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Shahid Afridi, who had earlier called Narendra Modi worse than coronavirus, now pleads with PM Modi to send Indian team to Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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Shahid Afridi, who had earlier called Narendra Modi worse than coronavirus, now pleads with PM Modi to send Indian team to Pakistan

Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has pleaded with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the Indian cricket team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup this year. The now finally retired Pakistani all-rounder made this plea during the Legends league Cricket currently going on in Doha, Qatar.

Shahid Afridi acknowledged that there is no doubt that India’s BCCI is a strong board. However, trying to channel Tobey Maguire’s Spiderman dialogue, Afridi said that with great power comes great responsibility. As per the controversial allrounder, India will make more friends than enemies if they send their team to Pakistan.

Interestingly, Shahid Afridi had compared Indian Prime Minister Narender Modi to coronavirus earlier while raising the Kashmir issue. He had said, “The world is infected by a deadly disease, but what’s more dangerous is in Modi’s heart and mind.”

Cricketing relations between the two neighbours broke down after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks executed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. The mastermind of those attacks, Hafiz Saeed, continues to walk free in Pakistan. Not just Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, Dawood Ibrahim also continues to live a life of luxury in Pakistan.

During his interaction with the media, Afridi said, “Just send the Indian cricket team once, we will take care of them with utmost love.” Earlier, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah categorically told Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Najam Sethi that Indian Cricket Team cannot travel to Pakistan for Asian Cup 2023 that is scheduled to take place in Pakistan.

With India’s decision to not send its men’s cricket team for the Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan has stated that if India does not reconsider its stance, Pakistan will also boycott the 2023 World Cup to be held in India

Shahid Afridi disrespecting the Indian flag

Earlier during the Legends League in Qatar, Shahid Afridi sparked controversy when he gave autographs on Indian Tricolour while keeping the flag on his thigh. Indian cricket fans slammed Afridi and called for action against the former Pakistani skipper stating that disrespecting the flag in any form is a crime.

Some fans even demanded a ban on Afridi’s entry into India for his offensive gesture toward the Indian flag.

Afridi supporting Kashmir separatism

Shahid Afridi has been a long-time supporter of separatism in Kashmir. Characterising separatist leader and terrorist Yasin Malik as a freedom fighter of “Kashmir’s struggle”, Afridi painted Malik as a victim of “fabricated charges” even though Malik had pleaded guilty to all charges levelled against him.

“India’s continued attempts to silence critical voices against its blatant human rights abuses are futile. Fabricated charges against #YasinMalik will not put a hold to #Kashmir‘s struggle to freedom. Urging the #UN to take notice of unfair & illegal trails against Kashmir leaders,” Shahid Afridi tweeted.

Shahid Afridi was also the star attraction of the Kashmir Premier League, which was held in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) where he issued warnings to BCCI during his stay.

Arvind Kejriwal avoids Congress, hosts dinner for other non-BJP ruled state CMs ahead of 2024 elections, but no one turns up

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal avoids Congress, hosts dinner for other non-BJP ruled state CMs ahead of 2024 elections, but no one turns up

In an effort to form an alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal invited the chief ministers of seven states governed by political parties other than other the Bharatiya Janata Party to dinner on March 18. Sadly, none of them showed up.

According to the reports, Kejriwal did not invite the Congress leaders to the dinner. But none of the other invited leaders appeared for the event. The development is considered a blow to the Aam Aadmi Party’s desire to establish a coalition of parties that are not affiliated with the BJP or the Congress in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the letter sent by the AAP chief earlier this month, the scheduled dinner of the eight politicians, including Kejriwal, which he referred to as the “Progressive Chief Ministers Group of India or G-8,” was to be concluded by a press conference the following day.

The invitation letters were sent to the CMs of West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Punjab’s chief ministers. The national capital’s Kapurthala House was set to host the event.

“It is delightful that ‘The Progressive Chief Ministers’ Group of India or G-8′ will convene for its inaugural meeting and launch in Delhi. It would be great to usher in a new era of inter-state cooperation. Let us gather for a dinner meeting in Delhi on the evening of 18th March 2023. This will be our first meeting and it will give us an opportunity to discuss the way forward for the group,” Kejriwal stated in the letter.

The leader of the Aam Aadmi Party had advised that the prospective G-8 grouping have a joint press conference and announce itself to the Indian populace. “Let us come together to mark a new beginning for our states and our country,” he said as he concluded the letter. Kejriwal has however issued no statement on the current development.

Reports mention that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received the letter on February 5 and was about to attend the dinner, but dropped it last minute. During a meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav last week, Banerjee said that Trinamool Congress would contest the Lok Sabha elections independently of the Congress and the BJP.

The spokesman for her party denied any notion of a third front but said that regional leaders, including former NDA partners, would band together ahead of the general elections in 2024.

Further, though Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had seen Arvind Kejriwal on his trip to Delhi right after joining the Mahagathbandhan, the Janata Dal-United, which is in power in Bihar in coalition with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, has been wary of being associated with the AAP.

It is notable here that though certain CMs like Mamata Banerjee and Telangana’s KCR had tried a lot to start a ‘Third Front’ before the 2019 general elections, the efforts were futile as the parties seem to be unable to come to an agreement.

A recent letter condemning the CBI’s actions against Manish Sisodia was not signed by the JD-U, which serves as a case in point. The JD-U then seemed to be following Congress’ lead, which is its ally in Bihar. Both the Kerala CMO and Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam refrained from commenting on the situation, a PTI report stated.

Disciplinary action to be initiated against Punjab Police officers in PM Modi security breach incident

ANI
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Disciplinary action to be initiated against Punjab Police officers in PM Modi security breach incident

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings against several police officers including the state’s top cop over security breach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Punjab in January 2022. 

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings for the major penalty against Sidharth Chattopadhyay, the then DGP Punjab, Inderbir Singh, the then DIG, Ferozepur Range and Harmandeep Singh Hans, the then SSP Ferozepur over the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security breach in Punjab in January 2022, said an official letter by the Government of Punjab. On March 14, Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua said that the state government will soon submit the “interim” report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, related to the security breach issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit in January 2022. 

This came after the Central government sought a detailed action-taken report from the Punjab government over PM Modi’s security breach. Sources had said that a letter was sent through the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the Punjab government asking for a detailed action taken report against the erring officers. 

The Chief Secretary had said that the state government has received the report of the inquiry conducted by the Supreme Court-constituted panel into the incident and it is under consideration. 

A report of the Supreme Court-appointed inquiry committee looking into the breach in security during PM Modi’s Punjab visit on January 5, 2022, which was submitted six months ago, indicated then-state Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari, Police Chief S Chattopadhyaya, and other top officers for lapses. 

Soon after the security breach, the MHA constituted a three-member committee that summoned the Director General of Punjab Police, Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, Punjab ADGP, Patiala IGP, and Ferozpur DIG along with over a dozen top Punjab Police officers. They were responsible for the Prime Minister’s security during his visit to Punjab’s Ferozpur on January 5. 

The MHA then constituted a three-member committee led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat; Balbir Singh, Joint Director (IB); and S Suresh, IG, Special Protection Group. 

The Centre was considering action under the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act against Punjab Police officers following the breach in the security of Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Punjab on January 5. 

Section 14 of the SPG Act makes the state government responsible for providing all assistance to the SPG during the PM’s movement. 

The MHA’s three-member team started its probe from its visit to the flyover where Prime Minister’s convoy was stuck for over 15-20 minutes due to a road blockade by protesters during his visit. 

The MHA had constituted the three-member committee to enquire into the serious lapses in the security arrangements during the PM’s visit to Punjab’s Ferozepur, which led to the exposure of the VVIP to grave security risk. 

The MHA had then also asked the Punjab government to “fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action”. 

The action was taken after the Prime Minister’s convoy during its visit to National Martyrs Memorial in Punjab via road reached a flyover where the road was blocked by some protestors. 

The Prime Minister was stuck on the flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of the Prime Minister. 
The Punjab government had also constituted a high-level committee to probe the incident. 

Prime Minister Modi landed at Bathinda on January 5 morning from where he was to go to the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter. 

Due to rain and poor visibility, the Prime Minister waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear out. When the weather did not improve, it was decided that he would visit the National Martyrs Memorial via road, which would take more than two hours. 

Prime Minister Modi then proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police, mentions the statement. Around 30 km away from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when his convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors. 

Prime Minister Modi was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. It was flagged as a major lapse in his security. 

The Home Ministry had then said PM Modi’s schedule and travel plan were communicated well in advance to the Punjab government. 

Following procedure, the Home Ministry said they had to make necessary arrangements for logistics, and security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. 

Also in view of the contingency plan the Punjab government had to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which was clearly not deployed, the MHA had said then, adding “after this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda Airport.” 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

21 Islamists and 2 Khalistanis among 23 terrorists listed under UAPA in 2022 and 2023 so far’: MoS Home informed Lok Sabha. Here are the names

OpIndia Staff
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21 Islamists and 2 Khalistanis among 23 terrorists listed under UAPA in 2022 and 2023 so far’: MoS Home informed Lok Sabha. Here are the names

On Tuesday, March 21, MoS Home Nityanand Rai informed the Lok Sabha that in the year 2022, and in 2023 so far, 23 individuals have been listed as ‘terrorists’ under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967. The minister further added that the names of the 23 individuals have been added to the 4th schedule of the Act.

As per the list provided by MoS Nityanand Rai, there are several Islamic terrorists and 2 Khalistani terrorists.

The names of the terrorists include Hafiz Talha Saeed, Sheikh Sajad, Habibullah Malik, Mohammad Amin Khubaib, and Arbaz Ahmed Mir from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Mohiuddin Aurangzeb Alamgir, Ali Kashif Jan, and Ashiq Ahmed Nengru from the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar from the JKLF, Arjumand Gulzar Dar from the Al Badr, Imtiaz Ahmed Kandoo, Showkat Ahmed Sheikh, Bashit Ahmed Reshi, Bashir Ahmed Pir, Irshad Ahmed, and Dr Asif Maqbool Dar from the Hizb Ul Mujahideen, Rafiq Nai, and Sheikh Jameel Ur Rehman from the Tehreek Ul Mujahideen, Zafar Iqbal from HUJI, Bilal Ahmed Beig from JKIF, and Aijaz Ahmed Ahanger alias Abu Usman Al Kashmiri from the Al Qaeda.

The 2 Khalistani terrorists listed in 2022 under UAPA are Arshdeep Singh Gill from the KTF and Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda from Babbar Khalsa International.

Last week, the MoS Home Nityanand Rai informed the Rajya Sabha that in 2023 so far, 4 terrorist organisations have been listed under the First Schedule of the UAPA.

The names of the 4 organisations are The Resistance Front(TRF), Peoples Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), Jammu and Kashmir Gaznavi Force (JKGF), and the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).

While the TRF is the recent proxy of the LeT, the PAFF is a proxy for the JeM. The JKGF surfaced recently in 2020 and is comprised of former LeT, JeM, HUJI, and TUM terrorists.

The KTF, which surfaced in 2011, is an offshoot of the Babbar Khalsa, the minister informed the Parliament.

In Total, 54 individual terrorists and 44 organisations have been listed under the Fourth and First Schedule of the UAPA, the government told the parliament.

Centre tightens noose on absconding Amritpal Singh: NIA team reaches Punjab to take over the investigation

OpIndia Staff
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Centre tightens noose on absconding Amritpal Singh: NIA team reaches Punjab to take over the investigation

As the hunt for Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh is still underway, a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reportedly reached Punjab on Tuesday. Media reports have quoted sources as saying that the NIA is seeking details and documents related to the Amrit Pal’s Singh case from the Punjab police and may take over the case from today (Tuesday).

Punjab Police are currently looking into the matter. Amritpal is currently on the run, and it is being speculated that he might have fled abroad.

“There are possibilities that NIA might take over the matter. There is a terror link connected to Pakistan’s ISI and therefore the Ministry of Home Affairs can decide to transfer the case,” media has quoted sources as saying.

Notably, the involvement of NIA comes after Amritpal Singh’s alleged ISI link came to the fore during the investigation by the Punjab police.

“Going by the circumstances, it seems that ISI is involved and there is foreign funding as well. The bulletproof jackets and rifles that have been recovered and the gate (of the house) of the chief (Amritpal Singh) had AKF written on them. There was an attempt to form a Jathebandi called ‘Anandpur Khalsa Fauj,” Sukhchain Singh Gill, IGP Punjab said.

However, as of now, there is no official confirmation from the NIA or the Punjab police on his matter.

It is worth noting here that, as of now, multiple agencies are looking into the matter. Reportedly, the Central government has also asked Border Security Force (BSF) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) to remain alert on the border to foil any escape attempt by the radical leader, the search for whom has entered the fourth day on Tuesday.

Speaking over the matter, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday stated that strict punishment will be taken against miscreants who tried to spoil the environment of Punjab with the help of foreign power. “In the last few days, some elements were talking to spoil the environment of Punjab with the help of foreign powers & were giving hateful speeches. Action has been taken against them and they have been arrested and strict punishment will be given to them,” he added. 

Amritpal Singh’s driver and uncle surrender, Punjab police nab his 114 aides

While Amritpal Singh remains still at large, Punjab police have apprehended at least 114 aides to the Waris Punjab De chief, as well as 10 weapons and four automobiles.

OpIndia further reported that on the intervening night of March 19 and March 20, pro-Khalistani separatist leader Amritpal Singh’s uncle Harjit Singh and driver Harpreet Singh surrendered before the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Narendra Bhargav at 1:30 AM. At the time of the chase on March 18, Harjit Singh was allegedly driving the Mercedez car with Amritpal Singh. The car has also been recovered. Amritpal Singh, however, is still at large.

Police alleged Amritpal escaped during the chase

On March 18, Punjab Police and central agencies launched a massive crackdown on Amritpal Singh. 78 of his associates were arrested during the first day of the operation. The police intercepted a three-SUV convoy of Amritpal Singh outside his paternal village. Two of the SUVs were stopped, and seven associates of Singh were arrested. Singh managed to escape, and the chase continued for around 25 KMs, after which he ditched the vehicle and escaped. His other car and phone were recovered on March 19. On the second day of the operation, 21 of his supporters were detained near Boaprai Kalan, Jalandhar, after they tried to stage a protest. Amritpal Singh was still on the run when this report was published.

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair mocks public hanging of Hindu rulers by the British to simp on Tipu Sultan

OpIndia Staff
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Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair mocks public hanging of Hindu rulers by the British to simp on Tipu Sultan

Alt News co-founder Mohd Zubair on Tuesday happened to laugh at the incidence of the public hanging of Hindu rulers by the British. In a tweet shared on March 21, he said that the Maruthu Brothers (Maruthu Pandiyar), rulers of the Sivaganga kingdom fought with the Britishers and were publicly hanged to death at Tirupputhur fort by the British in 1801. He used the laughing emojis while sharing it.

The incident occurred when the Alt news co-founder shared a tweet targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka for sharing the ‘wrong’ posters for the welcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that the party had used portraits of the Maruthu brothers and claimed that they were images of Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda who are believed to have killed Islamist tyrant and erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan.

Screenshot from Twitter

Zubair also meanwhile, blatantly termed Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda as fictional characters and said that the party was re-writing history by escalating confusion between Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda and Maruthu Brothers. He also shared an old tweet by Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai in which the latter could be seen bowing to the Maruthu Pandiyar brother’s portrait. He further mocked Karnataka BJP leader CT Ravi saying that K Annamalai had failed to teach proper history to him.

As reported earlier, controversy erupted in Karnataka after the BJP workers installed arch gateways to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the inauguration event of the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway in Mandya on Sunday. The Karnataka BJP workers had erected an arch hailing Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda. This, however, was replaced with that of late Vokkaliga seer Sri Balagangadharanatha Swamiji after outrage erupted.

The controversy also erupted after the film production studio owned by the state Horticulture Minister Munirathna planned to make a biopic on Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, the killers of Islamist tyrant and erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan. The movie is based on legends in the old Mysuru belt which state that Tipu Sultan was killed by the two Vokkaliga chieftains, Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda.

However, several historians dispute the claim made by some locals of the former Mysuru belt that Tipu was killed by the two Vokkaliga chieftains rather than the British. Congress and JDS also claimed that Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda never existed and they are fictional characters. However, the BJP opines otherwise, saying that they were real, and there is historical evidence to prove it.

JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy accused the BJP of “misleading” Vokkaligas by employing ‘fictional’ characters and claiming they were responsible for killing Tipu Sultan. He also claimed that there are ongoing attempts to defame the community. According to him, this is a part of the BJP’s “hidden agenda,” which includes a smear campaign to “insult and politically eliminate” Vokkaligas.

Calling Tipu Sultan a freedom fighter, he alleged that BJP is portraying the Vokkaligas as killers of a freedom fighter. “The BJP is trying to sow seeds of poison through lies and myth, and it has turned its attention on Vokkaligas. This is a hidden agenda by the BJP to insult Vokkaligas through a smear campaign. By attempting to make a film on Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, attempts are being made to rob the Vokkaliga pride on the silver screen,” he tweeted.

Rejecting the claims of the JD(S) and Congress on the issue, senior BJP leader and Union Minister of State (MoS) Shobha Karandlaje said that Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda were real, and there were historical references about them. She said that they fought Tipu to safeguard the family of Mysuru Maharajas and to protect the state, and their names are mentioned in folk plays and ballads. BJP general secretary C.T. Ravi also said that the characters of Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda are historical truth.

Reportedly, Karnataka Horticulture Minister and movie producer Munirathna announced on Monday that he would drop the idea of producing the movie on Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda. This is after the production of the movie was met with strong opposition from the Vokkaligara Sangha who stated that two of the seers from their community would lead agitation if the idea was not dropped.

Munirathna then met with Adichunchanagiri seer Nirmalananda Swami, the religious leader of the Vokkaliga community, and revealed that he had chosen to halt the project in response to threats and resistance from the Vokkaliga community and the opposition parties. Making a movie, according to Munirathna, wasn’t difficult, but it was important to make sure that no community’s feelings were offended. He continued by saying that Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda were disputable figures.

“Any history that has not been recorded by contemporaries of those times, will be subject to dispute. It’s not right to focus on this issue alone,” Nirmalananda Swami suggested. Zubair claimed that Munirathna had also used the portraits of Maruthu Brothers and had confused them with ‘fictional’ characters of the Gowda brothers. He laughed at the fact that these two Hindu rulers were hanged by the Britishers in 1801.

Zubair, who shared the edited clip of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and led to escalation of massive worldwide controversy revolving around Prophet Mohammad, was jailed earlier by Delhi Police for mocking Hindu Gods and Goddesses. He was charged with section 153, 295 of the Indian Penal Code for deliberately insulting religion with the intent to cause a riot.

It is noteworthy that many Muslims and so-called secularists celebrate the Islamic king Tipu Sultan as a freedom fighter. While it is true that Tipu sided with the French and fought with the British to save his kingdom, he was an Islamic tyrant who inflicted unspeakable tortures on Hindus. He engaged in massacres and forced conversions of thousands of Hindus.

Indian star Rani Rampal becomes first women’s Hockey player to have a stadium named after her

OpIndia Staff
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Indian star Rani Rampal becomes first women’s Hockey player to have a stadium named after her

Star Hockey player Rani Rampal has created history as she becomes the first-ever women’s hockey player to have a stadium named after her. Indian Railways’ Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, has renamed the hockey stadium as ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf’.

Rani Rampal was present at the inauguration of the stadium along with other staff members. She shared the update via her social media accounts.

Taking to Twitter, Rani said, “Words seem too less to express my happiness and gratitude as I share that the MCF Raebareli has renamed the hockey stadium to ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf’ to honour my contribution to hockey”.

Thanking MCF Rae Bareli, she further added, “Thank you so much once again @cpro_mcfrbl for this lifetime recognition. I am sure this will inspire young girls to take up hockey as a sports career.”

28-year-old Rani Rampal was born in the factory that produces women’s hockey players in droves, the town of Shahbad in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana. She was coached by Dronacharya awardee Baldev Singh during her early years.

Rani made her senior debut when she was just 14 years old, making her the youngest player in the team. She has represented India 250 times, also serving as the captain in the past when she led India to the Asian Games silver medal in the 2018 Games. Rani Rampal was also the flag bearer of the Indian contingent at the closing ceremony of those games.

Even as India battles terror export from Pakistan, Karan Thapar calls India ‘mean-hearted’ for not having a ‘generous’ visa regime for Pakistanis

Ashish Dev Priy Ojha
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Even as India battles terror export from Pakistan, Karan Thapar calls India ‘mean-hearted’ for not having a ‘generous’ visa regime for Pakistanis

Karan Thapar wants India to make the visa regime for Pakistanis easy and smooth. His arguments in favour of this are not only weak but are faulty, flimsy, hollow, impotent, inept and superficial. Let’s look at what Karan Thapar’s arguments are.

Proud democracies should distribute visas

Karan Thapar in his recent Hindustan Times article says that India is “nasty” toward Pakistanis. He goes on to say that India takes pride in being the world’s largest democracy and therefore we should be more lenient to Pakistanis in granting visas. He cites his own example to point out that the Pakistanis don’t treat us with the same “nastiness”. What he fails to realise or deliberately ignores is the fact that an easy visa regime for Pakistanis would almost invariably translate into more Khalistan-like problems for India. In fact, in the same newspaper, there is an article about ISI supporting Amritpal Singh. Karan’s unenviable eye for detail compels him to ignore this overt fact.

Should our neighbour’s behaviour determine ours?

Karan’s second argument is actually a case for India to showcase its magnanimity and benevolence toward Pakistan ignoring or overlooking its terror plans for India. Karan says ” Should we allow our neighbour’s behaviour to set the standard for our own?” Ironically, Karan goes on to cite Akhand Bharat or Greater India, the idea of an undivided India—which is the object of ridicule of the left ecosystem and Karan’s ideological compatriots—to describe Pakistanis as former fellow countrymen, conveniently omitting that it was the fanatic Muslims who were responsible for the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The answer is a big “Yes”. Why should India not be vigilant when Pakistan and Pakistanis have a terror history of 70+ years? Why should not India learn from its past mistakes of indulging Pakistan and receiving a betrayal in response to our magnanimity? A nation that does not learn from its history, is condemned to repeat it. Does Karan Thapar want India to underwent a social upheaval currently witnessed in Pakistan or does he wish India to face another partition and the attendant wave of violence it triggers?

Usman Khwaja and his Pakistani connection

Usman Khwaja is an Australian cricketer of Pakistani origin. He was born in Pakistan and later moved to Australia, and now he has dual citizenship. Karan says that it’s petty, spiteful and belittling of ourselves that we didn’t give an easy Visa to Khwaja because of his Pakistani origin. While the case for Usman Khwaja seems legitimate, it cannot be ignored that prior to 2014 India witnessed many terror attacks and Pakistani ISI’s involvement in these attacks was very evident. India has a right to pursue its self-interest and keeping the Visa regime tight for Pakistanis helps keep a check on terrorism in India.

David Coleman Headley was an American citizen of Pakistani descent. He visited India on a legal Visa several times and planned the terror attack of 26/11. He is currently serving life imprisonment in an American jail. This single incident is enough to tighten the Visa regime for Pakistanis.

India has lost lakhs of lives to terrorism since 1947, Pakistan sponsored terrorism is the biggest issue for our security forces. Should we be naive enough to let our guard down just because we want to please a section of the Indian media which is Islamophile?

Karan’s historical dalliance with Pakistan and his favourable bias toward Pakistanis

Karan Thapar, who is a news presenter with The Wire, attended Islamabad Security Dialogue via video conferencing a year ago. The discussion titled ‘Navigating disinformation and discourse in the information age’ was an attempt to discuss the impact of disinformation and fake news on the current political structure of South Asia.

During the discussion, which was attended by members of several think tanks from Pakistan, Thapar ranted against the Modi government and referred to the Hindu God Hanuman as ‘Humayun’, the second emperor of the Mughal dynasty.

Mosharraf Zaidi, founder of the think tank Tabadlab, moderated the session. He asked Thapar about his views on how the people of India are being misled by the politicians, particularly Hindutva leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS and the BJP. He pointed out that such leaders being in power is, in a sense, a collective failure of ‘secular, enlightened, progressive India’.

Agreeing with his thoughts, Thapar said that since PM Modi came to power, the “problem” was on the rise and the alleged crisis is at its peak today. He said, “I’m not saying that it’s all going to go higher but compared to the situation of 2014, the situation today is considerably worse than most people imagine.” He had alleged that BJP was deliberately instigating Hindus, which comprise 80% of the population, in the name of religion. “People are very religious. Religions pervade their life, their thinking, their relationship, and their psychology very close to them, and that tends to be the case in countries where economic development is limited.

He further alleged that BJP knows where to scratch and open old wounds, such as the partition that happened in 1947. In that process, they demonised another religion.

Gujarat: Hindus demand implementation of Disturbed Areas Act in Bhavnagar to prevent demography change

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Hindus demand implementation of Disturbed Areas Act in Bhavnagar to prevent demography change

Hindu residents from areas like Manekwadi, Devbag, Anantwadi, Gita chowk, Pragji Dave Sheri in Bhavnagar have demanded that the Disturbed Areas Act be implemented to prevent the demography change in the area. They joined the march led by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) unit of Bhavnagar and presented a memorandum to the district collector to implement the Act.

The local Hindus allege that some people belonging to Muslim community have purchased houses in these areas initially at a very high rate and then once the prices of the areas fell, they have usurped remaining houses owned by Hindu residents are very low prices.

This is not the first time Bhavnagar residents have demanded implementation of Disturbed Areas Act to prevent demography change. Earlier in January, over 5,000 Hindus took to streets to demand the same and had submitted a memorandum to the Collector.

What is Disturbed Areas Act

District Administration, to maintain communal harmony and peace, could declare certain areas as ‘Disturbed Areas’ which are susceptible to demography change. The transfer of immovable property in these areas would require an elaborate procedure. The seller, in the application, must mention that the seller is selling the property of their own free will.

Disturbed Areas Act is often wrongly interpreted as it applicable where at least one party between buyer and seller is either Hindu or Muslim. The thing is, any such transactions in such areas would require following due process. This is to preserve the religious and community value and identity of the areas which are susceptible to demographic change.

Over 8000 cr assets seized in IT raids in last eight years, demonetisation assisted in identifying unaccounted money in the country: What Govt said

Jhankar Mohta
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Over 8000 cr assets seized in IT raids in last eight years, demonetisation assisted in identifying unaccounted money in the country: What Govt said

On Monday, March 20, the Government of India told the Lok Sabha that the Income Tax department has seized total assets worth Rs 8832.92 crores in the search and seizure action conducted by it in the last eight financial years, i.e from 2014-2015 to 2021-2022.

Pankaj Chaudhary, the state minister for finance, made the statement in Parliament while responding to queries from Dr Vishnu Prasad M.K and T.R.V.S Ramesh.

“Whenever any instance of unaccounted/black money comes to notice, the Income Tax department takes appropriate actions as per the provisions of the Income-Tax Act, 1961. Such actions include conducting searches and surveys, assessment of income, levy of tax, imposition of penalty, launching of prosecution, etc,” the government told the LS on Monday.

Source: https://loksabha.nic.in/Questions/Qtextsearch.aspx

The state minister for finance further asserted that tax demand of a total of Rs 13,566 crore has been raised under the Black Money Act in the last four financial years, starting from 2018-19. The demand was raised in 349 cases since the law was enacted in 2015.

Source: https://loksabha.nic.in/Questions/Qtextsearch.aspx

Further, the minister said that 648 disclosures involving undisclosed foreign assets worth Rs 4146 crores were made in the one-time three months compliance window, which closed on 30th September 2015, under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015. The amount collected by way of tax and penalty in such cases was about Rs 2476 crore.

Positive impact of demonetisation on the level of tax compliance in the country: Govt in Lok Sabha

Another question raised in the Lower House on Monday was if demonetisation, announced by the Modi government on 8 November 2016, had assisted the government in identifying unaccounted money in the country, as well as the quantity and information of those having an unaccounted income.

In a reply to the aforementioned question, Pankaj Chaudhary, the state minister for finance, said that from November 2016 to March 2017, the Income-tax Department conducted search and seizure operations in 900 groups, resulting in the seizure of Rs 900 crores, including Rs 636 crores in cash and admission of undisclosed income of about Rs 7961 crores.

The government further stated that the increase in net direct tax revenues of 18% in the fiscal year 2017-18 over the fiscal year 2016-17, the greatest in the previous seven fiscal years, demonstrated the positive impact of demonetisation on the level of tax compliance in the country.

The fact that the Personal Income-tax (PIT) Advance Tax collections increased by 23.4% and PIT Self-Assessment Tax collections increased by 29.2% in FY 2017-18 compared to FY 2016-17, corroborated the assertion that demonetisation and the subsequent use of bank deposit data by the Income Tax Department had a significant impact on voluntary tax payments by non-corporate / individual taxpayers, said the state minister for finance.

He further revealed that for the fiscal year 2017-18, the number of Income Tax Returns (ITRs) filed with the Income-tax Department increased by 25%. It was the highest rate in the previous five years.

Further, during the fiscal year 2017-18, the number of returns submitted by corporate taxpayers increased by 17.2%. It was more than five times the growth rate of 3% in the fiscal year 2016-17 and 3.5% in the fiscal year 2015-16, Chaudhary confirmed.

Regarding the investigations conducted by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA), the minister stated that a number of cases under PMLA were recorded during the period of demonetisation and thereafter, relating to the acquisition of unaccounted demonetized currencies. FEMA cases have also been investigated in which cross-border transactions/forex transactions were observed.

Under the PMLA, investigations have been launched in eight cases in which 107 people were discovered to be involved in the generation, acquisition, and/or projection of undeclared money. In these cases, criminal proceeds totalling Rs 191.68 crores have been attached/seized, and 05 accused have been arrested. In these cases, 13 Prosecution Complaints (PCs) and 07 Supplemental PCs have been filed, he said.

Similarly, under FEMA regulations, investigations have been launched in 10 cases against 19 people, with currency totalling Rs 2.99 crores seized. Furthermore, eight Show Cause Notices were issued, with 05 of them being adjudicated. During the adjudication, a penalty of Rs 1.61 crores was levied. Furthermore, seized currency totalling Rs 77.81 lakhs has been ordered to be confiscated throughout the adjudication process.

No instructions have been given to banks for not filling Rs 2000 notes in ATMs

Replying to a question on whether the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has put restrictions on banks to disburse currency notes of Rs. 2000 denomination through ATMs, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Parliament on Monday that the government has not issued any instructions to banks on whether to load ATMs with Rs 2000 notes or not.

“No instructions have been given to banks for not filling Rs 2000 notes in Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). Banks make their own assessment of the amount and denominational requirements for ATMs on the basis of past usage, consumer requirement, seasonal trend, etc,” said Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha.

She further stated, citing RBI annual reports, that the indent for the supply of Rs 2000 denomination banknotes has not been placed from 2019-20 onwards. Following the demonetisation of the old Rs 500 notes and Rs 1,000 bills in 2016, the government and RBI introduced Rs 2,000 notes into the system.

No such information or data is available. As per the Annual Reports of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the total value of Rs 500 and Rs 2000 denomination banknotes in circulation as of end-March 2017 and as of end-March 2022 was Rs 9.512 lakh crore and Rs 27.057 lakh crore.

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