means against the
fascist forces and their Govt agencies.The press statement released by PFI
said, “Ever since the declaration of the organization in the state in 2015, our
members have stood in the forefront of fight against human rights violations such
as hate speeches, lynching incidents and police atrocities.” According to PFI
officials, when the ban was imposed, the organization was fighting dozens of
cases including the six lynching incidents and two cases against police
atrocities, one against SP of Pakur and the other against SP of Jhamtara.“By
enabling victims to fight by democratic and legal means, Popular Front was
building confidence among the victims and the weaker sections and was also
setting a new example for the fight for justice. It is because of this reason
that Popular Front is targeted in Jharkhand,”said PFI.“Our organization is an
obstacle in courts, their calculation is to destroy the cases by eliminating
the very petitioners,” said PFI officials in the meeting. The meeting warned
that “such moves will only endanger our justice delivery system, the last hope
of the victims”. Jharkhand Govt is, in fact, trying to overthrow the judiciary
through indirect means by the misuse of CLA Act, 1908. The meeting expressed
concern over the reports that false cases are being slapped in the name of
continuing the activities after the ban against innocent people.The meeting of
Central Secretariat reaffirmed that the activities of the organization being
stopped in the state; we will resort to legal recourse as per provisions of the
constitution and law for the removal of the ban.Chairman E. Abubacker presided
over the meeting, which was also attended by General Secretary Muhammed Ali
Jinnah, Vice-Chairman O.M.A Salam Secretaries Anis Ahmed and Abdul Wahid Sait,
E.M. Abdul Rahiman and K.M. Shareef.twocircles
Centre denies IS existence in India after
group claims attack in Srinagar
Centre has claimed that there was no presence
of the Islamic State group in J&K, a day after the militant group claimed
responsibility for gunning down a policeman in Srinagar.“There is no physical
infrastructure or manpower of the Islamic State group in the Valley,”PTI quoted
a Home Ministry spokesperson as saying. “It does not exist in the
Valley.”Constable Farooq Ahmed Yatoo was killed when militants fired at him in
Srinagar’s Soura locality. Yatoo was posted as a guard outside separatist
leader Fazal Haq Qureshi’s home. Militants escaped with his rifle.Islamic State
group’s mouthpiece, Al Amaq News Agency, claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Assassinated an element of police in firing near city of Srinagar in Kashmir
yesterday,” agency said, according to Indian Express. scroll
No evidence of IS hand in J&K policeman’s
killing: DGP
16 Years After 2002 Gujarat Riots, Victims in
Rehabilitation Colonies Still Fear Displacement:the wire
On March 16, 2002, Rahimbhai along with his
family of seven, took refuge in a relief colony in Tankaria in Bharuch. Sixteen
years later, the 12 feet by 20 feet room that was meant to be a temporary
relief camp became his family’s permanent home.The rehabilitation colony at
Tankaria established by an NGO, Islamic Relief Committee (IRC), today is home
to eight families who were affected in riots of 2002 and migrated from various
areas in Vadodara, Kheda and Ahmedabad.“I used to drive a private bus and own a
meat shop. We fled from Makdarpura, Vadodara, where we had a house. A
representative of IRC brought us here at Tankaria. We paid about Rs 2,000 for
an electricity meter in 2002 from whatever money we could take with us while
fleeing. But we got electricity connection only in 2005. We have no way of
going back to where we were. My house was burnt and my meat shop has been taken
over and is being run by someone else,” tells Rahimbhai, who now sells
imitation jewellery to earn a living. Struggling for 16 years to to get ownership
rights, Rahimbhai says,“We want ownership of the house where we have been
living for 16 years now. The children have grown up and are getting married, we
cannot go on living in one room. We don’t have any documents that will make us
eligible for a loan. We have no option but to live here. We have tried
conveying this to the officials of IRC but they never met us in 16 years to
discuss transferring the ownership rights.”Currently there are over 3,000
families living in 83 relief colonies across Gujarat – 15 colonies in
Ahmedabad, 17 in Anand, 13 in Sabarkantha, 11 in Panchmahal, eight in Mehsana,
six in Vadodara, five in Aravalli and four each in Bharuch and Kheda districts.
Most of the colonies have been built by four organisations – Jamait-e-Ulema,
Gujarat Sarvajanik Relief Committee, Islamic Relief Committee, and United
Economic Forum – besides some small trusts and local NGOs.thewire
Godhra riots anniversary: Mevani to address
victims
As SC hears final arguments in Babri title
suit, a ‘donation racket’ thrives in Ayodhya
With the Supreme Court hearing the final
arguments in the Babri Masjid title suit, there is a scramble in Ayodhya to
collect donations from Hindu pilgrims for constructing a Ram temple. But the
money collected by a large number of temples and priests is apparently going
unaccounted.“This exponential growth in the donation racket here is among the
many unintended consequences of the Supreme Court starting final hearing in the
case,” claimed Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of the makeshift Ram
Janmabhoomi temple in the city. “Rumours that the court will deliver its
judgement by the end of this year and that the construction of the Ram temple
will start soon after has enabled this thriving racket. The rumours are being
fuelled by the RSS and its affiliates.”Mahant Ram Das, head of Nirmohi Akhara,
said, “Several prominent sadhus of Ayodhya have formed their own societies and
platforms, each claiming to construct the Ram temple once the Supreme Court
delivers judgement. A good many of them are associated with the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad.”Pandas, or priests who have been traditionally helping pilgrims perform
rites on the banks of the Saryu river, have emerged as the key players in this
new economy. “You will sense it the moment you enter any temple that is
participating in donation racket,” claimed Raghunandan Das, head of Ram-Janaki
temple. “But everyone will tell you that it is the others who are pocketing the
donations. The fact is that every temple that has hired pandas to ensure
regular flow of pilgrims is participating in this racket.”scroll.in
Muslims should gift Ayodhya land to Hindus:Sri
Sri
Varanasi: Reiterating his call for an
out-of-court settlement of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, spiritual
leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said on
Tuesday that Muslims should gift the disputed land in Ayodhya to Hindus for
building a Ram temple.Speaking at the 'Sant Samagam' organised here by his
foundation, the spiritual guru said, "For a win-win situation, Muslims
should gift the piece of land to the Hindus and withdraw all court cases. In
return, Hindu saints should gift an equal area of land to the Muslims at a
nearby location where they can construct a mosque. Such a settlement will lead
to friendship between both the communities."Though several religious
leaders from across the country attended the Samagam, Muslim, Sikh and
Christian invitees skipped the conclave. "This clearly shows that they do
not consider themselves a part of this nation and are least interested to agree
to any kind of settlement...There is no point in fighting, it is Ram
Janmabhoomi. Sri Sri's intentions are undoubtedly positive," the chief
priest of Shri Satua Baba Ashram temple, Santosh Das said.Apart from Das, the
other attendees included Kashi Vishwanath Temple chief priest Shrikant Mishra,
mahant of Sankat Mochan Temple Vishambharnath Mishra, Mahant of Kashi Annapurna
Mandir Rameshwar Puri, V-C of Sampurnanand Sanskrit Prof Yadunath Dwivedi and
Dandi Swamis.Sri Sri also inaugurated the 'Om Anugrah Rail Yatra', a spiritual
train journey from Varanasi, which would pass through the towns and villages in
UP , along with 900 devotees.TOI
Ayodhya dispute: Sri Sri gives fresh mediation
push, meets Adityanath in Gorakhpur
Sankaracharya Saraswathi dies: From murder
charge to attempts to resolve Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute
The senior priest of Sankara Mutt,
Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi passed awy today after suffering a cardiac
arrest. He was 82. He will now be succeeded by Vijayendra Saraswathi, who will
be anointed as 70th Shankaracharya. Sankaracharya born in Tamil Nadu was chosen
as the successor of Parmacharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi at the mere age
of 19. Jayendra Saraswathi mysteriously disappeared from the mutt in 1987 and
left behind his sacred thread and other articles of faith in his quarter,
according to reports. However, 3 days after he went missing, Jayendra was
traced in Karnataka’s Talacauvery. Till date, nobody knows the reason behind
the sudden disappearance of Jayendra Saraswathi. Jayendra mysteriously
disappeared from the mutt in 1987 and left behind his sacred thread and other
articles of faith in his quarter, according to reports. However, three days
after he went missing, Jayendra was traced in Karnataka’s Talacauvery. Till
date, nobody knows reason behind the sudden disappearance of Jayendra. Jayendra
came under the spotlight in 2004 after he was named as an accused in the murder
case of Sankararaman who was the temple manager. While the criticism of his
influence continued regardless, he began to focus on issues that were affecting
the nation. It was this intent that led him to try and bring out a solution to
the contentious Babri Masjid dispute when the erstwhile NDA Govt. His efforts
saw him engaging with stakeholders from both sides of the religious
spectrum.financialexpress
Lucknow: Maulana Farangi Mahli urges mosque to
shift Friday namaz by half hour this Holi
Lucknow: Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rasheed
Farangi Mahli on Tuesday requested Muslims to shift namaz timings for Jumah
prayers by half hour this Friday - the day Holi will be played across the
country. While Farangi Mahli changed the timing for Friday prayers at the
Eidgah's mosque, timing for the biggest Shia congregational Friday prayer held
at Asafi Mosque of the Bara Imambara has also been altered. 2 days back, CM
Yogi Adityanath, had while reviewing security preparations for Holi, directed
officials to approach Muslim clerics to see if namaz timings could be changed
in view of a peaceful Holi celebrations. The cleric who is also the executive
committee member of the AIMPLB has urged mosques in mixed population areas to
postpone their Friday prayers on March 2 keeping sentiments of Hindus in
mind.Farangi Mahli on Tuesday requested mosques where prayer timings for a
regular Friday congregation are between 12:30 pm and 1 pm to postpone prayers
by half an hour. This, he said, to avoid any clash between the two communities
who would both be in great numbers on the day, respecting sentiments of Hindus
and foster the country's spirit of communal harmony.Setting forth an example
himself, Farangi Mahli who is also the Imam of the Aishbagh Eidgah shifted the
Friday prayer time at the Eidgah's mosque to 1:45 pm for March 2, over the
regular 12:45 pm there. Friday prayer at Asafi Mosque for the Shia community will
be held at 1 pm this time, instead of the regular 12:22 pm, said Imam-e-Jumah,
Maulana Kalbe Jawad Naqvi. This too done keeping Holi in view."The
official permission to play colours is till 12 pm but people do generally go
beyond that time. We thought it will be best if all mosques, especially those
in mixed population areas can just push their prayer timings by half hour, so
that both events can be held peacefully, in these sensitive times,"Farangi
Mahli told TOI.TOI
Imam asks mosques to delay namaz so ‘Hindu
brothers’ can play Holi
Delhi HC asks govt to produce docs on not
declaring Jama Masjid protected
New Delhi: Delhi High Court today directed
Centre to positively place before it in May, documents containing the decision
of ex-PM Manmohan Singh that the
historic Mughal-era Jama Masjid should not be declared a protected monument.The
court also asked the central Govt to
file an affidavit disclosing the status of the file which the Govt has failed to produce despite several
orders.A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar
said the court had passed specific orders in April 2015, August 23, 2017 and
November 16, 2017 directing the Ministry of Culture to produce the file wherein
the decision was taken not to declare Jama Masjid a protected monument, but it
has not been produced yet."The file shall be positively produced before
the court on the next date, that is May 21," a bench of Acting Chief
Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said.Central Govt Standing Counsel Sanjeev Narula submitted
that he was unable to produce the file and Jama Masjid was a live monument
where people offered prayers and there are lot of restrictions.The court,
however, made it clear that the Govt shall
produce the documents before it as it wanted to know the reason for such a
decision.The court was hearing several PILs seeking directions to the
authorities to declare the mosque a protected monument and remove all
encroachments in and around it.Advocate D P Singh, appearing for petitioner Suhail
Ahmed Khan, said the court orders were being flouted and not followed and asked
why Jama Masjid was not under the ASI.The court also sought the response of the
Delhi Waqf Board and Jama Masjids Imam Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari on a plea
seeking to restrain the waqf board from using the title Shahi Imam. The plea
has also sought to stop the practice of referring to imams of other mosques
here as shahi (or royal).PTI
Ajmer Dargah committee violating appointment
rules: Hereditary staff
Jaipur:Ajmer Sharif Dargahs Mausari Amla has
accused the shrines committee of overruling hiring practices for hereditary
staff, claiming the procedures existed since the Sultanate period. Mausari Amla
(hereditary staff) has also threatened to boycott Urs of Sufi saint Khwaja
Moinuddin Chisti next month.The committee of the centuries old shrine comes
under the Ministry of Minority Affairs and is responsible for administering
affairs as per provisions of the Dargah Khawaja Saheb Act, 1955.In a letter to
the ministry, Muzaffar Bharti, a member of the hereditary staff, accused
officials of the committee of not following the rules set by emperors for
granting appointments to them.PTI
32 Hindu-Muslim couples married in Ram-Janki
temple in Gonda
Gonda:As many as 32 couples, including four
from the Muslim community and 28 from the Hindu community, have exchanged the
wedding vows in a joint marriage ceremony programme here, at the Ram-Janki
temple.According to Assistant Labour Commissioner Shamim Akhtar, the couples
got married in presence of priests and clerics, as per their rituals on Monday,
under the 'Samuhik Kanya Vivah Sahayata Yojna' (Joint Girls Marriage Help
Scheme).The Kazi, who performed the rituals to accomplish the marriages of
Muslim couples, decided Rs 5786 as 'mehar,' Akhtar told UNI on Tuesday, adding
that daughters of 32 registered labourers were married under this scheme. They
got Rs 55,000 each to start their new lives and under the Toilet construction
scheme, they received Rs 12,000 and Rs 3000, under the health scheme.UNI
UP govt sends charge sheet to Bareilly DM,
notice to Amethi SDM for social media posts
Lucknow: UP
Govt has asked Bareilly’s DM Raghvendra Vikram Singh and Amethi’s
subdivisional magistrate Ashok Shukla to explain their controversial social
media posts on administrative and governance issues, an officer has said.The
Govt has issued a chargesheet to Singh
and a notice to Shukla and asked them to reply on the issue within 15 days, the
officer of the state appointments and personnel department said on Tuesday.If
their replies were found unsatisfactory, an investigating officer will be
appointed to look into both the cases for further action, the officer added.The
officer’s comment, posted on Facebook 2 days after a 23-year-old man was killed
during a ‘tiranga yatra’ on Jan. 26 in Kasganj, created a flutter in the social
and political circles.Singh’s post went viral on social media, drawing the Govt
’s attention and prompting the department of appointment and personnel to seek
a report from Bareilly divisional commissioner PV Jaganmohan within 24
hours.hindustantimes
Bihar hit-and-run case: I promised both girls
red frocks, grieves Abdul Waheed, father in village that lost 9 kids
Dharmpur:Abdul Waheed, who works as a mason in
Ludhiana, said he would regret forever that he could not offer soil on the
graves of his 2 daughters in Dharmpur of Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Shahjejan Khatoon,
11, and Sadiya Khatoon, 4, were among nine schoolchildren run over by a
Mahindra Bolero on NH-77. By time Waheed, 31, reached home from Ludhiana, his
daughters had already been buried.“Both girls had asked me to buy them a red
frock. I had fulfilled my promise to Sadiya, who was younger,” said Waheed,
sobbing as he showed the red frock. “I had promised Shahjehan that I would buy
her a similar frock on my next trip to Bihar.”Waheed also a son, Mohammed Raza,
13.There were other grieving families in Dharmpur’s Hardiya Tola, a
Muslim-dominated area with mostly one-room Indira Awas houses for families of 7
to 10. Most people here work for daily wages, and some as masons.“None of us
can afford to send our children to a private school, but we ensure that we do
send all our children to school,” said Mohammed Islam, who lost his daughter
Heena,10,and son Salman, 4.I.Exp
Kerala HC unhappy with progress in Shuhaib
murder probe
Kerala High Court has taken a critical view of
the police investigation in the Shuhaib murder case and sought to know why
there was a delay in recovering the weapons used for the murder.The court,
while holding up a photograph of the slain youth, which was submitted by the
petitioners, wondered how a man could be brutally hacked to death as in the
case of Shuhaib.The court was considering a petition field by the parents of
Suhaib seeking a CBI probe into the murder.In their petition, C. P. Mohammed
and S. P. Raziya, the parents, submitted that a “killer gang of five belonging
to the CPI(M)” was behind the murder.thehindu
UP sees worrying rise in cases of missing
children:RTI
There has been a constant increase in the
number of children who go missing every year in UP , an RTI filed with the
State Crime Records Bureau has revealed.RTI, filed by Syed Pervez of Indian
Social Institute, shows between 2015 and 2017, 8,695 children were recorded
missing in UP, of which 4,834 children were reunited with their families.
Worryingly, however, 3,861 children continue to remain missing.In 2015, a total
of 2,660 children were recorded as missing of which 1,124 remain missing. The
figure rose to 2,884 in 2016 of which 1,195 remain missing. In 2017, the
situation got worse: 3,151 children were recorded as missing of which around
half (1,542) continue to remain missing. Pervez said RTI showed a worrying
trend which must be addressed.“The SC has time and again expressed deep anguish
to a lot of Indian states over the rise in cases of missing children including
UP. Govt does not seem serious at addressing this issue,” he added.TwoCircles
Delhi: Trilokpuri locals claim stones pelted,
slogans chanted before funeral
New Delhi:A day after a second incident of
stone-pelting was witnessed in Trilokpuri, residents on Monday claimed the
30-40 men involved in the violence had shouted slogans such as ‘Har Har
Mahadev’, ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ and ‘Jai Sri Ram’, as well as derogratory words
towards the minority community. While the temperatures appeared to have calmed
down, Zakir (42), a resident of Block 27, claimed: “A group of 30-40 men pelted
stones from Block 28 towards our block where we were preparing for a funeral…my
neighbour had died in the afternoon. Everyone ran inside their homes, women and
children were crying. The stone-pelters kept chanting slogans.” At least 5
eyewitnesses corroborated this.On Sunday, Rehmati (45), who was preparing for
her son’s engagement, had fallen sick and was rushed to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital,
where she died. “We had many relatives over from Okhla, Old Delhi and UP for
the engagement… when my mother died, they stayed back. I was at the mosque when
some boys told me there was stone-pelting and chanting. The police quickly
brought the situation under control and escorted us to the kabristaan,” said
17-year-old Mukhtiar.indianexpress
Manjhi quits NDA, to join RJD-led Grand
Alliance in Bihar
Hindustani Awami Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) head
Jitan Ram Manjhi said on Wednesday he has cut his ties with the NDA and will
join the RJD-led Grand Alliance in Bihar, in what could be a major setback to
the ruling coalition in the state ahead of a bypoll and Rajya Sabha elections.
Speculations that the party, an ally of the NDA since HAM-S was formed in 2015,
could split from the alliance was rife after the BJP declined its demand to
contest the bypoll in Jehanabad slated for March 11. The Manjhi-led party had
also demanded that NDA should give one seat to its candidate for the six Rajya
Sabha seats in Bihar, elections to which are slated for March 23.“I will join
the Grand Alliance,” the former CM said
as he was flanked by RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav following talks at his
residence. The Grand Alliance in Bihar now comprises the RJD, Congress and
HAM-S and also has a strong backing of the Janata Dal(United) faction led by
Sharad Yadav.Tejashwi, who is also the leader of Opposition, described Manjhi
as his guardian and an old friend of his parents.hindustantimes
Bye-poll results: Congress leads in MP’s
Mungaoli and Kolaras, BJD wins Odisha’s Bijepur
Counting of votes for Assembly seats in
Mungaoli and Kolaras in MP and Bijepur in Odisha began on Wednesday morning.It
is a direct fight between the Congress and BJP in Madhya Pradesh. At 4 pm,
Congress candidate Brajendra Singh Yadav in Mungaoli led by 4,956 votes against
his BJP rival Bai Sahab Yadav after the twelfth round of counting, the MP chief
electoral officer’s website showed. In Kolaras, Congress candidate Mahendra Singh
Yadav was ahead of BJP’s Devendra Jain by 3,425 votes.The bye-polls for
Mungaoli and Kolaras seats were held on Feb.24. Both the seats in Madhya
Pradesh recorded a high voter turnout – 77.05% in Mungaoli and 70.40% in
Kolaras. The bye-elections were necessitated by the deaths of Congress MLAs
Mahendra Singh Kalukheda from Mungaoli and Ram Singh Yadav from Kolaras.BJD
candidate won the Bijepur Assembly seat by a margin of 41,933 votes.This is the
first time in 15 years that BJD has won this seat, according to HT.Bijepur
bye-poll was necessitated after Congress MLA Subal Sahu died in Aug
2017.scroll.in
MP bypolls: Congress wins Mungaoli, ahead in
Kolaras
Northeast elections: 75% polling in Nagaland,
one killed in clashes; 77% turnout in Meghalaya
Guwahati:A man was killed and three others
injured in separate incidents of poll-related violence in Nagaland on Tuesday
while Meghalaya witnessed a comparatively peaceful election day. Polling in the
two Christian-majority states began at 7am. Although it was supposed to end at
4pm, officials permitted those in queue to cast votes after that.While 75%
voting was reported till 5pm in Nagaland, the figure for Meghalaya stood at 77%
at 11 pm. The poll percentage is expected to rise higher once inputs from
remote areas are added. Nagaland and Meghalaya registered 90% and 88% voting
respectively in the 2013 polls. HT
Ludhiana municipal corporation election
results 2018: Congress wins with 62 wards, SAD-BJP reduced to 21
New Delhi;Continuing its winning streak in
Punjab, Congress on Tuesday wrested control of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation
from BJP-SAD alliance.Party won in as many as 62 wards, reducing SAD-BJP
combine to merely 21 wards. SAD and BJP were relegated to second and third
position, with 11 and 10 wards, winning respectively.The voting, which was held
on Saturday, saw clashes between the Congress and Opposition party workers amid
allegations of booth capturing. As many as 494 candidates were in the fray for
a total of 95 wards. Meanwhile, Punjab Election Commission had ordered
repolling in 2 booths of wards number 44 on account of bogus voting and booth
capturing. Re-polling was held in booth numbers 2 and 3 of ward number 44 from
8 am to 4pm Monday. indianexpress
In a first, Rajya Sabha TV runs special
programme on ‘right-wing icon’ Veer Savarkar
New Delhi:In a departure from the usual for
state-run TV channel Rajya Sabha TV, a 24-minute feature on ideologue and
political thinker Veer Savarkar was aired on Monday, with a repeat telecast on
Tuesday. What makes the programme unique is that it is perhaps the first time
that a “right-wing” icon and proponent of “Hindutva” was featured on RSTV.The
feature came on Rajya Sabha TV’s ‘flagship’ programme, ‘Vishesh’. The programme
has been a staple of RSTV for several years now, and is a current affairs programme.
It has also done features on “personalities”, like the one on Mahatma Gandhi
that was aired on Jan. 29. Others who have previously been featured on
‘Vishesh’ include Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhagat Singh, Sardar Patel.timesofindia
Karnataka Assembly poll dates will be out by
April 15, says chief election commissioner: Report
Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat
said that the dates for the Karnataka Assembly elections will be announced by
April 15, NDTV reported.Rawat said 3 election commissioners – Sunil Arora,
Ashok Lavasa as well as himself – are likely to visit Karnataka in the first
week of April to assess the state’s readiness for elections.“School board
examinations likely to be over by the end of March and other examinations
around April 14,” the chief election commissioner said. “Keeping that in mind,
we will announce the poll dates around April 15.”scroll.in
Attack on minister Imran Hussain planned by Lt Governor, Chief
Secretary, IAS body: AAP
New Delhi:AAP accused Lt Governor Anil Baijal,
Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash and the IAS Association of hatching a
"conspiracy" to attack Delhi minister Imran Hussain.The party said
the BJP-led Centre was also backing the IAS association for boycotting work of
the Delhi Govt following the alleged
attack on the chief secretary on the intervening night of Feb. 19 and 20 by AAP
MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan." The physical assault on Delhi
minister Imran Hussain on Feb. 20 was pre-meditated and result of a conspiracy
hatched at the LG House by the Lieutenant Governor, Chief Secretary and the IAS
Association," Saurabh Bharadwaj, chief spokesperson of AAP's Delhi unit
alleged.AAP's demand for action against the LG, chief secretary and police
commissioner comes a day after a joint forum of Delhi Govt employees sought action against CM Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisoida
in the case of alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.PTI
INX case: Karti Chidambaram taken into CBI
custody
Coming out as a major development in INX money
laundering case, senior Congress leader, P Chidambaram’s son, Kati Chidambaram
has been detained by CBI. Karti Chidambaram was detained on Feb. 28 at around 8
AM. Krati Chidambaram was detained soon after he landed in Chennai from London.
According to CBI, Congress leader’s son, Karti had received money from INX
Media for using his influence to manipulate a tax probe against it in a case of
violation of FIPB conditions to receive investment from Mauritius. newsx
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind strongly condemns deadly
bombing in Syria, calls world to stop offensive
New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind has strongly condemned
the deadly bombings and airstrikes which have pounded Eastern Ghouta in Syria
by the Syrian forces backed by Russian warplanes. In a statement released to
the media, JIH chief Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari said: “We condemn the daily
bombings in Syria. We are saddened by the news that over 520 people have died
and thousands more injured. From media reports, we see that the bombing raids
have targeted medical buildings, and doctors who are struggling to keep up with
the stream of severely injured patients. A large number of the dead and injured
are ordinary civilians and children. We appeal to the international community,
particularly the UN, Russia, Syria, America, GCC and all important stakeholders
to immediately stop the offensive in Syria and enforce an immediate ceasefire
effectively as the war is devastating lives of innocent civilians and reducing
the chance of finding a solution to the crisis’’. Maulana Umari averred: “The
Syrian regime must realize that they have failed in protecting their own
citizens by targeting civilian areas and they are responsible for Syria’s
humanitarian crisis and refugee problem. The destruction of entire swathes of
cities and hundreds of thousands of people is taking us further away from the
solution to the crisis. We wish to remind them that war and violence can never
be the solution to any problem’’.
Illegitimate Assad govt committing genocide in
Syria: J&K Jamaat
Srinagar: Jamaat-e-Islami J&K expressed
deep anxiety and grief over the genocide of innocent Muslims in Syria at the
hands of the tyrant and illegitimate Govt of Bashar al-Assad assisted by the
Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, and supported by other imperialist
powers. The organisation, in their official statement, called on the impartial
nations to come to the rescue of these innocent humans facing extinction. “It
is deeply saddening that UNO and Security Council and so-called humanitarian
organizations have deliberately ignored this massacre of Muslims going on
throughout the Muslim world with the tacit help of the puppet regimes imposed
upon them under a well-designed plan,”the statement read. kashmirmonitor
Sushma calls on Jordan's king Abdullah,
discusses cooperation in defence, security and tourism sectors
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj on Wednesday called on visiting King of Jordan Abdullah II bin
Al-Hussein and discussed strengthening of bilateral ties across all
sectors."Historical links getting stronger!" MEA spokesperson Raveesh
Kumar tweeted while saying that Sushma Swaraj called on the visiting
dignitary."Good conversation on strengthening ties across all sectors,
specially in trade and investment, defence and security, tourism and
people-to-people exchanges," Kumar said.On Tuesday, PM Narendra Modi broke protocol and received
King Abdullah — who arrived in Delhi on a three-day state visit to India — at
the airport.Later on Wednesday, the king will visit IIT Delhi to explore
collaboration with Jordan's technical institutes.He will also participate in a
CEO Round-table followed by India-Jordan Business Forum jointly organised by
Industry bodies Ficci, CII and Assocham.King will hold talks with Modi on
Thursday during the course of which the two sides will discuss the entire gamut
of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual
interest.The king will also deliver a special address on "Promoting
Understanding and Moderation", organised by the India Islamic Centre at
Vigyan Bhawan.India-Jordan trade stood at $1.35 billion in 2016-17, according
to figures provided by the MEA.PTI
PM Modi welcomes Jordan’s King; Palestinian
issue, radicalisation to be discussed
Justin Trudeau backs theory of ‘rogue’ Indian
hand behind presence of Atwal at his event
PM Justin Trudeau is standing by a senior
national security official’s startling accusation that a convicted Khalistani
terrorist’s presence in India during his recent visit was an attempt by “rogue”
elements in the Indian establishment to embarrass him on the issue of Sikh
separatist activity on Canadian soil. As the debacle that was Trudeau’s visit
to India captivated Canadian political class, opposition Conservatives raised
the issue in the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament. They asked
whether Trudeau agreed with the “conspiracy theory” advanced by the official,
identified by Canadian media as NSA Daniel Jean.Responding to the Opposition
attack, Trudeau said, “When one of our top diplomats and security officials
says something to Canadians, it’s because they know it to be true.”This brought
a furious retort from Conservative MP and leader of Opposition, Andrew Scheer,
who tweeted: “Justin Trudeau just made an incredibly serious charge against the
Indian Govt – which has real
implications for Canada’s foreign relations and national security. He needs to
provide proof of this immediately.”HT
MEA dismisses Canadian reports that Atwal
visited India with help of ‘rogue’ Indian officials
New Delhi:Ministry of External Affairs has
dismissed Canadian reports that said pro-Khalistan activist Jaspal Atwal visited
India with the help of ‘rogue’ Indian officials.Responding to a question
regarding exchanges in Canadian parliament featuring PM Justin Trudeau, MEA’s Official Spokesperson
said that India had “nothing to do” with the visit of Atwal that created a furore
here during last week’s visit by Mr. Trudeau.“Let me categorically state that
Govt of India, including the security agencies, had nothing to do with the
presence of Jaspal Atwal at the event hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner
in Mumbai or the invitation issued to him for Canadian High Commissioner’s
reception in New Delhi. Any suggestion to the contrary is baseless and
unacceptable,” said Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. the hindu
TISS SC, ST students being discriminated, are
disbursed scholarship equal to study cost in home district: Scholars
In a strange disbursement of scholarship meant
for deprived sections, TISS students from SCs or STs, or those blonging to
OBCs, studying in TISS are learnt to be "eligible" to availing only
the amount at par with other students from their home districts, doing a
similar course in a local Govt
college.Bringing this to light, a 3,000-word statement signed by mainly
by scholars and activists in support of the striking TISS students belonging to
its four campuses, Mumbai, Tuljapur, Hyderabad and Gawhati, says, "This
means that if a student from Bastar studies in TISS, his course cost would be
only the fees that another student from Bastar has to pay."Citing this as
one of the several instances of discrimination against TISS' SC, ST and OBC
students, the statement says, this suggests that there are clear cases of fund
underutilisation. counterview
Test tube babies not un-Islamic, but process
is: Deoband
Putting their followers in a piquant
situation, clerics in Deoband, the seat of the country’s biggest Islamic
seminary, have come to the conclusion that test tube babies are not “unlawful”
in the eyes of Sharia, but the procedure certainly is. After “intense
deliberations” over the issue, the clerics said that “if both sperm and egg
belong to the husband and wife in question, they will be considered biological
parents of the child. Even in case of surrogacy through artificial
insemination, the child will still be considered the legal progeny of parents
who underwent this procedure".However, Azeemullah Siddiqui, spokesperson
of Jamiat Ulema, added, "But the procedure is un-Islamic.” Almost a dozen
senior Islamic scholars and clerics took part in the deliberations, he said.
“In one voice they all have said that Islam does not promote IVF procedure,” he
said.
Haryana Cabinet approves proposal to give
death penalty to rapists of girls aged 12 or below
Haryana Govt a has approved a proposal to
enact a law to provide capital punishment to those found guilty of sexually
abusing girls aged 12 years or below, PTI reported. The state Cabinet also
decided to make the existing laws related to sexual offences more stringent.scroll
Triple bill a conspiracy against Muslim women:
AIMPLB
Jaipur : Calling it “anti-Sharia and anti-women”,
the women’s wing of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board will take out a
silent march in Jaipur on Wednesday to oppose the triple talaq bill.The march,
in which around 3 lakh women are expected to take part, will start from Char
Darwaza.Addressing a press conference here, Dr Asma Zohara, convenor of the
women’s wing of AIMPLB, said, “The board wants the Govt to take back the bill as Muslim women are
happy with Sharia law.”The bill , she said, has a fundamental flaw. While
section 2 of the bill states that instant triple talaq is unconstitutional,
section 3 says that if a husband gives triple talaq, he will be jailed. “If
triple talaq is not valid, then how can you punish someone for it?” she asked. “We
carried out a signature campaign against the bill and got 5 crore signatures,
of which 2.8 crore were of Muslim women. They said they are satisfied with
personal laws and don’t want any interference.”Fathima Muzaffer, AIMPLB member,
said the Quran gave Muslim women rights 1,400 years ago. Yasmin Farooqui,
member of the board, said the bill seemed to be a conspiracy against the
Muslims.HT
Case schedule clouds Aadhaar link deadline,
petitioners to seek extension in SC
New Delhi:Petitioners opposed to the mandatory
linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts, phone numbers and other services will
seek an extension of the deadline for such linkage, their lawyers said on
Tuesday, citing the low probability of the case being concluded in the Supreme
Court by March 31, the current deadline for such linking.The SC is expected to
resume hearing the case on March 6. In December, it extended the last date for
completion of the process to link Aadhaar with services to March 31. However,
going by where the case stands, it is unlikely to be concluded by March-end,
the petitioners contend. A delay also seems certain because the same five-judge
bench hearing the Aadhaar case has been asked to hear the land acquisition case
on priority.The land acquisition case has occupied centre stage in the Supreme
Court with one three-judge bench taking issue last week with the 8 Feb.
judgement of another three-judge bench that, in effect, overturns the judgement
of yet another 3-judge bench dating back to 2014. HT
Proposed revision: Govt relaxes rules on
cattle market, drops reference to slaughter
New Delhi; In a significant rollback, the
Centre is all set to remove any reference to the term “slaughter” in its new
version of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock
Market) Rules, 2017, according to a draft of the notification being vetted by
the Law Ministry.The original version, dated May 23, 2017, had notified a ban
on sale of cattle for slaughter in animal markets, triggering an outcry over
its effect on trade across the country. The diluted version is being vetted by
the Law Ministry prior to its notification by the Ministry of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change.According to the new version, “no unfit animal or
young animal shall be sold in an animal market”. Further, it states that “no
person shall permit an animal to be offered or displayed for sale in an animal
market if it is likely to give birth while it is there or during its
transportation to or from such animal market”. indianexpress
Rajasthan to amend cow slaughter law to allow
seizing vehicles illegally transporting the animals
Rajasthan Govt has decided to amend the
state’s Bovine Animals Act to allow the seizure of vehicles in which cows are
illegally transported, HT reported. The amendment to 1995 law will not apply to
transportation of buffaloes.State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra
Rathore said the decision to amend the Rajasthan Bovine Animals (Prohibition of
Slaughter and Regulation of Export) Act, 1995, was taken at a Cabinet meeting
chaired by CM Vasundhara Raje.Rathore said buffaloes were excluded from the
definition of bovine animals after directions from the Centre.scroll.in
Assam: 20 lakh Muslims likely to lose
nationality
New Delhi: The percentage of Muslim population
in Assam is 34%; the majority of them are Bengali Muslims who have settled here
from the past 100 years. Most of them are poor, illiterate and agricultural
labours, but RSS, ruling BJP and their like-minded local parties say that lakhs
of illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh have settled in Assam.Election
Commission has marked them in the voters’ list as ‘doubtful voters’, who could
not produce proof of their citizenship.A list of all residents of Assam is
being prepared under the supervision of Supreme Court for identification of
illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators. The final list of NRC will be released in
June.State Coordinator NRC, Shri Prateek Hajela told that ‘D voters or those
who have been declared foreigners will not be included in the NRC. Besides 29
lakh women have submitted Panchayat certificate, their nationality will also be
scrutinised. He says it is hard to say how many people will be removed from
citizenship and nationality. This is a test whose result is inappropriate to
declare now. According to civil society and human rights groups, lakhs of
Bengali Muslims can be expelled after the NRC is released. Abdul Batin Khandkar of Justice Forum says the
number of D voters and declared foreigners is nearly 5 lakh; their children
would be around 15 lakh. siasat
Bank of Baroda’s role in S. Africa’s Gupta
scandal
Johannesburg:Senior Bank of Baroda (BoB)
officials suppressed numerous alerts filed by junior officials at the
Johannesburg branch about transactions in accounts controlled by the Gupta
brothers of the Sahara group, whose financial dealings resulted in the
resignation of South African President Jacob Zuma.These alerts or suspicious
activity reports (SARs) were voided by BoB managers and thereby never reached
the South African Financial Intelligence Centre, an investigation by The Hindu
and Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project has found.Over 17,000
transactions of BoB’s South African operations since Jan.2012, as well as
internal communications, show that bank continued to allow Gupta brothers to
operate a web of accounts to create a complex corporate maze even as the
political scandal about their influence on Zuma was playing out. thehindu
To foster communal harmony, SSP Muzaffarnagar urges
people to follow Prophet Muhammad's example on Holi
Lucknow: With the festival of Holi falling on
Friday, the police and administration are on their toes to keep the
celebrations peaceful, especially in the areas which are prone to communal
tensions. SSP, Muzaffarnagar, Anant Deo has urged people to keep calm and to
follow the path shown by Prophet Mohammad. SSP had ordered distribution of
pamphlets in which an incident has been mentioned where a Yahudi woman used to
dump all her garbage on Prophet Mohammad while he used to pass by from her
house. Prophet used to ignore it. One day when no one threw garbage over him,
he enquired about the woman in the neighbourhood and came to know that she was
ill. Prophet asked the woman if he can bring medicine for her. On this, the woman
started crying realising her mistake that she used to throw her garbage on him
every day and bowed down to him. The pamphlets reads: "Brothers, I request
you all to follow the path shown by Prophet and adopt his ways." It is
also requested in the pamphlet not to douse fire by fire. It cautions that for
dousing fire you need water. It also advises people to think before doing
anything else "Shaitan will take over your brain". news18
CBI still clueless about missing Najeeb’s whereabout
New Delhi: CBI said that it had a “fresh and
very important lead” in the mysterious disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed, but the
premier investigating agency apparently failed to walk the talk when it told
the Delhi High Court that it was awaiting forensic results of call details,
WhatsApp messages and location details of 9 students who are accused of
assaulting Najeeb prior to his disappearance. CBI, which was handed over the
probe on May 16, 2017, after Delhi Police failed to trace the young man, had
said the same on the previous date of the hearing that had taken place on
November 14, last year. Najeeb, a JNU student, had gone missing from the Hostel
in 2016 following an alleged scuffle with students associated with ABVP, previous
night.Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, counsel for Najeeb’s mother Fatima
Nafees, argued to put on record the fact that the Crime Branch of the Delhi
Police caught a random auto driver and peddled a false theory of him going on his
own to Jamia Millia Islamia. CBI had on Nov.14, 2017, placed this fact on the
record of the court that the Crime Branch officers had randomly picked up an
auto driver and forcefully extracted a false statement from him.As the hearing
resumed on Tuesday, the counsel for CBI referred to Monday’s demonstration
outside CBI HQRS, alleging that the protesters blocked CBI gates. Students of
JNU, Delhi University, JMI, AMU and others had on the call of Fatima Nafees
staged a protest outside CBI HQRS, alleging that the agency is not doing enough
to trace Najeeb. The court has set April 3 as the next date of hearing. Newsclick
‘No
progress’ in Najeeb case, protests outside CBI HQ
WORLD
Afghanistan’s Ghani offers to recognise
Taliban as political group as part of peace talks
Kabul: Afghan president Ashraf Ghani offered
recognition of Taliban insurgents as a legitimate political group on Wednesday
as part of a proposed political process that could lead to talks aimed at
ending more than 16 years of war.The offer, made at the start of an
international conference aimed at creating a platform for peace talks, adds to
a series of signals from both the Western-backed Govt and the Taliban suggesting a greater
willingness to consider dialogue.Ghani proposed a ceasefire and a release of
prisoners. He also said he would be ready to accept a review of the
constitution as part of a pact with the Taliban, who have so far refused to
accept direct talks with the Govt in
Kabul.“The Govt offers peace
negotiations to the Taliban without any conditions,” Ghani said in opening
remarks to the conference attended by officials from around 25 countries
involved in the so-called Kabul Process.The comments represented a significant
shift for Ghani, who in the past has regularly called the Taliban “terrorists”
and “rebels” although he has also offered to talk with parts of the movement
that accepted peace.Taliban, fighting to restore Islamic rule after their 2001
ouster by US-led troops, have offered to begin talks with the US but have so far refused direct talks with
Kabul. It was unclear whether they would be prepared to shift their stance,
despite growing international pressure.Ghani said a political framework for
peace negotiations should be created with a ceasefire and the Taliban
recognised as a legitimate political group with an official political office.
In return, the movement would have to recognise the Afghan Govt and respect the rule of law.In addition,
Taliban prisoners could be released and their names removed from international
blacklists, while security arrangements could be made for Taliban agreeing to
join a process of reconciliation. Former fighters and refugees could be
reintegrated and provided with jobs.Reuters
Ghani Offers Unconditional Talks, Legitimacy
to Taliban
Afghan Taliban renew call for dialogue with US
to end war
Kabul: Taliban urged the US to begin talks to
end almost 17 years of war in Afghanistan, adding to a series of signals that
suggest a greater willingness to explore options for dialogue.In its statement,
two days before the start of a meeting of regional leaders in Kabul to discuss
ways of ending the war, the movement said it wanted a peaceful
resolution."Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls
on American officials to talk directly to the Political Office of Islamic
Emirate regarding a peaceful solution to the Afghan quandary," it
said."It would help in finding a solution if America accepts the
legitimate demands of the Afghan people and [puts] forward its own concerns and
requests for discussion to the Islamic Emirate through a peaceful
channel," it said.The statement referred to reported comments by Alice
Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the US State Dept's Bureau of
South and Central Asian Affairs, that the "door is open" for talks
with the Taliban.Less than two weeks ago, the Taliban issued a statement saying
they preferred to "solve the Afghan issue through peaceful dialogue".Reuters
Taliban: Doha office remains vital for talks
New clashes on Eastern Ghouta outskirts:
Monitor
Syrian Govt
forces have clashed with rebels on the outskirts of Eastern Ghouta,
despite a Russian-sponsored truce that is now in its second day, a war monitor
reported.Since Wednesday morning, during a second attempt at implementing a
ceasefire in the besieged enclave, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces
have been locked in "fierce" fighting with rebels who have been in control
of the area since 2013, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
(SOHR). The confrontation is part of a ground offensive launched by the
Govt on Sunday. It has been fighting on
multiple fronts in an attempt to penetrate the enclave.aljazeera
OPCW to probe chemical attacks in Syria’s
eastern Ghouta
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW) on Sunday opened an investigation into recent attacks in Syria’s
besieged, opposition-held eastern Ghouta to determine whether prohibited
weapons had been used; Reuters reported citing exclusive diplomatic
sources.According to the sources, The Hague based watchdog will investigate
reports of repeated use of chlorine bombs this month in eastern Ghouta near the
capital Damascus.The health department in an area controlled by the Syrian
opposition said in a statement that people suffered from symptoms similar to
those that follow exposure to chlorine gas which killed one child.The
statement, issued by the local branch of the Ministry of Health in the Syrian
Interim opposition Govt , said the victims, which include two ambulance
paramedics, inhaled chlorine gas after a “massive explosion” in the Shifuniya
district of eastern Ghouta. The statement added that at least 18 people were
treated after the explosion with oxygen inhalers.middleeastmonitor
UN finds evidence that North Korea is helping
Syria build ‘chemical weapons’, say reports
Syria conflict: Women 'sexually exploited in
return for aid'
Women in Syria have been sexually exploited by
men delivering aid on behalf of the UN and international charities, the BBC has
learned.Aid workers said the men would trade food and lifts for sexual
favours.Despite warnings about the abuse three years ago, a new report shows it
is continuing in the south of the country.UN agencies and charities said they
had zero tolerance of exploitation and were not aware of any cases of abuse by
partner organisations in the region.Aid workers told the BBC that the
exploitation is so widespread that some Syrian women are refusing to go to
distribution centres because people would assume they had offered their bodies
for the aid they brought home.One worker claimed that some humanitarian
agencies were turning a blind eye to the exploitation because using third
parties and local officials was the only way of getting aid into dangerous
parts of Syria that international staff could not access.BBC
OIC slams Israel plan to tax Jerusalem churches
Jeddah:Organization of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC) has blasted an Israeli plan to start taxing church property in occupied
East Jerusalem.“We reject these measures, which are part of ongoing efforts [by
Israel] to change the status of Christian and Muslim holy places [in Jerusalem]
and systematically restrict their existence,”OIC said.It went on to voice
solidarity with Jerusalem’s churches, warning against “the seriousness of these
unprecedented Israeli actions which constitute a flagrant violation of
international law and conventions”.OIC also urged the international community
to “exert pressure on Israel, the occupying power, to compel it to abide by its
responsibilities under international law and the Geneva Conventions and
immediately reverse these illegal measures and continued violations against the
city of Jerusalem, its people and holy sites”.On Sunday, Jerusalem’s Church of
the Holy Sepulcher closed its doors to protest Israel’s new tax policy, which,
if implemented, would subject the city’s churches to a property tax. “The
church will remain closed until further notice,” Greek Orthodox Patriarch
Theophilos III told reporters.Jointly administered by several major Christian
denominations, Jerusalem’s iconic Church of the Holy Sepulcher is considered
one of Christianity’s holiest sites. Anatulu Agency
13 dead in Christian-Muslim violence in
Nigeria: police
Lagos:At least 13 people have been killed in
clashes between Christian and Muslim youths in central Nigeria, police said
today, in the latest violence to hit the region.Fighting broke out on Monday in
Kasuwan Magani community in Kaduna state, about 45 kilometres by road from the
state capital, Kaduna city. "The mayhem led to the death of 13 people with
many houses and shops burnt," Kaduna state police commissioner Austin Iwar
told AFP by telephone.Local reports gave a higher death toll. Iwar said 20
suspects have been arrested, and troops and police had been deployed to quell
the violence. "The place is now calm. I was in the village yesterday to
implore the community and traditional leaders to appeal to the warring youths
to sheath their swords," he added."We don't want to jump into
conclusion as to what led to the mayhem. The speculation was that some
Christian boys were not happy that their girls are befriending Muslim
boys," Iwar said.outlookindia
British driver deliberately hits Muslim woman
twice in Islamophobic attack
A Muslim woman was the subject of a deliberate
hit and run attack in London, reports said Wednesday.A driver identified as
Paul Moore drove into a Somali woman named Zaynab Hussein, shortly before he
tried to drive at a 12-year-old Somali girl, BBC reported.The incident
reportedly took place on Sept. 20, a few days after the bomb attack in London,
according to Nottingham Crown Court records.Hussein was wearing a headscarf
when the incident happened and was hit twice by the same driver.The 12-year-old
Somali girl was also hit by the same driver as she was heading to school, but
he only clipped her side, the report said.Prosecutor Jonathan Straw noted that
Moore attacked her "purely because of the color of her skin" and her "perceived
Islamic faith." DAILY SABAH
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner loses access
to top secret White House data
US President Donald Trump’s administration has
imposed restrictions on his son-in-law and closest adviser Jared Kushner’s
access to top secret White House information, reports said. Kushner lost access
to top secret US intelligence reports and the president’s daily brief after the
White House had his security clearance downgraded.Kushner’s lawyer Abbe Lowell
confirmed the development to US website Politico. The changes would “not affect
Kushner’s ability to continue to do the very important work he has been
assigned by the President,” Lowell told the news website. The president’s
37-year-old adviser is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka. scroll
Media Dept. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind,
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For
free internal circulation
UK's May confirms Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman visit
Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's
32-year-old crown prince, will visit the UK from March 7 on an official trip,
according to Downing Street sources.A spokesperson for Theresa May, the UK's PM
, said the meeting will tackle international challenges, such as
"terrorism, extremism, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen and
other regional issues such as Iraq and Syria".Since the Saudi-led military
intervention started in Yemen in March 2015, the Arab world's poorest country
has found itself on the brink of a devastating humanitarian crisis, with the UN
warning of widespread famine and spread of disease.aljazeera
Baghdad claims to be mediating between Saudi and
Iran
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari said
today that his country is ‘still making efforts’ to strengthen relations
between Saudi Arabia and Iran.“Certainly, Iraq can play a role in strengthening
relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran,” Al-Jaafari told Sputnik. “We have a
good neighbourly relationship with Syria and Turkey on the one hand, and with
Iran and Saudi Arabia on the other.”“We worked on the rapprochement between
them and we are still making efforts, because the relationship Iraq possesses
with these countries necessarily calls for us to overcome existing tensions
between them.”This is not the first time an Iraqi official admitted to playing
a mediating role between Riyadh and Tehran. Last August Iraq’s Interior
Minister, Qasim Al-Araji, said the same thing. Sputnik reported that Saudi
Arabia asked Iraqi PM Haidar Al-Abadi to
end his country’s row with Iran.middleeastmonitor
Israel’s SC agrees to delay demolition of
outpost homes until June
Israel’s Supreme Court has agreed to the
state’s request to delay the demolition of 15 homes in the illegal settlement
outpost of Netiv Ha’avot, located in the southern occupied West Bank.The court
extended the deadline by three months, until 15 June, in order to allow for the
construction of temporary housing for the residents.The court did, however,
reject another state request, namely that in the case of six of the 15 buildings,
to only demolish those parts of the structures which cross into privately-owned
Palestinian land.Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the
occupied Palestinian territory are illegal.middleeastmonitor
Veto-holding members of UNSC like criminals:UN
rights chief
Geneva:The outgoing UN human rights chief
accused the veto-wielding members of the UNSC of being second only to criminals
who kill and maim when it comes to responsibility for some of the world's most
egregious rights violations. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein delivered one of the
strongest and clearest denunciations yet from a top UN official about certain
uses of Security Council veto, which gives extraordinary powers to the five
countries that wield it: Britain, China, France, Russia and the US.Speaking to
Human Rights Council, Zeid didn't mention specific vetoes. But the comments
were an unmistakable allusion to the war in Syria, over which Russia, a major
backer of President Bashar Assad, and China have repeatedly used the veto to
block efforts such as to hold war criminals to account or punish Assad's Govt for alleged use of chemical weapons.Zeid
instead spoke more broadly and decried "some of the most prolific
slaughterhouses of humans in recent times"— Syria's Eastern Ghouta region,
the Ituri and Kasai regions of Congo; the embattled city of Taiz in Yemen;
Burundi; and Myanmar's northern Rakhine state.He denounced "minimal
action" taken even though his office has repeatedly exposed human rights
violations that "should have served as a trigger for preventive
action." "Given this is my last address as high commissioner at the
opening of a March session, I wish to be blunt," Zeid said. The outspoken
Jordanian prince isn't seeking a new four-year term when his current one
expires in Aug. Zeid insisted the 5 permanent, veto-wielding council members
"must answer to the victims" if the veto is used to block any action
that could reduce human suffering.AP
Facebook Removes Page of 'Buddhist Bin Laden'
For Spreading Hate Against Rohingya Muslims
Yangon: Facebook has removed the page of a
Myanmar monk once dubbed the "Buddhist Bin Laden" for his incendiary
posts about Muslims, the company confirmed, as it faces pressure to clamp down
on hate speech.Wirathu, a prominent face of Myanmar's Buddhist
ultra-nationalist movement, had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on
the network, using it as a platform to attack Muslims, singling out the
stateless Rohingya minority.Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh
since last August following a military crackdown in Rakhine state that has been
likened to ethnic cleansing by the US and the UN, but which has been applauded
by Myanmar nationalists online.A Facebook spokesperson told AFP late yesterday
that Wirathu's page had been removed. news18
Lanka shops, mosque damaged in Buddhist-Muslim
clash
Colombo:- At least five people were wounded
and several shops and a mosque damaged in a clash between majority Sinhalese
Buddhists and minority Muslims in eastern Sri Lanka, police said.Renewed
tension has been growing between the two communities since last year, with some
hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam
and vandalising Buddhist archaeological sites.Police had been deployed in the
eastern town of Ampara to control the unrest after a Sinhalese mob attacked a
mosque, four shops and several vehicles late on Monday, spokesman Ruwan
Gunasekara said.Gunasekara said no arrests had been made so far.Muslim Council
of Sri Lanka, umbrella body that includes most Muslim organizations in the
country, condemned the attack and requested the Govt to conduct an impartial inquiry into it and
arrest the perpetrators.Reuters
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
UNSC keeps losing credibility in Syria: Merve
Şebnem Oruç, dailysabah
Amid Souring Ties, India May Choose Indonesia
Over Maldives in UNSC polls:DEVIRUPA MITRA
Lawyer Vrinda Grover on Why Top Cop in Ishrat
Jahan Case Must Face Trial:THE WIRE
Feb.28, 2002: Ahmedabad That Year, This Day When Jafri Made a 100 Calls for
Help:AMARESH MISHRA
Poison in the air: Invisible pollutants are
causing visible health damage: HT
MEA to appoint six envoys under new foreign
secy Vijay Gokhale, more changes on the anvil: HT
Muslims Must Build Bridges With Dalits, Other
Oppressed Groups:AIJAZ ZAKA SYED
Under Yogi govt, UP Police has instilled fear
in criminals. But has it won the people’s faith?Prakash Singh
A 'system of control': Child detention in the
occupied West Bank:Tala Kaddoura
Right-Wing Erupts Over Anti-Hindu Tweets By
(Fake) Muslim Account
How a fake account with anti-Hindu tweets is
tripping the right
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