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China has amassed troops along LAC since April-May

The government is scheduled to review the outcome of Sunday’s fifth round of talks between the Indian and Chinese Corps Commander. The high-powered China Study Group (CSG) is expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss the outcome of the talks that are meant to take forward the stalled process of disengagement on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a defence source said on Monday.

The Commanders’ talks, which began around 11 a.m. on the Chinese side at Moldo opposite Chushul went on till 9:30 p.m., the source said. Details on its outcome are expected on Tuesday after the government takes stock of the developments, it has been learnt. The stand-off in Eastern Ladakh has been on for almost three months now.

The disengagement has not moved beyond the incomplete first phase despite four rounds of talks and both sides having worked out the details. India has consistently demanded status quo ante of pre-May positions along the LAC.

China has amassed troops along the LAC since April-May and its troops have also moved inside Indian held territory at several places. Under the first phase, only limited disengagement has been undertaken at Patrolling Point 17A in Gogra-Hot springs, and Chinese troops continue to occupy the ridgelines of Finger 4, about 8 km inside from Finger 8, upto which India’s claim extends to.

The CSG, headed by National Security Advisor (NSA), met last Thursday ahead of the talks. It was set up in 1976 by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to advise on policy issues relating to China and includes top Secretaries, military and intelligence officials. It was initially headed by the Foreign Secretary.

With inputs from The Hindu

PTI

Srinagar: National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Sunday pointed out that while people were boycotting Chinese goods in the wake of incursions in Ladakh by the neighbouring country, the IPL cricket tournament has been allowed to retain all its sponsors, including those from the neighbouring country.

“Chinese cellphone makers will continue as title sponsors of the IPL while people are told to boycott Chinese products. It’s no wonder China is thumbing it’s nose at us when we are so confused about how to handle Chinese money/investment/sponsorship/advertising,” he wrote on Twitter.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister was reacting to the news about the Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council’s decision to retain all its sponsors, including Chinese mobile company VIVO, in the event to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19 to November 10.

“BCCI/IPL governing council has decided to retain all sponsors including the big Chinese ones. I feel bad for those idiots who threw their Chinese made TVs off their balconies only to see this happen,” Abdullah wrote on the microblogging website.

In another tweet, he said “we always suspected that we really can’t manage” without the sponsorship and advertising of Chinese companies.

“The sheer suddenness of the move, the unexpected nature of the move, the unpredictability of the move. They don’t know what hit them. Now the Chinese will know………. what we always suspected that we really can’t manage without their sponsorship & advertising,” the NC leader said, while referring to the remarks of a news anchor of a private television channel.

Srinagar: Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation Gaznafar on Monday said that all animal Hides are collected from road sides, drians and Dustbins have burried by SMC Srinagar.

In a tweet SMC Commissioner said all hides collected from roads , lanes, drains and Dustbins have been burried by @SMC Srinagar frontline workers .I salute these unsung heroes who continue to work in all harsh conditions. I am proud of you all.

Meanwhile. Several animals hides were seen on the roadsides, lanes and Dustbins in the summer capacital Srinagar (KNS)

PTI

New Delhi: The CISF is scheduled to take over on August 4 the security of the Leh airport, the country’s highest-altitude commercial aerodrome in the newly created Union Territory of Ladakh, officials said.

A contingent of about 100 CISF personnel will provide round-the-clock, armed security at the strategically important airport, located at 3,256 metres above sea level, they said.

The Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), will be the 64th civil airport to be brought under the cover of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). It is guarded by the local police at present.

Ladakh became a UT on October 31 last year after the central government revoked the special status given to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into UTs.

The CISF, the 1.62 lakh personnel strong paramilitary designated as the national civil aviation security force, will take over the Leh airport security after a formal induction ceremony scheduled for August 4, officials said.

CISF Director General (DG) Rajesh Ranjan and senior officials of the AAI and Ladakh UT will be present during the event, they said.

The force has a special aviation security group (ASG) to provide counter-terror cover to the airports and it has taken over such passenger facilities at Srinagar and Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) in February and March respectively.

Air India, Vistara, GoAir and SpiceJet operate commercial passenger flights between Leh and Delhi.

A new passenger terminal at the airport is being built at a cost of Rs 480 crore and is expected to be completed by September next year.

Handover of the three strategically important and sensitive airports of Srinagar, Jammu and Leh to the CISF was expedited after Jammu and Kashmir Police officer Davinder Singh was arrested from Srinagar in January while he was allegedly ferrying three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists to Chandigarh.

The CISF contingent at the Leh airport will provide 24×7 armed cover to the facility and will check passengers while approaching the facility, at the termial gates followed by comprehensive checks and body frisking ahead of boarding a flight.

The troops will be armed with assault rifles like the AK series and the INSAS, and will man the airport perimeter from watch towers erected at vantage positions.

The Union government has said that CISF will be the only civil airports guarding force and all such facilities in the country will be gradually brought under its command to bolster aviation security and tighten anti-terror and anti-hijack protocols.

Time to Celebrate?

By: The Deshbhakt with Akash Banerjee

Watch Video:

It was supposed to be one of the biggest masterstrokes – in the history of India, the abrogation of Article 370 that would make Kashmir ‘fully’ a part of India. But a year has passed since and no one talks about the Kashmir Masterstroke: The developmental & economic boom is nowhere to be seen, the state is still under lockdown & deprived of 4G internet services, issue of Kashmir is being dragged back into the international spotlight.

Now a new media policy and restricted access to even Indian journalists – tell a tale of a botched up plan gone wrong. Behind the silence in the valley – there is seething rage.

Chapter Heads :
0:00 – One year of abrogation of Article 370 !
2:21 – 5th August 2019 – End of Art 370 Era !
3:50 – Kashmir’s economy : Sab Changa Si ?
6:10 – Nation first… Education – Who cares !?
7:51 – No media policy – What’s the use of it anyway !
9:13 – Kashmir and peace… What’s that ?

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

This video is not a work by Kashmir Today Staff.

No copyright infringement intended.

Replying to questions during a webinar, Abdullah said he was of the firm belief that Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits and that he would support any mechanism to bring them back honourably.

PTI

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Sunday demanded a probe by retired Supreme Court judges into the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley in early 1990s.

Replying to questions during a webinar, Abdullah said he was of the firm belief that Kashmir is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits and that he would support any mechanism to bring them back honourably.

Nearly 60,000 Kashmiri Pandit families are registered as migrants after the onset of militancy in the Kashmir Valley in early 1990s.

Abdullah, a member of Lok Sabha and president of the National Conference, chose to blame then former Governor Jagmohan for the exodus and said that he “took them away” on the false promise of ensuring their return within three months.

During the webinar hosted by Jammu-based Epilogue News Network on the theme, “Discerning old order delineating new order-a year after neutralization of Article 370 and abrogation of Article 35 A”, Abdullah was asked whether he would support a genocide bill being floated by the Panun Kashmir, a Kashmiri Pandit organisation demanding a separate homeland for the migrants. He said he would have to go into the details of the bill first.

Abdullah, a three-time chief minister, said, “A sincere and honest judge of Supreme Court, retired judge of Supreme Court, a team of judges…let them investigate and come out with their report. It will clear many minds around the globe, among the younger Kashmiri Pandits, that it was not Kashmiri Muslims who threw them out. There are still many Kashmiri Pandits who never left and they are living here.”

The National Conference leader narrated many instances where Muslims had stood by the Pandit community since 1947 and said “do you think we were happy when they (Kashmiri Pandits) were taken away,” he said, adding “we always believe that Kashmir is never going to be complete unless the Hindu brethren come back and live in peace with all of us”.

Abdullah said he would continue to uphold his party’s ideology of treating all the people, irrespective of their religious belief, equally.

“My father never believed in two-nation theory. He never believed that Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and all other religions are different. We believe all are the children of Adam and Eve. Everybody’s needs are the same and so he worked hard for unity. We will continue to stand on the same path and to my last breath, I will work for the unity of all,” he said.

In December last year, the Panun Kashmir adopted the Panun Kashmir Prevention of Genocide and Atrocities Bill, highlighting its various demands including permanent rehabilitation based on principles of non-refoulement.

Among other things, the bill recommends creation of a Board and a Commission to look into the aspects of cultural genocide and all the criminal aspects which include investigation, procedure of trial, fixing of responsibility for the crime of genocide, punishment to the perpetrators and compensation to the victims.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will now offer the ‘one nation one ration card’ facility, Union Food Minister Ramvilas Paswan said on Saturday. With this, the facility was now available in 24 States benefitting 65 crore ration card holders, he said.

Image for representation purpose only

The ambitious ‘One Nation One Card’ scheme is to ensure that a ration card holder can collect the food grains that he or she is entitled to away from his/her home station too.

Apart from J&K, the three new States in the list are Manipur, Nagaland and Uttarakhand.

“The One Nation One Card scheme gives people freedom of mobility, they are no longer tied down to one single fair price shop,” Mr. Paswan said. He added that by March 31, all States would be covered under the scheme and all the 81 crore beneficiaries would benefit. Once the scheme was fully implemented, the country would not see a repeat of the migrant worker crisis seen during the extended nationwide lockdown, he said.

With inputs from The Hindu