India News
Imran Khan, India’s War veterans back Sidhu against jingoist attack on hug to Pak army chief
Attacked by critics for his visit to Pakistan for Imran Khan’s oath ceremony and a hug shared with the Pakistani army chief, cricketer-turned-minister Navjot Singh Sidhu got a message of thanks and support from across the border as well as war veterans of Indian army.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan came out in support of Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been under fire for hugging Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa during Khan’s oath-taking ceremony.
Thanking the cricketer-turned-politician for attending his oath ceremony, Khan tweeted: “I want to thank Sidhu for coming to Pakistan for my oath taking. He was an ambassador of peace & was given amazing love & affection by ppl of Pakistan. Those in India who targeted him are doing a gt disservice to peace in the subcontinent – without peace our ppl cannot progress.”
While defending his friend, Imran Khan also seized the chance to push dialogue and trade between the two countries. Just after his election victory, PM Modi had written to him expressing India’s commitment to “meaningful and constructive engagement”.
He added in another tweet: “To move forward Pakistan and India must dialogue and resolve their conflicts incl Kashmir: The best way to alleviate poverty and uplift the people of the subcontinent is to resolve our differences through dialogue and start trading”
Sidhu had also held a press conference earlier in the day and termed the hug ‘an emotional moment’, which arose after Bajwa told him that efforts were being made to open the corridor to Kartarpur Sahib.
“Pakistan Army chief said they were making efforts to open corridor to Kartarpur Sahib, what followed was emotional moment,” Sidhu said, adding that his visit to Pakistan was not political but “just a warm invitation from a friend”.
He also responded to criticism over being seated in the front row, next to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir “president” Masood Khan, during the swearing-in ceremony on Saturday. “My seat was changed at the last minute. I was told just 5 minutes before ceremony that I was to be seated on front row. I sat wherever they made me sit,” Navjot Singh Sidhu said.
Sidhu was the only Indian to attend the oath-taking ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (the President House) in Islamabad, on the invitation of Imran Khan, his contemporary and friend from their cricket days.
Following his statement, the BJP slammed him and said that it is unbelievable how someone can hold a press conference in support of Pakistan.
Even Sidhu’s boss, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Amarinder Singh, who has not shared the best of ties with his minister, had earlier ticked off Sidhu publicly, saying “I think it was wrong for him (Navjot Singh) to have shown the affection he did for the Pakistan Army chief, I am not in its favour… The fact is that the man (Mr Sidhu) should understand that our soldiers are being killed everyday. My own regiment lost one major and two jawans a few months ago,” the Chief Minister had said.
Sidhu, asserting that his visit was “not about politics” but a warm invite from an old friend, pointed out that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had travelled on the bus to Lahore and Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unscheduled trip to Lahore in 2015, on his way back from an official visit to Afghanistan.
During that surprise stopover, he said, PM Modi had hugged then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
“No one is questioning PM Modi,” Navjot Singh Sidhu said.
On criticism from his own boss, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, he said: “I was criticised by the Captain, by top Congress leaders. It is not necessary that if the Captain has spoken against me, I should too.”
You can’t, he added pointedly, try to please everybody. “He who tries to, pleases nobody.”
It didn’t silence the BJP, though. “Sidhu’s visit to Pakistan is shameful,” said Punjab BJP chief Shwait Malik.
“On one side, the Pakistan army was involved in attacking our soldiers at the border and on the other side Sidhu was hugging the Army chief. Does it mean he was thanking him for killing our jawans?” he asked.
However, Sidhu was backed by several veteran Army officers who termed the barbs being directed at the minister for his “hug” as “petty”, reported The Indian Express (IE) after talking to officers who are veterans of wars against Pakistan.
“We should not be petty. The man goes there and someone comes up to him and they hug each other, so what…We are big country and we should behave like a big country. Japhi paa layi te fer kee hoya (If they hugged each other, so what) It is the Punjabi way to greet somebody,” IE quoted Lt General Depinder Singh (retd) as saying.
Lt General Tej Sapru (retd) said: “I do not think he has done anything wrong. We must look at it from the macro level. By hugging, it does not mean that he has sold the country out. If someone can hug the Prime Minister of Pakistan then the Army Chief comes under the PM. Here he has just hugged a person who came to him and said hello…If he has hugged him no heavens have fallen. He has not told him that we will not fire on them on the LoC.”
Lt General H S Panag (retd) said: “So what if he hugged the Pak Army Chief?…The right wing which is making all the noise because they know they do not have the capability of doing anything to Pakistan. I have attended seminars where retired Pakistani Army officers also come and we hug each other. It is a non-issue.”
A telling remark was from Brigadier Surinder Singh (retd) who said: “At least some channel of communication should be kept open with the Pak Army Chief. There can be back channel diplomacy through such common meeting ground. People criticising this are fools. When we meet Pakistani counterparts at flag meetings we meet with due regards with each other. And when need be we kill each other also.”
India News
BJP’s Shahnawaz Hussain suffers cardiac arrest, admitted to Lilavati Hospital
While giving information about the health of BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain, Doctor Jalil Parkar of Lilavati Hospital said that he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital after cardiac arrest. He told that Shahnawaz Hussain has suffered a heart attack. After this the doctors performed his angioplasty.
Former Union Minister and BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain has suffered a heart attack. According to reports BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain suffered a cardiac arrest in the evening. After which he has been admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. Shahnawaz Hussain is the national spokesperson of BJP and he has also been the Industry Minister in Bihar Government.
While giving information about the health of BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain, Doctor Jalil Parkar of Lilavati Hospital said that he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital after cardiac arrest. He told that Shahnawaz Hussain has suffered a heart attack. After this the doctors performed his angioplasty.
He was one of the youngest Union Ministers in Atal Bihar Vajpayee’s Cabinet. The BJP leader held several portfolios, including Minister of State, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Minister of State, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Coal, Minister of Civil Aviation and Minister of Textiles during Vajpayee regime.
Shahnawaz Hussain suffered a major setback when he had to face defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Earlier in 2006, BJP had brought him to Parliament through by-election. After the defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party did not even give tickets in the 2019 elections. The seat from which Shahnawaz Hussain contested was given to JDU by BJP. However, JDU was a part of NDA at that time.
In the 2020 assembly elections in Bihar, BJP had fielded Shahnawaz Hussain for the Legislative Council elections. Shahnawaz Hussain was successful in winning and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made him the Industries Minister. However, in 2022, BJP suffered a major setback when Nitish Kumar’s party JDU broke ties with NDA and formed the government with RJD.
Shahnawaz Hussain, who once enjoyed power, is now seen in the role of opposition in the Bihar Legislative Council. Bihar is the home state of Shahnawaz Hussain and Supaul is his home district.
India News
Students hold protest in Manipur after photos of two dead students surface online
The protesting students tried to march towards Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s residence
Hundreds of students took to the streets in Manipur’s capital, Imphal to protest against the brutal murder of two students by suspected armed men. The students demanded justice for the victims. According to reports, photos of two students, who apparently have been decapitated, have gone viral across the social media platforms.
The protesting students tried to march towards Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s residence, after which security forces used tear gas shells and smoke bombs in an effort to disperse the crowd. Reportedly, multiple students were injured and they were hurried to the hospital for medical treatment.
The photos that have gone viral show two students, a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old boy, sitting at the grassy compound in what appears to be a makeshift jungle camp of an armed group.The girl is seen in a white shirt and the boy in a checked shirt holding a backpack. Behind them, two armed men were clearly visible.
In the next viral photo, their bodies are seen slumped on the ground. According to reports, as the girl was a minor, officials concerned to the matter are looking into the allegations of rape, before she was murdered.
Meanwhile, N Biren Singh led Manipur government has asked the people of the northeastern state to exercise restraint and allow authorities to investigate the kidnapping and killing of both the students. In a statement issued by the secretariat of Chief Minister N Biren Singh late on Monday night, the state government asserted that the case has been already handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In addition, the government also assured the public that swift and decisive action will be taken against all those involved in the crime. The statement further underlined that the government was committed to ensuring justice for the murdered students and severe punishment on any perpetrators found responsible for this heinous crime.
India News
Delhi Arbitration and Conciliation Council, WICCI holds their first meeting, aims to work for benefit of women empowerment
Delhi Arbitration and Conciliation Council members will also recommend government and other institutions on various policy making.
The Delhi Arbitration and Conciliation Council, WICCI President Vinita Sahay and Vice President Sandhya Kohli on Tuesday conducted the council’s first physical meeting at Jangpura Extension, New Delhi. Along with the President and Vice President, all 36 Council members took part in the meeting.
As per sources, the major objective of the council members is to spread a robust council who will work for the Council and for the benefit of women empowerment with the spirit of sisterhood.
The vision of the council members is to interact with other councils who are registered with Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) nationally and internationally with an effort to inform them that Delhi Arbitration and Conciliation Council, WICCI is a team of experienced and dedicated arbitrators, who will keep in view the spirit of the amended Arbitration and Conciliation Act 2016.
Furthermore, the Delhi Arbitration and Conciliation Council members will also recommend government and other institutions on various policy making. Sources stated that the first meeting was a great success and deliberations were carried out with all council members present in the meeting.
In the Delhi Arbitration and Conciliation Council’s meeting, the council members discussed how to achieve the aforesaid objectives, conduct monthly meetings of council to review action plan, organise webinars and seminars for the awareness of women and further focus on women empowerment by the council of Arbitration and Conciliation initiated in 2023.
Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) is a National Business Chamber for Women that strengthens and builds women’s entrepreneurship and businesses through greater engagement with government, institutions, global trade and networks.
Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) also enables fundamental changes in governmental policies, laws and incentives with a view to robustly encourage and empower women in business, industry and commerce across all sectors.
