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BJP to hold nationwide protests tomorrow over Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto’s ‘butcher of Gujarat’ remark against PM Modi

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BJP to hold nationwide protests tomorrow over Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto’s ‘butcher of Gujarat’ remark against PM Modi

The BJP has condemned as “highly shameful and derogatory” remarks of the Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has decided to hold nationwide protests on Saturday.

According to BJP, the protests will be held in all the state capitals across the country. “BJP karyakartas will burn the effigy of Pakistan and Pakistani Foreign Minister and will strongly condemn the shameful statement of Pakistani Foreign Minister,” the party said in a statement.

The party further said that the Pakistani foreign minister’s remark is highly derogatory, defamatory and full of cowardice which has been given just to remain in power and save the government.

“The statement is also aimed at misleading the world and divert global attention from Pakistan’s collapsing economy, lawlessness and anarchy in Pakistan, simmering differences in the Pakistani army, its deteriorating global relations and the fact that Pakistan has become the major sanctuary for terrorists. What more can be expected from Pakistan’s foreign minister which reflects his and his government’s desperation and mental bankruptcy,” it said.

BJP workers staged protest on Friday against Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari over his statement on PM Narendra Modi outside Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

The BJP said that India’s foreign policy is being appreciated globally, while Pakistan is facing backlash from even smaller nations.

“On one hand we have our Prime Minister Narendra Modi under whose leadership India has left its indelible mark on various global fora, and on the other hand, we have Pakistan which has faced ridicule and insult on various international platforms. On one hand, India’s foreign policy is being appreciated globally, while on the other hand, Pakistan is facing backlash from even smaller nations,” the BJP said.

The party said that everyone saw how even the Pakistani students were rescued during the rescue mission carried out during the Russia-Ukraine conflict which was carried out under the guidance of PM Modi.

It said that Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto’s statement against Prime Minister Modi is highly condemnable and totally uncalled for.

“The kind of language Bilawal Bhutto has used is extremely reprehensible which does not reflect the true spirit of statesmanship and also crosses the limit of decency in public life. Does Bilawal Bhutto even have the stature to comment about our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji who is a true statesman and a highly respected global leader! This demeaning statement of Bilawal Bhutto had further lowered the image of Pakistan on the global platform,” it added.

India on Friday slammed Pakistan’s Foreign Minister for his “uncivilised outburst” at Prime Minister Modi.

In response to media queries on Bilawal’s ‘uncivilised’ remarks, the official spokesperson for the MEA, Arindam Bagchi, said, “These comments are a new low, even for Pakistan. Pakistan foreign minister’s frustration would be better directed towards the masterminds of terrorist enterprises in his own country, who have made terrorism a part of their state policy. Pakistan needs to change its own mindset or remain a pariah.”

In reply to a question from a Pakistani journalist, who accused India of spreading terror, Jaishankar replied,” You are asking the wrong minister when you say how long will we do this. It is the ministers of Pakistan who will tell how long Pakistan intends to practice terrorism.”

Responding to the EAM’s remark, Bilawal unleashed a personal attack on PM Modi and also hit out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“We wish that Pak FM would have listened more sincerely yesterday at the UNSC to the testimony of Anjali Kulthe, a Mumbai nurse who saved the lives of 20 pregnant women from the bullets of the Pak terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Clearly, their FM was more interested in whitewashing Pakistan’s role,” said Bagchi.

He further said that foreign minister of Pakistan has “obviously forgotten this day in 1971, which was a direct result of the genocide unleashed by Pakistani rulers against ethnic Bengalis and Hindus”.

“Unfortunately, Pakistan does not seem to have changed much in the treatment of its minorities. It certainly lacks credentials to cast aspersions at the Mother of Democracy,” added the MEA spokesperson.

As recent conferences and events have demonstrated, counter-terrorism remains high on Pakistan’s global agenda, he said, adding that its indisputable role in sponsoring, harbouring, and actively financing terrorist and terrorist organisations remains under the scanner.

“Pakistan FM’s uncivilised outburst seems to be a result of Pakistan’s increasing inability to use terrorists and their proxies,” Bagchi said.

“Cities like New York, Mumbai, Pulwama, Pathankot and London are among the many that bear the scars of Pakistan-sponsored, supported and instigated terrorism. This violence has emanated from their Special Terrorist Zones and exported to all parts of the world. ‘Make in Pakistan’ terrorism has to stop,” he added.

He also stated that Pakistan is a country that glorifies Osama bin Laden as a martyr and shelters terrorists like Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, Sajid Mir and Dawood Ibrahim.

“No other country can boast having 126 UN-designated terrorists and 27 UN-designated terrorist entities!” Bagchi added.

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

Two cases of illegal triple talaq over dowry and girl child registered at the same police station in Ahmedabad, husbands and families booked

OpIndia Staff
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Two cases of illegal triple talaq over dowry and girl child registered at the same police station in Ahmedabad, husbands and families booked

The practice of triple talaq in the Muslim community in India was banned by the parliament over three years ago, but the now illegal practice still continues among the community. In a shocking development in this regard, two cases of triple talaq have been registered at the same police station in Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Recently, two different women lodged complaints against their husbands for giving them triple talaq at the Vejalpur police station in the city, after which cases have been registered by the police. One case took place in the Juhupura area over dowry, while the other occurred in the Fatewadi area of the city over the demands of a male child.

Triple talaq case in Juhupura over dowry demand

One Ali Akbar Habibi and his family members were booked by the Vejalpur police for giving triple talaq to his wife through a video phone call. His wife Rumana Ali Akbar Habibi lodged a complaint in this regard. Ali Akbar Habibi, his mother Amina Banu, and his brother Ali Azgar were named in the complaint. Rumana accused them of mental and physical torture and demanding dowry. She also alleged that her husband has an affair with another woman.

The Habibi family had already taken a dowry of Rs 80 lakh after the wedding, but they demanded Rs 11 lakh more recently. As the woman’s family refused to pay more money, the husband video-called her and said talaq three times, divorcing her under the now-banned Islamic practice.

In 2007, the plaintiff married accused Ali Akbar Habibi who was then residing in Mumbai and running a business called FM Steel. After marriage, she gave birth to three girls and one boy. After the birth of the first female child, the complainant’s mother-in-law reportedly mocked and argued with her. She reported her mother-in-law’s actions to her husband, and he allegedly beat the complainant as a result.

Her mother-in-law allegedly started pressuring her to ask her father for money to pay for the children’s fees and other necessities after the birth of the second female kid. Her mother-in-law and brother-in-law also threatened to kick her out of the house if her third child also turns out to be a girl.

She did have a boy as her third child, though. Due to her brother-in-law’s marriage, her mother-in-law asked the complaint to borrow money from her father to purchase a new home. Moreover, her husband Ali Akbar reportedly gave intoxicating drugs to her after she opposed his relationship with another woman.

The Rs 80 lakh dowry paid by the woman’s family included 50 lakh rupees in cash for a home purchase and 30 lakh rupees for furnishings and kitchenware. The woman was also given gold ornaments of 75 tolas by her father at the time of the wedding. But her husband took those ornaments and used them as collateral to borrow money to run his business. While he had promised that he will bring back the gold by repaying the loan and give it to her, he has not done that also.

Even after taking so much money and gold from the wife’s family, recently Ali Akbar Habibi again demanded Rs. 11 lakh to purchase a car. However, this time the woman’s family refused to give him any more money. After this, he allegedly gave his wife triple talaq through a video call.

Following this, the woman approached the Vejalpur police station and lodged a complaint against her husband and her family. Following the complaint, her husband Ali Akbar Habibi, his mother Amina Banu, and his brother Ali Azgar have been booked by the police.

Triple Talaq case in Fatewadi over girl child

A 24-year-old woman living in Fatewadi was harassed by her in-laws who were unhappy with her after she gave birth to a daughter. The husband also beat her up and thrashed her out of the house by giving triple talaq. The woman has lodged a complaint against her husband Salman Iqbal Sheikh and his family members for mental torture, assault, and giving triple talaq.

The 24-year-old woman was married to a man living in Fatewadi in 2018. After marriage, her in-laws, including her husband, used to harass her for dowry. Meanwhile, the woman gave birth to a son soon after the marriage. In August this year, she gave birth to a daughter, which angered her husband and his family. Unhappy with the birth of the girl child, the in-laws started to harass her by saying, ‘We wanted a son and you spoiled our dreams by giving birth to a daughter.’

According to the complaint, the woman also said that a few months after the marriage, her mother-in-law had started to mentally torture her by abusing her over household chores. Besides, her husband also joined in and started abusing and beating her up.

The woman said her husband used to beat her up with filthy abuses and also demanded dowry. He threatened to break her arms and legs and throw her out of the house if his demands were not fulfilled. The woman has also accused her mother-in-law of assaulting her by hurling filthy abuse.

According to the complaint, after the birth of her daughter in August this year, her husband and mother-in-law again started mentally torturing her by saying that they wanted another son and also started demanding dowry and also asked her to bring Rs 50,000 from her father.

In October last year, her husband suddenly got angry and gave triple talaq by saying ‘I don’t want to keep you’. He thrashed her out of the house while she nothing had with her except the clothes she wore. He threatened to break her hands and legs if she returned.

After the incident, the victim lived with her father till now. But she said she was filing a police complaint as there was no settlement even during this period. The police have registered a case against the accused, including Salman Iqbal Sheikh, Anjumbanu Sheikh, Zakir, and Rahnumabanu, under sections 498A, 323, 294(b), 506(1), and 114 of the IPC and sections 3 and 7 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, besides sections 3 and 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019.

Three-member panel finds bribery claims against AAP by conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar ‘grave’, recommends central agency probe

OpIndia Staff
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Three-member panel finds bribery claims against AAP by conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar ‘grave’, recommends central agency probe

On Friday, December 13, a three-member panel, constituted to inquire about the bribery allegations meted at AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and jailed AAP minister Satyendar Jain by conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, submitted its report to the Lieutenant Governor, reported India Today.

In its report, the inquiry panel said that it found the allegations “grave” and “serious” in nature and recommended a detailed investigation by central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Notably, a three-member committee headed by the principal secretary (Home) of the Delhi government was constituted by LG VK Saxena after Sukesh Chandrashekhar filed a complaint with him against Kejriwal and his party, alleging they extorted money from him. In his complaint, he alleged to have paid Rs 10 crore for protection inside the jail and Rs 50 crore for party funds. He also alleged he was asked to raise funds for Punjab and Goa elections.

Now, the panel submitted its report to the Delhi LG in which it said that it met Sukesh Chandrashekhar in jail and recorded his statement on two different occasions. 

According to the committee’s report, Sukesh has reiterated his allegations that Satyendar Jain received 60 crore rupees (Rs 50 crore for securing a seat in the Rajya Sabha and expanding the Aam Aadmi Party’s influence in southern India, and another Rs 10 crore as protection money in 2019). He also reiterated that he paid another 12.50 crore to the then-Director General of the Prison, Sandeep Goel.

The committee said that it recorded Sukesh’s statement on November 14 and 15 at Mandoli Jail. The conman asserted that Arvind Kejriwal was fully aware of these financial dealings and that he had paid Satyendra Jain 50 crore rupees in cash over the course of three to four instalments at the farm of Kailash Gahlot, the transport minister for Delhi.

Sukesh Chandrashekhar even claimed that Kejriwal, Jain, and Gahlot attended the dinner celebration he hosted at the Hotel Hyatt Regency, Bhikaji Kama Place, once the full sum of Rs 50 crore was paid in 2017.

He further confirmed to the committee that he had all of the Whatsapp conversations between him and Satyendar Jain confirming the amount, delivery date, and delivery location and that he would provide them as proof as and when requested by the agency conducting the investigation.

Sukesh also told the committee members that every time he got the instalments delivered to Satyendar Jain and Kailash Gehlot, “I also wanted to convey the same to Mr Arvind Kejriwal and due to same, I was allowed to speak to Mr Arvind Kejriwal after every delivery from the phone of Mr Satyendar Jain…”

Sukesh went on record to assert that Satyendar Jain had introduced him to Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister of Delhi and that they had since kept in touch. A writ case was also filed in the High Court, he added, and he mentioned that he had informed the Enforcement Directorate and CBI authorities of this as well.

In regards to the alleged payments to the then-Director General (Prisons), the inquiry committee asked Sukesh Chandrashekar to provide detailed information like the phone numbers through which the chats were exchanged, the people to whom the money was paid, the mode of payment, the location of the payments, and the date of the payments etc.

In his defence, the conman told the panel “I don’t remember the phone numbers but I have screenshots of the WhatsApp chats as mentioned by me about the related parties. The amounts to DG (Prisons) were paid by me to his staff such as driver and other prison staff namely Mr Sanjay, warden and assistant superintendent Mr Dharam Singh Meena.”

“As mentioned by me, the locations payment in respect of DG (Prisons) was at only two locations as directed by him which was Bharat Petrol Pump at Civil Lines and Haldirams Sweet Shop at Model Town. At present, I am not having the vehicle/car number but the description of the car is of a white Suzuki Ciaz,” Sukesh added.

As per India Today, the probe panel also spoke with ED and CBI officials to confirm the validity of Sukesh’s allegations. The committee has advised a thorough investigation by a specialised body, calling the claims “grave” and “serious” in nature and citing a lack of resources to further verify them.

Sukesh Chandrashekhar and his allegations against AAP

Notably, conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who is in jail in a 200 crore extortion case, has been dropping letter bombs on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), making serious allegations against its leaders including incarcerated Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain and party supremo and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. 

From confessing to providing Rs 10 crore as “protection money” to incarcerated Aam Aadmi Party minister Satyendar Jain to claiming to have given Rs 50 crore for party funds to revealing how Satyendra Jain had sought his help to convert 20 million dollars into Indian rupees and bitcoins, the conman has until now written as many as six letters to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena levelling allegations against AAP and its leaders.

NIA files chargesheet against 11 accused in Umesh Kolhe murder case, was killed for supporting Nupur Sharma on WhatsApp

OpIndia Staff
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NIA files chargesheet against 11 accused in Umesh Kolhe murder case, was killed for supporting Nupur Sharma on WhatsApp

On Friday, December 16, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), investigating the murder case of Amravati’s pharmacist Umesh Kolhe, filed a chargesheet in the Mumbai NIA court against the 11 arrested accused. Umesh Kolhen was brutally murdered for a social media post supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, and an elaborate plan was prepared by the culprits to kill him.

Those named in the charge sheet are Mubashir Ahmed, Shahrukh Khan, Abdul Tausheef Sheikh, Mohd Shoeb, Atib Rashid, Yusuf Khan, Irfan Khan, Abdul Arbaz, Musfeeq Ahmed, Sheikh Shakeel, and Shahim Ahmed.

Umesh Kolhe, a pharmacist in Maharashtra’s Amravati city, was murdered by Islamists on June 21 for extending his support to beleaguered politician Nupur Sharma, who drew the ire of Muslim fundamentalists after Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair painted a target behind her for defending her faith in a news debate.

According to the charge sheet, the 11 accused hatched a conspiracy, acquired the murder weapon, plotted their strategy so that the pharmacist’s whereabouts could be traced, and then premeditatedly killed him.

When the murder took place, Maharashtra was under the Uddhav Thackeray government, and the police at that time tried to paint the murder as a robbery gone wrong. But many people saw a similarity with the murder of Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, who was also killed for Nupur Sharma. After pressure from the public, police expanded the probe and revealed that Kolhe was also killed for the same reason.

Later it was revealed that Dr Yusuf Khan, one of the accused, was a good friend of Umesh Kolhe, and Kolhe had helped him with money on several occasions earlier. Dr. Yusuf Khan was the admin of the WhatsApp group in which Umesh Kolhe had shared a post supporting former Nupur Sharma, which led to his murder, as Khan revealed the post to others. According to the probe, Dr Yusuf Khan shared this information with another group called Rahebariya and informed his friends Sheikh Irrfan and others, and created hatred in their minds for Umesh Kolhe.

Sheikh Irrfan recruited others for the job, who had worked under him earlier for an NGO that he runs. Sheikh Irfan involved daily wage workers Shahrukh Pathan, Abdul Taufiq, Shoaib Khan, and Atib Rashid in the plan. On the night of June 21, Shoaib stabbed Umesh Kolhe in his neck when Kolhe was going home after closing his shop for the day.

NIA take over the murder case of Amravati pharmacist Umesh Kolhe, arrests 11 accused

The investigation into Umesh Kolhe’s murder began in Police Station City Kotvali in Amaravati, Maharashtra. On July 2 this year, the NIA re-registered the case and took over the investigation. The case has been registered under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) Sections 16, 18, and 20 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 34, 153 (A), 153 (B), 120 (B), and 302.

Earlier in August, the NIA arrested two more accused in the case. The duo was identified as 23-year-old Abdul Arbaz and 41-year-Maulavi Mushfique Ahmad. The other arrested accused in the case include Irfan Khan (age 35), Yusuf Khan (age 44), Muddsir Ahmad (age 22), Shahrukh Pathan (age 25), Abdul Thoufique (age 24) Shoaib Khan (age 22), and Atib Rashid (age 22). 

On September 12, the NIA declared a monetary reward of Rs 2 lakh to anyone who would provide leading information to arrest the absconding accused Shameem Ahmed. On September 22 it was reported that NIA arrested the absconding killer from Mumbai.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) received a 90-day extension from a special court in the same month to submit the charge sheet in the case, which the agency did today.

AIMIM to march for 5% reservations to Muslims in Maharashtra: Here is how Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena had fanned this demand

OpIndia Staff
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AIMIM to march for 5% reservations to Muslims in Maharashtra: Here is how Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena had fanned this demand

All India Majlis e Ittihadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Imtiaz Jaleel has declared to take a march to the Maharashtra Assembly in Nagpur during the winter session of the legislative assembly on Wednesday, 21st December 2022. This march will be taken to push various demands, including the 5% reservation for Muslims.

Imtiaz Jaleel, the state unit president of the All India Majalis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and an MP from Aurangabad, tweeted a picture of the march’s poster to share this information. The poster mentions that the AIMIM will take out a march on 21 December from Indora Ground in Nagpur to Vidhan Bhawan during the session of the Maharashtra legislature.

The demands mentioned in the poster include 5% reservations for Muslims, saving Waqf properties, removing illegal encroachments from Waqf properties, a grant of Rs 1000 crores to Maulana Azad Economic Development Corporation, awarding ownership possession of slum plots to residents, economic help to weaver community working on handlooms and power looms.

How NCP-Congress-Shiv Sena’s MVA alliance had fanned the demand for Muslim reservations

It is notable that though AIMIM is demanding reservations for Muslims, this demand in Maharashtra was originally fanned by Shiv Sena and Congress. When the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance formed a government in Maharashtra in 2019, the alliance partners started pressing to bring in reservations for Muslims in the state. In January 2020, a month after Uddhav Thackeray became the chief minister, several reports surfaced stating that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is preparing to introduce reservations for Muslims in the state.

Then in February 2020, then Minority Affairs minister Nawab Malik said that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government will soon bring in an ordinance to extend the contentious 5 per cent reservations for Muslims across educational institutes in the state. He had then also assured the State Legislative Council of taking ‘appropriate action’ in this regard before the beginning of the subsequent academic year and the admissions process.

On 24th February 2021, a meeting of the Maharashtra Congress’ parliamentary committee passed a resolution in support of Muslim and Maratha reservations in the state. In March 2021, Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Azmi demanded the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government to bring a resolution against CAA-NRC in the ongoing assembly session and has also asked the government to bring a law to provide 5% reservations to Muslims in the state.

This Muslim appeasement continued till June 2022 that is a few weeks before the Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed. In the Rajya Sabha elections that took place in June 2022, 2 MLAs of AIMIM extended their support to the candidate fielded by the alliance of Shiv Sena, Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party against various conditions. These conditions included reservations for Muslims, the development of Muslim-majority cities like Malegaon and Dhulia, an increase in income of the Maharashtra Waqf Board, and the appointment of a Muslim in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).

‘If AAP wasn’t there, we would have beaten BJP’: Rahul Gandhi on Congress’ defeat in Gujarat assembly elections

OpIndia Staff
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‘If AAP wasn’t there, we would have beaten BJP’: Rahul Gandhi on Congress’ defeat in Gujarat assembly elections

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday blamed Aam Aadmi Party for Congress’ dismal performance in the Gujarat assembly elections. Gandhi said that Congress would have won if AAP had not fought the polls.

‘If there was no AAP in Gujarat who disturbed Congress’ narrative and issues, we would have been in a good position to defeat the BJP in Gujarat,” said the Gandhi scion whose party scraped a mere 17 seats in the 182-seat Gujarat Vidhan Sabha.

Calling AAP the “proxy” of the BJP and accusing them of colluding with the saffron party, Gandhi said that the two parties together had hurt the electoral prospects of Congress in the state. AAP, however, had rejected these allegations, accusing the Congress party of siding with the BJP to block its enintoy in Gujarat.

Mr Gandhi also spoke on the Tawang clashes between Chinese PLA and Indian Army forces on December 9, claiming that Beijing is preparing for a war against India. Days after the clashes, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in the Parliament that Indian soldiers fought valiantly against the Chinese intruders and forced them to retreat to their posts across the LAC.

BJP created history with the election victory in Gujarat by bagging 156 seats, breaking the 1985 record held by Congress’ Madhavsinh Solanki, who had then led the party to victory with 149 seats. BJP stormed to power by winning 57 more seats than it won in 2017, while Congress had been reduced to 17 from 77 five years ago. The new entrant, AAP, won 5 seats in the assembly polls, but yet former Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, blamed the Arvind Kejriwal-led party for his party’s embarrassing defeat in the polls.

Iran voted out from UN Commission on the Status of Women after US moves resolution, India abstains from voting

OpIndia Staff
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Iran voted out from UN Commission on the Status of Women after US moves resolution, India abstains from voting

On Wednesday, December 14, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) conducted voting to oust Iran from its Commission on Status of Women (CSW). 

This comes after the 54-member ECOSOC adopted a US-drafted resolution that called for the removal of Iran with “immediate effect”. This is the first time that a member country of the CSW has been removed. 

This resolution was co-sponsored by Australia, Albania, Canada, Guatemala, Israel, Liberia, New Zealand, North Macedonia, and the UK and Northern Ireland.

Before the voting, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield took to Twitter and said that removing Iran from CSW is the “right thing to do at the right time.”

Ahead of the vote, Greenfield called Iran’s membership in the premiere UN body an “ugly stain on Commission’s credibility.” She added, “CSW cannot do its important work if it is being undermined from within. Iran’s membership at this moment is an ugly stain on the Commission’s credibility.”

Notably, the resolution received 29 votes in favour, 8 including Russia and China against it, while 16 countries abstained from voting, including India.

Image via UN CSW website

After the vote, Greenfield tweeted, “UN member states just voted to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women. Iranian women and activists called on us to do this and today we got it done.”

Notably, Iran started a four-year term on the commission in April this year and became a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) in 2016 after obtaining the necessary votes at the United Nations General Assembly.

The US resolution against Iran came in response to Iran’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters who took to the streets in September following the death of a 22-year-old girl named Mahsa Amini detained by Iran’s morality police.

Ever since the protests began, hundreds have been killed, thousands detained and 11 death sentences ruled so far. Women all over the world have expressed their solidarity with Iranian women. Iran’s authoritarian regime has now started executing protestors publicly. In recent weeks, two such execution cases have been reported. One Mohsin Shekari was executed last week while another Majidreza Rahnavard was hanged in Mashhad for ‘waging war against Allah.’

Iran condemns resolution 

Before the vote, Iran’s ambassador, Amir Saeid Jalil Iravani, stated that the country “categorically rejected and strongly condemned” the resolution’s draft. Iravani accused the US of using its “longstanding hostility toward the Iranian people” to remove Iran from the commission under the guise of human rights. He also accused the US of attempting to topple Iran’s government. 

Islamic cleric sentenced to death by Sharia court in Nigeria for alleged blasphemy, had claimed that the Shia sect is better than Sunni

OpIndia Staff
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Islamic cleric sentenced to death by Sharia court in Nigeria for alleged blasphemy, had claimed that the Shia sect is better than Sunni

On Thursday (December 15), a 52-year-old Islamic preacher by the name of Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara was sentenced to death in Nigeria for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad.

As per reports, the punishment was handed to him by an upper Sharia court in the Nigerian city of Kano. Abduljabbar had allegedly committed blasphemy during one of his preachings at his mosque.

According to the prosecution, the Islamic preacher had allegedly violated Sections 375, and 382 of the Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law, 2000. They claimed that his ‘blasphemous video’ went viral on social media.

While hearing the matter, Justice Ibrahim Sarki Yola of the Kano Sharia court claimed that Abduljabbar had failed to defend himself, despite being provided with ‘enough time.’

“I, Ibrahim Sarki Yola, Upper Sharia Court Judge City Number One, found you, Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara, committing an act contrary to section 283 (B) of Kano State Sharia Penal Code Law 2000, I, therefore, sentence you to death by hanging,” the judge declared.

“The prosecutors also convinced the court that the accused person deliberately interpreted the religious books and fabricated the blasphemous comments against the Holy Prophet Muhammad,” he further said.

“I similarly order the total closure of your mosques located at Filin Mushe Gwale LGA and Jamiurrasul located at Sharada,” he added. The judge also put a ban on playing his sermons on radio stations and ordered the confiscation of his 189 books.

Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara accused the judge of being unfair and challenged him to condemn him to death. He said, “You Ibrahim Sarki Sani Yola, changed the whole narration about the case go ahead and sentence me to death, I will die honourably meeting my God.”

“And I am pleading to my followers not to worry about the sentencing as I will die as a righteous person,” he remarked while his lawyer desperately tried to make emotional appeals to Justice Ibrahim Sarki Sani Yola.

Islamic cleric had held Shia scriptures superior to Sunni counterparts

As per a report by Daily Trust, Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara belongs to the Qadiriyya Islamic sect and is regarded as a prominent Sunni scholar in Nigeria.

However, as early as 2020, he expressed his inclination towards being a Shia. “After a thoroughly long time research which I have made by myself, I realized that Shi’a has more scriptural evidence over Sunni…” he told the BBC.

“I will not bother myself if you call me a Shi’a, but I’ll be concerned with calling me a Sunni,” the Islamic scholar on death row had said 2 years ago.

Reportedly, Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara had alleged on multiple occasions that some of the Hadiths (teachings of Prophet Muhammad), as narrated by other Islamic scholars, are either inaccurate or false.

Last year, he was held captive by the Kano State government, following complaints by scholars from other Islamic sects in the country. By then, he had 9 cases of blasphemy registered against him.

Following public outcry over the matter, a debate was organised between Abduljabbar and other Islamic scholars on July 10, 2021. The chairman of the debate concluded that the Islamic scholar was unable to answer a single question posed by other scholars.

He was thereafter remanded in custody again. Abduljabbar is the son of a prominent leader of Qadariyya Islamic Movement in West Africa named Nasiru Kabara. He has now 30 days to appeal against the death penalty, which was handed out to him.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar sticks to his ‘Jo Piyega Wo Marega’ remark, says ‘no compensation to people who die after drinking spurious alcohol’

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar sticks to his ‘Jo Piyega Wo Marega’ remark, says ‘no compensation to people who die after drinking spurious alcohol’

A day after ‘Jo Piyega Wo Marega’ remark by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar sparked outrage in response to media questions regarding the Hooch tragedy, the Mahagathbandhan leader reiterated his stance on Friday and said that no compensation would be offered to those who died after drinking spurious alcohol in the state recently. While speaking in the state legislature on the alcohol ban in Bihar, the chief minister claimed that he has been telling people that if they drink alcohol, they will die, and therefore they should not drink alcohol.

He said, “Daaru peeke mar jaega usko hum compensation dengey… sawaal hi nahi paida hota hai” (We will pay compensation to those who die after drinking alcohol, that question does not even arise). “No compensation will be given to people who died after drinking…We have been appealing- if you drink, you will die…those who talk in favour of drinking will not bring any good to you…,” CM Nitish Kumar further said.

CM Kumar’s statement comes amid the death of 60 people who suffocated to death after consuming tainted liquor in Bihar’s Chhapra. It was also reported that five individuals died from alcohol poisoning in the state’s Siwan city on Friday, after Chhapra. It is being said that people in Bihar are resorting to drinking unsafe alcoholic drinks due to the ban on alcohol imposed by the Nitish Kumar government.

The Chief Minister stated that the deaths of individuals in Bihar are constantly emphasized, and he will use the same message to urge people to avoid consuming alcohol. “If you die from consuming alcohol and want us to compensate you, that is not going to happen. We are trying to support you…so you do the good work, don’t do this kind (alcohol drinking) a bad thing,” he stated.

Giving examples of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, he said that people are dying of spurious liquor in the states where alcohol is not banned. “Top per hai Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, UP…kahan nahi hai. Sab jagah ka dekh lijiye hisaab kitaab. See in those states too where alcohol is not banned, there also people die from drinking,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also has taken notice of the occurrence on its initiative. The Commission has written to the state’s Chief Secretary and DGP, requesting a thorough report on the situation, including the FIR filed by the police and the victims’ medical care.

Earlier, the Bihar CM had said that Bihar was a ‘dry state’ since 2016 and that it was people who needed to understand this. “Last time, when people died after drinking toxic liquor, someone said they should be given compensation. When someone consumes alcohol, they will die, the example is before us (Jo Sharab Piyega Wo Marega). We should express grief and tell people that liquor is bad and it should not be consumed,” he had said.

However, LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan stated that the CM was trying to protect the illicit liquor sellers. “Jo Piyega Wo Marega but what about those who are selling toxic liquor, Jo Bechega Wo Bachega (those who sell liquor will be saved), the state government is protecting those involved in this business. In Nitish Kumar’s rule, those who drink liquor are Mahapaapi but those who sell liquor are Maha Gyani,” the LJP leader said.

CM Nitish Kumar in the parliament on December 16 reiterated his stance and stated that he would again appeal to people that if they will drink alcohol, it is not going to be fruitful for them in any manner.

Make in Pakistan terrorism has to stop: India strongly condemns Pakistani foreign minister’s comments on PM Modi, says it is a new low even for Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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Make in Pakistan terrorism has to stop: India strongly condemns Pakistani foreign minister’s comments on PM Modi, says it is a new low even for Pakistan

The government of India has strongly reacted to the personal attack on PM Narendra Modi made by Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in New York. Responding to Bhutto calling PM ‘butcher of Modi’ responding to external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s comments at the UNSC, MEA’s official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi issued a statement today.

In the statement, MEA has said that the comments of Bhutto are new low even for Pakistan. Calling it an uncivilised outburst of the Pakistan foreign minister, the statement said, “Pakistan FM’s uncivilised outburst seems to be a result of Pakistan’s increasing inability to use terrorists and their proxies.”

The MEA reminded how Pakistan has been spreading terrorism, and mentioned that on this year in 1971, the Bangladesh Liberation War had ended which was the result of “the genocide unleashed by Pakistani rulers against ethnic Bengalis and Hindus.”

Saying how several cities across the city have faced the effects of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, MEA said that “Make in Pakistan” terrorism has to stop. The statement also added that Pakistan not only sheltered Osama Bin Laden, but is still giving shelter to other terrorists like Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, Sajid Mir and Dawood Ibrahim. “No other country can boast having 126 UN-designated terrorists and 27 UN-designated terrorist entities!” the MEA added in a scathing remark.

The statement ended with an advice to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, “Pakistan FM’s frustration would be better directed towards the masterminds of terrorist enterprises in his own country, who have made terrorism a part of their State policy. Pakistan needs to change its own mindset or remain a pariah.”

The full statement by MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi is given below:

These comments are a new low, even for Pakistan. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan has obviously forgotten this day in 1971, which was a direct result of the genocide unleashed by Pakistani rulers against ethnic Bengalis and Hindus. Unfortunately, Pakistan does not seem to have changed much in the treatment of its minorities. It certainly lacks credentials to cast aspersions at India.

As recent conferences and events have demonstrated, counter terrorism remains high on the global agenda. Pakistan’s indisputable role in sponsoring, harbouring, and actively financing terrorist and terrorist organisations remains under the scanner. Pakistan FM’s uncivilised outburst seems to be a result of Pakistan’s increasing inability to use terrorists and their proxies.

Cities like New York, Mumbai, Pulwama, Pathankot and London are among the many that bear the scars of Pakistan-sponsored, supported and instigated terrorism. This violence has emanated from their Special Terrorist Zones and exported to all parts of the world. “Make in Pakistan” terrorism has to stop.

Pakistan is a country that glorifies Osama bin Laden as a martyr, and shelters terrorists like Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, Sajid Mir and Dawood Ibrahim. No other country can boast having 126 UN-designated terrorists and 27 UN-designated terrorist entities!

We wish that Pakistan FM would have listened more sincerely yesterday at the UN Security Council to the testimony of Ms. Anjali Kulthe, a Mumbai nurse who saved the lives of 20 pregnant women from the bullets of the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Clearly, the Foreign Minister was more interested in whitewashing Pakistan’s role.

Pakistan FM’s frustration would be better directed towards the masterminds of terrorist enterprises in his own country, who have made terrorism a part of their State policy. Pakistan needs to change its own mindset or remain a pariah.

It is notable that yesterday in New York, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called PM Narendra Modi the‘ butcher of Gujarat’. He also accused India of carrying out terror attacks in Pakistan, and denied that Pakistan is sponsoring terrorism. He made the comments responding to remarks of Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar at the UNSC, where he had pointed out that Osama Bin Laden was found hiding in Pakistan.

“While we search for the best solutions, what are those that we must never accept include the normalisation of such threats. The question of justifying what the world regards as unacceptable should not even arise. It certainly applies to states’ sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. Nor can hosting Osama Bin Laden and attacking a neighbouring Parliament can serve as credentials for sermonizing before this council,” S Jaishankar had said in his address, directly slamming Pakistan for being a pro-terrorism country.

Addressing a press conference after that, Bilawal Bhutto said, “I will like to remind the honourable minister of external affairs of India, that Osama Bin Laden is dead, but the butcher of India lives. And he is the prime minister of India. He was banned from entering this country until he became the Prime Minister. This is the Prime Minister of the RSS and the Foreign Minister of the RSS. What is the RSS? The RSS takes inspiration from Hitler’s SS.”

Bhutto also claimed that they have proof that India is behind the Johar Town blast in Lahore in Pakistan.

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