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Pakistan: Statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh vandalized in Lahore fort, third such attack

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh vandalized in Lahore fort, third such attack

The nine feet tall statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the Lahore Fort was vandalized for a third time by workers of a Pakistani political party on Tuesday. As per a Twitter user who shared the video of the vandalism, the statue was pulled down by some Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (an Islamist political party) workers.

The TLP workers first broke the arm of the statue and then dislodged it completely. As per a Hindustan Times report, the two workers entered the fort as a disabled person and his helper. The man who pretended to have a leg disability hit the statue with the rod he was carrying.

Reportedly, the TLP worker also chanted slogans against the former ruler of Punjab. The police informed that the attackers were of the view that it’s against Islam to erect a statue of a Sikh ruler in a Muslim country.

This is not the first time, however, the statue was attacked since it was unveiled in June 2019. The nine feet tall statue, made of bronze, showing the regal Sikh emperor sitting on a horse, sword in hand was desecrated by a teenager who broke the arm of the statue with the intention to destroy it. 

Zeeshan, the miscreant then had reportedly justified his act by saying, “he had committed atrocities against Muslims during his rule.”

Prior to this, a mob had attacked the statue just after a few days of its placing.

Who is Maharaja Ranjit Singh?

Popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or “Lion of Punjab”, Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.

Ranjit Singh fought his first battle alongside his father at the tender age of 10. After his father died, he fought several wars to expel the Afghans in his teenage years and was proclaimed as the “Maharaja of Punjab” at 21 years of age.

Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq compares Taliban to India’s freedom fighters, praises them for war against USA

OpIndia Staff
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Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq compares Taliban to India’s freedom fighters, praises them for war against USA

Two days after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Samajwadi Party MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, Shafiqur Rahman Barq, was seen extending his support to the Jihadist organisation. On Tuesday, August 17, the SP MP, who remains in news due to his controversial statements, tried to legitimise the radical Islamist outfit as he opined that the Talibanis have only recaptured the land that originally belonged to them.

Shamelessly drawing an equivalence between these Jihadists and India’s freedom fighters, the Samajwadi Party leader said that like our countrymen fought for freedom from the British, the Talibanis also wants to free their country and run it. “When India was under British rule, our country fought for freedom. Now Taliban wants to free their country & run it”, the SP leader was quoted by ANI as saying.

Further heaping praises for the Jihadist outfit, Shafiqur Rahman Barq added, “Taliban is a force that did not allow even strong countries like Russia and America to settle in their country”.

Interestingly, the SP MP’s statement is in line with Pakistan PM and Taliban sympathiser Imran Khan who justified the Taliban’s actions by claiming that the Afghan population had broken the ‘chains of slavery’. He also remarked that ‘cultural imposition’ (by the United States) was tantamount to ‘mental slavery.’

The Samajwadi Party leading has a track record of making extremely problematic comments. He had once said, “BJP not only tampered with Shariat but also got girls caught and raped. Mistakes like mob lynching were done with Muslims. The government is now facing the brunt of which in the form of corona.”

Shafiqur Rahman Barq is the same Samajwadi leader who had created a controversy by saying in Parliament that Vande Mataram is against Islam.

Chinese state media threatens war against USA to eliminate and expel American soldiers from Taiwan

OpIndia Staff
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Chinese state media threatens war against USA to eliminate and expel American soldiers from Taiwan

Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of Global Times, a daily tabloid newspaper under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship People’s Daily newspaper, threatened to launch a war on Tuesday to eliminate and expel the American soldiers stationed in Taiwan, an island nation that China claims as a part of its territory under its “One China Principle”.

Xijin shared a screenshot of a tweet posted by US Senator John Cornyn, who had shared the break-up of the number of US troops present in different parts of the world. In his tweet, Cornyn had alleged that the US maintains 30,000 troops in the island nation of Taiwan, along with 28,000, 35,486, 50,000 and 7,000 in South Korea, Germany, Japan and Africa respectively.

The revelation that the United States allegedly has 30,000 troops in Taiwan raised the hackles of the editor-in-chief of Chinese state media Global Times, who then proceeded to threaten war against the US and Taiwan to drive out the American forces.

In a tweet, Xijin said, “Now, the US and the Taiwan authorities must explain. If it is true that the US has 30,000, or less than the number, soldiers stationed on the Taiwan island, Chinese military forces will immediately launch a war to eliminate and expel the US soldiers.”

Source: Twitter

In a subsequent tweet, Xijin said he has been informed that John Cornyn had mistaken the current number of US troops in Taiwan with the number of previous US troops stationed in Taiwan before China and the US had set up diplomatic relations. Xijin said he believes the senator is not confused and he is simply testing China’s “patience”. The response to him, Xijin added, is war.

While Xijin’s threat cannot be considered as the official stance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that rules over China, he is, nevertheless, considered as the mouthpiece of the party, voicing concerns that hew to party’s ideology and resonate with the CCP leaders.

Taliban takes control of Afghanistan amidst US drawdown from the country

The threat came on the back of the American drawdown in Afghanistan that saw the Taliban coming to power in the strife-torn country. The crisis that is unravelling in Afghanistan is largely attributed to US president Joe Biden’s decision to announce the complete withdrawal of American forces after a 20-year-long war in the country.

Following the US withdrawal announcement, the Taliban escalated its offensive, swallowing city after city, often without firing a bullet. On Sunday, the offensive reached a crescendo when the Talibani terrorists stormed the capital, effectively sealing the control of the country as US-backed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani joined the exodus of his fellow citizens and foreigners.

Bangladesh rejects USA request to shelter Afghan refugees, says it is already in problem by allowing Rohingyas

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh rejects USA request to shelter Afghan refugees, says it is already in problem by allowing Rohingyas

On August 16, Bangladesh reportedly rejected a request from the United States to give shelter to fleeing Afghan nationals. UNB News quoted Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen saying, “Yes, we’ve received a request from the US. We thanked them but rejected the request.”

On Monday, Momen had said in a program that Bangladesh would welcome the new regime under the Taliban if it is supported by its citizens.

He had said, “We believe in people’s government. We believe in a government which is liked by its people. We believe in democratic government,” and added that Bangladesh would welcome if the Taliban’ government’ is supported by its citizens. The request for shelter for Afghan nationals came from diplomatic channels from Washington and Dhaka.

We already have over 1.1 million Rohingyas: Bangladesh

Momen said in his statement that though the US is a friendly nation, Bangladesh is already facing problems by providing refuge to Rohingyas. Notably, nearly 1.1 million Rohingyas are staying in Bangladesh at the moment. While rejecting the request, Momen said, “Don’t put us into further trouble.” Bangladesh had also requested the names of the countries to which the US had requested to give refuge to Afghans. However, the US did not give any specific reply.

Bangladesh and Afghanistan relationships

Momen stated that Afghanistan is a friendly country and a member of SAARC. “Bangladesh wants their (Afghanistan) development,” he added. When he was asked about the terrorists operating in Bangladesh who got training in Afghanistan, Momen said, “We’ve uprooted them, and there’s no scope to see their reemergence here.”

He further said that Dhaka is carefully monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and believes it would impact the region and beyond. “We urge all stakeholders in Afghanistan to maintain peace and calm, ensuring safety and security of all, including foreign nationals.” Bangladesh would take a bilateral decision in case the permanent President and Prime Minister take oath in Afghanistan.

Bangladesh will become a helping hand

Foreign Affairs State Minister Muhammad Shahriar Alam said if there is a regular government in Afghanistan in future, Bangladesh will extend a helping hand for the nation. “We do not want to be influenced by any third country to decide on Afghanistan. We want peace in Afghanistan for regional prosperity. The people of Afghanistan have a lot of potential. They use it to stand tall in the world,” he added.

He further said that Bangladesh would cooperate with Afghanistan, but it needs to have a permanent government for that. “In the days to come, when we realise that a permanent government has come into power, we will extend a helping hand,” he added. When asked if Bangladesh has any plans to ban travelling to Afghanistan, Alam denied any such plans and said the people of Bangladesh would not go to a country that is facing law and order issues. “We will discourage you from going to Afghanistan even if we do not say so in writing,” he added.

The US has been talking to several nations to provide refuge to Afghans

On August 14, it was reported that Biden Administration was in talks with several nations to urge them to provide refuge to Afghans. It seems like Bangladesh was one of such nations. The countries are reluctant to provide refuge amidst concerns about the quality of security vetting and health screening.

The US administration had requested Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to take refugees, and they are taking a handful of them, but the progress in the arena is very little. There is a deal between the US and Qatar to host 8,000 Afghans, but the official announcement is yet to be made. Experts estimate that 50,000 to 80,00 Afghans will leave the country in the coming days.

Watch: Talibanis enjoy at an amusement park after capturing Afghanistan

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Talibanis enjoy at an amusement park after capturing Afghanistan

Afghanistan has been in chaos since the Taliban gained control of Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. People have been making desperate attempts to flee. While chaotic scenes are observed at the Kabul Airport and elsewhere, the Talibanis have been enjoying themselves at amusement parks and working out at gyms.

Videos of Talibanis making merry following their victory have gone viral on social media. One video posted by Reuters senior reporter Hamid Shalizi shows soldiers driving bumper cars while touting their guns.

In a separate video shared widely on Twitter, a group of Talibanis are seen riding a merry-go-round meant for small children.

In yet another video posted by freelance journalist Asaad Hanna, the Jihadists are seen bouncing on a trampoline with glee.

According to social media users, the videos were shot at an amusement park in Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city, after it came under Taliban siege.

The jihadists were also seen working out at the gym in the Presidential palace, now under their control.

These videos are, however, in sharp contrast to the umpteen videos of brutality and atrocities, especially against Afghani women which have time and again surfaced on social media. Only yesterday, in a video shared on Instagram, Sahraa Karimi, one of Afghanistan’s most prominent women filmmakers, could be seen running amid chaos on the streets of Kabul. 

The video went viral online along with the message that the filmmaker posted a few days ago in which she talked about the atrocities faced by the people of Afghanistan and urged everyone to spread her message widely.

Besides, ever since the Taliban escalated its offensives in Afghanistan, multiple videos have surfaced on social media depicting the barbarity executed by these Islamists fundamentalists on the civilians of the country.

Afghans fall from the sky after hanging on to tyres of planes to escape Taliban control

The desperation in the war-torn country could be easily understood by the videos that appeared recently showing hundreds of Afghans squeezing into a plane to flee the country in the aftermath of the Taliban’s return. The harrowing visuals showed Afghans hanging on to the tyres of flights leaving the country from the Kabul Airport and then falling off from the sky after take-off.

Locals had reportedly confirmed that the Afghans fell on top of houses with a devastating crash. They say that the fall made a terrifying noise when the body hit the roofs.

Deoband in UP to have ATS commando centre, Taliban is inspired from Deobandi movement

OpIndia Staff
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Deoband in UP to have ATS commando centre, Taliban is inspired from Deobandi movement

Amidst the spectre of violence witnessed in Afghanistan, the Yogi Adityanath government has decided to tackle the menace of jihad and terror activities back home. An ATS commando centre will be established with immediate effect in the UP town of Deoband, the place that serves as an ideological fountainhead for many extremist organisations, including the Taliban.

Shalabh Mani Tripathi, the communications advisor to CM Yogi Adityanath, took to Twitter to inform about the decision made by the UP government. He said work on setting up an ATS commando centre in Deoband had already commenced on a war footing, adding that about half a dozen bright ATS officers from across the state will be posted in the newly developed centre.

Taliban’s connection with the UP town of Deoband

It is worth noting that the Taliban, which has recently risen in prominence in Afghanistan and effectively controls the country, draws its inspiration from the Deobandi movement. The current article on Wikipedia refers to the Taliban as a Deobandi Islamist movement and a military organization in Afghanistan, engaged in waging a jihad within the country.

Not just Wikipedia, but the Taliban’s association with the UP town of Deoband was also highlighted in an article published in the New York Times in 2002. The article titled “Indian town’s seed grew into the Taliban code” discussed how the ideology of radical Islamism that germinated in a town in Uttar Pradesh went on to influence the jihadist movement on the other side of the Durand Line, the line that separates Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A recent article in the Guardian also characterised the Taliban as “employing a narrow interpretation of Islamic sharia law inspired by the Deobandi fundamentalist school”.

According to Wikipedia, Deobandi is an Islamic revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that formed around the Darul Uloom Islamic seminary in the town of Deoband. The seminary was founded in 1866 by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and several other figures. The Deobandi movement’s political wing, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, was founded in 1919.

It is alleged that Deobandi Islam is the most popular form of pedagogy in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and several prominent Afghan and Pakistani Taliban leaders have studied in Deobandi seminaries. By some accounts, about 15 to 25 per cent of Pakistani Sunni identify themselves as Deobandi. Similarly, terror organisations such as TTP, SSP, LeJ etc., which are quite active in Pakistan draw their inspiration from Deobandi ideology. Furthermore, even a majority of Bangladeshi Sunni Muslims swear their allegiance to the Deobandi Islamic movement.

Instagram account attacks ‘Kuffars’ for condemning Taliban, asks Indian Muslims to support Talibans, deletes account later

OpIndia Staff
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Instagram account attacks ‘Kuffars’ for condemning Taliban, asks Indian Muslims to support Talibans, deletes account later

On August 16, an Instagram account named Muslim Students of Delhi (muslim_students_of_delhi) published a series of inflammatory stories in which they attacked those who were condemning the Taliban by terming them as kuffars. They also asked the Muslims to support the Taliban in closed groups. However, after receiving backlash on social media platforms, the account with 8,600 followers and 449 posts was deleted.

Screenshot of now-deleted Muslim student group’s Instagram account. Source: Twitter/alloutlefties

Series of anti-Hindu pro-Taliban posts

Two Twitter users, alloutlefties and lsab17, shared the screenshots of the stories. In the first story, the Instagram account urged the followers to be careful of those who were criticizing the Taliban and stated if the Taliban imposes even 1% of the shariah, they are far better than “all the ‘peaceful’ kuffar governments and anti-shariah masses.

They further asked the followers not to criticize the Taliban in public, especially in front of “kuffar friends”. According to them, the shortcomings of the Taliban should be discussed in closed groups only. “The only reason they hate Taliban is because they hate Islam, and they hate the Just law of Allah, The Legislator!” they wrote.

In another story, they celebrated that Afghan radio would not play music and women will walk on roads covered from head to toe. They also celebrated the demolition of idols and democracy in Afghanistan.

Source: Twitter/alloutlefties

They wished humiliation for the Kuffar (non-Muslims) and munafiqeen (Muslims who reject Islam or propagate against it) in the hands of Allah. They wished that Allah give strength to those (Taliban in this case) who are on the path of imposing the Law of Allah (Sharia).

Source: Twitter/alloutlefties

According to them, there is nothing wrong in wishing for Sharia to be imposed in Islamic countries as communists want the state to follow the idea of Marx or Lenin, and Hindus wish for Hindu Rashtra. India is a democracy and not a Hindu Rashtra.

Source: Twitter/alloutlefties

The group refused to bend to the criticism they were receiving for the stories before deleting the account.

Main account was deleted. A backup account still exists. Source: Twitter/Instagram

Some netizens have pointed out that there is a backup account of the group that is still active on Instagram, but it is private, and only followers can check posts or stories.

‘Kangana Ranaut’s pictures with her manager Rizwan used to spread false claims’: Her advocate warns of legal action

OpIndia Staff
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‘Kangana Ranaut’s pictures with her manager Rizwan used to spread false claims’: Her advocate warns of legal action

On Monday (August 16), actress Kangana Ranaut came under a vicious attack after multiple social media handles shared her picture with her manager Rizwan Syed, claiming the actress is dating him.

At the forefront of the vitriolic campaign was the KRK Box office handle. While sharing a picture of the duo, it remarked, “Breaking News- Actress Kangana Ranaut is dating an Egyptian guy named Imran! People are accusing her of Love jihad!”

Screengrab of the tweet

Another user wrote, “Bhakts, the guy standing next to your sister (Kangana Ranaut) is a man named ‘Rizwan. You can hope that there would be an offspring by the name of Aurangzeb.”

The pictures of Kangana with Rizwan were shared with derogatory sexual innuendoes.

Screengrab of the tweet

Another Twitter troll (@Rofl_Swara1) remarked, “Bhakts, the guy standing next to your sister is ‘Rizwan.”

Screengrab of the tweet

Troll-cum- Congress sympathiser (@RoflGandhi0) made a below-the-belt remark, “When Muslims will be licked, bhakts will shout ‘brother-in-law.”

Screengrab of the tweet

Rizwan is Kangana’s manager

It is notable here that the person in the pictures with Kangana is not her ‘boyfriend’ as claimed by the social media users, but her manager. Recently, the national award-winning actress had shared her pictures with Rizwan on the occasion of his birthday along with an endearing message. The actress had thanked Rizwan for doing his job with utmost dedication and had wished that he prospers further and gets married soon. Kangana had thanked Rizwan and stated that she wishes him a lot of happiness.

Lawyer of Kangana Ranaut warns of legal action

Following the social media tirade aimed at spreading false claims against the actress, Kangana Ranaut’s advocate warned the trolls of legal action.

Screengrab of the tweet by Kangana Ranaut’s advocate

Rizwan Siddiquee, her lawyer, cautioned, “Everyone who has malafidely & mischievously used my client’s pictures attached below, to spread rumours & falsities should note that l shall be filing legal proceedings against each of you if the posts are not taken down immediately. Hoping that wiser counsel shall prevail.”

India administers record breaking 88.13 lakh doses in a day, over 2 crore doses available for utilization

OpIndia Staff
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India administers record breaking 88.13 lakh doses in a day, over 2 crore doses available for utilization

India clocked the highest daily vaccination coverage in a single day on Monday by administrating 88.13 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses. As per the Ministry of Health update, over 55 crore vaccine doses have been administered in India to date. 

On the 213th day (August 16) of the largest vaccination drive that started in January, 70.76 lakh beneficiaries received their first shot and 17.37 lakh people were given their second dose.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya commenting on the success of the program informed that the country took 85 days to touch the figure of 10 crores, another 45 days to cross the 20-crore mark and 29 more days to reach 30 crores. India in another 24 days touched the 40-crore mark and took 20 more days to cross 50 crore vaccinations. 

Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are leading the chart with 5,98,06,936 and 5,00,55,493 doses administered respectively to date followed by Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka. 

As per data available on CoWIN, the country has administered an average of 50 lakh vaccine doses per day (barring a few days) in the month of August. 

More than 2 crore vaccines still available with states/ UTs

In another update, the Ministry of Health has revealed that around 2.25 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines are still available with the states and union territories to be administered. 

“More than 56.81 crore (56,81,32,750) vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far, through all sources and a further 1,09,32,960 doses are in the pipeline,” informed the ministry.

Of the total COVID-19 vaccine doses provided, the total consumption including wastage stands at 55,11,51,992 doses, as per the ministry.

Over 1 lakh vaccine doses have been administered on Tuesday morning at the time of this report as per the CoWIN dashboard.

Aligarh to be renamed as Harigarh, Mainpuri as Mayan Nagar? Zila Panchayats pass proposal seeking permission for the same

OpIndia Staff
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Aligarh to be renamed as Harigarh, Mainpuri as Mayan Nagar? Zila Panchayats pass proposal seeking permission for the same

The Uttar Pradesh town of Aligarh may soon lose its name to Harigarh after the Zila Panchayat of Aligarh on Monday passed a resolution seeking to rename the city, which members claimed, was a long-pending demand. The proposal was unanimously ratified in the first meeting of the panchayat with 50 out of 72 members in attendance.

“For a long time, people had demanded Aligarh be renamed as Harigarh. The Zila Panchayat approved the proposal unopposed. It would now be forwarded to the state government for approval,” said Vijay Singh, Zila panchayat chairman for Aligarh.

Besides, a proposal was also passed to name the airport of Aligarh after BJP leader Kalyan Singh, who was the resident of the ‘Lock City’ and the chief minister of the state during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement when the controversial Babri structure was levelled to the ground in Ayodhya.

In addition to Aligarh, the Zila Panchayat of Mainpuri also passed a resolution seeking to rechristen the town as Mayan Nagar, after sage Mainpuri who founded the present day Mainpuri, members said.

“One of the members moved the proposal to rename Maiunpuri to Mayan Nagar. The proposal was passed on Monday with 23 members supporting the motion and two opposing it,” said Archana Bhadoria, Zila panchayat chairperson of Mainpuri.

It is worth noting that Mainpuri is the stronghold of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had won five elections from the constituency.

Earlier this month, a similar proposal to rename Firozabad to Chandra Nagar was passed by the Firozabad district panchayat. According to locals, King Chandrasen lived in Firozabad and because it was earlier known as Chandravar Nagar till about 1560 AD, the city should be renamed Chandra Nagar.

“The city was renamed to Firozabad after a representative of emperor Akbar, Firoz Shah, visited the area. The demand to rename Firozabad as Chandra Nagar has been raised time and again” said a local.

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