Author: LokMarg Publishing

Two months after the abrogation of Article 370 in the Valley and subsequent detention of National Conference leaders Farooq and Omar Abdullah, the Jammu & Kashmir government on Saturday allowed a delegation of the NC to meet the father-son duo, informed party spokesperson, Madan Mantoo.

A 15-member delegation will leave from Jammu on Sunday to meet both the leaders in Srinagar.

“Jammu and Kashmir government has allowed a delegation of National Conference from Jammu to meet party president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah, who are under detention,” said Mantoo.

“The delegation led by provincial president Devender Singh Rana and comprising of former party legislators will leave by Indigo flight from Jammu on October 6 in the morning,” he said.

Speaking about the government’s confirmation, Devender Rana said: “Today, we have got the confirmation that a delegation will be allowed to meet Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah. A 15-member delegation of NC leaders, all of them former legislators, is going to Srinagar tomorrow morning.”

The spokesperson informed that the government gave permission after a request was made by Rana to Governor Satya Pal Malik on Thursday.

Farooq and Omar Abdullah and scores of other leaders in the Kashmir Valley had been detained in the wake of abrogation of Article 370 while restrictions were imposed on the movement of prominent party leaders in the Jammu province. (ANI)

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Stating that the party has drifted away from its basic principle and ideology, former Haryana Pradesh Congress chief, Ashok Tanwar announced his resignation from the primary membership of Congress on Saturday.

“Now the Congress is the anti-thesis of democracy, plagued by feudal attitudes and medieval conspiracies…Congress visibly have drifted away from its basic principles and ideology. My experience of last few years has been that internal democracy in the party is being killed by selfish interests of a few lobbies”, he said in his resignation letter.

Tanwar’s resignation comes ahead of assembly elections in Haryana this month, for which he was also among the party’s star campaigner.

Tanwar tweeted his resignation letter on Saturday and he wrote, “After long deliberations with party workers and for reasons well known to all Congressman and public, I hereby resign from the primary membership of the INC India.”

In a four-page resignation letter, Tanwar has expressed that Congress is going through an internal crisis.

He also expressed his discontent over ticket distribution during the Lok Sabha polls and in Jind bye-elections earlier this year.

In the letter, Tanwar further stated, “In the last few years there is a conspiracy going on in the party to eliminate leaders groomed by Rahul Gandhi in the last one and a half-decade.”

He also outlined that his fight is not personal but against the system which is destroying the grand old party. (ANI)

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At least 29 people have been arrested since Friday night and Section 144 imposed was imposed by Mumbai Police at Aarey Colony blocking all roads to it after protesters gathered cut down over 2,500 trees for a Metro project.

The 29 people were arrested by Aarey police station since 11 pm last night under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for disturbing public order and obstructing government officials from performing their duties

Protests erupted on Friday night at Aarey forest area after the Bombay High Court dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2,500 trees in Aarey Colony of Mumbai to make way for a Metro car shed and refused to declare the colony as a forest.

On Saturday morning, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi was also detained by the local police for trying to enter Aarey Colony, which had been cordoned off for protestors. She was seen outside the Samta Nagar Police station where she was taken by police.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC imposed in the area near the metro-rail project site in Aarey forest. The section is issued in urgent cases of security threats, of nuisance or apprehended danger of some event that has the potential to cause trouble or damage to human life or property. This Section prohibits public gathering.

Apart from the political leader, activist Saridun Bhujwala was also picked up by the police from Goreagon Highway located near the Aaarey Colony entry point.

Scores of locals including environmental activists have been opposing the cutting of trees for the construction of the car shed of the metro station. They are demanding the relocation of the bus depot, which is a part of the Metro III project.

Several politicians across parties have condemned the move to fell the trees.

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray tweeted: “A project that should be executed with pride, the Metro 3, @MumbaiMetro3 has to do it in the cover of the night, with shame, slyness and heavy cop cover. The project supposed to get Mumbai clean air, is hacking down a forest with a leopard, rusty-spotted cat and more.”

The Congress also hit out at the Centre for the cutting down of trees.

“So much for being a crusader for the environment. PM Modi’s empty rhetoric on protecting nature was just a crowd-pleaser for global audiences, back home his govt’s actions are wildly different. #AareyForest,” the Congress tweeted on its official account. (ANI)

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Economic Offence Wing of Mumbai Police on Thursday arrested Housing Development Infrastructure (HDIL) Directors Sarang Wadhawan and Rakesh Wadhwan. They are accused of loan default in connection with Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank case.

Both of them were called for interrogation today. They were arrested after they failed to cooperate in the investigation.

Ten of 44 accounts which led to PMC Bank falling in debt were linked to HDIL. Personal accounts of Sarang and Wadhwan were among these ten accounts.

On September 30, EOW of Mumbai Police had registered an FIR against senior officials of HDIL and PMC bank in connection with a fraud of over Rs 4,355 crores.

“EOW has formed a special investigation team for the probe. The FIR has been registered on the complaint given by one Jasbir Singh Matta,” police said in a press note.

According to the police, PMC bank officials gave loans to HDIL between 2008 and 2019 despite no repayment of the previous loans.

The FIR was registered under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 466 (forgery of record of court or public register), 471 (using a forged document as genuine) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

Suspended MD Joy Thomas had on September 28 admitted that the bank did not report the financial exposure to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for over six years.

RBI had, on September 26, increased the withdrawal limit from Rs 1,000 to 10,000 after several bank account holders protested against the move outside its branch in Mumbai. (ANI)

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A Delhi court on Thursday allowed home-cooked food to be provided to senior Congress leader P Chidambaram in Tihar jail once in a day. The court on Thursday extended his judicial custody till October 17.

The court, however, clarified that this will not be treated as a precedent for other accused lodged in jails. Citing health reasons, the leader had moved an application in the court seeking the same to be provided to him.

During the course of proceedings, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), said that they do not have any objection if the accused is given the home-cooked food.

The CBI had arrested him on August 21 following which he was sent to judicial custody in Tihar jail.

Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Kapil Sibal told the court that they will not argue on the CBI’s application which sought the extension of their client’s remand.

Chidambaram’s friend — Bishop Ezra Sargunam — also attended the court proceedings and presented a book named “Christian and Contribution to Nation building” to him.

Earlier today, the former Finance Minister had moved a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court against the order of the Delhi High Court that dismissed his regular bail petition in the case.

The High Court had dismissed the plea contending that he might influence the witnesses in the case.

Chidambaram is facing probe for alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to INX Media to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when he was the Union finance minister.

While CBI is probing the corruption allegations, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is looking into money laundering allegations against him in the case. (ANI)

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that the Centre will not allow any “infiltrator” to stay in the county while refugees belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian religions will be given citizenship.

Addressing a public awakening programme here on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Shah said that Prime Minister Modi led NDA government will bring the Citizenship Amendment Bill before implementing the NRC.

He accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of spreading misinformation about the NRC that Hindu refugees will have to leave West Bengal.

The minister said that he had come to the state to assure the residents that refugees belonging to Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, Parsi, and Christian religions will be not be asked to leave the country.

He said the refugees belonging to these religious groups had come to India due to hardships they faced and most of them are from the Hindu community.

“Do not mock them or their pain will destroy you,” he said.

Shah said the “Citizenship Amendment Bill will be brought before the implementation of NRC.”

The Bill seeks to make migrants, who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship.

Shah, who is also the BJP chief, accused the Trinamool Congress of not allowing the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

He said Banerjee herself spoke against illegal migrants when she was in opposition but had changed her stance after they became her vote bank.

“We will not allow any refugee to go and we will not allow any infiltrator to stay,” he said.

Shah urged the BJP workers to go to every house in Bengal and expose the Trinamool’s campaign. “Political interest should not be above national interest and the interest of the state,” he said. (ANI)

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The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that all landlines were working in Jammu and Kashmir and there was no restriction on the movement of people during day time.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Jammu and Kashmir administration, told a three-judge Bench of Justice NV Ramana, Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice BR Gavai, that there is a reason why internet services are not working.

Mehta’s response came after the Bench asked him if the mobile phone services had restarted in the region.

Explaining the reason why mobile phone services and internet had not been restored, Mehta said if these services restart in the Valley, then Kashmir will be flooded with fake messages from across the border that might incite violence.

He further said that “100 per cent landlines” were working in the region.

Mehta said that restrictions were imposed on the internet, mobile and landline telephones to prevent dissemination of “rumours, fake propaganda, and activities that could disturb public order and tranquillity”.

Hearing the contentions of the Solicitor General, Justice Gavai said, “There has to be a balance between personal liberty of a person and national security.”

The apex court was hearing several petitions relating to restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of reading down of Article 370 that granted special status to it. (ANI)

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In a major reshuffle in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan on Monday posted Khalil Ahmad Hashmi as its new Permanent Representative to the United Nations office in Geneva and replaced Maleeha Lodhi with Munir Akram as Permanent Representative of the country to the United Nations in New York.

Hashmi is currently serving as Director General (UN) at Foreign Ministry and will be taking his office shortly. Akram has served as Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN between 2002 and 2008, Dawn reported.

The announcements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) also included 10 new envoys, including that to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Kuwait.

Among other appointments, Muhammad Aejaz, Additional Secretary (AIT) at MoFA has been appointed as Ambassador of Pakistan to Hungary.

Syed Sajjad Haider, presently serving as Charge d’ Affaires (ap) of Pakistan to Pyongyang has been posted as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Kuwait.

Imran Ahmad Siddiqui, presently serving as Consul General of Pakistan in Toronto, has been posted as High Commissioner of Pakistan for Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Ahsan KK Wagan, presently serving as Charge d’ Affaires (ap) in Niger’s Niamey, has been appointed as Ambassador of Pakistan to Oman.

Major General Muhammad Saad Khattak has been appointed as the High Commissioner of Pakistan to Sri Lanka.

Abdul Hamid has been appointed as Pakistan’s Consul General in Toronto.

Abrar Hussain Hashmi has been appointed as Pakistan’s Consul General in Houston.

The new appointments come after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s participation in the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) where he unsuccessfully sought to internationalise India’s internal decision to repeal Article 370.

Pakistan’s similar effort at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), where it had sent Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, had also failed.

Addressing a presser in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 25, Khan said that he was disappointed with the international community over the issue.

Pakistan has been repeatedly snubbed by the international community on several platforms after it cried foul over India’s move to repeal special status of Jammu and Kashmir, with many countries backing New Delhi on the matter. (ANI)

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Pakistan government on Monday extended an invitation to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor that is scheduled to be held on November 9.

“We would like to extend an invitation to former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the inauguration function of Kartarpur Corridor. He also represents the Sikh community. We will also send him a formal invitation,” Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.

The inauguration ceremony will take place three days before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

India has asked Pakistan to “reconsider” its decision to charge USD 20 as service charge from pilgrims visiting the Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan.

Initially, 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit daily from India but later 10,000 pilgrims will be allowed per day, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Pakistan is building the corridor from the Indian side of the border to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, while the other part from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur up to the border is being built by India.

The four-lane highway connecting the Zero Point of the corridor up to National Highway-354 is being constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Besides, a passenger terminal is also under construction.

The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, which was established in 1522 by Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev. (ANI)

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