China and Pakistan are reportedly facing some disagreements regarding the Belt and Road Initiative that has resulted in a delay in holding the annual bilateral summit of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). According to Economic Times, disagreements have emerged between the two countries over the Main Line 1 (ML -1) railway project and special economic zones under the CPEC. The ML-1, worth$ $6.8 billion, is the largest project under the CPEC. Pakistan wants to borrow $6 billion that China is expected to lend in the project at a concessional rate of less than 3%. However, China is reportedly hesitant in agreeing Pakistan’s demand as it feels that the local politics in Pakistan will pose obstacles in getting returns on the investment for China.
China reluctant to accept Pakistan’s demands
The ET quoted the statement of a senior journalist from Lahore, Nasir Jamal, given to Japanese media outlet Nikkei which read, “China is reluctant to lend money for ML-1 because Pakistan has already sought debt relief to meet G-20 lending conditions and it is not in a position to give sovereign guarantees”.
“China is much more comfortable deferring payments or providing new financing than it is offering concessional rates in the first place. This approach provides Beijing with greater leverage and control even if they are willing to be very flexible at the back-end”, Adrew Small, a senior trans-Atlantic fellow with Asia program at the German Marshall Fund told Nikkei .
JCC meeting being delayed due to disagreements between the two countries
The disagreements between the two countries have been pushing the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting that had earlier been delayed due to Covid outbreak. The JCC, that governs the CPEC, is jointly chaired by Pakistan’s minister for planning, development and special initiatives and the vice-chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission. The first meeting of the JCC was held in August 2013 and the last meeting was held in November 2019. The 10th meeting of the JCC scheduled to take place in December 2020 could not be held due to pandemic.
Earlier this month, Pakistan Railways had reportedly asked the Pakistani government to provide 11 billion rupees for providing security to ML-1. Pakistan is reportedly renegotiating its $6 billion extended fund facility with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that was suspended in April last year. The program will only be resumed by the IMF if Pakistan does not take any new commercial loan. Therefore, Pakistan is seeking concessions in the ML-1 project.
On Saturday, the ‘masked man’ Yogesh Singh, who was propped by the ‘farmer’ leaders claiming that he was part of a plot to murder four farmer leaders during their proposed tractor rally in Delhi on January 26, made a chilling disclosure saying he was abducted by farmers themselves who forced to lie about the alleged attack farmer leaders only to implicate Haryana police.
Yogesh Singh, who was detained by the Haryana police on Friday, confessed to the police earlier today, saying that he lied about an alleged attack against farmers in the press conference. The 19-year-old resident of Sonipat said that ‘farmer’ leader had warned of killing him if he did not make false conspiracy theories of attacks on farmers and blame Haryana police for the same.
Following the ‘farmer’ leaders’ threats, Yogesh Singh agreed to do whatever the farmers force him to do. During a press conference, he confessed to having been part of an attack team that plotted to kill four farmer leaders during the tractor rally scheduled to be held on January 26.
Haryana police recovers images of four ‘farmer’ leaders, says they planted it in masked man’s mobile
After the press conference, the Haryana police reached the Singhu border and arrested the ‘masked man’ Yogesh Singh. During the investigation, Yogesh Singh revealed that he had nothing to either farmer protests or Haryana police. Singh had revealed that a few protestors, who mistook him for the misbehaving youths near the protesting site, picked him up to the camp where they forced him to falsely implicate Haryana police saying that they had plotted to kill four leaders.
The ‘farmers’ also allegedly warned him that he has to face severe consequences if he fails to follow his order. On the next day too, the ‘farmers’ leaders again brutally beat him up and threatened to kill him if he did not agree to follow their instructions.
According to sources, the ‘farmer’ leaders also planted images of four protesting ‘farmer’ leaders in Yogesh Singh’s phone to strengthen their argument that the ‘masked man’ plotted to kill four leaders at the Singhu border. The Haryana police have also recovered photographs of four farmer leaders – Balbir Singh Rajewal, Baldev Singh Sirsa, Kuldeep Sandhu and Jagjeet Singh – from his mobile phone.
According to sources, these photographs were planted by the ‘farmer leaders’ who had threatened him to lie during the press conference and tortured him. These farmers were supposed to be planted as ‘targets’ of the fake murder plot, to make Yogesh’s story more believable.
Farmer leaders were hesitant to hand over ‘masked man’ to the police
The ‘farmer’ leaders who paraded the ‘masked man’ Yogesh Singh in front of the media after the press conference at the Singhu border late on Friday night acted suspiciously after they showed hesitancy to hand over the alleged conspirator to the police.
When Haryana Police went to arrest the ‘Shooter’, the Farm Leaders demanded police not to take any against him. Why?
If he’s saying Truth, plot to kill 4 farm leaders is act of Terrorism. Should be given life improsentmet.
The ‘farmer’ leaders were reluctant to present him to the police and instead demanded the Haryana police not to take any against him. They also asked the police not to treat him harshly raising eyebrows about the reality of the alleged conspiracy of an attack against the so-called farmers.
On Friday, forest officials apprehended five miscreants for trapping, killing and eating the meat of a 6-year-old leopard cub. The gruesome act took place in Mankulam Munipara in Idukki, Kerala.
As per reports, the accused have been identified PK Vinod, VP Kuriakose, CS Binu, Salim Kunjappan and Vincent. PK Vinod, who masterminded the plan, laid a trap, along with his four other friends to catch the leopard. The accused was miffed that the animal would stray into their territory and kill cattle and pets. After the leopard got stuck in their trap, the accused killed the wild animal and distributed the meat amongst themselves.
While speaking about the incident, forest ranger V B Udayasooryan informed, “The animal had recently killed a goat owned by Vinod PK, one of the accused and he and his friends laid a snare using auto brake cable, net and other materials. The animal was netted on Wednesday before it was killed by its captors and its meat distributed.”
Accused were sent to judicial custody
The incident came to light after the forest officials were given a tip-off by one of their informants. Reportedly, the accused were planning to sell the nail, teeth and skin of the leopard, which weighed about 50 kg. Following a successful raid, the officials seized cooked meat, 10 kg of uncooked meat, teeth, skin and nails of the leopard. The accused were apprehended, produced before Devikulam court and remanded to judicial custody.
Forest officials were taken aback by the barbaric act
While poaching of wild animals is not uncommon, the forest officials were shocked to learn that the miscreants consumed the meat of the leopard. Since leopards are classified under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972), they are liable for a maximum punishment of 7-year-jail time and a heavy fine. The investigation in the case was spearheaded by several forest officials, namely, Dileep Khan, Abbas, Jomon, Akhil, Albin, Sabu Kurian, Ajay Ghosh and Anil Kumar.
Pregnant elephant died after eating cracker-filled pineapple in Kerala
It was reported last year that a pregnant elephant had died on May 27 after some locals fed her cracker-filled pineapple which later exploded in her mouth. The incident took place in Mannarkkad division of Palakkad district when the elephant had wandered into a village in search of food. However, some villagers stuffed pineapples filled with firecrackers on her tusks while she was walking on the streets.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Surendrakumar said that her jaw was broken and she was unable to eat after she chewed the pineapple which exploded in her mouth. The issue came to light when forest officer Mohan Krishnan shared about it on social media. He said that she was standing in the river with her head dipped in water. As reported by news agency ANI, Mannarkkad forest range officer has said that an FIR under relevant sections of the Wild Life Protection Act has been registered.
India has set the record for the fastest rollout for a million vaccine shots in a short span of just six days as compared to the countries that have put out their inoculation data in the public domain. The vaccination drive in India was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16 via video conferencing. As per Health Ministry, around 1.3 million (12.7 lakh) shots of vaccine have been administered so far with 10.4 lakh inoculations having been done by January 21.
The highest number of inoculations were reportedly recorded on January 21 with over 2,30,000 health workers getting vaccinated on the day. However, about nine million health workers are yet to be vaccinated at two doses per person. The second dose of the vaccine will be administered 28 days after the first shot. India has set the target of 300 million vaccinations by the end of the summer this year.
Vaccination tally improved after changes in C-WIN app
The number of vaccinations has reportedly improved after some changes were made in the Co-WIN application that is being used by the central government to digitally manage the vaccination process. After the changes made in Co-WIN, the vaccinators can now administer vaccine shots to walk-in health workers if those scheduled for vaccination did not turn up. “The app has been modified to allow creation of more session sites, more sessions per site, and change in site location as per the local requirement. Instead of daily plan, officials concerned can now plan and schedule the sessions for the entire week”, said additional secretary, health ministry, Manohar Agnani.
India’s performance as compared to other countries
As reported by Hindustan Times, data from the University of Oxford shows that India has become the fastest country to cross the million mark in vaccination. India took only 6 days to cross the mark as compared to 9 days taken by the United States that was leading the race until now. According to Times of India, the United States had the fastest rollout of Covid-19 vaccine after its vaccination programme was launched on December 14 last year. A million inoculations were done in the US within 10 days of the launch of the vaccination drive. The UK had inoculated close to a million people by December 26, 2020, after the launch of its vaccination drive on December 8.
Taking a look at the number of inoculations done globally as on January 21, around 17.5 million vaccine shots had been administered in the US, followed by China with around 15 million inoculations, 5.4 million vaccinations in the UK, 3.3 million vaccinations in Israel, 2.3 million doses in the UAE, 1.4 million doses in Germany, 1.3 million vaccinations in Italy, 1.1 million doses in Turkey and 1.1 million vaccinations in Spain. In total, around 57 million vaccine shots had been administered globally till January 21, 2021.
India extending support globally
India has been sending shipments of free Covid-19 vaccine to several South Asian countries as part of its commitment to help the global community. The US State Department praised India today for its generous gesture. In the last couple of days, India has sent 1.5 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Bhutan, 1 lakh doses to Maldives, 20 lakh doses to Bangladesh, 15 lakh doses to Myanmar, 10 lakh doses to Nepal, 50,000 doses to Seychelles, 1 lakh doses to Mauritius. Brazil expressed gratitude yesterday after receiving the shipment of vaccines. South Africa and Saudi Arabia are expected to receive the shipments of Covid-19 vaccine from India in coming days.
A video has resurfaced on social media where the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is seen displaying her ‘progressive’ mindset. In the video which has now gone viral on social media, the TMC supremo says that she is so “flexible”, that she has given permission to housewives to have extra-marital affairs with men of their choice.
Speaking in Bengali, the WB CM says: “Ami ek somoi barir bouder boltam…Tumra jodi kokhono mone koro karo satha prem koro, korta paro…Amar tomader permission daowa thakbe” (I would tell this to housewives once…If you ever want to indulge in an extra-marital affair, then, you can do so. I will give permission for it).
MAMATA BANERJEE saying – I have given PERMISSION to many housewives to get into EXTRA MARITAL AFFAIRS!! So Flexible I am! pic.twitter.com/sbOJiYAyX1
This video which resurfaced on Twitter yesterday, was originally shared by Twitter user @DebashishHiTs on May 17, 2019, where Mamata Banerjee was seen making this outrageous comment.
— Debashish Sarkar ?? (@DebashishHiTs) May 17, 2019
Though we are uncertain as to what compelled Mamata Banerjee to make such a preposterous remark, it is beyond doubt that this comment is in stark contrast to what she professed at a Cable Operators’ meet at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium in 2018.
Appearing quite disturbed with the existing trend of TV serials, Mamata Banerjee had strongly condemned Bengali TV serial makers for showing “objectionable” content like “extra-marital affairs” on TV, as she felt this was setting the wrong precedence in the society and corrupting minds, especially that of the younger generation.
“I watch TV serials and nowadays I am noticing a section of Bengali TV shows are portraying our values in negative terms. There is a trend in TV serials showing a man who is not aware of his father’s identity. A man having multiple wives is another trend seen in TV serials”, she said, as she urged Bengali TV serial makers to avoid such “negativity” and show something that would inspire everyone.
In a sensational disclosure, the masked man who appeared in a press conference along with farmer leaders to allege that he has been asked by the police to unleash violence on the farmers on the 26th of February outside Delhi, has confessed to the police that he lied in the press conference about an alleged attack against farmers. OpIndia has learnt that Yogesh is a cook and his mother works as domestic help. He has no arms and ammunition and has nothing to do with any crime.
A person identified as Yogesh, who was detained by the Haryana police on Friday after he had claimed that he was part of an attack team to shoot farmer leaders, said that he spoke in the press conference against police officials after he was threatened by farmer leaders. Making a shocking disclosure, Singh said that ‘farmer’ leader had warned of killing him if he did not make false conspiracy theories of attacks on farmers and blame Haryana police for the same.
In a video accessed by Opindia, the masked man can be seen making a confession saying, “My name is Yogesh, a resident of Sonepat was travelling from to Panipat from Delhi on January 19. I came across the protesting farmers near Narela on the same day when I was returning back, As he encountered the farmers, I saw a few people misbehaving with ladies near the protest site.”
Further, the masked man aka Yogesh Singh said that he informed a few protestors regarding the incident, who mistook him for the misbehaving youths near the protesting site and picked him up to the camp. “The ‘farmer’ leaders hit me initially, removed my clothes, hung me on top of a trolley to further beat me up on that day”, he said.
On the next day, the ‘farmer’ leaders visited Yogesh Singh and instructed him to do whatever they ask him to do. The ‘farmers’ also allegedly warned him that he has to face severe consequences if he fails to follow his order. According to Yogesh, there were four more men along with him, who were detained by the protestors at the Singh border and one of them identified as Sagar.
Yogesh, without naming any farmer leaders, said that the ‘farmers’ again approached him on January 19th night and offered him food and liquor. The next day, the farmers shockingly confessed to having killed the other four people who were detained along with Yogesh Singh. The ‘farmers’ leaders again brutally beat me up on the following day and threatened to kill him if he did not agree to follow their instructions.
‘Farmer’ leaders threatened to kill me, said they killed other detained youth
Out of fear of getting killed by the ‘farmer’ leaders, Yogesh Singh agreed to do whatever the farmers force him to do. When Yogesh Singh tried reaching out to police, the ‘farmer’ leaders said that they would kill such a way that it would be difficult to even find his dead body.
In a sensational claim, Yogesh Singh said one person, who was severely hit by the ‘farmers’ was in a very critical condition, who was later shifted to a different place by the protestors.
After beating and threatening Yogesh, the ‘farmer’ leaders asked Yogesh Singh to falsely claim that he was part of an attack team to shoot four farmer leaders and cause disruption during the January 26 protest outside the national capital. Yogesh Singh, who appeared as a masked man, came out in the public on January 22 to claim that he was part of an attack team that was sent by Haryana police officials to disrupt the ‘farmer’ protest.
Continuing to reveal more details, Yogesh Singh that farmer leaders told him to accuse a police officer named Pradeep, Rai police station for plotting the conspiracy against the farmers. It is important to note that Haryana police that there is no person named Pradeep at the Rai Police Station in Haryana’s Sonepat, as claimed by the masked man.
Following the warning, Yogesh said he came in front of the press to make false accusations against police officials as instructed by the farmer leaders at the Singhu border. The farmer leaders had allegedly promised to release him from their captivity after he makes a public statement accusing the police officials of plotting to conspire against farm protests by carrying out attacks against farm leaders.
Masked man appears before the press, makes false claims
On Friday, as expected, Yogesh Singh, who was presented as a masked man, claimed that he was part of an attack team to shoot four farmer leaders and cause disruption during the January 26 protest outside the national capital.
Addressing a press conference on Friday night, speaking to the media, the masked man claimed that he and his team members were allegedly asked to pose as policemen and baton-charge on the crowd if things go out of control during the January 26 tractor rally.
#WATCH | Delhi: Farmers at Singhu border present a person who alleges a plot to shoot four farmer leaders and cause disruption; says there were plans to cause disruption during farmers’ tractor march on Jan 26. pic.twitter.com/FJzikKw2Va
Sitting next to farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, the masked man also named police officials allegedly involved in the plan and named one officer Pradeep as a co-conspirator. Continuing his conspiracy charges, the person claimed that their team was given weapons at two places.
During January 26 tractor rally, it was planned that half of the people of his team would be present wearing police uniforms to scatter the farmers’ groups. We were also given the photograph of four people, who were to be shot, present at the stage. The person who directed us is a cop,” the masked man further claimed.
Masked man fails to recall the alleged plan to kill farmers, Farmer leader helps to remember his lines
He added that they had formed two teams and he was present at the spot since January 19. We were tasked to find out whether protesters were carrying arms, the man said.
“For January 26, the plan was that our other team members would mix with the protesters. And if the protesters approach with their parade, then we were asked to fire shots at them,” the man further claimed.
Interestingly, at 1:20 mins of the above video, the speculated ‘farmer’ killer fails to recall his ‘plot’ to kill the farmers in the middle of the press conference, who was then aided by farmer leader Rakesh Tikait by reminding him of the intricate details of the alleged plot to kill farmers.
The masked man also said that the plan was to warn the farmers during the agitation on January 26, and if they do not respect the police orders, they intended to shoot them in their knees first. Then the team of 10 killers, including him, would shoot from behind to make it look like the farmers have resorted to using firearms in Delhi, he added.
‘Given Rs 10,000 to carry out disruption’
The masked man also said that they were working for money and were to be given Rs 10,000 each to carry out alleged attack against farmers.
“We were working for money. There are other people as well who are involved in this who are yet to be caught. I would request that our families should not be informed about this. We were to be given Rs 10,000 each to carry out the disruption,” the attacker said according to ANI.
The alleged attacker also said that they had been informed about the appearance of the people who will come here to cause disruption. “Those men will be wearing boots, turbans and ribbed jeans. Other men who will come to January 26 rally will come in police uniforms,” the man claimed.
“My duty was to keep an eye on weapons provided. We also resorted to a lathi charge at Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s rally in Karnal recently. We used to undergo training at different places like hotels and dhabas to carry out these acts. We are not killers, but just do these things as we are in need of money,” he added.
Interestingly, the ‘farmer’ leaders who presented the masked man in front of the media were, in fact, hesitant to hand over the alleged conspirator to the police and asked the police not to treat him harshly.
When Haryana Police went to arrest the ‘Shooter’, the Farm Leaders demanded police not to take any against him. Why?
If he’s saying Truth, plot to kill 4 farm leaders is act of Terrorism. Should be given life improsentmet.
In the above video, one can see how farmers leaders are reluctant to present him to the police and instead demanded the Haryana police not to take any against him.
A Delhi Court on Friday convicted embattled AAP MLA Somnath Bharti in connection with the 2016 AIIMS assault case.
A Delhi Court has convicted Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Bharti for assaulting the AIIMS security staff in a matter registered in 2016. The court has acquitted four others accused in the same matter
Bharti was accused of manhandling security personnel at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and inciting a mob to damage a part of the boundary wall of the hospital.
The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Pandey found Bharti guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including assaulting a government employee and obstructing his work and damaging the government property.
The quantum of punishment will be announced by the court on January 23. There is a provision of a maximum sentence of two years under the sections filed against Bharti, therefore, if the judge decides to impose the maximum punishment, Bharti may go to jail for 2 years.
Additionally, the court acquitted Jagat Saini, Dalip Jha, Sandeep alias Sonu and Rakesh Pandey, who were also accused in the case. In 2016, the Chief Security Officer of AIIMS had lodged a complaint at the Hauz Khas police station regarding the assault.
Somnath Bharti arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police
Earlier this month, AAP leader Somnath Bharti was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police while he was on his way to Rae Bareli. While Bharti was embroiled in a heated argument with police, an unknown man hurled ink at the Malviya Nagar MLA and escaped away.
Following the ink attack, Bharti was seen dishing out threats to police officers and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. Bharti was arrested for criminal intimidation and promoting enmity between groups, police said, following remarks allegedly referring to Yogi Adityanath and the state’s hospitals.
“I will get you sacked. Bear this in mind. I can identify all of you. I will get all the officers who are trying to stop me today sacked,” said Somnath Bharti while threatening the police officer who stopped him from leaving the guesthouse.
“Nothing is going to happen from this. Yogi Adityanath’s death is assured. You have helped the attacker escape. You need to understand this. Tell Yogi Adityanath he would not achieve from such attacks,” Somnath Bharti said.
Bharti was sent to judicial custody for 14 days after misbehaving with police officials in Uttar Pradesh.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested 26-year-old Vijith Vijayan on Thursday for his alleged involvement in distributing pro-Maoist brochures in Kozhikode.
According to the reports, Vijayan worked with the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation’s publication wing and translated radical Maoist literature from English to Malayalam. The arrest of Vijayan by the NIA officials is the third arrest in the Pantheerankavu Unlawful Atrocities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case.
Vijith, who is the fourth accused in the case, had played a key role in propagating the radical ideology among youths, the NIA said. Meanwhile, the agency is also searching for Vijith’s friend Eldho Wilson, who is yet to be arrested, as the fifth accused. Vijith is a B.Tech graduate and has worked as a teacher in tuition centres, the NIA said.
“Our investigation has revealed that he is an active cadre of the CPI (Maoist) organisation and maintained close contact with leaders of the banned outfit. He is also suspected to be part of the publication wing of the CPI (Maoist) party and apparently translated Maoist literature from English to Malayalam,” an NIA official said.
Kerala police arrested two CPI (Maoists) cadre, NIA takes up investigation
The arrest of Vijith comes a year after Kerala police had nabbed two Communist cadres – Thaha Fasal and Alan Suhaib from Pantheerankavu for holding a clandestine Maoist meeting outside a shop in Kozhikode. The third accused CP Usman had managed to flee from the police when they reached the spot.
The two arrested, who hailed from Thalassery, were handing out pro-Maoist pamphlets and shouting pro-Maoist slogans when Kerala police arrested them from Pantheerankavu market area. The two accused were protesting against the gunning down of alleged Maoists by the Thunderbolt force in the forests of Palakkad.
It is noteworthy to mention that the two students’ arrest came three days after the Thunderbolt team of the Kerala police eliminated four Maoists in Attappadi, Palakkad.
On November 27, the Kerala High Court had dismissed the two students’ bail petitions, who were also CPI(M) activists. The court had admitted the police’s evidence to prove the arrested students had Maoist links and denied them bail.
Communists divided over arrests of cadres in Maoists-link case
The case has caused a massive political uproar within Kerala’s ruling Left government after the police charged the communist cadre under UAPA. Alan Shuhaib is the local Kozhikode Kallai Thiruvannur branch member of the party while Thaha is the DYFI unit secretary of the Pantheerankavu local branch.
Following the arrest, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had sought an explanation about the grounds on which the police hauled up the two law students. However, as NIA took up the case, Vijayan took a u-turn to call his own cadres as ‘Maoists’ openly. CPI(M) leaders, including Sitaram Yechury and Prakash Karat, had expressed their support for the arrested individuals who had alleged links with Maoists.
The first Sikh Television anchor of Pakistan Harmeet Singh is contemplating leaving the country after he allegedly received threats from the killers of his younger brother Ravinder Singh. Ravinder Singh was murdered in January last year by his fiancée’s boyfriend and one more person. Singh was brutally murdered in Peshawar when he had gone shopping for his wedding. His bullet-riddled body was found near Chamkini Police Station, the checkpoint of Khyber Agency.
According to reports, Harmeet Singh has been receiving threat calls from jail where one of the accused in his brother’s murder case is lodged. Threat calls coupled with police inaction have forced Singh to contemplate moving to some other country. “I will be left with no other option but to leave Pakistan for good if the police don’t take action against a murder accused. He is threatening me and my family”, Singh told Times of India yesterday. Singh reportedly said that migrating to India was not an option for him and that he would consider some other country.
Harmeet Singh’s younger brother was brutally murdered last year
Harmeet Singh’s younger brother Ravinder Singh (some reports also refer to him Parvendar Singh and Parwinder Singh) was killed by his fiancée Prem Kumari’s boyfriend Eijaz and another person Ibrahim. Prem Kumari and Eijaz had reportedly secured bail recently, however, Ibrahim is still lodged in the Peshawar jail.
Harmeet Singh said that he received a call from a government number from Peshawar jail and the person on the other side introduced himself as Mohammad Ibrahim. He said that Ibrahim threatened him to compromise in his brother’s murder case or face dire consequences. Singh said that he was shocked to see that Ibrahim had called using a government number.
Harmeet Singh has expressed fear that being from the minority community, he would not be able to pursue his brother’s case. He alleged that the authorities are going soft in the case as the accused are from the majority community. He said that he had filed a complaint with the police but no action has yet been taken. He said that he had appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Chief Justice to take notice of the case.
Persecution of minorities is a reality of Pakistan
Minorities in Pakistan face persecution on a routine basis with no redressal or relief from the authorities. There are reports almost every day of girls from minority communities being abducted and converted to Islam. Even the religious sites of minorities are not safe and every other day a temple or a church or a gurudwara is attacked.
On Friday, former IAS officer and the founder of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), Shah Faesal, praised the Modi government at the Centre for India’s robust vaccination programme.
In a supposed change of heart, Shah Faesal tweeted, “This is more than just a vaccination program. It’s good governance + human capital formation + nation-building + India assuming global leadership as a Jagat Guru (The Guru of the World).”
Screengrab of the tweet by Shah Faesal
It must be mentioned that the former IAS officer-turned-politician had also been retweeting tweets of PM Modi and other BJP leaders, in connection to India’s vaccination drive.
Islamists attack Shah Faesal, accuse him of betraying Kashmiris
His tweet took both his supporters and opponents by surprise. While some Islamists and members of the left-liberal lobby have been vocal against him for supporting India for a noble cause, others resorted to calling him names for supposedly ‘betraying Kashmiris’.
One user, Iqra Altaf, accused Shah Faesal of ‘crossing all limits of boot-licking’.
This is not mere boot-licking. Yeth boot’as yii lewan chu tath chu gess meteth. https://t.co/bG7tPFeVS1
Islamist Mohammed Asif Khan labelled the former IAS officer as a ‘bootlicker’ and claimed that he is a bigger stooge than freedom fighter Veer Savarkar.
Wah re bootlicker…Tu toh Savarkar se bhi bada wala chamcha nikla !
Another Twitter user wrote, “Ab Hawa Nikle ge (Did your courage disappear in thin air)? Kashmir will remember you as a bootlicker, a coward, a liar, a stooge who can lick even RSS in exchange for favours.”
Ab Hawa Nikle ge. Kashmir will remember you as a bootlicker, a coward, a liar, a stooge who can lick even RSS in exchange for favours. https://t.co/0o9EHIv8e2
While making a Hinduphobic jibe at the expense of Shah Faesal, Islamist Siddiqui Fariqa asked, “Stooge Shah Faesal, how does Gow mutra (cow urine) taste? Asking for Sanghi IAS officer?”
Stooge Shah Faesal, how does Gow mutra taste? Asking for Sanghi IAS officer?
Another Twitter user Gulvinder Singh labelled the former IAS officer as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing.’ He tweeted, “Shame on you for letting people down. People who expected from you, people who had faith in you. U sold ur soul, but you were always their B Team, who faked selflessness to fool people & play with their emotions by giving them false hopes.”
A wolf in sheep’s clothing! Shame on you for letting people down. People who expected from you, people who had faith in you. U sold ur soul, but you were alws their B Team, who faked selflessness to fool people & play with their emotions by giving them false hopes.@shahfaesal ? https://t.co/WlsuPdxL5J
Twitter user, Irfan, claimed that the BJP IT cell not only hacked the Twitter account of Shah Faesal but only captivated his mind. “I feel not only his Twitter account but also his mind has been hacked by chadi IT Cell….. He sounds like a spokesperson of chaddi gang now..not surprised,” he tweeted.
I feel not only his twitter acount but also his mind has been hacked by chadi IT Cell….. He sounds like spokesperson of chaddi gang now..not surprised
Earlier, it was reported that Shah Faesal has been informed by authorities that his resignation has not been accepted. He was made a part of the IAS cadre in Jammu & Kashmir after he had topped the civil services in 2010. In 2018, he had left for the USA supposedly to pursue further studies in the USA and following his return, he had established the JKPM.
Faesal steps down as president of JKPM
Earlier in August last year, Shah Faesal, who had floated the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM) with perennial protester Shehla Rashid, has stepped down as the president of the organisation. Furthermore, there is speculation that he will head back to the administration after he was informed that his resignation has not yet been accepted.
“State Executive Committee of J&K Peoples Movement (JKPM) in an online meeting today discussed the ongoing political developments in the state. In the said meeting, the request of Dr Shah Faesal to spare him from the organisational responsibilities was discussed. Dr Shah Faesal had informed State Executive Members that he is not in a position to continue with political activities and wants to be freed from the responsibilities of the organisation,” a statement issued by the party said.
Shah Faesal – mired in a conspiracy against India
On August 6, 2019, the Indian government abrogated the Article 370 that granted special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, by obtaining a Presidential decree and subsequently passed a resolution for re-organisation of the state. A state-wide lockdown and communication blockade was enforced by the government for avoiding any flare-up in the Valley. Prominent leaders have been detained to stop the Valley from slipping into anarchy.
On August 14, Faesal was detained at the Delhi airport and sent back to Kashmir. The former IAS-turned-politician is held at Sheri Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar.
At the time, there were reports that Faesal was travelling to Turkey to participate in a plan against India, supposedly, to approach the ICJ against India the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir.
Shah Faesal was caught at the Delhi airport by security authorities, who had unearthed that the former IAS officer was planning to fly to Turkey from where he was to reach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Haque, Netherlands, to file a case against India.
Later, the Jammu and Kashmir government had also revealed that Faesal after arriving at Srinagar, had addressed people and instigating them “against the sovereignty and integrity of India”, which had a potential of a breach of peace.
Shah Faesal has been hate-mongering for a long time. Earlier, after sliding into irrelevance, former IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal had attempted to incite violence and threatened that he would not celebrate Eid until ‘the last bit of insult is avenged and undone’. A frustrated Shah Faesal had threatened to seek revenge and warned the people of India that he would not celebrate the Eid until he avenged the ‘insult’ meted out to him following the historic abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories.
“There is no Eid. Kashmiris across the world are mourning the illegal annexation of their land. There shall be no Eid till everything that has been stolen and snatched since 1947 is returned back. No Eid till the last bit of insult is avenged and undone,” Faesal had said.
