LIVE! Army asks forces to be 'prepared for any eventuality'

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Sat, 01 October 2016

Army asks forces to be 'prepared for any eventuality'

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22:48 Army asks forces to be 'prepared for any eventuality'

Amid heightened tension with Pakistan, Army has asked the forces to be "prepared for any eventuality" and maintain "very high level of alert" as its Chief Gen Dalbir Singh visited Jammu and Kashmir to assess the military preparedness.

The situation on the Line of Control and hinterland was discussed at a meeting held by Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D S Hooda and attended by Srinagar-based Corps Commander Lt Gen Satish Dua, state Chief Secretary B R Sharma and DGP K Rajendra Kumar.

During the meeting, "Lt Gen Hooda stressed upon the need for maintaining a very high level of alert and vigil and to remain prepared for any eventuality," an army spokesman said.

"The Chinar Corps Commander, Lt Gen Satish Dua reviewed the entire gamut of operational readiness with the Army Commander and briefed him on all security measures along the LoC as well as the hinterland," the spokesman added.

The review of security was undertaken against the backdrop of surgical strike carried out by the Indian army against terror camps across the LoC two days back.

The army made an "earnest appeal to the people of Kashmir to ensure calm and peace in these sensitive times and strengthen the government and security agencies in meeting the challenges emanating from across the borders".

Earlier, Lt Gen Hooda briefed the Army Chief at Northern Command Headquarters at Udhampur about the overall security situation along the borders. The Army Chief then visited the Kashmir valley.

Former Pakistan army chief Pervez Musharraf, who was the architect of Pakistan's Kargil aggression in 1999, has said he would have counter-threatened India in response to the strong statements by Indian leaders in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack.

"I would be counter-threatening India," Musharraf said in response to a question.

The former Pakistani military dictator was referring to the statements made by Indian leaders and military officials after the Uri terror attack on September 18.

Asked about his suggestion of "counter-threatening", Musharraf said, "Yes, because they are threatening us that they are going to strike us at the time and place of their choosing. Now, this has been said by nobody less than Prime Minister, Defence Minister and the military general, the director general military operations. This is a very serious matter."

Donald Trump indicated in a new interview that he's ready to drag ex-president Bill Clinton's sex scandals into the White House campaign, after Democrats lashed out at the billionaire's Twitter rant against a pro-Hillary ex-Miss Universe.

Trump told The New York Times that he believes talking about the sex scandals that stained the career of Hillary's husband Bill would turn female voters away from her.

"She's nasty, but I can be nastier than she ever can be," Trump told the Times in an interview posted late yesterday.

He added: "Hillary Clinton was married to the single greatest abuser of women in the history of politics," referring to Bill Clinton (president 1993-2001).

"Hillary was an enabler, and she attacked the women who Bill Clinton mistreated afterward. I think it's a serious problem for them, and it's something that I'm considering talking about more in the near future," he told the newspaper.

In an apparent effort to pre-empt the attacks, the Clinton campaign released audio of Bill Clinton talking about his marriage with Hillary.

In a complete defiance of the Supreme Court, the BCCI today rejected key recommendations of the Lodha Committee, like one-state one-vote, age limit of 70 years and cooling-off period of three years, setting the stage for another round of confrontation with the a apex court.

The Board's Special General Body, which met in Mumbai today, deliberated on the recommendations and chose to stick to their stand by accepting only a few minor recommendations as most of the members were on the same page.

They have also not accepted the recommendation on selection panel, which called for three selectors, instead of five, and with Test experience.

Among the significant recommendations adopted unanimously in the meeting today were induction of the representative of Comptroller and Auditor General as the member of the Apex Council as well as the IPL Governing Council and the formation of the Apex Council with certain modifications.

The BCCI release mentioned about the "various committees as recommended by the Hon'ble Justice Lodha Committee including the special committee for the differently-abled and the Women's Committee".

Another recommendation was "formation of the Players Association and their representation on the Committee". As per one of the recommendations, the SGM authorised the CEO to contact the steering committee as proposed by the Justice Lodha Committee and commence the formation of the cricket players association.

21:37 Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, the man of the moment

In a break from tradition, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, the director general of military operations, who planned the Indian Armys surgical strikes against terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Thursday, briefed the media himself. In doing so, he became the face of the army and the man of the moment.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh commanded 33 Armoured Division at Hisar in 2012. He has served as a colonel and brigadier in the directorate general of military operations, the nerve centre of military policy, planning and conduct of operations.

The general belongs to Jalandhar and is an alumnus of Sainik School, Kapurthala. He passed out of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, on December 13, 1980, and was commissioned in 9 Dogra, which he went on to command.

Air Marshal (Retd) Anil Chopra tweeted: "The hoarding outside the Sainik School Kapurthala honouring their proud student Lt Gen Ranbir Singh DGMO. Wow!"

The Karnataka government has moved a review petition in the Supreme Court against its three recent orders on Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu and direction for constitution of Cauvery Water Management Board by Centre saying it would cause "undue hardship" to it.

In its review petition, it said "grave miscarriage of justice" has been caused to it pursuant to three orders of the apex court dated September 20, 27 and September 30, by which it directed the state to release 6000 cusecs of water till October 6 and constitution of board by Centre till October 4.

It said that apex court has "committed an error" in directing the Centre to constitute Cauvery Management Board, without considering the fact that three judges of apex court has held in 2013 that direction to constitute the board "can wait and may be heard along with the civil appeal".

"The court has not taken the cognisance of the fact that the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board, being Legislative in character, depends upon the authority exercising the power as well as the nature of the function and obligation arising from the Legislation," it said in the review plea.

20:46

Jayalalithaa 'recovering well', says Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao after visiting her in hospital.

20:45 Days after surgical strike, PM briefs President

Against the backdrop of cross-LoC surgical strike, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met President Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

"Met Rashtrapati Ji. @RashtrapatiBhvn," Modi tweeted.

Though it was not known what transpired, the meeting came against the backdrop of surgical strike carried out by the Indian Army against terror launch pads across the Line of Control two days back.

The action, as a retaliation to the Uri terror attack, has heightened tensions between India and Pakistan with fears of military confrontation.

India is all set to ratify the Paris climate deal tomorrow, with President Pranab Mukherjee giving his assent to a proposal approved earlier by the government, making India one of the key countries to help bring the pact into force.

"We will ratify the Paris deal in the UN tomorrow. The President has signed it. The Union Cabinet has already approved it," Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave told

reporters in New Delhi.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced on September 25 that India will ratify it on October 2 on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

"This (decision) was taken after a lot of deliberations and with a view to give the world a messege...India is fast becoming a super power," Dave said.

"Call it international pressure or a sort of competition, this morning European Union has also decided to ratify it, which is a good thing," Dave said.

Pakistan will not be invited to participate in the Kabaddi World Cup starting from November 3 in Punjab.

Concerns around the security of the team compelled the organisers to drop the six-time runner up Pakistan.

Organising committee's president and Punjab cabinet minister Sikander Singh Maluka said, "The situation in the state following the surgical strike by Indian Army at the LoC does not augur well to invite Pakistan for the World Cup scheduled to be held between November 3 and 17."

Iran's Revolutionary Guard has built a new attack drone which is similar to a US unmanned aerial vehicle captured five years ago, Iranian media reported today.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said the "Saegheh" (Thunderbolt) drone is similar to the RQ-170 Sentinel spy drone. Iran's state-run Press TV says the long-range drone can carry four precision-guided bombs. Neither report gave figures for the drone's range.

Iran claimed to have shot down an RQ-170 drone used by the Central Intelligence Agency in December 2011 and broadcast footage of the recovered aircraft. It also claims to have captured three American ScanEagle drones.

Iran said last year that it had successfully tested its replica of the RQ-170. Also today, Tasnim published photos of what it said was a US-made MQ-1C drone captured recently by the Guard. It did not say when or how the drone was captured.

A youth, who was injured during clashes between protestors and security forces last month, today succumbed at a hospital, taking the death toll in the ongoing unrest in Kashmir Valley to 83.

Muzaffar Ahmad Pandith was injured when he was hit by pellets during clashes between protestors and security forces at Chek-e-Kawoosa in Narbal area of Budgam district in second week of September, a police official said.

The youth was discharged from SMHS hospital after few days of treatment but was admitted to SKIMS hospital at Bemina some days ago due to severe infection.

Pandith was referred to SKIMS Hospital at Soura hospital where he died this morning, the official added.

With this, the death toll in the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, which broke out a day after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8, has risen to 83.

18:44 Uddhav apologises for 'Saamana' cartoon

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today apologised for a cartoon published in 'Saamana' alluding to the Maratha rallies that had sparked a controversy, with the party drawing the ire of the community, political parties and an attack on an office of the newspaper.

The controversial cartoon had appeared in last Sunday's edition of Sena mouhtpiece and apparently referred to the "silent marches" being taken out all over the state by the Maratha community to press for their demands like quota in jobs and education.

"The controversy over the cartoon may have died down, but my heart is still in a state of turmoil. I am deeply hurt because a Shiv Sainik can never humiliate women, whom we worship. I am thankful to the people who did not let their trust in the Sena dwindle due to the controversy that had been generated," Thackeray told a press conference in Mumbai.

"As president of Shiv Sena and editor of 'Saamana', I apologise to all mothers and sisters, who may have been inadvertently hurt by the cartoon. But, the cartoon never intended to disrespect anybody," he said.

Notably, the Maratha rallies stood out for overwhelming participation of women from the community.

With about Rs 65,250 crore of black money being declared under the Income Disclosure Scheme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today appreciated those choosing to be tax compliant and termed it is a great contribution towards transparency and growth of the economy.

"I compliment all those who chose to be tax compliant in IDS-2016. This is a great contribution towards transparency & growth of the economy," Modi tweeted, a day after the scheme, which had a compliance window of 4-months, came to a close.

The prime minister complimented Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his team at the Finance Ministry for the "hard work" resulting in the successful outcome of IDS-2016.

He said Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, CBDT Chairperson Rani Nair and their teams had put in tremendous effort on all aspects relating to IDS-2016. "Congrats to them", he added.

16:55 London's Tower Bridge closes until New Year

London's iconic Tower Bridge closed to vehicles for three months on Saturday for its first major maintenance works in nearly half a century.

The 122-year-old drawbridge by the Tower of London -- whose roadway leaves are lifted to allow tall ships on the River Thames to pass through -- carries 21,000 vehicles and some 40,000 people per day.

It will be closed to road traffic until December 30.

The bridge's galleries will remain open during the works, and pedestrians will still be able to pass with the exception of three weekends in November and December.

The bridge is 801 feet (244 metres) long and 213 feet (65 metres) high.

The maintenance includes major work to the bridge lifting mechanisms, replacing the timber decking, resurfacing the road and walkways, and waterproofing the brick arches.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday warned Pakistan against taking India's silence as weakness, days after the Indian Army stunned Islamabad by conducting surgical strikes on terrorist launch pads across the Line of Control.

Parrikar said Pakistan did not probe the matter as it is still in shock after surgical strikes.

If Pakistan continues with such conspiracies, we will give them a befitting reply again, added the defence minister.

The surgical strikes were carried out early Thursday on seven launch pads by the Indian Army which said it inflicted "significant casualties" on the terrorists and those who supported them.

A whopping Rs 65,250 crore in black or untaxed money has been disclosed by 64,275 declarants under the centre's Income Declaration Scheme so far, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today. The four-month window for tax evaders to come clean on black money ended on Friday.

Jaitley said the figure will be revised upwards as the tax department is still processing some declarations.

Under the scheme, launched on June 1, those who had evaded taxes were given the opportunity to avoid punishment by paying tax, penalty and cess totalling 45 per cent of the undisclosed income. This means that the government will get around Rs 30,000 crore as tax revenue from the scheme.

The payments have to be made in three instalments till September 2017.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier warned black money holders of stringent action including imprisonment after September 30, when the scheme ended.

A judicial commission constituted by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court will travel to the port city of Karachi next week to examine a boat used by 10 LeT terrorists to reach India for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The commission will travel to Karachi on October 6 to examine the boat, Al-Fouz, and will also record the testimony of a witness who saw the vessel being seized at the Karachi Shipyard.

According to the Federal Investigation Agency, the attackers used three boats -

including Al Fauz - to reach Mumbai from Karachi.

Al-Fauz is in the custody of Pakistani authorities in Karachi, from where the 10 LeT terrorists armed with AK-47 assault rifles and hand-grenades had left for India on November 23, 2008, to carry out attacks in Mumbai.

En route to their destination, they hijacked another boat, killing four of its crew members. They forced the vessel's captain to take them close to the Indian shores and killed him when the vessel reached Mumbai's coast.

14:32 Jayalalithaa is healthy, asserts AIADMK

The AIADMK today asserted that its hospitalised party supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is "healthy".

"Amma (Jayalalithaa) is healthy. She needs rest as per doctors' advice and will return in good health," senior AIADMK leader and former Minister P Valaramathi told reporters.

She said Jayalalithaa was performing official duties and pointed out that she had even announced the party's candidates for this month's civic polls while being hospitalised.

"Some jealous people are carrying out a wrong campaign to confuse people by spreading rumours" about Jayalalithaa's health, she said.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has apologised for the cartoon that was published in the party's mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

The cartoon, which was published on Sunday, appears to have played with the words Mook Morcha (silent rally) and made it Mooka Morcha (kiss rally). The Sena drew immense flak from various political parties including its ally Bharatiya Janata Party for this attempt at humour.

An FIR was also lodged against Thackeray, Saamana executive editor Sanjay Raut, cartoonist Ravindra Prabhudesai and printer and publisher Rajendra Bhagwat for the 'offensive' cartoon.

Following the publication of the cartoon, the newspaper's office in Navi Mumbai was stoned on Tuesday, damaging two-three glasses on the buildings outer wall.

14:10

JUST IN: Medium intensity earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale hits Indo-Pak border in Jammu-Kashmir.

14:02 Pakistan to ban all Indian channels nationwide

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority has taken the decision of banning all Indian channels nationwide.

It said that strict action would be taken as per law after October 15 if TV channels and distribution networks failed to follow directions.

The instruction comes even as the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association passed a resolution to ban Pakistani actors from the industry in the wake of the Uri attack.

Following the Uri attack and the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army on terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the call to ban Pakistani actors in India grew louder.

Earlier, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had demanded that Pakistani artistes should leave India within 48 hours of face the consequences.

Egyptian lawmaker Elhamy Agina is at it again.

After stating that women should undergo female genital mutilation in order to reduce their sexual desires", he has said that all Egyptian women must undergo compulsory virginity tests prior to being admitted into the countrys universities.

Any girl who enters university, we have to check her medical examination to prove that she is a Miss, Agina told Egypts Youm 7 newspapers, according to a translation in the Egyptian Streets news website. Therefore, each girl must present an official document upon being admitted to university stating shes a Miss.

Aginas use of Miss was widely interpreted by Egyptians on social media as referring to a woman who is a virgin. And they took to Twitter and Facebook to ridicule Agina and call for punitive measures against him.

They left India for Saudi Arabia with big dreams, but have returned with only harrowing tales after an oil price slump threw the economy into turmoil, leaving thousands of poor migrant labourers stranded.

The workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines were left destitute, without enough money to get home or even to buy food after losing their jobs.

This week, around 40 workers from the Bihar finally arrived home with stories of being left to die by their employer Saudi Oger, the once-mighty firm led by Lebanons billionaire and former prime minister Saad Hariri.

They closed down the mess (canteen) suddenly. For three days, we did not have even water to drink. There was no power either, electrician Imam Hussain said on landing in New Delhi.

Read full story here

A day after Salman Khan backed Pakistani actors working in India saying terrorism and art are two different things and should not be mixed, Maharashtra Navnirma Sena's Raj Thackeray slammed the Bollywood actor saying that artists should realise nation comes first.

In a scathing remark, Thackeray said, "Are we short of artists in our country? Why do we need Pakistani artists to work in our films? I don't understand.

Jawans are fighting for us at borders. What'll happen if thy decide to put down their weapons? Who'll guard the borders? Salman Khan?"

The MNS chief also said that artists should realise 'nation first'. If they have so much problem,we will ban their movies too."

The reactions come after the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association passed a resolution to ban Pakistani actors from the industry in the wake of the Uri attack.

The resolution came on a day the Indian Army announced that seven terror launch pads were targeted across the Line of Control by special forces during a surgical strike overnight in which heliborne and ground forces were used.

Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda began an indefinite hunger strike in protest against the latest order of the Supreme Court with regard to the sharing of Cauvery river waters between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Gowda said that Karnataka is not a habitual offender and its people have been suffering because of this impasse for the last 130 years. "The issue started in 1893. If there is no rain, how can we release water monthly, weekly? Let the people of this country judge whether we are habitual offenders, or whether Tamil Nadu is intimidating. We made a humble request to send the same monitoring committee to visit Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. These are all the issues which need debate in the Parliament," he added.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened an all-party meeting in Bengaluru today to discuss the future course of action.

The Delhi Police are yet to look at the CCTV footage that could help identify the two men who mailed to media houses the "suicide notes" left behind by a former government official and his son, blaming the CBI for their deaths.

BK Bansal, arrested by the CBI in a corruption case, and his son Yogesh were on September 27 found hanging from ceiling fans in their east Delhi home. His wife and daughter had killed themselves a few days after Bansal was arrested in July.

The CBI has come in for criticism over its handling of the case and rights bodies have sought reply on the allegations made in the suicide notes.

"Who delivered the notes, why, and on whose instructions has nothing to do with our inquest proceeding," a senior police officer said, refusing to be identified. He said their job was to ascertain if the Bansals committed suicide or were murdered.

The men could be a crucial link in the case as original suicide notes have not been found though the envelopes bore BK Bansal's name as the sender.

Pakistan has told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that India's claim of carrying out a surgical strike across the LoC was false and insisted that the responsibility for the "escalating crisis rests entirely on India".

In her meeting with the UN chief, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi told Ban that Pakistan has exercised maximum restraint but would respond forcefully to any acts of aggression and provocation.

Lodhi said India's "claim" of carrying out a surgical strike across the Line of Control was "false" but added that India had by its own admission "committed aggression" against Pakistan, according to a statement by the Pakistan mission.

She added that the responsibility for the "escalating crisis rests entirely on India", the release said.

Briefing him about the escalating situation, Lodhi said "India has, by its declarations and actions, created conditions that pose an imminent threat to regional and international peace and security."

11:12

JUST IN: Army Chief Dalbir Singh visits Northern Command in Jammu and Kashmir to review operational preparedness along Line of Control. Reports say that the chief will also be congratulating the soldiers who took part in the surgical strikes.

11:08 Democracy has not been tailored to Pakistan's environment: Musharraf

The army has often played a prominent role in the governance of Pakistan as democracy has not been tailored to its environment, the country's former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has said.

"Army has always had a role since our independence. It has played a very prominent role in the governance of Pakistan, mainly because of misgovernance by all the so-called democratically-elected governments," Musharraf said in an interview.

He said the "inherent weakness" of Pakistan is that democracy in the country has not been tailored in accordance with the dictates of the environment. "There are no checks and balances within the system. The Constitution doesn't provide those checks and balances."

"Therefore, the military is forced and pulled, sucked into the political environment, especially when misgovernance is going on and Pakistan is going down in all socioeconomic indicators. The public and the people massively run towards the army chief, and that is how the army gets involved," Musharraf said, justifying the frequent military coups in the country.

He said this was the reason for Pakistan having military governments and the army enjoying high stature.

"The people of Pakistan love the army and demand a lot from it. So I'm very proud of the fact that army has backed me because I've been with them for over 40 years. I fought wars with them, I've fought two wars and I've fought a number of actions with them. So I know they are my constituency," he said in response to a question.

"So, therefore, we have to maybe tailor the political structure in accordance with the dictates of Pakistan, introduce checks and balances so that misgovernance does not take place and the army does not have to come into politics," Musharraf said.

10:55 The die is cast

We do not know the full details of the surgical strike along the LoC. But the official narrative around it has been professionally surgical. This was a limited strike to pre-empt terrorists from entering India. India acted within its rights. The target was terrorists, not Pakistan's army or territory. It is for now envisaged, officially, as a limited operation.

Read full column HERE

10:18 Uri Brigade Commander shifted out

The Uri Brigade commander has been shifted out, defence sources have revealed. The move comes after the attack in which 19 soldiers were killed when terrorists infiltrated the Line of Control and opened fire on the camp.

According to reports, Colonel GS of Kilo Force, S P Ahalawat, who was recently promoted as Brigadier and was awaiting posting, took over as new brigade commander of Uri brigade.

Extending support to Bollywood actor Salman Khan for his remarks on Pakistan artists, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi criticised Shiv Sena for its `frivolous theatrics`, and said if the party is really bothered about national security, territorial integrity and sovereignty, it should talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I don`t think Salman Khan said anything wrong, nor are his statements harming our sentiments. I would like to say to the Shiv Sena to talk with Narendra Modi. They are the allies of the government. It is their government which has issued visas to them (the Pakistani actors). I am unable to fathom their theatrics given the fact that the bus connecting India and Pakistan is still running, both the countries ambassadors haven`t been called," Azmi said.

Azmi further said that it is up to the government and the people to decide whether Pakistan artists remain in India or not and reminded the nation to treat guests with regard.

During a press conference Salman Khan said, "They (Pakistani actors) are artists, not terrorists. It`s the government who gives them permits and visas."

Reacting to this, Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Industries Minister and Subhash Desai advised Salman to take lessons on national pride from his father Salim Khan.

09:16

JUST IN: Pakistan violates ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor district, resorts to heavy mortar shelling

09:10 UN chief offers to mediate between India, Pakistan

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has offered to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan to help the nuclear-armed neighbours resolve their disputes, as he urged both nations to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions in the region.

"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned over the significant increase in tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the recent developments, in particular the reported cease-fire violations along the Line of Control following an attack on an Indian army base in Uri on September 18," a statement issued by Ban's spokesperson said.

The statement said the UN Chief urges both sides to "exercise maximum restraint" and take "immediate steps to de-escalate the situation".

Ban said his good offices are available, "if accepted by both sides", as he called on the Governments of Pakistan and India to address their outstanding issues, including Kashmir, "peacefully through diplomacy and dialogue."

'Pakistan continues to doublespeak on the issue of terrorism. It has aided and abetted enemies of the international coalition, of which Britain is a leading partner with the United States, against terrorism'.

This is said in a petition moved on the website of United Kingdom government and Parliament published under the heading 'UK govt to strongly condemn Pakistan for providing safe haven for terrorists'.

'Osama Bin Ladens hideout was in Pakistan. Pakistan continues to harbour United Nations-sanctioned terror networks,' it noted.

The Inter-Services Intelligence has often been accused of playing a role in major terrorist attacks across the world, including the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US, terrorism in Kashmir, Indian Parliament attack and Mumbai terror attacks, said the petition, adding that it has been noted by many that several militant and criminal groups are backed by senior officers in the Pakistani army and the countrys intelligence establishment.

Daniel Byman, professor at Georgetown Universitys Walsh School of Foreign Service in the Security Studies Programme and Department of the government, says 'Pakistan is probably todays most active sponsor of terrorism'.

The petitioner wants the UK Parliament to hold a discussion on the issue, for which the petition required 1,00,000 signatures.

By the time this report was filed, the petition was signed by 1,896 people.

The deadline of the petition is six months i.e. March 29, 2017.

Pakistan urged United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday to personally intervene to help defuse rising tensions with India over Kashmir.

"This is a dangerous moment for the region," Pakistan's Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi was quoted as saying by the AFP after meeting with Ban at UN headquarters in New York.

"The time has come for bold intervention by him if we are to avoid a crisis, because we can see a crisis building up," she said.

Lodhi accused India of creating 'conditions that pose a threat to regional and international peace and security'.

The United Nations has urged India and Pakistan to exercise restraint after New Delhi carried out a series of strikes inside PoK.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday urged voters to check out an alleged 'sex tape' of a former Miss Universe who backs Hillary Clinton, provoking the Democrat to fire back that he is 'unhinged'.

In a pre-dawn tweet-storm of a sort guaranteed to grab attention, the Republican accused Clinton of helping Alicia Machado get US citizenship in order to exploit her during their presidential debate this week, the AFP reported.

The Venezuela-born Machado, who claims the billionaire bullied her mercilessly after she won the Trump-owned beauty pageant in 1996, has since shot to public attention.

'Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a US citizen so she could use her in the debate?' Trump tweeted.

Clinton lashed out on the debate stage at Trump's history of abusive remarks about women, and assailed her rival for publicly humiliating Machado after she gained weight following her beauty pageant win.

Machado accuses Trump of verbally abusing her, calling her 'Miss Piggy' over her weight and 'Miss Housekeeping', apparently because she is Latina.

'Using Alicia M in the debate as a paragon of virtue justshows that Crooked Hillary suffers from BAD JUDGEMENT! Hillary was set up by a con,' Trump tweeted on Friday.

The Democrat lost little time in responding, tweeting that Trump's virulent stream of attacks bolstered her argument that he lacks the steadiness or temperament to be president.

'This is ... unhinged, even for Trump,' Clinton said in her own series of pointed tweets in response to his sex tape allegation.

'What kind of man stays up all night to smear a woman with lies and conspiracy theories?' she said.

'When something gets under Donald's thin skin, he lashes out and can't let go,' Clinton went on. 'This is dangerous for a president'.

Aam Aadmi Party member of legislative assembly Sarita Singh has lodged a complaint alleging that she has been getting 'obscene' and threat calls from unknown numbers, police said on Friday.

In her complaint to the police in northeast Delhi on September 19, the Rohtasnagar MLA has alleged that she has been getting 'obscene' and 'threatening' calls that are 'highly torturing', they said.

"Investigation has been taken up in the matter," a senior police officer said.

"The calls had been made using the internet so we are facing difficulty tracing the caller," said the officer, adding that the MLA has given them the permission to access her call details.

"After the complaint was filed, she was out of town and without her permission, we couldn't access her call details," he added.

The Maldives on Friday asked South Asian Association Regional Cooperation member states to create an environment 'conducive' for holding the grouping's summit which has been postponed following a pull-out by five countries, including India.

'The government of Maldives has urged the member states ofthe South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to create an environment conducive for holding the 19th SAARC summit,' a Maldives foreign ministry statement said.

It said the appeal by the Maldivian government follows the decisions by some of the SAARC member states who have expressed their inability to attend the summit in Islamabad scheduled for November due to terrorism, and threats to regional and international peace.

'The Maldives condemns international terrorism, especially those originating from outside,' the statement said.

SAARC summit can be convened only with the participation of heads of state or governments of all of its member states.

'The Maldives encouraged states to provide a valuable opportunity for the leaders to discuss critical issues facing the region and expressed hope that the required measures will be taken by relevant member states to convene the summit at a nearly date,' the statement said.

00:09 Top headlines at this hour

Pakistan postpones SAARC summit; slams India for derailing it

Rajnath speaks to family of soldier captured in Pak

Pakistan reaches out to P5, plays victim to 'Indian aggression'

Patna HC strikes down Bihar liquor ban; Nitish unmoved

Terror camps along LoC shifted deeper inside PoK: Source

Pakistan can also execute surgical strikes, warns Sharif

Will show India what a real surgical strike is: Hafiz Saeed

Pakistani actors are artists, not terrorists: Salman Khan

Read yesterday's live commentary HERE

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