Delhi High Court has given interim protection to Alt News co-founder Zubair while hearing his plea to quash FIR filed against him under IPC Section 509B, IT Act section 67. The court has asked the Delhi government and DCP Cyber Cell to file a status report of the case within eight weeks. The court has also directed NCPCR to file a reply on the allegations against Zubair filed by the petitioner by making his data public.
Court has also directed the Delhi Govt and DCP, Cyber Cell to file status report within 8 weeks
NCPCR is directed to filea reply on the allegation of harassing the Petitioner by making his data public@AltNews@zoo_bear
Priyank Kanoongo, the chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said in a tweet recently that according to the action taken report (ATR) received by the commission, an FIR has been registered against Mohammad Zubair for doxxing a minor girl while arguing with a twitter user. FIR is also named @de_real_mak and @syedsarwar, who posted derogatory tweets against the girl child in the pretext of supporting Zubair. Another FIR is filed against Zubair in Chhattisgarh under relevant sections of the IT Act and POCSO Act.
The Supreme Court today dismissed three petitions seeking to postpone the NEET examination for admission to undergraduate medical courses scheduled to be conducted on September 13. The petitions cited many grounds for postponement of the exams including the Bihar floods and the lesser restrictions on movement. A similar petition filed by six Ministers from various states was dismissed by the Court on September 4.
The three petitions sought for the postponement of the examination instead of cancellation in view of the coronavirus outbreak. A Bench comprising of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Subhash Reddy and Mr Shah took the decision. The court in its August 17 order, which was passed by a Bench headed by Justice Mishra, had allowed the Centre to conduct the examinations. The court had observed that the career of students could not be put on peril and a year could not be wasted.
Commenting on the maintainability of the petitions, the bench remarked that everything was over, the review petitions were also dismissed and the JEE has also been conducted, so how could then the current petition be considered. Senior Advocate Arvind P Datar who appeared for the petitioners gave the example of Bihar where there are only two centres for the examination and the train services have been stopped till September 30. “16 lakh students are writing the exams. This is the only medical exam. There are only two centres- Patna and Gaya. Trains are not running till 30th. We are only asking for 3 weeks of postponement”, Datar submitted.
Senior Advocate KTS Tulsi who supported Datar’s argument requested the court to pass an order similar to that passed by the Bombay High Court last week. The Bombay High Court had ordered the National Testing Agency to conduct a re-examination for the students who could not appear for the exam. Datar also made a similar request for students who will not be able to appear in the exam due to lockdown restrictions.
Joint Director of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Sajid Gondal, has resurfaced on 8th September. He was missing for five days. He posted on his twitter handle that he is back and safe and thanked everyone who was worried about him.
I am back and safe, and I am thankful to all friends who were worried for me.
Any details of the circumstances of his return have not been made public yet. His disappearance was linked to the probe in corruption allegations against Lieutenant General (Retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa, chairperson, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He is a close aide of Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan.
As per the reports, Gondal’s vehicle was found abandoned in front of the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) in Chak Shahzad. His family filed a complaint with the police after he did not contact them or came back home. After the information of his disappearance was made public, #BringBackSajidGondal trended on Twitter in Pakistan.
After his disappearance, voices were raised not only by the ministers in power but also by Islamabad High Court judge over the police’s failure to trace him. In a statement, information Minister Shibli Faraz had condemned the incident and said the country seems to be no longer safe. He said, being a minister, he used to feel safe while driving alone at night, which is no longer the case.
While hearing a petition filed by Gondal’s mother, Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Islamabad High Court (IHC) said that Gondal’s disappearance is only the tip of the iceberg. The court issued a direction on 5th September to respondents, including the interior secretary, chief commissioner, and Inspector General of Police, Islamabad Capital Territory, to appear in front of the court in person to file an answer on the failure of security agencies to trace Gondal.
Allegations against Bajwa
Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa had to resign after allegations were raised against him to help his family members set up off-shore businesses in several locations. He had served as a Commander of the Southern Command and Pakistan Army Spokesperson before retiring. He denied all the allegations against him and submitted his resignation from his post of special assistant to the PM on information and broadcasting. However, he kept serving as the chairperson of CPEC. In his tweet on 3rd September, he denied all the charges and said, “I have and will always serve Pakistan with pride and dignity.”
I strongly rebut the baseless allegations levelled against me and my family.Alhamdolillah another attempt to damage our reputation belied/exposed.I have and will always serve Pakistan with pride and dignity. pic.twitter.com/j185UoGhx1
On 4th September, senator Faisal Javed Khan, a close aide of PM Imran Khan, tweeted and informed that PM Khan had decided not to accept Bajwa’s resignation from SAPM and asked him to continue working.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided not to accept resignation of @AsimSBajwa from SAPM (Info & Broadcasting) post and has given instructions to continue working.
Bajwa’s resignation came after Fact Focus reported on 27th August that his younger brothers opened Papa John’s pizza restaurants in 2002 when he started working as a Lieutenant Colonel on the General Pervez Musharraf’s staff. The report suggested that his brothers Nadeem and the other three, along with his wife and three sons, own a business empire with around 99 companies set up in four countries. Journalist Ahmad Noorani, who wrote the Fact Focus report, has alleged that he is receiving threats to his life publishing the said report.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun a demolition drive at the Bandra office of actor Kangana Ranaut. They had claimed that there were several alterations on the premises without the due permission from BMC. When BMC officials arrived with police force at Ranaut’s office, she said that the Maharashtra government and their goons are at my property all set to break it down illegally.
As I am all set for Mumbai Darshan on my way to the airport,Maha government and their goons are at my property all set to illegally break it down, go on! I promised to give blood for Maharashtra pride this is nothing take everything but my spirit will only rise higher and higher. pic.twitter.com/6lE9LoKGjq
She said that her office was like “Ram Mandir” to her. In her tweet, she said the history would repeat itself, and Ram Mandir will get demolished again by Babar. In the last tweet about the demolition drive, she said, “I am never wrong, and my enemies prove again, and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy.”
मणिकर्णिका फ़िल्म्ज़ में पहली फ़िल्म अयोध्या की घोषणा हुई, यह मेरे लिए एक इमारत नहीं राम मंदिर ही है, आज वहाँ बाबर आया है, आज इतिहास फिर खुद को दोहराएगा राम मंदिर फिर टूटेगा मगर याद रख बाबर यह मंदिर फिर बनेगा यह मंदिर फिर बनेगा, जय श्री राम , जय श्री राम , जय श्री राम ? pic.twitter.com/KvY9T0Nkvi
The actress has moved the Bombay High Court for a stay on the demolition drive on her office.
On Monday, the BMC visited the office for the first time for inspection. On Tuesday morning at around 10 AM, they pasted a notice as the office was closed. Kangana said in a tweet that the BMC officials forcefully took over her office. The notice was issued to her under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act that stated the ongoing renovation and finishing work was not as per the approved plan. Ranaut is travelling back to Mumbai amid threats from the ruling party.
After being put through the winger for three days in a row, actor Rhea Chakraborty was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau today after she reportedly confessed to having consumed weed(a generic term for marijuana). The arrest comes days after her brother Showik Chakraborty was rounded up in connection with peddling and consumption of proscribed drugs.
While Rhea, Showik and others arrested in the high-profile drug angle into the Sushant Singh Rajput death case have reportedly confessed to having taken weed(marijuana) and other drugs, it appears that many journalists, especially those working at ThePrint, also seemed to be whacked out on top quality weed, as evidenced by the articles churned out by the Shekhar Gupta owned media outlet.
However, right at the outset, we would like to clarify that our assertion that journalists at ThePrint are intoxicated on high-quality weed is purely figurative, lest the Narcotics Control Bureau storms their office, and tests the employees working with the organisation. Our presumption that ThePrint journalists are under the influence of weed is entirely based on the cringe-worthy analysis that has become a hallmark of articles produced on the portal.
If it were not for intoxication caused by the high-quality weed, why would have the Print published an article comparing wildly disparate incidents of outrages to allege that BJP IT cell is cannabilising its own leaders?
ThePrint compares criticism of Subramanian Swamy with that of Sushma Swaraj
The article drew a somewhat ludicrous analogy between the online backlash faced by the two BJP leaders, who, according to the author, were subjected to ridicule and criticism by the “BJP IT Cell” for standing up for the cause they believed in.
The article contended that BJP leader Subramanian Swamy is being attacked by the BJP IT cell members in a much the similar way like the former EAM Sushma Swaraj had been ridiculed online for her decision to grant a passport to an interfaith couple in 2018.
Subramanian Swamy had alleged that he is being trolled online on social media platforms by the BJP IT cell members because he has spoken in support of the postponement of the JEE-NEET examination, which is at variance with the government’s stand. The Print article suggests that BJP IT cell members have been attacking Swamy at Amit Malviya’s bidding.
Preposterous equivalence between online criticism of Subramanian Swamy and Sushma Swaraj
Drawing an equivalence with the criticism the then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj received from netizens in connection with the interfaith couple passport row in 2018. The matter pertains to an interfaith couple who was allegedly moral policed by a passport officer in Lucknow. One Tanvi Anas accused passport officer of speaking to her rudely and holding her and her Muslim husband’s passports on hold for not having changed her name after marriage.
Anas had then taken to Twitter, tagging Sushma Swaraj and recounting in detail the ordeal she had to go through. After a huge social media uproar, the couple were issued passports in haste, overlooking many necessary procedures, and the concerned passport officer, Vikas Mishra, was transferred to Gorakhpur.
The passport officer defended his conduct, claiming that Tanvi’s name as per nikahnama (Islamic marriage contract) was ‘Shadia Anas’, but she refused to get her name changed as per her nikahnama. This was one of the discrepancies that were highlighted by Mishra in refusing to grant the couple passports.
However, despite a raft of discrepancies in their papers, a passport was issued to the couple, and many other prerequisites like police verification were bypassed. It is for these reasons that Sushma Swaraj was subjected to trolling on social media platforms. She was criticised, not by the IT cell members, but by common people, who were incensed with a minister flouting rules in her rush to grant the woman a passport out of turn.
The difference between the criticism meted out to the two BJP leaders is manifestly profound. But for one to discern that difference, it is important to remain sober and level-headed. However, a good-quality weed, coupled with the inveterate habit of remaining perpetually high on Modi hatred, essentially devoids one of sobriety and robs him/her of sanity. Only the weed of the finest breed would lead one to believe that the BJP is cutting its own leaders to size.
Rajnath Singh trolled over his anodyne tweet invoking Kashmiriyat in the aftermath of a terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims
The article goes on to mention the trolling that India’s current Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had to endure after he posted an anodyne tweet in the aftermath of an attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir. Singh had tweeted that the fact that the people of Kashmir had condemned the attack on Amarnath pilgrim reflects that the spirit of Kashmiriyat is still alive.
Naturally, the invocation of an imaginary construct such as Kashmiriyat did not sit well with an overwhelming number of people on Twitter, for the hollowness of the concept as well as the timing of the tweet when people were seething with rage over the dastardly attack against the Amarnath pilgrims. The social media users slammed Singh for his placatory tweet when the need of the hour was eliminating the terrorists responsible for the attack.
However, amusingly enough, The Print characterised the online trolling of Singh as a measure ordered by the top brass of the BJP against its own then Home Minister.
Article published in ThePrint insulted Sushant Singh Rajput’s family and Bihari culture
But this is not the only instance which reflects that the folks at The Print are possibly under the influence of cannabis. A few days ago, The Print had published an article titled as “Sushant Singh Rajput and the burden of being a ‘Shravan Kumar’ in toxic Bihari families” in which Sushant’s family – especially his seventy years plus ailing father whose only dying desire is to seek justice for his young son’s suspicious death – was bashed for filing an FIR against Rhea Chaturvedi.
In one of the finest example of toxic journalism, the said article sought to demean the Bihari culture and insult the grieving family by downplaying their grief as “toxic family structure”. Denigrating Sushant Singh Rajput’s family, the article said that “the way Sushant’s family has reacted says a lot about the burden of being a son in a Bihari family”. The article claimed further, “What has escaped popular attention is the toxic family structure of cow-belt India, especially Bihar, and how it treats its precious sons”.
Instead of blaming the culprits, incidentally, those who are now under arrest for illegal possession and consumption of drugs, the article proceeded to tarnish Sushant Singh Rajput’s family for seeking justice for their son who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his Mumbai’s flat.
In this case, too, the sheer depravity of the logic and reasoning peddled in the article degrading the Bihari culture suggested that the folks at the Print are living in a self-induced trance, purposefully losing contact with the external reality to freely peddle their propaganda. The level of absurdity that The Print has come to be associated with is only possible when one has taken the leave of his or her good senses. So, if it’s not weed, then what are the folks at The Print been smoking?
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully demonstrated the hypersonic air-breathing scramjet technology with the flight test of the Hypersonic Technology Demonstration Vehicle (HSTDV). The test was done at 11:03 AM from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on 7th September.
According to the press release by the Ministry of Defence, the hypersonic cruise vehicle was launched using a proven solid rocket motor. It reached the altitude of 30 KM, where the aerodynamic heat shields were separated at hypersonic Mach number. The cruise vehicle was separated from the launch vehicle, and the air intake opened as planned.
In a historic mission today, India successfully flight tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), a giant leap in indigenous defence technologies and significant milestone towards a #sashaktbharat and #atmanirbharbharat.
The cruise vehicle moved on its desired flight path at six times the speed of sound that is, 02 km/second, for more than 20 seconds. Several critical events, such as fuel injection and auto-ignition of the scramjet demonstrated advancements DRDO has achieved in the said technology. The officials said that the scramjet engine performed in a textbook precision.
Mission was successful
Multiple tracking radars, electro-optical systems, and Telemetry Stations monitored the launch and cruise vehicle parameters, including scramjet engine. A ship was also deployed in the Bay of Bengal to monitor the system’s performance during the cruise phase of the hypersonic vehicle. The performance parameters indicated the success of the mission.
Chairman DRDO congratulated all the Scientists, Researchers and other personnel related with #HSTDV mission for their resolute and unwavering efforts towards strengthening Nation’s defence capabilities.
With this successful demonstration, DRDO has proven its position in several critical technologies, including aerodynamic configuration for hypersonic manoeuvres, use of scramjet propulsion for ignition and sustained combustion at hypersonic flow, thermo-structural characterization of high-temperature materials, separation mechanism at hypersonic velocities, etc.
Statement of Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO on the landmark achievement. In a tweet, he said, “I congratulate to DRDO on this landmark achievement towards realizing PM’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. I spoke to the scientists associated with the project and congratulated them on this great achievement. India is proud of them.”
I congratulate to DRDO on this landmark achievement towards realising PM’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. I spoke to the scientists associated with the project and congratulated them on this great achievement. India is proud of them.
Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO congratulated all the scientists, researchers, and other personnel involved in the HSTDV mission. In a video statement, he said that this mission would pave the way for many more critical technologies, materials, and hypersonic vehicle development. “This puts India in a select set of nations, who have demonstrated this technology,” he added.
What is a Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV)
HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft that can achieve velocity greater than five times the speed of sound or Mach-5 (3800 miles per hour) or 6115 KM per hour. In the successful mission on Monday, the test flight achieved the speed 6-times greater than the speed of sound or Mach-6.
HSTDC has an air-breathing scramjet engine. It uses atmospheric oxygen that is available up to 50 KM above the earth’s surface to burn the fuel on-board. Thus, the overall vehicle is lighter in weight and more efficient, making it cost-effective. HSTDV cruise vehicle is mounted on a solid rocket motor. Once it achieves a certain velocity, the cruise vehicle gets ejected out of the launch vehicle and the scramjet engine gets ignited automatically.
Graphic representation of how HSTDV flight maneuver works (Image: DRDO)
The technology is crucial for the country as it has put India in the elite group of a handful of nations who have successfully tested it. The other countries with this technology are the US, Russia, and China.
Defence and civilian applications
HSTDV will be used as a vehicle for hypersonic and long-range cruise missiles. The system is capable of delivering nuclear or conventional payload within minutes at the target. While ballistic missiles travel at a pre-defined path, HSTDV has maneuvering capabilities that make them harder to counter. The high velocity combined with low altitude makes it harder to detect.
HSTDV has civilian applications as well. It can be used by space agencies to launch small satellites into the orbit at a low cost. It is also a crucial technology required to develop reusable launch vehicles.
Importance of HSTDV for India
The HSTDV India successfully tested on 7th September is based on an indigenously developed scramjet propulsion system. According to ISRO, a scramjet engine is an improvement over the ramjet engine as it efficiently operates at hypersonic speeds and allows supersonic combustion. While ramjet engine can achieve the velocity of Mach-3 or 3-times the speed of sound, HSTDV tested by DRDO on Monday achieved double the speed.
HSTDV development timeline
In 2004, DRDO completed the design for the airframe attached to the engine.
In 2008, while talking about the development of the hypersonic missile, Former DRDO Chief VK Saraswat said, “Through the HSTDV project, the idea was to demonstrate the performance of a scram-jet engine at an altitude of 15 km to 20 km, is on.” He further added, “Under this project, we are developing a hypersonic vehicle that will be powered by a scramjet engine. This is a dual-use technology, which, when developed, will have multiple civilian applications. It can be used for launching satellites at low cost. It will also be available for long-range cruise missiles of the future.”
In 2016, DRDO announced that it would conduct a test by the year-end, but it got delayed.
In June 2019, conducted the maiden test of hypersonic technology demonstrator with partial success. According to the reports, the test failed to meet some of the test parameters.
On 7th September 2020, DRDO successfully flights tested Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle.
The reports suggest that Israel and Cranfield University, UK, also assisted in developing the Hypersonic Vehicle. India is reported to have received some help from Russia too.
India’s has also been developing the BrahMos-II hypersonic cruise missiles in a joint venture with Russia.
HSTDV development across the globe
In March 2020, the US said in a statement that they had tested an unarmed prototype of a hypersonic missile. In July 2020, Vladimir Putin, President, Russia, said that the Russian Navy vessels would be armed with hypersonic nuclear strike weapons and underwater nuclear drones. He further added that these weapons are in the final testing phase. China is also pursuing the development of hypersonic weapons aggressively.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), popularly known as Oscars, on Tuesday, announced new eligibility reforms to qualify for the best picture category that intends to encourage diversity and equitable representation on screen and off, addressing gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and disability.
In an effort to add a bit of flavor of ‘diversity’ to its awards, the Academy Awards has now gone ‘woke’ as on Tuesday it announced that the movies in order to be eligible for the Academy Award for Best Picture beginning in 2024 must meet certain criteria in terms of representation.
Under the new initiative called Aperture 2025, the AMPAs intends to “encourage equitable representation on and off-screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience”.
Reportedly, as part of the Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, AMPAS has announced new representation and inclusion standards in order to be eligible in the best picture category. The film academy has established four broad representation categories: On-screen, among the crew, at the studio, and in opportunities for training and advancement in other aspects of the film’s development and release.
The moviemakers will now have to submit confidential inclusion standards forms, however, they will not be required for the 94th and 95th Academy Awards. These major changes, however, will not affect the 93rd Academy Awards.
Awards to represent underrepresented racial or ethnic group, LGBT, women and people of colour
Further, each standard has been divided into subcategories. Under the on-screen representation category, a film must either have at least one lead character or a significant supporting character be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, at least 30% of secondary roles must be from two underrepresented groups or the main storyline, theme or narrative must be focused on an underrepresented group.
According to the academy, underrepresented groups include women, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ or people with disabilities. The best picture award is the one category every film academy member can vote for.
The second category is for the creative leadership and crew composition of a film. To qualify for the second category of awards, the film must have either at least two leadership positions or department heads be from underrepresented groups and at least one be from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.
At least six other crew members be from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups or at least 30% of crew members be from underrepresented groups to eligible for the Academy awards under this category.
The third category is pertaining to the paid internship and apprenticeship opportunities as well as training opportunities for below-the-line workers. the fourth category addresses representation in marketing, publicity, and distribution teams.
Reportedly, these inclusion standards were developed by a team led by academy governors DeVon Franklin and Jim Gianopulos and in consultation with the Producers Guild of America.
A day after senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy accused the party’s Information and Technology (IT) cell head Amit Malviya of running a campaign against him, he has now issued a ‘final warning’ to the BJP to act against Amit Malviya.
Taking to Twitter, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy gave an ultimatum to the BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda saying that if Amit Malaviya is not removed from the BJP IT cell by Thursday then he will have to defend himself.
By tomorrow If Malaviya is not removed from BJP IT cell (which is my five villages compromise proposal to Nadda) it means the party brass does not want to defend me. Since there is no forum in the party where I can ask for cadre opinion, hence I will have to defend myself.
Swamy, citing the ‘peace proposal’ incident from the Mahabharata, said his proposal was nothing but a ‘five villages compromise’ proposal to BJP president JP Nadda as he demanded sacking of Malviya. The BJP Rajya Sabha MP said that as the party ‘did not want to defend him’ and there is no forum in the party to seek the opinion of the cadre, he will now have to defend himself.
The ‘five-village compromise’ refers to the peace proposal brought before Duryodhana on behalf of the Pandavas. Lord Krishna, ahead of the Kurukshetra war, went to Hastinapura to propose a compromise between the two sides. According to the peace proposal, Pandavas were ready to avoid war if Duryodhana lets them have only 5 villages, the minimum required to sustain. The five villages were – Indraprastha, Panprastha, Sonprastha, Tilprastha, and Vyagprastha.
Though the Pandavas deserved equal share of the kingdom, they were ready for the compromise, because they did not want to spill the blood of their family members in the war.
Subramanian Swamy’s war of words against Amit Malviya
On Tuesday, Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy took to Twitter to accuse BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya of running a campaign against him using fake tweets.
The BJP IT cell has gone rogue. Some of its members are putting out fake ID tweets to make personal attacks on me. If my angered followers make counter personal attacks I cannot be held resonsible just as BJP cannot be held respinsible for the rogue IT cell of the party
The senior leader said that the BJP IT cell has gone rogue and alleged that some of its members were putting out fake ID tweets to make personal attacks against him. Attacking Malviya, Swamy had also warned that he should not be held accountable if his angered followers made counter personal attacks just as BJP cannot be held responsible for the rogue IT cell of the party.
Subramanian Swamy’s remarks came after some of the videos of him where he had made comments against the Modi government and the construction of Ram Temple went viral on the internet. There were also some memes and posts showing Swamy as a ‘Chinese agent’.
A roadside bomb targeted first Afghanistan Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Wednesday morning in Kabul. According to the reports, at least two people have been killed and a dozen are injured after a bomb exploded on the streets of Central Kabul on Wednesday targeting the convoy of Afghanistan’s Vice President Amrullah Saleh. He, thankfully, escaped the attack unharmed.
“Today, once again the enemy of Afghanistan tried to harm Saleh, but they failed to get to their evil aim, and Saleh escaped the attack unharmed,” Razwan Murad, a spokesman for Saleh’s office said.
Reportedly, a suicide bomber had targeted Saleh’s convoy as he left his home and was headed to work. Abdullah, a shopkeeper, said the blast had blown out his windows.
Saleh, is an outspoken critic of the Taliban, survived an attack last year ahead of presidential elections. Sale is the senior of Afghanistan’s two vice presidents.
Attack comes a day after Saleh raising border issue with Pakistan
The Wednesday’s attack on Afghanistan Vice President comes after he had recently raised the Durand Line issue with Pakistan. Amrullah Saleh had said that no Afghan politician of national stature could overlook the issue of the Durand Line.
He had added, “It is an issue which needs discussions & resolution. Expecting us to gift it for free is unrealistic. Peshawar used to be the winter capital of Afghanistan.”
Pak has come out of denial & is openly saying they are harboring the Taliban. This clarity despite being bitter is a development which can be utilized in benefit of peace prcss. I had a candid discussions with Gen. Bajwa & ISI drctr when they visited Afg. Keep Pak engaged 4 peace
Saleh further added that Pakistan has come out of denial. It is openly saying that they are harbouring the Taliban. “This clarity despite being bitter is a development which can be utilized in benefit of peace process. I had candid discussions with Gen. Bajwa & ISI director when they visited Afghanistan. Keep Pakistan engaged 4 peace,” he said.
Union Ministry of Home Affairs has suspended the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA) licences of 13 NGOs after allegations were raised against them for indulging in forced religious conversions of tribals to Christianity in tribal-dominated areas.
FCRA licence allows an NGO to receive foreign funds for their work. These organizations were found to be using the acquired funds for ‘religious’ purposes. The MHA has also frozen the bank accounts of these NGOs after intelligence inputs pointed out their conversion-related activities targeting the tribal areas of several states, including Jharkhand.
A show-cause notice had been issued to these NGOs. They were asked to respond to the charges, but the MHA reportedly did not receive any reply from them before the deadline. One of the NGOs sent a late response to the notice, but MHA found it unsatisfactory.
Ministry of Home Affairs has given the 13 NGOs six months to respond to suspension notice. Based on their responses, the ministry will decide to either cancel or reinstate their FCRA licences.
FCRA’s action against conversion
As per reports, FCRA authorities have the power under Section 12(4) to suspend an NGO’s licence or an association for directly or indirectly indulging in forced or induced conversion activities from one faith to another.
The centre has recently suspended the FCRA licence of four Christian evangelical organizations, namely the Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ecreosoculis North Western Gossner Evangelical, New Life Fellowship Association, and Evangelical Churches Association.
Since the Modi government came in power, it has taken action against thousands of NGOs under FCRA regulations. Some of the NGOs, including Compassion International, whose licences were cancelled or suspended, had annual contributions from foreign countries in hundreds of crores.
