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Shots fired: Olympian Heena Sidhu takes Malala on, says ‘you want Kashmir to be Pakistan’s because girls like you had it so good?’

OpIndia Staff
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Shots fired: Olympian Heena Sidhu takes Malala on, says ‘you want Kashmir to be Pakistan’s because girls like you had it so good?’

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai recently tweeted about the Kashmir issue. And as has come to be expected of her, she once again voiced Pakistani propaganda moments. She even spread fake news on the matter and claimed that a student missed her exams on the 12th of August when, in fact, schools were closed that day due to Eid.

Malala’s tweet thread attracted great criticism on social media from people worldwide. Now, Olympian pistol shooter Heena Sidhu, too, has taken to Twitter to slam the activist. She questioned the fact that Malala was taking Pakistan’s side on the Kashmir issue and yet, she had been forced to flee Pakistan herself.


Malala is known for selectivity condemning human rights abuses. She has always chosen to remain tight-lipped against the atrocities that Islamic societies inflict on people from other communities. Her own country Pakistan has been exporting terror to other countries while killing its own citizens including Pashtuns, natives in Balochistan and Sindh.

Fearing for Pakistani establishment, Malala has also chosen to remain silent on the barbaric incidents of conversions that have become rampant in Pakistan. However, when it comes to taking moral high-ground on issues pertaining to non-Islamic countries, Malala seems to rediscover her bravado.

Many people believe that the Nobel Peace Prize has lost its sheen due to being awarded to Malala and former US President Barack Obama who went on to bomb countries indiscriminately and start new wars in the Middle East after being awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace.

‘Missionaries go back’, Christian prayer meet stopped in Himachal Pradesh after VHP’s protest alleging illegal conversion

OpIndia Staff
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‘Missionaries go back’, Christian prayer meet stopped in Himachal Pradesh after VHP’s protest alleging illegal conversion

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has protested against a ‘prayer meeting’ organized at a private guest house in Sunder Nagar district in Himachal Pradesh alleging that the meeting was used for the purpose of religious conversion. They chanted slogans of ‘Christian Missionary Go Back’ following which the atmosphere became tense.

The Police were informed of the matter who then brought the situation under control. The circumstances led to a confrontation between the VHP karyakartas and the Police. The Nayab Tehsildar of Sunder Nagar reached the site of the protest as well. He asked for the documents that showed that the Missionaries had the required permission for the event. However, the Missionaries were unable to provide it following which the event was stopped.

The Christian Missionaries, however, denied that religious conversions were being organized at the event. The organizer of the event Amar Singh said that the event was just like other prayer meetings that are held by other religious preachers. He claimed that people only hear from the religious scriptures in such events.

People were reportedly anguished over the matter of religious conversions. Karyakartas from other Hindu organizations such as the RSS and Bajrang Dal, too, have demanded that the local administration keep an eye on such events held in the future and also demanded that people who have converted to other faiths change their names and give up facilities they receive from the government as well.

Kashmiri Pandits hold rally in Melbourne to support of revocation of Article 370, share personal stories of their genocide

OpIndia Staff
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Kashmiri Pandits hold rally in Melbourne to support of revocation of Article 370, share personal stories of their genocide

On Sunday, the Kashmiri Pandit community from Australia held a rally in Melbourne in support of the historic decision of the Narendra Modi government to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution that accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, reports ANI.

The Kashmiri Pandit community joined by other members of the Indian-Australian community had organised a rally from Victorian state parliament to Federation Square. The Indian community carried tricolours and posters that read, “J&K is our motherland… India is our nation” and sang patriotic songs during the rally.


The Kashmiri Pandits, who were subjected to genocide by the Islamic terrorists, shared their personal stories of how they were driven out of their ancestral homeland back in 1989-1990 by Pakistani backed terrorists.

“Back in 1990, one day my father-in-law came home and told us we have to leave within 15 minutes. Imagine leaving your whole life behind you and pack your belongings in a couple of suitcases within 15 minutes, never to return home. That was just the beginning of a long struggle ahead,” said a Kashmiri Pandit.

A similar rally was earlier held in Washington DC by Kashmiri Pandits from various parts of the United States, during which they had raised slogans in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the “bold and historic step”.

Recently, members of Kashmiri Pandits organisation in the United State of America – ‘Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora’ (GKDP) had organised a protest march outside the office of The Washington Post in the US capital city Washington DC. The protest was organised against the “unbearable series” of articles published in the newspaper following the scrapping of Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir by the Narendra Modi government.

Angered by the pro-Pakistan propaganda peddled by its communally coloured reports after the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, members of Kashmiri Pandits on Saturday shot a letter to the Editor of Washington Post over their biased reportage on Kashmir.

As Supreme Court refuses to interfere in Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azam files petition against abrogation of Article 370

OpIndia Staff
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As Supreme Court refuses to interfere in Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azam files petition against abrogation of Article 370

The Supreme Court of India has listed a petition filed by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad against abrogation of Article 370 for hearing tomorrow. A bench Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, and justices S.A. Bobde and S. Abdul Nazeer will head the petition. This bench is already hearing several other petitions filed against the decision of the union government to end the separate status granted to Jammu and Kashmir, and restrictions imposed in the state.

According to details available on the Supreme Court website, the petition by Ghulam Nabi Azad was registered with the court on September 12, and it was verified the next day. The court has decided that the matter will be taken up on September 16.

It may be note that the apex court has so far refused to interference on the Jammu and Kashmir. Responding to petitions filed to lift the restrictions, the court had said that the administration should be given adequate time to restore normalcy in the state to withdraw the curbs.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court had refused to accept a plea against communication blockade in the state filed by Robert Vadra’s relative Tehseen Poonawalla. The court had issued a notice to the union government on a petition filed by Anuradha Bhasin, Executive Editor of Kashmir Times. The final hearing for that petition is also scheduled for tomorrow.

Once we return to power, all cases against Azam Khan will be withdrawn: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav

OpIndia Staff
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Once we return to power, all cases against Azam Khan will be withdrawn: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav

Coming to the rescue of Azam Khan who is an accused in several cases, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that all cases against Rampur MP Khan would be dropped if his party was voted back to power, reports Indian Express.

Addressing a press conference in Rampur after visiting Azam Khan’s residence, Akhilesh Yadav assured the party’s full support to Khan, who is facing several police cases including those related to alleged land-grabbing.

“I will meet the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel, regarding false cases against the MP. I will inform her about the harassment being faced by Azam Khan. I am taking back copies of all FIRs against Azam with me to Lucknow. We have full faith in the courts and we will get justice. Similarly, several cases had been lodged against Mulayam Singhji. Then, the courts had helped us,” said Akhilesh, who was accompanied by Azam’s son, MLA Abdullah Khan, at the press conference.

Addressing reporters in Rampur, Akhilesh said, “Once the Samajwadi Party is voted back to power in Uttar Pradesh, all the cases lodged against senior SP leader and Rampur MP Azam Khan will be withdrawn.”

He added that as long as the administration continues to do “injustice”, more people would lose faith in the government. He added that people are losing faith in the government and administration. “You should see the list of cases against Azam. There are all types of fake cases against him… His family members are being taken to the police station to humiliate them,” said Akhilesh.

Claiming that the BJP government was indulging in vendetta politics, Azamgarh MP Akhilesh Yadav said that this was being done to divert the attention of the people from the real issues.

Several cases have been booked against Rampur MP Azam Khan. Just three days back, Rampur Police in Uttar Pradesh had booked Azam Khan on allegations of ‘stealing goats’ following the complaint which was filed on October 2016.

It was first land-grabbing, then lion statues, followed by books and valuable manuscripts. He has also been booked for ‘stealing buffaloes’. Recently, the Rampur MP was also booked for electricity theft. The power supply to Azam Khan’s resort ‘Humsafar’ in Uttar Pradesh was cut after raids were conducted in the resort by the Uttar Pradesh electricity department.

Reacting to Akhilesh’s remarks, BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said he should stand with the poor farmers whose land was snatched by Khan.

“During the tenure of the SP government, Khan usurped the land of farmers and also exploited the people of Rampur. Today, those people are filing cases against Azam for all the exploitative measures. Akhilesh Yadav should instead stand with the poor people,” said Tripathi.

Pakistani singer who threatened PM Modi with python, now faces jail time for keeping exotic animals in her salon

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani singer who threatened PM Modi with python, now faces jail time for keeping exotic animals in her salon

Rabi Pirzada, a Pakistani pop-singer who had threatened Prime Minister Modi with snakes now faces legal actions by the Punjab Wildlife Department for the alleged violation of law by keeping prohibited exotic animals as pets.

According to the reports, Pirzada has been slapped with notice after Punjab Wildlife Department took notice of her alleged violation of law after she kept prohibited exotic animals some rare cobras, snakes, a lion and a crocodile as pets in her beauty salon in Lahore.

She has been booked under the Punjab Wildlife (Protection, Conservation and Management) Act of 1974 as possession of such animals is illegal and can lead to imprisonment of two to three years or a fine of up to Rs.20,000.

In a Twitter post, Pakistani singer Rabi Pirzada had issued a bizarre treat to the Indians, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a video, Pirzada was seen playing with snakes, crocodile, as she claims these are special gifts for Prime Minister Modi.

Through her video, Pirzada had indirectly threatened of a snake attack against him for revoking special status of Jammu and Kashmir.


Rabi Pirzada claimed that as a Kashmiri, she is ready with her snakes (not a creative euphemism, she actually meant snakes as in the reptiles) and asked Indians to be ready as she is all set to send those snakes across the Line of Control to inflict damage on the Indians. She further said that Indians should be ready to die in hell.

“As a Kashmiri girl, I am ready with all these snakes to gift it to Prime Minister Modi. Get ready to die in hell. All my friends are however peace friendly,” said Rabi Pirzada.

Later, the Pakistani singer began to sing in support of Kashmir. In the video, it can be seen that singer Pirzada is playing along with snakes, whom she refers to it as her friends.

After the video had gone viral, Pakistan’s Punjab wildlife department had promptly constituted a team after the video had garnered a lot of criticism from animal rights activists and netizens

AB Hannan, principal of an Assam school, makes Hijab compulsory for girl students to protect them from ‘evil eyes’

OpIndia Staff
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AB Hannan, principal of an Assam school, makes Hijab compulsory for girl students to protect them from ‘evil eyes’

A school in Karimganj in Assam had made hijab compulsory for its girl students. AB Hannan, the principal at East Point Public School in Karimganj, informed on Facebook that he has made it compulsory for girl students to wear hijab. He said that he has taken this decision to protect his students from ‘evil eyes’, and to improve their personality.

In the Facebook post with grammatical errors, he wrote, “to protect my students from evil eyes and as a part of best personality of girls today I made compulsory wearing Hijab for my all girls students at East Point Public School, Karimganj”.

Hannan also posted a photograph of girl students in school wearing hijab on their uniforms.

It may be noted that in his Facebook profile, Hannan’s profile says he works at the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. But his bio of the same account describes him as IAS/ACS aspirant. Moreover, his Instagram account mentions that he is the principal at the East Point Public School in Karimganj. His updates and images on his Facebook account also reveal that he works at the school in Karimganj, not with the Government of India.

Hijab is compulsory as per Islamic Sharia rules in several Muslim countries, where women are punished if found without Hijab in public places. In several such countries, like Iran, women are trying to break free of this rule, where many women have gone to jail by willingly breaking this rule.

It is not known whether all students in the school are Muslim or are there non-Muslim students also.

Hijab is a veil mandated by Islam, it is mainly worn by Muslim women. In Islamic countries where it is mandatory, it is worn by all women living in such countries. In that context, it is worrying that Hijab has been made mandatory for students in a school in India.

Hindi is a beautiful language, as is Tamil, Kannada etc: ‘Imposition’ narrative must be quashed and Sanskrit used for national integration

Rahul Kaushik
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Hindi is a beautiful language, as is Tamil, Kannada etc: ‘Imposition’ narrative must be quashed and Sanskrit used for national integration

On the occasion of Hindi Diwas yesterday, the usual suspects proceeded to create the usual noise about alleged Hindi Imposition. Hindi was accepted as the Rajbhasha (mind you, Rajbhasha ie Official language not Rashtra Bhasha or National Language) of the newly independent Indian nation on 14 September 1949. In 1953, Jawaharlal Nehru, the Godfather of all those who are screaming Hindi imposition today, started celebrating Hindi Diwas officially.

Former PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s love for Hindi was, however, as superficial as it could be, considering he did not do anything substantial to ensure that the Hindi language flourishes. Instead, he introduced a provision that English may be used as an official language until the system is ready to fully adopt Hindi as Official Language. Well, 72 years have passed since then.

Being a North Indian born in a Hindu family, with roots in Uttar Pradesh – I till very recently, always believed that Hindi is indeed the national language and that it is the national duty of every Indian to learn and speak Hindi. Reason for this notion can be that I belong to the core area of the so-called cow belt. The only language that’s spoken in our family is Hindi. I have lived all my life in Delhi, so have learnt only Hindi.

Gradually when first due to my association with Sangh, then my education and work, I began interacting with people from other parts of the country, I realised how narrow my thinking was! These interactions actually gave me a new perspective on national integration. Then in the last 6 years, my social media interactions with people from South, East and even the West have transformed my thought process completely.

There are 22 languages mentioned in the Indian constitution. Every language has equal stature. Hindi is the official language, accepted in the constitution but it is not our National language. Rather I would say, each one of the languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Bengali etc is our national language and should enjoy equal stature. Why should we impose Hindi on a Kannadiga, or Maratha or Assamese? When Marathi supremacists insist people to speak in Marathi or when Kannada Rakshan Vedike people destroy Hindi signboards in Karnataka, the feeling is that of indignation. Why do we then think that someone living in Chennai or Mangaluru or Kochi should not feel the same about Hindi being imposed on him?

Despite all propaganda and confrontation, Hindi has not only thrived but has grown manifolds across India in the last 70 years. Cinema has played a great role in it. Also, the large size of the Hindi speaking population has compelled advertisers, marketers, companies, publication houses to use Hindi in a big way to cater to a wider audience. Even people in South Indian states are learning Hindi as it’s increasingly becoming an important medium of communication across India. This is happening voluntarily, without the so-called imposition. The question thus remains – do we need a national language?

One important argument that comes in this discussion is that as a nation, India needs a national language in which people from different regions can communicate with each other. In my view, there can be arguments both in favour and against this notion. India is culturally a nation but it has hundreds of cultures thriving inside. We are a culture that celebrates diversity. People travel with Gangajal from Gangotri and worship Sri Rameshwara in Tamilnadu and the seawater from Kanyakumari is used to do Abhishek of Bhagwan Kedar in the Himalayas. Mandir, Mutt, Festivals join us like none else. It has thrived without a common language and I believe that it will continue to thrive in the future.

On the other hand, it’s true that having a common language will expedite the process of national integration by manifolds. Can Hindi be that language? Maybe, maybe not. The hatred for Hindi based on which most of the South Indian parties have thrived till date, won’t let that happen easily. It will lead to a huge confrontation.

One has to ask then – which other language has that capacity? Maybe Sanskrit? Most of the South Indian languages have originated from Sanskrit, just like Hindi. Many other languages of India like Marathi, Gujarati have a close connection with Hindi and Sanskrit. All languages spoken in North like Awadhi, Magahi, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Rajasthani, Marwari are more or less dialects of Hindi. So Sanskrit has a connection with most Indian languages.

The argument, however, that will be made against Sanskrit being a unifying language is that Sanskrit is a ‘dead language’ and nobody reads or learns it anymore. But if the ultimate goal is as big and pious as national integration, least we can do is giving it a serious try! If a completely lost language like Hebrew can be revived, and Kamal Ataturk can create a totally new language Turkish to get his nation rid of Arabic, why is it that India cannot revive a language like Sanskrit?

We ought to be proud of Hindi. It is a beautiful language spoken by a vast number of people in India. But at the same time, languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Odia and their other native languages are also dialects to be proud of.

‘China Pakistan’s best friend, don’t know much about Uighur issue’: Imran Khan feigns ignorance yet again on plight of Muslims in China

OpIndia Staff
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‘China Pakistan’s best friend, don’t know much about Uighur issue’: Imran Khan feigns ignorance yet again on plight of Muslims in China

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has once again denied having any knowledge about the ongoing Uighur genocide in China. In an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Khan went on to call China Pakistan’s “best friend” when prodded on the matter.


When asked whether he had the opportunity to discuss the matter with the Chinese administration, Khan admitted that he hadn’t and claimed that he didn’t have much knowledge about the persecution of Uighur Muslims in China.

“And frankly, we have been facing so many of our internal problems right now, that I don’t really know much about this problem. And since we have been in power for one year, domestically, apart from the economy, and now with Kashmir, we have been inundated with problems. But I will say one thing for China, for us China has been the best friend,” he told the news organization.

Imran Khan added, “At the moment, my responsibility is the people of Pakistan, and I have 220 million Pakistanis, and they are my responsibility. And my number one effort is to help my own countrymen.”

In March as well, Khan had claimed that he knew nothing about the matter. His answer even then was exactly the same. It appears that either a remarkable lack of curiosity is Khan’s defining characteristic as an individual or Pakistan, at the moment, is extremely scared of nudging China the wrong way.

It is also intriguing that while Khan considers Kashmir to be an issue that should concern the Muslim Ummah, he himself doesn’t consider Uighurs to be part of the Ummah even though they are Muslims themselves and are being persecuted due to their religious identity.

It is not exactly a secret that Pakistan is slowly but surely becoming a vassal state of China. There have also been reports that Pakistani women are being married by the Chinese and some of them are being trafficked and forced into prostitution. As a consequence of Pakistan’s isolation in the international arena, they are sliding further into the arms of the Chinese.

China, which seeks to establish itself as a global hegemony, has colonial ambitions and they are known to not tolerate actions that threaten their authority. Thus, it’s not really a surprise that Imran Khan is careful not to raise his voice on the Uighur Genocide. Because, at this present moment, they are at China’s mercy and the Chinese could do with them what they very well please.

Hyderabad: Students of St Francis College harassed by college admin because their Kurti length was one inch above knee

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: Students of St Francis College harassed by college admin because their Kurti length was one inch above knee

Students of St Francis College in Hyderabad were punished on Friday and not allowed to enter college premises because their Kurti was an inch above their knees. Security staff maintained a vigil at the gates and only those with the requisite Kurti length were permitted inside.

“Things have gotten worse as we are being humiliated by the security guards for wearing kurtis that end less than an inch above the knee,” said a student, told Deccan Chronicle on the condition of anonymity. “We are made to stand outside college, missing classes and tests.”

“This college talks about women’s empowerment but it is merely lip service,” another student is reported to have said. “When we questioned the code, they said a short dress invites men. This is ridiculous. We get good matches only if we wear proper attire.”

Students have further alleged that teachers often make the girls stand up in class and check the lengths of their Kurtis before giving them attendance for the particular lecture. “The first three days they allowed us to go in. They just shouted at us saying ‘what is this’, chased us and pulled us back, but they didn’t stop us from going in. But on Friday, they started to stop because apparently they had given a warning,” a student told The News Minute.

“People are getting angrier by the minute. We didn’t want anyone to touch us. Now, the management is okay with these people behaving with us the way they are. And they believe it’s okay because it’s a woman and not a male security guard, so they can do that,” the student further alleged.

The dictat was issued in July. According to it, students were ordered to wear Kurtis below their knees while shorts, sleeveless or other similar dresses were banned in the campus. The order came into effect on the first of August. A protest has been called by the students on Monday. They have apparently told the Principal that it’s not possible for everyone to change their entire wardrobe.

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