Tag: India

  • Delhi University to remove chapter about Alama Iqbal from political science textbooks

    A chapter about Allama Iqbal in a book recommended for Political Science syllabus has been removed by Delhi University, after a discussion at the Academic Council meeting.

    According to Indian news organization ANI, the Vice Chancellor, Yogesh Singh, said that those who laid the foundation to break India should not be taught to students:

    “Iqbal wrote songs supporting the ‘Muslim League’ and the ‘Pakistan Movement’. Iqbal was the first to raise the idea of the partition of India and the establishment of Pakistan and said that instead of teaching about such people, we should study our national heroes.”

    The right-wing student movement Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has welcomed the motion, saying Iqbal was a ‘fanatic theological scholar’ who was responsible for the partition of India.

    “Delhi University academic council decided to scrap fanatic theological scholar Mohd Iqbal from DU’s political science syllabus. It was previously included in BA’s sixth-semester paper titled ‘Modern Indian political thought. Mohammad Iqbal is called the ‘philosophical father of Pakistan’. He was the key player in establishing Jinnah as a leader in Muslim League. Mohammad Iqbal is as responsible for India’s partition as Mohammad Ali Jinnah is.”

  • Indian food inspector drains dam to find fallen phone

    Rajesh Vishwas, a member of the Indian government, was suspended after he gave an order to empty a water reservoir in order to retrieve his phone, BBC reported on Saturday.

    The food inspector was taking a photo when his phone, which was valued at roughly $1,200, fell into the Kherkatta Dam in Chhattisgarh.
    Millions of gallons of water had to be pumped out of the dam. The process of draining the dam took three days.

    Vishwas has said in a video statement that after local divers failed to find it, he paid for a diesel pump to be brought in.

    The process was halted after an official from the water resource department arrived following a complaint.

    “He has been suspended until an inquiry. Water is an essential resource and it cannot be wasted like this,” Kanker district official Priyanka Shukla told an Indian newspaper.

    However, Vishwas insisted that he had not abused his authority and that the water had been drained because it was “

  • Uncertainty on Asia Cup about to end, India up for the hybrid model

    Uncertainty on Asia Cup about to end, India up for the hybrid model

    Sections of the Indian media have announced that India will agree to the hybrid model with a few caveats attached.

    The uncertainty surrounding Asia Cup 2023 hosting venue is seemingly about to be resolved amicably on some give and take conditions, the two neighboring boards Board of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have decided, with both holding negotiations on what they can do for each other.

    Indian media reports have stated that if Pakistan will give written surety that they will travel to India for World Cup 2023 than they will accept the hybrid model proposed by PCB.

    BCCI will formally announce the decision at its May 27 meeting of the general body of the board.

    However, there are now questions on the statement of PCB management committee chairman Najam Sethi in which he said without mincing his words that if India agreed on hybrid model then Pakistan will also propose a similar model for the World Cup in which the country will play their matches in Dhaka.

    If India has security concerns in Pakistan, likewise Pakistan has security concerns in India.

    In a recent statement Mr. Sethi cleared that he has not said that Pakistan will not play the International Cricket Council (ICC) mega event. It is the decision of the government, he said.

    According to hybrid model, India will play their matches at a neutral venue like UAE or Sri Lanka.

    According to sources, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will announce the Asia Cup schedule after India’s decision.

    It should be noted that the ICC World Cup is to be played in India this year, but before that, the Asia Cup will be hosted by Pakistan, in which India refused to participate, after which Pakistan also refused to go to India to participate in the World Cup. However, discussions are ongoing between the two boards on the hybrid model proposed by Pakistan.

  • Musarrat Jamshed Cheema to leave PTI along with husband

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Jamshed Cheema and his wife Musarrat Jamshed Cheema have decided to quit PTI, their lawyer confirmed on Tuesday.

    “I am confident that they will quit PTI as soon as they come out of jail,” their lawyer said after he met them both in jail.

    The husband and wife duo have been in jail since the last 12 days. They were arrested after the May 9 protests in which PTI supporters clashed with law enforcement agencies.

    The Cheemas are not the first to leave the party which has been besieged by politicians leaving it in droves. In the past week, many leaders, including Imran Khan’s close friend Amir Kiyani and Malik Amin Aslam, have quit PTI.

    Party Chairman Imran Khan, in an informal conversation with media in Islamabad today, said that people are not leaving the party by choice, they are being forced to leave.

    A rather confident Imran further said that parties do not end like this, they end in the way Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is ending.

  • ‘Depression is something only rich people get’: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

    Nawazuddin Siddiqui gave an interview to Mashable India, where his comments about mental illness have triggered a debate on social media. According to Indian Express, the actor was quoted as saying that mental illnesses like depression and anxiety only happened to privileged people because they tend to glorify their emotions.

    The ‘Sacred Games’ actor revealed that while growing up, he would never have been able to tell his father that he was depressed or he would have been slapped:

    “I come from a place where, if I would tell my father that I am feeling depressed, he would give me one tight slap… Depression waha nahi tha, kisi ko bhi nahi hota waha depression, sab khush hai. But I learnt about anxiety, depression, bipolar after coming to the city.”

    “Ye shehro mein aake hoti hai, yaha pe har aadmi apne chhote emotions ko bhi bohot glorify karta hai.”

    The actor, who faced a recent controversy after his ex-wife accused him of kicking her and their children out of their house, went on to say that it was working class people who never get depressed because they work hard and make the most out of their conditions, unlike rich people.

    “If you ask a labourer, or someone who is sleeping on the footpath, what is depression. When it rains, they dance even then, usko gh***a depression nahi pata hota. Jab aapke paas paise aajate hai toh iss tareeke ki beemariya aati jaati hai.”

  • China will not attend G20 meeting to be held in Indian-Occupied Kashmir

    China will not attend G20 meeting to be held in Indian-Occupied Kashmir

    China has said that it is opposed to a G20 tourism meeting next week in the disputed Himalayan territory in Indian-Occupied Kashmir, confirming that it will not attend, handing a significant diplomatic victory to Pakistan.

    “China is firmly opposed to holding any kind of G20 meetings in disputed territory, and will not attend such meetings,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

    India, which holds the chair of G20 this year, has organised a series of meetings across the country in the run-up to the summit in New Delhi in September.

    Srinagar, the capital of the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir, will host a meeting of the tourism working group for G20 members on May 22-24.

    Despite backlash for holding the meeting in disputed territory, the Modi-led government has not backed off from its plans to do so.

  • Modi says want normal and neighbourly relations with Pakistan

    In an interview with a Japanese news media outlet, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he wants “normal and neighbourly relations” with Pakistan.

    “However, it is incumbent upon them to create a conducive environment free from terrorism and hostilities. The onus is on Pakistan,” he added.

    While talking about Indian’s relation with China, Modi said, “Peace and tranquility in the border areas are essential for normal bilateral ties with China”.

    He said that future development of India-China relationship can only be based on mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

    He added that “normalising” the ties would benefit the wider region and the world.

  • ‘Is he mentally stable or not’: Ramiz Raja slams Sethi’s proposal for England to be Asia Cup host

    ‘Is he mentally stable or not’: Ramiz Raja slams Sethi’s proposal for England to be Asia Cup host

    Former Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has slammed current head of the Board, Najam Sethi, on the issue of Asia Cup 2023 hosting country.

    Sethi is trying to solve the Asia Cup hosting issue amicably with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Jay Shah, President of ACC and also Secretary of BCCI, has been accused of being biased and creating hurdles for Pakistan’s hosting rights of Asia Cup.
    “England could be a possibility as a venue for the Asia Cup,” Sethi said in an interview with BBC.

    Ramiz Raja expressed anger on the statement, raising questions about the mental health of the PCB chairman. “The whole purpose of Asia Cup right before the World Cup is to let the teams get used to Asian conditions.

    I was shocked to hear the Chairman PCB saying it would be great to see the Asia Cup being played at Lord’s. Is he mentally stable or not?” Raja questioned.

    Raja also said that it makes him angry when the chairman is saying that Pakistan Super League (PSL 9) will be conducted in UAE because of taxation issues in Pakistan.

    “On one side you are saying Pakistan is safe for cricket regarding Asia Cup and on the other hand you are saying PSL 9 will be conducted in UAE, what type of perspective are you trying to give, are you out of your mind,” Ramiz Raja asked.

    Former cricketer Salman Butt also took a dig on Sethi’s statement of hosting Asia Cup in England:
    “A neutral venue like this [England] is not viable for Asia Cup, it will not make sense as it will mean that there is not a single venue in Asia where it could be held.”
    “You can include England in it and make it Euro-Asia Cup. You can also give this suggestion. In the past, Austral-Asia Cup used to take place in which Australia participated.

    You can also include Ireland and Netherlands in it. It would be a World Cup-like event, as it will have six teams from Asia and four countries from Europe, so it will be a ten-team tournament. It will be a dress rehearsal for World Cup,” the former Pakistan opener said.

    He also added, “You can come up with as many ideas as possible but you also have to see what is practically possible.”

  • US urges India to condemn religious violence

    US urges India to condemn religious violence

    The State Department of the United States on Monday released an annual report on religious freedom which listed attacks against religious minorities including Muslims and Christians in India, AFP has reported.

    According to the State Department study, Muslims in Gujarat have had their homes demolished and have been publicly flogged by police after being accused of hurting Hindus. The department collected this information from both direct research and reports from media and advocacy groups.

    “Regarding these concerns, we’re continuing to encourage the government to condemn violence and hold accountable (those) who engage in rhetoric that’s dehumanizing towards religious minorities,” a senior US official said while talking to AFP.
    The official said they will talk directly to Indian officials. “We’ll continue to work very closely with our civil society colleagues on the ground (and) with courageous journalists that are working every day to document some of these abuses.”

  • Asia Cup in Pakistan or not: Next 48 hours crucial

    Asia Cup in Pakistan or not: Next 48 hours crucial

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi is in Dubai for a crucial meeting with Jay Shah, the President of Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and also secretary for Board of Control for cricket in India (BCCI).

    Jay Shah has continuously threatened PCB that the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023 and force Pakistan to step back from hosting the tournament.

    Pakistan has declared its stance loudly and clearly for everyone that if Pakistan is forced to back off from hosting Asia Cup, warning that if anyone tries to take away Pakistan’s rights, the country will boycott Asia Cup and will also not travel to India for the upcoming World Cup.

    Najam Sethi also proposed a hybrid model for India, suggesting that they can play their matches at another venue but it’s Pakistan’s right as host to decide where those matches will be played.

    Star Sports’ owner is also attending the meeting.

    It is clear that no other team will give the kind of revenue an India Vs Pakistan match can produce. Star Sports has a contract with ACC from 2016 to 2023 under which they paid 50 million USD.

    Indian Media has reported that BCCI is planning to organized its own five nation Asia Cup in which they will exclude Pakistan but broadcasters are not ready for this.

    Earlier Indian media ran fake news that Asia Cup has been shifted to Sri lanka but Sri Lankan media denied Indian media reports.