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Ahmedabad: One Mirasi Faruk makes a hoax bomb call because he wanted to teach the police a ‘lesson’

OpIndia Staff
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Ahmedabad: One Mirasi Faruk makes a hoax bomb call because he wanted to teach the police a ‘lesson’

Ahmedabad Police swung into action on Wednesday night after it got a call that there is a bomb planted at the Kalupur Railway Station. However, upon investigation, it turned out to be a hoax call. The police traced the call and arrested the caller, 32-year-old Mirasi Faruk who is a drug addict. A Qawwali singer by profession, Faruk wanted to ‘teach Ahmedabad Police a lesson’.

Turns out, Faruk earns his livelihood by singing Qawwali on the trains plying between Mehemdabad and Ahmedabad. Owing to increased security in wake of abrogation of Article 370, Faruk was checked by the railway police. Hence, he decided to ‘teach police a lesson’.

Upon receiving the call, the Ahmedabad Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, dog squad and Railway Protection Force rushed to Kalupur Railway station. As per DIGP of Railway Police, Gautam Parmar, while the above teams were busy checking the railway station for a bomb, another was tracing the call. He was traced and arrested by the Police. The police has said that the primary investigation revealed that he made the hoax call under the influence of drugs.

Gandhi family, Dr Manmohan Singh skip Pranab Mukherjee’s Bharat Ratna award function

OpIndia Staff
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Gandhi family, Dr Manmohan Singh skip Pranab Mukherjee’s Bharat Ratna award function

Despite an invitation extended from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi stayed away from Pranab Mukherjee’s Bharat Ratna event. The former President was conferred with the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna in a ceremony hosted at the Rashtrapati Bhavan last evening.

While it is not yet clear why he chose to skip the function felicitating one of the party’s veteran leaders, there were speculations that it might be because of the fact that Mukherjee chose to attend an RSS event last year. The former President had hailed Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS as a ‘great son of Mother India’. Even back then Congress had displayed displeasure at his decision. Moreover, Rahul Gandhi even chose not to tweet his congratulations to Mukherjee. Also missing in the function were UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi as well as former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the Bharat Ratna would be conferred on Pranab Mukherjee, Bhupen Hazarika and Nanaji Deshmukh. Pranab Kumar Mukherjee (born 11 December 1935) is a veteran Congress leader from West Bengal who served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until 2017. He was a union minister in various portfolios in several Congress governments at the centre, and a long term member of the Lok Sabha. In a career spanning over five decades, he held key portfolios in governments headed by former prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.

Rahul Gandhi talks to media after PM Modi’s address to the nation, speaks about Kerala floods, refuses to comment on Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi talks to media after PM Modi’s address to the nation, speaks about Kerala floods, refuses to comment on Kashmir

As the Congress party appearing to split in two halves on the matter of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A which were applicable to Jammu and Kashmir, party president Rahul Gandhi seems to be taking a cautious stance as he avoided the topic today after tweeting against it two days ago.

The Congress party has officially opposed the move to fully integrate Jammu and Kashmir into India. Senior leaders of the party leaders like Adhir Ranjan Chowdhuri, Manish Tewari, Digvijay Singh etc have opposed the move. On 6th August, a day after the government’s decision was announced, Rahul Gandhi had opposed it on Twitter. But the hold of the party president on the party seems to be reducing, as several leaders have opposed the party’s position and supported the government in the matter.

Rahul Gandhi talked to media today evening, just after the completion of PM Modi’s address to the nation. While the journalists were expecting comments on Kashmir and Article 370, and reaction on PM’s address to the nation on the subject, they were surprised to hear that Rahul Gandhi had invited them to talk about ongoing floods in Kerala and his constituency Wayanad in the state.


Addressing media persons in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said that he is very concerned about rain and landslide in Kerala and Wayanad. He said that he has talked about the same with the Kerala CM and officials, and he will be taking up the matter with the prime minister. He also informed that he wanted to visit the constituency, but the collector advised him against it as it will disturb rescue operations.


Rahul Gandhi kept his interaction with media to Kerala floods only, he didn’t talk anything about Article 370 and Jammu & Kashmir. Prashant Kumar, a journalist who was present, informed that Rahul Gandhi said he was not there to speak on Kashmir, surprising everyone.


Kumar also said media coordinators of Congress party had no idea about the press briefing. And no beat reporter covering the Congress party didn’t get any official message from the party about the same.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi posted several tweets on Twitter, and all of them were about floods in Kerala and his new constituency. After 6th August, he has not said or tweeted anything about Kashmir, even though his party is strongly opposing the government on the matter. It seems the increasing number of Congress leaders opposing the party’s stand has become a cause of worry, and the party president has decided that it is better to keep quiet about it.

Another incident that raised eyebrows today was that the Gandhi family, including current president Rahul Gandhi and former president Sonia Gandhi, didn’t attend the ceremony today at the Rashtrapati Bhawan where former president Pranab Mukherjee was awarded the Bharat Ratna, along with Bhupen Hazarika and Nanaji Deshmukh. Mukherjee was a longtime Congress leader before he was elected as president of India, and several Congress leaders had attended the ceremony today, while the Gandhis were notably absent.

Malala Yousafzai tries to mouth off platitudes on Kashmir, gets called out by Netizens

OpIndia Staff
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Malala Yousafzai tries to mouth off platitudes on Kashmir, gets called out by Netizens

After the Indian government successfully scrapped Article 370, which enshrined Jammu and Kashmir with a separate status from the other states of the country, and bifurcated the state into two union territories, the usual ‘secular liberals’ suffered a massive meltdown. Their reactions on the micro-blogging site Twitter sculpted their real intent. The message from these liberals appeared to be quite clear that they want Kashmir to remain a hotbed of terrorism and separatism for eternity.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, the face of the ‘signature feminists’ movements across the world, and a part of this particular coterie, today took to Twitter to mouth off the stereotypical discourse, which the liberals resort to.

Calling for peace in the Kashmir region, Nobel Laureate Malala said that she cared about Kashmir because South Asia is her home.

SS of Malala’s Tweet

“I care about Kashmir because South Asia is my home – a home I share with 1.8 billion people including Kashmiris. We represent different cultures, religions, languages, cuisines, and customs. And I believe we all can live in peace,” she tweeted.

“I know we can appreciate the gifts that all of our people, in all their diversity, contribute to our world. There is no need for us to continue to suffer and hurt each other,” Malala added.

It will be pertinent to note here that Malala, who was born in Pakistan in 1997 was shot in the head her hometown in Pakistan for campaigning for female education in 2012. Malala had then fled Pakistan for security reasons and is currently living in the UK.

The social media users were, however, quick to thumb through Malala’s double standards. A Twitter user named Ankur Singh took to the micro-blogging site to slam Malala for her selective outrage.


Anchor and executive editor for News 24, Manak Gupta, also took to Twitter to condemn Malala for her double standards.


Another Tweeter user, Anshul Saxena asked Malala to sound equally concerned about the barbaric incidents of abductions, conversions, and killings of minority Hindus and others in the terrorist state of Pakistan.


Meanwhile, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri also dammed her and advised her to rise above religion and ‘be a true human’.


Notably, Malala has been called out earlier as well, by social media users, for her selectivity in condemning human rights abuses, when she had chosen to remain tight-lipped against the barbaric incident of conversion of two under-age Hindu girls in her country Pakistan. She had failed to take a stand on the issue.

Digvijay Singh wants Congress leadership to march from Lal Qila to Lal Chowk to protest the abrogation of Article 370

OpIndia Staff
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Digvijay Singh wants Congress leadership to march from Lal Qila to Lal Chowk to protest the abrogation of Article 370

The recent move by Government of India to bifurcate the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, doesn’t seem to have gone well with senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh. A visibly infuriated Singh invoked Mahatma Gandhi to express his feeling on the matter and said, “What would have Mahatma Gandhi done … in a situation that this bill had come and passed? I think he would have taken a march from Lal Qila to Lal Chowk to show the solidarity with the Kashmiris.”

Singh was speaking at the launch event of journalist Dhirendra K Jha’s book, Ascetic Games: Sadhus, Akharas and the Making of the Hindu vote. He took the stage to demonstrate his views on the recent political developments in J&K and confessed that Congress party was leaderless since Rahul Gandhi’s resigned as party president on July 6, 2019.


In response to a journalist on whether the Congress leadership would have the courage to march to Lal Chowk, Singh responded, “That’s what I would want them to do.”

Singh admitted to his party’s past mistakes including the failure to deal with religious fundamentalisms, preventing Babri Masjid demolition and reversing Supreme Court judgment on Shah Bano.

About 70 terrorists and hardline pro-Pakistan Kashmiri separatists shifted from Jammu and Kashmir to Agra: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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About 70 terrorists and hardline pro-Pakistan Kashmiri separatists shifted from Jammu and Kashmir to Agra: Reports

As the state of Jammu and Kashmir returns to normalcy after the revocation of Article 370 and Article 35A, approximately 70 terrorists and hardcore pro-Pakistani Kashmiri separatists have been shifted to Agra. They were airlifted to Agra in a special plane provided by the Indian Air Force.


This decision to shift prisonners from the state to Agra was taken just before PM Modi’s speech to the nation where he talked about the government’s decision on the state.

Amidst high-security, separatists and terrorists landed at the Kheria airport in Agra Thursday. The route to the jail was guarded with heavy police deployment. It is also reported that the Kashmiri prisoners have been kept in the jail’s high-security barrack. In addition, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and SWOT teams have also been posted outside the jail.

The move to fly dreaded terrorists and separatists is considered as a preemptive action taken up by the government as normalcy seems to be returning to the valley after the government decided to abrogate Article 370, and split the state into two Union Territories. The article 370 granted separate status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir from the other states in the country. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha on August 5 and on August 6 it made through the Lok Sabha with a massive mandate. The bill has bifurcated the state into two union territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

Concentration Camps to Lal Chowk March: Congress leaders compete with each other on generating hysteria over Article 370

K Bhattacharjee
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Concentration Camps to Lal Chowk March: Congress leaders compete with each other on generating hysteria over Article 370

The year is 2019 and hyperboles in political discourse are in fashion. Since Article 370 was abolished in Jammu and Kashmir and the former state was bifurcated into two Union Territories, politicians of a secular hue have engaged in extremely disturbing sermons. It is a trend that ought to worry us all.

One of the prominent figures to have participated vigorously in problematic discourse is the leader of the Congress party in the Parliament, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. After insinuating that Jammu & Kashmir wasn’t India’s internal matter, he has now claimed that Kashmir has been transformed into a concentration camp.


Unfortunately, he isn’t the only leader from the Congress party who has been toeing the Jihadist line. Former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, who is mired in numerous criminal investigations, has touted Shah Faesal to insinuate that the abolition of Article 370 was “the biggest betrayal” perpetrated against the Kashmiri Muslim community by the Indian government.


Digvijay Singh went one step further. He claimed that he wants his party to march to Lal Chowk in Srinagar. He said, “What would have Mahatma Gandhi done … in a situation that this bill had come and passed? I think he would have taken a march from Lal Qila to Lal Chowk to show the solidarity with the Kashmiris,” before adding it’s what he wants his party to do.

To be fair to Digvijay, it does sound like something Gandhi would have done. But taking pointers from an individual who could not prevent the partition of the country despite his pathological pacifism does not appear to be a very sensible course of action.

The tone and tenor of the statements made by senior leaders of the Congress party only reflect the stance taken by their Supreme Leader. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has made a series of insensitive and callous comments which could only jeopardize the effort being made by the government which is of great historical significance.


Of course, most of what the Congress party is saying isn’t true. There are no concentration camps in Kashmir, no one has locked Kashmiris up in gas chambers trying to force poison gas on them. No one has locked lakhs of them in prisons in a bid to exterminate them.

I can feel my IQ dropping by 20 points by merely having to say that. It was not an unconstitutional measure. A temporary provision in the Constitution was struck off by perfectly constitutional means. And to prevent any law and order issue fueled by Pakistan sponsored separatist elements, the government of India took certain precautionary measures ahead of announcing the decision in Parliament, like suspending mobile and internet communications, imposing section 144, and keeping some potential troublemakers in preventing house arrest.

Such measures are regularly taken by state governments whenever there is an apprehension of law and order issue due to various reasons. They no doubt create temporary hurdles for ordinary citizens, but to compare them with concentration camp crosses all limits of logic.  J&K hasn’t been torn apart, the state has already started returning to normalcy, and people in Ladakh are happy as they got their long-standing demand of union territory fulfilled.

Even members of the Congress party know it in their hearts that their words are as far from the truth as they could be. That is why there is a vertical split developing within the party. Many people have refused to toe the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty line, and understandably so.

There is a good reason why the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and its motley crew of clowns are opposing the move with tooth and nail. They are perfectly aware that if the NDA government succeeds in its endeavor, it will be extremely difficult for the Congress party to ever return to power. They want the government to fail so that they can then turn around and say, “I told you so.”

The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty loves power. They love power more than anything they have ever loved, maybe only their love for their children exceeds it. It is perhaps their only redeeming quality. It does appear that due to their love for power and their children, they are willing to sacrifice the interests of the entire country. Such hyperbole helps no one apart from Pakistan and those entities inimical to Indian interests.

To paraphrase the words of a certain US politician: The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is desperate for power, I pray to the Gods they never get it. The Congress party, in their desire to see the ruin of Narendra Modi and the BJP, are willing to destroy our country. They are willing to set the whole country on fire so that they could rule over the ashes.

Removal of Article 370 is not withdrawal of special provisions, it is giving equal rights to people of Jammu and Kashmir: PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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Removal of Article 370 is not withdrawal of special provisions, it is giving equal rights to people of Jammu and Kashmir: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation via a televised speech today evening at 8 PM. This is the first time the PM talked to the public after the historic decision to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35A of the constitution was taken by the government. These two articles had given the state Jammu and Kashmir a separate status and kept it alienated from the country. The Article 35A, which was introduced by presidential order in 1956, was repealed by issuing a new presidential order on 5th August, which had superseded the earlier order. While Article 370 was removed using the provisions of clause 3 of the Article.

The speech was being carried live by most news channels. The speech can be watched on the live stream embedded below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb8DIUBXvjA]

8:00 PM: Everyone thought nothing will change, even with Article 370. Nobody was talking about the harmful effects of Article 370. Nobody was able to tell people the ill-effects or the benefits of Article 370 on the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

8:05: Article 370 and 35A was being used by Pakistan to instigate people. 42,000 people have died so far.

8:05: Any government of any party makes laws in the parliament to ensure the well-being of people. There is a lot of debate during the process inside and outside the parliament. But it tragic that earlier a law was made and it was not even applicable to one part of the country.

8:07: Any law made for the benefit of the people did not benefit the people of Jammu and Kashmir. In the country, children have the right to education. J&K children did not have that right. The rights that girl-children get, were not availed by the girls of J&K. Even sweepers could take benefit of the rights they have in the rest of the country. In the rest of the country, to stop atrocities against Dalits, there are laws. But in J&K, there were no such laws. Even for the marginalised, there were laws in the entire country, but none in J&K. Minimum Wages Act was also not applicable in J&K. SC and ST got reservations, but not in J&K. Now, with Article 370 and Article 35A being made history, J&K will come out of its ill-effects.

8:10: It is the aim of the government to give the employees, including the police of J&K get the same rights as the other employees in the rest of the country.

8:12: Very soon, in J&K and Ladakh all central and state positions will be filled. From this, the youth of J&K and Ladakh will get employment. Along with that, PSUs and Private Sector companies will get an incentive for employment generation. The govt will start a scholarship program so most students can avail of the benefits.

8:15: After the removal of Article 370 and 35A, only for some time, the UTs have been kept under the central government only for some time. After President’s rule has been employed, in the past few months, J&K has seen good governance and development. The schemes that were limited to paper, are being seen on the ground now too. Projects that were stalled for years are seeing progress. We have tried to bring in a new culture in governance. As a result, IIT, IIM, AIIMS etc and irrigation projects, power projects or even ACB has seen an improvement in working. Connectivity projects too have seen an improvement.

8:16: Our democracy is so strong, but in J&K, there are people who have never voted in the Assembly Elections, Panchayat Elections etc and neither did they have the right to contest. These people are those who after the 1947 partition, came to India. They had all rights in India, but only in J&K, had no rights. Should they not get their rights?

8:17: I want to tell the people of J&K, your representatives will be chosen by you. I am confident that together, we will fight terrorism and embark on a new path of development.

8:19: We all want that in the coming time, J&K sees Assembly elections and we see new representatives of the people. I want to assure the people, that they will get to elect their own representatives very soon in a calm and peaceful environment.

8:20: It is my experience that 4-5 months back, in the Panchayat elections of J&K and Ladakh are working very well. They should be welcomed and appreciated. When I went to Srinagar, I met them at length. When they came to Delhi, to my residence, I spoke to them at length. Because of them, J&K has seen development at the rural level. Whether it is about providing electricity or making the village ODF. In fact, the women representatives have performed phenomenally well. I am confident, that after the abrogation of Article 370, when they get a better environment to work in, they will perform better.

8:22: I am confident that the people of J&K will defeat terrorism and move forward with new hope.

8:23: Decades of dynasty politics deprived people of leadership. Now, the youth of J&K will lead and develop J&K and Ladakh. I urge the youth to come forward in a leadership role. J&K and Ladakh can be the biggest tourist spot in India. But we need the help of the rest of the country. There was a time when Bollywood would shoot in Kashmir. Now when J&K turns to normalcy, this will resume. I urge people, whether, from Bollywood or Industry or technology, they should focus on J&K and Ladakh.

8:26: The decision of the government will also benefit youth who are interested in sports. New stadiums, scientific training etc will be provided. They will be able to display their talent to the world and play for India.

8:30: Farmers will benefit when they sell the unique plants of J&K. After becoming a UT, the development of the people of Ladakh is the responsibility of the central government. The govt will ensure that the people of Ladakh get all benefits.

8:30: In a democracy, it is obvious that some people will be for the decision and some will be again. I respect their reasons for differences. And it is our responsibility to assuage their sentiments. But I urge them to work for the benefit for the Nation. Respect the sentiments of the Nation. They should work towards the betterment of the nation.

8:32: The abrogation of Article 370 is reality. But it is also a reality that because of this, certain steps had to be taken. The effects are also being borne by the people of J&K and they are cooperating. Some people are trying to instigate people, and they are getting a response from the nationalists of J&K. Even terrorism is being fought by these nationalists and the people who believe in the Indian Constitution.

8:34: I assure the nationalists that the situation will become normal soon. I give all of you my best wishes for Eid. We are trying to ensure that there will be no problems in celebrating the festival. Even people who live outside J&K and want to go back home for Eid are being helped by the central government.

8:35: I also thank the paramilitary forces, government employees, J&K police and all employees for being there to help the people of J&K. Their hard work has increased by faith in change. Jammu and Kashmir is our crown. Many have sacrificed their lives for this crown.

8:37: Several people have sacrificed their lives because of terrorism. They have all dreamt of a quiet, secure and developed J&K. All of us need to fulfil those dreams together.

West Bengal: Govt school asks students to write a report on ‘Jai Shree Ram and its negative impact on society’ during school exams

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Govt school asks students to write a report on ‘Jai Shree Ram and its negative impact on society’ during school exams

Hooghly government school in Polba region, West Bengal of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has found itself in the middle of a controversy after it asked its students to write a report on ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and its ‘negative impact on the society’ during a class exam.

The question paper also had a question on how the campaign for refunding “cut money” can stop corruption.

SS of a part of the question paper, given to students of Hoogly Government school.

Since the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ topic is currently one of the most politically sensitive topics in the state the children were left confused as to how to deal with the question. Whether they should reply to the question honestly or diplomatically keeping Mamata’ perception in view had left the students flummoxed. Since the question was only for five marks most of the students thought it to be safe to skip the question.

However, those who answered the question brought it to the notice of the principal as the examination was about to get over. The principal, in turn, assured that every student, irrespective of whether they attempted or not, would get full marks for that particular question.

This incident drew a lot of criticism from BJP’s district organisation president Subir Nag, who dubbed it as the West Bengal government’s deliberate move to confuse the young minds. BJP, which won the Hoogly seat in the recent Lok Sabha election has also planned to submit a memorandum seeking an explanation as to how the school authorities could allow such a question paper to be printed without basic inspection.

Though Trinamool Congress panchayat leader, Nirmal Ghosh, who is associated with the school apologised and said that he would inquire into the matter, the ruling Trinamool Congress Party has distanced itself from this controversy dubbing it a stray incident and blaming the principal and the subject teacher in this regard.

The three words that have been triggering Mamata and her goons for the longest time now are ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Mamata has several times in the past exhibited her malevolence against the chant.

She has not only called the slogan a deliberate attempt ‘to sell hatred ideology’ but has also many a time threatened to take action against people chanting Jai Shri Ram.

The chant of Jai Shri Ram has become one of political upheaval in West Bengal with TMC goons lashing out at those chanting it. In fact, many people in West Bengal have faced Mamata’ wrath for using the slogan.

In the month of June, 3 BJP workers along with a 14-year-old boy were shot for chanting Jai Shri Ram. Last month, a BJP worker named Krishna Debnath succumbed to his injuries after he was brutally beaten up by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers for chanting the slogan. Mamata Banerjee had also got 10 people arrested for chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ at her. She had claimed that she was being abused.

In fact, the reluctance and the intolerance against the slogan have become so deep-rooted in Mamata’s realm that a class-I student was allegedly brutally thrashed by his school teacher for chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’.

Pakistan suspends Samjhauta Express, asks India to send driver to take the train back

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan suspends Samjhauta Express, asks India to send driver to take the train back

Spooked by India’s audacious move of abrogating the provisions of Article 370 and bifurcating the state into two union territories, Pakistan seems to have rushed into taking a series of ineffectual decisions to protest against India’s decision. After snapping bilateral trade and downgrading diplomatic ties with India, Pakistan has today announced that it will permanently discontinue Samjhauta Express train services.


In addition to this, Pakistan has also requested India to send a driver to Pakistan to take back the Samjhauta Express which was supposed to carry passengers on its run from Pakistan to India. Pakistani officials have informed Atari station authorities about their government’s decision and asked an Indian guard and a driver to take Samjhauta express from Wagah side to Atari.

Pakistan Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had recently tweeted that Samjhauta Express that plies twice a week between India and Pakistan has been suspended by Pakistan. He also added that those who had already paid for the tickets will get their money reimbursed from Lahore DS office.


However, there are contradictory reports claiming that the services haven’t stopped yet. According to Atari station master, Pakistan guard and driver refused to come to India and therefore Indian crew and guard will be sent with the engine to bring the train from Wagah side.


Besides, Imran Khan government has also decided to put a ban on the screening of Bollywood movies in Pakistan.


After the abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan has been taking harebrained decisions to lodge its protest against India’s decision. It has snapped bilateral trade relations, scaled-down diplomatic ties with India and expelled Indian envoy from Pakistan.

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