Militants attack CRPF party in Bijbehara area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district; 1 CRPF personnel injured: Police
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Ladakh | ‘Y Nalla’ turns new frontier as Chinese sever PP-14 access
The creation of a new post and infrastructure in Galwan Valley is believed to have cut off the traditional access to Patrol Point-14 on LAC, making the strategic ‘Y Nalla’ — near the Shyok-Galwan axis — the new frontier for Indian and Chinese troops.
The quickly rebuilt Chinese infrastructure, which includes hardened shelters for troops and defensive positions at the Y-junction where Galwan River takes a sharp bend towards its meeting point with Shyok River, means the last 1 km trek to PP-14, an area patrolled by Indian troops for decades, may no longer be viable.
With inputs from The Economic Times
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Militant killed in encounter with security forces in J-K’s Pulwama
Srinagar: A militant was on Friday killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Chewa Ular area of Tral in south Kashmir district on Thursday, following information about the presence of militants, a police official said.
He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire at a search party of the forces, who retaliated.
The cordon was maintained throughout the night and in the early hours of Friday, one militant was killed, the official said.
The identity and group affiliation of the slain militant is being ascertained, he said, adding that the operation is going on.
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Pakistan Troopers violate ceasefire along LoC in Macchil sector
Srinagar: Pakistani troops on Thursday violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Macchil sector of Jammu and Kashmir by firing mortar shells towards Indian positions, Army officials said here.
They said the Indian Army gave a befitting response to the ceasefire violation.
No casualties were reported in the incident.
“On 25 June 2020, Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation (CFV) along the LoC in Macchil sector by firing mortars,” the officials said.
There has been a sharp increase in ceasefire violations along the Line of Control over the past two weeks.
Security officials maintain that Pakistan is resorting to ceasefire violations to provide cover for infiltration of militants into the valley.
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China reaches out to India; Says meet us halfway
New Delhi: Reaching out to New Delhi after raising tensions in eastern Ladakh to a fever pitch, China on Thursday said it was ready to work with India to properly deal with the military standoff, and asked it to meet the halfway, asserting that “suspicion and friction” was a wrong path that goes against the fundamental aspirations of people of the two countries.
In an interview to PTI, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said India and China are able to properly manage their differences, but at the same time put the onus on New Delhi to ease the tension, and called upon it to avoid taking actions that may “complicate” the situation in eastern Ladakh.
“We hope the Indian side meets the Chinese side halfway, avoids taking actions that may complicate the border situation and takes concrete actions to maintain stability in the border areas,” he said and went on to add that at present, the overall situation in the China-India border areas is “stable and controllable.”
The Indian and Chinese armies are locked in a bitter standoff in multiple locations in eastern Ladakh for the last six weeks, and the tension escalated manifold after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in Galwan Valley on June 15.
The Chinese ambassador said “mutual respect and support” is a sure way and meets the long-term interests of both countries, but asserted that the onus was not on China to ease tensions in the region.
“China and India are both large developing countries and emerging economies with more than one billion people, and both have the historic mission of realising our own development and revitalisation,” he said.
“The onus is not on China. The Indian side crossed the LAC (Line of Actual Control) for provocation and attacked the Chinese border troops. The Indian forces seriously violated agreements on border issues between the two countries,” he said.
In the course of the interview, Sun repeated the Chinese government’s stand — which has been rejected by India — that Indian troops are responsible for the Galwan Valley clashes, and indicated that the onus was on India to improve the situation in eastern Ladakh.
At a weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava held China directly responsible for the border standoff saying it has been has been amassing a large contingent of troops and armaments along the LAC since early May and conduct of the Chinese forces has been in complete disregard of all mutually agreed norms.
Srivastava also said the deployment of large body of troops and changes in behavior has also been aggravated by “unjustified and untenable claims” including over the Galwan Valley.
Emphasising that the path of “suspicion and friction” was wrong and goes against the fundamental aspiration of the two peoples, the ambassador said,”China and India are willing and able to properly manage differences.”
In the last few weeks, both sides have held a series of diplomatic and military talks to cool down temperature even as Chinese military has increased its presence in all sensitive areas along the 3,500 km Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border.
Under the guidance of the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, “we are ready to work with the Indian side to properly deal with the current situation, jointly uphold peace and stability in the border areas, and ensure a sound and steady development of bilateral relations.”
In their informal summit in Chinese city of Wuhan in 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in all areas of the India-China border region in the interest of the development of bilateral relations.
The summit had taken place months after a 73-day military face-off between the two armies in Doklam that raised fears of a war between the two Asian giants.
After the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in Galwan clashes, India called it “a premeditated and planned action by China” and sent a veiled warning to China saying “India wants peace but if provoked, India is capable of giving a befitting reply”.
Referring to talks between foreign ministers of the two countries on June 17, the envoy said both sides agreed to “fairly address” the serious situation caused by the Galwan conflict and vowed to jointly follow the consensus reached at the commander-level meeting on June 6 to ease the situation as soon as possible.
Sun said China would not like to see a similar situation like the Galwan clashes, but repeated Chinese foreign ministry’s allegations that India was responsible for it.
The Ambassador said the two sides kept peace for decades in Galwan Valley, but alleged that since the beginning of 2020, the Indian side has built facilities at or the crossing of the LAC in the Galwan Valley, thereby “constantly changing the status quo of ground control.
On May 6, he claimed the Indian troops crossed the LAC in the Galwan Valley by night and trespassed into Chinese territory.
“They resorted to violent means to create a standoff between the two sides and built infrastructures in an attempt to maintain a permanent presence,” he alleged.
In his briefing, Srivastava said Indian troops have been patrolling the Galwan Valley for a long time and all infrastructure built by the Indian side has always been on its side of the LAC.
Sun said Chinese side lodged representations on multiple occasions to the Indian side through military and diplomatic channels following the incident and that India agreed to withdraw its personnel from the area.
The two sides held Lt General-level talks on June 6 during which they agreed on disengagement of troops from all the standoff areas.
The ambassador said the Indian side promised in the talks that they would not cross the estuary of the Galwan river to patrol and build facilities, adding the two sides agreed to build observation posts on either side of the Galwan river mouth.
“However, after the commander-level meeting, when the situation on the ground was already easing, the Indian border troops copped out on the consensus reached at the commander-level meeting, demanded that China dismantle its observation post,” he alleged.
India has been consistently maintaining that Galwan Valley clashes had taken place on the Indian side of the LAC.
The envoy also said actions taken by the Indian side are not in consonance with the spirit of several agreements signed by the two countries.
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Burgeoning menace of drug abuse in J&K dangerous: NC
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President and member Parliament Dr Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said the burgeoning menace of drug addiction in J&K is dangerous and that the fight against drug abuse should not be relinquished due to the prevailing COVID-19 crises.
Representational Picture On International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking party president Dr Farooq Abdullah in his message said that substance abuse and drug addiction has emerged as one of the biggest threats to our future generation.
“Unfortunately Jammu and Kashmir continues to grapple with the menace of drug and substance abuse. Reports about the prevalence of drug abuse among youngsters particularly the school going children in Kashmir is alarming. If something substantial is not done to tackle it, then I am afraid we are going to lose a whole new generation to this menace,” Dr Farooq said.
He further added, “It’s time for all of us to collectively start a war at each level against the menace and save our young from the scourge. Apart from an effective and coordinated government response against drug peddlers and their protectors, civil society too has an important part to play in this fight. Our religious heads, local leaders together need to address the issue at their individual levels and help those who want to raise their voice against the menace.”
Meanwhile party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar while expressing concern over inaction of the government towards curbing the menace said, “Government is not doing enough to stop the illicit sale and purchase of drugs in Jammu and Kashmir, and society on its part has failed in its collective response, which is destroying our current generation by impeding their growth and development. The moth of drug addiction is devouring our youth, their dreams. J&K is falling into the grip of Drug abuse, perhaps it is a second biggest epidemic after COVID-19 in store for us,” he said.
It is astonishing how widespread the problem is in villages and cities across J&k, he said adding, “We see adolescents huddle together in certain areas smoking, snorting, and shooting up. It is ridiculously available and the administration is acting as a mute spectator. Failing to act against the drug mafia and identifying the spots where these addicts huddle up; administration has also miserably failed to come up with more de-addiction centers, counseling centers to help control such delinquency. Absence of proper psychiatric and medical treatment is also compounding the menace. Administration on its part has failed to grapple with the issue primarily because of the absence of any policy framework and required budgetary support. By no means should COVID-19 impede our fight against the menace of drug abuse. It is a continuous fight, and there is no scope for slackness for the consequences of it will be hard to contain.”
Imran said that the need of hour calls for a flagship programme to curb the menace by preventing the sale and purchase of illicit and other harmful drugs, identifying addicts and putting them on the path of recovery. He necessitated for augmenting the intake capacity of drug de-addiction centers. “Such centers should come up in all districts. Good policing is also needed to block the spaces where such illicit activity takes place,” he said.
Above all the role of religious preachers, schools, colleges and other civil society groups is enormous, he said while soliciting unified response towards the burgeoning menace. “Mohalla committees, parents, academic institutions and religious preachers also have to contribute their bit to nip the evil in the bud before it morphs itself into a calamitous situation,” he said. (GNS)
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Three militant hideouts busted in J-K’s Shopian
Srinagar: Three active hideouts of militants were busted by security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, the Army said.
Bases on intelligence inputs, security forces launched a search operation in the Yarwan area of Shopian in the morning, an Army official said.
He said during the operation, three active hideouts — one major and two minor — were busted.
A huge cache of “administrative stores including a personal diary” were recovered from the hideouts, the official said.
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India evaluating if Oli government of Nepal gifted territory to China
New Delhi: India is evaluating strategic implications following China’s decision to occupy parts of Nepal’s territory amid Ladakh faceoff.
New Delhi is evaluating the exact location of the Chinese encroachment in Nepal and its proximity to the Indian border and whether the move was made in connivance with a section of the political leadership in Kathmandu or by taking the KP Sharma Oli OIi government for a ride, ET has learned.In either case, it can further complicate India-China relations amid Beijing’s strategy to encroach upon its neigbours’ territory and creating security challenges.
Nepal watchers here feel it is time for the country’s top leadership, including PM Oli, to realise the futility of a tighter embrace with China. According to them, Oli’s closeness with Beijing as part of his attempts to save his chair has cast a shadow on Nepal-India ties.
India-China-Nepal share a tri-junction border point. In 1954, both India and China agreed to allow Indian Mansarovar-Kailash pilgrims to use the Lipulekh Pass. After the Chinese annexation of Tibet in the 1950s, Nepal allowed India to put up 17 military checkpoints along its northern border. A joint communiqué in 2015 between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing listed Lipulekh as one of the Sino-Indian border passes through which the two countries agreed to conduct trade.
Meanwhile, China is using increased road construction in Tibet to encroach on Nepali land and may set up border outposts in these areas, according to a Nepal government report. Nepal agriculture ministry’s Survey Department report shows a list of 11 places, of which China has encroached upon 10 places comprising about 33 hectares of Nepali land, by diverting the flow of rivers which act as a natural boundary.
China is widely expanding its road network in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) “because of which some rivers and its tributaries have changed their course and are flowing towards Nepal. The flow of rivers is gradually receding the Nepalese territories and if it continues to remain so for some more time, it would cede the maximum portion of Nepal’s land towards TAR,” according to the document.
Chinese road construction in Tibet has also diverted the flow of Sumjung, Kam Khola and Arun rivers of the Sankhuwasabha district resulting in the encroachment on nine hectares of Nepali land. The document has warned that Nepal would lose more lands if proper steps are not taken.
According to Nepal watchers, one of China’s key objectives is to create a buffer zone between TAR and Nepal to suppress the Tibetan movement. “If the receding of land by rivers continues, then hundreds of hectares naturally go towards TAR. There is a high possibility that over a period of time, China may develop Border Observation Post (BOP) of its armed police in those territories,” according to the Nepal government document.
After the survey in the 1960s and erection of pillars to determine the boundary with China, Nepal has not initiated any further steps to secure its border. A total of 100 pillars were erected on the northern side of the border with China. While with India, the number of pillars stands at 8,553.
Some of China’s neighbours, besides Australia, have witnessed aggression recently. China has had standoffs with Vietnam and Malaysia in the South China Sea, pressured Taiwan with night-time drills in Taiwan Strait and threatened Australia with the boycott of wine, beef, barley, and Chinese students. Beijing has also brought in a new law — Hong Kong Security law — to increase its control on the semi-autonomous city despite strong protests.
With inputs from The Economic Times
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Chinese army has crossed the border at Depsang, close to strategic DBO
In what is seen as another intrusion, the Chinese army has crossed the border at the Depsang plains to the north. The PLA has moved up to a place called Y-junction or Bottleneck on the Depsang plains, which is around 18 km on the Indian side of the LAC.
Meanwhile in other news, Indian and Chinese diplomats agreed Wednesday to “sincerely implement the understanding on disengagement and de-escalation” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. At the two-and-half hour meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC), diplomats agreed to maintain communication both at diplomatic and military levels to “resolve the existing situation peacefully”, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The Chinese have previously entered Indian territory at Depsang, senior Congress leader and former defence minister A K Antony told The Indian Express. “A serious incursion took place during the UPA period in Depsang in 2013… It took 21 days in 2013… they had come in large numbers… put tents and everything… there was face to face scuffle… but after 21 days… after military and diplomatic-level discussions they went back. Status quo ante was restored,” he said in an interview.
India says China amassed troops along border in violation of agreements
“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,” MEA spokesman Anurag Srivastava said.
With inputs from The Indian Express
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16 year old TikTok star Siya Kakkar dies by suicide in Delhi
New Delhi: After the tragic news of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput and Crime Patrol actress Preksha Mehta’s death , another talent from the world of entertainment died by suicide today. A 16 – year – old TikTok artist and dancer Siya Kakkar died by suicide on June 25 in New Delhi.
TikTok star Siya Kakkar | Photo Credit: Instagram/Siya Kakkar The news of her death was confirmed by her manger Arjun Sarin, who managed all her work and endorsements. Arjun said, “This must be due to something personal… work wise she was doing well. I had a word with her last night for a new project and she sounded normal. Me and my company Fame Experts manage lots of artists and Siya was a bright talent. I am heading to her home in Preet Vihar.”
The TikTok star’s residence is in Preet Vihar, New Delhi. She was active on all the online platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube and was known for her dance videos.
Siya had a large following on all these platforms . She had over 104K followers on Instagram and over 1.1 million followers on TikTok.
Recently, on the morning of June 14, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his home in Mumbai. The news of the actor’s death sent shockwaves across the nation. He was just 34 when he ended his life and was suffering from depression for the past six months.