Category: National

Mumbai: Actress Sana Khan has declared that she is quitting the world of showbiz in order to serve humanity and follow the path of her Creator.

“I declare that from today onwards, I have resolved to say goodbye to my showbiz lifestyle forever and serve humanity and follow the orders of my Creator. All brothers and sisters are requested to pray for me to Allah to accept my repentance and grant me the true ability to live in accordance with my determination of spending my life following the commandments of my Creator and in the service of humanity, and grant me perseverance in to,” she announced on Instagram, in a note written in Hindi and English.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGFm-Q-AFEh/?igshid=vvd7efijk1lq

“All brothers and sisters are requested to not consult me with regards to any showbiz work henceforth,” she added in the post that she shared on Thursday night.

Sana has also removed several pictures from her Instagram account.

“My happiest moment. May Allah help me and guide me in this journey,” she captioned the post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU4qYr7AO0H/?igshid=1ql65lyjiqyr6

The 32-year-old is best known for her stint on “Bigg Boss 6” and was also a contestant on “Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 6”. She was also seen in the 2014 Salman Khan-starrer “Jai Ho” and the web series “Special OPS” that dropped earlier this year. Sana has worked in a handful of Tamil and Telugu films, too.

Her decision garnered reactions from industry colleagues and social media users.

“Wish you so much love and joy that you already carry within you as a person. Be blessed today and everyday,” actress Ridhi Dogra commented.

Last year, “Dangal” actress Zara Wasim made headlines when she announced she was quitting the entertainment industry in a similar manner.

– Agencies

China-Pak working towards better integration of their militaries

Times Now News

New Delhi: Amid rising tensions with India along the LAC in Ladakh, China is helping Pakistan install surface-to-air missile near Pakistan Administered Kashmir.

With the dispute on Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China only surging, China has taken its military-to-military cooperation with Pakistan to the next tactical level.

The intelligence report also suggests that China and Pakistan are working towards better integration of their militaries.

New SAM sites in Pakistan Administered Kashmir

Construction is in full swing near Lasadanna Dhok in Pakistan Administered Kashmir for installation of a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.

As per the media reports, around 120-130 Pakistan Army personnel and 25 to 40 civilians are working on the construction sites and control room of this missile system is located in Bagh district. Intel report further suggests that PLA personnel will also be deployed there along with Pakistani officials.

Similar construction had also been reported at Chinari in Jhelum district, and Chakothi in Hattian Bala district of Pakistan Administered Kashmir, as per the intelligence report.

China and Pakistan are working in tandem for better integration of their forces and this year in June, Islamabad posted a senior Army officer at the PLA headquarters in Beijing.

China-Pak working towards better integration of their militaries

Xi Jinping plans to control Pakistan’s politics, economy through CPEC authority and BRI which is why Pakistan Administered Kashmir is important for Beijing. This increasing economic and military cooperation in Pakistan Administered Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan is in China’s best interests as it is central to Chinese expansionism in the region.

On September 3, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat Gen Rawat had said that India is capable of handling two-front threat. Issuing a stern warning to Pakistan, the CDS further said if Islamabad tries to take advantage of any threat developing along India’s northern borders then it would suffer heavy losses.

Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) conclave, General Rawat said China and Pakistan have been collaborating militarily, economically and diplomatically.

With inputs from Times Now News Network

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

UP: In yet another case of rape of a minor, a five-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly brutalised by her own uncle at Hazratpur village.

In order to hide his crime, the accused tried to apply Mobil oil to stop the girl’s excessive bleeding. The victim has now been admitted to a hospital for treatment.

According to reports, the child was playing with her friends when the 35-year-old man took her to his house in the neighbourhood.

The family later came to know about the incident when the minor started complaining of severe pain in her lower abdomen. She was taken to a doctor who confirmed rape.

The accused has been booked under the IPC sections of rape and the POCSO Acts. The girl’s family has been provided Rs 3 lakh under a government beneficiary scheme as they are ‘very poor’.

“We have ensured that their ration card was made on a priority basis and a piece of farm land be provided on lease,” said District Magistrate Kumar Prashant about the steps taken to placate the girl’s family.

“The accused has been arrested and the girl is receiving proper treatment. Her condition is stable. She has been discharged from the hospital,” said Badaun SSP Sankalp Sharma said on Thursday.

He further said that a circle officer will probe the case and a charge sheet is expected to be filed soon.

“We have sufficient evidence against the accused. We will ensure speedy trial in a fast-track court,” the SSP stated.(KINS)

Srinagar: The Central government said that India has demonstrated an exponential increase in the COVID-19 testing infrastructure since Jan 2020.

“The country’s testing capacities have multiplied manifolds. More than 15 lakh samples can be tested every day. India has performed remarkably on fulfilling WHO’s advice of 140 tests/day/ million population.

In its Guidance Note on “Public Health Criteria to Adjust Public Health and Social Measures in the Context of COVID-19” WHO has advised this strategy for comprehensive surveillance for suspected cases” said the government.

“In another row of achievements, 35 States/UTs have exceeded the advised number of tests. The national average of tests per day per million population stands at 865.

Nearly 12 lakh tests were conducted in the last 24 hours in the country. With 11,94,321 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the cumulative tests have crossed 8.34 crore (8,34,65,975)”.

“As evidence has revealed, higher numbers of testing on a sustained basis have aided in bringing down the positivity rate. The sharp decline in national cumulative positivity rate has demonstrated that the rate of spread of infection is being contained.

Higher testing across wide regions leads to early identification of positive cases, prompt tracking through efficient surveillance and tracing, and timely & effective treatment in homes/facilities and in hospitals for the severe cases. These measures in tandem eventually lead to lower mortality rate”.

“7 States/UTs have reported a positivity rate less than 5%.

This is a result of successful TEST, TRACK, TRACE, TREAT and TECHNOLOGY strategy of the Central government effectively followed by States/UTs.22 States/UTs have a positivity rate less than the national average. The cumulative Positivity Rate is 8.19% and is on a continuous decline”.

“Maintaining the spree of registering more recoveries than the new confirmed cases, 83,011 single day recoveries were registered in the last 24 hours as against 78,524 new confirmed cases. The total recovered cases stand at 58,27,704. The gap between Recovered cases and Active cases has crossed 49 lakh (49,25,279).

The Active Cases are less than 10 lakh for the 17th day in a row. Presently the active cases comprise merely 13.20% of the total positive cases of the country standing at 9,02,425”.
“Higher number of recoveries has aided the national Recovery Rate to further improve to 85.25%.

75% of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in 10 States/UTs. Maharashtra alone has contributed the maximum with more than 16,000 single day recovery.

78,524 new confirmed cases were recorded in the last 24 hours. 79% of the new cases are from 10 States and UTs. Maharashtra continues to be the State reporting a very high number of new cases with more than 14,000 cases followed by Karnataka with nearly 11,000 cases.

971 case fatalities have been reported in the past 24 hours. Of these, nearly 82% are concentrated in ten States/UTs of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh.

More than 36% of new fatalities are reported are from Maharashtra (355 deaths)” the government maintained.(KINS)

Srinagar: Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said that Indian Air Force has demonstrated its resolve, operational capability and will to effectively engage with the adversary when the need arises.

According to news agency KINS while addressing on the occasion of Air Force Day, Bhadauria said, “Indian Air Force deployed its combat assets at short notice to handle any eventuality and provided proactive support to all the requirements of deployment and sustenance for the Indian Army”.

Referring to recent standoff on the northern frontier, he commended the Air Warrior for their quick response.

“On the preparedness of the Indian Air Force, he said, the emerging security scenario mandates a greater need to have a strong IAF to fight in domains across the entire spectrum of warfare. He said, IAF is shifting towards the indigenous equipment to become self-reliant in the aerospace sector and growth of engines for development of indigenous aerospace technology. He said, “IAF is fully committed to build the 5th generation aircraft”.

On the Covid-19 pandemic situation, Air Chief Marshal said, “tenacity and resolve of our Air Warriors ensured that the IAF continued to retain its capability and capacity to undertake full scale operation. He said, Indian Air Force deployed transport helicopters to bring back the stranded Indians and supplied essential goods”.

“The Indian Air Force, IAF, is celebrating its 88th anniversary today.The IAF was founded on October 8, 1932. A scintillating air display by various aircraft was the hallmark of the Air Force Day Parade cum Investiture Ceremony at Air Force Station Hindan, Ghaziabad.

The air display commenced with flag bearing skydivers of the famous AKASH GANGA Team dropping out of an AN-32 aircraft in their colourful canopies.The flypast included the vintage aircraft, modern transport aircraft and frontline fighter aircraft. The ceremony concluded with a spell binding aerobatic display.

President, Vice President and Prime Minister have greeted all Air Force personnel on this occasion”.

In a tweet, President Ram Nath Kovind said that the nation remains indebted to the contribution of the IAF in securing our skies and assisting civil authorities in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. Mr Kovind said the ongoing process of modernisation with induction of Rafale, Apache and Chinook will transform the IAF into an even more formidable strategic force. He said he is confident that in the years to come, the Indian Air Force will continue to maintain its high standards of commitment and competence.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said, the country’s Air Warriors are known for their professionalism, excellence and courage and they have made the country proud in war and peace.

Congratulating all the brave warriors of the Indian Air Force on the occasion of Air Force Day Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, these brave warriors do not only keep the skies of the country safe, but also play a leading role in the service of humanity in times of disaster. He said, their courage, valor and dedication to protect mother India inspire everyone.

Extending his best wishes to the air warriors and their families, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that eighty eight years of dedication, sacrifice and excellence mark the journey of the IAF which is today a lethal and formidable force to reckon with.

He said, the nation is proud of its men and women in blue and salutes the prowess of the IAF as it stands ready to face challenges and deter adversaries. He said, the government remains committed to enhancement of IAF’s combat capability through modernization and indigenisation.

Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturdya took a jibe at the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Governments for its lack of focus on the development of border infrastructure, saying they resorted to perpetrate compromise on border security and development.

According to KNS monitoring, PM Modi was mentioning the Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip in Ladakh where India is witnessing border stand-off with China.

PM Modi, without naming the Congress party, during the inauguration of Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh, said that the previous Governments must explain the reason the Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip remained closed for nearly fifty-years. He at the occasion inaugurated 9.02 km long Atal Tunnel which will connect Manali to Lahual-Spiti valley in the State.

“Many other important projects were treated in the same way as Atal Tunnel. The strategically important Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip in Ladakh remained closed for 40–45 years. I do not want to go into details about the helplessness and the pressure behind it,” Modi said adding that the country had seen a phase in which strengthening of border infrastructure was deliberately delayed.

The Prime Minister also asked why the previous government lacked the political will to open the airstrip at the Daulat Beg Oldi as he said his government is now concentrating on border development. “Security of the country is of prime importance for the Union government and the creation of border infrastructure is one of its top priorities. There was nothing more important for us than protecting the country. But the country has also seen a period when the defense interests of the country were compromised,” Modi said.

“Connectivity has a direct connection with the development and economic progress of the people. We also know that connectivity in border areas is directly related to security-related issues of the country. The Union government is giving utmost emphasis on the development of border infrastructure and its benefits are being extended to the common people as well as our armed forces personnel,” PM Modi said.

He also said that the previous governments had deliberately delayed the construction of Atal Tunnel. He also pointed out that if the work had continued at the same pace on the project, it would have been completed in 2040.

“We completed the work in just six years that would have taken 26 years. Atal ji laid the foundation stone of the approach road of this tunnel in 2002. Till 2013-2014, progress was made only on 1,300 meters of this tunnel. After 2014, the project progressed with unprecedented pace,” PM said.

PM Modi was accompanied by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defense Staff (CODS) Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur and Director General Border Roads Organization Lieutenant Gen Harpal Singh. (KNS)

India has been on the edge of a potential war with two of its neighbours – China and Pakistan. While India and China have emphasized that both the sides want to disengage at the conflicted border, India and Pakistan, however, have been at loggerheads for decades over Kashmir.

By: EurAsian Times

Daniel Markey, a senior research professor in international relations at John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, has warned that a war between India and Pakistan is more likely than a conflict with China, reported the Daily Express.

India and China are engaged in a border dispute on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. A bloody clash broke out in June killing 20 Indian troops and undisclosed Chinese troops along with several soldiers injured.

But this wasn’t the only one. Several clashes followed and among one of them, shots were fired in the air for the first time in the last four decades in breach of several treaties signed between both sides.

In contrast to this, the India-Pakistan border usually sees violent clashes. “India/Pakistan conflict routinely features artillery, shelling and last year airstrikes.

Furthermore, India and China, up until now, have a remarkable track record of avoiding violent conflict and just as many and possibly many more reasons to avoid this spilling into war than India/Pakistan do,” said Markey in a report by Daily Express.

In the past eight months (from January 1 to September 7) there have been 3,186 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), the Indian government told the Parliament. This is the highest in the last 17 years.

Moreover, there were also 242 incidents of cross-border firing (from January 1 to August 31), in the Jammu region, along the international border with Pakistan, Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Defence, said in the Rajya Sabha.

Markey argued that India-Pakistan conflicts could benefit India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Dealing with Pakistan never worked, excepting the status quo in Kashmir wasn’t working for India either. If you look at the Indian side, you’ll see a legitimate Indian argument, voiced by many inside and outside the government. So when Prime Minister Modi takes these actions, they are not unpopular, they are electorally beneficial on his part,” he said in reference to the airstrikes carried out by the Indian Security Forces against Pakistan last year.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and President of China Xi Jinping before the beginning of the 2017 BRICS Leaders’ meeting. – Wikimedia Commons

“The prospects of a live, conventional war between India, Pakistan is always greater than India, China,” reiterated Markey. He further points out that India and China have a “remarkable track record of avoiding violent conflict and just as many and possibly many more reasons to avoid this spilling into war than India-Pakistan do.”

He explained that the economic interest acts as a huge deterrent for Bejing and New Delhi. The leadership of both countries have shown keen interest in developing an extensive “economic and developmental” relationship. “They both recognise each other as significant neighbours and would like to pursue that,” he added.

With inputs from the EurAsian Times

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Coinciding the birth anniversary of India’s freedom icon, Mahatma Gandhi on Friday, experts say his values of non-violent resistance have been facing stiff challenges in recent times.

By: AP | Cheena Kapoor

They point out that over the past few years, democratic movements in his own country, India have been met with a heavy hand by the government.

Gandhi, who began his tryst with political movements in South Africa, helped India gain freedom through his philosophy of non-violence and non-cooperation. But, despite being revered as “the Father of the Nation,” at home and projected as a moral compass across the world by Indian diplomacy, the country has violently responded to peaceful protests in the past year.

Earlier this year, the Indian capital New Delhi witnessed large scale violent incidents as people protesting “peacefully “against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were beaten up and baton-charged by police. The capital also witnessed one of the worst ever communal riots, claiming over 50 lives.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, prominent Gandhian TRN Prabhu, president of Sevagram Ashram, a town dedicated to Gandhi, said the current political regime in India is based on communalism and thus does not allow agendas of non-violence to survive.

In April 1936, Gandhiji had established his residence and spiritual hermitage in the village of Sevagram in the western state of Maharashtra, where he also employed lower caste Hindus called Dalits to cook food, to break the caste barrier.

“The government today is quite similar to the British colonial regime, an autocracy. Any conflict of words and thoughts can land one into trouble. The dissenters, however, need to focus on the responsibility of awareness. They should keep the dialogue going,” said Prabhu.

He added that it is because of this conflict of thoughts and pressure that a lot of suicides are happening in the country now.

Akshat Seth, general secretary of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), said it is difficult for today’s dissenters to follow the Gandhian approach of resistance.

“We’ve seen students being incarcerated and beaten up for sitting in silent peaceful protests or for only being present at the protest sites. We moved our protests online after the pandemic started, but our account on Twitter was blocked, citing ‘violation of Indian laws,’” said Seth.

Curbs forcing aggression

He added that the crackdown was forcing protestors to turn aggressive in their protests. The government’s oppression and state machinery’s utilization to curb dissent has led to resistance.

The theme of the protests was coined from young poet and activist Amir Aziz’s poem Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega, which translates to everything that will be remembered.

Disregarding the term “violent” for the resistance, the dissenters also believe that fighting for their rights is the right thing to do and it is thus not violence but the survival of the fittest.

“If I am stealing from a shop out of hunger, would you call me an agitator? Gandhi undertook mass mobilization, and thus his movements/resistances were recognized. Peaceful agitations are not being recognized these days. The state is oppressing people fighting for their rights,” said Mohammed Asif, an activist, and protestor against the citizenship law.

He added that the definition and interpretation of violence vary. An agitation for your rights is not violent; the whole point is that the concept behind it should be peaceful.

Asif had set up a library at the protest site in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area, where he lent out books of Gandhi, Indian novelist and short story writer Ismat Chughtai and Lebanese-American writer and poet Khalil Gibran.

“Gandhi’s ideology was freedom. This fight with the government is about ideology, and for this, we have to strengthen our ideas. To do that, we need to read more books,” said Asif.

Gandhi believed that self-rule should extend to all people, rich and poor, male and female, and thus he encouraged women to participate in his freedom movements and political discussions.

Keeping this in mind, Asif named the Shaheen Bagh library The Fatima Sheikh-Savitribai Phule Library, after two women educators and social reformers who fought for women’s rights and their access to education. The library, initially, lent out books only to women, but later opened up for men as well.

With inputs from the EurAsian Times

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Kashmir Today and Kashmir Today does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Media entry stopped inside gang rape victims village

The Uttar Pradesh Police stopped former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on the Yamuna Expressway on Thursday afternoon. The two leaders along with Congress workers were marching towards Hathras to meet the family of the gang-rape victim before they were stopped before Jewar toll plaza.

Police sources said they have been detained under Section 188 of the IPC for violating prohibitive orders. The leaders have been taken to the Buddh International Circuit, the racing track in Greater Noida.

When Mr. Gandhi told officials that he would leave his convoy behind and would go alone on foot, it led to an impasse resulting in police pushing Congress workers.

In the melee that ensued, Mr. Gandhi fell down and suffered some bruises on the arm. After that he sat down on a dharna on the Expressway.

Confirming the sequence of events Shyoraj Jeeven, senior Congress leader from Hathras, said it reflected the autocratic behaviour of the UP police. “The police indulged in lathi charge. Had they used such force to nab the culprits, things would have been different,” he said.

Earlier in the day, vehicles of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who were on their way to Hathras to meet the family of the Dalit gang-rape victim, were stopped in Uttar Pradesh’s Greater Noida on Thursday, party officials said.

The convoy was stopped near Pari Chowk, prompting party workers and senior leaders to proceed on foot, with some functionaries saying they would walk down to Hathras.

Around the same time last year, we were fighting for the Unnao daughter and the situation in U.P. has not changed in a year, Priyanka Gandhi told reporters as she started walking on the expressway.

The Uttar Pradesh government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath must take responsibility for women’s safety in the state and ensure atrocities against them are stopped, she added.

The Hathras administration has blocked entry to the Boolagarhi village of the victim of gangrape and brutal assault on Thursday morning.

Vikrant Vir, Suprintendent of Police, Hathras said section 144 was already in place in the district and only the media was allowed entry inside the village on Wednesday. “Now that the three-member SIT is working in the village and there is COVID 19 scare in the area, we have blocked media entry to the village.” Mr. Vir said it is a congested village and with people not adhering to social distancing and other protocols, there is a real possibility of the virus spreading in the area. “Already three of our men have tested positive,” he told The Hindu.

The girl passed away in Delhi on Tuesday and was cremated in the village in the wee hours of Wednesday by the district administration. The family alleged that they were kept out of the last rites as asked the administration to wait till morning.

On the possible visit of senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to meet the family of the victim on Thursday, Mr Vir said, “Though we haven’t received any official communication, if they visit, they would be stopped at the border. We want the family to settle down and not get influenced by social and political groups.”

He said identity cards would be checked before allowing the locals to enter the village.

Meanwhile, members of Samajwadi party who were protesting outside the village on Wednesday were tried to cross the police barricade and enter the village.

With inputs from The Hindu

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Babri case: All 32 accused acquitted

PTI

Lucknow: All the 32 accused in the Babri mosque demolition case, including BJP veterans L K Advani and MM Joshi, were on Wednesday acquitted by a special CBI court here.

The court said there was no conclusive proof against the accused.

The RSS on Wednesday welcomed the special CBI court’s verdict acquitting all accused in the Babri masjid demolition case and called for harmony in society to face challenges before the country.

“Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh welcomes the special CBI court’s decision to acquit all the accused in the demolition of the controversial structure.

“After this decision, all sections of the society should come together in unity and harmony and work successfully to face the challenges before the country, and work towards the progress of this country,” RSS general secretary Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi tweeted.

The special CBI court in Lucknow has acquitted all the 32 accused in the case, including BJP veterans L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, saying there was no conclusive proof against them.

The case relates to the razing of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. (PTI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)