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  • History to be blamed for not de-marking border line between China and India: Former MP Ladakh Hassan Khan

    Ladakh: A top political leader, Ghulam Hassan Khan, in Union Territory of Ladakh Friday termed the China’s move in eastern Ladakh as “highly unfortunate” and said the outcome won’t be beneficial for any of the country and even if China captures land of Indian Territory that won’t affect the local population in may manner.

    Haji Ghulam Hassan Khan, former Member Parliament for Ladakh, who represents Jammu and Kashmir National Conference believes that the history has left the land between India and China un-demarcated that’s why the encroachment keeps happening.

    Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the veteran politician Khan said that neither a war nor a standoff will serve us any purpose but the claims and counter-claims about the sovereignty were being made for past so many years now only because the area has no demarcated border line.

    He said it’s not a demarcated border, but there is no panic among the local population at the moment as the exact spot of face-off between India and China is an far off site area where only moving nomads go which is almost 300 kilometers away from Leh town.

    “People entirely have no panic but all are very concerned about the tensions and want all this not to happen,” Khan told KNO.

    He refrained from commenting about the actual situation on border stating, “I don’t know what exactly is happening at border and we can’t say how all this happened since when it’s told that 43 Chinese soldiers were killed and India lost 20 in a violent faceoff and if there are clashes casualties will be suffered from both the sides.”

    Government is doing whatever is required and army on ground level is looking at the entire situation and are going on as per the situation demand since its un-demarcated border tensions keep arising there, he said. Former MP said even though China alleges India of entering into their territory and sometimes India accuses them, it’s all because the border is not demarcated.

    Blaming the past history for the land not being demarked, he said history is to be blamed for no demarcation of the border between India and China so that’s why we can’t say this line of control belongs to either of the countries.

    Talking about China’s claim of sovereignty, he said it can’t be said as to how much of the Indian Territory China has captured. “We can’t say as it’s absolutely not known yet,” he said.

    He said at present the claims are entirely being made on basis of satellite image’s only. “We have to believe the government version also since there is no access in the area even the civilians don’t reside there so we have to believe the government version,” Khan said.

    He also said Indian government has said China didn’t enter our territory so we have to say probably they (China) haven’t.

    To a question about the impact and effect if India loses land to china he said, there won’t be any sort of impact or effect on our local population as only moving nomads live there and there is no village or residential house that belong to any of the local—(KNO)

  • Drug abuse on rise in Kashmir: More than 5000 drug addicts visit Srinagar Hospital annually

    Srinagar: In a major concern, the drug abuse is on the rise in Kashmir with more than 5000 drug addicts visiting GMC Srinagar’s Drug De-Addiction Centre annually.

    As per the official figures accessed by news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), around 5000 drug addicts visit the OPD at Drug De-Addiction Centre annually.

    The figures reveal there is a sharp increase in the number of patients over the years. Five years ago, less than 500 drug addict patients would visit the hospital annually.

    A doctor at SMHS Hospital said that a lot of patients who are being treated at its Drug-De-Addiction Centre had consumed drugs available on drug centres.

    In an effort to curb drug abuse, the government has banned opening of new drug stores and directed the officials for regulation of existing ones in Kashmir.

    The directions have been issued in view of increasing drug abuse in Kashmir. Although there is rising use of heroin and opium, drugs available in drug stores are also being misused.
    An official at the office of Drug and Food Control Organisation said there are complaints that several drugs available in drug stores are being misused in the Valley.

    “There are some drugs which can’t be given without the doctors’ prescription letter. But still some drug stores are selling these drugs,” the official said.

    The official said that authorities have directed concerned officials to regulate the working of drug stores. “There are some drug addicts who don’t consume heroin and opium but take drugs from drug stores and are equally dangerous,” the official said.

    Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has warned society of alarming rise in drug and alcohol abuse especially among youth appealing parents, social organisations, teachers and religious leaders to rise against the menace.

    President DAK, Dr Suhail Naik said over the years Kashmir has witnessed a considerable rise in drug abuse cases as youth are taking drugs due to its easy availability, accessibility and affordability due to its huge local production.
    “We as society, parents, social organisations, teachers and religious clerks should rise against the same and help in educating youth about the ill effects of drug addiction,” he said.

    The DAK President said J&K has witnessed a steep rise in substance abuse cases over the past two decades saying that the drugs go to places where there is even no public transport.
    Dr Naik said that both alcohol and drugs are deleterious for both mental and physical health and become long term social evil.

    “When people lose their mental balance, they don’t differentiate between right and wrong. There is a huge loss to family monetarily and socially,” he said.

    Both drugs and alcohol makes a person liable to several kinds of infections and diseases like HIV hepatitis B and C through syringes in IV drug abusers.

    “Diseases like fatty liver, cirrhosis, cardiac ailments, encephalopathy, accidents, blood borne ugly infections are very common among alcohol users,” he said.

    The DAK President said that a lot of road accidents happen due to alcohol or drug abuse by drivers seeking concrete measures and a multipronged strategy for the remedial measures.
    The doctors body president said that traffic police and other departments deputed on roads and highways should be equipped with instruments to check alcohol abuse by driver’s.

    The DAK president said that people who are involved in the trade of drugs make huge money out of it and they have destroyed almost one generation of youth.

    He said that the disastrous consequences of drug consumption proves in latter stages of life especially when an individual develops family which is dependent on him, economically, emotionally and socially. (KINS)

  • Five killed in accident in J-K’s Doda

    PTI

    Bhadarwah: Five people, including a woman and her three minor children, were killed when their car skidded off the road and rolled down into a 350-feet deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Friday, officials said.

    The car was on its way from Gool area of Ramban district to Thathri town of Doda district. The accident took place near Raggi Nallah around 10 am, they added.

    “Police party from nearby Assar police station immediately rushed to the spot and started rescue operation along with volunteers, but all the five passengers, including the driver, were declared dead on the spot,” Mushtaq Ahmed, Station House Officer (SHO) Assar, said.

    “The deceased have been identified as Tasleema Begum, 35, and her three minor children from Thathri, while the fifth person, who was driving the car and also died in the accident, was identified as Mohd Asif, 32, of Sangaldan-Gool,” he said.

    All the bodies will be shifted to the Primary Health Centre Assar for completion of legal formalities, the SHO added.

  • International Flights Remain Suspended Till July 15, Says Government

    All passenger flights were suspended when the country went into a lockdown late in March to contain the spread of coronavirus. Domestic flights resumed on May 25.

    New Delhi: Commercial international flights to and from India shall stay suspended till July 15, civil aviation watchdog DGCA has announced. The restriction will not apply to international cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the aviation regulator.

    All passenger flights were suspended when the country went into a lockdown late in March to contain the spread of coronavirus. Domestic flights resumed on May 25.

    International Flights Remain Suspended Till July 15, Says GovernmentAll international flights were suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic in March

    “Scheduled international commercial passenger services to or from India shall remain suspended till 2359 hrs IST of July 15, 2020… However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis,” said the circular by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

    Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said last week that India will take a decision on resuming international passenger flights in July if coronavirus behaves in a “predictable manner” and the entire aviation ecosystem and state governments are onboard.

    “I am often asked, when can you start international civil aviation? If you leave it to me, and if the ecosystem works, and if we have the predictability in terms of behaviour of the virus, I think in the coming month we should start taking the decision. But those decisions will not be taken by the Indian civil aviation ministry. Those decisions will be taken by the governments after looking at their domestic situation,” Mr Puri said.

    The aviation minister said a decision regarding resuming international travel can be taken in the coming months, even earlier, when domestic air traffic would reach 50-55 per cent of its pre-COVID-19 capacity, and states would be in the position to absorb a higher number of passengers coming in

    “In any case, it is not our call. It is a call where all the stakeholders, including the passengers and the entire ecosystem, are ready,” he added.

    On Tuesday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said it was considering allowing some international carrier flights to resume after the United States accused India of “unfair and discriminatory practices” and restricted Air India’s special repatriation flights.

    Air India and other private domestic airlines have been operating unscheduled paid international repatriation flights under the Vande Bharat Mission, which was started on May 6 by the central government.

    With inputs from NDTV

  • IPS Basant Rath files police complaint against J&K DGP Dilbag Singh

    Basant Rath has told the police he’s not asking them to file an FIR, but to note that if something happens to him, it’s on DGP Dilbag Singh.

    Srinagar: IPS officer Basant Kumar Rath filed a written complaint against Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, stating that the top cop poses a threat to his safety and reputation.

    Rath, a 2000 batch IPS officer, wrote to the station house officer of Jammu’s Gandhi Nagar Police Station, stating that while he was not asking authorities to file an FIR, they should make a note of his complaint in case something untoward happens to him.

    Under the subject section of the complaint, Rath wrote: “Requesting you to take note of my apprehension about my life, liberty and bald head the reason being certain activities of of Sh Dilbag Singh, IPS batch 1987 batch, presently DGP.

    Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh
    Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police Dilbag Singh | ANI Photo

    “I’m writing you to take note of my genuine apprehensions about my safety and reputation. I’m doing it as a private citizen of this country. In my personal capacity, not as a civil servant, not as a police man,” Rath wrote.

    “I’m not asking you to lodge an FIR against the person mentioned above. I’m just asking you to make this letter a part of the Daily Diary in your police station. Today. Now. In case something bad happens to me, you should know whose number you should dial. With due respect,” he further stated.

    ThePrint reached Rath for a comment through phone calls, but there was no response, while DGP Dilbag Singh too did not respond to calls or messages seeking a comment on the allegation.

    Twitter spat

    The spat between Rath and Singh, a 1987-batch IPS officer, was triggered by a tweet by the junior officer on 12 June. A Twitter user, named Dilbag Singh, had posted an article run by a local daily about Rath’s initiative of providing free books to students preparing for competitive exams.

    “Hi Dilbag Singh. Can I call you Dilloo? Are you the one who owns 50 canals of land in Sarore near the dental college? Is it registered on your name?” Rath tweeted, in a dig at allegations levelled against the J&K DGP by a local daily last year.

    https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1271331598286196737

    But the story did not end there. In several other cryptic tweets, Rath seemed to have been taking aim at his senior.

    https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1272195465904222214
    https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1273420362278031361
    https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1273050877838819329
    https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1273052457174589440

    Sources in the J&K Police told ThePrint that Rath wanted to draw a reaction from Singh.

    “I am not sure what reaction did he expect, but it was certainly not what he got. The DGP shared screenshots of some of Mr Rath’s tweets in a WhatsApp group run by a journalist. What followed was sort of a WhatsApp trial, with almost all of those commenting in response to the screenshot, calling for Mr Rath’s suspension or arrest,” said a senior police officer, requesting anonymity.

    WhatsApp group

    DGP Singh apparently reacted to Rath’s provocation on a WhatsApp group called ‘Kashmir Firstpost’, according to screenshots sent to ThePrint by one of the group members.

    “Shame on this IPS officer who has risen to become IG and is dumped without any work again because every-time he is given responsibility he proves to be a joker and useless. I challenge prove an inc of land or proper or any business worth a penny in my name,” Singh purportedly wrote.

    Rath was also apparently shown the screenshots, because he took to Twitter and posted one of them which called for a flood of complaints against him. Rath also referred to the person who had sent the original message as “FirstPost Whatsapp Group Stenographer”.

    https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1275926870496735232

    In another tweet, Rath mocked someone who sent another message on the WhatsApp group, calling for his arrest.

    https://twitter.com/KangriCarrier/status/1275931989204336642

    Not new to controversy

    This is not the first controversy Rath has been embroiled in. His November 2018 transfer from the inspector general of traffic in Kashmir to the office of commandant general, Home Guards in Jammu, came days after a verbal spat between him and former Srinagar mayor and People’s Conference leader Junaid Mattu. But the change of posting did not silence Rath’s Twitter feed.

    Born in Odisha and educated at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, Rath first came to prominence for his efforts in Jammu against the notorious drug and land mafia. He was also noted for his role in investigating the 2009 high-profile murder of Amandeep Singh, son of former National Conference legislator Deepinder Kour, allegedly by one Jatinder Singh, who was the son of influential Jammu businessman Nagar Singh.

    The case witnessed many twists and turns, with Jatinder Singh allegedly committing suicide in jail, and the arrests of policemen including the SSP Jammu, the SHO of Gandhi Nagar police station, and forensics experts accused of manipulating evidence. The arrests were led by Rath.

    Then, Rath returned to the spotlight during his stint as Kashmir’s IG traffic, gaining popularity among Srinagar residents for moving around the streets without security guards.

    “Of course, a lot of his goodwill came through his work. He streamlined the chaotic traffic in Srinagar and once that was done, he went to the people, to small events, to markets attending local cricket and football matches,” said a police officer.

    “An IPS officer clicking selfies and videos with locals and that too without a barrage of security guards was received well in Kashmir, where the uniform represents something harsh,” the officer said, adding that the initiative to deliver free books to students has also earned him a lot of goodwill.

    With inputs from ThePrint

  • Explained Ideas: Why India can’t depend on US & EU to counter China

    By: Pratap Bhanu Mehta

    Pratap Bhanu Mehta on India-China border dispute: The Xi regime’s unprecedented global alienation notwithstanding, no other country has a serious stake in the fate of the terrain India and China are disputing.

    The border stand-off with China has made it crucial for India to rethink all its strategic options. Can it use the growing anti-China sentiment across the world to its advantage? The moment seems ripe, writes Pratap Bhanu Mehta, contributing editor, The Indian Express, in his latest column. “The degree of global alienation with the Xi Jinping regime is unprecedented. But can this be translated into concerted global action to exert real pressure on China?”

    Many strategic experts are salivating at the prospect of India deepening its alliance with the US. In reality, India’s options may be limited, Mehta points out.

    “It is an odd moment in global affairs, where there is recognition of a common challenge emanating from China, but no global appetite to take concerted action.”

    Look at the global response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). “Many countries are struggling to meet their BRI debt obligations. Many Chinese loans have become a millstone around the debtor countries’ necks. But it is difficult to see the rest of the international community helping all these countries to wean their regimes away from dependence on Chinese finance. Similarly, there are now great concerns over frontier areas of conflict like cyber security and space,” Mehta writes.

    india china border news, india china news, ladakh, galwan, boycott chinese products, china protestsIn Kolkata, protests against China. (Express Photo: Partha Paul)

    But why is that?

    “International relations”, Mehta says, “are formed in the context of a country’s development paradigm”. The US-China relationship for example, may have had its origins in the strategic attempt to create a Sino-Soviet split, “but for decades, this relationship was sustained not by a strategic logic, but by the logic of the political economy of development in both the US and China, where they reciprocally depended on each other”. This US-China arrangement largely benefitted big businesses in America at the expense of its own domestic manufacturing base.

    But the political legitimacy of this development model has waned in recent years.

    The question before India is whether its development needs will fit into the emerging US development paradigm. That is, “Will a US hell-bent on bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US, easily gel with an “atma nirbhar” Bharat?”

    Mehta concludes: “We are in a paradoxical world where the strategic necessity of the rest of the world to come together on China has never been higher; yet the appetite for concerted action has never been weaker. Fundamentally, few countries are going to put their money where their mouth is.”

    The efforts of the international community will therefore be to try and throw cold water on the India-China conflict as “no one has a serious stake in the fate of the terrain India and China are disputing”.

    At the end of the day, Mehta underlines, “India has to manage China and Pakistan largely on its own.”

    With inputs from The Indian Express

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

    Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this blog are the personal opinions of the author. Kashmir Today is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing on the blog do not reflect the views of Kashmir Today and Kashmir Today does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

  • Xiaomi puts up Made in India banner outside stores to counter Boycott China campaign

    India Today

    Boycott Chinese products campaign: The brand name outside Mi-stores has been replaced by ‘Made in India’ banners written in white on a saffron backdrop, similar to the original colour scheme of the brand logo.

    A banner put up outside an Mi-Store showroom in Kolkata. (Photo: Indrajit Kunu/IndiaToday)

    Chinese tech firm Xiaomi has put up huge banners screaming ‘Made in India’ outside its Mi-Store showrooms in Kolkata, aimed apparently at countering the growing chorus to boycott Chinese products.

    The company, which claims to be India’s leading smartphone brand, was founded in 2010 by Chinese billionaire Lei Jun along with six others.

    The brand name outside Mi-stores have been replaced by ‘Made in India’ banners written in white on a saffron backdrop, similar to the original colour scheme of the brand logo.

    On Thursday, Xiaomi India MD Manu Kumar Jain tweeted, “Super proud to share that majority of our TVs are Made in India! We employ thousands of team members across our India factories.”

    The company claims it has 31.2 per cent market share in India. Its latest smartphone was sold off within seconds of its third online flash sale on Wednesday.

    In Kolkata, customers shared mixed feelings about the move. Some supported the call to boycott Chinese products in the aftermaths of the Galwan Valley face-off where 20 Indian soldiers were killed, while others termed it impractical, saying a majority of electrical goods have components manufactured in China.

    “As long as the product is manufactured completely in India, it is fine. But if parts are brought from China and then assemble here and the product still write ‘Made in India’, then it’s misleading the customer,” said Malavika, a consumer.

  • China deployed army in ‘large numbers’ at disputed border

    India acknowledges for the first time it has matched China in massing troops at their contested Himalayan border.

    China has deployed large numbers of troops and weapons along a disputed Himalayan border in violation of bilateral agreements, India’s foreign ministry has said, accusing Beijing of escalating tensions and triggering a deadly clash last week.

    “At the heart of the matter is that since early May, the Chinese side had been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the LAC,” foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said in a briefing in New Delhi on Thursday, referring to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between the Asian nuclear powers.

    Srivastava said “this is not in accordance with the provisions of our various bilateral agreements,” referring to treaties that include a 1993 one that dictates that both sides will maintain limited border deployments.

    India had “to undertake counter deployments” because of the Chinese buildup, he said as New Delhi acknowledged for the first time it has matched Beijing in massing troops at their contested Himalayan border.

    China has blamed India for the clash – the deadliest between the two nuclear-armed neighbours for at least five decades – and said Indian troops attacked Chinese officers and soldiers.

    Responding to the heightened Chinese presence last month, India also deployed a large number of troops along the LAC, Srivastava said, leading to face-offs in the Ladakh region of the western Himalayas.

    On June 15, Indian and Chinese troops brawled for several hours in the Galwan Valley, using stones and sticks with nails embedded in them to beat each other, killing 20 Indian soldiers and injuring at least 76 more. China has not disclosed how many casualties its troops suffered.

    The neighbours have blamed each other for the high-altitude battle. After senior military commanders held parleys this week, both sides have since agreed to disengage their troops on the disputed border.

    But in satellite images reviewed by Reuters news agency, China appears to have added new structures near the site of the Galwan Valley clash that India says is on its side of the LAC. These include camouflaged tents or covered structures and a potential new camp under construction with walls or barricades.

    “Peace and tranquility in the border areas is the basis of our bilateral relationship,” said Srivastava, demanding that China follow up on its pledge to cool tensions. “A continuation of the current situation would only vitiate the atmosphere.”

    With inputs from Al Jazeera Media Network

  • Pakistan PM Imran Khan calls Osama bin Laden ‘Shaheed’ in Parliament

    Our ally came inside our country and killed someone without informing us, said PM Khan, referring to how U.S. Navy Seals killed the 9/11 mastermind in Abbottabad.

    Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday called slain al-Qaeda chief and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden a “shaheed” (martyr) and said that Islamabad faced “embarrassment” by taking part in America’s war on terror.

    Speaking in parliament during the budget session, Mr. Khan said the American forces entered Pakistan and killed bin Laden without informing Islamabad after which everyone started abusing his country.

    “I don’t think there’s a country which supported the war on terror and had to face embarrassment for it. Pakistan was also openly blamed for U.S.’ failure in Afghanistan,” Mr. Khan said.

    “For Pakistanis across the globe, it was an embarrassing moment when the Americans came and killed Osama bin Laden at Abottabad… martyred him. The whole world started abusing us after that. Our ally came inside our country and killed someone without informing us. And, 70,000 Pakistanis died because of U.S.’ war on terror,” he said.

    Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy Seals in Pakistan’s Abbottabad in May, 2011.

    Opposition criticises remarks

    Mr. Khan’s remarks drew criticism from the Opposition.

    “Osama bin Laden was a terrorist and our PM called him a martyr. He was behind massacre of thousands,” said Khawaja Asif of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

    In his address, the Prime Minister also defended his government’s response to the coronavirus crisis, saying there has been no confusion or contradiction in official policies since the start of the pandemic.

    “They say again and again that there was confusion … if there was one country whose government did not have confusion, it was ours,” Mr. Khan was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

    People give the example of New Zealand when talking about social distancing, he said, adding that “New Zealand has social distancing already” with a low population density.

    “I said from day one we had a dual problem; we had to save the people from corona and hunger, and those dying from poverty,” he added, acknowledging that his government had to face “a lot of criticism” at the start and there was pressure to implement a more strict lockdown as was done by India.

    Reiterating the “destruction” a sweeping lockdown could cause to a country, Mr. Khan said: “India’s reports are in front of the world.”

    The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan crossed 1,92,000-mark, while the death toll reached 3,903 on Thursday.

    On Kashmir

    Mr. Khan also said that his government has devised a plan to further highlight the Kashmir issue at the world level.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • US plans to shift army to face Chinese threat to India and Southeast Asia: Mike Pompeo

    India on Thursday alleged that China had flouted a 1993 agreement by amassing a large number of soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two nations since early May.

    After China’s aggression along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Thursday said America will ensure that its forces are positioned appropriately to counter Chinese Army, citing the threat from PLA to India and other South Asian countries.

    Mike Pompeo Photograph | Photo Credit: Reuters

    Also read: New satellite images show Chinese military build-up and activity along Galwan valley

    He said that “I spoke this month with EU Foreign Ministers, I got a lot of feedback on China’s Communist Party, laid out a series of facts that talked about People’s Liberation Army’s provocative military actions, including its continued aggression in the South China Sea, deadly border confrontations with India and threats against peaceful neighbours.”

    US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave this statement during the talks with European Union foreign ministers over Chinese aggression along LAC and South China Sea.

    The actions of the Chinese Communist Party meant there were “threats to India” and countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and the South China Sea. The US military is “postured appropriately” to meet these “challenges of our time”, he said.

    Meanwhile, India on Thursday alleged that China had flouted a 1993 agreement by amassing a large number of soldiers along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two nations since early May.

    Several areas along the LAC in Ladakh and North Sikkim have witnessed major military build-up by both the Indian and Chinese armies recently, in a clear signal of escalating tension and hardening of respective positions by the two sides even two weeks after they were engaged in two separate face-offs.

    (With inputs from agencies)