NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
05 March 2019: 27 Jamadiul-II 1440:Vol:11, No:143
INDIA
US tries to safeguard Afghan peace push from
India-Pakistan crisis
Washinton:US is trying to prevent simmering
tensions between India and Pakistan from impacting a third country:
Afghanistan, where a fragile peace push is underway to try to end over 17 years
of war with Taliban insurgents.US President Donald Trump's administration has
been publicly focused on lowering tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals
since Pulwama attack, triggered the first Indian air strikes inside of Pakistan
since a 1971 war. Senior US officials said that as the country spoke with
senior Pakistani officials, emphasizing the need to lower the risk of conflict
with India, Islamabad privately offered warnings on Afghanistan. Pakistani
officials said their ability to support Afghan peace talks could be in jeopardy
in the event of a full-blown crisis, US officials said, speaking on condition
of anonymity."They'll stop being a facilitator, they will stop the
pressure they are applying" on Taliban, one US official said, recounting
Pakistani warnings conveyed to Washington. Pakistan has publicly denied any
role in the bombing. Pakistan, long at odds with US over the war in
Afghanistan, has played a behind-the-scenes role in supporting US peace talks
with Afghan Taliban, including by facilitating travel to negotiations.Current
and former US officials caution that Islamabad could again choose to act as a
spoiler."I don't believe that Pakistan has the capability to straight out
make peace happen in Afghanistan, but they definitely have capability to make
peace not (happen)," said Laurel Miller, ex senior State Department
official.A Pakistani official in Washington, speaking on the condition of
anonymity, cautioned that unless the tensions were reduced, there was a
"very strong likelihood" that Pakistani troops would be moved from
the border with Afghanistan to reinforce positions near India.Pakistan's UN
Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi said that Islamabad's focus could completely shift to
its eastern border with India."If the crisis with India continues,
Pakistan will be obliged to keep our entire focus on our Eastern border. That
may affect our efforts on our Western front," Lodhi said. Pakistani
official in Washington said Pakistan had not been focused on Afghanistan since tensions
with India increased last month, and it would have implications for peace
talks. Some current and former US officials say Islamabad may be over-stating
the risks of fallout on Afghan peace talks, which resumed over the weekend in
Doha. Speaking on condition of anonymity, they noted that Islamabad has its own
self-interests in mind as it seeks to influence peace process in neighbouring
Afghanistan. But other US officials acknowledge a major crisis involving India
would be all-consuming for Islamabad, and say it's another reason why lowering
tensions is so important. Veteran diplomats say that if US pushes Pakistan too
hard on combating militants, Islamabad could diminish its support for the peace
process.Dan Feldman, ex US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan,
said many of the Pakistani officials who dealt with India were also responsible
for Afghanistan, and that tensions could impact peace talks.Reuters
All options open if there's another terror
attack from Pak: Sources
New Delhi: The military phase of the strike back against
Pakistan-based terror is over and efforts are now on to step up diplomatic
pressure on Islamabad.A fresh initiative is on by the permanent members of UNSC
to blacklist Jaish chief Masood Azhar and India is directing all its efforts in
that direction. Also, if there's another terrorist attack from Pakistan, all
options are on the table, sources said.The comments from sources came as
Pakistan claimed that India has kept up its attempts to use force and that an
Indian submarine had entered its waters. Rubbishing Islamabad's claims, sources said
Pakistan was trying to "deviate attention" by suggesting that India
is continuing to threaten them. Pakistan's claim today that they shot down a
Sukhoi, is a "total lie", a source said."India also reaching out
to other countries outside UNSC... telling the international community if this
is Naya Pakistan with a Naya Soch, we expect to see action," an official
said. ndtv
Pak Navy claims it thwarted Indian submarine
from entering its waters
Karachi: Pakistan Navy today claimed it had
thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter the country’s territorial
waters.The report comes after tensions flared up between the two nuclear-armed
neighbours following the Pulwama attack
claimed.Pakistan Navy also shared a footage with the media, which it said was
“actual”. The image showed that the footage was made at 2035 hours on March
4.“Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off submarine,
successfully keeping it from entering Pak waters,” a spokesperson said.PTI
Navy Chief warns of terror attacks via the high seas
India's Naval chief has said Pakistan based terrorists are planning
attacks via the high seas. Naval Chief Sunil Lanba speaking at an event in
Delhi said, "We also have reports of terrorists being trained to carry out
attacks with varying modus operandi including through the medium of the sea."
Slamming Pakistan for its support to terror, Lanba said, "India faces a
far more serious version of terrorism called 'State-Sponsored Terrorism'. You
have all witnessed the horrific scale of the extremist attack in J&K just 3
weeks ago. This violence was perpetrated by extremists aided and abetted by a
state which seeks to destabilise India."dnaindia
Days after India dossier, Pakistan detains 2
relatives of Masood Azhar
New Delhi:Amid mounting pressure from the
global community to rein in groups, Pakistan today detained 44 members of
proscribed organisations, including two relatives of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief
Masood Azhar. Among those detained were Mufti Abdur Rauf and Hammad Azhar,
brothers of JeM chief, Pakistan Interior Ministry said.The development comes 2
days after India handed over a dossier to Pakistan with “specific details of
JeM complicity in Pulwama attack and the presence of JeM camps and its leadership
in Pakistan”.Interior Ministry said that dossier shared by India also contained
names of Rauf and Hammad Azhar.indianexpress
Heard huge explosion, soldiers evacuated us:
Jaish madrasa student in Balakot told relative:report
Mumbai : Within hours of the Indian air strike
at Balakot, soldiers of the Pakistan Army evacuated students from the
Jaish-e-Mohammad madrasa in the area and kept them in a safe house for some
days before sending them back to their homes.Indian Express has learnt this
from a relative of a student present in the madrasa at the time.This is the
first direct account to emerge from Madrasa Taleem-ul-Quran, a prominent Jaish
seminary in the Balakot area — located on top of a ridge called Jabha Top. The
soldiers had been providing security to the Jaish facility for a week or so
before the strike, the relative said.As narrated by the student to his family
members, it was still dark on the morning of Feb.26 when he and some others who
were sleeping in the same room were woken up by a “massive exploding”
sound.“The sound was not far away, it was quite close,” the relative told
Indian Express, recalling the student’s account. They woke up in panic but they
heard nothing again and went back to sleep. “They thought unka veham hoga (it
must have been their imagination). Or that perhaps it was an earthquake tremor.
Then they heard nothing more and went back to bed”.When they woke up again —
the relative did not know when but said it must have been for or before the
fajr prayers, the first of the day — there were soldiers asking them to leave
the place.“Soldiers took them to another location,” the relative said but did
not know where they were evacuated. Students were kept there “for 2 or 3 days”.
The student told his family members that soldiers had been posted at the
madrasa a few days before this incident took place.indianexpress
Not aware of any request from the US on F 16:
Pak envoy to US
Pakistan’s envoy to US Asad Majeed Khan has
said he is not aware of any request made by US about the use of F-16 fighter
jets by his country in the recent aerial confrontation with India. Indian Air
Force displayed parts of an AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as
evidence to “conclusively” prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16
fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in
Kashmir after India’s air strike in Balakot.Pakistan today categorically said
that no F-16 fighter jets were used and denied that one of its planes had been
downed by IAF. PTI
Shiv Sena joins Oppn chorus, says citizens
have right to know casualties in IAF strike
Shiv Sena today said that Indians have a right
to know about the casualties in the airstrike in Pakistan. Opposition parties
have also been asking BJP-led NDA Govt to reveal the exact number of terrorists
killed in the air strike.Sena in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana
asked, “The question that how many terrorists were killed in the airstrikes is
not just being asked by the political opponents of Modi. The media of England,
USA, etc too have raised this question. Citizens of the country have the right
to know what and how much harm has been caused to the enemy by the defence
forces. We do not think the morale of our forces is being lowered by asking for
it.”HT
Opposition chorus grows for proof of air
strike
Is Amit Shah accusing Army of lying on
Balakot: Kejriwal
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has questioned BJP
president Amit Shah over his claim that over 250 terrorists were killed in the
Balakot air strikes, and contrasted it with the position of IAF chief B S
Dhanoa that Air Force does not count casualties.Kejriwal tweeted that Shah’s
claim amounts to saying that the Indian Army was “lying”, as it goes against
the version of the Armed forces. Dhanoa Monday said that the IAF was primarily
concerned with whether its fighter jets hit the targets or not.“Does according
to Amit Shah the armed forces are lying? The army has clearly said that whether
someone died or not, or how many died, cannot be said. Is Shah accusing the
army of lying for political benefits? The country has faith on its army. Do
Shah and the BJP not have faith on it? (sic)” he tweeted.indian express
Govt stand on death toll in IAF Pak. strike
same as one given by Foreign Secretary: Sitharaman
Chennai:Govt of India’s position on the number
of terrorists killed at Balakot in IAF strike was the same as the one provided
by Foreign Secretary in his statement, which “didn’t give a figure,” Defence
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters in Chennai.When asked about claims
on the casualty figures for the air strike, she said: “Foreign Secretary didn’t
give a figure. He gave a statement. That is the Govt of India’s position”.At a
rally in Ahmedabad on March 3, BJP chief Amit Shah claimed that more than 250
terrorists were killed in IAF strike. Earlier, talking to reporters in Siliguri
on March 2, Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT S.S. Ahluwalia
claimed the attack on Balakot was only to deliver a warning and that Govt did
not want any human casualty. She said “Well, I can’t say it now,” when asked if
Govt would release satellite imagery of strike area.thehindu
After Yeddyurappa, BJP Chief in Jharkhand
claims air strike will help it win all 14 LS seats
Jharkhand BJP Chief Laxman Gilua has stirred
up a controversy by saying that the recent air strike on a terrorist camp in
Pakistan's Balakot will help BJP in Jharkhand in upcoming Lok Sabha polls. According
to a report in NDTV, "BJP will win all 14 seats in the Jharkhand, our
surveys tell us that. After all, our Indian Air Force finished the terrorist
training camp in Pakistan just over 12 days after they killed our soldiers in
the Pulwama attack,"said state party chief Laxman Gilua.Gilua had cited
surgical strikes carried out after the Uri attack to claim that BJP-led centre
has always avenged Pakistan's acts of aggression. "We entered PoK and
killed those people, okay? Then we told the Pakistan Foreign Secretary to pick
up the bodies of the terrorists," he said.Jharkhand Chief's comments comes
a few days after Karnataka BJP Chief Yeddyurappa had said that air strikes will
help BJP win 22 seats in Karnataka. nationalheraldindia
Digvijaya calls Pulwama attack an accident
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh came down
heavily on PM Narendra Modi and asked him to clear the "doubts" cast
by the international media on the terrorists' deaths in the airstrike carried
out by India in Pakistan's Balakot.In a series of tweets, Digvijaya Singh asked
PM Modi to speak about the Balakot airstrike as the country wanted to who is
lying. However, as Singh went on to corner the Modi-led Govt at the Centre, he
ended up terming the Pulwama attack, an "accident".India Today
Bandh Called by Traders' Community Brings Life
to Halt in Kashmir over ban on J&K Jamaat
Srinagar: Normal life was thrown out of gear
in the Valley on Tuesday due to a strike called by the traders’ community to
protest against the extension of central laws to J&K and the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami J&K .Shops
and other business establishments remained closed in Kashmir due to the strike
called by the J&K Socio Economic
Coordination Committee (JKSECC), officials said.Public transport remained off
the roads but some private vehicles were seen plying in the city and elsewhere
in the valley, they said.The JKSECC’s call for a complete shutdown in the
entire Kashmir valley, Pirpanchal region and the Chenab valley was supported by
most of the trade bodies.In a statement, the JKSECC, an amalgam of bodies
representing various trades, said the extension of central laws and the ban on
Jamaat was done in an illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic manner.The
committee expressed strong resentment against the extension of central law to
the state at a time when no elected Govt is in place. “The governor of the state needs
to introspect about his representative character and understand that he does
not represent people of the state but the Centre as its nominated agent and has
no moral, ethical, legal and constitutional right to accord any concurrence to
the extension of central laws to the state,” the statement read.PTI
Ban on J&K Jamaat shocking: AMU students
union
Srinagar:AMU students union has expressed
shock over the decision of the J&K Govt
to ban socio-religio-political body
Jamaat-e-Islami, J&K under UAPA.In a statement a spokesman of the union
said “the Govt has unleashed a state of
undeclared emergency curbing dissent in all forms. It has come as a shock that
a socio-religio-political soutfit Jamaat-e-Islami J&K has been banned.”“Nation
must be told that Jamaat runs as per its constitution wherein Article 5, clause
3, clearly mentions that the organisation strives through democratic and
constitutional methods.Jamaat is neither an underground organisation, nor is it
a militant outfit. It has been part of the electoral process in the state
in1971, 1975, 1977, 1983 and 1987. It is only after mass rigging of elections
in 1989 that Jamaat abandoned the electoral process,” the statement
said.greaterkashmir
Govt has turned battle against terror into
battle against Kashmiris, Muslims: CPI(M)
New Delhi:There has been an "orchestrated
effort" by BJP and RSS to rouse "jingoistic nationalism" after
the Pulwama attack and Govt has turned the battle against terrorism into one
against Muslims and Kashmiris, CPI(M) alleged.CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram
Yechury, "targeting of Kashmiris in various parts of the country, the
calls for abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A are all turning this battle of
Indians against terrorism into battles against Kashmiris and Muslims to further
deepen the communal polarisation," he said.He said the present situation
in J&K was the result of failed
policies in the state and claimed that during the course of the present Govt,
terror incidents saw a rise of 176% .PTI
Muslims in Pulwama restoring 80-yr-old Temple :
News18
Acchan, Pulwama: After more than 3 decades of
silence, muzzein's call from a mosque and chiming temple bells will again
reverberate in a village in Pulwama. Temple and the mosque at Acchan — a
village on Pulwama fringe — lie side by side but while the mosque remained busy
with worshippers, the temple stood in desolation. But this is now set to
change. In a strong rebuff to hate mongers, the Muslim community and a sole
Kashmiri Pandit family have got together to restore the 80-year-old temple,
which has not been used ever since the Hindus migrated from there due to
militancy in 1990. Barely 12 kms from the blast site where 40 CRPF men were
killed, the village is brimming with a fresh spirit to restart the temple. “We
want to revive it to its previous glory when hundreds would pour into village
to listen to chanting of hymns,''said Bhushan Lal, who is supervising works
with local Muslim Auqaf Trust.
Muslims help 29 Pandits run business in Baramulla
Baramulla: With idols of several Hindu deities
- Lakshmi, Durga, Ganesha - resting on a shelf near the cash counter,
27-year-old Ishfaq Ahmad Malik, a salesman, is busy entering sale records at a
textile shop in Baramulla's crowded city ma- rket, nestled against the backdrop
of the snow-clad Ghosal Tank hills. His employer Hridyanath Ganjoo, a Kashmiri
Pandit, is away for the Shivratri celebrations in Jammu. "I have been at
his shop since 11 years. Each time Hindu festivals come, he leaves for his
other home in Jammu. He has been away for the last one month and will come back
after Holi. They trust us and we look after their business during this
season," says Malik. Ganjoo's family is among the 29 Kashmiri Pandits who
stay in Baramulla and run their shops with the help of Muslims. The colony near
Veerwan, where Pandits live, wears a deserted look as all Pandits celebrate
their biggest religious festival - Shivratri - in Jammu where the majority of
the Pandits moved to when militancy erupted in the Valley in 1990 and they were
targeted. Residents, shopkeepers and local industry associations, however,
reassure that the Pandits who stayed back in Baramulla are safe. "We
Muslims felt very bad about migration in 1989...We want that Hindus should come
back. We will welcome them back," says Mohammad Ashraf president,
Baramulla Traders Association.TOI
Trump scraps trade privilege for India; Delhi
plays down impact
US President Donald Trump looked set to open a
new front in his trade wars on Monday with a plan to end preferential trade
treatment for India that allows duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of
its exports to the US. India played down the impact, saying it was keeping
retaliatory tariffs out of its talks with US, but the opposition could seize on
the issue to embarrass PM Narendra Modi ahead of general polls this year.
Trump, who has vowed to cut US trade deficits, has repeatedly called out India
for its high tariffs, and US trade officials said scrapping the concessions
would take at least 60 days after notifications to Congress and India.Reuters
We can now reclaim Kaaba as ShivaLing, says Swami
after OIC’s resolution on Babri Masjid:report
Subramanian Swami, BJP MP has said that Kaaba
in Makkah should be reclaimed by India as a ShivaLing (phallus of Shiva).“I am
happy that OIC Secretariat has issued a statement that Babri Masjid should be
re built on Ramjanmabhoomi. If OIC does not disown this statement then Hindu
can reclaim Kaaba as a Shivaling,” Swami said.The words by Swami that are bound
to generate controversy, come after the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s
(OIC) passed a resolution which declared that Babri Masjid should be built at site
where it was demolished.The statement by Swami comes in the backdrop of OIC
meet that was attended by India as it termed as a ‘diplomatic win’.freepressKashmir
‘Hum
do, hamare teen’:Jains seek to have more kids
Mumbai: Worried by a slight decline in the
percentage of the Jain population in relation to the total population of India,
the community has rolled out sops for couples who will have more than two
children.Jain population was 42 lakh of the total Indian population of 102
crore in 2001; 10 years later, the Census of 2011 revealed, it rose to 44 lakh,
with India’s total population also rising to 120 crore. So though in terms of
absolute numbers, there has been nominal growth, in terms of percentage of the
overall national population there has been a decline of 0.03%—from 0.40% in
2001 to 0.37% in 2011.Also, according to the latest National Family Health
Survey, the fertility rate (average number of children a woman can have during
her childbearing years) among Jains is 1.2, while for Hindus it is 2.13 and for
Muslims 2.6.In a meeting of the Digambar Jain Mahasamiti, the apex body of
Digambar Jains, in Indore last week, a call was made for ‘Hum do hamare teen’,an
unambiguous appeal to young Jain couples to have more children.Samiti also
announced financial assistance for couples who will have more than two children
and counselling for couples to reduce cases of divorce within the community.“We
want couples to think about this issue. Samiti has decided to bear the cost of
educating the third child,”Ashok Badjatiya, head of the Samiti which has a
presence in 16 states, said.“There are many reasons why young couples do not
want to have more children. One is financial implications, so if we as a
community can help take care of that, we could encourage them to have more
children,” Badjatiya said. He said the well-off members of the community would
soon come together and create a pool of funds for the purpose and also devise a
scheme.For now the sops will be available only to Digambar Jains, but the plan
is to eventually extend these to other Jains too. Digambara is one of the two
schools of Jainism, the other being Swetambara; those who follow the Digambara
school are called Digambar Jains. TOI
Adivasi, Dalit rights groups call for Bharat
Bandh on Tuesday demanding ordinance to secure rights
Adivasi rights organisations have called for a
nation-wide bandh on Tuesday demanding that the Centre promulgate an ordinance
to secure the forest rights of tribals.The groups have decided to go ahead with
the strike despite the Supreme Court staying the implementation of its earlier
order evicting more than 10 lakh families of Adivasis and other forest-dwellers
from forest lands across 16 states. Centre and the Gujarat Govt had moved petitions in the top court seeking a
stay on the court’s Feb.13 order.“We were always assured that everyone will be
given pattas for the land they occupy but that was never done,” Omprakash of
Adivasi Adhikar Andolan, which will organise protests in Madhya Pradesh, told
Indian Express. “Now the Govt wants to
take away our land…”Protestors are set to march from from Mandi House to
Parliament Street in Delhi.Adivasis in Gujarat,Rajasthan, West Bengal,
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP and Northeastern states will join the strike. LJD
party leader Sharad Yadav said he supported the strike to “awake the Govt”. “We
don’t want assurance but want justice on d [the] issue of eviction of 10 lakh
tribals [and] similarly on the 13 point roster system in the Universities
issue,” he tweeted on Monday.“This Govt is not alert, positive [and] pro active
for social justice.”Dalit rights groups will also take part in the strike,
demanding that the department-wise recruitment system in universities be
nullified, reported The Times of India. They have demanded the promulgation of
an ordinance that will overturn the 13-point roster system.scroll.in
Bharat Bandh today by tribal, Dalit rights
outfits
Rahul Gandhi extends support to Dalit-tribal
shutdown over forest rights, reservation
Rahul Gandhi extended support to Dalit and
tribal groups observing a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday demanding the Modi Govt
to promulgate an ordinances to provide
forest rights to tribals and job security for ad-hoc teachers.IANS
Members of European Parliament Ask India to
'End Crackdown' on Rights Activists
New Delhi: 20 members of European parliament
have written to Indian Govt and NHRC expressing concern over the crackdown on
human rights defenders. They have urged India to create a more open civil
society space.The letter is addressed to the ministers of law and justice,
tribal affairs and social justice and empowerment,
and to NHRC’s liaison officer for human rights defenders.“India is the largest
democracy in the world, and an important strategic partner of the European
Union, whereas the relationship between the two is based on shared values of
human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” wrote the European
parliamentarians. “This is why we are deeply concerned at the recent crackdowns
on human rights defenders and organisations across the country.”Expressing
concern that there are “worrying signs of shrinking civil society space in
India”, the letter called on the Govt to
“take urgent steps to change course, release all detained human rights
defenders in the country, drop all charges against them, and allow them to
carry out their work free from risk or impediment”. It cited a series of events
which had led to the letter, beginning with the arrest of 3 Dalit rights
activists, a professor and a social activist in June last year for Bhima
Koregaon violence in Jan.2018. They were charged under UAPA.A month later, the
Jharkhand police filed sedition cases against 20 tribal rights activities for
criticising the state Govt .the wire
SC to hear plea challenging the constitutional
validity of Hindu Marriage Act
A 3 judge bench of the Supreme Court will hear
a petition challenging the constitutional validity of various legal provisions
permitting the restitution of conjugal rights, on the grounds that it places a
"disproportionate burden" on the woman.A bench of CJI Ranjan Gogoi
and Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday referred, to a 3 judge bench, the petition
by two students of Gujarat National Law University challenging the provisions
in the Hindu Marriage Act, the Special Marriage Act and in the Code of Civil
Procedure providing for the restitution of conjugal rights.The petitioners -
students Ojaswa Pathak and Mayank Gupta - have contended that the
"legislative package" providing for these rights is
"unconstitutional" as that while the legal framework is
"facially neutral", it places "disproportionate burden on the
woman and thus is violation of Article 14 and 15(1) of Constitution.Senior
counsel Sanjay Hegde appeared for the students, who sought that Section 9 of
Hindu Marriage Act, Section 22 of the Special Marriage Act and Order XXI Rule
32 and 33 of the Code of Civil Procedure - all which provide a statutory scheme
for restitution of conjugal rights - be struck down for being
unconstitutional.These provisions are being challenged in light of top court's
judgments on right to privacy, adultery,and decriminalisation of IPC's Section
377.IANS
Pak Islamic Law Board Mulls Giving Women Right
to Divorce, AIMPLB Calls It ‘Delegated’ Right: News18
New Delhi: As the Govt of India promulgated the Muslim Women Marriage
ordinance for the third time making the act of instantaneous divorce by Muslim
men a criminal offence, Pakistan too has taken steps to introduce measures that
would enable women have the right to divorce their husbands in accordance with
Shariah.The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), a constitutional body
responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to Pak Govt and its
parliament, proposed major amendments in nikahnama (marriage document).The
council headed by chairman Qibla Ayaz, has suggested that the priest or the
nikahkhawan, who performs the marital ceremony will now have to mandatorily
inform the woman of her right to dissolve the marriage. While in India, the law
makes it a criminal offence to pronounce triple talaq with a penalty of maximum
3 years in jail, the CII too has recommended it to be made a punishable offence,
but said the punishment will only be meted out after scholars of different
Islamic schools are consulted with. Under the newly proposed amendments, the
council has drafted a talaqnama which would specifically mention the rights of
women and have the clause that she reserves the right to dissolve the
marriage.But under the amended law, it’s only the woman who can delete the
clause or have the clause deleted with her consent. Now it would be up to the
woman on whether she would surrender the rights and give her husband the power
to dissolve the marriage or not. However, the All India Muslim Personal Law
Board (AIMPLB) said this form of divorce where woman has the right to divorce
her husband was “not absolute but is a delegated right.” Zafaryab Jilani, a
member and counsel of AIMPLB, said, “This is known as as Talaq e Tafweez and
can only be given if the husband allows her to do so.”“This concept of talaq is
prevalent in India over several years. It was in early 1990s that the board had
decided to introduce the clause in Nikahnama where she can have the right to
divorce subject to the husband’s approval. But this is not widely practised,”
Jilani said.
After Congress rules out alliance with AAP,
Kejriwal says party has secret understanding with BJP
New Delhi:Hours after Delhi Congress chief
Sheila Dikshit ruled out any alliance with AAP in the national capital for the
upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the move
would only help the saffron party by splitting the anti-BJP vote. In the same
breath, Kejriwal also accused the Congress of entering into a secret
understanding with the BJP. “At a time when the whole country wants to defeat
Modi-Shah duo, Congress is helping BJP by splitting the anti-BJP vote. Rumours
are that Congress has some secret understanding with BJP,” the AAP chief
tweeted.Last week, in a bid to create pressure on Congress, AAP had declared
candidates for 6 of Delhi’s 7 Lok Sabha seats. The development came after
hectic negotiations between senior AAP and Congress leaders at the national
level over the past 3 months failed to reach a conclusion.Kejriwal said the
people of Delhi would defeat the “unholy alliance” between Congress and BJP.
“Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this
unholy alliance,” he said. All 7 Lok Sabha seats from Delhi went to the BJP in
2014.indianexpress
RLD will join BSP-SP alliance in UP, to
contest on three seats: Jayant Chaudhary
New Delhi :Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant
Chaudhary Tuesday confirmed that his party will join hands with the BSP-SP
alliance in UP and will contest for 3
seats in the state for the forthcoming general elections due this year.While
addressing a press conference along with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav,
Chaudhary said, “Our workers will work hard to ensure victory of the alliance
on all seats of the state.”indianexpress
TN, Puducherry LS polls: DMK to contest 21
seats, Congress 10, CPI, CPM, VCK get 2 each, IUML, KDMK, IJK get 1 seat each
For the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2019,
Tamil Nadu seats, the DMK has sealed the deal with Congress and other left
parties. Tamil Nadu’s regional fronts the VCK, IJK and CPI have joined the
DMK-led opposition front and to contest against Modi Govt. According to the
reports, DMK has roped in 6 parties, allotting them 16 seats in Tamil Nadu and
neighbouring Puducherry. While Congress bagged 9 seats in Tamil Nadu and 1 in
Puducherry. Reports say that DMK would be contesting on 21 seats, Congress 10,
CPI, CPM and VCK would be contesting on 2 seats each, and the IUML, KDMK and IJK
would be fielding 1 candidate each.NewsX
SC acquits 6 death row convicts, asks Maharashtra
Govt to give rs 5 lakh each as compensation
New Delhi: In a severe indictment of the
Maharashtra Govt, the Supreme Court today ordered it to pay a compensation of
Rs 5 lakh each to six men who were falsely implicated in a murder case and
sentenced to death. A bench headed by Justice AK Sikri came down heavily on the
shoddy investigation and the prosecution in the matter and directed the Chief
Secretary of the state to initiate an inquiry to bring erring police officers
to book. Ankush Maruti Shinde, Rajyappa Shinde, Raju Mhasu Shinde and 3 others
were held guilty of gang rape and killing five members of a family during a
robbery in June 2003. Of the 6 accused in the case, the trial court in Nasik
sentenced Ankush, Rajyappa and Raju to death, and Bombay HC also confirmed
their punishment in 2007.news18
New Delhi world's most polluted capital,Beijing
8th
New Delhi:New Delhi was the world’s most
polluted capital city in 2018, two groups monitoring air pollution said on
Tuesday in a study of amount of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 in 61
capital cities around the world.Indian capital, home to more than 20 million
people, was followed by Bangladesh capital of Dhaka and Kabul, capital of
Afghanistan, according to the study by IQ AirVisual, a Swiss-based group that
gathers air-quality data globally, and Greenpeace.New Delhi’s toxic air is
caused by vehicle and industrial emissions, dust from building sites, smoke
from the burning of rubbish and crop residue in nearby fields.Reuters
India could stop importing urea if urine of
entire population is stored, Gadkari tells youngsters
Offering an out-of-box proposal, Union
Minister for Transport Nitin Gadkari has suggested storing human urine to make
fertilisers and put an end to imports of urea.Citing examples of extracting
bio-fuels from natural wastes like urine, he said that human urine can yield
both ammonium sulphate and nitrogen, addressing a meeting of young innovators in
Nagpur.Though he said he has suggested for storing the urine at Indian
airports, if the urine of the entire country's people can be saved, India could
stop imports of fertilisers like urea.IANS
AMU VC lets off faculty member accused of
plagiarism:TOI
AMU V-C, Tariq Mansoor, has let off chairman
of Library and Information Science department, Sudharma Haridasan, without any
punishment even after charges of plagiarism against her have been found true.
Haridasan, who was accused of authoring 2 books copying “verbatim” from her
students’ Dissertations/ Thesis, has been only warned that action would be
taken against her if she is found indulging in such activities again.The office
memo issued to her by the registrar, Abdul Hamid, states, “2 inquiry reports
dated Oct.14, 2017 and April 7, 2018 submitted in the matter was placed in the
special meeting of the executive council held on Jan.19, 2019. The house
considered both the inquiry reports and authorised the vice-chancellor to take
appropriate action in the light of the directives given by Allahabad HC in its
judgment passed in Nov 2018, while disposing petition filed by the
complainant.” It further states,“Accordingly, after considering all aspects
associated with this matter, V-C has passed the order, saying that books, under
question of plagiarism, authored/submitted for promotion as professor by Dr
Haridasan will not be considered for the purpose,” which is clearly an
acceptance of fact that she had plagiarised. Though the VC may have let her
off, RTI activist, Shariq Jafri, who had exposed the plagiarism earlier is all
set to approach the HC against the former’s decision. TOI
WORLD
Zarif resigned over Assad's trip to Tehran:official
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
was not informed about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's trip to Tehran last
week and that was a reason why he submitted his resignation, Iranian agency ISNA
has reported. In its report on Tuesday, ISNA cited foreign ministry
spokesperson Bahram Qassemi as the source of the information.President Hassan
Rouhani rejected Zarif's resignation last Wednesday, bolstering a moderate ally
who has long been targeted by conservatives in factional struggles over 2015
nuclear deal with the West."Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not have
information at any level [about the trip] and this lack of information was
maintained until the end of the trip," Qassemi said, according to
ISNA."One of the reasons for the resignation of Dr Zarif was this type of
lack of coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And as it has been
announced before, the resignation of the honourable minister was not a private
and individual issue and the goal and intent of that was a positive effort to
return the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic system of the country
to its main place." Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Quds Force, the
branch of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for
operations outside Iran's borders, was present at a meeting last week between
Assad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic
Republic. Soleimani said last week that Zarif was the main person in charge of
foreign policy and he was supported by Khamenei.REUTERS
ISIL fighters 'surrender in large numbers' in
final Syria enclave
Thousands of people, including armed fighters,
have left the last area held by ISIL in Syria, a spokesperson for US-backed SDF
said.Mostafa Bali of SDF tweeted that about 3,000 people had come out of the
village of Baghouz in eastern Syria on Monday through a humanitarian corridor
established by the Kurdish-led group for those who want to leave or
surrender.Bali said among those who left was a large number of fighters of ISIL
group who "surrendered to our forces".The evacuations came as the
US-backed forces slowed down their latest push on Baghouz, the last shred of
ISIL-held territory, to allow civilians to leave the tiny enclave.It is unclear
how many ISIL fighters and civilians remain inside, but the number is likely in
the hundreds, according to local activists.Since Feb.20, over 10,000 people
have left the pocket, producing dramatic scenes of women shrouded in black and
many children climbing off trucks in the desert to be screened and searched. Meanwhile,
a Red Cross official said the weak and fragile services at the al-Hol camp in
northeastern Syria, which has been in recent weeks inundated with civilians and
ISIL fighters fleeing from Baghouz, are on "the brink of
collapse".Robert Mardini of the International Committee for the Red Cross
said in New York that the population in the camp has risen from 34,000 at the
beginning of December to 45,000 now. He said several thousand mainly women and
children arrive daily and there is "no end in sight".aljazeera
Israel’s Attorney General rejects petitions to
ban Arab parties from election
Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit
rejected two petitions to ban Arab-Israeli political parties from the country’s
upcoming general election.In a letter to Central Elections Committee – the body
which oversees Israel’s electoral process – Mandelblit wrote that he had
rejected the petitions on the grounds that “the overall evidence presented in
the framework of the two requests does not justify their acceptance,” adding
that “there has not been a critical mass of evidence required to disqualify a
list of candidates”.The first of the two petitions was made against the
Ra’am-Balad alliance, claiming its members “seek to eliminate Israel as a
Jewish state” and support violent Palestinian resistance, as well as Lebanon’s
Hezbollah. A second petition was also submitted against Hadash-Ta’al, the other
predominantly Arab-Israeli alliance which was formed last month in the wake of
the Joint List break up earlier this year.middleeastmonitor
Jewish calls to convert Al-Rahma Mosque into synagogue
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190305-jewish-calls-to-convert-al-rahma-mosque-into-a-synagogue/
Federation of Temple Mount Organisations has
called for Al-Rahma Mosque to be occupied and turned in to a synagogue, Arab48
reported. The group also called for establishing a Jewish directorate in the
area, which is located at one of the entrances of Al-Aqsa Mosque, to oversee
the Jewish activities inside Al-Haram Al-Sharif. The calls came after
Palestinians re-entered Al-Rahma Gate area of Al-Aqsa Mosque and performed
prayers there for the first time in over 15 years. Temple Mount Organisations
stressed on the importance of taking measures which lead to changing the
identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to guarantee a permanent Jewish presence
there, eradicate Muslim claim to the holy site and impose Israeli sovereignty
over it.middleeastmonitor
Report: 127 Israel aggressions on Al-Aqsa,
Ibrahimi mosques in Feb
Palestinian Endowment Minister Yousef Edees
said that the Israeli occupation raided Al-Aqsa Mosque more than 30 times
during Feb.The minister said that the Israeli occupation also prevented the
call to prayer from being raised from the Ibrahimi Mosque 44 times during the
same month, noting that the total number of Israeli attacks on the two holy
sites reached 127 during Feb.He also said that the Israeli occupation
authorities deported scores of Palestinians who work at Al-Aqsa Mosque,
including officials such as the Head of Jerusalem Endowment Council Sheikh
Abdul-Azim Salhab and his deputy Sheikh Najeh Bkeerat.middleeastmonitor
Israel bans 133 Jerusalemites from Al-Aqsa
Mosque
Saudi, UAE, Egypt refuse clause stopping
normalisation with Israel
Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt rejected a
statement by the Union of Arab Parliaments which called for stopping
normalisation with Israel, Shehab agency reported. Speaker of Kuwaiti National
Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanim suggested that the final statement of the union’s
29th meeting, which was held in the Jordanian capital Amman, should include a
recommendation to stop normalising ties with Israel.Speaker of Saudi Shura
Council Abdullah Al-Sheikh objected, saying: “Calls for stopping normalisation with
Israel is the authority of politicians not the parliamentarians,” stressing
that this recommendation be deleted from the statement.The representatives of
UAE and Egypt also called for reviewing this recommendation, but the Speaker of
the Jordanian Parliament Atef Al-Tarawneh insisted it maintain.During meet,
Al-Ghanim criticised normalising ties with Israel, considering it a “political
taboo”.MEMO
US resolution calls Bangladesh, Pak to curb
Jamaat; urges BNP to cut Jamaat ties
A resolution has been placed at United States’
House of Representatives, calling BNP to cut ties with its key ally Bangladesh
Jamaat-e-Islami. US Congressman Jim Banks introduced the resolution, calling
Bangladesh to curb the activity and network of Jamaat.While it also called
Pakistan to do the same, the resolution calls all US agencies to cut ties and
funding of the Jamaat party.It “urges the BNP and all political parties to
unequivocally distance themselves from Jamaat-e-Islami and other extremist
organisations”, read the resolution.The resolution identified Jamaat as a
patroniser of jihadi activities in South Asian region for quite some time now.
It also called on all US agencies to halt all partnerships and funding
arrangements with groups affiliated with Jamaat its domestic affiliates,
including the Islamic Circle of North America, ICNA Relief, Helping Hand for
Relief and Development, and the Muslim Ummah of North America.thedailystar
US resolution calls Bangladesh to curb Jamaat
Trump has taken ‘no meaningful action’ on
abuse of Muslims in China, US lawmakers complain
Washington:A bipartisan group of US lawmakers
complained to the Trump administration Monday that its response to rights
abuses against China’s Muslim minority was inadequate months after it said it
was looking into imposing sanctions.“This issue is bigger than just China. It
is about demonstrating to strongmen globally that the world will hold them
accountable for their actions,”lawmakers wrote in a letter to US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo.The group is led by Eliot Engel, Democratic chairman of House
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and includes Republican ranking member
Representative Ted Yoho.Pompeo wrote to the committee on Sept.28 saying his
department was looking into a request for sanctions on those responsible for
abuses and for controls on exports of technology that facilitates mass
detentions and surveillance of ethnic minorities in western China’s Xinjiang
region, the letter said.“It appears that the Administration has taken no
meaningful action … and we write today with a renewed sense of urgency on this
serious matter,” said the letter, also signed by Brad Sherman, Democratic
chairman of the Asia and Pacific subcommittee, and Chris Smith, Republican
ranking member of human rights subcommittee. US envoy for International
Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, told reporters the issue was “being discussed
thoroughly within the administration”, but he had no new steps to announce.
Reuters
US senators frustrated over White House
silence on Khashoggi
Senators in the US left a closed-door briefing
with Trump administration officials frustrated by the lack of new information
on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The meeting on the status of the
investigation into Khashoggi's assassination on Monday came amid rising
tensions between the White House and Congress over the US-Saudi
relationship."It was a complete waste of time. I knew more than they
did," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald
Trump on many issues, told reporters.Graham said it was time for more action,
but did not elaborate. Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he didn't learn
anything new from the briefing. Moving forward, he said, "Senate will have
to decide if it's going to impose its own sanctions" on Govt of
Saudi.aljazeera
Pak minister resigns following outcry over
anti-Hindu comments
Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Punjab Information and
Culture Minister in Pakistan, resigned today following immense criticism over
his anti-Hindu comments, Geo News reported.He was summoned earlier by Punjab CM
Usman Buzdar, where he was asked to turn in his resignation papers.Pakistan PM Imran
Khan had denounced his remarks as well.Earlier in the day, Chohan had apologised
for the comments. ANI
‘Muslims to make up 30% of Russia’s population
by 2034’
Muslims will make up 30 % of Russia’s
population by 2034, the country’s grand mufti said.Speaking at a conference in
Moscow, Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin said the number of Muslims in Russia has been
growing with every passing day.“According to the predictions of experts, 30% of
Russia’s population will consist of Muslims after 15 years,” he said.He
recalled that during last year’s Eid al-Adha religious festival, more than
320,000 Muslims came to mosques in Moscow to perform their prayers, saying this
was a “record”.Anadolu
Flash: views &
NEWS
Understanding Articles 370, 35A:Faizan Mustafa
, Indian express
The difference between journalism and
propaganda: A.S. Panneerselvan, The Hindu
Maulana Masood Azhar: 'The Moulvi with a limp'
who became India's most wanted man
Maulana Masood Azhar:Iftikhar Gilani, dna
india
Insulting an entire religion shames Indian TV:
Saba Naqvi
4 Reasons India Has Little Cause to Cheer Balakot
Airstrike and its Aftermath: Pravin Sawhney, the wire
Bhima-Koregaon: Thousands of Dalits Fear
Police Harassment as Polls Near:Varsha Torgalkar
PUCL Convention: Resolutions on Kashmir Issue,
FRA and Elgar Parishad Arrests Passed
In major blow to Canada's PM, 2nd minister
quits
Afghanistan: 59 people killed as flash floods struck
the country
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