LIVE! RSS leader defends Modi's meeting with Sharif

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Sat, 02 January 2016

RSS leader defends Modi's meeting with Sharif

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23:49 RSS leader defends Modi's meeting with Sharif

RSS's joint general secretary Dattatraya Hosbole said today that his organisation didn't think that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a mistake in lunching at the residence of his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Lahore last month.

The statement by the senior RSS functionary defending Modi's decision to visit the neighbouring country came on a day when Pakistani terrorists attacked IAF base in Pathankot.

Hosbole was speaking to reporters at Vishwa Sangh Shivir.

To a question, he said "why shouldn't Modi eat with Nawaz Sharif? We don't oppose this. We believe the whole world is one family and it's our duty that we behave well (with others). This is India's religion, this religion should be followed.

"The National Security Adviser of India is capable of dealing with the issue of terrorism. We have full confidence that that he would deal with the issue in the right way," the RSS leader added.

Creating a security scare, a man carrying a bag ran parallel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy here today before being taken into custody.

As people lined up on both sides of the road, the man chanted "Modi, Modi" and came close to the motorcade when the Prime Minister was proceeding to Lalith Mahal Hotel, where he is staying overnight. The incident happened near V V circle after Modi attended the birth centenary celebrations of Shivarathri Rajendra Mhaswamiji of Sri Suttur Math, according to police.

"A person, who was shouting Modi-Modi, was seen running parallel to the convoy of the Prime Minister. The local police have taken the man into custody and are inquiring," DGP Om Prakash told PTI in Bengaluru. A

Asked how serious the incident was as the person was carrying a bag, he said, "The Mysuru Police Commissioner is scrutinizing the footage, and if there is any suspicion on the person's part, action would be taken.

22:41 Mufti Sayeed "critical but stable": AIIMS

The condition of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, who was admitted to intensive care unit(ICU) of AIIMS last week, is "critical but stable".

Sayeed, 79, was airlifted to Delhi from Srinagar on December 24 after he complained of exhaustion.

An AIIMS spokesperson said the chief minister, who has a history of fever and neck pain, was diagnosed as having "decreased blood counts, pneumonia and sepsis." Sayeed was on high dosage of antibiotics for treatment of infection and oxygen to provide relief to lungs, the spokesman said. "His condition is being monitored continuously in ICU. His condition continues to be critical but stable," the spokesman said.

'Very poor' quality air reigned in Delhi on the second day of 'odd-even', even as authorities released conflicting reports on the impact of the vehicular restrictions on January 1 primarily due to different comparative parameters.

The Delhi government issued a statement saying that level of pollutants showed a "marked decrease" as compared to previous year, while The Energy and Resources Institute said pollution levels were more than December RPT December 31 and "violated" the prescribed limits.

"The 24-hourly averaged concentrations at four locations (Mandir Marg, RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh and Anand Vihar) were observed and PM 10, PM 2.5 and NOx concentrations were found to be 5.4, 5.1, and 1.5 times higher than safe standards respectively yesterday," TERI said.

The government said that PM 2.5 (particulate matters less than 2.5 microns in size) measured in 24 locations across the city ranged between 121-226 micrograms per cubic metre. On an average, PM 2.5 hovered around 250 across the national capital in previous years on the same date, it said.

It was an attack that was anticipated by the security establishment and local shopkeepers had been cautioned about it well in advance.

And as per the anticipation, the attack did take place and locals in Dhaki Chowk in Pathankot woke up to the sound of gunfire and blasts in the dead of the night at 3.30 am when terrorists struck at the IAF base.

"We were asked by the police to close down our establishments after abduction of an SP (on Thursday night)and recovery of his vehicle from near Palta Sahib Gurudwara (yesterday). It triggered fear among us of a possible terror attack," said Rahul, who runs an inverter shop.

Rahul along with other shopkeepers and rehriwalas closed down their shops following the terror alert amid deployment of security personnel in the area around 6 pm and rushed to their homes.

"We immediately closed down our shops and went home as we feared a terror attack," said Rahul, whose house falls close to the boundary wall of Air Force Station.

Security establishment was already on alert and apprehending an attack after an SP of Punjab Police was abducted by a group of men in army uniform on Thursday night.

20:07

Our security forces are more than capable of giving a fitting reply to these elements: PM Modi on Pathankot

19:53 Proud of our jawans and security forces: PM on Pathankot attack

And Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on the attack: Enemies of humanity who can't see India progress, such elements attacked in Pathankot but our security forces did not let them succeed.

19:29

And Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on the attack: Enemies of humanity who can't see India progress attacked Pathankot.

19:19 All 5 terrorists killed, combing operation to resume tomorrow

JUST IN: According to media reports, all 5 terrorists that attacked the Pathankot air force base have been killed by the security forces. The combing operation will be resumed tomorrow.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the news.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force has said that timely intelligence and prompt action foiled the likely plan of terrorists to destroy its valuable assets at the Pathankot air base.

19:14

"We congratulate our armed forces that they were able to thwart it with their wisdom and valour. India is capable of giving a befitting reply to any terror attack," BJP secretary and media department head Shrikant Sharma said.

18:43 2 more terrorists killed, combing operation still on

JUST IN: Two more terrorists have been shot dead and their bodies are yet to be found in the combing operation by the security forces near the Pathankot air base.

This brigs the total number of killed terrorists to 6.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar held a high-level meeting with National Security Advisor) Ajit Doval and the three service chiefs at South Block.

According to reports, Parrikar is being briefed by the NSA and the three service chiefs on the overall security scenario.

Condemning the attack on the Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday pointed out that friendship and terror cannot go hand in hand.

"We condemn the attack. Our air force needs a salute for fighting them off immediately. How they entered the place needs to be investigated. I think our Home minister has rightly said that India will give back a befitting reply. Congress has tried to politicise the matter. We are certain that friendship and terror cannot go together," Javadekar told ANI.

18:15 Pak govt should 'control' terrorists: Badal

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said Pakistan government should "control" terror activities, asserting that those who have carried out the attack came from across the border. "These people come from across the border.

It is the responsibility of the Pakistan government to control them (militants) so that such things (terror attack) do not occur," Badal said while reacting to the terror attack in Pathankot.

Five-time CM said there was a timely alert. "Otherwise, the damage could have been more." The forces were giving strong reply to the attack, he added.

Media reports are now claiming that one of the terrorists that carried out the attack on Pathankot air base called his mother before the attack began.

According to reports, the attacker called his mother and told her that he was about to embark on his mission. To this, his mother allegedly replied, "Please have your food."

In a pre-dawn attack, a group of heavily-armed Pakistani terrorists, suspected to belong to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, struck at an Air Force base in Pathankot in Punjab, leading to a fierce gunbattle in which three security personnel were killed along with four attackers.

In the wake of the terror attack on Pathankot air base, security in Jammu and Kashmir especially the air force installations and the Indo-Pak border has been beefed up.

"The problem is that there may not be a specific threat but the threat (of terror attack) is always there. If we see the frequency of these things happening in the past, you need to be prepared all the time," Director General of Police J&K, K Rajendra Kumar, told PTI.

He said all the security-related measures have been put in place but there was always scope for improvement.

"We have plugged all the vulnerable infiltration routes along the border. Barricades have been put in place on the highways and checking of all the vehicles entering the state is being conducted," he said.

The DGP, who held a high-level meeting to review the security arrangements in the state following the Pathankot terror attack, also toured various border areas in Jammu district.

17:17 Parrikar reviews Pathankot attack, meets NSA

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar held a high-level meeting with National Security Advisor) Ajit Doval and the three service chiefs at South Block on Saturday. According to reports, Parrikar is being briefed by the NSA and the three service chiefs on the overall security scenario.

The meeting took place in the wake of the terrorist attack on the Air Force Base in Pathankot at 3.30 a.m. on Saturday, in which four terrorists and three security personnel were killed, while six other injured have been admitted to a hospital.

Earlier, terming the Pathankot attack as "unfortunate", Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said India has credible information that the attackers were sponsored by some elements from across the border.

External Affairs Ministry today said it was "premature" to say anything now given that the security operation at Pathankot, where the air base was attacked by Pakistani terrorists, was still on.

"On #PathankotAttack : Operations continuing, immediate focus on resolving situation -- premature to say anything more at this point," the MEA Spokesperson tweeted.

The tweet came amid a raging debate over the possible impact of today's terror strike on Indo-Pak dialogue which had got a fillip after a surprise visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lahore last week to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

Terming the Pathankot terror attack as "unfortunate", Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said India has credible information that the attackers were sponsored by some elements from across the border.

"We have credible information about this (attackers) being sponsored by some elements from across the border, but our security forces have done a commendable job by eliminating all the terrorists involved in this particular operation," he said.

Various central agencies were coordinating with the Punjab Police, he said when asked about an update on the ongoing combing operation.

The intrusion was detected almost as it happened, the official said, and the first terrorist was killed as he was climbing over the 10 metre high wall that also has razor wire on it. "But we don't know if they all entered over the wall or through the gate. They could have had multiple entry points. We are in the process of investigating that," the official said.

A prison inmate was killed allegedly in a fight which broke out between two groups inside a jail van heading from Saket court to Tihar jail today.

The incident occurred this afternoon when the prison vanwas passing through south Delhi's Hauz Khas area, said a

police official.

The inmate has been identified as Manoj, said a senior official who did not disclose any further details.

In a similar incident reported in August 2014, two inmates were allegedly beaten to death by seven others, including an infamous outer Delhi-based gangster, in a fight that broke out inside the prison van heading from Rohini court to Tihar jail.

Defence Minister Parrikar is being briefed by the three Service Chiefs and NSA Doval following the terror attack at Pathankot's Air Force base. IAF chief Arup Raha, Navy Chief Robin Dhowan and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar are in the meeting at the South Block. Reports also came in that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will visit Pathankot at 4 pm today.

Narendra Modi may have toured the world like no other Indian Prime Minister during his first year in office, but his government has managed to keep the overall travel bill below the budgetary allocation by Rs 2 crore, according to the Union finance accounts for 2014-15.

As against the revised budget estimates of Rs 316.76 crore for 2014-15, passed by Parliament in the budget last year, the tour expenses of the PM and his ministers during the first year actually came down by Rs 2 crore to Rs 314.76 crore. The actual expenditure is reflected in the finance accounts tabled in Parliament towards the end of the winter session.

In the wake of the Pathankot terror attack, Pakistan condemned the terrorist incident. In a statement, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said, "Pakistan condemns terrorist incident in Pathankot in which many precious lives have been lost. Pakistan remains committed to partner with India and other countries in the region to eradicate menace of terror."

An earthquake of 5.8 magnitude on the Richter Scale in Afghanistan sent tremors across North India on Saturday. Initial reports suggest epicentre of earthquake in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region. Tremors were felt in Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Noida. No damage to property or death has been reported so far.

The terrorists who had holed up at Pathankot air base and were engaging the forces in gun-battle have apparently sneaked out, army sources have revealed.

The terror attack, on since 3.30 am, has claimed the lives of three soldiers. Four terrorists have died. It is not known how many were involved in the attack. The attack is suspected to have been carried out by the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. Sources say the attackers were from Bhawalpur in Pakistan and were ordered to blow up the helicopters stationed at the base.

Saudi Arabia has executed 47 people for terrorism, including the prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr, the interior ministry said. Most of those executed were said to be involved in a series of attacks carried out by Al Qaeda between 2003 and 2006.

Iran has warned that executing Nimr "would cost Saudi Arabia dearly".

Nimr, along with six others, were accused of orchestrating anti-government protests between 2011 and 2013 in which 20 people died.

Earlier this year, the kingdom's Supreme Court rejected an appeal against the death sentence passed on the Shia cleric.

13:58

Rahul Gandhi tweets on Pathankot terror attack, "Strongly condemn terrorist attack on Pathankot Air Force Base. My deepest condolences to families of the brave soldiers martyred in the attack."

13:21 Inside the Dubai hotel that was ravaged by New Year's Eve fire

THE first photos have emerged of the inside of the five-star Dubai hotel gutted by a fire on New Year's Eve. The snaps show the scale of the destruction caused by the inferno, which ripped through the glitzy Address Downtown. The blaze quickly spread through the 63-storey hotel after beginning on the 20th floor, destroying the lobby and charring the outside.

Following the attempted terror attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, Punjab, the Congress asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would take up the issue with his Pakistan counterpart.

"It is a matter of serious concern. Will the PM take up the issue with Pakistan now that he has recently visited Pakistan?" asked Congress leader RS Surjewala. "How does the government propose to control and check terror coming from Pakistan? These are a few issues that Prime Minister Modi needs to address," he added.

The Congress leaders also pointed out that terrorist exported from Pakistan were behind the attack in Pathankot.

"First in Udhampur, then in Dinanagar in Gurudaspur and now in Pathankot. These terrorists wore army fatigues, they kidnapped vehicles and they consequently attack army or other sensitive installations," he said.

Surjewala also said that now that in the winter season the infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir is not possible, the peaceful Punjab was being targeted by the terrorists.

Today's terrorist attack on an Indian Air Force base in Punjab's Pathankot, where two IAF personnel and four attackers were killed, has striking similarities to the July assault in Gurdaspur district.The Pathankot attack comes six months after another terror strike where suspected Pakistani terrorists had sprayed bullets on a moving bus and stormed Dinanagar police station in Gurdaspur district bordering Pakistan, killing six people and injuring eight.

Both the attacks came weeks after meetings between Indian and Pakistani prime ministers and an upswing in the relations between the two countries. The Pathankot attack came close on the heels of an upswing in India-Pakistan ties after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise trip to Lahore last month and held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

12:03 NIA team reaches Pathankot

A team of National Investigation Agency, mandated to probe terror cases, reached Pathankot IAF base to gather inputs about the attack carried out by suspected militants of Jaish-e-Mohammed group. The NIA team reached the spot as the home ministry has asked the central probe agency to keep a full investigation team in readiness as the case could be transferred to it, official sources said.

Fresh gunshots have been heard at the air base in Pathankot as security forces carry out combing operations after terrorists believed to be from the Jaish-e-Mohammed launched an attack with the aim of destroying the base. The security forces believe that a fifth terrorist is still on the run in the area and they are trying to cordon off the area and prevent any further damage. Reports have just come in that 2 loud explosions were heard at the site where the combing operation continues.

Reacting to the attacks in Pathankot, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Pakistan is our neighbour and we want peace, but any terrorist attack on India will get a befitting response."

Singh added that the security forces had given the terrorists a good response and that he was very proud of the forces, which gave a befitting response.

10:29

JUST IN: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will hold a high level meeting on the Pathankot attack with security officials in the evening.

10:12 Pathankot terror attack: 'Terrorists infiltrated India 3 days ago'

Even as security officials continue to sanitise Pathankot Air Force base after suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists launched an attack, a senior security official has said that the terrorists had infiltrated India three days ago.

Further, Indian intelligence traced four phone calls between the terrorists in Pathankot and Pakistan handlers between 12:35 am to 1:40 am

A high alert was sounded on the Pathankot-Jammu national highway after the terror attack in neighbouring Punjab. "A high alert has been sounded in Kathua district and entry into the state from neighbouring Punjab at Lakhanpur is being monitored and checked," said a senior police officer in winter capital Jammu.

Defence sources said the army has been moved out on the highway to ensure no militant was able to sneak into Jammu and Kahsmir. "There is a general alert on the international border in Kathua district and Border Security Force troops guarding the IB have been ordered to be extra vigilant," the officer confirmed.

The terror attack in Punjab is "the first major challenge to PM (Narendra) Modi's bold Pakistan gambit," tweeted former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah soon after terrorists stormed the Pathankot air force base early on Saturday morning. "The BJP now has to sidestep its previous 'terror & talks can't go together' and insulate the Indo-Pak dialogue from such attacks," he said in a tweet.

The latest reports coming in have stated that the terror attack at the Pathankot air base has ended with security forces neutralising 4 terrorists. Officials added that the authorities were still sanitising the area and combing operations were on to determine if there are more terrorists in the area.

The attack comes days after PM Narendra Modi's unscheduled visit to Pakistan. It is the second big terror attack in Punjab within less than a year as last year three militants stormed a police station in Diana Nagar before being eliminated after 12 hour gun battle.

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