LIVE! Saudi Arabia revokes citizenship of Osama's son

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Fri, 01 March 2019

Saudi Arabia revokes citizenship of Osama's son

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23:44 Saudi Arabia revokes citizenship of Osama's son

Saudi Arabia announced on Friday it had revoked the citizenship of Hamza bin Laden, the son of the late Al Qaeda leader who has become an increasingly prominent figure in the terror network.

Saudi Arabia revoked his citizenship via a royal decree in November, a notice published Friday by the kingdom's official gazette said.

There was no explanation why the order was only becoming public now.

However, the announcement comes after the United States government offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture as part of its 'Rewards for Justice' programme.

Osama's son has emerged as a leader of the Al Qaeda after his father's death. -- Agencies

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday urged Pakistan to admit to, and release, the Prisoners of War (PoWs) in its captivity from the 1971 war.

In an informal chat with media persons as part of his tour of border areas in the wake of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack, he urged the central government to take up the matter with Islamabad.

Meanwhile, Singh expressed happiness over the fact that talks to thrash out the modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor were on track despite the tensions.

He, however, urged the Centre to allow 5,000-10,000 pilgrims to cross through every day once the corridor becomes operational.

On compensation to people whose land was acquired for the corridor, the chief minister said the state government will raise the issue with the Centre.

Singh, who went around Haruwal village in Gurdaspur district as part of his tour of the border villages to instill confidence among the residents, said he would be the first to cross the border to pay obeisance at the historic Gurdwara. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets, 'Welcome Home Wing Commander #Abhinandan! The nation is proud of your exemplary courage.

'Our armed forces are an inspiration for 130 crore Indians. Vande Mataram!'

A 21-year-old man was nabbed by the Border Security Force after he was found roaming under suspicious circumstances near the Indo-Pak border in Ferozepur sector on Friday, officials said.

He was identified as Mohammad Shahrukh, resident of a village in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh.

After checking his mobile phone, BSF sleuths found that he was allegedly connected to various WhatsApp groups which had several Pakistani numbers, the officials said.

Sources in the BSF said the youth was selling bed sheets in Tarn Taran and Ferozepur districts for the last eight months.

The BSF sleuths have seized a PAN card, an Aadhaar card, a mobile, a bundle of bed sheets and some other articles from the man's possession.

After preliminary investigation, he was handed over to officials at the Mamdot police station. Police said further investigation in the matter was underway. -- PTI

Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor at Attari-Wagah border: "Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has been handed over to us.

"He will now be taken for a detailed medical checkup because he had to eject from an aircraft.

"IAF is happy to have him back." -- ANI

21:30

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was accompanied by Group Captain Joy Thomas Kurien, Defence Attache to Indian High Commission in Pakistan. -- ANI

21:25 Wing Commander Abhinandan crosses border, back to India

JUST IN: Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman crosses border to enter India. -- ANI

The handover of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman begins.

MEA officials and Indian Air Force officials present to receive Wg Cdr Varthaman as he walks over to the Indian side.

Visuals from Pakistani TV channels shows Wg Cdr Varthaman walking across Wagah border.

More details awaited.

20:48 Abhi's handover expected shortly

Pakistan has changed the timing of handover of Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman twice.

The Indian defence minister is keeping a close watch on proceedings.

The handover might now take place at 9 pm tonight, says ANI quoting sources.

The Islamabad high court dismissed a petition challenging the decision of Pakistan government to hand over Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

The court said that the decision pertains to policy matter in the context of foreign policy, defence and security of Pakistan and outside the realm of judicial review. -- Agencies

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday briefed top American military officials and envoys from the United States, the United Kingdom and China here over the Indo-Pak tensions and said the country would retaliate to any aggression in self defence.

Gen Bajwa spoke over telephone with the commander of the US Central Command (USCENTCOM Gen Joseph Votel), the UK's Chief of Defence Staff (General Sir Nicholas Carter) and the Australia's Chief of Defence Forces (General Angus Campbell) and ambassadors of US, UK & China in Pakistan, Armu spokesperson Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) informed them about the tensions with India.

'Prevailing stand off between Pakistan & India & its impact on peace & stability in the region & beyond discussed,' Maj Gen Ghafoor tweeted.

He said that COAS told them: 'Pakistan shall surely respond to any aggression in self defence.'

The telephonic contacts came amid tensions between the two neighbours after Pakistan detained an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot on Wednesday following a fierce engagement between air forces of the two sides along the Line of Control when his MiG 21 fighter jet was downed.

The Pakistan government on Thursday decided to release him as 'a first step' to open negotiations with India to de-escalate tension after a terror attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed left 41 Central Reserve Police Force personnel dead. -- PTI

Union Minister and former Army chief V K Singh on Friday said he was happy that Pakistan was releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, but the neighbouring country needs to do a 'lot more' to fight terrorism.

The Centre is taking 'appropriate measures' and 'such steps are not revealed', the minister of state for external affairs told reporters on the sidelines of an event in his Lok Sabha constituency when asked about the Centre's next step amid the escalating tension between India and Pakistan.

'Returning #WingCommanderAbhinandan is a welcome move, however, it is the first of many steps that #Pakistan must take to reinforce their commitment to peace. We need an affirmative and verifiable action by Pakistan against terrorism,' he said in a tweet.

'It must be understood that #Pakistan has not done us a favour by returning #WingCommanderAbhinandan. Under the #GenevaConvention, a serving soldier captured during conflict has to be returned.

'We must not forget that after 1971, we released over 90,000 PoW from Pakistan (sic),' he said in tweeted later.

On Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi not attending a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) being hosted by the United Arab Emirates, Singh said, "It's Qureshi's brain, let them do what they want."

Reacting to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks on India's air-strike in Pakistan, Singh said, "There are a lot of people who don't have any work."

Citing foreign media reports that not much damage was done by the Indian Air Force's preemptive strike on terror camps at Balakot, Banerjee on Thursday had said, "The Force should be given an opportunity to come up with facts." -- PTI

Hundreds of media personnel at the Attari border and millions of Indians glued to their TV sets and social media accounts are still waiting for some news, any news about Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman coming back home from captivity.

The day slipped into sunset and then night but the wait for Wing Commander Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan on Wednesday and was released on Friday, continues.

Long after nightfall, as the skies opened up and drenched Amritsar, there was no sign of the Indian Air Force pilot.

As analysts painstakingly debating each nuance of India, Pakistan relations in TV studios, anchors are going hoarse keeping up the constant commentary and journalists looking for information on when and how he would be handed over to India, the government has kept it all under wraps.

The daily retreat ceremony at the border front was cancelled for the day by authorities, worried that it could become a security nightmare with an estimated 20,000 people gathering at the spot.

The will-we, won't-we-see-him game was played out across countless homes and offices, where work may have continued but with one eye on the screen -- TV or mobile or computer -- to monitor the developments.

But information was scarce and speculation endless.

The sight of a convoy of cars driving out of Attari, about 30 km from Amritsar, sent viewers into a frenzy -- was Abhinandan inside one of them, was he being taken straight to Delhi on a special flight, would he address the media? No real answers were forthcoming.

Till late in the evening, it wasn't even clear how and where the officer was handed over to Indian authorities.

As darkness fell on a cold night in Attari, the crowds have thinned, but journalists continuing their stakeout.

Waiting for Abhinandan -- it is a long, anxious one. -- PTI

China on Friday said it has never recognised India and Pakistan as nuclear powers and ruled out extending such a status to North Korea following the unsuccessful second summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam.

"China has never recognised India and Pakistan as nuclear countries. Our position on this has never changed," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing in Beijing.

He was replying to a question whether China would recognise North Korea as a nuclear state like India and Pakistan as talks between Trump and Kim at the second summit in Hanoi broke down over Pyongyang's refusal to give up two nuclear processing plants.

China has been blocking India's entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on the ground that New Delhi has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

After India applied for NSG membership, Pakistan too applied for the same following that China has called for a two-step approach which states that NSG members first need to arrive at a set of principles for the admission of non-NPT states into the NSG and then move forward discussions of specific cases. -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah said on Friday that creating a situation for the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan in such a short span of time was a diplomatic victory.

Varthaman's MiG 21 was shot and he bailed out after bringing down one Pakistani F-16 fighter during a dogfight to repel a Pakistani attack on Wednesday morning.

He has been in Pakistan since then.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in Parliament on Thursday that Varthaman would be released on Friday as a 'peace gesture'.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi, Shah said, "The air-strikes after the Pulwama terror attack has now isolated Pakistan globally, this is a victory of our diplomacy.

"Creating situation for return of pilot Abhinandan in such a short span of time is our diplomatic victory".

Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early on Tuesday.

It came 12 days after the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 personnel of the paramilitary force.

A team of Indian Air Force officials will receive Wing Commander Abhinandan at the Wagah border on Friday evening.

It is not clear whether Varthaman will be handed over to the International Red Cross or to the Indian authorities by Pakistan.

"We are happy that our pilot, who had fallen across the Line of Control and was in the custody of Pakistan, is being released. We are extremely happy to have him back. We only see it as a gesture which is in consonance with the Geneva Conventions," Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor, the assistant chief of Air Staff, told a news conference on Thursday. -- PTI

19:09 Abhi still at Pakistan's side of border

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman still at Pakistan's side of the border.

Earlier report which said he has been handed over to Indian officials has now been denied.

It is now being said that he is expected to cross over to India after 8 pm.

Ministry of external affairs officials will receive him at Attari border. -- Agencies

18:56 Abhi crosses over to India, say reports

Wing Commander Abhidandan Varthaman has crossed over to India, some media reports suggest.

He was received by officials of ministry of external affairs.

According to TV reports, after completion of requisite formalities he will be taken away in a motorcade.

More details awaited. -- Agencies

India is getting 'abundant' support of Islamic countries in the fight against terror, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in Hyderabad on Friday.

The government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided with pertinacity that the time has come to wage a decisive battle against terrorism in the wake of the Pulwama attack, he said.

"I am very happy to tell you that we are getting abundant support from the Islamic countries of the world," he said.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has, for the first time, invited India's foreign minister as a guest of honour in its ongoing meeting, Singh noted.

It is a pleasing thing that all nations of the world are coming onto one platform on the question of terrorism, he said.

All feel that a decisive battle should be fought against terrorism, he said.

Terrorism has no caste, creed or religion but sometimes, there would be some who try to associate it with some religion which is not appropriate, he added.

The home minister was speaking after inaugurating two new office-cum-housing complexes of the National Investigation Agency in Hyderabad and Guwahati, built by NBCC India at a cost of about Rs 77 crore.

Appreciating NIA for its effective functioning, the Union Minister said the conviction rate of NIA is 92 per cent.

"It means, the conviction rate (of NIA) is 92 per cent. It's a matter of pride for all us," he said.

Noting that the government has given approval to open a research cell on terror-group Islamic State (ISIS), he said, "We have also given approval to the NIA to set up a research cell on the ISIS."

The minister also said about 100 new posts have been approved in the NIA for effective investigation and supervision.

"Terror funding is a big factor in promoting terrorism. The way NIA performed its role, the result is that there has been a decline in terror funding compared to earlier," Singh said.

The circulation of fake Indian currency notes has also declined due to the combined efforts of the NIA and other Central and State agencies, he claimed.

The NIA, he said, has achieved good success in establishing coordination with other agencies like State police and anti-terror squads of different States.

The Hyderabad NIA complex is an 'all-inclusive' project and spread over 12,572 square metre.

It has been constructed at a cost of about Rs 37 crore and consists of both administrative and residential flats for its staff.

The Guwahati project entailed a cost of Rs 40 crore and has a built-up area of 9,830 square metre.

Besides various office buildings and residential quarters, it also has barracks for Jawans, and a community centre, according to NBCC India.

Singh also said: "On this occasion, you have feted ('abhinandan kiya hai') me, the governor, the Home Minister of Telangana.

"But the truth is, your, our and the whole country's Abhinandan (IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman) is going to enter India in another few hours and come amongst us". -- PTI

Pakistan hands over Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to Indian officials at the Wagah-Attari border. Reports say that he is going through the immigration procedures and will then cross over to the Indian side.

The IAF pilot's convoy reached Attari, on the Indian side of the border with Pakistan, two days after he was captured by Pakistani authorities.

The Indian Air Force pilot left Lahore in a convoy comprising vehicles of Pakistani government officials and an ambulance.

Pakistani officials handed him over to the Indian officials at the Attari-Wagah Border crossing.

The daily Beating the Retreat ceremony held at the Attari-Wagah border front along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab was cancelled today in view of Abhinandan's release by Pakistan at this frontier, the BSF said.

A senior official of the force said the martial ceremony was called off due to administrative requirements. Officials said it was estimated that over 20,000 people could gather on the Indian side to welcome IAF pilot and it could be a security nightmare.

Hundreds of people had flocked the Attari border since early Friday morning to catch a glimpse of Abhinandan. Hence, it was decided to call the ceremony off on Friday so that nothing untoward happens.

17:35 IAF briefing at Attari soon

Indian Air Force to brief media and give a statement on Abhinandan Varthaman's release soon. A statement is going to be read out by Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor in a bit. The Air Vice Marshal at the press briefing yesterday had said to a question on credible evidence of the Balakot air strike: "We have evidence to show that whatever we wanted to do and targets we wanted to destroy, we have done that. Decision to show the evidence is on senior leadership."

17:18

Much josh at the Attari border as people celebrate with firecrackers ahead of the Wing Commander's arrival.

16:56 Abhinandan to be handed over to India any time now

India Today reports that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has reached the Attari-Wagah border and his medical examination is being done now. He will be handed over to the Indian authorities any time now.

16:46

An image from the Attari-Wagah border. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to be received by a team of the Indian Air Force.

16:33

Visual of Wagah in Lahore. IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will soon be handed over to the Indian Air Force at the Attari-Wagah border.

16:28 Abhinandan's convoy likely to reach Attari at 6 pm

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthanam to reach Wagah by 6 pm. At Attari, on the Indian side of the border, IAF officials await his arrival. He will be taken to Amritsar for medical check-ups and a debriefing and then taken by an IAF flight to New Delhi. His parents, who reached Delhi from Chennai last night, will not be at Wagah. Abhinandan is travelling in a convoy from Lahore to Attari which is a distance of 22 km away.

India has cancelled the Beating the Retreat ceremony today, as India wants Abhinandan's return to be overshadowed.

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh who wanted to be in Wagah to receive Abhinandan, said, he would not be there since it would be a breach of protocol. He had tweeted, "whenever anybody comes back like it happened to Prisoners of War in '65 & '71, they had to first go for a medical and then be debriefed. I think same process will be followed here."

At Wagah, hundreds of Indians, faces painted with the national flag, waited to see Abhinandan return, chanting slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'.

Pakistan had turned down a request by India to send him back by air.

Indian officials said hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the decision to release Varthaman, India conveyed to Islamabad that he be sent back via the aerial route. However, late in the night, Pakistan conveyed to India that the pilot will be returned through the Attari-Wagah border and India's request could not be heeded to, the sources said.

Varthaman was captured by Pakistan after his Mig-21 Bison was shot down by a Pakistani jet during a fierce dogfight on Wednesday. The Indian defence establishment was also mulling sending a special plane.

PM Narendra Modi plays the regional card while in the state to inaugurate developmental programmes. In Kanyakumari, the PM said," Every Indian is proud that the brave Wing Commander Abhinanadan is from Tamil Nadu. I am also proud that India's first woman Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is from Tamil Nadu."

This is the first time the PM has mentioned the Wing Commander in Pakistan custody directly by name. He did make a quip yesterday, at a science award function where he said, "You are folks who spend your lives in a laboratory, and are used to conducting pilot projects. A pilot project is followed by scalability. Now a pilot project has been completed. Now we have to make it real. Earlier it was just a practice session".

The 'pilot project' remark did not go down well with several people pointing out it was tasteless.

Tremors of 4.3 magnitude jolted parts of Palghar district in Maharashtra on Friday, an official said. The intensity of tremors is the highest recorded in the region since November last year, the official said. Parts of Palghar district, especially Dahanu and Talasari talukas, have been experiencing such tremors routinely since November. The last round of tremors was witnessed on February 20.

"Today, the tremors were experienced at 11.14 am. It measured 4.3 on the Richter scale, which is the maximum for the last four months," Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) chief Santosh Kadam said.

"The epicentre was once again Dundalwadi village in Dahanu taluka, which has become the worst affected region as far as tremors are concerned," he added.

The tremors were recorded by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Due to the constant fear of earthquake, residents of the villages in Dahanu and Talasari talukas have been spending day out of the house and taking shelter in makeshift tents. -- PTI

As news broke that IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman would be reaching India from Lahore via the Attari-Wagah border, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh offered to receive the Wing Commander at the Attari border. The Congress leader had tweeted his request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi: "Dear @narendramodiji, I'm touring the border areas of Punjab & I'm presently in Amritsar. Came to know that @pid_gov has decided to release #AbhinandanVartaman from Wagha. It will be a honour for me to go and receive him, as he and his father are alumnus of the NDA as I am," he wrote.

But he clearly thought the better of it, bowing to protocol.

Singh told news agency, ANI, "Would love to go (to receive Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman) but there's laid out protocol that whenever anybody comes back like it happened to Prisoners of War in '65 & '71, they had to first go for a medical and then be debriefed. I think same process will be followed here."

The IAS pilot is expected to reach Wagah some time after 5 pm. Reports say he has already left Lahore and is on his way to the Indo-Pak border.

By the way, the Punjab CM is the person in our 11:27 am post.

14:41 Need of the Hour: Statesmanship!

"A good opportunity has thus been provided for both countries to back away from the brink without loss of dignity.

''There is every reason why they should strain every nerve, and grab every chance, shedding all thought of belligerence and showing who's the boss, to establish, maintain and preserve all it takes to lift themselves by their bootstraps," says BS Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant.

Read the column here.

The Beating the Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah Border will not be held today, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon announced. He said a senior team of the Indian Air Force will receive Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. According to reports the IAF pilot who was in Pakistan's custody since Wednesday will reach Wagah at around 6 pm. India reportedly wants to keep Abhinandan's return free of ceremony.

The pilot was downed a Pakistani F 16 plane before his MiG 21 Bison was hit during a dogfight.

Once the news spread of Abhinandan's return at Wagah, people started gathering at the border to welcome him. "My home is 150 km away from here. I have come here only for Wing Commander Abhinandan. Even I have a son. It is an emotional moment for all of us here," said a local.

Vir Singh, an 80-year-old man, was seen beating drum enthusiastically to express his happiness ahead of Abhinandans arrival.

Meanwhile, a special thanksgiving prayer was organised today by state Home Guards at Kalikambal Temple in Chennai ahead of Varthaman's release.

In other news, Pakistan which had closed its airspace for the last two days, will be opening it by 6:30 pm today.

As India celebrates the imminent return of IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, spare a thought for the families of the six IAF personnel killed in a chopper crash in Budgam on February 27.

In Mathura, the mortal remains of Indian Air Force's Corporal Pankaj Nauhwar have been brought to his residence at Jarelia Bajna. He lost his life in the crash of the Mi-17 V5 helicopter in Budgam.

On Wednesday, an IAF helicopter crashed in Budgam, killing both its pilots and four others on board besides a local resident.

EAM Sushma Swaraj at the OIC conclave in Abu Dhabi, where she is a guest of honour. Excerpts from the speech...

-- OIC members constitute 1/4th of the United Nations and almost a quarter of humanity. India shares much with you, many of us have shared dark days of colonialism.

-- I'm honoured to join colleagues from nations that represent a great religion and ancient civilisations. I stand here as a representative of a land that has been a mountain of knowledge, beacon of peace, source of faith & traditions, home to many religions and one of the major economies.

-- Many of us saw the light of freedom and ray of hope at the same time, we have stood together in solidarity in our quest for dignity and equality.

-- Terrorism is destroying lives, destabilizing regions and putting the world at great peril. Terror reach is growing and the toll it is taking is increasing.

-- I carry the greetings of my PM Narendra Modi and 1.3 billion Indians, including more than 185 million Muslim brothers and sisters. Our Muslim brothers and sisters are microcosm of the diversity of India... They practice their respective beliefs and live in harmony with each other and with their non-Muslim brothers. It's this appreciation of diversity and coexistence that has ensured that very few Muslims in India have fallen prey to to poisonous propaganda of radicalist and extremist ideologies.

Terrorism in each case is driven by distortion of religion. Fight against terror is not a confrontation against any religion. Just as Islam means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence.Similarly every religion stands for peace.

13:15 Sushma Swaraj addresses OIC

At the OIC in Abu Dhabi, the empty Pakistani chair as Guest of Honour Sushma Swaraj gives her speech.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs will be briefed on the current Indo-Pak relations by the foreign affairs ministry on Friday. The committee headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will meet in Parliament House this afternoon.

"The parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs will receive a briefing from the MEA on the current situation with Pakistan..." Tharoor tweeted earlier.

The briefing will be on the present Indo-Pak relations in the light of the recent strain in relationship after the Pulwama attack and a air strike by India, officials said.

The committee will also be briefed on the "new regime" in Pakistan led by Prime Minister Imran Khan and its relationship with India in light of the recent developments, they said.

Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday. It came 12 days after the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers. -- PTI

It is a time when all army and air force units in Kashmir and Punjab are on a high state of alert. Weapons are being readied, troops are mentally ready, unit locations are secure, rehearsals are being carried out and soldiers are getting deployed along the border.

In certain posts at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, it is still snowing. The day time temperature is a couple of degrees below 0 and the night time temperature plummets to a minus 30 degrees.

"You could give us millions of dollars worth of the best thermal uniform, but in an ambush you cannot fire a gun wearing a glove because your finger will not go inside the trigger," an army officer tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in a chance conversation. Read the story here.

Pakistan Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed inadvertently admitted in the Pakistan parliament that 'Azhar Sahab's madrassa -- the Madrassa Taliban -- is located in Jabba, Pakisan, at the place bombed by IAF jets.

The railway minister opposed the release of Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, expressing apprehension that India could launch an offensive after he is sent back.

In a speech in Pakistan Parliament, Ahmed, who is the chief of Awami Muslim League, admitted that terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed has a camp in Jabba in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan.

"During (former Prime Minister) Vajpayee's time this was not the situation. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has a different thinking. People say Modi planned this attack keeping in view the Lok Sabha elections. What if India attacks us again after we hand over to them the IAF pilot. I want to tell you, Modi is sitting there. What if he attacks tomorrow. Every Muslim residing in India is looking towards Pakistan," he said.

The Pakistan Railway Minister was on Thursday addressing a Joint Session of Pakistan Parliament on Indian Aggression.

Ahmed said, "During the Kargil War, one plane crashed and dropped on the Pakistan side but Indian jets didn't cross Kargil. But (this time) their 14 jets entered Jabba in Pakistan, where Azhar Sahab's Madrasa is located... Madrasa Taliban is there. Yes it is..."

Jaish-e-Mohammad, led by Azhar Masood, had taken responsibility for the February 14 attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in Kashmir in which 40 personnel were killed.

Reacting to Ahmeds speech, Naveed Kamran, a Pakistani citizen, tweeted, "Sheikh Rasheed should resign and treason case against him should be registered against him for releasing this information in Par."

It may have been after midnight when the Chennai-Delhi flight came to a stop at the tarmac but there was no scramble to get bags from the overhead bin or rush towards the exit because all eyes were focused on one couple -- the parents of IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

Air Marshal (retd) S Varthaman and Dr Shobha Varthaman were given a standing ovation as passengers made way for them in the early hours of Friday, ensuring that they couple gets off first.

Abhinandan, who was captured by Pakistan on Wednesday, is expected to be released on Friday. In photos and videos shared by passengers on social media platforms, the couple, who came to Delhi on their way to Amritsar to bring their son home, can can be seen acknowledging the clapping, cheers and thank yous with nods of their heads.

The plane landed at the Delhi airport about an hour after midnight. The couple left for Amritsar soon after landing in Delhi. They are all set to receive their son most likely at the Wagah border.

Abhinandan's family has served the Indian Air Force for generations, since the second World War. Air Marshal S Varthaman, a recipient of several honours, including a Param Vishisht Seva Medal, said in a message, "Abhi is alive, not injured, sound in mind, just look at the way he talked so bravely... a true soldier... we are so proud of him." -- PTI

BJP President Amit Shah Friday said creating the situation for the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from Pakistan was a diplomatic victory, ahead of the expected arrival of the captured pilot.

Varthaman's MiG 21 was shot and he bailed out after bringing down one Pakistani F-16 fighter during a dogfight to repel a Pakistani attack on Wednesday morning.

He has been in Pakistan since then. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in Parliament on Thursday that Varthaman would be released on Friday as a "peace gesture". -- PTI

11:52 Abhinandan to reach Wagah after 2 pm

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman leaves from Islamabad for Lahore. He will reach Wagah border near Amritsar, after 2 pm. IAF officer, Group Captain Joy Thomas Kurien (pictured), India's Air Advisor in Pakistan, will escort him home.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi boycotts the foreign ministers' meet of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation states in Abu Dhabi. He said he will not attend the Council of Foreign Ministers as a matter of principle for having extended an invitation to India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj as a guest of honour.

Sushma Swaraj, who is in Abu Dhabi, is expected to raise the issue of terrorism, amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror attack. Swaraj will attend the inaugural plenary of the two-day meeting on today. It is for the first time that India has been invited to a meeting of the OIC, an influential grouping of 57 Islamic countries, as the guest of honour.

Pakistan, a member of the OIC, tried to get Swaraj 'disinvited' from the Abu Dhabi meet following India's air strike on the terror camp in Pakistan. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday said the OIC is "our home" so he will go there but will not hold talks with Swaraj.

The OIC had disinvited India from its conference in 1969 in Morocco at Pakistan's behest. The OIC has usually been supportive of Pakistan and often sided with Islamabad on the Kashmir issue.

The MEA said Foreign Minister of United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan invited Swaraj as the 'guest of honour' to address the inaugural plenary and that India was happy to accept the invitation.

Image: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi

11:27 Name this man

Quick quiz: Who is this former royal and politician, in the news today, as Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is set to return to India at noon today.

11:19 Writer, columnist, actor Mukul Sharma dies

Mukul Sharma, a polymath and writer, died in Delhi, yesterday. He was 69.

He is survived by his wife Binita and daughters Kamalini and Konkona.

To moviegoers he is remembered as the protagonist of Parama, the Bengali film directed by Aparna Sen, his former wife.

Sharma was the editor of Science Today magazine, brought out by the Times of India and has been a columnist for The Sunday Times, Mid Day and The Illustrated Weekly.

Image: Mukul Sharma and Rakhee in a still from the film, Parama.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is in Abu Dhabi to attend the foreign ministers' meet of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation states where she is expected to raise the issue of terrorism, amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror attack.

Swaraj will attend the inaugural plenary of the two-day meeting on Friday. It is for the first time that India has been invited to a meeting of the OIC, an influential grouping of 57 Islamic countries, as the guest of honour.

India's engagement with the OIC comes in the midst of escalating tension between India and Pakistan. The ties strained further after Indian fighter jets bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early Tuesday.

Pakistan carried out a retaliatory aerial raid on Wednesday. "EAM @SushmaSwaraj arrives in #AbuDhabi for the Ministerial Meeting of @OIC_OCI. India has been invited by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of UAE as the 'Guest of Honour'," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

The OIC has usually been supportive of Pakistan and often sided with Islamabad on the Kashmir issue. -- PTI

Michael Kugelman, one of the most astute observers of developments in South Asia, responds to Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir's offer to visit the Jabba, the site of the bombing by India. Kugelman, who is Deputy director @AsiaProgram and South Asia senior associate @TheWilsonCenter, responds: "Thanks for the offer :) But I've already seen plenty of credible reports on the ground (and there is also satellite imagery) that make quite clear that Indian claims of killing hundreds of terrorists -- or even of destroying terrorist facilities - are spurious if not outright false."

You can also read Nikhil Lakshman's interview with Kugelman here.

ON a regular day, the atmosphere at Attari, the border with Pakistan at Wagah, is charged with high definition patriotism. Slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai ring out from the crowds gathered to watch the BSF match goosesteps in mock hostility towards its Pakistani counterparts.

Today, the patriotic fervor will be at its peak.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, captured by Pakistan during an aerial combat, is expected to be handed over to India at the Wagah border.

The pilot is likely to be brought by Pakistani authorities from Rawalpindi to Lahore and handed over first to the International Committee of Red Cross under rules of the Geneva Convention before being brought to the JCP between 12 pm and 2 pm to return home.

Varthaman will be debriefed by defence and security officials after his return.

A team of Indian Air Force officials will receive Wing Commander Abhinandan at the Wagah border on Friday evening,

Varthaman's MiG 21 was shot and he bailed out after bringing down one Pakistani F-16 fighter during a dogfight to repel a Pakistani attack on Wednesday morning. He has been in Pakistan since then.Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced in Parliament on Thursday that Varthaman would be released on Friday as a "peace gesture".

At the armed forces press conference yesterday, Air Vice Marshal R G K Kapoor, the assistant chief of Air Staff, said, "We are happy that our pilot who had fallen across the Line of Control and was in the custody of Pakistan is being released. We are extremely happy to have him back. We only see it as a gesture which is in consonance with the Geneva Conventions."

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has offered to receive Wing Commander Varthaman at the Attari border. The Congress leader tweeted his request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi."Dear @narendramodi ji, I'm touring the border areas of Punjab & I'm presently in Amritsar. Came to know that @pid_gov has decided to release #AbhinandanVartaman from Wagha. It will be a honour for me to go and receive him, as he and his father are alumnus of the NDA as I am," he wrote.

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday he had "good conversations" with Indian and Pakistani leaders and was hopeful that the rising tension will come down between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Over the last two days, Pompeo spoke to the leaders of the two countries including External affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

"We were and continue to be very engaged with the issue between India and Pakistan," Pompeo told reporters travelling with him from Hanoi, Vietnam to Manila in the Philippines.

"I spent a good deal of time on the phone last night talking to leaders in both countries, making sure there was good information exchanged, encouraging each country to not take any action that would escalate and create increased risk," he said.

"I had good conversations, and I am hopeful that we can take down the tension there, at least for the time being, so they can begin to have conversations that don't portend risk of escalation to either of the two countries. So we're working hard on that," Pompeo said. -- PTI

The United States has reaffirmed its demand that Pakistan abide by its United Nations Security Council commitments to deny safe havens to terrorists and block their access to funds as it welcomed Islamabad's decision to release the captured Indian Air Force pilot.

In a surprise announcement during a joint session of Parliament on Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be released on Friday as a gesture of peace.

Pakistan detained Varthaman Wednesday following a fierce engagement between air forces of the two sides along the Line of Control when his MiG 21 fighter jet was downed.

"We welcome Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's commitment that Pakistan will release on Friday the Indian pilot held in its custody," a State Department spokesperson told PTI responding to a question on the announcement made by Khan in the Pakistani parliament.

Simultaneously, the US has urged both India and Pakistan to take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions.

"The United States continues to urge both sides to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation, including through direct communication. Further military activity will exacerbate the situation," the State Department spokesperson said.

"We reiterate our call for Pakistan to abide by its United Nations Security Council commitments to deny terrorists safe haven and block their access to funds," the spokesperson said.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday admitted that terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan.

Speaking to CNN, Qureshi said, "He is in Pakistan. According to my information. he's very unwell. He is unwell to the extent that he cannot leave his house."

When asked why Pakistan hasn't yet arrested Azhar who caused so much tension between India and Pakistan, Qureshi said Pakistan wants evidence so that it can stand in a court of law and follow a legal process.

"If they (India) have evidence share with us so that we can convince the people and the judiciary," he said.

At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed and many injured on February 14 in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir when a JeM suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.

India has strongly reiterated its appeal to all members of the international community to support the proposal to list terrorists, including Azhar, as designated terrorists under the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council, and to ban terrorist organisations operating from territories controlled by Pakistan.

One civilian was injured Friday in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing towards Indian posts and villages in Kamalkote area of Uri in Baramulla district on Thursday evening, the officials said.

They said the intermittent firing continued through out the night. One civilian has been injured in the firing.

Indian Army has responded to the Pakistani firing in adequate measure, the officials said.

The ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops comes as tensions between India and Pakistan rose following the February 14 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed.

Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group claimed responsibility for the attack. -- PTI

00:03 We won't move on talks with Trump: North Korea

North Korea's foreign minister says Pyongyang's position will not change even if the US seeks further talks.

Ri Yong Ho's statement came after the summit in Vietnam between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without agreement.

Trump said the US had refused demands for all sanctions to be lifted.

But at a late-night news conference, Ri insisted the North had only asked for partial sanctions relief, not a complete lifting.

He said his country had made "realistic" proposals including the complete decommissioning of the Yongbyon nuclear research centre, under the watch of US observers.

In return, he said, the North had wanted only partial sanctions relief.

Ri said Pyongyang had also offered to permanently halt nuclear and long-range rocket testing. He added that it might be hard to see an opportunity such as the Hanoi summit again.

"Our principal stand will remain invariable and our proposals will never change, even if the United States proposes negotiations again in the future," he told reporters.

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