Tag: India

  • VIDEO: Humiliation for India as soldier slips during Wagah ceremony on Independence Day

    VIDEO: Humiliation for India as soldier slips during Wagah ceremony on Independence Day

    India has yet again faced humiliation at the Wagah Border as one of its soldiers participating in the daily lowering of the flags ceremony slipped in front of the crowd on Pakistan’s Independence Day.

    The ceremony at the Wagah-Attari Border is a daily military practice that the security forces of Pakistan and India have jointly followed since 1959.

    Fervour was at its peak as military personnel of both countries, amid soaring tensions, started performing in front of a mammoth crowd on both sides of the border on Wednesday.

    Things, however, took a comical turn when the Indian soldier leading his side couldn’t maintain his balance and slipped.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    A video of the incident went viral over the internet, reacting to which Pakistanis asked if “these soldiers will steal Kashmir from us”.

    https://twitter.com/SyedAsad299/status/1161619036062519297

    Earlier, Pakistan celebrated its 73rd Independence Day as Kashmir Solidarity Day to express support to Kashmiris in their struggle against Indian occupying forces.

    New Delhi had earlier this month robbed Kashmir of its special status, paving way for a Muslim genocide in the disputed valley. Islamabad fears the development can lead to major demographic transformations in the region and affect Kashmiris’ struggle for their right to self-determination.

  • Kashmir crisis: Russia steps up to support India

    Kashmir crisis: Russia steps up to support India

    Russia has come out in support of India’s move to revoke Article 370 of its constitution and integrate occupied Kashmir, which can lead to the ethnic cleansing of Muslims and transform the region into majority-Hindu.

    According to media reports, Moscow has become the first among the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to formally state that abrogation of the provision is “an internal matter for India”.

    “Moscow expects that Pakistan and India will not allow aggravation of the situation in the region due to the change by New Delhi in the status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir,” Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quoted as saying.

    “We proceed from the fact that the changes associated with the change in the status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir are within the framework of the Constitution of the Republic of India,” it said.

    The ministry further said that Russia was a consistent supporter of peace between the two neighbouring countries.

    “We hope that the differences between them will be resolved by political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis in accordance with the provisions of the Shimla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999.”

    Tensions are soaring between Pakistan and India after New Delhi on Monday revoked Article 370, which gave special status to held Kashmir and moved a separate bill to split the state into two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

    Pakistan believes the move, other than snatching away occupied Kashmir’s autonomy, can pave way for a Muslim genocide as it allows people from all over India to settle in the disputed territory which could result in a massive demographic shift.

  • Uber driver, who raped nurse, being deported back to India

    Uber driver, who raped nurse, being deported back to India

    An Indian Uber driver, who raped a nurse in Australia while she was unconscious, will be sentenced and deported back to India, Daily Mail has reported.

    According to the details, Manpreet Singh, a year back, was driving through Melbourne’s inner-city of Mulgrave when he came across the intoxicated woman at around 2 am.

    The woman had stopped to vomit after leaving a nearby pub on her walk home when Singh got out of his car and approached her.

    The women, at first, broke free but he continued to follow her. The next thing the woman remembers was waking up at around 5 am to Manpreet raping her at his house.

    The woman managed to escape and alerted the police, who arrested the guy the next day.

    Singh was living in the country on a bridging visa from India and was driving an Uber through another person’s registration at the time of the attack.

    Bridging visas are temporary permits that let you stay in Australia lawfully while your immigration status is resolved.

    Manpreet on Thursday appeared before a court and pleaded guilty.

    Singh was remanded into custody, will be sentenced on September 11 and deported back to India.

  • Fawad shuts up Indian major who pointed out PTI-PML-N clash

    Fawad shuts up Indian major who pointed out PTI-PML-N clash

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has shut up an Indian army veteran who attempted to highlight the divide between ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    A war of words had erupted between Fawad and PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan as the joint session of the parliament continued for the second day on Wednesday.

    The ruckus in the parliament had started after the PML-N leader condemned the government for having failed to take Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi head-on.

    It was at this juncture when Fawad began to disrupt his speech, prompting Mushahid to ask the speaker to “put a leash on Fawad”.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Even though Speaker Sadiq Sanjrani urged them both to not indulge in cross-talk, the PML-N senator continued addressing the minister, “I had left you tied at home… I had put a leash around your neck before coming to parliament.”

    The two leaders then traded “shut up” barbs with each other.

    Pointing out the clash, an ex-officer of the Indian army, Major (r) Gaurav Arya, took to Twitter and wrote:

    Responding to the Indian major’s tweet, Fawad wrote:

    The tweets come amid tensions rising on either side of the border over the Kashmir dispute. Indian government on Monday had snatched away the Muslim-majority region’s autonomy by revoking Article 370 of the constitution.

    The move has attracted a strong reaction from Pakistan as Kashmiris fear that it could pave way for Muslim genocide in the troubled valley.

  • Pakistan makes its first move, ‘to close airspace for India again’

    Pakistan makes its first move, ‘to close airspace for India again’

    As tensions soar on either side of the border ever since India abrogated Article 370 of its constitution, which makes way for ethnic cleansing in Muslim-majority Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), Pakistan has reportedly finally made its first move.

    According to local media reports, Islamabad is set to close its airspace for Indian flights for the second time this year, a decision that earlier cost India a whopping $80.1 million (Rs12,800,000,000).

    Pakistan opened its air space for all types of civil traffic in July. It had been fully closed since February when Pakistan shot down two intruding Indian Air Force (IAF) jets.

    Over 800 flights use the Pakistani and Indian airspace to transport passengers from South Asia, South East Asia to Europe and North America.

  • US knew about India’s plans for occupied Kashmir: report

    US knew about India’s plans for occupied Kashmir: report

    With Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) being robbed of its special status, it has emerged that the United States (US) already knew about the development that could lead to a Muslim genocide in the troubled valley.

    In a move to tighten its grip on occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India on Monday dropped a constitutional provision that allowed the disputed territory to make its own laws.

    According to The Print, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led government’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had told his American counterpart Mike Pompeo of his government’s plan last week.

    It, however, wasn’t the first time Washington was briefed on the matter as two days after February 14’s Pulwama attack, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had also called his US counterpart John Bolton and shared New Delhi’s plans to do away with the special status, reports said.

    While the decision to bifurcate the state came much later than the Doval-Bolton phonecall, Jaishankar’s meeting with the US secretary of state came on the sidelines of the 9th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bangkok on August 1.

    Jaishankar had also reiterated to Pompeo that the US does not need to mediate in the Kashmir dispute and that any discussion on this issue, “if at all warranted”, will only be with Pakistan unilaterally.

    The Modi government did not want to take any chances when it came to the US, and so, all necessary safeguards were taken, the report quoted sources as saying.

    KASHMIR ROBBED OF SPECIAL STATUS:

    The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on Monday revoked the disputed Himalayan territory’s special status by abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution.

    With IoK’s autonomy snatched, people from the rest of India would have the right to acquire property in the valley and settle there permanently.

    Kashmiris fear the move would lead to a demographic transformation of the region from majority-Muslim to majority-Hindu, paving way for Modi’s hardliner BJP and resulting in major setbacks to their freedom struggle.

  • Wilders hails India’s illegal decision, calls Pakistan ‘100% terror state’

    Wilders hails India’s illegal decision, calls Pakistan ‘100% terror state’

    Dutch Politician Geert Wilders, who is known for his anti-Islam rhetoric, has hailed India’s decision to nullify Article 370 of the Constitution in occupied Kashmir and called Pakistan “a 100% terror state”.

    “India is a full Democracy and Pakistan is a 100% terror state [sic],” leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) tweeted after the Indian government paved way for a Muslim genocide in held Kashmir.

    Wilders had earlier made headlines when he had announced his plans to hold a blasphemous caricatures contest as part of his “campaign against Islam”.

    His tweet comes after the Indian government on Monday through a presidential decree abolished Article 370 that gave a measure of autonomy to Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    Now with the special status of Kashmiris repealed, among other feared outcomes is that people from the rest of India would have the right to acquire property in IoK and settle there permanently, which could lead to ethnic cleansing.

    A massive shift in demographics of the Muslim-majority disputed territory can also follow.

  • Indian-occupied Kashmir: Articles 370 and 35A explained

    Indian-occupied Kashmir: Articles 370 and 35A explained

    The Indian government has rushed through a presidential decree to abolish Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a measure of autonomy to the Muslim-majority Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    Here is everything you need to know about Article 370 and what could follow the development that comes as tensions mount in the troubled valley.

    WHAT IS ARTICLE 370?

    Article 370 was the basis of Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to the Indian union at a time when former princely states had the choice to join either Pakistan or India after their independence from the British rule in 1947.

    The article, which came into effect in 1949, exempts Jammu and Kashmir state from the Indian Constitution.

    It allows IoK to make its own laws in all matters except finance, defence, foreign affairs and communications. The article established a separate constitution, a separate flag and denied property rights in the region to the outsiders.

    That means the residents of the state live under different laws from the rest of the country in matters such as property ownership and citizenship.

    WHAT IS ARTICLE 35A?

    Article 35A is a branch of Article 370, which was introduced through a presidential order in 1954 to continue the old provisions of the territory regulations.

    The article permits the local legislature in IoK to define permanent residents of the region. It forbids outsiders from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs or winning education scholarships in the region.

    While Article 35A has remained unchanged, some aspects of Article 370 have been diluted over the decades.

    WHY ARE THEY BEING ABOLISHED?

    The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its right-wing allies have challenged Article 35A which it calls discriminatory. Last month, a senior BJP leader had hinted that the government was planning to form exclusive Hindu settlements in the region.

    With the special status repealed, people from the rest of India would have the right to acquire property in IoK and settle there permanently.

    Kashmiris fear the move would lead to a demographic transformation of the region from majority-Muslim to majority-Hindu, paving way for Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s hardliner BJP in the disputed territory.

  • India divided after Hindu man refuses to accept food from Muslim rider

    India divided after Hindu man refuses to accept food from Muslim rider

    Neighbouring India has been left divided ever since a Hindu man refused to accept his order from a Muslim food delivery guy.

    “Just cancelled an order on @ZomatoIN. They allocated a non-Hindu rider for my food they said they can’t change rider and can’t refund on cancellation [sic],” Amit Shukla of Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur city tweeted Tuesday.

    Zomato is an Indian restaurant search and discovery service that operates in 24 countries. It provides information and reviews of restaurants as well as images of menus where the restaurant does not have its own website and also online delivery.

    Shukla, through the app’s customer support, requested another rider and when asked what was wrong, he replied, “We have Shravan [month of fasting] and I don’t need a delivery from a Muslim fellow.”

    The company refused to change the rider on the basis of religion and the customer care executive’s response was widely shared over social media.

    “Food doesn’t have a religion. It is a religion,” Zomato tweeted.

    https://twitter.com/ZomatoIN/status/1156429449258250240

    The company’s founder, Deepinder Goyal, also tweeted:

    “We are proud of the idea of India — and the diversity of our esteemed customers and partners. We aren’t sorry to lose any business that comes in the way of our values,” he wrote.

    While Zomato’s stand against religious intolerance won many hearts, some stood up in Shukla’s support.

    https://twitter.com/ubereats_ind/status/1156552511509024768?s=21

    https://twitter.com/dnaasingh29/status/1156496007674208257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1156496007674208257&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fgulfnews.com%2Fworld%2Fasia%2Findia%2Findia-man-cancels-order-over-non-hindu-rider-zomatos-response-wins-the-internet-1.65549839

  • Rowing boats, making weapons: Modi to feature on Discovery Channel’s ‘Man vs. Wild’

    Rowing boats, making weapons: Modi to feature on Discovery Channel’s ‘Man vs. Wild’

    Prime minister (PM) of neighbouring India, Narendra Modi, will be seen in a never-seen-before avatar on August 12 when he ventures into his country’s wilderness along with Bear Grylls, the host of Discovery Channel’s popular show “Man vs. Wild”.

    The Discovery Channel has issued a statement saying the
    special episode featuring survivalist and adventurer Grylls and shot in the Uttarakhand’s
    Jim Corbett National Park, will be a “frank and freewheeling
    journey”.

    In a clip of the show that was shared by Grylls on his Twitter account, PM Modi can be seen riding a small dinghy down a river along with the adventure travel show host.

    In another scene, the Indian premier is seen welcoming Grylls to India and holding up a weapon carved out of bamboo and other material collected from the forest and saying, “I will keep this with me for you.”

    To this, Grylls replies with laughter, “You are the most important man in India, my job is to keep you alive.”

    “For years, I have lived among nature, in the mountains and the forests. These years have a lasting impact on my life. So when I was asked about a special show focusing on life beyond politics and that too in the midst of nature I was intrigued to take part in it,” Modi said while speaking about the show.

    He added that the show was a “great opportunity to showcase
    to the world India’s rich environmental heritage and stress on the importance
    of environment conservation and living in harmony with nature”.