Kashmir.Watch

Blog

  • No change in Pranab Mukherjee’s health: Hospital

    PTI

    New Delhi: There is no change in the health of former President Pranab Mukherjee and he continues to remain on ventilator support, the Army’s Research and Referral hospital said on Sunday.

    Doctors attending on the 84-year-old Mukherjee said his vital parameters are stable.

    Mukherjee was admitted to the hospital in Delhi Cantonment on August 10 and was operated for removal of a clot in the brain. He had also tested positive for COVID-19.

    Thereafter, he developed lung infection and is being treated for the same, doctors have said.

    “There is no change in the condition of Shri Pranab Mukherjee this morning. He remains in a deep coma and on ventilator support. His vital parameters are stable,” the hospital said in a statement.

    Mukherjee was the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017.

  • Saifuddin Soz welcomes Joint statement of Kashmiri mainstream leadership

    Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader, Prof. Saifuddin Soz on Saturday welcomed the joint statement by Kashmiri mainstream parties after first of its kind meeting at Farooq Abdullah’s residence. Apart from NC, ANC, CPI (M), PC and J&K PDP were part of the meeting to chalk out future strategy in the backdrop of abrogation of article 370 and 35 (A).

    “I heartily welcome the joint statement of the Mainstream Political Leadership of Kashmir demanding restoration of Article 370, Article 35-A, J&K Constitution and Statehood of the J&K State. It is a gratifying situation that the Kashmir Mainstream Leadership has realized that the main plank of its struggle has to be the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35-A of the Constitution of India.

    My understanding is that the leadership is conscious of the fact that there are other vital issues also such as restoration of statehood, restoration of Domicile Rights etc. which carry the same importance as the ones enunciated above. I feel sad that important political leaders such as Hakim Yaseen and some others have not yet joined the Kashmir Mainstream Leadership for the restoration of democratic and constitutional rights of the people,” Soz said in a statement.

    The statement further read, “I would like to make an earnest suggestion to the leadership of the Apni Party to give its support to the Kashmir Mainstream Leadership and be part of the struggle. I do not feel any hesitation to emphasize that the time has come when Kashmir Mainstream Political Leadership should make a collective effort to make the Union feel obliged to change its policy of suppression of democratic and constitutional rights of the people of Kashmir.

  • ICICI Lombard signs definitive agreement to acquire non-life insurance business of Bharti AXA

    The combined entity will have a market share of 8.7% on pro-forma basis.

    A billboard of ICICI Lombard General Insurance company in Mumbai. FileA billboard of ICICI Lombard General Insurance company in Mumbai. File | Photo Credit: Reuters

    The Board of Directors of ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd and Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Ltd at their respective meetings on Friday approved entering into definitive agreements for demerger of Bharti AXA’s non-life insurance business into ICICI Lombard through a Scheme of Arrangement.

    Based on the share exchange ratio recommended by independent valuers and accepted by the respective boards the shareholders of Bharti AXA shall receive 2 shares of ICICI Lombard for every 115 shares of Bharti AXA held by them as on the date on which the Scheme of Arrangement is approved by the Board of Directors of ICICI Lombard and Bharti AXA.

    The combined entity will have a market share of 8.7% on pro-forma basis.

    Through this proposed transaction, ICICI Lombard will augment its distribution strength with Bharti AXA’s existing distribution partnerships.

    The closing of the proposed transaction is subject to various conditions precedent, including regulatory approvals from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, Competition Commission of India, SEBI, Stock Exchanges, RBI, NCLT and approval of shareholders of both companies.

    When the scheme becomes effective, the non-life insurance business will be demerged from Bharti AXA into ICICI Lombard, the companies said in a statement.

    Bhargav Dasgupta, MD and CEO, ICICI Lombard General Insurance said, “This is a landmark step in the journey of ICICI Lombard and we are confident that this transaction would be value accretive for our shareholders.”

    “We would also like to reassure Bharti AXA’s policyholders and channel partners of seamless business continuity and maintaining highest standards of customer service,” he said.

    Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti AXA General Insurance said, “Over the past few years, our business demonstrated consistent growth, forged productive partnerships and increased the distribution footprint significantly.”

    “We are confident that the proposed amalgamation of our business with ICICI Lombard will bring greater business synergies and create value for all stakeholders,” he said.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • ‘Construction gear seeing demand uptick’

    Seeing infra revival: Srinivasaraghavan

    Demand for financing purchases of construction equipment and small commercial vehicles (CVs) has seen an improvement in recent months, said T.T. Srinivasaraghavan, MD, Sundaram Finance Ltd. “We are seeing demand for construction equipment going up in several States,” Mr. Srinivasaraghavan told The Hindu.

    Building blocks: A lot of infrastructure projects are coming back on track, says Sundaram Finance’s MD. AFPBuilding blocks: A lot of infrastructure projects are coming back on track, says Sundaram Finance’s MD | AFP

    “Our disbursements for construction equipment exceeded our disbursements on commercial vehicles. It is almost unreal,” he added. “A lot of projects are coming back on track. The government seems to be committed to infrastructure spending, primarily on roads. The small CV segment too has been robust.”

    The lender’s total disbursements slumped 79% to ₹929 crore during the quarter ended June. Of this, disbursements to the construction equipment segment accounted for 22.4%, while that to the tractor segment was 24%. In the first quarter of the previous financial year, these two segments had accounted for 10.7% and 5.1% of the ₹4,414 crore in disbursements, respectively. Disbursements for CVs accounted for a mere 26% of the total in the last quarter, compared to 57.4% a year earlier.

    Asked as to by when he expected clarity to emerge on the way forward in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, “December, I feel, is a good timeline to aim for; by that time, hopefully, we should have some relief from the pandemic and something will happen to mitigate this. Only then will we know how deep and serious this is. Right now, it is surreal.”

    ‘Excess capacity’

    Mr. Srinivasaraghavan also pointed out that the broader CV segment, an indicator of an economy’s health, was still not out of the woods.

    Asked if he expected potential replacement demand for CVs kicking in any time soon, he said, “Excess capacity that has built up is very significant and therefore the corner that you speak of is still further away than all of us would like. I don’t see revival any time this financial year. Activity is still reviving very slowly. For the existing capacity to get soaked up, it will take another six months.”

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Pompeo to visit Israel and UAE with peace, security challenges posed by Iran and China on Agenda, Sources say

    Israel and the UAE announced earlier this month that they would normalise diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship.

    REUTERS

    FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike PompeoFILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo | Photo Credit: REUTERS

    U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Israel on Monday and the United Arab Emirates a day later to discuss the countries’ normalisation deal, two sources briefed on his itinerary said.

    Also on Pompeo’s agenda will be the security challenges posed by Iran and China in the region, said the sources, who declined to be identified by name or nationality.

    Israel and the UAE announced earlier this month that they would normalise diplomatic ties and forge a broad new relationship.

    Under the accord, which U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker, Israel agreed to suspend its planned annexation of areas of the occupied West Bank.

    The deal also firms up opposition to regional power Iran, which the UAE, Israel and the United States view as the main threat in the conflict-riven Middle East.

    White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, is expected to travel to Israel and the UAE in early September, and may stop in other countries as well, an administration official said. Kushner will be accompanied by Avi Berkowitz, Trump’s Middle East envoy, the official said.

    Kushner and Berkowitz will thank Israel and the UAE for completing the deal, the official said.

  • Coronavirus | India’s COVID-19 tally crosses 30 Lakhs

    India crossed the 20 Lakhs mark in the number of infections late on August 6.

    The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India crossed three million on August 22, show data collated from various State Health Departments. As of 8.30 p.m. IST on August 22, the figure stood at 30,21,908 with 56,577 deaths.

    The Health Ministry data, updated at 8 a.m. IST put the tally at 29,75,701 with a record spike of 69,874 infections. Recoveries surged to 22,22,577 pushing the recovery rate to 74.69% according to the Ministry. The death toll climbed to 55,794 with 945 fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours.

    Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said India has the “best” COVID-19 recovery rate of about 75%, which is improving every day, and the “lowest” mortality rate of 1.87% in the world.

    India crossed the 2-million mark in the number of infections late on August 6, as per State Health Departments.

    According to Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University, the global tally stands at 22,998,346. U.S. leads the tally with 56,28,070 followed by Brazil 35,32,330. India is at the third position.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Home Ministry issues SOP for international passengers

    PTI

    The Ministry of Home Affairs on August 22 issued Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for international travel on non-scheduled commercial flights under Vande Bharat scheme and air transport bubble arrangement.

    Accordingly, persons desirous to travel to India on Vande Bharat flights, will register themselves with the Indian missions in the country where they are stranded or residing, along with necessary details as prescribed by Ministry of External Affairs.

    However, such a registration may not be required on flights operating under air transport bubbles arrangements, the SOP said.

    People who will travel to India by non-scheduled commercial flights as allowed by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and ships as allowed by Department of Military Affairs (DMA) and Ministry of Shipping (MOS).

    The SOP for the operations of these flights or ships will be as issued by MOCA or DMA or MOS from time to time.

    India so far has bilateral air travel arrangements or air bubbles with the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Qatar, Maldives and the UAE while negotiations are going on with 13 more countries.

    The Vande Bharat flights have been operating since May 6 and currently the Scheme is in Phase-5.

    Only those crew and staff, who are tested COVID-19 negative, will be allowed to operate these flights and ships.

    The SOP said priority will be given to compelling cases of in distress, including migrant workers and labourers who have been laid off, short term visa holders faced with expiry of visas, persons with medical emergency/ pregnant women and elderly persons or those required to return to India due to death of family member, and students.

    The cost of travel, as specified by the carrier, will be borne by such travellers.

    Based on the registrations received for Vande Bharat flights, the MEA will prepare flight or ship wise database of all such travellers, including details such as name, age, gender, mobile phone number, place of residence, place of final destination; and information on RT-PCR test taken and its result.

    This data base will be shared by MEA with the respective State and UT in advance.

    In case of flights operating under air transport bubbles, passenger manifest containing the same details as given above for Vande Bharat flights or in a revised format as may be finalised by the MEA with the country concerned, will be submitted by the airlines to the Indian mission in the country concerned.

    For out-bound flights, the category of persons, who will be eligible to travel on these flights, will be as permitted by MHA from time to time.

    The MOCA will display on its website the category of persons eligible to travel out of India.

    Such persons will apply to MoCA or to an agency or agencies designated by MoCA for this purpose, along with necessary details, including the places of departure and arrival.

    The travel from India shall be on the non-scheduled commercial flights, as are allowed by MoCA.

    Indian seafarers and crew seeking to accept contracts to serve on vessels abroad, can travel on the non-scheduled commercial flights as allowed by MOCA or the flights arranged by their employers subject to clearance given by the Ministry of Shipping.

    Before the tickets of such persons are confirmed, the airline concerned will ensure that the destination country allows entry of such persons with valid visa in that country.

    The conditions, if any, imposed by the destination country, will have to be fulfilled by the person intending to travel.

  • Babri Masjid demolition case: SC extends deadline till Sept 30 for verdict

    PTI

    New Delhi: The Supreme Court has extended by a month the deadline for completion of trial in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case involving 32 accused, including BJP veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi and Uma Bharti, and said that judgement should be delivered by September 30.

    The top court, which had earlier fixed August 31 as the deadline for completion of proceedings including pronouncement of the verdict, took note of the report filed by special judge S K Yadav in the high-profile case.

    A bench of justices R F Nariman, Navin Sinha and Indira Banerjee said, Having read the report of Surendra Kumar Yadav, learned Special Judge, and considering that the proceedings are at the fag end, we grant one month’s time, i.e., till September 30, 2020, to complete the proceedings including the delivery of judgment .

    The order was passed on August 19 and was uploaded on the apex court website recently.

    On May 8, the top court had extended by three months the time for completion of trial in the case and said that judgement should be delivered by August 31.

    The special CBI court at Lucknow has completed the recording of statements of the 32 accused under section 313 of CrPC in the case.

    The mosque in Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992, by ‘kar sevaks’ who claimed that an ancient Ram temple stood at the same site.

    Former deputy prime minister LK Advani and BJP veteran MM Joshi, who were among those leading the Ram temple movement at that time, had deposed before the court through video conferencing.

    The court has also recorded statements of BJP stalwarts like Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti, both of whom appeared in person.

    Advani’s statement was recorded barely days before the groundbreaking event on August 5 for a Ram temple at Ayodhya.

    Last year, a five-judge Constitution bench of the top court had ruled that the 2.77-acre land claimed by both Hindus and Muslims would be handed over to a trust for the building of a temple.

    The court had also ordered the allocation of a five-acre land at another site in Ayodhya for building a mosque.

    The top court had in May asked special judge S K Yadav to control the proceedings in accordance with law so that the time-frame is no longer breached.

    It had indicated to the special judge to avail the facilities of video conferencing to complete recording of evidence and hearing of applications that are filed during the course of trial proceedings.

    The top court order was passed after the special judge had written a letter seeking an extension of time granted to him for completing the trial in the politically sensitive case.

    On July 19, last year the top court had asked the special judge to deliver the verdict within nine months, which was to end this April.

    It had also extended the tenure of the special judge at Lucknow till the completion of the trial and the delivery of the verdict in the case.

    Besides Advani, Joshi and Uma Bharti, the accused against whom conspiracy charge was invoked in the case by the top court on April 19, 2017, include former Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh, BJP MP Vinay Katiar and Sadhvi Rithambara.

    Three other high-profile accused – Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders Giriraj Kishore, Ashok Singhal and Vishnu Hari Dalmia – died during trial and the proceedings against them have been abated.

    Kalyan Singh, during whose tenure as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh the disputed structure was razed, was put on trial in September last year after his tenure as governor came to an end.

    Exercising its plenary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the top court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pass appropriate orders in consultation with the Allahabad High Court to extend the tenure of the special judge, who was set to retire on September 30 last year.

    On April 19, 2017, the top court had ordered a day-to-day trial in the high profile case and directed the special judge to conclude it in two years.

    While dubbing the demolition of the disputed structure as a “crime” which shook the “secular fabric of the Constitution”, it had allowed the CBI’s plea on restoration of the criminal conspiracy charge against the VVIP accused.

    The court had come down heavily on the CBI for the delay of over 25 years in the trial.

    Issuing a slew of directions, it had said, “The proceedings (against Advani and others) in the court of the Special Judicial Magistrate at Raebareli will stand transferred to the Court of Additional Sessions Judge (Ayodhya Matters) at Lucknow.”

    “The court of sessions will frame additional charges under Section 120-B (conspiracy) and the other provisions of the penal code mentioned in the joint charge sheet filed by the CBI against Champat Rai Bansal, Satish Pradhan, Dharam Das, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Mahamadleshwar Jagdish Muni, Ram Bilas Vadanti, Vaikunth Lal Sharma and Satish Chandra Nagar,” the apex court had said.

    The court had termed the Allahabad High Court’s February 12, 2001 verdict of dropping conspiracy charges against Advani and others as “erroneous”.

    Before the 2017 verdict of the apex court, there were two sets of cases relating to the demolition of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992, going on at Lucknow and Raebareli.

    The trial of the first case involving unnamed ‘Karsevaks’ was going on in a Lucknow court, while the second set of cases relating to the eight VVIPs were going on in a Raebareli court.

  • Rajnath reviews security scenario in eastern Ladakh at high-level meeting

    PTI

    New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday reviewed the overall security scenario in eastern Ladakh amid the ongoing talks between India and China on the disengagement process in the high-altitude region, people familiar with the developments said.

    The meeting was attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria.

    The sources said all important aspects of the border row with China in eastern Ladakh were discussed in great detail.

    The meeting also deliberated on the future course of approach in dealing with the situation, they added.

    The analysis comes in the wake of the assessment by the Army that the Chinese military is not serious about the resolution of the border conflict in eastern Ladakh.

    There has been a stalemate in the military talks as the Indian Army was strongly insisting that the Chinese side must restore the status quo ante of April this year to resolve the over three-month-old row.

    The Indian Army has clearly stated to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that “shifting” of the Line of Actual Control is not acceptable to it, the sources said adding Chinese military is now desperately attempting to give “ex post facto strategic meaning” to its actions in eastern Ladakh.

    “Due to the strong response of the Indian Army, the PLA is faced with unanticipated and unintended consequences of his misadventure,” said a source, adding it is looking for a “face-saving exit strategy”.

    India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made in resolution of the border row in eastern Ladakh.

    On Thursday, the two sides held another round of diplomatic talks following which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said they had agreed to resolve outstanding issues in an “expeditious manner” and in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols.

    However, the sources said the meeting could not produce any significant outcome.

    The formal process of disengagement of troops began on July 6, a day after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in the area. However, the process has not moved forward since mid-July.

    The Chinese military has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas, sources said.

    In the five rounds of corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.

    Even as both sides have been engaged in diplomatic and military talks, the Indian Army is making elaborate preparation to maintain its current strength of troops in all key areas in eastern Ladakh in the harsh winter months.

    Army Chief Naravane has already conveyed to all the senior commanders of the Army, overseeing operation of the frontline formations along the LAC, to keep up a significantly high state of alertness and maintain the aggressive posturing to deal with any Chinese “misadventure”, the sources said.

    The Army is also in the process of procuring a number of weapons, ammunition and winter gears for the frontline troops, they added. The temperature in some of the high-altitude areas along the LAC drops to minus 25 degrees Celsius in the winter months.

    The tension between the two sides escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35.

    Following the Galwan Valley incident, the government gave the armed forces “full freedom” to give a “befitting” response to any Chinese misadventure along the LAC.

    The Army sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border following the deadly clashes. The IAF has also moved air defence systems as well as a sizeable number of its frontline combat jets and attack helicopters to several key air bases.

  • Turkey leader converts another Orthodox church into a mosque

    Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday ordered another ancient Orthodox church that became a mosque and then a popular Istanbul museum to be turned back into a place of Muslim worship. The decision to transform the Kariye Museum into a mosque came just a month after a similarly controversial conversion for the UNESCO World Heritage-recognized Hagia Sophia.

    A priest (left) and a woman visit the Chora or Kariye Museum, formally the Church of the Holy Savior, a medieval Byzantine Greek Orthodox church in the Fatih district in Istanbul. | AFP

    Both changes reflect Erdogan’s efforts to galvanize his more conservative and nationalist supporters at a time when Turkey is suffering a new spell of inflation and economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus. But the moves have added to Turkey’s problems with prelates in both the Orthodox and Catholic worlds. The Greek foreign ministry called the decision “yet another provocation against religious persons everywhere” by the Turkish government.

    ‘Steeped in history’

    The 1,000-year-old Kariye building’s history closely mirrors that of the Hagia Sophia-its bigger and more famous neighbor on the western bank of the Golden Horn estuary on the European side of Istanbul. The Holy Savior in Chora was a Byzantine church decorated with 14th-century frescoes of the Last Judgment that remain treasured in Christendom. It was originally converted into the Kariye Mosque half a century after the 1453 conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks.

    It became the Kariye Museum after World War II as Turkey pushed ahead with the creation of a more secular new republic out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. A group of American art historians then helped restore the original church’s mosaics and opened them up for public display in 1958. But Erdogan is placing an ever greater political emphasis on the battles that resulted in the defeat of Byzantium by the Ottomans.

    Turkey’s top administrative court approved the museum’s conversion into a mosque in November. “It’s a place steeped in history which holds a lot of symbolism for a lot of different people,” said 48-year-old French tourist Frederic Sicard outside the building. “For me, (these conversions) are a little difficult to understand and to follow. But we would visit if it were a mosque. We might just have to arrange visits around prayer times.”

    ‘Shame for our country’

    The sand-coloured structure visible today replaced a building created as a part of a monastery when Constantinople became the new capital of the Roman Empire in the fourth century. It features a minaret in one corner and small cascading domes similar to those of other grand mosques whose calls to prayer echo across the hills of Istanbul.

    But inside it is filled with magnificent frescoes and mosaics that represent some of the finest examples of Byzantine art in the Christian world. Turkey’s tumultuous efforts to reconcile these two histories form the underpinnings of the country’s contemporary politics and social life. Opposition HDP party lawmaker Garo Paylan called the transformation “a shame for our country”. “One of the symbols of our country’s deep, multicultural identity and multi-religious history has been sacrificed,” he tweeted.

    Ottoman Empire historian Zeynep Turkyilmaz called the conversion “destruction” because the building’s walls are lined with Christian art that would have to be either covered up or plastered over-as it was by the Ottomans. “It is impossible to hide the frescoes and mosaics because they decorate the entire building,” the historian told AFP. Yet some locals fully supported the change. “There are dozens, hundreds of churches, synagogues in Istanbul and only a few of them have been opened to prayer as mosques,” said Yucel Sahin as he strolled by the building after the morning rain. “There is a lot of tolerance in our culture.” | AFP