MUKHTAR ANSARI, WIFE SUFFER HEART ATTACK IN UP JAIL

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Mukhtar Ansari, who is doing time at Banda jail for various criminal cases, suffered a heart attack during a meeting with his wife Asfan Ansari on Tuesday noon.

Seeing Ansari lose consciousness, his wife too suffered a heart attack and both had to be rushed to District Hospital. After their condition slightly improved, doctors referred the couple to Lucknow but they were admitted to Medical College in Kanpur. The doctors at Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences have been alerted. A close aide of the MLA said that Ansari’s condition was stable.

Principal Secretary (Home), Arvind Kumar after speaking to local officers in Banda, summoned a detail report.

“I have spoken to SSP and DM of Banda and they told me about the heart attack. I have sought a report from them. The MLA will be provided the best treatment,” Kumar said in Lucknow on Tuesday evening.

The don-turned-legislator from Mau constituency had been in various jails of UP for various crimes since 2015.

Jail Superintendent of Banda, Ram Sewak Chaudhary said that Ansari suffered a heart attack while meeting his wife in the prison and she too developed chest pain. “Later they were rushed to Banda district hospital and later the doctors referred the couple to a Lucknow hospital,” Chaudhary said. 

(THE PIONEER)

LINK YOUR COUNTRY'S PRIORITIES WITH DEVELOPMENT, RAM NATH KOVIND TELLS PIO LAWMAKERS

He praised the Indian diaspora saying they have risen to “appreciable heights” in almost all countries where they found a home.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday asked parliamentarians of Indian origin to link the priorities of their countries with India’s development and see how the two can intersect.

Addressing the inaugural session of the international conference of PIO (persons of Indian origin) Parliamentarians in New Delhi, the President said India offers opportunities for huge investment, trade and development.

The conference is being attended by parliamentarians from 23 nations.

“...it is important for you to link your individual country’s priorities to India’s development. And to see how these can intersect,” he said.

The President called the parliamentarians “living bridges” who play an important role in enhancing understanding between their countries and the country of their parents and ancestors.

“Indians are proud of our democracy, fabric of pluralism and diversity. This is our greatest strength. And the Indian diaspora has carried such liberal and civic-minded values with it.

“Instinctively, this has made members of the Indian diaspora contribute to public life in countries that they are citizens of,” he said.

For the Indian government, engagement with PIO parliamentarians or with the wider Indian diaspora community is not a transactional relationship or a zero-sum game, Kovind said.

“Rather, we look upon the community and look upon you, the PIO parliamentarians and elected and public representatives, as a living bridge,” he said.

They can help build “economic, people-to-people and strategic connections that will be of benefit to both countries and to all of us”, the President said.

Describing India as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, he said the economy will gallop ahead in the next few decades. “We are also at the cusp of a new India that will achieve certain milestones for our people by 2022, also a year when we will celebrate the 75th year of its Independence,” the President said.

“At such a juncture, India offers huge investment, trade and developmental opportunities. And the development of India will be of benefit to not just the 1.3 billion people of India but will be a voice of hope and prosperity and of peace and stability for our shared world and for all the countries you represent,” he said.

He praised the Indian diaspora saying they have risen to “appreciable heights” in almost all countries where they found a home.

The President gave some examples of the work done by members of the Indian diaspora, like farmers in countries as far apart as Italy, Bolivia and Tanzania.

“They (Indian diaspora) are instrumental to the tech start-up ecosystem of Silicon Valley. They form the backbone of the economy of Dubai and other major business cities in the Gulf region. The global financial centres of New York, London and Singapore would simply not be the same without the Indian diaspora,” he said.

Mr. Kovind lauded the achievements made by the PIOs and other Indians living overseas.

“As a country, we are very proud of what our Pravasi Bharatiya brothers and sisters have done. They have embellished the identity of India and of the Indian people all over the world,” he said.

They, he said, have remained true to Indian culture and retained a strong and commendable bond with their roots, even when living thousands of miles away.

“I would go to the extent of saying that if Indian cuisine and Indian films have a global market today, it is because the diaspora has taken them to distant lands,” the President said.

The conference is being hosted by the Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad-Bharat along with the PIO Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

(THE HINDU)

MEDIA BODIES SLAM ‘ATTACK ON FREEDOM OF PRESS’

Clear Effort To Browbeat Journalist’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)’s lodging of an FIR naming the Tribune in which news about the breach in the system was printed, and also the reporter who had filed the story, drew strong reactions from journalists’ bodies, which condemned it as an “attack on the freedom of the press”.

A statement issued by the Editors Guild said, “The Guild condemns UIDAI’s action to have the Tribune reporter booked by the police as it is clearly meant to browbeat a journalist whose investigation on the matter was of great public interest. It is unfair, unjustified and a direct attack on the freedom of the press.”

The statement, which gives details of the charges under which the reporter, Rachna Khaira, was booked – IPC sections 419 (punishment for cheating under impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 471 (using a forged document) and under sections of the IT Act and the Aadhar Act – asks the union ministry to withdraw the cases against her, and “conduct an impartial investigation into the matter.”

The Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps and Press Association too strongly objected and condemned the FIR registration.

“Rather than addressing the loopholes which would actually ensure safety and security of the data and allay the general concerns about this, the UIDAI has chosen to persecute those whose actions appear to have been only in public interest,” read a statement issued by the journalists bodies collectively.

Criticising the FIR as “intimidatory, obstructionist and inimical to the pursuit of free, fair and independent journalism”, the statement asked for a withdrawal of the complaint against the reporter. A statement by the Foundation for Media Professionals, while referring to the FIR as an “assault on free speech”, said, “By allowing such FIRs to be registered, the government is clearly signalling that the functioning of UIDAI, however controversial, is out of bounds for journalists and other whistle-blowers.”

(TOI)

50% RISE IN DIABETES DEATHS ACROSS INDIA OVER 11 YEARS

50% RISE IN DIABETES DEATHS ACROSS INDIA OVER 11 YEARS

With a genetic predisposition brought to the fore by changing lifestyles, deaths due to diabetes increased 50 per cent in India between 2005 and 2015, and is now the seventh-most common cause of death in the country, up from 11th rank in 2005, according to data published by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD).

Ischemic heart disease continues to be the highest cause of death, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cerebrovascular disease, lower respiratory infection, diarrhoeal diseases and tuberculosis.

In 2015, 346,000 people died of diabetes, which caused 3.3 per cent of all deaths that year, with an annual increase of 2.7 per cent from 1990, according to the GBD study.

Nearly 26 people die of diabetes per 100,000 population; diabetes is also one of the top causes of disability and accounts for 2.4 per cent of the disability-adjusted life-years lost (sum of years lost due to disability or premature death due to the disease).

There are 69.1 million people with diabetes in India, the second-highest number in the world after China, which has 109 million people with diabetes. Of these, 36 million cases remain undiagnosed, according to a 2015 Diabetes Atlas released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Nearly nine per cent in the age group of 20-79 have diabetes.

The figures are alarming since diabetes is a chronic disease that not just affects the pancreas' ability to produce insulin but impacts the entire body. Complications caused due to diabetes include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, vision loss and neuropathy or nerve damage leading to leg amputation.

Unlike other countries, where a majority of people with diabetes are over 60 years old, the prevalence in India is among the 40-59 years age group, affecting productivity of the population.

"Diabetes strikes Indians a decade earlier than the world," Anoop Misra, chairman, Fortis Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, New Delhi, told IndiaSpend. "This causes reduced productivity, increased absenteeism in working population and gives more time for complications to arise."

Indians are especially predisposed to diabetes due to social and genetic reasons. Peculiar genetic composition of Indians known as "Asian Indian Phenotype" makes them appear thin but with fat depositions around their internal organs.

It makes them prone to greater abdominal fat, insulin resistance, higher levels of bad fat and increased chances of suffering from diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Lifestyle changes with reduced physical activity and carbohydrate-rich diets, along with environmental factors, are increasing India's diabetes burden, IndiaSpend reported in June 2015.

It is estimated that diabetes patients in urban areas spend Rs 10,000 and patients in rural areas spend Rs 6,260 every year on treatment, according to a 2013 study published by The Association of Physicians of India.

Since most of the healthcare cost is borne out of pocket in India, those in lower economic groups have to bear the greatest burden. Urban poor spend as much as 34 per cent while rural poor spend 27 per cent of their income on diabetes treatment, the study found.

India is predicted to have 123 million diabetes cases aged between 20 and 79 by 2040, according to estimates by IDF. "We need a national campaign on the level of pulse polio to tackle diabetes, it is soon going to be a problem bigger than TB, HIV and malaria together," Misra said.

Even though diabetes features in the National Health Mission's National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke for district-level intervention to prevent non-communicable diseases, it needs to do more to screen, create awareness and monitor and treat the disease to stem the tide.

 

 (THE PIONEER)

NTPC PROJECTS AWAIT ‘ACHHEY DIN’ IN JHARKHAND

NTPC PROJECTS AWAIT ‘ACHHEY DIN’ IN JHARKHAND

More than 16 years ago when the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had laid the foundation stone of NTPC Power in Tandwa in 1998 people of the region had not imagined such gloomy days for them ahead. Blame it on unhealthy politics or the inefficient governance in Jharkhand but the plants are yet to take shape and begin production, let alone the inconvenience and burgeoning cost being borne by the public sector unit.

Adding more to the misery the not a single ounce of coal has been extracted from the coal mines near Badkagaon in Hazaribagh till now and efforts are still on to bring the things on track. Local residents say that since the name of former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha was attached with the projects so the UPA Government not only neglected it but tried to close the NTPC projects in Jharkhand.

Further, according to locals, mining work has not yet started in the coal blocks allotted to NTPC at Barkagaon and Keredari Blocks due to consistent disturbance by local MLA of the constituency. The newly elected MLA of Barkagaon is Nirmala Devi of Congress, whose husband Yogendra Sao a former Minister is languishing in jail for his alleged links with extremists.

Sao is said to be the main figures who had disturbed and delayed this much needed developmental project and even now he is indirectly putting hindrance in the works of NTPC. MLA Nirmala Devi and her supporters have stopped the works of coal project for over 20 days. They have also stopped the construction work of quarters for the displaced seeking unreasonably high compensation from the public sector unit, said locals.

NTPC officials at the Badkagaon site revealed on the condition of anonymity that the Hazaribagh district administration was also very unsupportive and the officials, in spite of making an arrest of the MLA and her supporters for putting obstacles in the works of the Government of India owned enterprise, have permitted her to hold protest near the construction site of the quarters for the displaced. 

Meanwhile, a high level meeting of district officials of Hazaribagh and Chatra districts and officers of NTPC was called by Divisional Commissioner Surendra Singh Meena on Wednesday. In the meeting Meena directed the officials to increase the pace of land acquisition for NTPC. After going through the rehabilitation package and other facilities announced by NTPC Meena concluded that some people were misleading the land owners so it was necessary that a joint team of NTPC and administration should meet with the land owners individually to get them acquainted with the actual rehabilitation package they will get.

Surprisingly, in this meeting no one raised a question that how the agitation is going on at the sites of NTPC without local administration permission and if permission has been given to the agitators to sit on others land then why not it should be withdrawn.

(THE PIONEER)

BETWEEN NOW & 2030 MENTALLY ILLNESS WILL CUT INDIAN ECONOMIC GROWTH BY $11 TRILLION

BETWEEN NOW & 2030 MENTALLY ILLNESS WILL CUT INDIAN ECONOMIC GROWTH BY $11 TRILLION

India is one of the first countries to develop a national mental health programme in the early 1980s and yet the   country is  witnessing growing cases of mental illness. When it comes to ensure treatment and institutional capacity to integrate mentally ill in the society, sadly it ranks 11th among 15 nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

This has been revealed by the Asia-Pacific region Mental Health Integration Index which was released recently. The report cautioned that between now and 2030, mentally illness will reduce economic growth by $11 trillion in India.

India figured in the lower half for each of the indices just behind China and Thailand, while Australia and New Zealand claimed top position - Pakistan and Indonesia came at the bottom, said the study undertaken by the Economic Intelligence Union (EIU) and commissioned and funded by Janssen Asia Pacific, a division of Johnson & Johnson.

It noted that within months of India adopting its new Mental Health Policy “its total health budget was slashed by 20 per cent”. Worse still, “lack of institutional capacity meant that even the restricted funding available, was not always spent,” it said.

In India in 2012-2013, “only 42 per cent of the budget for the National Mental Health Programme was used,” the report said.

The index relied on four major indicators - provision of a stable family environment, work opportunities, access to health care and social services, governance, human rights and combating stigma.

In countries, such as Australia and Singapore, under half of those with a mental illness receive medical care, while only one-tenth get so in India and China.

George Institute for Global Health India’s Deputy Director and Head of Research and Development, Dr Pallab Maulik, who was one of the advisors on the study, talked about one particular project ‘SMART Mental Health’ in West Godavari in Andhra Pradesh in which he is involved.

“When we started implementing the project, we realised that there was little or no awareness about common mental disorders in the community, and systems of mental health care were almost non-existent,” he said.

After the village level health workers and doctors were sensitized, we found that there was a relative increase in service use in the mentally ill population…This shows that models of community-based care involving technology and appropriate training of primary care health workers can help put the focus on mental health in rural areas, increase screening and facilitate mental health care” said Dr. Maulik.

Magnitude of mental illness is on increase in India. As per a latest countrywide National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (Nimhans) study at least 13.7 per cent of India's general population has been projected to be suffering from a variety of mental illnesses and 10.6 per cent of this requires immediate intervention. 

(THE PIONEER)

CREDIT FOR SURGICAL STRIKES GOES TO PM

Credit for surgical strikes goes to PM

Impervious to accusations of taking credit for army’s surgical strike across the Line of Control (Loc), Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday reiterated that a major share of the credit for the covert operations carried out in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The major share goes to the Prime Minister… But, I will at least claim (that) the credit is decision-making ability and planning. So that should settle the nerves of many people," Parrikar said while addressing a gathering at the Materials Engineering Technology conference

Taking a dig at those accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of seeking to reap political benefit from the cross-LoC strikes, Parrikar said that the September 29 operation was carried out by the Indian Army and not a political party.

Therefore, every citizen of the country should share the credit even those questioning the strikes.

"Because it was done by the army, not any political party. So all Indians, including doubting Thomases, can share the credit," Parrikar said.

A war of words erupted over the politicisation of the strike with the opposition accusing the government of seeking to capitalise on the Indian Army's action for electoral gains.

The surgical strike came in the wake of the terror attack at an army camp in Uri town of Kashmir on September 18, in which 19 soldiers were killed.

Parrikar also said the strike has satisfied sentiments of the people across the country.

"I understand (that) people's sentiments are satisfied and population is satisfied," he said.

(the statesman)

SINGLE CIVIL CODE: CHRISTIAN, HINDU WAYS ALSO UNDER LENS

Single civil code: Christian, Hindu ways also under lens

Law Panel Seeks Public Opinion On Anti-Women Practices

The law commission's exercise to formulate a uniform civil code has reached a critical phase as it has asked the citizens to give their views on ending several religious practices and customs that have been branded anti-women in all the three major religions.

Sending out a list of 16 questions to gauge public opinion and the direction in which it should proceed, the commission is also asking whether to ban or regulate polygamy?

The question may appear aimed at ending the much-criticised practice of a Muslim man being permitted to marry up to four women. But the commission adds another question to it -whether similar practices such as Maitri-Karar be ended as well.

Maitri-Karar, even though banned by law, is still practised sporadically in Gujarat. Through this, a married Hindu man signs a friendship pact on stamp paper with another woman and brings her home to live together.

Justice B S Chauhan, chairman of the law commission, told TOI that formulating the questions was an elaborate affair involving several meetings of the panel itself in addition to consultations with numerous experts in the field.

“It took us two months to frame the questions keeping in mind the prevailing customs and practices in the dif ferent religions to elicit meaningful responses from the public,“ he said.

“Family law reforms has to view women's rights as an end in itself rather than a matter of constitutional provisions, religious rights and political debate alone,“ he said. The commission has fixed a 45-day time limit for receiving responses from the general public and stake-holders,“ Justice Chauhan said.

On triple talaq which, according to Sharia, the Islamic law based on Koran, permits a husband to pronounce `talaq' three times to instantly divorce his wife, the commission is asking whether it should be abolished altogether, retained only in customs without legal sanctity , or retained with suitable amendments.

The very next question in the list attempts to strike a balance by asking the public as to the steps needed to “ensure that Hindu women are better able to exercise their right to property , which is often bequeathed to sons under customary practices“.

After pointing out these two deficiencies in Muslim and Hindu societies, the commission wanted to know the citizens' response to the desirability of a two-year waiting period for finalisation of divorce among Christians and whether it affected Christian women's right to equality .

Under the Hindu law, the wait period is one year in case of divorce by mutual consent of spouses.

(toi)

MENTION OF POK STRIKES? PM SAYS THIS DUSSEHRA IS SPECIAL

Mention of POK strikes? PM says this Dussehra is special

 

In the wake of the Army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, PM Narendra Modi has described this year's Dussehra as “very special for the country“. The PM, who has so far avoided any direct reference to the strikes, added, “This Vijayadashami is very special for the country, many greetings to all citizens.“

The comment comes amid a raging political row over the strikes, which has seen Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi accusing Modi of exploiting the operation for political mileage, and BJP saying the opposition was belittling the military's valour and sacrifice.

Though Modi stuck to the advice he recently handed out to ministers and stopped short of tom-tomming the Army raids, he made the point that a nation could not be powerful without a capable military . The message, which came ahead of the fiery defeat of Ravana on Dussehra, could be read in the current political context.

Speaking at a function to commemorate Jan Sangh ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya, the PM quoted the latter to stress the importance of a competent military.

He also appeared to reiterate his previous comments that India did not have a histo ry of aggression and usually acted out of self-defence. “A nation ought to be powerful but a neighbour sho uld not feel fearful as that power is solely meant for its own safe ty,“ the PM said.

Modi's veiled in sistence on celebra ting the Army's suc cess is a strong indication that the political discourse around the surgical strikes is not over. The remarks about a powerful nation also come at a `Goldilocks moment' for BJP and reflect its growing confidence over a strengthening economy as growth looks up and a good monsoon dampens food inflation. BJP national president Amit Shah and RSS's secondin-command Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi spoke on the need for strengthening India's security, with Joshi saying India's pursuit for national security was inspired by the need to defend itself rather than defeat others.

Shah reiterated that the BJP government had made the country secure without diverting from the path of peace.“India should be safe and secure. Its borders are posing a challenge and everyone has seen that this issue can be resolved too,“ Shah said.

Modi's comments formed a small part of his speech but come ahead of his visit to Lucknow in poll-bound UP where he is to participate in a Ramlila event.

Opposition parties have been swift to claim that the visit has political overtones, saying the PM is keen to make a point through the Ramlila's “good wins over evil“ theme.

Party circles feel the Army's feat has strengthened BJP's `tough-on-national security' credentials and Modi's image as a strong leader.

(TOI)

LET SUFFERED MAXIMUM DAMAGE IN SURGICAL STRIKES; 20 PERISHED

LET SUFFERED MAXIMUM DAMAGE IN SURGICAL STRIKES; 20 PERISHED

 

Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashker-e-Tayyeba(LeT) suffered the maximum damage in the cross-LoC surgical strikes on terror launch pads carried out by Indian Army with assessment reports of radio intercepts indicating that around 20 of its militants were killed.

The assessment reports available from Indian Army field units which included radio conversations between various Pakistani formations showed maximum damage was inflicted on LeT, a banned terror group, at Dudniyal launch pad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, opposite to Kupwara sector of North Kashmir, according to sources in the know of details of the recent surgical strikes.

The sources said today that five teams culled out from the army division in the area were tasked to destroy launch pads of terror groups located at Kail also known as Kel and Dudniyal.

(THE PIONEER)

NATION MUST FOLLOW MORAL PATH: PREZ

Nation must follow moral path: Prez

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday greeted the nation on the eve of Dussehra, urging citizen to follow the path of moral and ethical rectitude.

"On the joyous occasion of Dussehra, I extend greetings and best wishes to my fellow countrymen in India and abroad," said Mukherjee in a statement.

"May this festival inspire us to emulate the righteousness of the Maryada Purushottam (Ram), the loyalty of his brothers Bharath and Lakshmana, the virtues of Sita and the valour as well as humility of Hanuman," he said.

"Let each one of us resolve to follow the path of moral and ethical rectitude which has guided us for centuries," he added.

"May the celebrations bind the communities and regions of India in a true sense of brotherhood and motivate us to make renewed efforts for the unity and progress of our country," the statement said.

 (The statesman)

PARIS DEAL NOT LINKED WITH NSG BID

Paris deal not linked with NSG bid

India To Ratify Accord Today

On the eve of India signing the Paris Agreement, Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave asserted that there was no link between the country's bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and ratification of the global climate deal.

He also stressed on Saturday that there was absolutely no pressure on the government and that India would continue to play its key role in articulating the interests of developing countries both under the Paris Agreement as well as during the upcoming negotiation on the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda, on the issue of phasing out the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant.

“India's decision to ratify the Paris Agreement has come after ensuring compliance of domestic legal require ments, internal discussions and after obtaining clarity from UNFCCC with regard to transparency and participation of parties (countries) in future processes,“ said Dave.

India's ratification of the agreement will come on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday (October 2), generating the political momentum to bring the deal into force in November. On Wednesday , the Union cabinet approved the ratification and later President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent.

Asked if there was pressure on India to ratify the agreement, Dave said, “We do not like if somebody puts pressure on us... We just wanted to see if our interests will be taken care of...“

Asked about India's negotiating stand in Kigali conference (October 8-14) where countries are expected to arrive at `freezing year' and `baseline year' to phase down production and consumption of HFCs, Dave said, “We will stick to (the baseline) 2028-30 and freezing year (2031). We will make sure that development is not compromised.“

The `freezing year' is the year when use of HFCs will peak before being rapidly scaled down and phased out while the baseline is instrumental in fixing levels. Though rich nations want an early `freezing year' (2021), India has been insisting to use HFCs till 2031before phasing down.

(toi)

PAK'S FRIEND CHINA AGAIN SHIELDS AZHAR AT UN

Pak's friend China again shields Azhar at UN

In a clear signal that China will continue to protect Pakistan's terror proxies, Beijing on Saturday extended its technical “hold“ on Jaish chief Masood Azhar for a further three months in the UN Security Council's 1267 committee.

As China's action comes after India admitted to carrying out strikes against terrorist launching pads in PoK, across the Line Of Control, it is read as a strong reiteration of support to Pakistan.The “hold“ is on an international move to ban the Jaish-e-Mohammed leader by the UN.The JeM as an organization is already on the proscribed list. But in March this year, China put a technical “hold“ on the move to impose sanctions on Azhar.

The resolution to ban the Jaish leader accused of masterminding the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot was co-sponsored by the US, the UK, France and India, with 14 other countries acquiescing.China was the only one to block it with a technical hold, citing lack of “evidence“ against Azhar. In the past six months, India has lobbied with China to lift the hold.

Thursday's move came on a day when the previous Chinese hold was due to expire.

Confirming the development in Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, “China always maintains that on the listing matter, the 1267 Committee should stick to the main principles of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism, base its judgments on solid evidence and decide upon consensus among the members of the Security Council.“

He added, “There are still different views on India's listing application. The extended technical hold on it will allow more time for the Committee to deliberate on the matter and for relevant parties to have further consultations.“

With the extension of the hold against Azhar China has signaled full support to Pakistan and its terror proxies.

(toi)

PAK BANS INDIAN TV CHANNELS

PAK BANS INDIAN TV CHANNELS

 

No Indian TV channel can be viewed in the country after October 15, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority has ordered, a media report said on Saturday. According to The Nation, Pakistani people have demanded that action be taken against “all Indian TV channels”.

The step comes as tensions rise between the two neighbouring nations after India said that it conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control at terror launch pads in what India calls Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.   

(toi)

SURGICAL STRIKE ROBS PAK OF ANTI-INDIA PROXY WAR OPTIONS

Surgical strike robs Pak of anti-India proxy war options

Terror Hit On Army, Cities Now Tough

Retaliating to India's crossLoC strike could be a knotty dilemma for Pakistan. An Uri-type attack carries the risk of serious escalation while a jihadi strike on civilians will draw attention to Pakistan's terror links even as Kashmir seems to have fallen off the map.

Though the possibility of a counterstrike looms large on the Indian security radar, Pakistan might find itself wrestling with unattractive choices resulting from a misplaced assessment of India's response to a terror attack.

The decision to “sanction“ the attack on the Army camp at Uri and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif 's apparent acquiescence to the nation's military's plans seem to have been based on an estimation that the protests in Kashmir had made it “ripe“ for an external push.

With the Modi government surprising Pakistan, the tables seem to have turned. Using one of its proxies to target another Indian military camp in Jammu & Kashmir or even elsewhere is fraught with the risk of such an act leading to full-scale hostilities.

India can no longer be counted on to take a hit on the jaw and remain quiescent. This will almost certainly invite international criticism, and its isolation among Saarc nations can hardly be reassuring for Pakistan.

On the other hand, a “deniable“ terrorist attack on an Indian city presents a fresh set of problems. Any trail that leads to groups fostered by Pakistan will only enhance its image as a terror factory .

PM Narendra Modi's decision does raise issues for India, as surgical strikes may not be easy to repeat after every terror attack. The Pakistan military would work to close the loopholes along the LoC that Indian troops exploited.

Pakistan's complications arise from uncertainty over whether to expect a military reprisal. While perils of a cross-LoC operation going awry with casualties or a `Black Hawk Down' situation held back his predecessors, Modi decided to work with the probabilities offered by the Army .

The calculus having been reset, Pakistan's leadership may still find the pressure to act difficult to resist. But almost any course of action is only likely to take the gaze -and sympathy -of most nations away from Kashmir.

Having egged on stone-pelters in the Valley and gone the whole hog at the UN, this is a bitter pill to swallow.

(TOI)