Tag: India

  • Storm blows away domes of Kartarpur Sahib within months of inauguration

    At least two domes recently constructed outside the perimeter of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Shakargarh collapsed due to a thunderstorm and high-speed winds in the area, drawing strong reactions from people of both Pakistan and India.

    The two domes at Darbar Sahib Kartarpur of the Kartarpur Corridor — the visa-free border crossing and a secure corridor connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to the border with India — fell off due to strong winds coupled with heavy rain showers in Punjab over the weekend.

    No injury was reported as a result of the domes falling off.

    The material used in the construction of the domes raised serious concerns over the quality of the material used in the Kartarpur Corridor. It was alleged that the domes, that appear to be hollow from the inside, were constructed using fibre instead of cement and iron.

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry said the matter had been addressed before the Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri with a request for an immediate inquiry.

    Frontier Works Organization (FWO) — a military engineering organisation — had been assigned to ensure the immediate renovation of the damaged domes, which ensured the completion of repair work within 48 hours.

  • On This Day: Javed Miandad breaks Indian hearts with last-ball sixer

    On This Day: Javed Miandad breaks Indian hearts with last-ball sixer

    It was on April 18, 1986, when former Pakistan batsman Javed Miandad struck a final-ball six to defeat India in the finals of the Austral-Asia Cup.

    This match still sends shivers down the spine of ardent cricket fans in both Pakistan and India. Miandad had smashed a six off the final ball of the match bowled by Chetan Sharma, reports said.

    The feat is remarkable as Pakistan needed four runs off the final ball to win the Austral-Asia Cup. Miandad did not succumb to pressure, giving the cricket fans a memory to cherish forever.

    Pakistan needed 246 runs to win the match, and the side found itself at 61/3. It was then that Miandad walked out to the middle and played a match-winning knock of 116 runs.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    In his innings, Miandad struck three fours and as many sixes.

    Batting first, India had got to a score of 245 as Kris Srikkanth made 75 runs while Sunil Gavaskar went on to register 94 runs from 134 balls.

    For Pakistan, Wasim Akram scalped three wickets.

    Miandad has often been involved in fierce battles with India. During the 1992 World Cup group stage game, Miandad ended up mocking the style of India’s wicket-keeper Kiran More.

    The Austral-Asia Cup has been played thrice, with Pakistan winning the tournament on all three occasions.

  • Mehwish Hayat slams India for spreading conspiracy theories against Muslims amid COVID-19 crisis

    Mehwish Hayat has never held back from voicing her thoughts on matters of public interest. Recently, the actor took to Twitter to call out the latest wave of xenophobia in India against Muslims during coronavirus crisis.

    The actor shared an article about coronavirus conspiracy theories spreading in India against Muslims. She highlighted how the world is uniting in its fight against the pandemic, while India is using the pandemic to fuel intolerance.

    Other Twitter users also agreed with Mehwish.

    https://twitter.com/ShahbazGohar14/status/1250117331512147971?s=20

    In the past, Mehwish has spoken up against Indian atrocities in Indian-occupied Kashmir and has been a vocal critic of Muslim and Pakistani representation in Bollywood movies. She had even called out Shah Rukh Khan for fuelling propaganda after his series Bard of Blood was released on Netflix.

  • VIDEO: Hunger forces man in India to share milk with stray dogs

    VIDEO: Hunger forces man in India to share milk with stray dogs

    A man and a pack of stray dogs are seen in a scramble for milk spilt on a road in Agra in stomach-churning visuals that speak volumes on the desperation of India’s poorest during the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

    The image is from Monday morning on Agra’s Ram Bagh Chauraha when a large milk container overturned, sending a stream of milk down the road, just 6 km from the Taj Mahal. NDTV’s Kamal Khan tweeted the heartbreaking video.

    A pack of dogs was joined by a man who is seen trying to scoop up as much of it as he could in a small earthen pot.

    The 21-day day lockdown announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, that is widely expected to be extended once it ends on Tuesday, has pushed hundreds of thousands of people across India into poverty and hunger.

  • Tourists in India forced to write ‘sorry’ 500 times for violating coronavirus lockdown

    Ten foreigners who broke a coronavirus lockdown in an Indian town made famous by the Beatles were forced to repent by writing “I am so sorry” — 500 times, according to reports.

    The nationwide lockdown was imposed near the end of March, with residents permitted to leave their homes only for essential services such as buying groceries and medicine.

    The travellers — from Israel, Mexico, Australia and Austria — were caught taking a walk in Rishikesh, where the Beatles sought spirituality at an Ashram in 1968.

    Local police officer Vinod Sharma said they were each made to write “I did not follow the rules of lockdown so I am so sorry” 500 times.

    More than 700 foreign tourists from the US, Australia, Mexico and Israel staying in the area had flouted the lockdown rules, Sharma said, adding the unusual punishment was handed out to teach them a lesson.

    Police said they would direct hotels in the area to allow foreign guests to step out only if accompanied by local helpers.

    Establishments that did not follow the order could face legal action, Sharma said.

    Police have come up with unusual methods to encourage people to stay home to halt the spread of the deadly disease, including wearing coronavirus-shaped helmets.

    But officers in some states were also seen in videos on social media beating drivers on roadsides and making people out and about during lockdown do squats and leapfrogs as punishment.

    Some states have already extended the restrictions.

    On Sunday, India had registered more than 8,300 coronavirus cases and 273 deaths from the disease.

  • Ex-Indian cricketing star picks combined Pak-India XI of all time, names Imran Khan as captain

    Ex-Indian cricketing star picks combined Pak-India XI of all time, names Imran Khan as captain

    Commentator and former Indian cricketing star Aakash Chopra has picked his combined Pakistan-India XI of all-time, naming World Cup-winning former Pakistani skipper and now prime minister (PM), Imran Khan, as the captain.

    “I wanted to do a fun exercise today by selecting the combined all-time Test XI of Pakistan and India, although it was a very difficult task,” Chopra said in a video uploaded to Facebook. “One thing that we will all agree, before moving on, that the team will give more preference to Indian batsmen and Pakistani bowlers.”

    Chopra picked former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag as the openers while selecting Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar at the third and fourth batting spots, respectively.

    “There is no doubt that Sunil Gavaskar will be one of the openers as his presence is absolutely mandatory,” he said. “I would partner him with Virender Sehwag because he scored two triple centuries in Test cricket which is quite an achievement,” Chopra said, adding that after including Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, he would go for Inzamamul Haq and Javed Miandad for the fifth and sixth slots.

    “Although they are both playing out of position, but deserve a place in the XI,” he said regarding the Pakistani batting legends.

    “For the wicketkeeper spot I will pick MS Dhoni. Although we can consider Dravid as well but I don’t want to make a batsman playing at one-down to keep the wickets,” he added.

    Two World Cup-winning skippers come next as Kapil Dev and Imran Khan give this team a whole new dimension. They could bat, they could bowl and they could lead the team with absolute authority.

    “At number eight and nine, I will pick Kapil Dev and Imran Khan. Imran will also be the captain of my side,” the former Indian cricketer said.

    Fast-bowler Wasim Akram finds a place in the side and so does Anil Kumble. Chopra also stated leaving out Waqar Younis was a tough call and he was made the 12th man of the team.

    “It is 100 per cent certain that Wasim Akram will be part of this lineup and he slots in at number 10. With over 600 wickets, I will include leg-spinner Anil Kumble as the final player in my team. It is hard to keep Waqar Younis out of this XI but I will definitely include him as my 12th man,” he said.

  • VIDEO: Banker uses steam iron to disinfect cheque

    A bank employee in India has found a unique way to disinfect cheques using a hot iron.

    A viral video of the cashier shows him holding cheques with a pair of tongs and then ironing them in a desperate attempt to disinfect them. Many people lauded him for his innovation.

    The video was shared on Twitter by Indian business conglomerate Anand Mahindra along with a caption: ‘I have no idea if the cashier’s technique is effective but you have to give him credit for his creativity’!

    According to a report by NDTV, the banker in the video is an employee of the Bank of Baroda whose creative method of disinfecting the cheques has won the internet, but it is not clear whether the measure is effective.

  • Jeremy McLellan riles up India with his latest Abhinandan tweet

    Jeremy McLellan riles up India with his latest Abhinandan tweet

    American comedian Jeremy McLallen who is also famous for his funny tweets has managed to rile up Indian social media users after posting an edited picture of himself with Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

    In the image posted on Twitter by Jeremy, the Indian pilot can be seen drinking the famous cup of tea given to him during his 60-hour capture in Pakistan in February last year, with the wreckage of downed Indian Air Force (IAF) Mig-21 fighter jet in the background.

    The tweet said, “Stay Home, Stay Safe”.

    The post sparked fury among Indian social media users but the comedian continued with his trolling. “Why are Indians messaging me saying he’s a hero. I know he’s a hero that’s why I gave him tea and took a picture with him,” he tweeted later.

    He then shared a screenshot of a message by an Indian Twitter user named Amit Kumar who asked McLellan if he (Jeremy) was a terrorist.

    McLellan was not done there. He proceeded to post another edited photo of himself with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

  • Coronavirus: Improved air quality leads to breathtaking view of Kashmir from Sialkot

    With reduced industrial pollution and traffic due to coronavirus resulting in improved air quality across the globe, breathtaking views of Kashmiri peaks from Punjab’s north-eastern city of Sialkot — one of Pakistan’s most industrialised regions — have started doing rounds over social media.

    In the wake of COVID-19, lockdowns have had a dramatic impact on air pollution around the world. While lockdowns have emerged as a temporary but effective solution to the global pandemic, they also appear to be dealing with another pressing problem faced by citizens — suffocating pollution. As millions of humans stay home around the world, pollution is temporarily alleviating.

    While the mountains of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) could earlier only be seen from Sialkot after heavy rains — when the weather was super clean –, they can now be seen from the city as improved air quality leads to better visibility and clearer skies.

    Earlier, images of clear skies over China and California, and fish swimming in Venice’s canals also made their way to social media. While they are a glimpse of what it might look like if we take better care of the earth, none of it is likely to last.

    https://twitter.com/ikaveri/status/1239660248207589383

    Much of this temporary environmental reprieve will diminish once the economy picks back up again. And of course, no one should want to curb pollution and tackle climate change via a deadly global pandemic, given the grave health and economic impacts the crisis is creating.

  • Indian court allows man to go out to buy food for cats amid strict lockdown

    The Kerala High Court approved permission to a petitioner on Monday to travel to get “Meo-Persian biscuits” for three of his cats amid the strict coronavirus lockdown in India.

    N Prakash who is an  owner of three cats, had moved the court after he was denied to travel by police to get food for his pets.

    According to the directives by the Kerala government, residents have to get a travel permit based on an affidavit for leaving their houses, even if  they have to go to buy essential food items.

    Prakash, stated in his petition, that “as a pure vegetarian, he could not cook non-vegetarian food in his house”. He said that he had applied for the travel pass online, but his application was rejected.

    Upon hearing the appeal, the judge said that the petitioner could go to buy cat food on the basis of a self declaration, along with a court order.

    He added that the court will pass a general order in this regard to cover situations like this.