LIVE! Army chief visits forward locations in Jammu region

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Sun, 03 March 2019

Army chief visits forward locations in Jammu region

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20:55 Army chief visits forward locations in Jammu region

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday visited various forward locations along the International border in Jammu region, expressing confidence of thwarting any hostile activity.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) visited various forward locations of Samba and Ratnuchak in Jammu region to review the operational deployment and preparedness, a defence spokesman said.

Gen Rawat was briefed about the situation and preparedness by the General Officer Commanding, Rising Star Corps, Lt Gen J S Nain.

The Army chief also interacted with the troops in forward locations, the spokesman said.

Gen Rawat expressed complete confidence in capabilities of the Indian Army to thwart any nefarious design of enemies of the country and handle any situation.

The COAS also praised the high state of moral and preparedness of the troops, the spokesman said.

General Rawat arrived in Jammu on Saturday and visited the headquarters of White Knight Corps to review the operational preparedness of the forces in the Corps Zone in view of the current situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB).

Northern Army Commander Lt General Ranbir Singh also accompanied him.

During the visit, the COAS was briefed and updated by GOC White Knight Corps Lt Gen Paramjit Singh about the current operational situation, prevailing security scenario and the preparedness of the formation.

This was the first visit of the Army chief to the region after India's pre-emptive strikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed's terror camps at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Barring ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm on Saturday, there were no reports of firing in the rest of the sectors since 11 pm Friday.

More than 80 forward villages were targeted by Pakistan in over 50 ceasefire violations in Rajouri and Poonch districts since Tuesday, which left four civilians, including three members of a family, dead and several others injured. -- PTI

IMAGE: Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat interacts with various army forwards in Jammu region to review the operational deployment & preparedness, in Jammu, on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Late-night talk show host Trevor Noah has apologised for his comments over heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, saying the hurt caused was unintentional only to later make light of the situation again.

Noah received flak on social media for his comments which were called 'racist', 'stereotypical' and 'offensive'.

In an episode of The Daily Show, the host said the two nations going to war would be 'most entertaining' and 'it would also be the longest war of all time -- another dance number!'.

The host made his case using a what many have called a cliche that the war cry of the Indian soldiers would also be a musical.

Noah, 35, apologised after one of the Twitter users criticised him, saying, 'It's sad when someone who's had a violent past mocks war through a Bollywood stereotype. @Trevornoah's mother was shot in the head by her husband (Trevor's stepfather). Imagine someone making fun of it with a Xhosa stereotype - the tribe his mum belongs to.'

He responded saying using comedy was his way of processing 'pain and discomfort' and that he has joked in the past about his mother being shot in the head.

'Actually if you watch my stand up you'll see that I did make jokes after my mother was shot in the head. As a comedian I use comedy to process pain and discomfort in my world but I am sorry that this hurt you and others, that's not what I was trying to do,' the comic tweeted Saturday.

In a following tweet, however, Noah defended his comments, saying it was 'amazing' how his joke trended more on the social media than the actual conflict.

"It's amazing to me that my joke about the conflict in India and Pakistan trended more than the story of the actual conflict itself. Sometimes it seems like people are more offended by the jokes comedians make about an issue than the issue itself," he wrote.

Personalities such as actor Swara Bhasker and comic Mallika Dua also slammed Noah for his comments.

"@Trevornoah 1. War isn't funny or entertaining. 2. Hindi is not gibberish. Your stereotype of Indo-Pak is ignorant,' Bhasker wrote, adding she was a fan but the writing was 'lazy' and 'arrogant'.

Dua called the remarks 'shockingly unintelligent and tone deaf'.

'What makes it sadder is that @Trevornoah cracked such a below average, shit joke. Something Russel Peters probably threw in the bin before his first open mic in life. If you're going to be a racist comic then at least get the comic bit right,' she tweeted. -- PTI

Photograph: Kind courtesy @Trevornoah/Twitter

Accusing the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance of running a 'terrible' government and even a 'more terrible' Opposition, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said their statements have hurt India's national interest and gave handle to Pakistan to discredit the country.

Within days of India's air strike at Balakot, the 21 opposition parties led by the Congress passed a resolution accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of politicising the Pulwama and Balakot incidents.

'Statements made by opposition parties (after IAF's counter terror operation in Balakot) hurt India's national interest. They give smiles to Pakistan and become an instrument in Pakistan's hands to discredit India's operation against terrorism,' Jaitley said in a blog, stressing that on such occasions the nation ought to speak in one voice as was done by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Jan Sangh during the 1971 war.

Terming the resolution passed by 21 opposition parties as inappropriate, he said, it gave a handle to the enemy and Pakistan's media used the statement as a trump card.

The government had twice taken the leaders of opposition parties into confidence, he said.

Referring to the statement of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the finance minister said that he sought to elevate himself to the status of a neutral third party while raising doubts about India's right to defend its sovereignty from those who want to damage it through terrorism.

"I was most disappointed with a brief but a highly objectionable statement of the former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh," Jaitley said.

While receiving the PV Narasimha Rao Award for the lifetime achievement, Singh had stated that he was disturbed with the 'Mad rush of mutual self-destruction' by the two nations.

Singh further went on to argue that poverty, ignorance and disease were the real problems in the two countries and that saner counsel on both sides needed to think on the issue.

Jaitley wondered that there was no condemnation of terrorism in that speech of the former prime minister.

Implicitly, he doubts India's right to defend its sovereignty from those who want to damage it through terrorism, he said.

Jaitley further said: 'The Congress led United Progressive Alliance government from 2004 to 2014 ran a terrible government. From 2014 to 2019, it was even a more terrible Opposition.'

Pointing that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went a step further, he said, she started doubting the veracity of the incident and wanted to know the operational details.

'The credibility of both the Government and our Air Force is being doubted. Even Congress leaders have raised similar questions,' he said in a Facebook post titled India's Opposition Has A Lot To Learn.

Jaitley emphasised that the Opposition is entitled to oppose and ask questions, but then restrain and statesmanship are also essential ingredients of public discourse.

He expressed hope that India's Opposition revisits its position and does not let down the nation.

Jaitley also pointed that the retaliatory attack by Pakistan's F-16 was the most botched up operation and the neighbouring country was globally isolated.

'Not only was Pakistan globally isolated, the issue of its terrorism has reached the Security Council. So helpless was the situation that it was in no position to even admit the attack at Balakot.

'If it had admitted the attack and its consequences, the evidence of a terrorist camp in existence and the list of dead terrorists would have been international issue,' he said. -- PTI

18:47 Ram statue: UP to seek Gujarat's support

The Uttar Pradesh government will sign an agreement with the Gujarat government seeking technical support for the construction of a massive statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday night gave its approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding for guidance and support on technical proposal, design etc, an official spokesman said on Sunday.

The cabinet also cleared Rs 200 crore for the preparation of a detailed project report and the acquisition of 28.28 hectares of land identified for setting up the statue by the district magistrate of Ayodhya, the spokesman said.

On the lines of Gujarat's Statue of Unity, a chief minister-headed trust would oversee the project, he said, adding a high-powered committee will be set up for smooth conduct of the construction work.

The area around the statue will have a digital museum, interpretation centre, library, parking space, food place etc., he added.

Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary Tourism Avinish Awasthi said it will take a minimum of three years to build the statue, which will be financed through corporate social responsibility fund.

"It has been decided that while the government will develop the infrastructure and facilities surrounding the site, CSR funds or donations will be used for the construction of the statue," Awasthi said.

On October 31 last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled a 182-metre statue built in honour of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat's Narmada district. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed his first rally in Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, since coming to power in 2014 and laid the foundation stone of a manufacturing unit for AK-203 rifles.

Modi, who landed in the city after addressing a rally in Bihar's Patna, said Amethi, which has traditionally been loyal to the Gandhi family, was the best example of his government's 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' (together with all, development for all) motto.

"Those who voted for us and those who did not all are ours," Modi said. After laying the foundation stone of the unit, he said these modern rifles will be manufactured in Amethi under a Russia-India joint venture.

These rifles will be known as 'made in Amethi' and will help our jawans in encounters with naxals and terrorists, he said.

He accused previous governments of neglecting the armed forces and their needs.

He also said the United Progressive Alliance government sat on the Rafale deal for years.

This is Modi's first visit to Amethi after coming to power in 2014.

He visited the neighbouring Rae Bareli constituency, represented in Lok Sabha by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, in December. -- PTI

Describing India as a 'very-high tariff nation', United States President Donald Trump has told his supporters that he now wants a 'reciprocal tax' or at least 'some kind of tax' on goods entering America.

In his address to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the Maryland suburb of Washington, DC on Saturday that lasted over two hours, the longest in his presidency, Trump lashed out at his detractors in a wide-ranging speech.

"India is a very high-tariff nation. They charge us a lot," the president said, amidst a temporary truce between the US and China over tariffs.

In his speech, Trump touched a wide range of issues including domestic, global and bilateral relationship with countries like India.

Referring to his often-cited example of the iconic Harley-Davidson motorcycles, he said, "When we send a motorcycle to India, it's a hundred per cent tariff. They charge 100 per cent when India sends a motorcycle to us, we brilliantly charge them nothing."

"So, I want a reciprocal tax or at least, I want to charge a tax. It's called the mirror tax, but it's reciprocal," Trump asserted.

Early this year, at a White House event to announce his support for reciprocal tax, Trump had said he was satisfied with the Indian decision to reduce the import tariff on Harley-Davidson motorcycles from 100 per cent to 50 per cent.

"Even this is not enough, this is okay," he had said.

"Look at motorcycles as an example. (In) India, it was 100 per cent. I got them down to 50 per cent, just by talking for about two minutes. It's still 50 per cent vs 2.4 per cent (on imported motorcycles to the US). Again, other than that, it's a very fair deal," the President had told reporters at the White House on January 24.

On Saturday, he used the Indian example of how other countries were imposing high taxes on American products and now it was time for the US to impose a reciprocal tax. To prove his point, Trump said, he was using India as an example.

"But India is a very high-tariff nation. And they charge tremendously. So they charge a hundred. So I say, I'm not going to charge you a hundred, but I'm going to charge 25 per cent, and I hear this turmoil in the Senate because we are charging 25 per cent," he said.

Trump told his supporters that there was resistance to his move from the Senate.

"I say, fellows, listen, they are charging us a hundred per cent. For the exact same product, I want to charge them 25 per cent. I feel so foolish charging 25, because it should be a hundred. But I'm doing 25 only because of you. I want to get your support," he said.

Thereafter, Trump mimicked the response from the lawmakers. "Sir, that's not free trade. Where did these people come from? Where do they come from? I need your help, I need your help, the voters' help. Where do they come from?" he said.

Trump said the US could not allow a country to charge it 100 per cent while it got nothing for the exact same product.

"For one thing, they don't respect us. They think we're stupid. They don't respect us. But let me tell you something, the world respects our country again," he said.

"America is now booming like never before. Other countries are doing very poorly," Trump said.

The CPAC is an annual political conference attended by conservatives and elected officials from across the country. -- PTI

No bugs have been found implanted in Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman during an MRI scan, a source said on Sunday.

The security agencies were understood to have been checking for any bugs which could be present in Wg Cdr Varthaman, who was returned by Pakistan on Friday.

The scan also showed an injury in his lower spine which could have happened following his ejection from the MiG-21 fighter plane after a dogfight with Pakistani F-16 jets on Wednesday, the source said.

He also has a rib injury due to an assault by the Pakistani locals soon after he landed on ground in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after his aircraft was shot down.

Wg Cdr Varthaman will undergo more check-ups and treatment at the Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi Cantonment for the next 10 days, the source said.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa had met the pilot on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Varthaman, flying a MiG 21 Bison, was chasing Pakistani F-16 fighters which had transgressed into the Indian airspace, and in the process, his plane crossed over to the Pakistani side and was shot down.

Abhinandan ejected safely but was taken into custody by the Pakistan Army upon landing.

Before his plane was shot, he had hit a Pakistani F-16.

On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the release of Wg Cdr Varthaman, calling it a 'peace gesture'. -- PTI

In aboost to the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti in the March 12 Legislative Council elections in Telangana, two MLAs of the Congress and one Telugu Desam Party MLA announced theirdecision to join the TRS.

TDP MLA from Sattupalle Sandra Venkata Veeraiah Sunday said he had decided to join the TRS in the interest of development of his constituency.

"It would be an injustice to people who made me win (the election), if I cannot develop it. That is the only objective. I am not changing party with selfishness or for my personal reasons," Veeraiah said.

Veeraiah met Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday and urged him to release irrigation water to save crops in his native Khammam district which was accepted.

Two Congress MLAs -- Rega Kantha Rao (Pinapaka) and Atram Sakku (Asifabad)-- said Saturday night they had decided to join TRS in the interest of development and welfare of STs.

They said they would consult legal experts and quit assembly membership and seek fresh mandate if necessary.

The strength of the Congress in the 119-member assembly is 19 and it would come down to 17 with the decision of the two MLAs to join the TRS.

The TDP has two MLAs and would be left with only one legislator following Veeraiah's decision to leave the party.

The Congress has fielded a candidate in the election (MLAs quota) to be held to fill five vacancies in the council.

The TRS has nominated four candidates, leaving one seat to its ally All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.

The TRS' strength is 88, with two other MLAs also supporting the party.

The AIMIM has seven MLAs.

The Congress was banking on the support of the two TDP MLAs in the MLC election.

However, its chances have now been dented with the decision of the two Congress MLAs and the TDP MLA to join the TRS. -- PTI

The Congress on Sunday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself 'questioned' the recent anti-terror air strike in Pakistan by his remarks that the country is feeling the absence of Rafale fighter jets as the results could have been different if India had these aircraft.

The party also said it had neither sought proof of such strike earlier nor is it asking for it now.

"The prime minister has himself questioned the air strike. He said had the Rafale jets been there (with the IAF), the results would have been different. What is the meaning of this?" Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari posed during a press conference in New Delhi.

Asserting that the prime minister should himself explain what would have been different with Rafale jets, he held Modi responsible for the delay in induction of the French-made fighter jets into the Indian Air Force by 'cancelling' the earlier negotiations.

Modi had on Saturday hit out at the opposition for doubting the armed forces on the anti-terror air strike in Pakistan and said the country was feeling the absence of Rafale fighter jets as the results could have been different if India had these aircraft.

"India is feeling the absence of Rafale. The entire country is saying in one voice today, if we had Rafale probably the result would have been different.

"The country has suffered a lot due to selfish interests earlier and now politics over Rafale," he had said at the India Today Conclave.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the prime minister of being 'solely responsible' for the delay in arrival of Rafale jets.

'Dear PM, Have you no shame at all? YOU stole 30,000 Crore and gave it to your friend Anil. YOU are solely responsible for the delay in the arrival of the RAFALE jets. YOU are WHY brave IAF pilots like Wing Cdr. Abhinandan, are risking their lives flying outdated jets (sic),' Gandhi had said on Twitter. -- PTI

16:36 Flight operations resume at Lahore airport

Flight operations resumed at Lahore airport on Sunday after being suspended for over 72 hours as Pakistan's airspace was closed in the wake of escalating tensions with India.

Pakistan on Wednesday closed its airspace for commercial flights and suspended flight operations across major airports, including in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, for an indefinite period.

According to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), domestic and international flight operations resumed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore at 6 am on Sunday, Geo TV reported.

It said that all airlines have been notified about the resumption of flight operations. However, the Multan airport is yet to open for commercial flights.

A day earlier, flight operations resumed at Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta airports.

On Friday, Pakistan's aviation authority partially resumed operations for some international and domestic flights as thousands of passengers were left stranded worldwide after Islamabad shut down air travel following escalating tensions with India.

The CAA on Friday announced that flight operations at the eastern side airports -- Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Faisalabab and Bahawalpur -- will remain closed till March 4.

The closure of the airspace left thousands of air travellers stranded worldwide and more than than 700 international and domestic flights were cancelled during the last three days to and from the country including flights to New Delhi.

Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad killed 41 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir on February 14.

Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.

The next day, Pakistan retaliated with a large air formation, comprising 24 fighter jets, including F-16s. -- PTI

Thousands of commuters, who were stranded at different places along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, resumed their journey on Sunday as authorities restored the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, officials said.

The 270-km strategic highway was closed for traffic on Saturday afternoon after landslides sent stones rolling from a hillock at several places in Ramban district, hours after it was opened for one-way traffic from Jammu to Srinagar.

Several thousand trucks and passenger vehicles on way to Kashmir were left stranded as inclement weather hampered the road clearance operation, forcing them to spend the night inside their vehicles, temporary shelters, hotels and places of worship enroute.

Jawahar Tunnel -- the gateway to Kashmir - recorded over eight inches of snowfall, while nearby Banihal received four inches of snow but the real problem was landslides and shooting of stones triggered by incessant rains at several places between Panthiyal to Ramsu.

"With the improvement in weather in the wee hours, the road clearance operation was started simultaneously at the affected areas. Panthiyal was the first to be cleared for traffic followed by Moum Passi and adjoining areas, thus allowing resumption of the traffic Sunday afternoon," a traffic department official said.

He said the traffic is moving at a slow pace at the moment as authorities are only allowing one vehicle at a time in the landslide hit areas.

"The men and machines are still on the job to ensure normal movement of traffic," he said, adding over 700 vehicles have crossed Ramban and are on way to Jawahar Tunnel.

No fresh traffic was either allowed form Jammu or Srinagar to facilitate smooth movement of stranded vehicles, the official said.

"Rain and snow have stopped at most of the places and weather is likely to improve from today," an official of the meteorological department said, adding 'there is no forecast of any adverse weather for a week'. -- PTI

15:36 Schoolgirl raped, set afire in UP

A schoolgirl died after she was allegedly raped and set ablaze by a man in a village in the Dildarnagar police station area in Ghazipur, police said.

Superintendent of Police Arvind Kumar Chaturvedi said the incident took place on Friday night.

The girl was sleeping in her house when the man, who's her neighbour, barged in and allegedly raped her.

He later poured kerosene on her, set her on fire and fled, the SP claimed.

The girl was rushed to hospital where she succumbed to injuries.

On the complaint of her brother, a case has been registered and efforts are being made to nab the accused. -- PTI

15:14 Abhinandan to get Jain peace prize

Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be the first recipient of the 'Bhagwan Mahavir Ahimsa Puraskar' instituted by the Akhil Bharatiya Digambar Jain Mahasamiti, a functionary of the organisation said on Sunday.

Wg Cdr Varthaman, piloting a Mig-21 Bison, shot down aPakistan Air Force F-16 with an R-73 air-to-air missile in a dogfight on February 27 before his aircraft took a hit and he had to eject.

He was captured by Pakistan forces soon after and was released on March 1.

The award for the fighter pilot was announced in New Delhi by the organisation's chairperson Manidra Jain, said its Maharashtra chapter convener Paras Lohade in Nashik.

The award, instituted this year, carries a cash prize of Rs 2.51 lakh, a memento and a citation and will be presented to Wg Cdr Varthaman on April 17, coinciding with Mahavir Jayanti, Lohade said. -- PTI

Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's health condition is stable, his office said on Sunday after he underwent a medical check-up at the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital.

Parrikar, 63, is suffering from a pancreatic ailment and has been in and out of hospitals for a year.

"Parrikar was taken to GMCH in the morning for a regular check-up and was later allowed to go home. His health condition is stable," an official from the Chief Minister's Office said.

The chief minister was previously admitted to GMCH on February 23 and treated by a team of doctors from the New Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences as well as those from the state-run facility.

He was discharged on February 26.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader fell ill on February 14, 2018 and was shifted to GMCH, from where he was taken to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai the next day and later to the United States.

He was shifted to AIIMS in New Delhi on September 15 last year and returned to Goa on October 14 last year for recuperating at his private residence at Dona Paula near in Panaji.

Parrikar attended the budget session of Goa Assembly on January 29 and presented the state budget the next day.

On the last day of the session on January 31, he was taken for treatment to AIIMS in Delhi and he returned to Goa on February 5. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed National Democratic Alliance's Sankalp rally at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on Sunday.

The ruling coalition's rally was also addressed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The third NDA member from Bihar, Lok Janshakti Party chief and Union minister Ramvilas Paswan was also in attendance.

The three tall leaders of the NDA blew the bugle for the upcoming LoK Sabha polls in the politically important Bihar having a total of 40 Parliamentary seats.

Modi, praised the Bihar government saying CM Nitish Kumar and deputy CM Sushil Modi combine has done commendable work in Bihar.

"Infrastructure being improved in Bihar, BJP govt working on all departments, including roadways, railways and airways," the PM said.

"The NDA government wants to ensure all sections of society in Bihar gain access to best facilities," he said.

The PM 'paid tribute' to soldiers killed in Pulwama terror attack, saying 'the whole nation is standing with the families of the jawans'.

In an apparent dig at the opposition parties, Modi said, "At a time when our armed forces are fighting enemies across border and within India, some people are making statements to please Pakistan."

Referring to the recent non-military pre-emptive air strikes by the India Air Force, the PM said, "This is New India, it does not remain silent on killings of its jawans."

The PM criticised opposition parties over their resolution condemning the government for not calling an all-party meet in the aftermath of the stirkes.

"When India should have spoken in one voice, 21 opposition parties gathered in Delhi to adopt resolution condemning us," he said.

"Now they have even started asking for proof of the air strike. Why are Congress and its allies demoralizing our forces? Why are they giving statements which are benefiting our enemies?

"Action of Congress and its allies after bombing of terror camp made people happy in Pakistan who clapped in glee," Modi said.

"While I want to eliminate terror, opposition parties are conspiring to finish me: PM Modi in Patna," he said.

The PM also thanked Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince 'for deciding to free 850 Indians detained on various counts'. -- PTI/ANI

There were no reports of ceasefire violation by Pakistan along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Rajouri districts since Saturday night, even as the army was on high alert and maintained a tight vigil, officials said.

Barring ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm on Saturday, there were no reports of firing in the rest of the sectors since 11 pm Friday, they said.

"There is no report of firing and shelling by Pakistan along the LoC overnight...the army is on high alert and maintaining tight vigil," a defence spokesperson said.

The cross-border shelling witnessed a spurt after India's air strike at a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday, 12 days after the terror outfit claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Kashmir, killing 41 soldiers.

More than 80 forward villages were targeted by Pakistan in over 50 ceasefire violations in Rajouri and Poonch districts alone since Tuesday last, which left four civilians, including three members of a family, dead and several others injured.

The lull in the cross-border firing came as a major relief to the border residents, who faced intense shelling by Pakistan, forcing many families to move to safer places.

Amid heightened Indo-Pak tension, Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat visited the Jammu-based White Knight Corps on Saturday to review the operational preparedness and exhorted all the soldiers to remain vigilant. -- PTI

The Election Commission of India to announce Lok Sabha poll schedule on March 9, Saturday.

Last week, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora had said that general elections in the country will be held on time.

"The election in the country will be held on time," Arora told reporters in Lucknow when asked about the poll schedule in the wake of tensions between India and Pakistan.

He said as per a new notification of the commission, candidates will have to give details of their properties abroad, besides those in the country.

"The I-T department will look into it and, if any, discrepancies are found then it will be uploaded on the Election Commission (EC) website and strict action will be initiated," the CEC said.

The commission is committed to holding free and fair polls, and will promptly act on any complaint regarding this, the CEC said.

In all the 1,63,331 polling centres, VVPAT machines will be used this time, he said.

IMAGE: Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, flanked by election commissioners Ashok Lavasa, left, and Sushil Chandra, addresses a press conference in Lucknow, on Friday. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo

12:37 Lankan PM offers prayers at Lord Balaji temple

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Sunday offered prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tirumala.

On arrival at the 'mahadwaram' (main entrance), the island nation's United National Party president Wickremesinghe and his wife Maitree were accorded a traditional welcome by temple priests and top functionaries of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which governs the 2,000-year old shrine, a temple official told PTI.

Before paying obeisance to the presiding deity of Lord Venkateswara, the 73-year old Wickremesinghe performed ages-old 'Tulabharam' ritual.

As part of 'Tulabharam' ritual, devotees sit in a balance and offer grocery items, precious metals or money equal to their body weight, the temple official said.

Later, the same is made as an offering to the God at the hill temple, the official added. The Sri Lankan prime minister, his wife and other dignitaries later worshipped Lord Venkateswara.

They spent about an hour in the temple.

After offering prayers, Wickremesinghe was honoured with a sacred silk clot, besides the 'prasadam' and 'theertham' (celestial water) in a tiny bottle, while the priests, amid chanting of Vedic hymns, blessed him at the sprawling Rangamandapam in the temple.

Wickremesinghe flew in to the Renigunta airport, 20 km from here, by a special helicopter from Chennai on Saturday evening and drove straight to the Tirumala hills, the temple official said.

This is his fourth visit to the ancient shrine. Wickremesinghe has offered prayers at the temple in 2018, 2016 and 2002 as well, the official said.

Later, he left for Chennai en route to Sri Lanka. -- PTI

UPDATE: Two terrorists have been killed in Handwara encounter so far, the operation is in progress.

Five security personnel have lost their lives in the encounter which has been going on for the last three days.

IMAGE: Wreath laying ceremony of CRPF Constable Shyam Singh Yadav who succumbed to injuries sustained yesterday during the encounter in Handwara, in Srinagar. Photograph: ANI

Five security personnel have been martyred as an encounter with terrorists in Babgund area of Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara entered the third day on Sunday.

Two martyred jawans belonged to the Central Reserve Police Force, while the other two were from J&K police, reported ANI.

On Sunday morning, one more CRPF personnel succumbed to injuries, which were sustained yesterday.

The encounter began on Friday morning when security forces launched a search operation in the area in north Kashmir, following information about presence of terrorists there.

After the encounter began on Friday, there was lull in firing several times during the day, but terrorists opened fire as soon as security forces advanced towards a house where they were hiding.

Former Deputy Prime Minister and senior Communist leader of Nepal Bharat Mohan Adhikari has passed away.

He was 83.

Adhikari, who also served as finance minister, died while undergoing treatment at Hams hospital in Kathmandu on Saturday, according to party sources.

He was admitted to the hospital for treatment three weeks ago following problems in chest and lungs.

Earlier on Saturday evening, the hospital had issued a statement saying Adhikari had developed symptoms of multiple organs failure.

A three-time minister, Adhikari also led the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affair once each.

Adhikari was deputy prime minister in the coalition government, which was thrown out in a coup by then King Gyanendra Shah in 2005.

He is remembered for his first stint as finance minister in the first Communist-led government in 1995 led by Man Mohan Adhikari, his elder brother.

Born in 1936 at Bhawarpurna VDC in Mahottari district, Adhikari joined Communist politics during his student life, though he wasn't a full time cadre.

He will be cremated at Pashupati, Aryaghat in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Adhikari is survived by his wife and three daughters. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hit out at the opposition for doubting the armed forces on the anti-terror air strike in Pakistan and said the country is feeling the absence of Rafale fighter jets as the results could have been different if India had these aircraft.

He said the country has seen the influence of India's foreign policy after the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman by Pakistan within three days of his capture.

Modi took on the opposition over the issue of air strike, saying while the entire world stood behind India in its fight against terror, some parties in the country were questioning and raising doubts.

However, the Congress hit out at Modi alleging that the country witnessed his "monologue, fake bravado and narcissistic lies", as Rahul Gandhi accused him of being "solely responsible" for the delay in arrival of Rafale jets.

"Dear PM, Have you no shame at all? YOU stole 30,000 Crore and gave it to your friend Anil. YOU are solely responsible for the delay in the arrival of the RAFALE jets.

"YOU are WHY brave IAF pilots like Wing Cdr. Abhinandan, are risking their lives flying outdated jets," Gandhi said on Twitter.

Modi while speaking at the India Today Conclave also hit out at his detractors, saying they are free to criticise him but their anti-Modi tirade should not harm the country's security interests and help terrorists such as Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed.

"India is feeling the absence of Rafale. The entire country is saying in one voice today, if we had Rafale probably the result would have been different. The country has suffered a lot due to selfish interests earlier and now politics over Rafale," he said.

He hit out at his detractors and said in their obsession to attack him, such people were harming the country and its security interests.

"One of the challenges before the country is some people opposing their own country. When the entire nation today is standing with the armed forces, some parties are casting doubts on them.

"These are the parties whose statements and articles are being used by Pakistan against India. In their fixation with criticising Modi, they are opposing the country and compromising its interests," the PM said.

"I want to ask these people whether they trust the capability of our armed forces or doubt it...A person like Modi will come and go, but India will remain...I want to tell such people that they are free to oppose Modi and point out shortcomings in government's working, but do not help those harbouring terrorism. -- PTI

09:37 Bollywood is classist: Kangana Ranaut

Actor Kangana Ranaut on Saturday said the system in place in Bollywood helps people with privilege and repels when it is challenged.

At the India Today Conclave 2019, she said her many fallouts in the industry happened because she was always presented do-or-die situations in which she always fought her survival.

"I come from a situation where I really do not have a backup plan. I don't have a plan B. It's not like I wake up in the morning and think about 'Oh wait a minute. How many people can I offend today and how to make my life difficult?' That's not how it is.

"... The kind of story I have I wasn't left with an option. I wish they did. I wish they let me do my thing and I wish there wasn't this do or die situation. I would have preferred it like that. But if one of us has to do die I will make sure that it is not me," Kangana said.

A couple of her past few films have been plagued by controversies. Her 2017 film "Simran" was marred by a spat between her and screenwriter Apurva Asrani, who claimed that she poached his writing credit.

Her latest release "Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi" was also embroiled in multiple controversies.

Kangana said the credit for her success is hers only as she is the only actor in the film industry "who has not worked with a big production house or a big hero".

"We all know that Bollywood, the film industry is classist and so is the rest of the society. The system works for certain people the way it is. It is definitely going to resist when you are going to challenge it."

The three-time National Award winner said after her debut film "Gangster", she struggled a lot for work.

"When I came to the industry with a film like 'Gangster', I won the Best Actress award in entire Asia and then I did not have any work at all. They did not know what to do with an actor like that.

"Item numbers were prevalent and so were the patriarchal and chauvinist sort of male depiction in films where actors and actresses are just showing up to get pinched in their butt or get mocked. So I did not had any work. So I like said if it is a do-or-die situation I'm going to ensure that I survive," Kangana said.

She said the power players of Bollywood tried to suppress her voice but she fought every time.

"When you question so many things, they will try to shut your voice because the system has been working for them. It is your prerogative as a person to see what you want to do. Of course they will do what they can to ensure that people like us who question the system do not survive," she said. -- PTI

The offer of plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir had been made under very different conditions, which has entirely changed since then, making it no longer relevant, senior Congress leader P Chidamabaram said on Saturday.

Pitching for talks with Pakistan, he said though dealing with that neigbouring nation was "very complicated," there was no other option to avoid war.

"Plebiscite was offered under very different conditions, please understand that," he said adding, that since then the conditions have changed in Jammu and Kashmir.

Fielding a question from a member of the audience -- a DMK functionary -- at his "Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India" release event in Chennai,he said plebiscite was offered to a 'united Kashmir. Since then the conditions have changed and nearly about one half of Jammu and Kashmir is Pakistan occupied now."

The top Congress leader said for about 70 years now Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir were being governed by India and Pakistan respectively and "the entire ground conditions have changed."

The senior DMK functionary, Thamizhachi Thangapandian, wanted to know about the "promise made by Jawaharlal Nehru," obviously referring to the offer of plebiscite.

"Plebiscite was offered to the whole of Jammu and Kashmir...now Jammu thinks differently, Ladakh, Leh and Kargil think differently today..."

The "problem" was essentially confined to the Kashmir valley and there was no problem in regions like Leh and Kargil, he said and recalled his visit to these two regions.

"I don't think that conditions for plebiscite are any longer relevant. The conditions have changed so much that the offer of plebsicite (made) then is valid today, I don't think so," he said.

Pointing out that he was only talking about healing the divisions in Kashmir, he said: "I certainly will not allow Kashmir to secede from India, that is not allowed, that is a no go area."

He said that within the Indian Union, "what they are asking is and as far as I have understood is a large degree of self government, which I think we should give them and we can give them."

To another question from a Congress MLA Vijaya Dharani, he said dealing with Pakistan was more complex, which involved a mixture of areas like foreign, defence and security policies.

"Pakistan does not have a single authority government like India has," he said and added that there was the State, the Army, and non-state players, the militant outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Such outfits are sometimes as powerful as the government itself and they acted on their own. -- PTI

India is a very high-tariff nation, United States President Donald Trump alleged on Saturday, stating that he wants a reciprocal tax or at least some kind of tax.

"India is a very high-tariff nation. They charge us a lot," Trump said in his address to the Conservative Political Action Conference in the Maryland suburb of Washington DC.

In his speech that lasted for more than two hours, Trump touched a wide range of issues including domestic, global and bilateral relationship with countries like India.

"So, I want a reciprocal tax or at least, I want to charge a tax. It's called the mirror tax, but it's reciprocal," Trump asserted.

"Look at motorcycles as an example. (In) India, it was 100 per cent. I got them down to 50 per cent, just by talking for about two minutes. It's still 50 per cent vs 2.4 per cent (on imported motorcycles to the US). Again, other than that, it's a very fair deal," the president had told reporters at the White House on January 24.

Sini Mathews, the Indian American adoptive mother of three-year-old Sherin Mathews, who was found dead at a culvert in Texas in October 2017, has been released from prison.

After 15 months in jail, charges against Sini for child endangerment were dropped due to insufficient evidence.

"After extensive investigation, it was found that the state cannot prove this matter beyond a reasonable doubt at this time," reads a motion filed by the prosecutors and signed by state District Judge Amber Givens-Davis.

The charge has been dismissed without prejudice, which means that the court can arrest her under the same charges in future, if need be.

When the media asked Sini about her time in jail, she said it was "challenging" and thanked her friends and family for their support.

Asked what was she going to do next, Sini said, "Get situated," but did not reveal whether she was going to her home.

Sini's husband Wesley is still in prison for capital murder in relation to Sherin's death. He will face trial in May and is presently being held on a USD 1 million bond. -- PTI

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