Tag: India

  • India in flames as govt moves to change status of Gilgit-Baltistan with representation in parliament?

    India in flames as govt moves to change status of Gilgit-Baltistan with representation in parliament?

    The Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government plans to make Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) the country’s fifth province, two years after powers of the Islamabad-controlled council for the region were transferred to a local assembly.

    The government’s plans have been outlined by Federal Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur, who said the region will be accorded the status of a full-fledged province with constitutional rights such as representation in both houses of the parliament.

    “After consultation with all stakeholders, the federal government has decided in principle to give constitutional rights to GB,” he said, adding that the government has decided to deliver on the promise it made to the people there.

    PM Imran is expected to visit the region soon and make a formal announcement about the change, Gandapur said.

    While there has been no immediate reaction to the minister’s remarks from Indian officials, New Delhi has consistently opposed changes made in the region by Pakistan because it claims GB as part of Jammu and Kashmir.

    Gandapur also said that subsidies and tax exemptions for the region wouldn’t be withdrawn after the grant of constitutional rights. “Until the people there stand on their feet, they will continue to enjoy this facility,” he said.

    The minister contended that the deprivation faced by the people of GB for 73 years would end with the change. “Besides constitutional rights and a provincial setup, important steps are being taken for developing the region.”

    People familiar with developments told The Current that people concerned, including those a part of the establishment, had been in touch with political parties regarding the changes.

    “The PTI is backing changes with an eye on upcoming elections in GB so that it can make political gains and form the next government in the region,” an official told this scribe on the condition of anonymity.

    Preparations for the elections that are likely to take place in November are complete, and the distribution of tickets by the PTI will begin soon, they added.

  • Robbers sanitize hands before looting jewellery store

    Robbers sanitize hands before looting jewellery store

    Recently, a video of two robbers following proper COVID-19 protocols before looting a jewellery store in Aligarh, India went viral. The CCTV footage shows a few customers were busy choosing jewellery when two men entered the store wearing masks and sanitized their hands before taking out pistols.

    The robbers snatched the cash and stuffed their bags with jewellery reportedly of worth Rs 40 crore.

  • Over a dozen Pakistani Hindus, who went to India for a better future, return with shattered dreams

    Over a dozen Pakistani Hindus, who went to India for a better future, return with shattered dreams

    At least 14 members of the country’s Hindu minority community returned from India after six months, saying their dreams of better economic prospects in the neighboring country had been shattered, Anadolu Agency reported.

    Speaking to reporters at the Wagah border crossing, Kanhaya Lal and Nanak Ram, the heads of the families, said they went to India hoping for better economic prospects, but it was a “farce” and they suffered great hardships.

    India recently passed a contentious law allowing Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Christians from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to apply for fast-track citizenship.

    Last month, a family of 11 Hindus, migrated from Pakistan, was found dead in a rented farmhouse in the city of Jodhpur in India’s Rajasthan state.

    The daughter of one Budha Ram, who was among those killed, had registered a case with Shahdadpur police station, accusing India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) for the crime. The first information report (FIR) revealed Ram had decided to return to Pakistan to expose spy traps offered by the Indian spy agency.

    “I knew that family, and most of them were educated. But there are no opportunities for any outsiders in India,” Lal told Anadolu Agency.

    “The fact is they were living in miserable conditions and suffered from extreme poverty and there were dangerous threats to their lives,” Lal said.

    He said more than 28,000 Pakistan Hindus are stranded in Jodhpur waiting to return home.

  • VIDEO: Pangong Lake of ‘3 Idiots’ fame now a part of China?

    VIDEO: Pangong Lake of ‘3 Idiots’ fame now a part of China?

    Amid the ongoing border standoff between Chinese and Indian soldiers in Ladakh, it is being speculated that the Pangong Tso area under Indian control, and of Bollywood flick ‘3 Idiots’ fame, has been taken over by China.

    As per the details, a video clip of Chinese tourists enjoying a boat ride purportedly at the Pangong Tso Lake, which among many others was also shared by Indian National Congress (INC) leader Salman Nizami, has gone viral.

    Pangong Tso is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas. Situated at an elevation of 4,225 metres, it is 134 kilometres long and extends from Ladakh in India to the Tibetan Autonomous Region in China. Line of Actual Control (LAC) between China and India also passes through the Pangong Lake, effectively dividing it into two parts.

    India controls the 45 km-long western portions of the 135 km-long lake while the rest is under Chinese control. The picture-perfect lake is also the place where 3 Idiots’ ending with Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and co was shot.

    “Chinese tourists in Ladakh’s Pangong Lake. Can someone ask ’56 inch’ Chowkidar [offensive comment apparently against Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi] if Indians now need a visa to visit Pangong Lake?” Nizami tweeted.

    National convener of INC’s social media department, Saral Patel, also shared the video.

    It was retweeted by INC spokesperson Shama Mohamed with the comment, “Chinese tourists are apparently vacationing at Pangong Tso & PM [Narendra] Modi is still in agreement with China’s lie that there have been no incursions or annexation of Indian territory.”

    While there have been no official statements over the status of the lake from Beijing or New Delhi, it is likely that the videos being circulated have been shot on the Chinese side of the lake, which is reportedly open for tourists.

    Earlier, an advertisement video shared by some Twitter users had claimed that China will facilitate the return of international tourists to Pangong Tso.

    The 45-second footage on Twitter showed the scenic landscape of the Pangong Tso.

    The ad video, which has received several retweets, was uploaded by users who used both Mandarin and Chinese as the medium of communication. Although they appeared to be handles managed by Chinese nationals, it could not be confirmed as none of the accounts were verified by Twitter.

    https://twitter.com/evazhengll/status/1301555381810991111

    “You only need to take a Chinese visa to enjoy cold air, flocks of birds and blue water. We have also placed a monument on a place where movie 3 idiots was made. Come, visit and enjoy China,” one of the users tweeted.

    https://twitter.com/CNPakWW/status/1301557920472141828

    Even though the video appears to have been produced in China, it could not be ascertained whether the clip is new or old.

    However, Shen Shiwei, a Chinese journalist working for state-owned CGTN, tweeted that the lake was open for tourists for quite a long time.

    “Pangong Tso in China is open to tourists at home and abroad for quite a long time. The lake is near the Chinese national highway and is a good place for self-driving travel. We have a resort on the lake here,” he said.

  • Teenager spends over Rs 200,000 of grandfather’s pension on PUBG

    Teenager spends over Rs 200,000 of grandfather’s pension on PUBG

    A 15-year-old Indian boy spent more than 200,000 Indian rupees (INR) from his grandfather’s bank account on Player Unknown’s Battleground (PUBG). The boy reportedly used the money from his grandfather’s pension account on the game’s in-app purchases.

    For the unacquainted, in PUBG you require something known as UC (Unknown Cash) to buy skins, crates, and other in-game items. UC can be bought through in-app purchases, a known feature within the game.

    The matter came to light when the boy’s 65-year-old grandfather received a text message from his bank that only INR 275 was left in his account in May. He immediately filed a complaint at a police station, suspecting fraud.

    A few months later, his complaint was transferred to the Cyber Cell Hub that traced the user of the funds back to the man’s grandson. The teenager had used the money for in-game purchases without even telling his grandfather.

    Read more – PUBG to add Chitral National Park, Badshahi Mosque, Noor Mahal, Clock Tower in maps

    The amount had been transferred from the account to a Paytm wallet through OTP, which belongs to a 23-year-old man named Pankaj Kumar who confessed that his friend had been using the wallet. The friend turned out to the complainant’s grandson.

    The boy told that he started playing the game only this January. He confessed that he used his grandfather’s pension for in-app purchases. He also confessed that he had deleted the OTP text messages from his grandfather’s phone.

    No legal action was taken against the teenager as his grandfather decided not to proceed with the complaint. 

  • Indian woman takes lover on tour to Australia on husband’s passport

    Indian woman takes lover on tour to Australia on husband’s passport

    A 36-year-old woman in India allegedly took her lover on a tour to Australia on a passport forged in her husband’s name in January. One of the married couple’s children studies in Australia.

    The two were supposed to return in March but due to the national lockdown, all international flights to India were suspended so they got stuck and returned home on August 24.

    The woman’s husband works in Mumbai, has registered a complaint at a police station accusing his wife of having an illicit relationship with the co-accused, Sandeep Singh, 36.

    He has accused Sandeep of forging documents to get a passport in his name.

    Superintendent of Police, Jai Prakash Yadav, has ordered registration of an FIR on the husband’s complaint and an investigation into the matter by a local intelligence unit (LIU).

    According to the complainant, he has been working in Mumbai for the past 20 years and occasionally visits his wife, who lives in their farmhouse and looks after his ancestral land.

    “When I returned to Pilibhit on May 18, my wife was not at home. I came to know from Sandeep’s family that both had gone to Australia. To find out whether Sandeep forged documents to obtain a passport in my name to visit Australia, I purposely applied for a passport on August 24 at the Bareilly-based passport office. Then I found out from the passport authorities that a passport in my name had already been issued on February 2, 2019,” he said.

    The SP said Gajraula police and LIU inspector Kanchan Rawat would investigate how a passport in the name of the complainant was issued despite identity-checking at multiple levels.

  • Woman arrested for recording video without clothes on a holy bridge in India

    A French woman has been arrested for making a video of herself naked on a holy bridge in the Indian city of Rishikesh.

    According to reports, the 27-year-old now faces charges under India’s internet law with a maximum sentence of three years jail if found guilty.

    She was detained on Thursday after posting footage of herself on the Lakshman Jhula, a footbridge over the Ganges river made famous by the Beatles in the 1960s and which remains a draw for backpackers and yoga practitioners.

    “Maybe in France these things are not considered objectionable,” said R K Saklani, head of the police station where the woman was taken. “But Rishikesh is a holy place and the Lakshman Jhula is the place where (Hindu gods) Ram, his brother Lakshman and wife Sita crossed the Ganges.”

    Police only identified the woman by her first name Marie-Helene and said she had been in Rishikesh since March, just before a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was introduced.

    “She told us she sells bead necklaces online and the shoot was aimed at promoting her business,” Saklani said.

    Apart from the video on the bridge, the French woman had also taken naked pictures inside a hotel room, Saklani added.

    Police were alerted after the footage and photos were posted on social media.

    The woman has been released on bail and the case could take months to complete, the officer said. Her mobile phone has been seized as part of the investigation.

    Read more – Indians are having a meltdown over Aamir Khan’s meeting with Turkish first lady Emine Erdoğan

    Later, it was reported that the woman apologised for her actions, but denied being completely naked and said she carried out the stunt to bring attention to sexual harassment.

    In a statement to AFP, Marie-Helene said: “The first thing I want to say is that I am sorry my actions hurt the local community. I was lacking awareness on cultural specificities.”

    She clarified that no-one was around when she carried out the stunt, and asserted that she did it to raise awareness about harassment in India.

    “I chose to partially uncover on Laxman Jhula because each time I crossed the bridge I felt I was being harassed… My Indian sisters and fellow female travelers surely have experienced the same,” she said.

    “The main goal was to help oppressed Indian women to access education and to leave abusive marriages or situations, where there are no other options or help.”

  • Fact Check: Video showing man jumping into rainwater is fake

    Claim: Viral video showed that in Karachi, a man jumped into accumulated rainwater from the rooftop of his building

    Fact: Video was taken from an Indian Youtube channel and was published two days earlier

    With rain wreaking havoc across Sindh and flooding roads across provincial capital Karachi yet again, a viral video has shown a man jumping into rainwater from a rooftop, which according to The Current’s verification, is not from Karachi.

    As per the details, the video showing a man jumping from the rooftop of a residential building into accumulated rainwater first surfaced on Sunday evening. It wasn’t later that it broke the internet by Monday afternoon as it was widely shared by people claiming it to be a scene from Karachi.

    However, going the extra mile to dig out facts regarding the video, The Current ascertained that it was actually a video from the Indian city of Mumbai, and was uploaded to an Indian YouTube channel two days ago, on August 23.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/ToxicTruths83/status/1298295506569965568

    While the said video is not from Karachi, the port city is still submerged owing to lack of proper monsoon infrastructure there.

    Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah has declared an emergency across the province while roof-collapse, electrocution and drowning incidents make headlines.

    In Karachi, Malir, Korangi, Landhi, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Saadi Town, Liaquatabad, Federal B Area, North Karachi, Surjani Town and North Nazimabad are some of the areas that are underwater after receiving heavy rainfall since Monday night.

    Power outages are also spelling misery for the people of the country’s largest city.

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • Pakistan gets most advanced Chinese warship amid New Delhi’s tensions with Beijing

    Pakistan gets most advanced Chinese warship amid New Delhi’s tensions with Beijing

    China has launched an advanced warship for Pakistan, the largest it has built for any country, and the first among the four most sophisticated naval platforms it is readying for the Pakistan Navy amid deepening military and strategic ties.

    According to reports, the Type 054A/P, a guided missile frigate, is the largest combat ship China has sold to a foreign navy and is “an important milestone” for China’s military export sector.

    The acquisition of the warship will double the combat power of the Pakistani Navy’s surface fleet, Chinese state media reported. By 2021, the Pakistan Navy is expected to have three more similar warships in its fleet.

    The Chinese state-owned Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai held the launch ceremony for the advanced warship with top officials and naval officers attending the function.

    The shipyard is a wholly owned subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the largest builders in the country.

    The ship launch took place two days after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi discussed the situation in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir region with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during the second round of the China-Pakistan foreign ministers’ dialogue in Hainan.

    The development comes at a time while New Delhi is locked in tension with both Pakistan and China over disputed boundaries and the abrogation of Article 370 in the troubled valley.

    India is reportedly closely monitoring the military cooperation between its two neighbours.

  • Woman accused of practicing witchcraft beaten to death by villagers

    Woman accused of practicing witchcraft beaten to death by villagers

    A woman in the Indian state of Bihar was beaten to death for allegedly practicing black magic.

    According to reports, the police said that the deceased, Geeta Devi, had reached at her in-law’s house in Jharkhand on Monday morning. As soon as she reached, a crowd attacked the 30-year-old with sticks and rods.

    Her brother, daughter and mother-in-law were also manhandled when they tried to save her. Geeta was then, allegedly, dragged on the road and beaten up. By the time the police arrived at the scene, Devi was already dead. The police have said that an FIR (First Information Report) has been filed.

    According to the villagers, Geeta’s neighbour and relative Munshio Mahto’s family had accused her of practising witchcraft. They threatened to kill her after Mahto’s son died due to some illness about two weeks ago.

    Geeta had gone to her father’s house after she received the threats. But when she returned Mahto, along with 10 to 15 villagers, allegedly started beating her with sticks and rods killing her in the process.

    The local police station officer-in-charge Parmeswar Singh said Geeta was lynched for allegedly practicing black magic.

    “On the complaint of the deceased’s mother-in-law, an FIR has been lodged against Munshi Mahto and others in this connection. The body has been sent to Giridih Sadar hospital for post-mortem”, he said, according to a news report.