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  • Banks can’t publish defaulters’ photo randomly in newspapers: RBI

    While asking the banks not to indiscriminately publish photographs of defaulters and guarantors in newspapers, it directed the lending institutions to formulate a policy in this regard.

    RBI today said lenders can publish photographs of only those borrowers in newspapers who have been declared wilful defaulters as per the central bank’s guidelines.
    While asking the banks not to indiscriminately publish photographs of defaulters and guarantors in newspapers, it directed the lending institutions to formulate a policy in this regard.

    The policy should clearly sets out the criteria based on which the decision to publish the photographs of a person will be taken by them so that the approach is neither discriminatory nor inconsistent.
    The Reserve Bank said that it has been observed that some lending institutions have been publishing the photographs of defaulters and guarantors in newspapers.
    In view of the “sensitivity involved and need to prevent” the publishing of photographs of defaulting borrower/ guarantor in an indiscriminate manner, the RBI said photographs of only those borrower who have been declared as wilful defaulters could be published.

    “A lending institution can consider publication of the photographs of only those borrowers, including proprietors/ partners /directors / guarantors of borrower firms/ companies, who have been declared as wilful defaulters following the mechanism set out in the RBI instructions…,” it said.
    This will not apply to the non-whole time directors who are exempted from being considered as wilful defaulters unless the special conditions are satisfied.
    Further, the lending institutions should formulate a policy with the approval of their Board of Directors which clearly sets out the criteria based on which the decision to publish the photographs of a person will be taken by them so that the approach is neither discriminatory nor inconsistent.
    “The lending institutions shall not publish photographs of any other defaulting borrowers,” the RBI added.

  • India’s surgical strikes hit stock markets

    A roller-coaster ride thereafter also saw some indices recovering, albeit marginally, but only to fall again and close significantly lower. The market movement was similar in Pakistan.

    After a positive opening on the back of a rise in global crude oil prices, key Indian equity indices took a sharp fall around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, after the army said it had conducted surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
    A roller-coaster ride thereafter also saw some indices recovering, albeit marginally, but only to fall again and close significantly lower. The market movement was similar in Pakistan.

    The barometer 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the BSE opened strong at 28,423.14 points on Thursday, against the
    previous close at 28,292.81 points. By the time the news briefing by the Indian Army had ended, the intra-day fall was as much as 750 points.
    After a subsequent volatile session, where some investors were also resorting to value buying amid overall concern over escalation in tension between India and Pakistan, the key index ended with a loss of 465.28 points, or a 1.64 per cent drop, at 27,827.53 points.

    But for Tata Consultancy Services, all the 30 Sensex shares ended in the red.
    “As markets got first whiff of developments across the border, panic liquidation gripped the stocks enmasse resulting in a sell off across board. However F&O expiry dynamics ensured that liquidation spree did not evolve into a free fall,” said Anand James, Chief Market Strategist, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services.
    At the Karachi Stock Exchange, the movement for KSE-30 was similar. The index, at one point of time, was down over 415 points. But half hour before the closing bell, it was ruling with a loss of 20.31 points, or 0.09 per cent.
    India’s National Stock Exchange (NSE) closed lower by 153.90 points, or 1.76 per cent, to 8,591.25 points.
    The market mood took a beating as soon as the briefing by the Indian Army started.
    Markets will bounce back: Finance Ministry
    Indian financial markets will bounce back, and surgical strikes by the army may even have a positive impact on the economy, India’s Finance Ministry said on Thursday.
    “Terrorism is the biggest threat to our financial and economic stability, and growth. So, decisive action against terrorism will spur growth,” said Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das soon after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said India can repel any force that subverts peace.
    Lauding the strikes by the army, Jaitley tweeted, “We are proud of Indian Army for taking pre-emptive action and repelling terrorists’ attempt to destabilise peace and tranquillity in the region.”

  • India, Pak should talk: UN

    The Secretary-General”s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was repeatedly asked by a Pakistani reporter whether the UN chief will talk to the leaders of India and Pakistan and offer his good offices during the current atmosphere of escalating tensions and with “Pakistan and India are now getting ready to go to war.”

    UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson has underlined the need for India and Pakistan to resolve their differences through dialogue as he refused to comment on comparisons between Kashmir and the situation in Syria and war-like situation between the two Asian neighbours.
    The Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was repeatedly asked by a Pakistani reporter whether the UN chief will talk to the leaders of India and Pakistan and offer his good offices during the current atmosphere of escalating tensions and with “Pakistan and India are now getting ready to go to war.”

    The journalist also drew a comparison between the situation in Kashmir with that in war-torn Syria.
    “Without commenting on the comparison you make, obviously, I think you’ve seen what we’ve already said on the situation in Kashmir. I have nothing to add to what we’ve already said and what already stands,” he said.
    He stressed that the UN is aware of the situation in Kashmir and “our position on good offices and the current situation remains the same, and I would refer you to what we’ve been saying the last couple of weeks.”

    On head of UN Human Rights Commission Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein asking India and Pakistan to allow his team to visit the region and whether Ban will ask the two nations to “ratchet down the war rhetoric”, Dujarric said “in a recent statement, I think we’ve stated clearly our position on the situation between those two countries.”
    Ban’s office has repeatedly said that the UN Chief’s “good offices” are available on helping resolve the Kashmir dispute only if both India and Pakistan request for it.

  • ‘China in touch with India, Pak to bring down tensions’

    China today said it is in touch with India and Pakistan through different channels to bring down tensions, asking them to properly deal with their differences and work jointly to maintain peace and security in the region.
    “As for the tension between Pakistan and India, recently Chinese side has been in communication with both sides through different channels,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told media briefing here.

    “We hope that Indian and Pakistan can enhance communication and properly deal with difference and work jointly to maintain peace and security of the region,” he said replying to questions whether the current tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad in the aftermath of Uri attack figured in the first anti-terrorism dialogue held between China and India here earlier this week.
    Asked at what level China is in touch with both countries, Geng said China maintains frequent engagement at different levels with both India and Pakistan.
    A foreign ministry press release here last night said China “attaches importance” to Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir but hoped that New Delhi and Islamabad resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation to “safeguard” peace and stability in the region.

    Liu “emphasised that China pays attention to the recent situation in Kashmir and attaches importance to Pakistan’s relevant position”, the statement said.
    “China believes that Kashmir issue is an issue left over from history and should be resolved by relevant parties through dialogue and consultation.”

  • 14 Indian soldiers killed, one captured alive in retaliatory action: Pakistan media

    Defence analyst Major-General (Retd) Ijaz Awan said that his own sources confirmed the number of Indian soldiers killed in retaliatory Pakistani firing, reported Geo News

    At least 14 Indian soldiers were killed while one was captured alive in retaliatory action by Pakistani forces along the Line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, a media report said today.
    “My independent sources have told me that at least 14 Indian soldiers have been killed…8 casualties in one sector and 6 in the other. There are also reports that bodies of eight Indian soldiers are lying across the LoC in Tatta Pani sector,” said senior journalist and host of Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’ Hamid Mir.

    Defence analyst Major-General (Retd) Ijaz Awan said that his own sources confirmed the number of Indian soldiers killed in retaliatory Pakistani firing, reported Geo News.
    “Yes, this information is correct. Bodies are lying across Tatta Pani. I have spoken to eyewitnesses, who have confirmed that the bodies were not picked up as of this evening,” said Awan, according to the report.
    Dawn News reported that an Indian soldier by the name Chandu Babulal Chohan was taken into custody by Pakistani forces.

    However, there is as yet no official confirmation of this claim, said the report.
    Pakistan army, in a statement, said that an exchange of fire between Pakistani and Indian LoC troops began at 2:30am and continued till 8:00am in the Bhimber, Hotspring, Kel and Lipa sectors in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
    “Pakistani troops befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing on the LoC.”
    Shortly after the exchange of fire, Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Defence held a joint press conference in New Delhi in which DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said that surgical strikes were conducted by the Indian army on “terror launch pads along the LoC”.
    The strikes will not continue, he said.
    However, Pakistan rubbished the claim, saying that India was lying to “fool its own people”.

  • RSGC Srinagar abuzz with golfers

    The closure of Kashmir Golf Club (KGC) for re-development has turned out to be boom for Royal Springs Golf Course (RSGC) as the golfers throng in huge numbers to picturesque golf course, here.
    The course remains busy both in morning, evening sessions and even during mid-day. The course is these days catering to more golfers than what used to be few months ago.

    “The rush is double than the usual and among many other factors closure of KGC for time being is one among major reason. KGC members were relocated to Police Golf Club on the Boulevard. However, later RSGC offered 50% concessions to KGC members and thus the story started,” said a golfer while playing his tee-shot at RSGC.
    He said that the current unrest is another major factor contributing to the rush of golfers in RSGC these days.
    “Apart from other factors that include KGC closure, the ongoing unrest across kashmir has also contributed to the buzz in the golf course,” he said.

    Considered as one of the most stunning and breathtaking golf courses you would play in India with the Zabarwan hills in the background and the Dal lake around the corner. The course is spread over 300 acres of rolling hills, native deciduous forest, lakes,wilderness with the occasional marsh. The work on the 18-hole course started in 1987 – 88 under the Special Assistance Programme of the Prime Minister. Robert Trent Jones II, the world renowned golf course designer was appointed as consultant. The course was commissioned in September, 2001 and the Club Building in 2002. It has been developed with the intention to give boost to tourism industry in general and to attract high spending tourists to the valley in particular.
    While the other courses of State at present bear deserted look it is RSGC that is abuzz with activities.
    “To reach Gulmarg, Pahalgam for playing golf is difficult amid current unrest. Add that to closure of KGC, the rush in RSGC is obvious. The other big factor is that continuous 87 days of unrest has affected working of corporate and government sector at large. To spend their idle time, businessmen, bureaucrats, police officials and even MLA’s these days throng to RSGC,” said member RSGC.
    However, another member said that rush is nothing compared to what the courses in Delhi and other places get.
    “There is buzz in RSGC due to current unrest these days but still it is nothing compared to what the courses in other parts of Country get on daily basis,” he said.

  • Farewell match is my right, insists Afridi

    The matter of Shahid Afridi’s retirement from T20 Internationals took a new turn on Wednesday when the veteran player asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to give him a farewell match so that he could exit international arena in a befitting manner.
    It may be recalled that Pakistan were eliminated from this year’s World Twenty20 after losing to India, New Zealand and Australia in the preliminary stage of the event.

    Consequently, there were talks, at that time, about this being Afridi’s last T20 campaign.
    However, after the loss to Australia in the World T20, Afridi said he would think about retiring and on April 3 he stepped down from national T20 captaincy but didn’t announce his retirement from the game’s shortest format.
    Now, Afridi, who quit ODIs last year after the 2015 50-over World Cup, says he deserves a farewell match, and he has asked the PCB to provide him with that so that he can bid goodbye to his fans. “A farewell match is my right,” the all-rounder said while talking to a private news channel.

    He further said that he has talked to PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan about the proposed farewell match.
    Afridi with a vast experience of 398 ODIs and 98 T20 Internationals under his belt insisted he had done a lot for Pakistan cricket and (therefore) deserved a chance to bid farewell to his fans in a befitting manner.
    Meanwhile, PCB executive committee chairman Najam Sethi said that the Board wanted to give Afridi farewell in a graceful manner.
    Talking to a private TV channel, Sethi said the Sept 26 meeting, to be held with him for finalising the matter of farewell, was cancelled due to Afridi’s engagements.
    Sethi said he was waiting for that meeting but Afridi cancelled it.
    “We are still waiting for Shahid Afridi to get a date from him for the meeting,” Sethi said, adding that the PCB wanted to award him a farewell match as he deserved it.

  • ‘Indian Muslims Remember Babri Masjid, Muzaffar Nagar, Gujarat,’ Hurriyat to Mehbooba

    SRINAGAR: All Parties Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Geelani on Thursday said that Muslims in India particularly those of Jammu and Kashmir will “hardly buy argument of Mehbooba Mufti that if any where Muslims are safe that is in India”.

    “This is the most ridiculous, pathetic and unrealistic statement puppet CM has ever made, and this is only because of power, she has been bestowed with, which has smoke screened her vision to the extent that she praises her masters even for the barbarism and tyranny,” the Hurriyat Conference said in a statement this evening.

    “Her father must have briefed her in detail that in the tenure of Congress, of which he was a prominent figure, there have been 40,000 anti-Muslim riots in every nock and corner of India, where lakhs of Muslims have been butchered. Slaughter grounds like Babri Masjid, Mumbai, Bewandi, Bhopal, Muzaffar Nagar, Rampur were established by non-other than Congress itself. In Jammu and Kashmir, more than 6 lakh Muslims were slaughtered and the killing spree still continues. Presently the collation partner in local government, BJP and its leaders has hundreds of criminal cases against them. But after assuming power they reshuffled the whole judiciary network in the country, enabling their own people to roam free after releasing and withdrawing the cases against them,” the Hurriyat Conference added.

    “CM may have forgotten, but world especially Muslims recalling the Gujarat carnage shiver even today after 14 years, as 3,000 Muslims were butchered, some burnt alive, women raped and molested, even the belles of pregnant women was torn and the infants cut into pieces. Houses of Muslims were gutted and whole population was forced to migrate,” the Hurriyat Conference said. “Then Chief Minister of Gujarat and present PM was himself patronizing these butchers and when some of them were arrested they were released within a week by none other than the Gujarat CM himself.”

    The Hurriyat Conference further said that to appease the majority vote bank, “Indian rulers always played the Muslim card, the person and party with more venomous and anti-Muslim image was preferred by the Hindu majority”.

    “Gujarat bloodshed and the man behind it was the sole reason that BJP especially Mr Modi got an overwhelming majority to rule India. Today Indian Muslims are frightened and terrified because the Saffron brigade peeps into their kitchens and interferes into their religious issues,” the statement said.

    The Hurriyat Conference said, “saffronised Mehbooba Mufti feels herself safe and secure and those not willing to toe their line are made to suffer.”

    Commenting on the (Narendra) Modi’s praise by Mehbooba Mufti for saving people by not going for war with Pakistan, the Hurriyat Conference said, “we have been forced to live in the war like conditions for the last 70 years. Our land has been turned into battle grounds with killings, tortures and injuries, leading to such a disastrous environment where we can’t breathe easy and peace is still distant dream for us. This presents a more serious, disturbing and frustrating scenario then war itself and for this hell like situation only India along-with its local stooges are responsible for which they can never be forgiven.”

    Referring to the 2008 Amarnath Land row agitation, the Hurriyat Conference said, “PDP withdrew support to the Congress government led by Gh Nabi Azad on the death of three people saying that they can’t support the government which rests and rules over dead bodies, but today more than 92 people got killed, 250 blinded, 14000 injured, 6000 arrested, 55 thousand houses ransacked, paddy heaps burned, fruit orchards devastated, apples stolen, complete halt of the life in whole valley for 83 days with pro-freedom slogans reverberating from every corner of the state, especially in the PDP’s constituency of support, but the steel crunches of saffron are so strong that the death and devastation in such a large scale could neither shake the conscience of puppet CM nor her chair.”

  • Situation alarming, appeal for restraint and peace: Dr. Farooq

    ‘Thoughts with people living along LoC and Border’

    Srinagar: National Conference President Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said the party was concerned at the alarming situation along the Line of Control. Hoping that cooler heads would prevail, Dr. Farooq Abdullah has made an appeal to uphold the ceasefire agreed upon in 2003.
    “We hope cooler heads will prevail and the ceasefire of 2003 will be upheld. Our thoughts are with people living along the Line of Control and the International Border as it is them who suffer the most in times of such escalation”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said in a statement issued from National Conference Headquarters in Srinagar.
    In a statement issued to KNS, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said both India and Pakistan should exercise restraint and open all channels of communications to de-escalate the situation along the Line of Control and the International Border. “Confrontation and hostility between New Delhi and Islamabad have not yielded favourable results for either country in the past and all outstanding issues and concerns should be discussed with sincerity and the overarching common goal of achieving peace, stability and cooperation in the region”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah added.
    “The people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered the most because of hostility and confrontation between India and Pakistan. This is precisely why we reiterate that there is no alternative to a cooperation and peaceful engagement between the two neighbours. All outstanding issues should be resolved peacefully and effectively”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah said in the statement.
    Dr. Farooq Abdullah said New Delhi and Islamabad should work together to ensure an immediate and effective ceasefire and that mutual declarations of peace and cooperation should be used as building blocks for a new bilateral diplomatic process. “Be it the Lahore Declaration, the Agra Summit or numerous bilateral engagements ever since, including the recent Joint Statement issued by the External Affairs Ministers of India and Pakistan in 2015 – both New Delhi and Islamabad have expressed their commitment towards the mutual goals of peaceful co-existence and cooperation. It is this spirit of responsibility that should encourage and inspire both Governments towards sustained efforts aimed at ensuring peace”, Dr. Farooq Abdullah added. (KNS)

  • Chief Minister expresses grave concern over escalation of Indo-Pak tension

    Calls for restraint, reconciliation; Says confrontation could lead to disaster of epic proportions

    SRINAGAR: Expressing grave concern over the escalation of the situation along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister, Ms Mehbooba Mufti today said the confrontation could lead to a disaster of epic proportions if urgent steps are not taken to bring down the heightened tensions in the region.

    “New Delhi and Islamabad must open the channels of communication realizing the dangerous consequences of any escalation of ongoing confrontation along the borders,” the Chief Minister said while reacting to the latest situation unfolding in the region.

    Calling for restraint, Ms Mehbooba said the people of Jammu & Kashmir have the greatest stakes in peace as they have undergone enormous tragedies because of the blood-spattered violence in the State. “We in J&K have suffered immensely because of the violence and know very well its dangers and consequences,” she said and called upon the political leadership of India and Pakistan to deescalate the war-like situation in the region. “For the people of Jammu & Kashmir peace along the borders and within the mainland is of immense significance and I hope the political leadership of the two countries would also treat it with the same spirit,” she said.

    Ms Mehbooba said like siblings locked in an endless rivalry, India and Pakistan have bickered for well over six decades and transforming that rivalry into a mature, productive relationship will be difficult. “But the consequences of continued animosity will be much worse,” she said and added that the necessity of dialogue has assumed more significance in the post-nuclear phase.

    Maintaining that war is never an option to resolve the issues, the Chief Minister said India and Pakistan should instead together fight the poverty and economic deprivation plaguing the region. “The two nuclear armed neighbors must cooperate in the fields of social development, including eradication of poverty and with their growing economies and energy needs, and the need for newer, more diverse markets and trading opportunities, the future of the troubled region has to be defined by common economic interests instead of hostilities,” she said.

    The Chief Minister called for reviving the spirit of the Joint Statement issued in Islamabad on December 9, 2015 following the meeting of External Affairs Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj with her Pakistani counterpart Mr Sartaj Aziz. She said in the Joint Statement both sides had agreed to begin a Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue on Peace and Security, CBMs, Jammu & Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project, Economic and Commercial Cooperation, Counter-Terrorism, Narcotics Control, Humanitarian Issues, People to People exchanges and religious tourism.

    Asserting that there is simply no alternative to talks, Ms Mehbooba said the history is witness that even after having fought two wars, India and Pakistan had to time and again come back to the negotiating table to resolve their issues. “I am sure that amidst the prevailing gloomy scenario in the region, the hope for peaceful means of resolving the issues will again stand the ground and political leadership of the two countries shall have to revive the peace and reconciliation with fresh resolve,” she said adding; “It will be in the interest of both the countries to solve their problems through the bilateral framework as it is the only way forward given the dicey parameters of international power politics.