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I reactivated Ladakh’s Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip in 2008 without informing govt because earlier 5 requests were denied: Former Air Marshal PK Barbora

OpIndia Staff
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I reactivated Ladakh’s Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip in 2008 without informing govt because earlier 5 requests were denied: Former Air Marshal PK Barbora

In an explosive revelation, former Air Marshal Pranab Kumar Barbora has said that he flew to Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip in Ladakh on 2008 after 43 years without informing the govt first, because all other previous requests for the same were denied. His comments have come at a time when India-China relations are tensed over control of territory in eastern Ladakh.

The Daulat Beg Oldi base has played a vital role for Indian forces during the current stand-off. It was originally built during the Indo-China war in 1962. But after the war, the airbase was not in use since 1965. The airstrip is strategically very important, as it is located next to the Line of Actual Control in Aksai Chin and the Karakoram Pass. Located at an altitude of 16,614 ft, Daulat Beg Oldi has the world’s highest Advance Landing Ground (ALG).

landing an aircraft after 43 years

In 2008, PK Barbora landed on the airstrip in an AN-32, reactivating the base after 43 years. Talking to Economic Times, he narrated the circumstances behind the action. He revealed that no one in the government knew about the mission before it was conducted, not even the then defence minister AK Antony. Barbora said that when he joined as the commander-in-chief of Western Air Command, he analysed the 60-odd Air Force stations under his jurisdiction, and that is when he noticed Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO). The Indian Air Force had planned for other advance landing grounds in Ladakh too, but DBO stood out for various reasons, like, it is the world’s highest ALG, and is located just a few kilometres away from Karakoram Pass.

Talking about why the ALG was abandoned in 1965, the former Air Marshal said that although the army engineers had done a fantastic job in building the ground, a decision was taken to not fly any two-engine aircraft to that height due to safety reasons. At that time, only one aircraft was capable to fly in such heights, and its life cycle had ended in 1965.

 “There were no more operations after 1965. So, practically, we operated the airstrip for just three years and then we had to close it down because we did not have a suitable aircraft,” Barbora said.

Strategic importance, hostile terrain

The base is important for India, but the terrain is too hostile for sending personnel to man it. There is low oxygen content, and it takes several days of walking to reach there. Therefore, at least five attempts were made by the IAF to reactivate it, but all of them were refused by the government.

“When I wanted to reopen the airstrip, I spotted five files. But after examining those, I realised that if I created another file and put up my request in writing, I won’t get a go-ahead. All the earlier files had ended with a ‘No’ for various reasons”, Barbora said.

“So, I decided to reactivate Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip without any written permission. I decided, let’s not create any file, let there be nothing in writing. After all, if you ask for permission, all the old files will be called, and the result will be another No”, he added. Determined to reactivate the airstrip, Barbora then reportedly talked to his counterparts in the Army and select Air Force officials for a quick study on the condition of the airstrip, and other preparations needed. All these was done verbally, without leaving any record. Soon he received a verbal report, indicating that there was no major crack on the ground.

Special training and silence

After an initial report over the ground conditions, the team that was to land at the DBO undertook a special training for the mission, quietly. Finally, after all the preparations were done, PK Barbora talked to than Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major and army chief General Deepak Kapoor in Delhi’s Air Force golf course and obtained their verbal permission. He also informed the vice chief of air staff Pradeep Naik, but the defence minister was not informed.

On May 31, 2008, five people flew in the AN-32 from Chandigarh, two Air Force pilots, one navigator, a gunner and Barbora himself. They kept the operation a secret, and successfully landed at Daulat Beg Oldi in a fixed-wing aircraft after 43 years, officially reactivating it. While returning, one senior army officer stationed at the base accompanied them, and they returned to Chandigarh after taking off from the bumpy runway at the DBO.

After reaching Chandigarh, they informed Delhi that they have reactivated Daulat Beg Oldi, and that is when the defence minister finally became aware of it. After the Air Force had already reactivated the airstrip, there was nothing the government could do to prevent it, and so, eventually, the airstrip was developed to allow the landing of larger aircraft. In 2013, a C-130J Super Hercules was landed by the Indian Air Force at the airstrip, and since then IAF planes are regularly flying to the base to transport men and material.

It is not 1962 anymore

“We broke the ice and proved a point that we were capable. We surprised the Chinese. Later, in 2013, a four-engine aircraft C-130 Hercules landed there. Look, it’s 2020 now, not 1962″, Barbora said.

Talking to ANI, PK Barbora has today said that the government was informed through proper channels only after he had landed and came back from DBO. He said that when govt was informed, he was asked why did it. “It is the Air Force’s responsibility to maintain troops’ logistics support and it falls within our jurisdiction, within Indian territory, so we did it,” he had replied the government. He said the then Defence Minister AK Antony had also asked him what he would tell the Chinese if they raise questions about it during his visit to China where he was taking the earthquake relief supplies. Barbora said the Chinese never raised the issue with the Defence Minister during that visit.

Unlock 2.0: Here are the MHA guidelines for reopening of malls, restaurants and religious places from June 8

OpIndia Staff
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Unlock 2.0: Here are the MHA guidelines for reopening of malls, restaurants and religious places from June 8

A nationwide lockdown was announced by the Union Government in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak in Indian on the intervening night of March 24-25. The lockdown was continued in four phases, following which the Government decided to ease the restrictions gradually with Unlock 1.0, except in containment zones. According to the latest guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), malls, restaurants, and places of worship would open from June 8 onwards.

The concerned authorities had been directed to sanitise premises, ensure social distancing and mandatory wearing of masks. Cinema halls, gaming arcades, and hotels have been ordered to remain non-operational.

Guidelines for malls and restaurants

According to MHA directives, restaurants and malls must screen home-delivery staff and encourage takeaways instead of dining-in. Restaurants can only allow asymptomatic diners and staff within their premises. Moreover, thermal screening is mandatory at the entrance of both malls and restaurants. As per guidelines, staff and patrons alike must wear masks and adhere to social distancing within the premises. Besides, the management is obliged to manage crowds not just inside the dining area but only in parking areas and outside the restaurant. It has also been recommended to ensure separate entry and exit points for patrons and staff.

The shoppers are required to maintain a minimum distance of 6 feet when queuing up for entry into a mall or a restaurant. Precautionary measures and adequate checks and balances have to be ensured where handling inventories and goods. The seating arrangement of diners should be such that adequate physical distance is maintained between diners. Under no circumstances, restaurants can operate with more than 50% seating capacity.

Moreover, the use of disposable menus, high-quality paper napkins, and contactless ordering and payment modes need to be encouraged by the management. The food courts have been advised to sanitise dining tables, kitchens, hand-washing stations, and washrooms at regular intervals. Safe disposal of used gloves, face covers, and masks must be ensured by the management. Employees who are at high risk should not be allowed to work as front-line staff.

According to MHA, posters, videos highlighting the preventive measures to contain the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus must be displayed prominently. The management must also restrict the number of people using elevators to adhere to social distancing guidelines. In no case, a large gathering of people should be allowed to assemble.

States issue directives

The Arvind Kejriwal-led-Delhi-Government had announced that banquets halls and hotels will remain unoperational from June 8. The State Government had decided to open its borders with Harayana and Uttar Pradesh from Monday. In a controversial decision, the Delhi Government has reportedly announced that the State-run hospitals would be available to only residents of Delhi and outsiders. According to Arvind Kejriwal, the State will need around 15,000 hospital beds by June.

The Karnataka Government has asked pregnant women, children below 10 years and senior citizens above the age of 65 to cooperate with the administration and stay at home. The State has directed the reopening of all places of worship to the public. Cleanliness and hygiene need to be maintained by the management within the temple premises. Besides, hand sanitisers should be provided and thermal screening of devotees will be done.

Markings should be made to ensure adherence to social distancing protocols. Devotees need to wear masks and have advised to not touch pillars, walls and statues. The State Government has directed devotees to download the Aarogya Setu app and keep their footwear in their vehicles and not within the temple premises.

Temples to reopen

Reportedly, about 1300 temples under the Malabar Devaswom Board will open its gates to devotees on June 9, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Union Government. All places of worship were directed to shut operations on March 24 with the enforcement of the first phase of the lockdown. After a gap of 2.5 months, temples are now preparing to welcome the attendance of devotees.

According to President N Vasu of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), only devotees wearing masks or face covers would be allowed to enter the temple premises. Besides, guards will be deployed to ensure compliance of social distancing measures at the time of entry. The devotees will also be provided with sanitiser dispensers. Besides, devotees will be allowed in batches and ‘Prasadam,’ ‘teertham’ and ‘nivedyam’ will not be provided. The devotees need to register online and non-localites have been asked to upload test results from accredited laboratory. At one time, only 50 devotees will be allowed inside the temple for darshan at one time. Children and adults below 10 years and above 65 years respectively cannot register online.

Country reopens with Unlock 1.0

On May 30, the MHA issued new guidelines for the phased reopening of the country after the fourth phase of lockdown ends on May 31. In addition, the decree also stated that the lockdown in containment zones will continue to remain in force for another month till June 30. The phase of re-opening, called ‘Unlock 1’, focused on restarting the economic activities in the country. The night curfew timings were also revised from earlier 7 PM to 7 AM to 9 PM to 5 AM. Furthermore, the Home Ministry had removed all the restrictions of the interstate and intra-state movement of people. But the new guidelines concerning night curfew timing would have to be followed.

New York City Mayor lifts curfew to ‘restart’ just two days after health experts encourage mass gathering amid Coronavirus pandemic for anti-racism protests

OpIndia Staff
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New York City Mayor lifts curfew to ‘restart’ just two days after health experts encourage mass gathering amid Coronavirus pandemic for anti-racism protests

Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, has decided to life the curfew, days after USA suffered widespread riots in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. He said that it was the first “big step” to restart.

The decision to lift the curfew in New York City comes a couple of days after ‘health experts’ defended the mass gatherings at the anti-racism protests and even encouraged the protesters. However, they made it clear that only mass gatherings at anti-racism protests were permissible and people still could not be granted permission for attending the funerals of the deceased in their families.

The letter, which was signed by over 1200 public health experts, focused on the inevitable harm mass gatherings would cause. It said, “We created the letter in response to emerging narratives that seemed to malign demonstrations as risky for the public health because of Covid-19.” “Instead, we wanted to present a narrative that prioritizes opposition to racism as vital to the public health, including the epidemic response. We believe that the way forward is not to suppress protests in the name of public health but to respond to protesters demands in the name of public health, thereby addressing multiple public health crises,” it added.

The letter states further, “However, as public health advocates, we do not condemn these gatherings as risky for COVID-19 transmission. We support them as vital to the national public health and to the threatened health specifically of Black people in the United States. We can show that support by facilitating safest protesting practices without detracting from demonstrators’ ability to gather and demand change. This should not be confused with a permissive stance on all gatherings, particularly protests against stay-home orders.”

Politicians of a liberal hue, too, continue to emphasise on the importance of these protests and encourage it while continuing lockdown and emphasising on social distancing. Some professors on epidemiology have also claimed that the dangers of ‘systemic racism’ is far greater than the threat posed by the virus.

Ex-MP and journalist Shahid Siddiqui’s niece dies of coronavirus, had complained of Delhi govt hospital’s carelessness

OpIndia Staff
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Ex-MP and journalist Shahid Siddiqui’s niece dies of coronavirus, had complained of Delhi govt hospital’s carelessness

Former Member of Parliament and journalist Shahid Siddiqui’s niece passed away within 24 hours of his desperate pleas for intervention by Delhi government on her deteriorating condition.

He took to Twitter to inform that few minutes back his niece, Munmun breathed her last at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. He thanked people for their support but stated how the situation in hospitals is not that great with people dying due to coronavirus.

He claimed that she was not provided life support despite her critical condition. He pointed out how the Delhi state government needs better coordination with central government and urged them not to indulge in politics. On Saturday, he had taken to the microblogging site to appeal for help for his niece.

He had said that his niece was having high fever and breathing troubles and was being rushed from one hospital to another but was not admitted anywhere. He had tagged Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Union Health Minister Dr Harshvardhan in his tweets. He later said that she was admitted in central government run Safdarjung Hospital.

Siddiqui is a former politician who has been associated with Congress, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal and Samajwadi Party again in his career. He was expelled from Samajwadi Party in 2012 for interviewing former Gujarat CM and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kejriwal says no to non-Delhi patients in Delhi govt hospital

Earlier today in a press conference, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that Delhi government run and private hospitals will not admit non-Delhi residents for coronavirus. He justified this move by stating that Delhi does not have enough capacity. However, patients from other states can get themselves treated in central government run hospitals in Delhi, he said.

“If we open our hospitals for people from all over the country, where the Coronavirus patients from Delhi will go?,” he said.

As of 7 June 2020, Delhi has 16,229 active coronavirus cases while 761 people have succumbed to the disease.

Netizens accuse Netflix of insulting Hindus and Lord Hanuman by streaming Safdar Rahman’s film ‘Chippa’

OpIndia Staff
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Netizens accuse Netflix of insulting Hindus and Lord Hanuman by streaming Safdar Rahman’s film ‘Chippa’

Netflix has been accused of insulting Hindus and Hinduism after one of the recent movies on the platform mocked Hindu God Hanuman in one of its scenes. The movie ‘Chippa’, writen and directed by one Safdar Rahman, shows a scene where an old man tells a tale about his great-grandmother to a child where she supposedly slapped one ‘Hanuman’ and the ‘Hanuman’ fled away.

The movie supposedly ends with a scene that shows a man kicking the same child while chanting the Hanuman Chalisa. Netizens are outraged over the insult to the Hindu God. They say that it is unacceptable and demanded that be criminal complaint be lodged against the platform and the director for the same.

People have also pointed towards the fact that if filmmaker meant to imply that it was a monkey that the great-grandmother of the character supposedly slapped, then they could have simply called it a monkey instead of ‘Hanuman’.

Such allegations have been made against Netflix in the past as well. Last year, Ramesh Solanki, an erstwhile member of Shiv Sena’s IT Cell, filed a complaint against the platform for publishing defamatory content against Hindus and India on its platform. The complaint said that “every series on Netflix India is with the intention of defaming the country on a global level. It is with deep rooted Hinduphobia that the platform is portraying the nation in a bad light.”

BJP Delhi leader, Tajinder Bagga, too, had filed a complaint against Anurag Kashyap, the director of Sacred Games, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. A leader of the Akali Dal had accused director Anurag Kashyap of deliberating disrespecting Sikhs in the second season of Sacred Games on Netflix as well.

Uttar Pradesh ATS arrests PFI member Shahzad for his role in instigating anti-CAA riots in Meerut

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh ATS arrests PFI member Shahzad for his role in instigating anti-CAA riots in Meerut

Mufti Shehzad, who is a Popular Front of India (PFI) member and the main accused behind the anti-CAA protests in Meerut on December 20 last year, has been nabbed by Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) from his residence in Muradnagar.

According to the reports, the UP police arrested Shehzad, who was absconding after a case was registered against him and his accomplice, Parvez, at Meerut’s Nauchandi police station in December.

Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Sahni said that the duo had played an incendiary role during the violent protests on December 20. Shahzad and Parvez were instigating a particular section (the Muslim community) to indulge in violence to vent their ire against the CAA, he added. Six persons died and over five dozen, were injured in the violence, police said.

According to the police, the accused Shehzad and his accomplice had also opened an office of the PFI at a rented house in Meerut’s Shastri Nagar from where the police had recovered several banners and posters carrying inflammatory messages. The police have begun their manhunt to nab Parvez.

He has been handed over to the Nauchandi police by the ATS sleuths for further interrogation. 

Anti-CAA riots in Uttar Pradesh

In the aftermath of the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act, riots, violence, arson and vandalism by Muslim mobs in the name of ‘protests’ against the enactment of the law have taken place across the country.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Muslim mobs, under the pretext of protesting peacefully against the law, had taken to streets to unleash violence and damage public properties.

The Uttar Pradesh police, in its preliminary investigation, had claimed the involvement of PFI, SDPI and Samajwadi Party workers in provoking riots across the state of Uttar Pradesh following the passage of Citizenship Amendment Act in December 2019 that grants citizenship for the persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

More than 40 members of PFI were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police for their involvement in the riots that took place aftermath of the passage of CAA.

State govt run and private hospitals in Delhi to be reserved for Delhi residents only, outsiders can go to central govt hospitals: Arvind Kejriwal

OpIndia Staff
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State govt run and private hospitals in Delhi to be reserved for Delhi residents only, outsiders can go to central govt hospitals: Arvind Kejriwal

In a controversial decision, the chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal has announced that the Delhi Government hospitals will only treat patients that are residents of Delhi. He added that private hospitals, except those hospitals where special surgeries are performed which are not available in other parts of the country, have also been ordered not to admit patients from other states.

‘If we open our hospitals for people from all over the country, where the Coronavirus patients from Delhi will go? Therefore we sought opinion for the public. 7.5 lakh people sent their opinion, and more than 90% said that hospitals in Delhi should be reserved for Delhi residents’, Kejriwal said. He also said that the state govt had formed a committee of five senior doctors, and they said that Delhi will need 15000 beds by June end.

Considering all these, the Delhi govt has decided that the 10000 beds which are available with the government in the state government-run hospitals will be reserved for Delhi residents. Similarly, private hospitals in the city-state will also be reserved for residents of Delhi only. Only the private hospitals offering super-speciality services which are not available in other places in the country like oncology surgery, neurosurgery, transplantation etc will be open for people outside Delhi, the CM said.

Hospitals like AIIMS that come under the central government will function according to the Ministry of Health regulations, and they will admit patients regardless of the residential status. The CM said that the hospitals in Delhi run by the central govt also have 10000 beds, which will be available for outsiders. The order passed by the Kejriwal government will not have any effect on their functioning, he said.

Earlier this week, Kejriwal asked the public for suggestions on whether hospitals in Delhi should treat patients only from Delhi or allow everyone to come and get treatment amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The deadline for suggestions was 5th June, 5:00 PM.

Malls, restaurants and places of worship to open from tomorrow

During the address over the ongoing coronavirus situation in the national capital, Arvind Kejriwal announced that Delhi borders would open from Monday for all states as per the union govt guidelines on unlocking the country. He also said that all malls, restaurants and places of worship would also open in the national capital from tomorrow. However, banquet halls and hotels will remain closed.

Cases in Delhi closing down to 30,000

As per union health ministry data, the number of Covid-19 cases rose to 27,654 on Sunday. Around 10,000 patients have recovered in the capital, while 761 patients lost their lives. There have been allegations on the Kejriwal government that they are hiding the actual number of cases in the national capital.

Meet cartoonist Vishal: Busting leftist monopoly in narrative with Hindutva cartoons, one at a time

OpIndia Staff
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Meet cartoonist Vishal: Busting leftist monopoly in narrative with Hindutva cartoons, one at a time

In the 21st Century, the Progressive Left has come to dominate most areas of art. Be it music, the entertainment industry, comedy or cartoons, the Left enjoys a virtual monopoly in these fields due to corporate backing for their ideas. However, there are some individuals in these fields who strive hard to break this monopoly. One such individual is the one who runs the account official_artkraftervishy (shortened as Vishy henceforth) on Instagram.

While the overwhelming majority of cartoonists in India tend to work on progressive themes, which often involves denigrating the Hindu faith, apart from mocking Prime Minister Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party who are perceived to be the vanguard of the Hindu community in the arena of politics, Vishy focuses his attention on themes related to Hindu causes.

Consistent with this, he has made numerous cartoons ranging from protection of Temples to GauRaksha. His cartoons also revolves around trending topics. For instance, one of his recent works was on the murder of a pregnant elephant with firecrackers. His cartoon on the topic portrays a crocodile outraging over the incident while eating beef, thus highlighting its hypocrisy.

Another cartoon of his on a trending topic focuses on the death of George Floyd in the USA and the consequent violent riots that ensued in the United States. Following the riots, certain sections of Indian society urged Muslims to replicate the same kind of protests in India. Vishy’s cartoon condemns such elements.

One of Vishy’s cartoon highlighted the fact that secularism always appears to flow in one direction in India. It focused on the decision of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to organise Iftari for Muslims but said that there’s hardly ever any reciprocation of the same kind from the other community.

Vishy’s cartoon also often attacks self proclaimed arbiters of intellect and morality such as Ravish Kumar who pretend that they are the only ones with any shred of compassion left in them.

Vishy has also made cartoons on the ‘Muslim victim card’ that has become extremely relevant in recent times. Such individuals support the most radical elements within the Muslim community and claim that every criticism of the same is ‘islamophobic’.

The cartoonist has also trained his guns on the stand-up comics who have made a habit of selectively attacking Hindu traditions and Gods and mocking Hindu organisations. In a recent instance, one stand-up comic made derogatory comments on ISKCON for which the latter initiated legal proceedings against her and Shemaroo, on whose platform the act was published.

The cartoons also focus on the manner in which the wealth of Hindu Temples are expropriated by political parties for their own benefit. While Hindu Temples are controlled by governments, people of other religious faiths are at liberty to run and manage to run their own religious institutions.

Speaking to OpIndia, Vishy, who told us that he wished to be addressed as Vishal even though he did not want to reveal his identity fearing reprisal, adding that he has always liked drawing but it was only when he entered the world of social media that the fact that popular discourse is overwhelmingly progressive started to prick him. He wondered why no one was ready to speak up for Hindus. It was then that he decided to take up the mantle himself.

Through OpIndia, Vishal wished to tell the youth that they should study every aspect of news before settling on a particular opinion. He said that the youth should try to decipher why a particular media outlet was running a particular narrative. Vishal also makes wallpapers for phones to further the cause of Hindutva.

J.K. Rowling is a TERF! Rainbow Fascism attacks the Harry Potter author for saying biological sex is real and only women can menstruate

OpIndia Staff
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J.K. Rowling is a TERF! Rainbow Fascism attacks the Harry Potter author for saying biological sex is real and only women can menstruate

There is a saying that has become popular recently: The Left eats its own. Thus, it happened that even after transforming Albus Dumbledore from her Harry Potter novels into a homosexual, changing the race of Hermione Granger from White to Black, the Left is still not happy with J.K. Rowling. In the most recent instance, the world renowned author attracted the wrath of the LGBT Community for saying that biological sex is real.

It all began when J.K. Rowling expressed her unhappiness over the fact that the headline of an opinion piece published on a media portal addressed women as ‘people who menstruate’ instead of the actual word. This is due to the fact that in the world of the Left, it is believed that gender is a social construct and a menstruating women can actually be a man if she calls herself one and society must address her as a man. If one accepts such a premise, then it cannot be said that it is only women who menstruate.

The tweet by J.K. Rowling that started the whole controversy

For her perfectly sensible opinion, abuses were hurled at J.K. Rowling and she was labelled a Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF). TERFs reject the claims that ‘trans-women’ who are biologically men are actually women and often, are in no ‘radical feminists’ in the conventional meaning of the term.

Consequently, she defended herself from the allegations of hatred that were made against her and said that it was nonsensical for people to claim that she bore any hatred towards the trans community. She said, “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”

“The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women – ie, to male violence – ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences – is a nonsense,” J.K. Rowling added.

The comments made by J.K. Rowling are perfectly consistent with scientific truth and are made on the basis of rational evaluation of reality. However, she was criticised heavily by individuals on social media and it was claimed that she hates the Trans community.

While J.K. Rowling is too big a name to suffer in any manner due to her opinion, ordinary people in the West stand to lose their jobs and suffer a great loss of reputation and harassment if they air the exact same opinions, especially in the academia. The war on biological sex in the West is very real and the LGBT Community and its ‘allies’ are known to bully those who refuse to adhere to the diktats of the ideological construct of gender fluidity.

Tensions between India and Nepal likely to mount as New Delhi not likely to engage with the Himalayan country ready to change its map

OpIndia Staff
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Tensions between India and Nepal likely to mount as New Delhi not likely to engage with the Himalayan country ready to change its map

The tensions between India and the neighbouring Himalayan country Nepal is likely to mount as India may not agree to talks at this stage as the Nepalese government is readying to pass the second Constitution Amendment Bill next week.

According to the reports, Nepal has reportedly sought foreign secretary-level talks with India via video conferencing to discuss the ongoing tensions between the two countries. However, India may not participate in the talks as Nepal is adamant on continuing with passing the amendment to give legal backing to the new maps, which had claimed parts of the Indian territory.

The security experts in the country believe that India has always offered talks but this depends on reasonableness. They believe that if Nepal continues to unilaterally prejudge the situation, then it will willfully complicating the prospects of any settlements through talks in the future.

Nepal continues to provoke India

The tensions between the two countries are on a rise after New Delhi inaugurated a road linking Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh on May 8. The Himalayan country had raised objections to India over the construction of the new road.

On May 20, the Nepalese government headed by KP Oli had released a new map of the country, in which it had included Indian territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani as parts of Nepal. KP Oli, who is heading the Nepal Communist Party-led government in the country, had made irredentist claims against India by asserting that Nepal would “bring back at any cost” the Indian territories of Kalapani-Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh area.

Perhaps acting at the behest of China, the Nepal government had brought a constitution amendment bill at the Parliament on May 22, seeking to amend Schedule 3 of the constitution to update Nepal’s political map in the national emblem.

However, as the constitutional amendment required a two-thirds majority, the Nepal government had fallen short of numbers in the lower House compelling it to seek support from other parties. The main opposition Nepali Congress party had sought time for discussion on the issue and on May 27 the KP Sharma Oli government deferred its plan to move the constitutional amendment.

In the latest development, it is being reported that Nepal has fast-tracked the process of bringing the constitution amendment as KP Sharma Oli’s government has secured the support of opposition Nepali Congress and is likely to pass the amendment with the required two-third majority on June 9.

The opposition from Madhesi parties will be inconsequential as the government has secured two-third majority.

India cautions, urges Nepal to refrain from assertion

Meanwhile, India has urged Kathmandu to refrain from such an “unjustified cartographic assertion” and respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. India had earlier categorically stated that it attaches great importance to deep-rooted historical, cultural and friendly relations with Nepal.

The Indian government had also reiterated that it is open to engaging with all its neighbours on the basis of mutual sensitivity and mutual respect in an environment of trust and confidence. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also expressed hope that Nepali leadership creates a positive environment for talks on a matter related to the border.

However, with Nepal’s belligerence to alter the existing border between two countries by including Indian territories and attempting to pass the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill without any discussions with India, may now lead India to take stringent measures against the Himalayan country, which is acting on the behest of China.

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