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International media outlets publish satire on Pakistan imposing sanctions against Russia through debt non-payment as real news

OpIndia Staff
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International media outlets publish satire on Pakistan imposing sanctions against Russia through debt non-payment as real news

A satirical take on debt-ridden Pakistan’s contribution to the economic sanctions imposed against Russia in the wake of the Ukraine invasion was passed off as actual news by many international media outlets.

Indian satirical website The Fauxy recently published a satire that said Pakistan is contributing to the west’s economic sanctions against Russia by not repaying the $1 billion loan amount it had sought from Moscow. The article was meant as a sarcastic swipe against Pakistan, whose foundering economy is perpetually propped up by loans Islamabad continues to seek from countries around the world.

Russia Pakistan sanctions
Source: The Fauxy

The article mockingly asserted that given the poor economic state of Pakistan, and in the absence of any leverage it has on Russia, the only way Islamabad could do its bit in punishing the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine is by defaulting on the $1 billion loans it had allegedly sought from Moscow.

However, many international media outlets fell for the satirical article, treating the outrageous claim of Pakistan contributing to the sanctions against Russia by not repaying its loan as entirely plausible and publishing it as real news.

International media outlets pass off a satirical article on Islamabad imposing sanctions against Russia as real news

Some Japanese and Korean websites were among those who lapped up the sarcastic claims made in the piece published on the Fauxy, presuming them to be factual and reproducing them on their respective websites. They asserted that Pakistan is joining the Russian sanctions through non-payment of its debts.

Japanese media organisation J-Cast was one of the news outlets that considered a sarcastic take on Pakistan’s alleged sanctions against Russia as an authoritative source of information and promptly published an article amplifying the claim that Islamabad would use non-payment of its loan amount as a mark of protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Pakistan satire Russia sanctions
Source: Twitter

Another Japanese website also published a satirical article as actual news, stating that Pakistan was going to inflict punishment on Russia by defaulting on its loan payments.

Pakistan satire Russia sanctions

Similarly, other outlets also considered claims made in a satirical article as truth and published articles on Pakistan imposing sanctions against Russia through non-payment of loans.

Pakistan satire Russia sanctions
Source: Twitter
Pakistan satire Russia sanctions
Source: Twitter
Pakistan satire Russia sanctions
Source:etoland.co.kr

Looming economic crisis in Pakistan

It is worth noting that Pakistan has been teetering on the edge of an imminent financial collapse for the last several years. To delay the catastrophe, Pakistani PM Imran Khan has been running pillar to post from one country to another seeking loans to keep the country’s precarious economy afloat and to pay off the previous loans. Khan had sought loans from Saudi Arabia, China and various other countries. As of data from June 2021, the Public Debt of Pakistan is around PKR 39.9 trillion which is 83.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Pakistan. Out of which, the domestic debt stood at PKR 26.2 trillion, whereas external debt was PKR 13.6 trillion (USD 86.4 billion).

Given the desperate straits Pakistan finds itself in, the former finance minister of Pakistan, Asad Umar had once stated that the only solution to Pakistan’s problems is a bailout by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He had opined that the balance of payment crisis facing Pakistan was unprecedented and approaching IMF for a bailout was unavoidable.

Nawab Malik money laundering case: Bombay High Court grants ED time till 7th March to file reply on Malik’s plea against his arrest

OpIndia Staff
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Nawab Malik money laundering case: Bombay High Court grants ED time till 7th March to file reply on Malik’s plea against his arrest

On Wednesday 2nd March 2022, the Bombay high court gave the ED an extended time till 7th March 2022 to file their reply on Nawab Malik’s plea against his arrest in a case under PMLA. Maharashtra’s minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik had filed a petition to challenge his arrest in the money laundering case linked to fugitive terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and his aides. Now the minister will be produced before a special court on Thursday 3rd March 2022. He was arrested the last week and since then he is in the custody of the ED.

On Monday 28th February 2022, Nawab Malik had filed a petition in the high court. In his petition, he had pleaded to quash the case, and also the order passed by a special court that remanded him to the ED’s custody. Malik had also sought his immediate release along with direction from the high court to declare his arrest to be illegal. Nawab Malik had said in his petition that he was illegally arrested because he has been a vocal critic of the alleged misuse of the central agencies.

Advocate Amit Desai represented Nawab Malik in the high court while Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh appeared for the ED. Both of them argued before a division bench of Justice SB Shukre and GA Sanap. While posting the plea for the further hearing on 7th March 2022, the bench mentioned that the regular bench hearing criminal petitions will be available on that day.

The court said, “If in the meantime there is any subsequent remand or order passed by the special court, then it would be without any prejudice caused to the rights and contentions of both the petitioner (Malik) and the State (ED).”

Earlier on Tuesday, the ED had summoned Faraz Malik, son of Nawab Malik in connection with the Dawood Ibrahim money laundering case. 

Home Ministry approves extension of seven existing schemes helping victims of terrorism, Naxal violence and riots

OpIndia Staff
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Home Ministry approves extension of seven existing schemes helping victims of terrorism, Naxal violence and riots

The Home Ministry on Wednesday announced the Modi Government’s approval for the extension of seven existing sub-schemes under the Umbrella Scheme of “Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates”. Under the move, existing schemes which provide assistance to displaced Kashmiri Pandits, Srilankan Tamil refugees and other groups who are victims of violence, riots and terrorism have been aided for further continuance.

The Modi government has decided to continue several schemes under the “Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrants and Repatriates” scheme for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. A provision of a total of Rs.1,452 crore has been made by the government for the same. The decision will ensure that assistance under the umbrella Scheme continues to reach beneficiaries through the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) led by Amit Shah.

“The scheme enables migrants and repatriates, who have suffered on account of displacement, to earn a reasonable income and to facilitate their inclusion in mainstream economic activities,” says the statement by MHA. The seven schemes started by the government at different points of time provide assistance for the relief and rehabilitation of displaced families of Pakistan Occupied Areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Chhamb. The relief assistance also includes Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, Bru people lodged in relief camps in Tripura, 1984 Anti-Sikh Riot Victims.

The umbrella scheme also has provisions for providing financial assistance to families of affected civilian victims of terrorist violence including militancy, insurgency, communal/ Left Wing Extremism violence and cross border firing. This also helps victims who died in mine/IED blasts anywhere on the Indian territory. The scheme covers grants-in-aid to the Central Tibetan Relief Committee (CTRC) and special grants to the government of West Bengal for infrastructure development in 51 erstwhile Bangladeshi enclaves in India, situated in Cooch Behar District and for resettlement of 922 returnees from erstwhile Indian enclaves in Bangladesh.

Since the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s, The central government has outlined many schemes for them including financial assistance, reserved government jobs and rehabilitation of the Hindu population in parts of the country and also in the valley. The Narendra Modi government in 2015 announced additional 3000 jobs for the Pandits in the state government and the construction of around 6000 transit accommodations in the Kashmir valley.

‘Criminals armed by Zelenskyy govt are indulging in rapes, murders, and looting in Ukraine’, claims man in Kyiv

OpIndia Staff
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‘Criminals armed by Zelenskyy govt are indulging in rapes, murders, and looting in Ukraine’, claims man in Kyiv

Amidst the deteriorating situation in Ukraine, disturbing images of armed Ukrainian criminals openly looting and vandalising houses and stores in several cities in Ukraine have become viral on the internet.

Clint Ehrlich, a US-based foreign-policy analyst, posted a video on Twitter on Wednesday to allege that criminals armed by the Ukrainian government to take on the Russian forces were indulged in rapes, murders, and looting in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.

Ehrlich shared a video filmed by a writer named Gonzalo Lira, who claimed that criminals in Ukraine have got their hands on military-grade weapons after President Zelenskyy’s regime declared that it would arm all civilians willing to fight against Russian forces.

“After the Zelenskyy regime handed out weapons willy-nilly in the last few days, a lot of criminals have military-grade weapons, and there have been robberies, rapes and all kinds of havoc due to this,” Lira can be heard saying in the video posted by Ehrlich.

He added, “It’s’ known for a fact that a lot of the shooting in Kyiv last night had nothing to do with Russians; the Russians were 10 km away from these shootings. So these were probably gang-related shootings.”

According to Gonzalo Lira, criminal gangs are using their new weapons to “figure out their dominance hierarchy” amid “anarchy created by the government”. The American writer said that the armed criminals would settle their own scores first and then target civilians.

Accusing Ukraine President Zelenskyy and his government of arming criminals, Lira said, “These people are creating chaos in Ukraine in the name of people fighting against the Russians. It’s’ absurd and irresponsible and will hurt the Ukrainian people. I have come to the conclusion that the Zelenskyy-led regime is evil.”

“The Western media is not talking about it. I am worried about getting shot not by the Russians or Ukrainian army but by criminals. I am so angry. This [handing out weapons to civilians] will not stop the Russians. It will only cause death and suffering of civilians, just so Zelenskyy can have a photo-op,” he concluded, adding that the Zelenskyy regime has gone insane.

The video comes just days after the Ukrainian President had announced that prisoners with military experience would be released if they were willing to fight against Russian forces. He had said inmates would be able to “compensate for their guilt in the hottest spots” by fighting the Russians.

As Russian airstrikes and artillery bombardment overwhelmed Ukrainian military installations, Ukraine President Volodymir Zelenskyy had also asked civilians to take up arms to defend the country. Two days earlier, Zelenskyy had said that they would provide weapons to anyone who wanted to fight and had asked people to be ready to support Ukraine in city squares.

Armed criminals, civilians loot stores, trucks in Ukraine, videos emerge

Several unverified videos of armed civilians, criminals and mercenaries looting and creating chaos in Ukrainian cities have made it to the social media platforms.

Netizens have shared horrific videos of organised looting by these armed criminals to allege that the decision by the Ukrainian government to arm the dreaded criminals have emboldened them, who are now resorting to looting cities without any fear openly.

In a video shared by Fazil Mir, untrained civilians with weapons were indulging in the robbery. This has resulted in an increase in other crimes, said the user.

Diana, a citizen of Ukraine, also shared a similarly disturbing video saying that Ukraine is experiencing a wave of looting and robberies by unsavoury individuals who the Zelenskyy government has issued guns in the past two days.

Sharing the video, Diana alleged that the armed mercenaries and criminals tried to rob a truck with groceries.

A social media user from Ukraine put out a shocking video in which two Algerian mercenaries reportedly heard saying they were waiting for darkness to start the robbery.

Another social media user had posted a video that showed civilians looting shops and residences in Kharkiv, leading to chaos.

These unverified videos have generated intense debate on social media over the decision by the Ukrainian government to arm criminals and untrained civilians.

Indian Embassy in Ukraine asks Indians to leave Kharkiv immediately, Russia giving safe passage at govt’s request

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Embassy in Ukraine asks Indians to leave Kharkiv immediately, Russia giving safe passage at govt’s request

The Indian Embassy in Ukraine has asked the Indians to leave the Kharkiv city immediately and provided a list of three settlements where they must reach by 6 PM Ukrainian time on March 2.

In the tweet, the Embassy wrote, “Urgent advisory to all Indian nationals in Kharkiv. For their safety and security, they must leave Kharkiv immediately. Proceed to Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka as soon as possible. Under all circumstances, they must reach these settlements *by 1800 hrs (Ukrainian time) today*.” They wrote the advisory in all capital letters, implying how urgent it is.

Pesochin is a western suburb in Kharkiv Raion of Kharkiv Oblast in Ukraine.

Source: Google Maps

Babai or Babaye is located on the right bank of the Udy in the drainage basin of the Don.

Source: Google Maps

Bezlyudovka is a Russian establishment located at Belgorod Oblast, Russia.

Source: Google Maps

The locations Pesochin, Babaye and Bezlyudovka are located in 3 different directions from Kharkiv and are at a distance of 11 km, 17 km and 90 km away respectively.

Around half an hour after posting the advisory on Twitter, the embassy posted another embassy, again in all capital letters. In the second advisory, the Indian Embassy said that for their own security and safety, Indians in Kharkiv must leave the city immediately. “FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY AND SECURITY THEY MUST LEAVE KHARKIV IMMEDIATELY REPEAT IMMEDIATELY IN THE LIGHT OF THE DETERIORATING SITUATION”, wrote the embassy, repeating the word “Immediately”.

Again asking the students to process towards Pesochyn, Babai and Bezlyudivka, the embassy said that students who can’t find vehicles or buses or waiting for trains at railway stations should proceed on foot. They informed that Pisochyn is 11 km away, Babai is 12 km away and the distance to Bezlyudivka is 16 km.

Given the urgent nature of the advisory, it seems the Indian govt has learnt from reliable sources that a major invasion at Kharkiv is going to take place tonight.

Earlier today, Denis Alipov, Russian envoy designated to Delhi had said that the Russian authorities were in touch we the Indian government to provide safe passage to the Indian nationals stuck in Kharkiv. “We have received the Indian request for the emergency evacuation of all those stuck there via Russian territory. We are actively working to provide a humanitarian corridor so that people have safe passage,” he said.

Yesterday, all Indian nationals were asked to leave Kyiv. The evacuation efforts are in full swing. Over 12,000 Indian nationals have been evacuated under Operation Ganga from Ukraine out of which over 6,000 have already arrived in India.

Congress, Islamists and ‘fact-checkers’ mock Arnab Goswami over lecture given by a panellist: Here is what his response was

OpIndia Staff
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Congress, Islamists and ‘fact-checkers’ mock Arnab Goswami over lecture given by a panellist: Here is what his response was

On Wednesday early morning, Islamists, self-proclaimed ‘fact-checkers’ several trolls sympathetic to the Congress party, took to Twitter to share a short clip of Republic TV Prime Time show to claim that he was called out by a foreign panellist for taking an ‘anti-Indian’ stand in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia clashes.

In a Republic TV debate show on Tuesday, Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami had launched an attack against the western countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, and others, for not making an effecting intervention in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis. Arnab Goswami opined that the west could not just be sermonising others as it was an inflexion point and civilians were being killed amidst threats of a nuclear war.

In the show, Arnab had called the west and the NATO nations to either negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin or directly intervene to stop the bombardment of Ukraine.

Hours later, an edited clip of the show that has gone viral on the internet is being used by detractors of Arnab Goswami to ridicule and abuse him on the internet.

A short clip of Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami being subjected to a diatribe by a Portuguese panellist as they discussed the west’s approach to the ongoing clashes in Ukraine is all over the social media platforms.

In the edited clip, Gilbert Doctorow, a Portuguese strategic affairs expert, was seen lashing out at Arnab Goswami for not allowing him to convey his point of view. The enraged panellist asked whether Arnab Goswami would be allowed to speak or was there just to watch. The Portuguese panellist further said that he would like to tell Arnab that he needs to de-escalate his own language.

The Portuguese panellist said Arnab Goswami was simply repeating the accusations coming out of Ukraine President Zelenskyy’s office and amplified by Washington. He also claimed that the words Arnab used were not suitable for this discussion. The panellist from Lisbon also added that Arnab interrupted his Chinese speaker in a brutal way which does not help for the exchange of opinions.

“This is a war against NATO. The end game of Mr Putin is to show the shambles that NATO and to take the American knee out of the European neck. You, India along with China will be the major beneficiaries if Putin succeeds,” said Doctorow, adding that the editorial position of Republic TV on the ongoing Ukraine conflict would harm the country and the show that he is airing is against the interests of his own country.

The less-than two-minute accusations by the Portuguese panellist turned out to be a joyful moment for the Islamists, left-liberals, who aggressively shared the video to claim that Arnab Goswami was humiliated on his own network.

Mohammed Zubair, a notorious fake news peddler and co-founder of the propaganda website Alt News, was ecstatic as the video went viral. The Islamist troll shared his glee by saying that Arnab was called “Anti-national” on his own channel. Interestingly, the panellist never used such words to target Arnab Goswami.

The angry rant by a foreign panellist against the Indian journalist also caused a sense of joy in the Congress party as senior leaders were seen making fun of Arnab Goswami.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that it took an expert from Lisbon to tell “ex-journalist” Arnab Goswami that his programme was actually anti-India.

Rana Ayyub, an Islamist accused of tax fraud, posted a tweet saying Arnab Goswami got schooled in journalism and journalistic ethics by a panellist from Lisbon. “A crying shame for the Indian media that is seen cheering war and amplifying state-sponsored propaganda,” Rana Ayyub claimed in her tweet.

As the one-sided propaganda videos have gone viral to tarnish the image of Republic TV chief, the full un-edited videos have appeared on the social media platforms in which Arnab Goswami was seen giving a befitting response to the Portuguese panellist for his bluster on national TV.

Arnab Goswami gives a befitting response to panellist

In his response, Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami said he thanked the panellist for giving a speech despite not asking for one. Asserting that he has independence over choosing an editorial position, Arnab Goswami slammed the Portuguese panellist saying, “You are sitting there in Lisbon and giving me a lecture. Kindly lecture yourself and ask yourself whether the straightforwardness of the question has begun to hurt you.”

The Republic TV chief also pointed out his bias, saying that the panellist, being a man of many years of own position, was very prejudiced in your views. Arnab Goswami cautioned the panellist by saying he would not accept a single line of unnecessary lecturing to anyone and asked him to desist from making any outrageous remarks as it was an Indian student who was killed in Kharkiv.

“So, I will not have you sit there and give me any lectures anymore. If you can answer the question, answer me. I will ask you a geostrategic question answer it as a geostrategic expert. Since you have chosen to run away, that is your problem,” Arnab Goswami responded to the panellist.

Twitter locks Law Beat’s account, editor claims action taken for covering Bombay HC order against NCP chief Sharad Pawar

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter locks Law Beat’s account, editor claims action taken for covering Bombay HC order against NCP chief Sharad Pawar

Continue its policy of arbitrarily locking and suspending accounts, Twitter on Wednesday locked out the handle of legal news sharing portal Law Beat after receiving a report on its tweet that covered a court order against NCP president Sharad Pawar.

Sanya, Editor at Law Beat, took to Twitter to inform about the action taken by the microblogging website against the Law Beat account. “WOW! Twitter has locked Law Beat India’s account for a tweet it posted that had an Arrest Order of NCP’s Nawab Malik. The Arrest order was circulating ALL ACROSS social media. Looks like the video we did on Sharad Pawar didn’t sit right with many,” Sanya tweeted.

In a subsequent tweet, she explained why Twitter had locked out the account of Law Beat. “Twitter has locked Law Beat India after a tweet of February 23 was reported. We covered the order of Bombay HC recently at length. Chronology samjhiye,” she tweeted.

What was the Bombay HC order against NCP supremo Sharad Pawar that led Twitter to lock Law Beat’s account?

As per the report by the Law Beat India, the Bombay high court in a recent judgment regarding the controversial Lavasa Project noted that NCP Chief Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule were ‘personally interested in the development of the Lavasa Hill Station Project. Nanasaheb Vasantrao Jhadav had filed a PIL seeking that the special permission granted in 2002 to Lake City Corporation for purchasing lands for private hill station Lavasa in Pune district be declared as illegal. In the PIL, it was alleged that the Pawar family by reason of their political standings used their political clout and an enormous influence on the Government machinery that led to the development of the Lavasa Hill Station Project.

The bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and G.S. Kulkarni had said, “Government machinery worked unusually fast to give effect to the wishes of Sharad Pawar, resulting in the grant of permissions, otherwise unlawful, involvement of a company in which Supriya Sule held shares.”

As Russia faces sanctions for invading Ukraine, its currency Ruble slips below 100 vs US dollar

OpIndia Staff
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As Russia faces sanctions for invading Ukraine, its currency Ruble slips below 100 vs US dollar

As the NATO nations increasingly impose more sanctions against Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the Russian economy is starting to feel the hit. The Russian currency Ruble has been on a downward trend for the last few days, and it reached a record low today.

The Rouble had crossed the hundred mark against the US Dollar in the last 2 days, and it further fell today below 115. This means the Russian Ruble costs less than a US cent today.

Source: Xe.com

Before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine, the Ruble was hovering around 70 for the last two years. However, it started to rise sharply in the last week of February. Every day since the Russian invasion of Ukraine has begun, Ruble has fallen against the dollar and the Euro daily.

Russian financial sector is in crisis as a consequence of its invasion of Ukraine, as it is a financial blockade by major nations and financial institutions. The US and the European Union has blocked Russia from utilising its emergency reserves to protect its economy. The coordinated action by the US and the EU has prevented the Russian central bank from selling its reserves in the Dollar, Euro and other major foreign currencies.

The US officials have said they intend to trigger more inflation in Russia so that the country’s monetary defence is weakened.

Not just the macroeconomy, individual Russian citizens are having to pay the price of the actions of their government, as their cashless payment solutions have stopped working as global payment majors including Visa, Mastercard and Amex have blocked Russian financial institutions from their network, as per the US govt’s orders imposing sanction on Russia.

As measures to cope with the crisis, Russia has made an increase in interest rate to 20%. The govt has also asked the companies to convert 80% of foreign currency revenues on the domestic market, as the central bank is unable to use its foreign currency reserves due to the sanctions.

Terrorist org Sikhs For Justice calls for Khalistanis to support Ukraine, asks Ukraine President to raise a Sikh regiment

OpIndia Staff
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Terrorist org Sikhs For Justice calls for Khalistanis to support Ukraine, asks Ukraine President to raise a Sikh regiment

On March 2, Khalistani terrorist organization Sikhs For Justice announced its support for Ukraine and urged Khalistanis to raise an army of ‘foreign fighters to defend Ukraine. The terror outfit released a video message and a letter supporting Ukraine. In the letter, he had urged the Ukrainian President to raise a Sikh Regiment as part of the Internation legion of foreign fighters.

Source: Twitter

Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a designated terrorist under UAPA, said in the letter that, unlike India, is supporting Russia in the conflict by abstaining from voting at UNSC, Khalistani Sikhs were ready to “defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

He further claimed that this was the right time for Sikhs to “liberate Punjab” by siding with the “anti-India block at international level”.

In the video message, Pannu urged the Ukrainian President to raise an exclusive Sikh Regiment and offered that Khalistani Sikhs would help Ukraine in the “fight for independence.” However, he put up demand if Ukraine wanted the support of the Khalistani terrorist organization. He said, “While we raise a Sikh regiment and promote it in Punjab, we urge President of Ukraine to first recognize Sikhs into self-determination and move a resolution in general assembly recognizing sactionist referendum for the independence of Punjab from India.”

Pannu blamed NATO and western countries for siding with India in the last three decades and provoked them by saying that Russia’s military action on Ukraine has brought the perfect time to support Sikhs in their “fight for the independence of Punjab.” He further said as Sikhs had fought for the west in World War I and World War II, they would fight for them in this war, too, but for that, the west had to come forward in support of Khalistan.

Sikhs For Justice and its history of using every event for propaganda

The designated Khalistani terrorist organization, Sikhs For Justice, has a long history of using every issue for spreading its own propaganda. The organization used farmers’ protests in India to spread its propaganda and from time-to-time announced cash rewards for those who helped in spreading it further. He had announced a cash reward for anyone who hoists flag on Red Fort on Republic Day last year, and it did happen. He also meddled in the burqa row and urged to raise the demand for a separate nation Urduistan. In January, his organization took responsibility for blocking PM Modi’s convoy in Punjab.

60% of Indian nationals in Ukraine have safely crossed border, efforts to evacuate all going on: Centre to Kerala HC

OpIndia Staff
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60% of Indian nationals in Ukraine have safely crossed border, efforts to evacuate all going on: Centre to Kerala HC

The Central Government on Wednesday confirmed that 60% of the Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine have crossed the borders and are safe amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. The government added that it is engaging all possible efforts to evacuate the remaining 40% as well.

The Central govt confirmed this to the Kerala High Court today as it was hearing the petition filed by parents and Kerala High Court Advocates Association seeking to initiate steps to get back the Keralites stranded in Ukraine safely.

According to the reports, the petition alleged that the Indian Embassy in Ukraine was not cooperating amid the war and that the Indian nationals were facing mass discrimination and torture by Ukrainian Army. It added that Indian people were made to wait for help in the extreme cold weather.

The Central Government stated that out of around 20000 Indian nationals in Ukraine, 30% had already reached India and 30% are in the neighbouring countries. “The government is also taking necessary measures to evacuate the remaining 40 per cent of the Indian nationals by utilizing all its means,” the Central Government submitted in the Kerala High Court.

The Government also told the High Court that under ‘Operation Ganga’, in addition to commercial aircraft, Indian Air Force flights have also been pressed into operation to evacuate the Indians who have crossed into Romania, Poland, Hungary and other neighbouring countries of Ukraine.

The Assistant Solicitor General of India observed that the situation in Kharkiv in Ukraine is volatile and under heavy shelling. He added that a number of Indian nationals were stranded and initially inconvenienced on the land borders in Ukraine. “The reports of difficulties at the borders faced by some of our students, including insensitivity by border guards may be seen in the context of the situation in a war zone, and is also attributed to the overwhelming numbers, breakdown of systems and extreme weather conditions” submitted the ASG.

It is worth noting that 12000 Indian nationals have left Ukraine amid the war and are safe as informed by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla yesterday. Also, Indian Embassies in Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland are receiving the Indian evacuees, providing them with food, water and shelter to the extent possible. They are utilizing the Indian Community Welfare Fund to make arrangements for Indian rescue flights so that the Indian nationals can reach back to their home.

4 Union Ministers have been sent to coordinate evacuation efforts in Poland, Moldova, Hungary and Romania under the ‘Operation Ganga’.

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