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NASA reveals what the real cause of pollution in Delhi is, and no, it’s not Diwali crackers

OpIndia Staff
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NASA reveals what the real cause of pollution in Delhi is, and no, it’s not Diwali crackers

On November 11, space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) noted that stubble burning in the States of Punjab and Haryana had led to a sharp deterioration of air quality in northwestern India.

NASA observed that fire activity increased in the month of November due to acceleration in the pace of burning stubble. It stated, “On November 11, 2021, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite acquired this natural-colour image of a river of smoke streaming from fires in Punjab and Haryana toward Delhi, one of India’s most populous cities.” The space agency added that fires in Pakistan had also contributed to the smoke.

According to Pawan Gupta, who works at Marshall Space Flight Center in NASA, at least 22 million people were affected by smoke produced due to stubble burning on November 11 alone. NASA informed that sensors in India’s National capital had recorded the level of PM 2.5 and PM 10 at above 400 micrograms per cubic meter on several occasions in November, which is higher than the WHO recommended level of 15 micrograms per cubic meter.

Using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite of NASA, scientist Hiren Jethva concluded, “Earlier in the summer, we saw one of the largest Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values in the 20-plus year record. Based on that, I predicted this would be one of the most active fire seasons on record, and that is exactly what we have seen. We still have a few weeks of burning to go, but already Aqua MODIS has detected more than 17,000 hotspots in Punjab and Haryana—making this the most active fire season on record.”

By November 16, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor detected over 74000 hotspots in Punjab. The number is closer to the 85000 hotspots that were detected by the sensor in 2016. While speaking about the impact of government campaigns to deter farmers from burning stubble, Pawan Gupta said, “Over nine years of VIIRS observation, we don’t see much of a trend in Punjab. However, in Haryana, we saw a 45 percent decrease in the total number of fires in 2020 compared to the 2012-2019 average. But fire counts seem to be on the higher end in Haryana again this year.”

Opindia explained NASA data and impact of Stubble burning on air quality

According to the Fire Information for Resource Management System of NASA, the incident of fires in Punjab and Haryana have gone up significantly in the month of October, with it reaching its peak in the last week. Social media users also have pointed out how the farmers burning their stubble are responsible for the pollution, not firecrackers.

NASA used red dots to indicate incidents of fire caught by satellites, and the maps for 31st October and 5th November showed that almost the entire state of Punjab was covered with red dots, which meant that crop residues were being burnt at almost all the farmland in the state to clear the land for the next cultivation. Similarly, a large portion of Haryana was also covered with such red dots indicating fire.

In November last year, the contribution of stubble burning to the pollution in Delhi had reached 40%. And there was nothing to suggest that circumstances this year would be drastically different.

NASA fire maps for north India on different dates in October

There was also an indication that the farmers timed stubble burning with Diwali so that the pollution caused by them was blamed on firecrackers. When Swarajya Magazine editor Arihant Pawariya asked a farmer why they were burning stubble during Diwali, the farmer had replied that nobody will catch them as it was the time of the festivals.

Therefore, even if there was no bursting of firecrackers due to Diwali, Delhi’s air quality would not have been any better. Due to wind direction, the smoke from the stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana move towards Delhi, where it remains stationary due to the lack of wind movement in the region. Fog caused by lower temperate captures the pollutants in the air and keep them suspended in the air for a longer time, which creates toxic smog.

Supreme Court concluded that major cause of air pollution in Delhi was not ‘stubble burning’

Amidst the deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI) in the National Capital, the Centre told the Supreme Court that stubble burning in neighbouring states of Haryana and Punjab was not a major contributor to air pollution. Earlier, the Union government told the apex court that stubble burning contributed to only 10% of the pollution and thus is not a major cause of pollution in Delhi.

It suggested the implementation of the odd-even rule, lockdown (in the worst case scenario) and a ban on the entry of trucks in the National Capital. As such, the Supreme Court concluded that major causes of pollution are industries, transport and vehicular traffic, besides stubble burning in some areas.

Priyanka Gandhi’s personal secretary, 2 other Congress leaders booked for assault, were found loitering around a house at midnight

OpIndia Staff
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Priyanka Gandhi’s personal secretary, 2 other Congress leaders booked for assault, were found loitering around a house at midnight

The Lucknow police have booked Priyanka Gandhi’s personal secretary and two other senior Congress leaders for assault and intimidation. As per reports, Sandeep Singh, Priyanka’s personal secretary, two other Congress leaders named Yogesh Kumar Dixit and Shiv Pandey have been booked too.

The FIR has been registered at Lucknow’s Hussainganj Police Station. As per reports, the complaint was lodged by a man named Prashant Kumar. Kumar has named 4 accused in the case including the three Congress leaders. He had alleged that four people had tried to invade his privacy by loitering around his house in the middle of the night.

The complainant has also stated that four persons, including the Congress leaders, had been suspiciously loitering around his house in the middle of the night and when he objected, he was threatened and thrashed by them.

The police have stated that further investigation is underway in the case.

Prashant Kumar is a driver working in the estate department of the Uttar Pradesh government, as per reports. He is currently posted as a driver for a minister. The complainant lives in Mall Avenue, and he had allegedly found the accused lurking around his house on Wednesday midnight.

The complainant has added that Sandeep Singh looked drunk at the time of the incident. When the complainant confronted the Congress leaders asking why are they lurking around his house, Sandeep Singh and others started abusing him and threatening to have him arrested.

Prashant Kumar stated that when he tried to call the police, the accused snatched away his mobile phone and threw it away. As the commotion got louder, other members of Prashant’s family came out and then the accused ran away.

PM Modi addressed the nation, repeals the three farm laws urging protesters to go back home

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi addressed the nation, repeals the three farm laws urging protesters to go back home

On the 19th of November, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi addressed the nation at 9 AM. Addressing the nation, PM Modi thanked the millions of farmers who appreciated the farm laws, which were introduced after due deliberation and with honest intentions. PM Modi made a startling announcement saying that the government had decided to, however, repeal the 3 farm laws that were passed for the benefit of the farmers.

PM Modi, addressing the nation said that by the end of this month, the Modi government would complete the process of repealing the three farm laws. He then appealed to the protesting farmers and middlemen to return to their homes on this Gurupurab and stop their protest. He further said that the government will form a committee to formulate laws for the benefit of the farmers.

He further said that the government had introduced the laws after due deliberation but perhaps it was the shortcoming of the government that they could not convince all farmers that the laws were indeed in their benefit. Further, he said that the past governments had deliberated on these laws as well but it was the Modi government that had implemented them.

He said that all his decisions were in the interest of the nation and he will continue to work for the benefit of the nation.

The full speech by PM Modi can be viewed here:

PM Modi repeals farm laws: What were they

One of the biggest factors plaguing the growth of the agriculture sector in the country is the inability of the farmer to find a market and to get a fair price for his produce. To address the issue, the erstwhile governments of different states enacted the Agricultural Produce Market Regulation Acts (APMC Acts), which authorised them to set up and regulate marketing practices in wholesale markets. 

The objective of these markets was to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their produce. However, with each passing year, the APMCs turned out to be inefficient with increasing cartelisation of middlemen, ban on private players to enter the trade, increasing corruption etc. 

The Modi government had introduced three bills to promote much easier trade for the farm produce and to provide a competitive market for the producers outside the existing APMC system. The three laws were: 

  1. The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020: This law aims at creating additional trading opportunities outside the APMC market yards to help farmers get remunerative prices due to additional competition
  2. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020: This law relates a framework for contract farming through an agreement between a farmer and a buyer prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce. 
  3. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020: This law aims to regulate the supply of certain food items only under extraordinary circumstances.

It is pertinent to mention that the farm laws were set of three laws that allowed farmers to sell their products outside APMC act (most states make it compulsory for the farmers to sell at APMC mandis). It also allowed farmers to directly have a contract with corporate houses.

The farm laws did not do away with APMC, and if someone was not willing to trust markets outside the current system, they were free to stick to the ongoing system. It did not do away with MSPs either.

6,754 women abducted in first half of 2021 in Pakistan’s Punjab province, 1,000 Hindu and Christian women converted to Islam every year

OpIndia Staff
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6,754 women abducted in first half of 2021 in Pakistan’s Punjab province, 1,000 Hindu and Christian women converted to Islam every year

The Islamic country of Pakistan has become a hotbed of violence against women, especially those belonging to minority Hindu, Christian and Sikh communities. Ashiknaz Khokhar, a human rights activist has noted that the kidnapping of minor girls from religious minorities is a common occurrence in Pakistan. She has said that over 1,000 girls belonging to Hindu and Christian communities are forcefully converted to Islam every year in Pakistan.

Human Rights activist Ashiknaz Khokhar has also said that the government of Pakistan is not taking the menace seriously. According to media reports, Khokhar said, “The (Pakistan) government is not taking this issue seriously and parliament recently refused to pass the bill on forced conversion”. Saying that over 1,000 minority girls are abducted every year, she said that there was a dire need for a specific law to protect minority girls in Pakistan.

The statements by Khokhar comes as another 12 year old Christian girl was abducted in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Reportedly, 12 year old Meerab Abbas was taken by Muhammad Daud, a native of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. 

The latest report has stated that around 6,754 women were kidnapped in the country’s Punjab province in the first half of 2021. Out of those, 1,890 women were raped, 3,721 were tortured and 752 children were raped. The fresh report came on 30 August after the board of Trustees of Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) flagged its concerns over the increasing attacks on women in the country.

A 2019 field investigation report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has reaffirmed an unpleasant reality that is already known for far too long—minorities in Pakistan live under constant fear of persecution as their perpetrators enjoy court sanctions, support from the influential and affluent section of the society and patronage from political leaders.

Political patronage to conversions emboldened perpetrators and normalised violence and persecution of Hindus in Pakistan 

The Commission in the 2019 report found that the districts of Ghotki and Daharki were among the most affected by the scourge of rampant conversions was because they were business-oriented towns and were, therefore, accessible to trade routes and networks of madrassas. As a consequence, there was considerable political influence in these districts, which the victims said played a part in normalising and legitimising the unceasing incidents of abductions and conversions of Hindu girls in the region. 

The perpetrators often tended to target non-Muslims and enjoyed political support due to the state’s economic interest in the local areas. The businesses of non-Muslims were also targeted if they went against Muslim residents for the kidnapping and conversion of their daughters into Islam.

Kangana Ranaut is so insignificant and talentless that these politicians cannot stop reminding her about it by being sexist for a week now

OpIndia Staff
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Kangana Ranaut is so insignificant and talentless that these politicians cannot stop reminding her about it by being sexist for a week now

In a recent interview, four-time national awardee and Padma Shree awardee actress Kangana Ranaut had stirred up a controversy. She said that India attained absolute freedom only in 2014 when the Narendra Modi government came to power. She described the Independence India got in 1947 from the British as alms. After the controversy, Kangana defended herself and said if anyone could prove her wrong, she would return her Padma award.

The sexist and vile comments against Ranaut

Kangana Ranaut faced an array of sexist and vile comments since she made the remarks during the interview. The most recent comment came from Shiv Sena MP Krupal Tumane. He went on a sexist rant against four-time national award-winning actress Kangana Ranaut to insinuate that she did not deserve the Padma Shri conferred upon her earlier this month. He said, “Kangana Ranaut knows how she herself got the Padma Shri. Whose feet she has licked and what all things she has licked to get the award. All the MPs and MLAs in Delhi are aware of it. People lobbying in Delhi are also aware. To speak more on this would be ‘tuchha’ (shallow), and I would not like to say anything more on such ‘tuchha’ woman.”

On November 15, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi lost his mind and called Kangana’ talve chatne wali aurat’. The SP leader, during a TV interview, said that Kangana Ranaut “ek talve chatne vali aurat hain, use jail bhej dena chahiye” (she is a bootlicker, she should be sent to jail). Without explicitly taking the name of BJP, Azmi added that Kangana Ranaut fawns over the party, which she said brought real freedom to India after 2014. When the anchor tried to warn him against vile comments on a woman, he said he had no remorse for what he said.

Ashok Swain, an alleged professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, had questioned giving the Padma to someone whose Twitter account was banned for ‘hate speech against Muslims’. It is unclear how social media platform Twitter that is a private US-based company, can be made criteria to select who would get Padma awards and who don’t.

Source: Twitter

G Kris Nair, who appears to be a Congress Party member and ‘supports women empowerment according to his Twitter profile, published a derogatory cartoon of Ranaut licking boots. He wrote, “Padma Shri for this.”

Source: Twitter

Piyush Mishra, National Spokesperson, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), said, “This Kangana Ranaut, who strips off clothes to undergarments and gets almost naked for money, is questioning the independence of the country.” He further called her an addict and said, “This addict woman should be immediately tried for treason and sent to jail.”

Source: Twitter

The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani did not miss the chance to attack Ranaut. She said honouring people who are banned for hate speeches is akin to honouring hate. Interestingly, Sherwani has been seen multiple times defending proponents of radical Islam.

Source: Twitter

Similarly, Congress mouthpiece National Herald’s columnist Mrinal Pande was not pleased with Ranaut getting the award. She questioned if Padma jokes are the best jokes. Pande, who is considered to be a ‘renowned’ journalist among the left-leaning section of media, forgot that before 2014, hardly any deserving candidate would get Padma awards. It was only after the Modi government came in power that Padma awards truly became People’s Padma

Source: Twitter

Man Aman Singh Chhina, who calls himself a journalist, said, “Hate mongers should not be given national honours. Let’s not forget what she said on Twitter.”

Kangana Ranaut thanks her followers after receiving Padma Shri 2020
Source: Twitter

Recently, NCW took cognizance of now-deleted tweets of one Vinay Ojha, General secretary of Social Media and IT Cell, Bihar, where had posted several vile comments on Ranaut.

Amidst the hate-filled atmosphere around Ranaut, veteran actor Vikram Gokhale came in support of her. He explained the rationale behind the remark and said the freedom was in alms as it was ‘given’. He added many freedom fighters were hanged during the movement for Independence, but the bigwigs did not try to same them and remained mute spectators.

BJP leader sends legal notice to Left front leader Aparna Sen for calling BSF ‘rapists and murderers’, asks for an unconditional apology

OpIndia Staff
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BJP leader sends legal notice to Left front leader Aparna Sen for calling BSF ‘rapists and murderers’, asks for an unconditional apology

BJP leader Anirban Ganguly has sent a legal notice to filmmaker and Left Front leader Aparna Sen, seeking an unconditional apology for calling BSF personnel “murderers” and “rapists”.

The opposition parties had created a massive uproar after the central government’s decision to shift the BSF’s jurisdiction in border areas from the erstwhile 15 km to 50 km in some states, including Punjab and West Bengal. In West Bengal, TMC had moved a resolution in the Assembly on Tuesday opposing the decision by the central government.

On Monday, the Left Front had organised a press conference at the press club in Kolkata, where actress-director Aparna Sen expressed anger over the centre’s decision to extend the jurisdiction of BSF in West Bengal. She said that the military is being given more power than they are supposed to get.

She had further said that the condition of people in the state is already bad, and if the power of BSF, it will be more miserable. She urged the govt to think about the people living on the border, so that they can trade and cultivate as per their choices. She also spoke about the “excesses” by the BSF in Assam and Manipur and said that it would increase the problems of people.

Along with criticising the central govt, Aparna Sen is also accused of abusing the Border Security Force personnel by calling them ‘rapists’ and ‘murderers’. These comments by her have now landed her in legal trouble, as BJP leader Anirban Ganguly has sent her a legal notice demanding unconditional apology.

Aparna Sen was not the only one to abuse the Central Armed Force, TMC leaders had also used similar language during the discussion on the resolution in the assembly. While opposing the move to extend the jurisdiction of BSF, Trinamool Congress MLA Udayan Guha had accused BSF personnel of atrocities on people, and had alleged that when women cross the border, the jawans touch the women inappropriately under the garb of frisking.

“We have seen the kind of atrocities that BSF perpetrates on people. A child who has witnessed his mother being touched inappropriately under the garb of frisking, when she returns from the field, can never be patriotic, no matter how many times you chant ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ in front of him. These incidents give birth to anti-social elements,” Udayan Guha had said.

Just a few days earlier, the same TMC leader had said that BSF personnel could be involved in smuggling. He said that after BSF had shot down two cattle smugglers at the Indo-Bangla border. He said that without the help of BSF, no one can smuggle any item either from India or Bangladesh.

Raza Academy offices raided by Maharashtra Police in Malegaon-Nanded riot case, 119 accused arrested so far

OpIndia Staff
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Raza Academy offices raided by Maharashtra Police in Malegaon-Nanded riot case, 119 accused arrested so far

The Maharashtra Police carried out raids at offices of fundamentalist Islamic outfit Raza Academy in connection with communal violence that had erupted in Malegaon, Nanded in Maharashtra last week. The police have so far arrested 119 accused who are alleged to be involved in violence.

These 119 arrests and raids were made in Nashik and Nanded district where large-scale violence had taken place last Friday (November 12). Raza Academy had staged a protest against the alleged targeting of Muslims in Tripura. The protest turned violent leading to an attack on police and the destruction of government and private properties.

While the raids have been continuously going on, the major crackdown down was done in the last two days. In Nashik district where Malegaon locality remained the centre of violence, police raided the office of Raza Acamdey at Islampura on Monday midnight and seized various documents. Here, police have arrested 52 Muslims, so far, for their alleged involvement in the riot. Most of them are said to be associated with Raza Academy.

“By Wednesday night (November 17) we had arrested 52 accused. Today afternoon (November 18) we have arrested another three accused. Not all accused are associated with Raza Academy. Some of them are associated with other organizations also. We are identifying and arresting accused persons. We are collecting and examining evidence to identify perpetrators of violence,” Nashik (Rural) SP Sachin Patil told OpIndia over the phone. Nashik Police lodged five FIRs in connection with the violence. All India Sunni Jamiat Ulema was also part of the protest and its members were allegedly involved in the violence.

NCP corporator Ayaz Hulchul has already been arrested on the charge of inciting communal tensions by sharing a fake offensive video clip on social media related to Tripura that had instantly gone viral. 

On being contacted Nanded SP Pramodkumar Shewale told OpIndia that 67 accused so far have been arrested. “In Nanded, four FIRs have been registered. There are three accused associated with Raza Academy and they are absconding. But instantly I don’t remember their name. But as far as these arrested accused are concerned they were involved in rioting,” Shewale said.

In Nanded, eight policemen were injured in stone-pelting whereas rioters damaged around a dozen of vehicles by stone-pelting set one scooter on fire. At Malegaon in Nashik, three police personnel and seven civilians were injured in the stone-pelting. The mob also broke glasses of Sahara hospital besides five to six shops and one vehicle.

 

Akhilesh Yadav vs Science: Here is why the Samajwadi Party chief doesn’t want to get vaccinated

OpIndia Staff
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Akhilesh Yadav vs Science: Here is why the Samajwadi Party chief doesn’t want to get vaccinated

Samajwadi Paty chief Akhilesh Yadav would rather risk the lives of thousands of people in the middle of a pandemic but not get vaccinated because the certificate has PM Narendra Modi’s picture, as asserted very strongly by him.

Akhilesh Yadav while speaking to the NDTV journalist, as he addressed a huge crowd at an election rally insisted that he will not take the Covid-19 vaccine unless the government removes Modi’s photograph and puts the picture of a national flag on the vaccine certificate.

For Akhilesh Yadav, public health is clearly less important than not seeing PM Modi’s photo on his certificate. That is why, despite being prompted by the NDTV journalist that he is setting the wrong precedence amongst the public by refusing to get vaccinated and moreover he is exposing himself as well as the other people’s lives at risk, the SP chief avouched to only take the vaccine if Modi’s picture is removed.

Claiming no democratic country’s vaccine certificate has the picture of a leader, Yadav reiterated that until PM Modi’s photo is not removed he will not take the vaccine.

Further, almost taking pride in the fact that he has not taken the Covid-19 vaccine yet, the SP chief said: “I’ve had Covid, studies say that if a person has gotten infected with the pathogen once, will not get it again soon”.

NDTV journalist Sreenivas Jain explained to Akhilesh Yadav how not getting vaccinated could put his life in danger, especially because he will be addressing and interacting with a large number of people in the run-up to the elections, but the SP president completely disregarded what is being presented to him.

When the journalist tried to explain how scientifically it has been proven that vaccination reduces the risk of getting re-infected as well as the severity of the ailment, the SP chief kept reiterating the same argument that those who have been vaccinated are still getting affected, so there is no need for him to take the vaccine.

The frivolous argument presented by the SP chief merely goes on to show how the opposition has made it their habit of nitpicking over trivial things, just to take on the Modi government. In January this year, Akhilesh Yadav stirred controversy when he dubbed the Covid-19 vaccine the “BJP vaccine” and declared that he would not get immunised. In June, the SP leader made a different argument, claiming that he would take the “Government of India” vaccine but not the “BJP vaccine.”

In fact, in the last few months, many Congress leaders have also created a widespread furore over it. Many have taken to social media to say that the Central government’s move reeks of obsessive self-projection and promotion. But, interestingly, as soon as the Centre left it on the states to bear the financial burden and the state governments are procuring their own vaccines, Congress-ruled states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh went on to quickly replace PM Modi’s picture with that of their own leaders.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister bans Vir Das from performing in the state for his ‘two Indias’ monologue

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh Home Minister bans Vir Das from performing in the state for his ‘two Indias’ monologue

Days after ‘comedian’ Vir Das insulted India at the global stage in the USA, the Madhya Pradesh government has announced that he will not be allowed to perform in the state. Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said on Thursday that Vir Das will not be allowed to perform in the state until Vir Das apologises for his controversial ‘I come from two Indias’ act at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

While talking about Vir Das, Narottam Mishra also slammed Congress leaders who have come in support of the comedian-actor. He said that like Das, Congress leaders also defame India in foreign nations.

“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also defames India on foreign land. MP Congress chief Kamal Nath also does it. Such type of people like him, I call them ‘vidushak’, and they would not be allowed to perform in Madhya Pradesh.”

“We won’t allow such jesters to perform. If he tenders an apology, we are going to think over it,” the minister added.

The comments of Vir Das in his monologue, which specifically paints Hindus in India as rapists, have stirred a huge controversy in the country. In the act, Das had peddled anti-India propaganda under the garb of comedy. At the very onset of the show, Vir Das had claimed, “I come from an India where we worship women during the day and gangrape them during the night.” This is a common trope used by left-liberals to paint India as an unsafe place for women to the world. Ahead of Durga Puja, the same argument changes to ‘worshipping women for 9 days’ and raping them for the rest of the year.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), a film body with over 2.5 lakh registered members, have demanded an apology from Das for his comments. The organisation said that its members won’t work with Vir Das unless he issues a public apology.

Security remains a challenge, Indian govt to decide Team India’s participation in Champions Trophy in Pakistan in 2025, says Anurag Thakur

OpIndia Staff
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Security remains a challenge, Indian govt to decide Team India’s participation in Champions Trophy in Pakistan in 2025, says Anurag Thakur

Two days after ICC awarded Pakistan the hosting rights for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur said the Indian government and the Home Ministry would monitor the security situation in Pakistan when the time comes and accordingly decide whether or not the Indian cricket team will participate in the event.

“When such global tournaments happen several factors are considered. Even, in the past, many countries had pulled out of going there (Pakistan) and play because of security concerns. As you all know, players were even attacked while playing over there and that’s a big issue,” the former BCCI President told reporters.

“So when the time comes, the government will take a decision depending on the circumstances then. The Home Ministry will be involved in decision making,” he added.

On November 16 (Tuesday), the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the names of 14 host countries that would host the ICC’s cricket events between 2024 to 2031. Pakistan has been awarded the privilege to host the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.

Notably, no bilateral cricket has taken place between India and Pakistan since 2012, however both teams play at ICC events.

BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly made a statement recently on whether India and Pakistan would play a bilateral cricket series soon. Sourav Ganguly said, “This is not in the hands of the boards. At world tournaments, the two teams do play each other. Bilateral cricket has been stopped for years and this is something that the respective governments have to work on.” He made the comment at the 40th Sharjah International Book Fair

Meanwhile, the 2025 Champions Trophy will be the first ICC tournament that will be hosted in Pakistan since the 1996 men’s ODI World Cup which the country had co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka. After the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, Pakistan has not been able to host many international games in the country.

In March 2009, the Sri Lankan cricketers were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, in their team bus, when a group of masked terrorists attacked them. Five Sri Lankan players, including captain Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, the vice-captain were injured. Six security personnel and two civilians were killed in the ghastly attack by the terrorists.

Recently, in September, New Zealand and England had also pulled out of their bilateral tours to Pakistan due to security concerns.

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