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India and China conduct 17th WMCC meeting virtually, both sides agree on early and complete disengagement of the troops along LAC

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India and China conduct 17th WMCC meeting virtually, both sides agree on early and complete disengagement of the troops along LAC

India and China Friday held the 17th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China Border Affairs to revolve the current standoff between the two sides. In the virtual meeting, representatives from the foreign affairs, defence, immigration and other departments of the two countries participated.

The statement by Chinese authorities read that in a candid and in-depth discussion both the countries fully affirmed that they would disengage from contact at the border and ease the situation on the ground. “Will properly handle remaining issues on ground and promote further cooling of the border situation,” confirmed China.

The two sides reviewed the situation in the India-China border areas and the ongoing disengagement process along the Line of Actual Control (LAC )in the Western Sector. They agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquillity was essential for smooth overall development of bilateral relations.

Both sides agreed that it was necessary for both sides to sincerely implement the understandings reached between Senior Commanders in their meetings till date. The two sides agreed that another meeting of the Senior Commanders may be held soon so as to work out further steps to ensure expeditiously complete disengagement and de-escalation and restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

The statement said that there has been positive progress at the border areas in disengagement from conflict areas by both sides. It furthered that the two countries emphasised that they will maintain military and diplomatic dialogue and consultation in accordance with the consensus reached by the two sides.

Reiterating that it won’t accept any unilateral attempt by China to change LAC, India on Thursday said it “expected” China to “sincerely work” with it “for complete disengagement and de-escalation and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas”. 

On Thursday, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said: “I have made clear the position of the Government as regards the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along India-China border areas through a number of statements in the last several weeks. … In my statement of June 26th, I had noted that the conduct of Chinese forces this year, including the deployment of large body of troops and changes in behaviour, accompanied by unjustified and untenable claims, has been in complete disregard of all the mutual agreements. We have also made it clear that India is fully committed to observing and respecting the LAC and that we will not accept any unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the LAC,” said the Spokesperson.

International support for India grows amidst LAC standoff

Amidst the recent LAC standoff with China, India had managed to garner immense global support. Many countries around the globe, like the USA, France, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom, have also raised their voices against China’s imperialistic and expansionist impulses in its neighbourhood.

Though the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) have refrained from overtly blaming China for the current LAC standoff in Eastern Ladakh fearing retribution, the leaders of the 10 states in the group recently rejected China’s claim to the whole of the South China Sea. The group said that the 1982 UN oceans treaty should not be violated and held as a basis of sovereign rights and entitlements in the disputed waters.

PM Modi’s stern message to China

The sudden shift in China’s stance is being primarily credited to PM Modi’s surprise visit to Ladakh soon after the Galwan Valley standoff. PM Modi had given a stern message to China that India will no longer acquiesce to its hegemony and territorial expansionism and resolutely stand up against it along the border. Following PM Modi’s high-voltage visit to the regions close to flashpoints, several countries have come forward to express their support for India.

Rajasthan political crisis: Rebel Congress MLAs debunk claims made by CM Ashok Gehlot of being held hostage by the BJP

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan political crisis: Rebel Congress MLAs debunk claims made by CM Ashok Gehlot of being held hostage by the BJP

On Friday, rebel Congress MLAs dismissed the outlandish claims made by Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot in which he accused the BJP of holding the rebel members hostage. While speaking to ANI, Neem Ka Thana MLA Suresh Modi clarified that he had come to Delhi on his own accord over disagreements with the incumbent Congress dispensation in Rajasthan. He reiterated that the rebel Congress MLAs are under no pressure from the BJP. Modi is a Congress MLA belonging to the camp of Sachin Pilot.

Referring to the failure of Ashok Gehlot in fulfilling his promises, Modi stated, “He has not done anything in my constituency for the past 1.5 years… The people of my constituency are struggling due to the shortage of water… I had demanded that my constituency be transformed into a district. However, none of my demands were met. And now he (Gehlot) is making baseless allegations against us. This is wrong. These unfounded claims made by him are a disgrace to the post of the Chief Minister. Retain your seat but at least do it in the right way.”

Ashok Gehlot must leave CM seat for Congress’ unity, says rebel leader

Another rebel MLA Murari Lal Meena claimed that he was disheartened by the bizarre claims made by a three-time chief Minister aka Ashok Gehlot. “We have neither left the Congress party nor have joined hands with the BJP”, he emphasised. Meena reiterated that the rebel MLAs had come to Delhi to communicate with the party high command about the inefficiency of the current political dispensation in Rajasthan.

“He said that we are being detained by the BJP. However, we have not communicated with BJP leaders until now. Sadly, our family members are scared after he chose to intimidate us with SOG. This is the treatment meted out to fellow members of the Congress fraternity. He needs to mend his ways else the Congress party will suffer,” the Dausa MLA was quoted as saying.

Meena further emphasised that Ashok Gehlot must step down from his Chief Ministerial position in the larger interest of the Congress party. He said, “If he feels that he has been loyal and dedicated to the party for a long time and has been a CM for 3 terms, then, he must resign for the sake of party’s unity. Why is he still stuck to the seat?”

Political crisis in Rajasthan

The divide with Rajasthan government became public after former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot moved to Delhi with a group of MLAs, claiming that the Gehlot government has lost majority. As the speculations of government collapse grew louder, Gehlot had over his loyal MLAs to the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur. On July 14, the Congress party sacked the rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot from the post of Deputy Chief Minister of the state for allegedly conspiring to topple the government, in collusion with the BJP.

The rebel leader has recently moved the Rajasthan High Court challenging the disqualification notices issued to them by the state Assembly speaker on the behest of the State CM. Earlier, Ashok Gehlot had also mocked Pilot for being “nikamma and nakaara’ (useless) and revealed that the duo had not been on talking terms for 1.5 years.

Constructing a Hindu temple in an Islamic state is ‘haram’, even non-Muslim citizens cannot spend their money on it: Zakir Naik on proposed Islamabad temple

OpIndia Staff
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Constructing a Hindu temple in an Islamic state is ‘haram’, even non-Muslim citizens cannot spend their money on it: Zakir Naik on proposed Islamabad temple

After Islamic extremists and fundamentalists impeded the construction of Hindu temple in Islamabad, slamming the Imran Khan government’s decision to fund the project, controversial radical Islamist Zakir Naik has voiced his discontent with the Pakistani government for allowing construction of a temple in Islamabad.

Naik said that the Imran Khan government has committed a sin, as it is haram (forbidden) according to Sharia (Islamic law) for an Islamic nation to pay or donate to a worship house of a non-Muslim, be it a temple or a church.

Speaking at a live session on his Islamic YouTube channel, BelievingBeings, the terror influencer, who fled India to Malaysia in 2016, said that all Muslim scholars, imams and ulemas stood united in their views that “a Muslim cannot donate, support or construct a house of worship of non-Muslims”, and by using Muslim taxpayers money to fund the Krishna temple in Islamabad, Pakistan is committing shirk (sin).

Naik’s YouTube video

“There are several fatwas (rulings) that a Muslim cannot donate or build or support a house of worship of a non-Muslim. Over the ages, scholars have maintained this,” Naik said while answering to questions from his followers and others on his weekly programme.

He furthered that the Quran, the holy book of the Muslims also discourages cooperation “in sins and transgressions”, therefore, if any Muslim associates with the building of any non-Muslism worship place, he is committing a sin.

Even a non-Muslim living in an Islamic nation cannot donate for a place of their worship: Zakir Naik

The fugitive Islamic hate preacher furthered that while there was no question of a Muslim living in an Islamic nation spending from his wealth to build a temple, even a non-Muslim living in an Islamic nation should not be allowed to use his money for building a place of worship (for non-Islamic religions).

“Fuqaha (experts in Islamic law) have agreed that even a non-Muslim’s money cannot be used to build a temple in a Muslim land. So where is the question of using Muslim money or taxpayers money (to construct a temple)?” he wondered.

The radical Islamic preacher said that if a non-Muslim house of worship is expanded by a Muslim rule, there is complete justification in destroying it. The Islamic government has no right to build new places of worship for the non-Muslims, but can only protect the existing ones, said Naik.

Politics over the proposed Hindu temple in Islamabad

The politics over the construction of a Krishna temple in Islamabad exposed the hypocrisy of the Imran Khan-led Pakistani government. Days after giving a ‘go-ahead’ for the construction of the Hindu temple in Islamabad and announcing a sanction of 10 crore Pakistani rupees (approximately Indian Rs 4.47 crore) for its construction, the Imran Khan government stopped construction of the boundary wall of the Hindu temple being built in Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad citing legal reasons. The Pakistan assembly speaker also batted against the temple construction on Islamic land saying that it is against Islam and an insult to the Islamic kingdom.

It even faced the wrath of the radical Islamists and fundamentalist, who went out of the way to stop the construction of the Hindu temple. A Fatwa was issued against the under-construction temple. Thereafter the radical extremists destroyed the under-construction boundary wall of the temple. Azan was read at the temple site. Videos of Muslim citizens of Pakistan issuing threats and warning against the temple were flooded on social media sites.

If constructed, the temple would have been the first Hindu temple in the Pakistani capital.

Arvind Kejriwal says Delhi is moving towards herd immunity, experts caution saying antibodies may fade away quickly

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal says Delhi is moving towards herd immunity, experts caution saying antibodies may fade away quickly

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said that has said Delhi is moving towards “herd immunity” and claimed that at least one-third of its population had developed antibodies against the coronavirus, reports Economic Times.

According to the reports, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said his main objective now was to make sure there are no more lockdowns in the national capital. The Chief Minister also said that Delhi is now prepared to restart metro services as the city is crawling back to normalcy.

Citing the recent Sero survey conducted across 11 districts in Delhi by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Delhi government, Arvind Kejriwal said that the survey conducted between June 27 and July 10 showed almost 24% people had antibodies against coronavirus.

“If it was almost 24% early June, it must have crossed 30-35%. Whether we have achieved herd immunity or not, only experts can say. But we are moving towards herd immunity,” said Arvind Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejriwal said that the downward trend in coronavirus in Delhi was achieved due to his three-pronged strategy – home isolation, testing and significantly increasing oxygen-supported beds. He said home isolation was the most significant takeaway from the Delhi Model.

Kejriwal said that migrant labourers were returning. “Earlier, they left as numbers in Delhi were rising, now they are returning as numbers in their native states are rising,” he added.

On the resumption of metro services in Delhi, the CM said, “I feel Delhi is ready to open its Metro seeing the number of cases today. We will talk to the Centre.”

Delhi sero-survey results

According to the newly published survey conducted by the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) across Delhi, the prevalence of IgG antibodies is 23.48 percent, indicating that a large number of infected persons remain asymptomatic. The survey was conducted from 27 June 2020, to 10 July 2020.

Nearly six months into the epidemic, over 43 lakh people may have been affected in Delhi, which has several pockets of dense population. It is being said that the proactive efforts taken by the Modi government to prevent the spread of infection, including a prompt lockdown, effective containment and surveillance measures like contact tracing and tracking, addition to the citizen’s compliance to regulations has helped in limiting the spread.

Experts says antigens may not provide long lasting immunity

As Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is eager to get back to normalcy claiming that at least one-third of Delhi’s population has achieved ‘herd immunity’, experts have advised the authorities to be cautious stating that antibodies in mildly symptomatic coronavirus patients will fade away quickly, which may not provide lasting immunity to them.

Reportedly, the antibodies of the mildly affected coronavirus patients may not offer much lasting protection against future infections, indicating that herd immunity may not provide safety against another onslaught of the pandemic.

According to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, the antibodies taken from the blood of 34 patients who had mild symptoms did not require intensive care but only needed two supplemental oxygen and received HIV medication.

The researchers found that the antibody levels fell quickly after they recovered, with a half-life of about 73 days between the infection and recovery frames. The loss of antibodies occurred much faster than with SARS, an earlier type of coronavirus infection that caused an outbreak in 2002-03.

Most importantly, the mildly infected people may not have lasting COVID-19 antibodies and most cases of COVID-19 around the world are mildly symptomatic – which means that most population in the world may have the risk of contracting the infection one more time.

Coronavirus outbreak: Despite 10-day lockdown, Pune’s COVID-19 woes turn from bad to worse

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus outbreak: Despite 10-day lockdown, Pune’s COVID-19 woes turn from bad to worse

As the scourge of coronavirus sweeps across India, the city of Pune has emerged as one of the most potent COVID-19 clusters in the country. The situation in Pune in Maharashtra is particularly dire as the number of caseloads continues to rise sharply.

Despite enforcing a strict 10-day lockdown to arrest the precipitous rise in the coronavirus cases, the penultimate day before the lockdown got over saw a record highest single-day spike of 3,218 in the number of case. The 10-day lockdown in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad drew to an end on Thursday, July 23.

However, the inexorable surge in the number of coronavirus cases is a testimony to the spectacular failure that the lockdown had been, notwithstanding the economic losses induced by the restrictions.

While the spike in the case can also be attributed to the increased capacity of testing conducted in the city, but the mounting number of cases during a 10-day lockdown period demonstrates that Pune’s coronavirus outbreak is in acute state.

The decision to go on a 10-day lockdown from July 14 to July 23 was taken by Pune district administration with the view to break the transmission cycle of the virus. The decision to impose a lockdown was taken at a review meeting on the Covid-19 situation, attended by Deputy Chief Minister and Pune District’s Guardian Minister, Ajit Pawar, and senior officials.

However, the increased number of cases reported from Pune reveal that lockdown imposed in the city and its exurbs did little to stifle the relentless march of the contagion. While the administrators claimed that the lockdown will help the city in curtailing the number of cases, data from the eight locations that witnessed total lockdown during this month showed that the restrictions had little impact on reducing the spread of the virus in the city.

BJP MLA wrote a letter to PM Modi accusing Maha Vikas Aghadi of negligence towards Pune

A letter written by BJP MLA from Shivajinagar constituency in Pune forewarned the central government and PM Modi of the looming threat of coronavirus crisis facing Pune. In a scathing criticism of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, Shirole said that the Maharashtra government has left Pune to fend for itself from the surging coronavirus spread. He has accused the government of gross negligence which has pushed the city on the cusp of a medical calamity.

“Pune is just a few days away from a catastrophe. The state government has failed on multiple levels and the citizens are left to fend for themselves. Hence behalf of every citizen of Pune, I seek your intervention and support from the Central Government to provide our city much needed medical infrastructure it needs including large COVID centre,” Shirole requested the centre in a letter marked to PM Modi.

Shirole has further added that the chief minister of the state has till date not called for an update or review meeting via phone/video conference with the elected representatives of Pune and with the ground authorities. Accusing the Maharashtra government of abdication of their duty, Shirole has claimed that even emails from his office have not elicited a response from the establishment.

“Leadership that is paramount in times of crisis is acutely missing. Honourable Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ji has not made a single visit to Pune in the last 100 days either to oversee the preparedness of the administration or even to encourage the COVID warriors fighting on the frontlines,” the letter read.

Rajasthan: CM Ashok Gehlot threatens mass uprising against the governor, Congress MLAs protest outside Raj Bhawan

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: CM Ashok Gehlot threatens mass uprising against the governor, Congress MLAs protest outside Raj Bhawan

In an unprecedented incident, Congress MLAs backing Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot were seen demonstrating outside the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor. Despite the fact that Gehlot and Governor Kalraj Mishra already had a meeting between over the issue of ‘commencement of Assembly session’. The Congress supporters were heard shouting slogans such as ‘This autocracy will not be allowed’, ‘justice is our war cry’, and ‘we are with Ashok Gehlot.’

Ashok Gehlot threatens mass uprising

Earlier, in a press briefing, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot urged Governor Kalraj Mishra to commence the Assembly session in order to allow discussion on the rising cases of Wuhan Coronavirus and the current political conundrum in the State. Gehlot, who also has the home ministry, effectively said that if the governor does not comply with their demands, the public will surround the Raj Bhawan and then it will not be his responsibility.

“We will request you to not bow down to any pressure. It’s a constitutional post. You have taken the oath (to uphold the Constitution. Take a decision on the basis of the constitution. If you don’t comply, then it is possible that a mass uprising can take place. And if people gherao Raj Bhavan, then it won’t be our responsibility,” Ashok Gehlot warned.

Governor Kalraj Mishra had earlier met Gehlot and has also interacted with the protesting MLAs.

Political crisis in Rajasthan

The divide with Rajasthan government became public after former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot moved to Delhi with a group of MLAs, claiming that the Gehlot government has lost majority. As the speculations of government collapse grew louder, Gehlot had over his loyal MLAs to the Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur.

On July 14, the Congress party sacked the rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot from the post of Deputy Chief Minister of the state for allegedly conspiring to topple the government, in collusion with the BJP. The rebel leader has recently moved the Rajasthan High Court challenging the disqualification notices issued to them by the state Assembly speaker on the behest of the State CM. Earlier, Ashok Gehlot had also mocked Pilot for being “nikamma and nakaara’ (useless) and revealed that the duo had not been on talking terms for 1.5 years.

Anurag Kashyap paints late Sushant Singh Rajput as unprofessional just before Sushant’s last film Dil Bechara releases

OpIndia Staff
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Anurag Kashyap paints late Sushant Singh Rajput as unprofessional just before Sushant’s last film Dil Bechara releases

Over a month after actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s tragic demise and on the day his film Dil Bechara is scheduled to release on one of the popular Over the top (OTT) media services, film director Anurag Kashyap targeted the actor and levelled explosive allegations against him.

Anurag Kashyap alleges Sushant Singh Rajput ghosted him after MS Dhoni’s spectacular success

Kashyap, in an interview published on Bollywood tabloid Filmfare, alleged that Sushant Singh Rajput “ghosted” on him following the spectacular success of his movie–”MS Dhoni–The untold story“. Kashyap claimed that he had narrated the story of “Mukkabaaz” to Sushant before the release of MS Dhoni but after it became super-hit, Sushant did not call him back and he had to go on with “Mukkabaaz” without him.

“Years later, in 2016, before the release of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. I’d written a script, again Mukesh Chhabra went to Sushant. He told him that Anurag had written a script in which he’s looking for an actor/star who is based out of Uttar Pradesh. Sushant heard the script; Dhoni released, Dhoni became a super-hit, he didn’t call me back. I’m not upset, I moved on and went ahead with Mukkabaaz. It’s not like anybody’s upset. I’m so used to this,” Filmfare quoted Kashyap as saying.

Sushant Singh Rajput sought validation from established production houses: Anurag Kashyap

Kashyap also added that like any other outsider or newcomer, Sushant Singh Rajput also craved for validation from established production houses. He claimed that Rajput had apparently walked out of his movie “Hasee Toh Phasee” to work with YRF on “Shuddh Desi Romance“.

“Mukesh Chhabra used to work from my office. We, at Phantom, were making ‘Hasee Toh Phasee‘. We started with Sushant Singh Rajput and then approached Parineeti Chopra. He (Sushant) then went to YRF which gave him a deal to work on Shuddh Desi Romance. He chose the YRF film and dropped Hasee Toh Phasee– a film of an outsider,” Kashyap said.

Alleging that Sushant was seeking recognition from renowned production houses, Kashyap added, “He chose a movie like Drive over the one I was doing because he wanted to work with Dharma. Now people are using his death to drag everybody down.”

The allegations came amidst the raging debate over the prevalence of nepotism in the industry. The debate was sparked off after the shocking death of Sushant Singh Rajput, a quintessential outsider in the Bollywood industry, who gave up his life by committing suicide on June 14, 2020. His sudden demise provoked outrage among his fans and other celebrities such as Kangana Ranaut, who alleged that Bollywood bigwigs’ proclivity of perpetuating nepotism in the industry is one of the reasons why Sushant Singh Rajput took such a drastic decision of ending his life.

Jewish group bullies Indian-origin student in USA for saying that Hindu ‘Swastika’ is a peace symbol and different from Nazi symbol

OpIndia Staff
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Jewish group bullies Indian-origin student in USA for saying that Hindu ‘Swastika’ is a peace symbol and different from Nazi symbol

On Friday, a 21-year-old student named Simran Tatuskar had to face a tremendous amount of bullying on social media after she had tried to portray ‘Swastika’ as a peaceful symbol and include it in the school syllabus. Simran a student of the Brandeis University in Massachusetts, USA.

However, a Twitter handle ‘StopAntisemitism.org’, who claims to expose antisemitism on social media, attacked the Indian-origin Simran Tatuskar for her attempts to introduce ‘Swastika’ in the school syllabus and claimed that she was trying to normalise the “largest symbol of hate in America”.

In its further tweet, the Anti-antisemitism group wrote, “In Nazi Germany, one of the first thing antisemites did was erase the history and persecution of the Jews, minimize their struggles and appropriate their beings. By normalizing the swastika, this is repeating that vicious cycle,”.

As the self-proclaimed protectors of Jews began to harass the Indian-origin Simran Tatuskar, many Indian social media users rallied behind her to school the social media handle for bullying the young girl and also described how Hindu Swastika was entirely different from ‘Nazi Hakenkreuz’ or the hooked cross – the symbol of Nazis, which is often confused with Hindu symbol of ‘Swastika’ due to similar appearance.

Several users also slammed the self-proclaimed vigilantes fighting the anti-Semitism regarding not only their ignorance about Hindu culture but also for defaming symbols associated with Hinduism.

Another social media, supporting Simran, said that the social media handle ‘StopAntisemites’ should immediately issue an apology to her and Hindus for their vile campaign. The user said that such witch-hunting by certain jews will only alienate friends and asked the group to educate themselves before launching such attacks to bully young students.

American politician and a prominent Jew leader David B Cohen also joined the debate, saying that “Hindus, Buddhists & Jains should teach us the true meaning of an important symbol of their cultures, & how the Nazis stole & perverted it. India’s one of the only places where the majority never discriminated vs. Jews.” He said that he knows real antisemitism, and Simran’s comments are not antisemitic. “If a hate group appropriated the Star of David, Jews wouldn’t abandon the symbol. We’d reclaim it and educate others on why it’s important to us,” he further said, although adding that Jews justifiably have a very strong visceral reaction against the Nazi symbol, so it’s always best to proceed with patience and compassion on these matters.

Hindu swastika vs Nazi hooked cross

The ignorance of the handle ‘StopAntiSemites’ was such that it evoked response from senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Taking to Twitter, Abhishek Manu Singhvi wrote that Hindu ‘Swastika’ was not the same as the ‘Nazi Hakenkreuz’.

The senior Supreme Court advocate added that Hindus, Buddhists, Jains use ‘Swastika’ as a symbol of peace and prosperity, while Nazis misused the symbol. This is the same as demonizing any other religion for misuse of its tenets and should be discouraged and condemned, he added.

Despite all the clarification by various social media users, the ‘StopAntiSemites’ did not stop threatening and bullying the 21-year-old student for her attempts to restore the real meaning and significance of the ‘Swastika’. As the fallout for the constant bullying, Simran Tatuskar had to clarify her position on the issue and issued deep regrets for the unintentional misunderstanding.

Read- The Swastika in Charlottesville: the symbol needs to be reclaimed from Nazis

After receiving wide-spread criticism on social media its bullying, ‘StopAntisemites’ tried to claim victory and close the matter by saying that Simran has apologised. But a reading of her statement shows that she has not apolologised, but only clarified her position. She only regretted due to misunderstanding created by her post, but didn’t apologised for that.

Simran Tatuskar, in an Instagram post, said, “I would like to clarify my original statement because I regret the misunderstandings that it has caused, and this is an issue for me and my community”.

She added that the ‘Nazi swastika’ represents the horrors of the Holocaust. However, she said, “As someone who is not Jewish, I know I cannot fully understand the Jewish experience and feelings my post evoked, but I never wanted to harm anyone.”

“When I included both symbols in my original post, I wanted to show the visual differences of the left-facing hooked cross Nazi swastika and the right-facing Hindu/Buddhist/Jain swastika for those who were unaware of the difference,” she wrote.

Congress supporter’s PIL against Ayodhya Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan dismissed by Allahabad High Court

OpIndia Staff
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Congress supporter’s PIL against Ayodhya Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan dismissed by Allahabad High Court

In a big setback for the anti-Hindu lobby in the Congress party, the Allahabad High Court on Friday dismissed the petition filed by Congress supporter Saket Gokhale seeking a stay on the ‘Bhumi Pujan’ ceremony of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on August 5.

On Friday, the Allahabad High Court quashed the plea filed by Congress supporter Saket Gokhale observing that the entire petition was filed on the basis of assumptions.

The petition was heard by the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court Justice Govind Mathura and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh on Friday.

Image courtesy: Allahabad HC website

Earlier, the Congress party supporter Saket Gokhale had filed in Allahabad High Court demanding a stay on the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony at Ayodhya claiming that it is a ‘violation of the coronavirus guidelines’.

The petition filed by Congress supporter Saket Gokhale claimed that the Bhoomi Pujan at Ayodhya is a violation of the ‘Unlock 2.0’ guidelines and demanded the court to stay the event in the interest of public health during a pandemic.

On the issue of historic event violating the coronavirus lockdown, the High Court observed that there is no foundation for the claims and the entire petition is based on assumptions. The HC also noted that they expect the organisers and the Uttar Pradesh government will ensure that all the protocols including enforcing strict social distancing norms will be followed.

“In the view of whatever stated above, we do not find any just reason to interfere in the matter. The writ petition is dismissed.” noted the Allahabad High Court bench.

Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan event to be held on August 5, 150 to attend

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Ayodhya for Bhumi Pujan of Shri Ram Mandir on August 5. The ceremony will be graced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath among several other invitees.

BJP stalwart and former deputy prime minister LK Advani, who was instrumental in shaping the Ram Mandir movement, is likely to accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the historic event. The Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra has invited 150 guests – including Shiv Sena Supremo Uddhav Thackeray, BJP veterans Murli Manohar Joshi, Home Minister Amit Shah and several CMs, asserting that all rules of social distancing will be followed.

The trust has estimated that construction of the temple will be completed in the next three years i.e by 2023.

Pakistan journalist Hamid Mir speaks on Matiullah abduction case, hints at ISI and the army facilitating intimidation of media persons

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan journalist Hamid Mir speaks on Matiullah abduction case, hints at ISI and the army facilitating intimidation of media persons

While speaking to Voice of America (VOA), Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir hinted at the role of the Pakistan army and its Intelligence agency ISI in masterminding the abduction of fellow journalist Matiullah Jan. At the very onset, Mir accused the Inspector General (IG) of deliberately not appearing before the Supreme Court of Pakistan in a bid to avoid furnishing the CCTV footage which indicates the role of ‘non-civilian authority’ in the forced disappearance of the journalist.

“IG did not come to Court because he knew that the Chief Justice will ask him to produce the footage of safe city cameras. In the footage, it is clearly visible that Matiullah Jan was abducted from outside a school by people who were dressed in police uniform. They had even used a police car for the operation. They wanted to give the impression that it was executed by the cops. However, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) has refuted claims of any police involvement in the case. According to my information, the civilian government, civilian agencies or the Islamabad police have no role in his abduction.”

Involvement of ‘non-civilian authority’

Hamid Mir informed that he was too unsure about the role of ‘non-civilian’ authority in the forced disappearance of Matiullah Jan, until segments of his show were ‘censored’ by those who have been ‘historically’ accused of executing such abductions. “The last segment of my show was about Matiullah Jan wherein I talked with Ijaz Shah since he was the first to retrieve the CCTV footage. … First, they edited the opening remarks about the journalist’s disappearance. Then, I learnt that more such cuts are being made to the show. And this was done on the behest of a non-civilian authority… The story became crystal clear to me… The accused are those who have been involved in such incidents even in the past.”

Hamid Mir laments about declining press freedom

He explained how the not-to-be-named agency is imposing censorship on Geo News. Mir stated, “They have put Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman behind bars through NAB. Now they use him as a bargaining chip. They call up the Editor-in-Chief and direct them to censor inconvenient things… This is the state of press freedom in Pakistan. When I was attacked, I had named 3 people who I believed was responsible for the attack. And guess what? They never appeared before the court. If you were innocent, then, you could have and argued in court.”

Hamid Mir explains the ‘vulnerability’ of Pakistanis

“Everyone is vulnerable in Islamabad, including bureaucrats, politicians, ministers and opposition leaders. You can come and abduct anyone you want in a police uniform. The cops will deny it and the IG will not disclose the CCTV footage. As such, you have shamed Pakistan all over the world. Earlier, a Minister had made a mockery and now the security agencies are making a mockery of this country,” Hamid Mir concluded.

The abduction of Matiullah Jan

A vocal critic of Pakistan army, Matiullah Jan, was kidnapped on Tuesday, 21 July, from Sector G-6 in Islamabad. Reportedly, he was blindfolded and taken to an unknown location. As per reports, he was driven around the Capital city before being released in an abandoned area in Fateh Jang some 12 hours later. His wife Kaneez Sughra said, “There were more than five people — some in civilian clothes, others in black uniforms — who forcibly picked up my husband.”

Matiullah Jan worked as a freelance journalist and has been written for domestic and international media outlets.

The abduction came a day before he was set to appear before Pakistan’s top court, where he is facing contempt proceedings over a tweet which was critical of Pakistan’s judges and military. His wife had stated that Jan was being pressurised not to attend the court hearing and plead for forgiveness.

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