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“Metallic substance” detected in Kulbhushan’s wife shoes: Pakistan

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“Metallic substance” detected in Kulbhushan’s wife shoes: Pakistan

Pakistan says Jadhav’s wife was provided with replacement shoes – contrary to India’s Ministry of External Affairs claim

Despite India’s accusation of Pakistan not returning shoes of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife, Pakistan Foreign Office on Wednesday claimed to have detected a “metallic substance” in her shoes which were replaced by Pakistani authorities in Islamabad. They have sent the shoes for forensic test.

Following massive criticism from the Indian foreign ministry over alleged harassment of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother, during their visit to Islamabad, Pakistan security officials have alleged that spy’s wife’s shoes were retained because of  the presence of some “metallic substance”.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said, “There was something in the shoe. It is being investigated. We gave her a pair of replacement shoes. All her jewellery etc was returned after the meeting.”

However, the Pakistan Foreign Office claim is  contrary to what the Ministry of External Affairs claimed yesterday. “She acknowledged that she has got back all her stuff, except the shoe,” said Mohammad Faisal.

A day after Kulbhushan Yadav’s family members met the former Indian Navy official in Islamabad, India on Tuesday called the exercise “lacking in any credibility”. Stating that the “overall atmosphere of the meeting was intimidating”. India said that the ex-navy officer’s mother and wife were forced to change clothes and were also not allowed to interact in their mother-tongue- Marathi.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar  on Tuesday stated that Pakistan has violated the “letter and spirit of our understanding”.

Kumar further added that the Pakistani officials have disregarded the cultural and religious sensibilities of the family members as the authorities “under the pretext of security precautions… they were asked to remove their mangal-sutra, bangles and bindi“.

However, stating that Pakistan don’t wish to indulge in a “meaningless word of words”, the FO spokesperson said, “If Indian concerns were serious, the guests or the Indian DHC [deputy high commissioner] should have raised them during the visit, with the media, which was readily available, but at a safe distance, as requested by India.”

Kulbhushan Jadhav – who was accused by Pakistan for allegedly spying on behalf of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) – is in Pakistan’s custody and is facing death row with charges of terrorism and spying. While Pakistan continues to maintain its position in the charges leveled against the former Indian Navy officer, India on the other hand denied all charges and had moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to secure his release.

More than a year after his arrest, Pakistani authorities finally permitted Jadhav’s family members to meet him on Monday. However, Jadhav’s mother and wife could only interact with him over a telephonic conversation – with a glass panel separating the visitors from the accused.

And while Jadhav was not allowed to speak privately with his family, many term the meeting as a mere PR exercise from Pakistan. India’s Deputy High Commissioner was also present during the meeting – though he was not allowed  to interact with Jadhav.

Pakistan claimed of honoring the “commitment’ and shared photos of the 45-minute long meeting on Twitter. The Pakistan’s move to grant permission to Jadhav’s family members to visit Pakistan came ahead of the forthcoming hearing of India’s appeal against Jadhavv’s death sentence at the International Court of Justice at The Hague.

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Manipur: Congress hits back at BJP chief Nadda’s letter to Kharge

Ramesh emphasised that Nadda’s letter is replete with inaccuracies and reiterated that the people of Manipur long for normalcy, peace, and harmony.

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The Congress on Friday lashed out at BJP president JP Nadda’s accusations that the Opposition party was promoting a politically motivated narrative concerning the situation in Manipur.

The grand old party described Nadda’s letter to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge as a 4D exercise, which means denial, distortion, distraction, and defamation.

Nadda, responding to Kharge’s call for President Droupadi Murmu’s intervention and his claims of the Centre’s total failure in managing the crisis, claimed that the consequences of Congress’s “abject failure” in handling local issues in Manipur during its governance are still being felt today.

Responding to Nadda, Congress General Secretary for Communications Jairam Ramesh stated, “Congress President Kharge ji wrote to the President of India on Manipur. Apparently, to counter that letter, the BJP President has now written to the Congress President.”

Ramesh emphasised that Nadda’s letter is replete with inaccuracies and reiterated that the people of Manipur long for normalcy, peace, and harmony.

He noted that they are posed with four critical questions: When will the Prime Minister visit the state? How much longer will the Chief Minister remain in office despite lacking majority support? When will a full-time Governor be appointed? And when will the Union Home Minister be held accountable for his failures in Manipur?

Nadda expressed astonishment at the Congress’s ongoing efforts to sensationalize the situation in Manipur, pointing out that Kharge appeared to overlook the fact that his party’s past government had legitimized the illegal migration of foreign militants to India, during which former Home Minister P Chidambaram had signed relevant treaties.

On Tuesday, Kharge had written to President Murmu regarding the worsening conditions in Manipur, requesting her immediate intervention to ensure that the citizens of the state can live peacefully and with dignity.

In his two-page letter, Kharge accused both the Union and Manipur state governments of “completely failing” to restore peace and normalcy over the past 18 months, resulting in a loss of public confidence in their leadership.

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Rahul Gandhi is right, Gautam Adani should be arrested: RJD president Lalu Yadav

“Rahul Gandhi is right. Adani should be arrested,” said Prasad, who is an old ally of the Congress and a staunch opponent of the BJP, to which Adani is said to be close.

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RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday spoke in support of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s demand for immediate arrest of Gautam Adani, after the Industrialist was charged in the US for alleged bribery and fraud.

Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said on Thursday that Gautam Adani should be arrested immediately, and his protector Madhabi Puri Buch should be investigated

The former Congress chief claimed that the recent developments vindicate his long-standing allegations against Gautam Adani. He took a sharp dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and alleged that Modi is protecting Adani, and is also involved in corruption. 

Yadav, the former chief minister of Bihar, was responding to queries from journalists here about Gandhi’s statement on the previous day, in the backdrop of charges of bribery and fraud against the Adani group in the US.

“Rahul Gandhi is right. Adani should be arrested,” said Prasad, who is an old ally of the Congress and a staunch opponent of the BJP, to which Adani is said to be close.

The RJD supremo, who incidentally has been convicted in several fodder scam cases and is on bail, was also asked about prospects of the INDIA bloc, of which his party is a part, in Jharkhand, where the counting of votes for assembly polls is scheduled on Saturday.

Speaking to PTI, the ailing septuagenarian replied, “I would like to remain focused on my statement that Adani must be arrested. I am not worried much about a new government (in Jharkhand) where we are already in power.” Jharkhand witnessed a straight battle between the INDIA bloc and the BJP-led NDA, which included the JD(U) headed by Nitish Kumar, Prasad’s arch-rival and the current Chief Minister of Bihar.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Gandhi further said that Chief Ministers have been jailed for scams of Rs 10-15 crore, but Adani, who has committed a scam of Rs 2000 crore is walking free.

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Cash for votes row: BJP leader Vinod Tawde sends legal notice to Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, asks them to apologise or face defamation

The BJP leader said the allegations against him were false, baseless and made with malafide intentions.

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Cash for votes row: BJP leader Vinod Tawde sends legal notice to Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, asks them to apologise or face defamation

BJP leader Vinod Tawde, accused of distributing cash to influence voters, has sent a legal notice to Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Supriya Shrinate and Rahul Gandhi over the controversy. The BJP leader has demanded their apologies or face a Rs 100-crore defamation case.

Vinod Tawde’s legal notice came after regional party Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) leader Hitendra Thakur on Tuesday accused him of distributing Rs 5 crore at a hotel in Virar in Palghar district, 60 km from Mumbai, to woo voters.

In the legal notice, the BJP leader said the allegations against him were false, baseless and made with malafide intentions. He claimed that he demanded an apology from the three Congress leaders for their remarks against him in the cash-for-votes row or he would be forced to initiate criminal proceedings against them.

Just a few hours before the Assembly Elections, a video went viral on Tuesday showing BVA workers storming into the hotel in Palghar during a meeting between Vinod Tawde and Rajan Naik, the BJP candidate from the Nalasopara seat. The BVA workers alleged that Tawde was caught red-handed with Rs 5 crore cash.

In the viral video, the BVA workers were seen taking out bundles of cash from a bag, while Tawde was sitting at a distance. The BVA workers also took pictures and videos of him on their phones. Amid these allegations, BVA leaders said that Rs 5 crore cash was distributed, an election official on Tuesday said Rs 9.93 lakh cash was recovered from the hotel rooms.

However, Vinod Tawde denied the allegation, saying he was only providing guidance to party workers on poll procedures and said he was not stupid enough to distribute money at his opponent’s hotel. Speaking to the media, he said that the Vivanta Hotel is owned by the Thakurs, and he is not stupid to go to their hotel and distribute money there.

The Police registered two FIRs against Tawde, BJP candidate Naik and others in connection with the controversy. Additionally, the Election Commission filed three FIRs against Tawde.

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