NEWS
DIGEST, EVENING
21 May 2019:
15 Ramazan 1440:Vol: 11, No:207
INDIA
22 Opposition leaders meet EC, demand 100%
VVPAT checks in case of mismatch amid speculation of EVM manipulation
New Delhi:Leaders from 22 Opposition parties
submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission seeking 100 per cent matching
of VVPAT slips with EVMs of all polling booths of an assembly segment in case
of a discrepancy. In the meeting with Election Commission, that lasted about an
hour,Opposition leaders also requested that the verification of VVPAT slips of
5 randomly identified polling stations per Assembly constituency should be done
before the counting of votes and not after the completion of last round,
according to ANI.“We told the EC that VVPAT machines should be counted first
and if there is any discrepancy, then all of them in that segment should be
counted,” Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters here after meeting EC
officials.Another Congress leader, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, said despite requests
to the EC for the last 3 months, the poll body said it would meet on Wednesday
to discuss the issue.“We raised these same issues in last one-and-a-half
months. We asked Election Commission why have they not responded. Strangely, EC
heard us for almost an hour and assured us they will meet us again tomorrow,”
ANI quoted Singhvi as saying.TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu said people’s mandate
cannot be manipulated.“We are asking the EC to respect the mandate of people.
It cannot be manipulated,” AP CM said.Among other leaders who attended the
meeting were Congress’ Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ashok Gehlot, BSP’s
Satish Chandra Misra, Sitaram Yechury of CPI(M), D Raja of CPI, Delhi Chief
Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Derek O’Brien of TMC, Ramgopal Yadav
of SP and Kanimozhi of the DMK.indianexpress
ECI fails to give assurances to Opposition on
VVPAT verification
SC dismisses new petition on verifying all
votes with VVPAT, says ‘let country elect its govt’
New Delhi:The Supreme Court today dismissed a
new petition that sought matching of all VVPAT slips with EVMs during the
counting of votes on May 23.Calling the petition a “nuisance”, the court said,
“We won’t entertain such a plea over and over again. Can’t come in the way of
people electing their representatives. Let country elect its government.”A
vacation bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra refused to entertain the plea
filed by a Chennai-based organisation ‘Tech for All’ saying that a larger bench
headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi had already dealt with the matter and passed an
order, PTI reported. The SC had on May 7 dismissed a review plea filed by 21
Opposition leaders, seeking that random matching of VVPAT slips with EVMs be
increased to 50 per cent.HT
Pranab Mukherjee "Concerned" Over
Reports Of Alleged EVM Tampering
New Delhi: Former President Pranab Mukherjee
today expressed concern at allegations of EVM or vote machine tampering -
described by him as tampering of voters' verdict -- and said the "onus of
ensuring institutional integrity" lies with the Election Commission.
"The safety and security of EVMs which are in the custody of the EC is the
responsibility of the Commission," Pranab Mukherjee said.A series of video
clips have surfaced, which, opposition parties say, prove that EVMs are being
tampered with or being transported in private cars in parts of UP,Bihar, Punjab
and Haryana. "There can be no room for speculation that challenge the very
basis of our democracy. People's mandate is sacrosanct and has to be above any
iota of reasonable doubt," said the former president. "A firm
believer in our institutions, it is my considered opinion that it is the
'workmen' who decide how institutional 'tools' perform," he added.The
remarks were seen to refer to current commissioners in the election body that
has been under attack from the opposition over allegations of bias.NDTV
Questions Raised Over Movement Of EVMs In UP,
Bihar After Videos Surface
Lucknow: Allegations of EVMs being tampered
with or being transported in private cars in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Punjab and Haryana surfaced this morning along with video clips that the
opposition said reinforce concerns about voting machines just ahead of the
counting of votes in national election on Thursday.A mobile phone clip that
emerged on Monday from the Chandauli parliamentary seat shows EVMs being
off-loaded and put in a room inside what appears to be a counting centre.Supporters
of SP candidate in Chandauli, who filmed video, can be heard questioning why
the voting machines were being off-loaded a day after polling and why they were
not brought in earlier. The administration says the machines seen in the video
are about 35 reserve EVM units from an assembly segment in Chandauli. Officials
said these voting machines reached the storage room and the counting centre
later than other EVMs because of "logistical issues". According to
the rules, reserve EVMs should be deposited at the same time as the machines
used in voting. In eastern UP's Ghazipur, BSP candidate held a sit-in outside
the storage room for EVMs last night. Afzal Ansari and his supporters claim
there was an attempt to take out a vehicle full of voting machines. Police and
the district have denied the allegations. Afzal Ansari is the brother of jailed
UP strongman Mukhtar Ansari, who has a number of cases against him.Afzal
Ansari's opponent in Ghazipur is Union Minister Manoj Sinha of BJP. The sit-in
ended after the returning officer of the district assured the protestors that
arrangements are in place to have representatives of the candidates at vantage
points around the EVM strongrooms and that there will be complete transparency.
BSP and its ally Samajwadi Party protested outside voting machine storage rooms
demanding police action.Ghazipur's BSP candidate Afzal Ansari and his
supporters were seen having a heated exchange with a police officer.The EC
called the allegations "frivolous" said the voting machines were
maintained in "proper security and protocol".ndtv
EC rejects Lavasa’s demand, says dissent in
poll code violation cases won’t be made public
New Delhi:Rejecting the demand of its officer
Ashok Lavasa,the Election Commission today ruled that dissent and minority
views by election commissioners in cases of model code violations would not be
recorded in the final orders of the poll watchdog and made public.The full
commission comprises CEC Sunil Arora and fellow commissioners Lavasa and Sushil
Chandra.“In the meeting of the EC held today regarding the issue of Model Code
of Conduct (MCC), it was interalia decided that proceedings of the commission’s
meetings would be drawn, including the views of all the commission members.
Thereafter, formal instructions to this effect would be issued in consonance
with extant laws/rules, etc,” EC said.Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa has
recused from meetings on violations of the MCC in protest over his minority
decisions going unrecorded in the Commission’s final orders.Lavasa, however,
justified his insistence on having his minority view recorded in the EC’s final
orders. “If decisions of the EC are taken by a majority and you do not include
the minority view (in the final order) then what is the point of a minority
view?” Lavasa said.“All multi-member and statutory bodies have an established
procedure of working. EC is a constitutional body and it should follow that
procedure,” he further said.As per the law governing the functioning of the EC,
business shall, “as far as possible, be transacted unanimously”.Dissent is,
however, provided for in the Act itself: “If CEC and other Election
Commissioners differ… such matter shall be decided according to opinion of majority”.indianexpress
No point in Lavasa’s dissent after campaign
for elections over: Ex- CEC Rawat
Even as the Election Commission finds itself
in the eye of a storm over EVM security and one of the Election Commissioners,
Ashok Lavasa complaining that he was not being allowed to record his dissent,
the Commission received some unexpected support from former Chief Election
Commissioner O.P. Rawat.By and large the Election Commission, said Rawat, had
acquitted itself well, although, he agreed that the EC could have acted faster
in some cases during the campaign this year or done things differently.However,
there was “no meaning” of Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa making his dissent
public after the campaign for the last phase of elections was over, Rawat said.nationalheraldindia
Sought prompt action after Supreme Court
frowned on delays: Ashok Lavasa
New Delhi: It was the Supreme Court’s strong
observations on the poll panel’s delayed reaction to hate speeches that
prompted him to intervene and seek “transparent and time-bound” disposal of
Model Code of Conduct (MCC) complaints, Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa
said.On April 15, the SC had asked the Election Commission (EC) searching
questions on action taken against leaders for allegedly provocative speeches
during the campaign. Subsequently,the same day, the poll panel issued orders
temporarily banning BSP chief Mayawati, SP leader Azam Khan,UP CM Yogi
Adityanath and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi from campaigning for their communal
remarks.3 days later, Lavasa moved a note on strengthening and streamlining
procedures of dealing with MCC complaints. And on May 16, he recused from
meetings on MCC violations in protest over inaction on his suggestions and his
minority decisions going unrecorded in the Commission’s final orders. Speaking
on the eve of the meeting called to discuss his recusal,Lavasa justified his
insistence on having his minority view recorded in EC’s final orders. “If
decisions of the EC are taken by majority and you do not include the minority
view (in the final order) then what is the point of a minority view?” Lavasa
said. “All multi-member and statutory bodies have an established procedure of
working. EC is a constitutional body and it should follow that procedure.”Lavasa
had, on 5 occasions, opposed clean chits given to PM Narendra Modi and Amit
Shah on charges of violating the MCC during their campaign for the Lok Sabha
polls. Responding to CEC Sunil Arora’s statement calling the controversy over
Lavasa’srecusal “ill-timed”, “unsavoury” and avoidable, he said, “All
controversies are unsavoury. They seem ill-timed as they pose difficult
questions that remain unattended. They can be avoided if decisions and actions
affecting the people are perceived as timely, fair and
non-discriminatory.”indian express
‘Exit polls ploy to break your confidence’:
Priyanka Gandhi’s message to Congress workers
New Delhi:Congress general secretary for east
Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has urged party workers to keep their
morale high and not get disheartened by “rumours” and exit polls after they
predicted a massive victory for BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha election. In an
audio message to party workers, Priyanka also asked them to stay alert and
cautious and exuded confidence that the hard work put in by the Congress
leaders and cadre would bear fruit.“These rumours and exit polls are a ploy to
break your confidence. It is all the more important that you stay alert and
maintain a constant vigil at strong rooms and counting centres. We are sure our
and your hard work will bear fruit,” she said.HT
K'taka Cong leader appeals Muslims to 'join
hands' with BJP if need arises
Bengaluru :Amid poor numbers given by exit
polls to the Congress in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, senior
Congress leader Roshan Baig Monday dropped hints of quitting the party, and
humbly appealed to Muslims to compromise with the situation, if NDA returns to
power."Well if NDA is coming back to power, I humbly appeal to Muslim
brothers to learn to compromise with the situation," he told a section of
media here.Asked if that means Muslims should join hands with BJP, Baig said if
need arises, they must as the Congress had given just one ticket to a Muslim
leader in Karnataka."If needs be, (Muslims) must join hands. We must not
remain loyal to one party. What happened to Muslims in Karnataka? The Congress
gave just one seat," he blurted.PTI
NaMo TV goes off air as Lok Sabha poll
conclude
New Delhi:NaMo TV, a channel on the air since
March 31 that exclusively featured Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s past speeches
and content related to the ruling BJP went off the airwaves on May 17,
according to executives of two DTH operators who asked not to be named.“The
broadcast stopped 2-3 days back. We stopped receiving signals from the source
on the Internet which was operated by the BJP,” said a top executive of a
leading DTH operator.According to the first person cited above, BJP paid DTH
providers ~25 lakh per month to air the channel for these two months. The
channel, which carried a picture of Modi as its logo, was on air when polling
for the general election was underway, leading to protests from opposition
parties.On April 11, the Election Commission directed NaMo TV to not air any
content that has not been pre-certified by the panel mandated to certify or
authorise political ads. HT
6 Surat Hindu Mahasabha men held for
celebrating Godse birthday
Surat: 6 Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha
activists have been arrested for celebrating the birth anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse at Suryamukhi Hanuman temple in Limbayat area
of Surat on Sunday.The event was allegedly organised by Hiren Sumra alias Hiren
Mashru, a member of the Hindu Mahasabha who is also a priest at the temple.
About 15 youths are reported to have attended it. The organisers had invited a
cameraperson of a local channel. They lit about 100 lamps and distributed
sweets as part of the celebration. TV channel aired the event, and video clips
were circulated on social media.Surat police then picked up Sumra and 5 others,
all residents of Sanjay Nagar in Limbayat — from the temple. Sumra said: “We
have celebrated the birthday of Godse, we have done nothing wrong. Like other
people’s feelings are attached to Mahatma, our feelings are attached to Godse,
and we have shown this by celebrating his birthday. This is the first time that
we celebrated his birthday.”indian express
Ground Report: Did Hindus in West Bengal
Really Flee Before the Elections?
Baghakali:
Various media organisations recently ran the news that Hindus were
fleeing their houses in Bagakhali village, Diamond Harbour. Footage of people
leaving the village and ransacked houses were also circulated on social
media.The Wire visited the Muslim-dominated village, located about 50 km south
of Kolkata, on May 18. The village consists of 30-32 families and comes under the
Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency. This reporter found that roads in
the village have been partially barricaded by the state police, and Rapid
Action Force personnel have been deployed. As we drove through the main road,
we saw a few ruined shops. However,the atmosphere was not grim; people appeared
warm as we crossed a market place.Residents told The Wire that on May 12,
around 9 pm, 8-10 unknown people blocked the road being taken by Azam Shah
Mulla, the Trinamool Congress block president. “They asked Mulla saab to chant
‘Jai Shri Ram’. When he refused, they attacked him,” said Nooruddin Shek, who
lives in Bagakhali.Another resident, Rasul Alam said, “A fight broke out on the
road. We couldn’t even recognise these people. Some shops on the road were
vandalised. The police came and stopped it.”Alam said the next day, they were
attacked again by a group of 25-30 people. “Bombs were hurled” and their houses
were ransacked. “They were chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ while breaking our house,”
Alam said. “All those people were outsiders. We didn’t know even one of them.
Some were dressed in CRPF uniforms,” Alam added.thewire
Post-2013 riots, Jats and Muslims in UP's
Shamli struggle to maintain social fabric
UP:
Shamli was in the eye of the 2013 communal riots between Jats and
Muslims in which 62 people, including 42 Muslims, were killed and tens of
thousands were displaced. Over the last 5 years, efforts have been made by both
communities to rebuild the social fabric that was ripped to shreds. But these
efforts have mostly failed. The only Muslim family in Jat-dominated Lisarh
village says returning to the village was an obligation because of livelihood.
Frenzied mobs over the last 5 years sowed hatred and suspicion among
communities when, over cow protection, they consumed the life of Akhlaq in 2015
in UP, killed Rakbar Khan and Pehlu Khan in 2017 in Rajasthan, and murdered
police officer Subodh Kumar Singh in UP last year, not to talk of the brutality
with which they finished off their victims in Jharkhand, Haryana,J&K and
Assam.50-year-old Mohammad Islam—who lives with 6 other family members—has 13
bighas of land and has a good business of wood-work here. “We also left the
village and came back only after four months when village elders made an appeal
to return.15 other Muslim families came with me but some houses belonging to
Muslims were again set on fire. They got scared and left. Though there has been
no violence since then, I often ponder about my existence in the village,”
Islam says as he recalls how his house was burnt and all valuables were stolen
when violence broke out. At one time, according to 2011 census, Lisarh had a
population of 13,077 people of which 2,500 were Muslims.Today Islam and his
family are the only Muslims who live here.In Muzaffarnagar’s Kutba village,
Muslims who fled haven’t returned even after 5 years. With no Muslim in the
village now, houses of Muslims either lie abandoned or have been turned into
cowsheds. Eight Muslims were killed in the riots here. “We used to live in
harmony,”says Narender, a Jat farmer, whose son is an accused in a murder
case.This was a well-planned move by politicians to polarise Hindus and
Muslims. All local BJP politicians gave incendiary speeches asking Jats to
“save their honour”."There was widespread killing thereafter. Why would
Hindus kill Muslims otherwise? Actual perpetrators are roaming free but poor
people like my son have been falsely implicated,” he adds. Political scientist
Sudha Pai, who has spent much of her professional life studying UP’s communal
and caste politics, says disregard for law led to an increase in communal
clashes and hate crimes in the last 5 years. “There was a total breakdown of
law and order--whether it was mob violence or communal clashes. The govt did
not stop cases of lynching which have been going on. In fact, in many cases,
victims were persecuted," Pai said. Cow is a running theme in the Mewat
region—which comprises parts of Rajasthan and Haryana where many Muslims have
either been falsely implicated on charges of cow slaughter and some like Rakbar
Khan’s family have seen much worse. Saleemuddin, a cattle farmer in Alwar
district, has stopped buying cows in fear of cow vigilantes.new indian express
TN: NIA searches premises of ‘Shahadat’
accused
Madurai:After taking over investigation into
the activities of a fundamentalist group on WhatsApp, which goes by the tagline
‘Shahadat (martyrdom) is our goal’, from the district police, NIA on Monday
launched simultaneous searches on the premises of ten accused who were arrested
in connection with a case related to alleged conspiracy to eliminate those who
spoke against Islam. 4 NIA teams launched the searches in the early hours in
the Muslim-dominated Kilakarai and Devipattinam areas, sources privy to the
agency, said.Separate teams also launched searches on the premises of five
accused at Muthupettai in Tiruvarur district and a couple of accused in Chennai
and Cuddalore, the sources said. The searches launched around 3 am, lasted more
than five hours at the residence of accused M. Mohamed Ribas, 37, a Sri Lankan
Tamil at Kilakarai.Searches on the premises of three other accused, including
the prime accused A Sheik Dawood at Devipattinam lasted more than seven hours,
the sources said. The teams believed to have seized literature hailing
‘Shahadat’ and ‘jihad’, SIM cards and electronic gadgets, the sources said.The
searches were launched as part of ‘further investigation’ to ascertain whether group
members had established links with IS or other fundamentalist outfits in the
country and abroad, which supported the jihadi movement, the sources said. The
team from Kochi, searched the residence of S. Abdul Rashid, 22, of Lalpettai
based on warrants issued by the NIA court in Poonammallee in Chennai.Sources
privy to the investigation said that Rashid’s father Sadullah was working in
Dubai for the last 10 years. Rashid, an MCA graduate, is said to have worked in
a chemical company in Cuddalore before he went to join his father in Dubai a
month ago. thehindu
Malegaon Blast Case: Pragya Thakur, 2 Other
Accused Exempted From Court Appearance
Mumbai: A special court here has granted
exemption to 2008 Malegaon blast case accused Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col
Prasad Purohit and Sudhakar Chaturvedi from appearing before it this week.When
the matter was taken up by the special NIA court on Monday, the three accused
filed applications through their lawyers seeking exemption from
appearance.While Thakur and Chaturvedi said they are busy with preparations for
the upcoming results of Lok Sabha polls, which they had contested, Purohit
cited personal difficulties.The court allowed the applications.The court also
allowed an application filed by lawyers of the accused persons to visit the blast
site in Malegaon, a town about 200 kilometers from here in Nashik district.Last
week, the special NIA court, which is conducting a trial against seven accused
in the case, had directed all of them to appear before it at least once a
week.Currently, the court is recording the testimony of witnesses in the
case.PTI
MP Govt May Reopen Sunil Joshi Murder Case
Involving Pragya Thakur
Madhya Pradesh government is planning to
reopen an old murder case against BJP’s Bhopal candidate Pragya Singh Thakur.
Congress-led government in the state will seek a legal opinion on reopening the
murder case of ex-RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi, in which Pragya Singh was
acquitted, state Law Minister P C Sharma said Tuesday.Joshi was shot dead in
Dewas district on December 29, 2007. Thakur and seven other accused were
acquitted by a court in 2017 due to lack of evidence against them.The state
government will appeal in a higher court to reopen the Joshi murder case,
Sharma said. Dewas collector has been asked to submit a report in connection
with the case, the minister added."We will seek a legal opinion on that
report and then take a decision about moving a higher court," he
said.Sharma claimed that the then district collector took a decision on his own
to shut the case, instead of sending it to the law department for a legal
opinion."The district collector should have sent the report to the law
department instead of deciding that there was no need to move a higher
court," he said.An accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, Thakur is
currently out on bail.PTI
Arunachal MLA, son among 11 killed in ambush
Suspected members of a Naga extremist group
today gunned down 11 people including a legislator and candidate of NPP in
Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh. Police said the assailants, allegedly
belonging to the Isak-Muivah faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland,
ambushed the vehicles of NPP candidate Tirong Aboh’s family was travelling in
near Bogapani at around 11.30 a.m. Among the dead was his son.The NPP had
fielded Aboh from the Khonsa West Assembly constituency that he had won in 2014
on a People’s Party of Arunachal ticket. Election to the constituency was held
on April 11.P.N. Thungon, the Deputy Commissioner of Tirap district, confirmed
Aboh’s death as well as that of 10 others.thehindu
Activists Demand Independent Investigation
Into Torture Used by Armed Forces in Kashmir
NEW DELHI:Prominent human rights activists
have demanded the setting up of an independent commission to investigate the
use of torture by the armed forces in the Kashmir valley. The demand began to
surface after two Kashmir-based human rights groups brought out a 560-page
report which documents the cruel forms of torture used by the security forces
in Kashmir. The activists have not just demanded an independent investigation
into the methods of torture used in Kashmir but also for some institutional
changes that can curb such happenings.On Monday, APDP and JKCCS released the
first comprehensive report on torture in Jammu and Kashmir which revealed that
rape, sodomy, electrocution including in genitals, sleep deprivation and
hanging from the ceiling, are some of the cruel forms of torture being used by
the armed forces and police against people in Kashmir valley since 1990. “There
must be an investigation into happenings. An independent commission should be
constituted to investigate these cases of torture,”said human rights activist
Apoorvanand.Ravi Nair,Executive Director, South Asia Human Rights Documentation
Centre, believes that torturing of inmates is not going to stop unless there
are some institutional reforms.CaravanDaily
India cuts off UN panel after J&K report: thehindu
Reacting angrily to a submission from
Geneva-based Human Rights Council (HRC) on the alleged violations in J&K,
India has informed the United Nations body that it will no longer entertain any
communication with HRC’s Special Rapporteurs on its report. The report from UN
body came at the same time a report from 2 NGOs in the State on the alleged
cases of torture was released in Srinagar, which was endorsed by a former UN
Special Rapporteur.The current Special Rapporteurs on Extrajudicial Executions,
Torture, and Right to Health — Agnes Callamard, Dainius Puras and Nils Melzer —
had referred to a June 2018 report of the Office of the OHCHR and written to
the govt in March 2019, asking about steps taken by New Delhi to address the
alleged human rights violations listed in the report.In addition, the Special
Rapporteurs had listed “13 cases of concern” from 2018 alone, in which “4
children were among 8 civilians killed by members of the security forces.”
Rejecting all the claims, the Indian Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva
replied to OHCHR on April 23, saying that “India... does not intend to engage
further with these mandate-holders or any other mandate-holders on the issue,”
whom it accused of “individual prejudice”.India had also rejected the OHCHR’s
report on the ‘Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir’ — first-ever such report
on Jammu and Kashmir that came out in June 2018 — and accused the High Commissioner
of Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of “clear bias” in bringing it out.
Mirwaiz barred from holding rally in Srinagar
SRINAGAR:Authorities today barred Hurriyat
chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq from organising a rally on the 29th death
anniversary of his father, Moulana Muhammad Farooq, in Srinagar and placed him
under house arrest.Restrictions on movement of vehicles were imposed in most
areas falling under five police stations in the old city. Nigeen residence of
the Mirwaiz was placed under a security cover on May 20 evening to stop him
from leading any rally.The Hurriyat chairman had called for a rally from the
historic Jamia Masjid to the Martyr’s Graveyard at Eidgah area in the old city
to commemorate the death anniversary.Unknown gunmen assassinated Moulana
Muhammad Farooq at his residence on May 21, 1990. 12 years later, on May 21,
2002, People’s Conference founder Abdul Ghani Lone was also assassinated by
unknown gunmen at a commemoration ceremony at Eidgah. Meanwhile, normal life
was affected by the shutdown call issued by the Hurriyat on the occasion. Most
offices, educational institutes and banks remained closed.Besides the
separatists, all regional parties, including NC, PDP, the People’s Conference
and J&K Peoples Movement, paid tributes to the separatist leaders.thehindu
Pakistan names Moin-ul-Haq as new envoy to
India
New Delhi :Pakistan on Monday named
Moin-ul-Haque, its envoy to France, as its next High Commissioner to India, a
month after his predecessor Sohail Mahmood took charge as Foreign Secretary of
Pakistan.Confirming the major appointments, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah
Mahmood Qureshi said Naghmana Hashmi, career diplomat, was being sent to China.
She will replace Masood Khalid, the incumbent envoy to China, after completion
of his tenure. indianexpress
We said we were Dalit, he said what can Dalits
do to us: Alwar gangrape victim
Alwar :Nearly one month after a 19-year-old
was gangraped by 5 men in Alwar, while she was on her way to the market along
with her husband to purchase clothes for a wedding, she says she is still
struggling to cope with the trauma, and finds it “very difficult to sleep” at
night. “I was finding it difficult to even get out of bed at one point because
I could not stop thinking about what had happened. It kept replaying in my
mind, but I have forced myself to get back some sense of normalcy now,” she
said.“Even then, when I lie down to sleep at night, the entire incident comes
back to me, and it becomes very difficult to sleep…I want those men to hang,
not just because of what they did to me but because I want to ensure that no
other woman has to ever go through this again,” she says.The incident occurred
on April 26, while wedding preparations were on in full swing at the woman’s
marital home. At 3 pm, the couple left home on a motorcycle. On the way,
however, they were stopped by 6 accused, who were riding two motorcycles.“They
first asked us our names, and our fathers’ names. Then one of the men asked us
what our caste was. We said we were Dalits, he said, what can Dalits do to us?”
she says.“I feel that they made up their minds when we revealed our caste. They
are Gujjars, and they thought we would be helpless, but we are intent on
proving them wrong,” she says.Police arrested all the 6 accused — 5 for the
rape and the sixth for circulating videoclips of crime.NHRC sent a notice to
the Congress government in Rajasthan, which removed Alwar SP and suspended the
in-charge of the local police station for delay in action.With BJP and Dalit
groups calling for a speedy probe, and staging protests, the gangrape became a
Lok Sabha poll issue. During his campaign, PM Narendra Modi alleged that no
action was taken until Alwar went to polls on May 6. "The first arrest was
made only on May 7," said kin of the victim.indian express
Muslim
Passenger asks for water, Air India crew returns with Iftar food, wins
Twitter
The staff and crew members of an Air India
Alliance flight recently won the Internet by offering a Muslim flier an Iftar
platter when he had just asked for some water. Journalist Rifat Jawaid was
travelling from Gorakhpur to Delhi while he was observing Ramadan. He was due
for his Iftar meal at a time when he was on-board the flight, so he asked an
air hostess for a bottle of water.Thirsty and starving from the day-long fast,
he quickly finished the first bottle of water and asked for another from the
air hostess, stating he has been observing Ramadan.Upon hearing this, she asked
him to get back to his seat and returned in a while with food for him. The kind
gesture moved the scribe so much that he took to Twitter and shared his experience
with his audience in details.Rifat wrote, “On my way back to Delhi in Air India
Alliance from Gorakhpur: Iftar time was nearing so I walked up to cabin crew
member, Manjula, asked for some water. She gave me a small bottle. I asked,
‘can I pls have 1 more bottle since I'm fasting?’”“Manjula replied, ‘why did
you leave your seat? You pls return to your seat.’ Minutes later she arrived
with two sandwiches and said, ‘please don't hesitate to ask for more.’moneycontrol
Ayodhya’s Shri Sita Ram temple hosts Iftar
Ayodhya:In the holy month of Ramzan, a temple
here hosted Iftar on Monday.Setting an example of communal harmony, people
cutting across religious lines, sat together to relish the Iftar meal in the
premises of Shri Sita Ram temple.Speaking to ANI, priest of the temple Yugal
Kishor said: “This is the third time we have organised an Iftar party. I will
continue to do the same in the future as well. We should celebrate every
festival with great zeal.”Echoing similar sentiments, an attendee Mujammil Fiza
said that he also celebrates Navratri with his Hindu brethren every year.ANI
WORLD
Houthi drone attack 'hits arms depot' at Saudi
airport in Najran
Yemen's Houthi rebels said they launched a
bomb-laden drone into Saudi Arabia, targeting an airport with a military base -
an attack acknowledged by the kingdom.It was not clear if there were any
injuries or what the extent of damage was.The Houthis' Almasirah satellite news
channel said early on Tuesday the attack targeted the airport in Najran with a
Qasef-2K drone, striking an "arms depot".Najran, 840km southwest of
Riyadh, lies on the Saudi-Yemen border and has repeatedly been targeted by the
Houthis.A statement earlier on the state-run Saudi Press Agency quoted Saudi-led
coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki as saying the Houthis "had tried
to target" a civilian site in Najran, without elaborating.Al-Maliki warned
there would be a "strong deterrent" to such attacks and described the
Houthis as the "terrorist militias of Iran".aljazeera
Al-Qaeda’s former Mufti: Gulf fools
underestimate dangers of war with Iran
Al-Qaeda’s former Mufti Mahfouz Ould Al-Walid,
known as Abu Hafs Al-Mauritani, has criticised the Saudi war on Yemen and its
reliance on the US against Iran.Ould Al-Walid explained, on his Facebook page,
that it is unlikely that a US-Iranian war is planned. But a confrontation “by
mistake or miscalculation” is possible.He added: “Some of the fools who are
Gulf rulers hoping for a war between Iran and the US, though this war is
unlikely to occur. However, if it erupted, the Arab Gulf monarchies will be the
first victims.”“In case of a confrontation, the Gulf States will pay the cost
of the war. And in case of non-occurrence, they will pay the price of peace,”
Ould Al-Walid continued.Al-Qaeda’s former Mufti identified a strategic
difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran.“Iran is fighting with the Shiite
groups in the region (the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Shiite
militias in Iraq, and Syria), and has grown stronger. In contrast, Saudi Arabia
is fighting Sunni groups in the region and has exhausted its energies with
them.”middleeastmonitor
Iran slams 'genocidal taunts' by US, increases
uranium stockpiles
A top Iranian official has called on the
United States to address Tehran with respect, not with a threat of war, a day
after Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Tehran on Twitter.The war of
words on Monday came as the semi-official Tasnim news agency announced Iran
has, in line with an earlier decision, scaled back some of its commitments
under the 2015 nuclear deal."Iranians have stood tall for millennia while
aggressors all gone. Economic terrorism and genocidal taunts won't 'end
Iran'," Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, wrote on
Twitter.aljazeera
US Congress asks Trump not to withdraw from
Syria
Hundreds of US congressmen and senators have
sent a letter to the White House urging President Donald Trump not to pull
troops out of Syria.The bipartisan plea argues US should remain engaged in the
conflict to protect regional allies.Democrats and Republicans have voiced
concerns after Trump announced the withdrawal in Dec.
Tajikistan prison riot kills prominent
opposition members
Prominent members of outlawed Islamic
Renaissance Party of Tajikistan opposition party (IRPT) were among those killed
in a prison riot on Monday, the Tajik government confirmed. The insurrection,
which took place in Vakhdat, about 10km east of the capital, Dushanbe, claimed
the lives of at least 32 people, including three prison guards and 29 inmates,
the government said.Authorities said they believed the ISIL group was
responsible for setting off the disturbance after a fight broke out between
members of the group and IRPT.According to the justice ministry, members of
ISIL armed with knives killed three security guards before executing several
fellow prisoners."In order to intimidate the other prisoners, the Islamic
State members executed five people and 10 others were savagely beaten," a
statement from the ministry said, referring to the ISIL group.At the time of
publication, ISIL had yet to claim responsibility.Maran Turner, the executive
director of the prisoners of conscious Freedom Now organisation, called on the
Tajik government to ensure the protection of all prisoners in its custody and
to "conduct a thorough, transparent, and independent investigation into
the riot".Karimov was a member of IRPT's supreme political council, and
was sentenced to 26 years in prison in 2016 for alleged involvement in a coup
attempt.His peer, Ghozi, was a founding IRPT member who was abducted in St.
Petersburg, Russia, in 2017 and was forcibly taken to Tajikistan by government
agents.Relatives of the detained activists informed human rights groups that
the detainees were subjected to torture and kept incommunicado.aljazeera
Pakistan-Sri-Lanka Trade Drop To Zero After
Sunday-Easter Bombings
Trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has come
to a sudden halt after the Sunday-Easter bombings. The reason for the
termination of trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is believed to be the
escalating violence against the Muslim community in Sri Lanka.“Rice and textile
exports to Sri Lanka from Pakistan have stopped. Potato export has also reduced
drastically,” said Pakistan-Sri Lanka Business Forum Chairman Aslam Pakhali. “It
is the Muslim community in Sri Lanka that imports Pakistani products and sells
them there. They are partners of Pakistani exporters,” said Pakhali, adding
that the properties of Muslims were damaged during the recent wave of violence
over there.“Their shops, superstores and godowns are being targeted. The goods
exported from Pakistan have been unloaded at the Sri Lankan port, but the
importers are not getting them cleared because of the deteriorating law and
order situation there,” he added.“The goods, especially fruits and vegetables,
in godowns are perishing. Sri Lanka is a major importer of Pakistani rice and
textile products, but the exports have come to a halt,” he added.Pakhali said a
delegation of the forum held a meeting with the Sri Lankan ambassador in
Pakistan and emphasised that the Muslim community over there be protected.A Sri
Lankan businessman Zainul Abideen said through WhatsApp that Muslims in Sri
Lanka was facing a ton of problems and was under siege.EurAsian Times
Egypt kills suspected fighters a day after
tourist bus bombing
Egyptian security forces have killed 12
suspected fighters in Cairo, the interior ministry said on Monday, a day after
an explosion blasted a tourist bus, wounding several people.A rudimentary
device containing nails and pieces of metal detonated on the perimeter of the
Grand Egyptian Museum near a bus carrying 25 South African tourists from the
airport to the pyramids district on Sunday, wounding a number of people. The
ministry said in a statement carried by state TV that its national security
forces had information that leaders of the armed Hasm group were planning
"to carry out a series of attacks during the coming period to trigger chaos
in the country". The statement did not say whether the suspected fighters
were connected to Sunday's attack, but said the Egyptian forces killed them
during raids on their hideouts in the 6th of October and el-Shorouk districts
of the capital. Egypt accuses the Hasm group, which emerged in 2016 and has
claimed several attacks, of being a wing of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.The
Muslim Brotherhood movement denies the claim and has distanced itself from the
group. It says it seeks change through peaceful means only.Human rights
organisations have accused Egypt of carrying out extrajudicial executions and
of trying civilians in military courts as part of the crackdown.aljazeera
Christchurch attacker charged with terrorism:
police
The man accused of shooting dead 51 Muslim worshippers
in the Christchurch mosque attacks was formally charged with terrorism for the
first time on Tuesday, New Zealand police said.In addition to the terror
charge, Brenton Tarrant also faces 51 charges of murder and 40 of attempted
murder over the March 15 attacks."The charge will allege that a terrorist
act was carried out in Christchurch," police said in a statement.New
Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has characterised the mosque killings a
well-planned "terrorist attack" since the day Tarrant, a
self-described white supremacist, allegedly carried them out.AFP
Jokowi declared Indonesia president
Jakarta: Losing presidential candidate Prabowo
Subianto is to legally challenge the official result of Indonesia's election as
hardline conservative groups threaten street protests after incumbent Joko
Widodo was confirmed as the winner of last month's vote.The Indonesian Election
Commission announced the official results in the early hours of Tuesday
morning, bringing forward by more than 24 hours an announcement that had been
expected on Wednesday.
Al Jazeera suspends journalists for Holocaust
denial video
Al Jazeera has suspended two journalists over
a video they produced that denied the facts of the Holocaust.The Qatari
state-funded broadcaster had published the video on its online AJ+ video
service in Arabic.During World War Two, six million Jewish people were
systematically killed by the Nazis.Al Jazeera's video said this number had been
exaggerated and "adopted by the Zionist movement", and that Israel is
the "biggest winner" from the genocide.Its narrator also asked,
"why is there a focus only on them?" - referring to the Jewish
victims - before claiming that the community uses "financial resources
[and] media institutions" to "put a special spotlight" on Jewish
suffering.The video was published on the AJ+ Twitter and Facebook pages on
Friday evening local time, with a caption asking: "What is the truth of
the Holocaust and how did the Zionist movement benefit from it?"bbc
Flash: views & NEWS
EVM Miscounts, VVPATs and the Citizen’s Right
to a Secret, Verified Ballot:Rajendran Narayanan and Nikhil Dey
Why Exit Polls Could Be Badly Wrong This
Time:Prem Shankar Jha
More Than EVMs, It Is 'the Hindu Mind' Which
Has Been Effectively Rigged:Apoorvanand
If the exit polls are right, then Election
2019 marks a structural change in Indian politics — the end of Congress’s
dynastic rule: Surjit S Bhalla
Coalitions allow a diversity of voices to be
heard, keep fundamentalism at bay: Kapil Sibal
Opposition takes stock after exit polls favour
NDA
Gorakhpur's Gorakhnath Temple Represents
Shared Hindu-Muslim Inheritance, Not Hindutva:Arfa Khanum Sherwani
Why A Section Of Muslim Society Hesitates To
Send Girls To A Regular Schools? Ila Kazmi, Hasan Akram
'Even if I had converted to Islam, would have
said it with as much pride', Urmila on speculations after marrying Mohsin
Fabricated forecasts are possible though exit
polls do go wrong on valid grounds:Mala Jay
Watch new videos, see EC’s clarification and
make up your mind on EVM security
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:42 PM)
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