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<p>Columnist Shobhaa De on Monday rubbished the claims made by former Pakistan envoy to India Abdul Basit that he had influenced her to write the 2016 article where she "advocated plebiscite" in Kashmir in the aftermath of Burhan Wani's death.</p>

<p>Speaking to ANI, De said that the only time she ever met Basit was during the Jaipur Literature Festival in January 2019, when the former envoy attempted to make a conversation at a "publishing party" but was "almost as good as asked to leave".</p>

<p>"The only time I met him, or rather he came and imposed himself and intruded into a small group was in January of this year at the Jaipur lit fest at a publishing party. He came and joined a small group, attempted a conversation, was snubbed and almost as good as asked to leave," said De.</p>

<p>"In those three minutes, yes, he tried to bring in various issues but the only issue that actually chased him away was China. That was the first and last time I ever encountered this man," she added.</p>

<p>In an interview with a Pakistani blogger Farhan Virk, Basit had said that he had managed to influence "prominent" columnist Shobhaa De to write the 2016 article titled "Burhan Wani is dead but he'll live on till we find out what Kashmir really wants".</p>

<p><strong>Watch video</strong></p>

<p><strong>Abdul Basit: Influenced Shobhaa de to write against India</strong></p>

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<p>De called Basit's statement "dangerous, malicious, and unfair to anybody who believes in the truth", adding that she is "deeply insulted and upset that he could dare to say something like that about a person who has built her career on credibility and positive good journalism for over 40 years."&nbsp;</p>
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Columnist Shobhaa De on Monday rubbished the claims made by former Pakistan envoy to India Abdul Basit that he had influenced her to write the 2016 article where she "advocated plebiscite" in Kashmir in the aftermath of Burhan Wani's death.

Columnist Shobhaa De on Monday rubbished the claims made by former Pakistan envoy to India Abdul Basit that he had influenced her to write the 2016 article where she "advocated plebiscite" in Kashmir in the aftermath of Burhan Wani's death. Speaking to ANI, De said that the only time she ever met Basit was during the Jaipur Literature Festival in January 2019, when the former envoy attempted to make a conversation at a "publishing party" but was "almost as good as asked to leave". "The only time I met him, or rather he came and imposed himself and intruded into a small group was in January of this year at the Jaipur lit fest at a publishing party. He came and joined a small group, attempted a conversation, was snubbed and almost as good as asked to leave," said De. "In those three minutes, yes, he tried to bring in various issues but the only issue that actually chased him away was China. That was the first and last time I ever encountered this man," she added. In an interview with a Pakistani blogger Farhan Virk, Basit had said that he had managed to influence "prominent" columnist Shobhaa De to write the 2016 article titled "Burhan Wani is dead but he'll live on till we find out what Kashmir really wants". Watch video Abdul Basit: Influenced Shobhaa de to write against India × De called Basit's statement "dangerous, malicious, and unfair to anybody who believes in the truth", adding that she is "deeply insulted and upset that he could dare to say something like that about a person who has built her career on credibility and positive good journalism for over 40 years."

Shobhaa De rubbishes Basit's claims that he influenced her to write Kashmir article

<p>Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria returned here earlier today, days after Islamabad asked New Delhi to call him back following the scrapping of Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.</p>

<p>The decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with India was taken during a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) of Pakistan last week, a statement by Pakistan`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said.</p>

<p>Following the meeting, New Delhi was also informed that Pakistan would not be sending its High Commissioner-designate to India Moin-ul-Haq.</p>

<p>He was expected to officially take charge on August 16.</p>

<p>Calling its steps in Jammu and Kashmir as an "entirely internal affair", India had on August 8 rejected Pakistan's unilateral move to downgrade diplomatic ties and asked Islamabad to review the decision so that normal channels for diplomatic communications were preserved.&nbsp;</p>


Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria returned here earlier today, days after Islamabad asked New Delhi to call him back following the scrapping of Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria returned here earlier today, days after Islamabad asked New Delhi to call him back following the scrapping of Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The decision to downgrade diplomatic ties with India was taken during a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) of Pakistan last week, a statement by Pakistan`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said. Following the meeting, New Delhi was also informed that Pakistan would not be sending its High Commissioner-designate to India Moin-ul-Haq. He was expected to officially take charge on August 16. Calling its steps in Jammu and Kashmir as an "entirely internal affair", India had on August 8 rejected Pakistan's unilateral move to downgrade diplomatic ties and asked Islamabad to review the decision so that normal channels for diplomatic communications were preserved.

Indian envoy to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria returns to Delhi

Records, injuries and controversies in third week of Cricket World Cup

<p>Communication had been the biggest USP in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-beat-pakistan-by-89-runs-at-world-cup-227784">Rohit Sharma</a> and Shikhar Dhawan's enormously successful opening partnership and the Indian vice-captain wants to create the same level of understanding with KL Rahul by the time World Cup reaches the business end.</p>

<p>Dhawan's fractured left-hand has put Rahul in the line of fire in a stage like World Cup but his senior opening partner is confident that they will slowly be able to build up the right level of communication required in such big event.</p>

<p>In fact against Pakistan, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indias-six-symbol-rohit-sharma-hits-most-sixes-beats-dhonis-record-227634">Rohit </a>allowed Rahul to take the first strike, which he normally does when Dhawan is around.</p>

<p>"Yeah, KL also likes to take the strike, and for me, it was important to give him that because just like me, he also has the mindset of taking the first ball. That is his comfort. He is playing his first game as an opener here, so I wanted to make sure that he's comfortable," Rohit said while making it clear what his responsibilities are as a senior player.</p>

<p>Rahul, on his part, knows what a big opportunity it is and he is ready to fill in the big boots of Dhawan till the time he comes back (if at all in this tournament).</p>

<p>"Obviously Shikhar and Rohit for the last three or four years have been such a dangerous combination having done so well. They have owned those positions. I had to wait for my chance and I am just happy that I got to bat in the top of the order," Rahul told reporters in the mixed zone.</p>

<p>However, during their stand of 136, there were a couple of occasions when Rohit could have nearly got run out primarily because of the lack of communication between the two.</p>

<p>But the champion opener is game for this new challenge as that's what international cricket is all about,&nbsp;clearing new obstacles every passing day.</p>

<p>"These are the sort of challenges you face - the understanding of when he wants to run that two when I want to take that single, and things like that. These are very small little things, but of course, eventually, they add up to a whole lot for the team because at that point we never wanted to get run out. That was the last thing in our mind to do that," said Rohit.</p>

<p>But since <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/milestone-men-rohit-sharma-kl-rahul-ensure-indias-maiden-century-partnership-against-pakistan-in-world-cup-227611">they batted for nearly 24 overs</a> (23.5 to be precise), they had communicated a lot and it's only going to improve from here on, feels Rohit.</p>

<p>"But we had a lot of communication (during the game against Pakistan) while we were batting, so slowly we will build on it. Now that I know he's going to open for the next few games as well,'' Rohit said.</p>

<p>"So that conversation between us is really, really important, and I hope that continues because it's going to only help both of us," Rohit added.</p>

<p>For Rahul, the biggest challenge against Pakistan was to play out Mohammed Amir's first spell, which they did with a fair degree of success.</p>

<p>"Look I mean, with the new ball against any bowler, you have to see off the first few overs and didn't know what to expect from the wicket as it was under covers for the first two days. It was important that we saw off the first spell," the talented Karnataka batsman said.</p>

<p>Amir, whether it was Champions Trophy final in 2017 or the Asia Cup T20, a year before that, he had always struck in the very first over that he bowled but this time around the Indians had done their homework.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We needed to focus from ball one as he has earlier done damage in the first over itself. We were switched on from ball one and we didn't take too many chances in the first few overs. We gave their bowlers and the ball the respect it deserved and carried on from there," Rahul said.</p>


Communication had been the biggest USP in Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan's enormously successful opening partnership and the Indian vice-captain wants to create the same level of understanding with KL Rahul by the time World Cup reaches the business end.

Communication had been the biggest USP in Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan's enormously successful opening partnership and the Indian vice-captain wants to create the same level of understanding with KL Rahul by the time World Cup reaches the business end. Dhawan's fractured left-hand has put Rahul in the line of fire in a stage like World Cup but his senior opening partner is confident that they will slowly be able to build up the right level of communication required in such big event. In fact against Pakistan, Rohit allowed Rahul to take the first strike, which he normally does when Dhawan is around. "Yeah, KL also likes to take the strike, and for me, it was important to give him that because just like me, he also has the mindset of taking the first ball. That is his comfort. He is playing his first game as an opener here, so I wanted to make sure that he's comfortable," Rohit said while making it clear what his responsibilities are as a senior player. Rahul, on his part, knows what a big opportunity it is and he is ready to fill in the big boots of Dhawan till the time he comes back (if at all in this tournament). "Obviously Shikhar and Rohit for the last three or four years have been such a dangerous combination having done so well. They have owned those positions. I had to wait for my chance and I am just happy that I got to bat in the top of the order," Rahul told reporters in the mixed zone. However, during their stand of 136, there were a couple of occasions when Rohit could have nearly got run out primarily because of the lack of communication between the two. But the champion opener is game for this new challenge as that's what international cricket is all about, clearing new obstacles every passing day. "These are the sort of challenges you face - the understanding of when he wants to run that two when I want to take that single, and things like that. These are very small little things, but of course, eventually, they add up to a whole lot for the team because at that point we never wanted to get run out. That was the last thing in our mind to do that," said Rohit. But since they batted for nearly 24 overs (23.5 to be precise), they had communicated a lot and it's only going to improve from here on, feels Rohit. "But we had a lot of communication (during the game against Pakistan) while we were batting, so slowly we will build on it. Now that I know he's going to open for the next few games as well,'' Rohit said. "So that conversation between us is really, really important, and I hope that continues because it's going to only help both of us," Rohit added. For Rahul, the biggest challenge against Pakistan was to play out Mohammed Amir's first spell, which they did with a fair degree of success. "Look I mean, with the new ball against any bowler, you have to see off the first few overs and didn't know what to expect from the wicket as it was under covers for the first two days. It was important that we saw off the first spell," the talented Karnataka batsman said. Amir, whether it was Champions Trophy final in 2017 or the Asia Cup T20, a year before that, he had always struck in the very first over that he bowled but this time around the Indians had done their homework. "We needed to focus from ball one as he has earlier done damage in the first over itself. We were switched on from ball one and we didn't take too many chances in the first few overs. We gave their bowlers and the ball the respect it deserved and carried on from there," Rahul said.

Rohit Sharma wants to create same level of understanding with KL Rahul, as he has with Shikhar Dhawan

<p>India's Kuldeep Yadav admitted bowling Pakistan batsman Babar Azam in the World Cup with a magical delivery that tossed and turned was a "dream" for any spinner.</p>

<p>Yadav returned figures of 2-32 with his left-arm wrist spin to play a key role in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-beat-pakistan-by-89-runs-at-world-cup-227784">India's 89-run victory</a> via DLS over arch-rivals Pakistan in Manchester on Sunday.</p>

<p>Yadav got Azam bowled through the gate -&nbsp;the ball nipping between bat and pad - for 48 to end a 104-run second wicket stand involving Fakhar Zaman, who top scored with 62.</p>

<p>"Getting Babar Azam out was the best delivery for me in this tournament. I got him out in the Asia Cup as well," Yadav told reporters.</p>

<p>"After the rain break, I went back and watched that delivery. It had drift and turn, so any spinner will love that delivery. It's a proper dream delivery and a proper Test delivery. Deceiving the batsman in the air and making him commit the mistake. A perfect delivery," he said with a smile.</p>

<p>He struck again in his next over to send the left-handed Fakhar packing after the batsman played against the spin to give away a catch at short fine leg.</p>

<p>Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya also took two wickets each to restrict Pakistan to 212 for six in a failed chase for their revised target of 302 in 40 overs.</p>

<p>"Both Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman play spin well. They were rotating the strike and were attacking, so it was important to break that partnership," said Yadav.</p>

<p>"Getting Babar out and then another wicket put them under pressure and according to DLS they needed a very high run-rate and that was a plus point for us," he said.</p>

<p>Pundits had raised doubts about Yadav's performance in the World Cup after coming off an ordinary show in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.</p>

<p>But the 24-year-old spinner has held his own with 1-46 against South Africa and a breakthrough performance against Pakistan.</p>

<p>"Everyone is talking about my rhythm. I don't think I lost my rhythm. It happens when you don't pick wickets but the last three games I have bowled really well," he said.</p>

<p>"In the game against Australia they were struggling to hit me and that's important for any spinner," Yadav added.</p>

<p>India vice-captain <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/milestone-men-rohit-sharma-kl-rahul-ensure-indias-maiden-century-partnership-against-pakistan-in-world-cup-227611">Rohit Sharma </a>stood out with his 140 off 113 deliveries during India's 336 for five in 50 overs.</p>

<p>But Sharma was quick to praise Yadav for his key strikes in the Pakistan innings.</p>

<p>"He's our match-winning bowler in that middle over the phase, and today also you saw how important those crucial wickets were," said <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indias-six-symbol-rohit-sharma-hits-most-sixes-beats-dhonis-record-227634">Sharma</a>.</p>

<p>"Both the batsmen were set. Of course, he didn't start the tournament the way he would like to, but for us as a group around him, our job is to just make sure that he gets that confidence, he gets that backing from the team," Sharma added.</p>

<p>Yadav has claimed 90 wickets from 47 ODI matches since his debut in 2017.</p>


India's Kuldeep Yadav admitted bowling Pakistan batsman Babar Azam in the World Cup with a magical delivery that tossed and turned was a "dream" for any spinner.

India's Kuldeep Yadav admitted bowling Pakistan batsman Babar Azam in the World Cup with a magical delivery that tossed and turned was a "dream" for any spinner. Yadav returned figures of 2-32 with his left-arm wrist spin to play a key role in India's 89-run victory via DLS over arch-rivals Pakistan in Manchester on Sunday. Yadav got Azam bowled through the gate - the ball nipping between bat and pad - for 48 to end a 104-run second wicket stand involving Fakhar Zaman, who top scored with 62. "Getting Babar Azam out was the best delivery for me in this tournament. I got him out in the Asia Cup as well," Yadav told reporters. "After the rain break, I went back and watched that delivery. It had drift and turn, so any spinner will love that delivery. It's a proper dream delivery and a proper Test delivery. Deceiving the batsman in the air and making him commit the mistake. A perfect delivery," he said with a smile. He struck again in his next over to send the left-handed Fakhar packing after the batsman played against the spin to give away a catch at short fine leg. Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya also took two wickets each to restrict Pakistan to 212 for six in a failed chase for their revised target of 302 in 40 overs. "Both Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman play spin well. They were rotating the strike and were attacking, so it was important to break that partnership," said Yadav. "Getting Babar out and then another wicket put them under pressure and according to DLS they needed a very high run-rate and that was a plus point for us," he said. Pundits had raised doubts about Yadav's performance in the World Cup after coming off an ordinary show in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament. But the 24-year-old spinner has held his own with 1-46 against South Africa and a breakthrough performance against Pakistan. "Everyone is talking about my rhythm. I don't think I lost my rhythm. It happens when you don't pick wickets but the last three games I have bowled really well," he said. "In the game against Australia they were struggling to hit me and that's important for any spinner," Yadav added. India vice-captain Rohit Sharma stood out with his 140 off 113 deliveries during India's 336 for five in 50 overs. But Sharma was quick to praise Yadav for his key strikes in the Pakistan innings. "He's our match-winning bowler in that middle over the phase, and today also you saw how important those crucial wickets were," said Sharma. "Both the batsmen were set. Of course, he didn't start the tournament the way he would like to, but for us as a group around him, our job is to just make sure that he gets that confidence, he gets that backing from the team," Sharma added. Yadav has claimed 90 wickets from 47 ODI matches since his debut in 2017.

World Cup: Getting Babar Azam out was 'dream' delivery, says India's Kuldeep Yadav

Key battles in India vs Pakistan Cricket World Cup clash

From Miandad's on-field antics to Tendulkar's brilliance, throwback to India and Pakistan's World Cup history

<p>Virat Kohli-led&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/harbhajan-singh-warns-india-stars-to-expect-sleepless-night-as-pakistan-loom-227275">India will take on Pakistan</a>&nbsp;in one of the most anticipated clashes in the Cricket World Cup 2019 tomorrow at Manchester cricket ground.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The ongoing edition of the World Cup&nbsp;has had the poorest weather. It&nbsp;has already created a record of becoming the most rain-affected World Cup with four matches, so far,&nbsp;being washed out.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
India's previous match against New Zealand&nbsp;was the most recent match to be called off due to rain at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The match was abandoned without a single ball being bowled.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Now, all eyes will be on India's next clash which is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-far-better-than-pakistan-will-beat-them-7-out-of-10-times-kapil-dev-227228">against arch-rivals Pakistan</a>&nbsp;and it is expected that it will&nbsp;also be affected by rain, as light showers are predicted in Manchester.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The conditions are expected to be overcast through the day, with rain to disturb play at least a couple of times.</p>

<p>Showers are predicted at around 10:00 am GMT and between 3:00 to 5:00 pm GMT.<br />
<br />
A full 50-over a side game is unlikely but it's a sigh of relief for the fans as there will at least be a match played.<br />
<br />
The sun is expected to come out briefly, but the cloud cover will be seen throughout the day.<br />
<br />
Players, coaches and fans have slammed the ICC over no reserve days kept for the league stage matches but the ICC has responded saying it would have not been possible logistically.</p>


Virat Kohli-led India will take on Pakistan in one of the most anticipated clashes in the Cricket World Cup 2019 tomorrow at Manchester cricket ground. The ongoing edition of the World Cup has had the poorest weather.

Virat Kohli-led India will take on Pakistan in one of the most anticipated clashes in the Cricket World Cup 2019 tomorrow at Manchester cricket ground. The ongoing edition of the World Cup has had the poorest weather. It has already created a record of becoming the most rain-affected World Cup with four matches, so far, being washed out. India's previous match against New Zealand was the most recent match to be called off due to rain at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The match was abandoned without a single ball being bowled. Now, all eyes will be on India's next clash which is against arch-rivals Pakistan and it is expected that it will also be affected by rain, as light showers are predicted in Manchester. The conditions are expected to be overcast through the day, with rain to disturb play at least a couple of times. Showers are predicted at around 10:00 am GMT and between 3:00 to 5:00 pm GMT. A full 50-over a side game is unlikely but it's a sigh of relief for the fans as there will at least be a match played. The sun is expected to come out briefly, but the cloud cover will be seen throughout the day. Players, coaches and fans have slammed the ICC over no reserve days kept for the league stage matches but the ICC has responded saying it would have not been possible logistically.

World Cup: Manchester weather forecast for India vs Pakistan clash

World Cup: Key players to watch out for in India vs Pakistan clash

<p>Pakistan must go back to their Champions Trophy triumph for inspiration and then look for early wickets in their World Cup encounter against arch-rivals India, suggests former captain Waqar Younis.</p>

<p>Bitter foes India and Pakistan lock horns in the tournament's one of the most anticipated matches at the Old Trafford on Sunday.</p>

<p>"It's simple - if Pakistan want to stay in the tournament, they have to bring an 'A-plus' performance and win that game," Waqar said in his column for the ICC.</p>

<p>"When <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-high-pressure-india-game-a-must-win-for-pakistan-says-imam-ul-haq-226750">Pakistan play India</a> it's always a huge game, but their meeting on Sunday is shaping up to be more crucial than ever," Waqar said.</p>

<p>While he did not read much into India's all-win record against Pakistan in the World Cup, the pace great urged his country to look up to the title triumph in the 2017 Champions Trophy, where they beat India in the final.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Pakistan have got to take positives out of what they did to India in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy a couple of years ago. They must think positively going into this game. I hope they have got their best game in the locker for India, who showed against Australia that they are a very fine side," Waqar, one of the best fast bowlers of his time, said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to the former captain and coach, picking up early wickets could be key to Pakistan's chances.</p>

<p>"What I have seen in this World Cup so far is that if you don't pick up early wickets, you're in trouble. The new ball is so crucial and openers are being more careful in the first ten overs this year," said Waqar.</p>

<p>"They're <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/we-need-to-overcome-mistakes-to-beat-india-says-sarfaraz-after-australia-defeat-226683">not really going full throttle</a>, they are being a bit more watchful. Once you don't lose any wickets early on, it becomes easier because the ball doesn't swing and batting becomes easier," Waqar said.</p>

<p>Waqar believes Pakistan were done in by the new ball, in both batting bowling, against Australia on Wednesday.</p>

<p>"It was with the new ball, in both batting and bowling, that I felt Pakistan missed a trick in their entertaining defeat to Australia at Taunton. Early on, we were not really sharp enough and Sarfaraz Ahmed was not on his toes. Mohammad Amir didn't get any support from the other end,"&nbsp;Waqar said.</p>

<p>Returning his best ODI figures of 5/30, Amir staged a fine comeback to stop Australia's charge at 307.</p>

<p>"No-one really saw the comeback coming and for that, you have to take your hat off to Amir. Full marks to him for the way he bowled. Even with the new ball, I thought he bowled quite nicely. He could have picked up more than five wickets in the end. He was unfortunate with a couple of nicks early on," said Waqar.</p>

<p>"Pakistan pulled it back very nicely. They were sharp after 25 overs and started picking up wickets. They found the right lengths," he said.</p>

<p>His praise for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/mohammad-amir-confessed-to-spot-fixing-after-shahid-afridi-slapped-him-abdul-razzaq-226584">Amir</a>, who was not initially included in Pakistan's World Cup squad, did not end there.</p>

<p>"Amir bowled superbly. He showed us all his cutters, variations and short-pitched deliveries. I think we all know Amir is mentally very, very strong. He showed once again that class is permanent? he is no doubt a match-winner," he added.</p>

<p>Regarding team combination, Waqar felt there could be changes for Sunday's game.</p>

<p>"It may be that Mickey Arthur looks at changing the team for Sunday. I spoke to Mickey in Taunton and he is thinking in terms of horses for courses, and I agree with him to an extent. The pitch there was good for pacers and he rightly went with four of them. The issue was not the nature of the plan, but the execution,"&nbsp;Waqar said.</p>

<p>Waqar was in favour of dropping spin-bowling all-rounder Shoaib Malik.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Shadab is the key man in this side and I think they will look to bring him back against India. They might go for five bowlers, use four pacers and Shadab and drop someone like Shoaib Malik," he said.</p>

<p>"Going from a defeat to playing the old rivalry against India isn't going to be easy. India probably watched the Australia game very closely and know what needs to be done. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-2019-match-17-australia-vs-pakistan-226457">Pakistan </a>need to lift themselves up and I hope they bring their best on Sunday," said&nbsp;Waqar.&nbsp;</p>


Pakistan must go back to their Champions Trophy triumph for inspiration and then look for early wickets in their World Cup encounter against arch-rivals India, suggests former captain Waqar Younis.

Pakistan must go back to their Champions Trophy triumph for inspiration and then look for early wickets in their World Cup encounter against arch-rivals India, suggests former captain Waqar Younis. Bitter foes India and Pakistan lock horns in the tournament's one of the most anticipated matches at the Old Trafford on Sunday. "It's simple - if Pakistan want to stay in the tournament, they have to bring an 'A-plus' performance and win that game," Waqar said in his column for the ICC. "When Pakistan play India it's always a huge game, but their meeting on Sunday is shaping up to be more crucial than ever," Waqar said. While he did not read much into India's all-win record against Pakistan in the World Cup, the pace great urged his country to look up to the title triumph in the 2017 Champions Trophy, where they beat India in the final. "Pakistan have got to take positives out of what they did to India in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy a couple of years ago. They must think positively going into this game. I hope they have got their best game in the locker for India, who showed against Australia that they are a very fine side," Waqar, one of the best fast bowlers of his time, said. According to the former captain and coach, picking up early wickets could be key to Pakistan's chances. "What I have seen in this World Cup so far is that if you don't pick up early wickets, you're in trouble. The new ball is so crucial and openers are being more careful in the first ten overs this year," said Waqar. "They're not really going full throttle, they are being a bit more watchful. Once you don't lose any wickets early on, it becomes easier because the ball doesn't swing and batting becomes easier," Waqar said. Waqar believes Pakistan were done in by the new ball, in both batting bowling, against Australia on Wednesday. "It was with the new ball, in both batting and bowling, that I felt Pakistan missed a trick in their entertaining defeat to Australia at Taunton. Early on, we were not really sharp enough and Sarfaraz Ahmed was not on his toes. Mohammad Amir didn't get any support from the other end," Waqar said. Returning his best ODI figures of 5/30, Amir staged a fine comeback to stop Australia's charge at 307. "No-one really saw the comeback coming and for that, you have to take your hat off to Amir. Full marks to him for the way he bowled. Even with the new ball, I thought he bowled quite nicely. He could have picked up more than five wickets in the end. He was unfortunate with a couple of nicks early on," said Waqar. "Pakistan pulled it back very nicely. They were sharp after 25 overs and started picking up wickets. They found the right lengths," he said. His praise for Amir, who was not initially included in Pakistan's World Cup squad, did not end there. "Amir bowled superbly. He showed us all his cutters, variations and short-pitched deliveries. I think we all know Amir is mentally very, very strong. He showed once again that class is permanent? he is no doubt a match-winner," he added. Regarding team combination, Waqar felt there could be changes for Sunday's game. "It may be that Mickey Arthur looks at changing the team for Sunday. I spoke to Mickey in Taunton and he is thinking in terms of horses for courses, and I agree with him to an extent. The pitch there was good for pacers and he rightly went with four of them. The issue was not the nature of the plan, but the execution," Waqar said. Waqar was in favour of dropping spin-bowling all-rounder Shoaib Malik. "Shadab is the key man in this side and I think they will look to bring him back against India. They might go for five bowlers, use four pacers and Shadab and drop someone like Shoaib Malik," he said. "Going from a defeat to playing the old rivalry against India isn't going to be easy. India probably watched the Australia game very closely and know what needs to be done. Pakistan need to lift themselves up and I hope they bring their best on Sunday," said Waqar.

World Cup: Pakistan must bring their A game against India, says Waqar Younis

<p>At least 10 terrorists, who had crossed over to Pakistan, set up businesses across the border with the active aid of ISI and were involved in the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-deplores-indias-decision-to-suspend-cross-loc-trade-212250&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj76tDQp-jhAhVE7nMBHWQbD74QFggIMAE&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0fEgkdR_is0yM-NW1Hj5CU">recently suspended cross LoC trade</a> to provide funds to terrorists and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.</p>

<p>These Jammu and Kashmir natives are either based in Islamabad and Rawalpindi in Pakistan or Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and operate businesses ranging from almonds, dry dates, dry fruits to mangoes as part of the modus operandi to send money to fuel unrest in Jammu and Kashmir on behalf of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, they said.</p>

<p>"These 10 terrorists were using&nbsp;the cross-LoC trade between Jammu and Kashmir and PoK to fund terrorists and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir," a senior security official said.</p>

<p>India last week indefinitely suspended cross-LoC trade at two points along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir following reports that it was being "misused" by elements from across the border to smuggle weapons, narcotics and fake currency.</p>

<p>The LoC trade across Chakan-Da-Bagh and Salamabad was intended as a confidence-building measure for the population living in Jammu and Kashmir and across the Line of Control (LoC) in PoK.</p>

<p>Security officials also gave details of the 10 terrorists and their businesses which were involved in the cross LoC trade.</p>

<p>Mehrajuddin Bhat, a resident of Tral, had gone to Pakistan to join terrorism&nbsp;about a decade ago. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Presently staying in Rawalpindi, Bhat set up 'Mehrajuddin Traders' to get involved in the cross LoC trade.</p>

<p>Mehrajuddin's brother is also a registered LoC trader on the Indian side at the Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) at Uri.</p>

<p>Nazir Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Pampore, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined terrorism.</p>

<p>Presently staying in Islamabad, he runs the business through his firms the 'New Kashmir Traders' and 'New Kashmir Firm'.</p>

<p>Basharat Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Budgam, had crossed over to Pakistan years ago and had joined terrorism.</p>

<p>Presently staying in Rawalpindi, Bhat runs his business through the 'Al Nasir Trading Company'.</p>

<p>Showkat Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Budgam, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined terrorism.</p>

<p>Presently staying in Rawalpindi, Showkat's trading firm was 'Taha Enterprises'.</p>

<p>Noor Mohammad, who hails from Budgam, had crossed over to Pakistan more than a decade ago and joined terrorism.</p>

<p>Presently staying in Rawalpindi, Noor runs the business through his company 'Al Noor'.</p>

<p>Khursheed, a resident of Srinagar, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined terrorism about eight years ago.</p>

<p>Now living in Islamabad, he operates the business through M/s Khursheed and Sons.</p>

<p>Imtiyaz Ahmed, who was originally from Budgam, had crossed over to Pakistan about seven years ago.</p>

<p>Now staying in Muzaffarabad and was involved in the cross LoC trade through 'MIK Traders' and 'M/s Imtiyaz Traders'.</p>

<p>Amir, a resident of Pattan in Baramulla, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined the terrorism.</p>

<p>Presently living in Rawalpindi, Amir was an active LoC trader.</p>

<p>Azaz Rehmani, who hails from Baramulla, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined terrorism.</p>

<p>Presently staying in Muzaffarabad, Azaz has set up business entities in Muzaffarabad and Islamabad.</p>

<p>Shabbir Illahi, who was originally from Sopore, has been an active member of Hizbul Mujahideen.</p>

<p>He was involved in the cross LoC trade through his firm 'MN Trading Company'.</p>

<p>"The direct involvement of terrorists in the cross LoC trade and their contribution to fund terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir was one of the reasons to suspend cross LoC trade," another official said.</p>

<p>The government will revisit the issue of resuming the LoC trade after stricter measures and systems are put in place to address these issues.</p>

<p>New measures are expected to restore the benefit of LoC trade to local population only, rather than allowing terrorist organisations and unscrupulous traders based far away from these trading points to syphon off benefits and fuel instability in the valley, the official said.&nbsp;</p>


At least 10 terrorists, who had crossed over to Pakistan, set up businesses across the border with the active aid of ISI and were involved in the recently suspended cross LoC trade to provide funds to terrorists and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

At least 10 terrorists, who had crossed over to Pakistan, set up businesses across the border with the active aid of ISI and were involved in the recently suspended cross LoC trade to provide funds to terrorists and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. These Jammu and Kashmir natives are either based in Islamabad and Rawalpindi in Pakistan or Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and operate businesses ranging from almonds, dry dates, dry fruits to mangoes as part of the modus operandi to send money to fuel unrest in Jammu and Kashmir on behalf of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, they said. "These 10 terrorists were using the cross-LoC trade between Jammu and Kashmir and PoK to fund terrorists and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir," a senior security official said. India last week indefinitely suspended cross-LoC trade at two points along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir following reports that it was being "misused" by elements from across the border to smuggle weapons, narcotics and fake currency. The LoC trade across Chakan-Da-Bagh and Salamabad was intended as a confidence-building measure for the population living in Jammu and Kashmir and across the Line of Control (LoC) in PoK. Security officials also gave details of the 10 terrorists and their businesses which were involved in the cross LoC trade. Mehrajuddin Bhat, a resident of Tral, had gone to Pakistan to join terrorism about a decade ago. Presently staying in Rawalpindi, Bhat set up 'Mehrajuddin Traders' to get involved in the cross LoC trade. Mehrajuddin's brother is also a registered LoC trader on the Indian side at the Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) at Uri. Nazir Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Pampore, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined terrorism. Presently staying in Islamabad, he runs the business through his firms the 'New Kashmir Traders' and 'New Kashmir Firm'. Basharat Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Budgam, had crossed over to Pakistan years ago and had joined terrorism. Presently staying in Rawalpindi, Bhat runs his business through the 'Al Nasir Trading Company'. Showkat Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Budgam, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined terrorism. Presently staying in Rawalpindi, Showkat's trading firm was 'Taha Enterprises'. Noor Mohammad, who hails from Budgam, had crossed over to Pakistan more than a decade ago and joined terrorism. Presently staying in Rawalpindi, Noor runs the business through his company 'Al Noor'. Khursheed, a resident of Srinagar, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined terrorism about eight years ago. Now living in Islamabad, he operates the business through M/s Khursheed and Sons. Imtiyaz Ahmed, who was originally from Budgam, had crossed over to Pakistan about seven years ago. Now staying in Muzaffarabad and was involved in the cross LoC trade through 'MIK Traders' and 'M/s Imtiyaz Traders'. Amir, a resident of Pattan in Baramulla, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined the terrorism. Presently living in Rawalpindi, Amir was an active LoC trader. Azaz Rehmani, who hails from Baramulla, had crossed over to Pakistan and joined terrorism. Presently staying in Muzaffarabad, Azaz has set up business entities in Muzaffarabad and Islamabad. Shabbir Illahi, who was originally from Sopore, has been an active member of Hizbul Mujahideen. He was involved in the cross LoC trade through his firm 'MN Trading Company'. "The direct involvement of terrorists in the cross LoC trade and their contribution to fund terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir was one of the reasons to suspend cross LoC trade," another official said. The government will revisit the issue of resuming the LoC trade after stricter measures and systems are put in place to address these issues. New measures are expected to restore the benefit of LoC trade to local population only, rather than allowing terrorist organisations and unscrupulous traders based far away from these trading points to syphon off benefits and fuel instability in the valley, the official said.

10 Kashmiri terrorists based in Pakistan involved in LoC trade, says officials

<p>Comedian Trevor Noah who faced criticism for his joke on the escalating tensions betweem Indian and Pakistan has now offered a clarification. 'The Daily Show' host recently took to Tiwtter to defend his comments and spoke about how he deals with pain through comedy.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
The 35-year-old comedian took to his Twitter handle to state that he finds it amazing that his joke about the conflict between the two countries is trending more 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.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">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.</p>
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) <a href="https://twitter.com/Trevornoah/status/1101931491481726976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>A Twitter user wrote, “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.”<br />
<br />
Noah responded to the tweet, saying, he uses comedy to “process pain and discomfort”, and added that he made jokes about his mother being shot in the head.<br />
<br />
“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,” he tweeted.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">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. <a href="https://t.co/OuVnkHyIfG">https://t.co/OuVnkHyIfG</a></p>
— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) <a href="https://twitter.com/Trevornoah/status/1101930597742596096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p><br />
‘The Daily Show’ host <a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/comedian-trevor-noah-slammed-for-making-fun-of-india-pakistan-tension-200469">faced backlash for the comments he made on the American satirical television show.</a> Noah, during an episode, tried to find humour in the rising tensions between India and Pakistan.<br />
<br />
In the video, which was shared widely on social media, Noah said that while he hopes India and Pakistan do not go to war, it would be the "most entertaining" war if they did.He also did an impression of a soldier singing and dancing like a Bollywood star.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Mocking army personnel, Noah likened their war cry to Punjabi songs.Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker later took to Twitter to call out the comedian and told him that neither is war `funny`, nor Hindi `gibberish.`&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Comedian Mallika Dua too slammed Noah over his remarks.The comedian, however, is not new to controversy.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
`The Daily Show` host recently introduced the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/trevor-noahs-wakanda-oscars-routine-comic-relief-for-south-africans-199693">best picture nominee `Black Panther` at the Oscars </a>and had some fun with the idea that people think the fictional setting of the country of Wakanda is real.<br />
<br />
Noah joked about knowing the movie`s main character, T`Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman and said, that growing up as a young boy in Wakanda, he would see T`Challa flying over their village, and he would remind them of a great Xhosa phrase, adding, "He says `abelungu abazi uba ndiyaxoka` -- which means, `In times like these, we are stronger when we fight together than when we try to fight apart.`"<br />
<br />
However, those who know the dialogue realised Noah actually said, "White people don`t know I`m lying."&nbsp;</p>


Comedian Trevor Noah who faced criticism for his joke on the escalating tensions betweem Indian and Pakistan has now offered a clarification. 'The Daily Show' host recently took to Tiwtter to defend his comments and spoke about how he deals with pain through comedy.

Comedian Trevor Noah who faced criticism for his joke on the escalating tensions betweem Indian and Pakistan has now offered a clarification. 'The Daily Show' host recently took to Tiwtter to defend his comments and spoke about how he deals with pain through comedy. The 35-year-old comedian took to his Twitter handle to state that he finds it amazing that his joke about the conflict between the two countries is trending more 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. 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. — Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) March 2, 2019 × A Twitter user wrote, “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.” Noah responded to the tweet, saying, he uses comedy to “process pain and discomfort”, and added that he made jokes 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,” he tweeted. 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. https://t.co/OuVnkHyIfG — Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) March 2, 2019 × ‘The Daily Show’ host faced backlash for the comments he made on the American satirical television show. Noah, during an episode, tried to find humour in the rising tensions between India and Pakistan. In the video, which was shared widely on social media, Noah said that while he hopes India and Pakistan do not go to war, it would be the "most entertaining" war if they did.He also did an impression of a soldier singing and dancing like a Bollywood star. Mocking army personnel, Noah likened their war cry to Punjabi songs.Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker later took to Twitter to call out the comedian and told him that neither is war `funny`, nor Hindi `gibberish.` Comedian Mallika Dua too slammed Noah over his remarks.The comedian, however, is not new to controversy. `The Daily Show` host recently introduced the best picture nominee `Black Panther` at the Oscars and had some fun with the idea that people think the fictional setting of the country of Wakanda is real. Noah joked about knowing the movie`s main character, T`Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman and said, that growing up as a young boy in Wakanda, he would see T`Challa flying over their village, and he would remind them of a great Xhosa phrase, adding, "He says `abelungu abazi uba ndiyaxoka` -- which means, `In times like these, we are stronger when we fight together than when we try to fight apart.`" However, those who know the dialogue realised Noah actually said, "White people don`t know I`m lying."

Trevor Noah defends his comment on Indo-Pak war: People are more offended by the joke than the issue itself

<p>India has categorically said that the government will not allow Pakistan to change the mood of the nation, asking for the immediate release of the pilot who is in Pakistan's custody since Wednesday. The pilot was captured after his MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft, which was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-too-capable-of-operation-similar-to-us-action-against-osama-in-abbotabad-arun-jaitley-200163">pushing away Pakistani fighter jets</a> from Indian airspace, crashed into Pakistani territory.</p>

<p>"We will not allow a Kandahar this time," government sources said. "If they think they will hold us hostage with our captured defence personnel, this won't happen,"&nbsp; the sources added.</p>

<p>The statement assumes significance because India had to release Masood Azhar, the chief of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), after the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight was hijacked in 1999. The plane was taken from Kathmandu to Kandahar in Afghanistan. Azhar and other terrorists were released in exchange of 179 passengers and 11 crew members. The attack was reportedly planned and executed by Azhar's brother-in-law Yousuf Azhar, who India said was killed in the air strike by Indian Air Force's fighter jets on JeM camp in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/air-strike-heres-why-balakot-was-chosen-by-indian-air-force-199792">Pakistan's Balakot</a> on Tuesday.</p>

<p>"India wants Pakistan to immediately send back the Air Force personnel; New Delhi is not demanding consular access. We won't be negotiating any deal with Pakistan on him," the sources said.</p>

<p>New Delhi has given two strong demarches to Islamabad on the custody of its defence personnel and called for his humane treatment along with the immediate and early release.</p>

<p>Accusing Pakistan of creating a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-is-proud-of-its-armed-forces-and-stands-by-them-says-modi-200221">war hysteria</a>, sources said the government on Wednesday handed over to Pakistan a dossier on specific details of involvement of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in the Pulwama terror attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as also the presence of camps of the UN-proscribed terror outfit in that country.</p>

<p>The sources also said that four of the P5 countries - the permanent members of the UN Security Council - are firmly with India. The only exception is China. "China has taken an ambiguous position. We will make every effort to convince China. Other major countries also trying to convince China," the sources said.</p>

<p>The US, the UK and France have formally proposed listing of Masood Azhar, the chief of JeM, under the UN Security Council's terror list. India is lobbying with all 15 members of the UNSC.</p>

<p>Lashing out at Pakistan for sending its fighter jets in Indian airspace, the sources said that Pakistan Air Force specifically targeted Indian military facilities while the Indian jets only targeted the JeM terror camp.</p>

<p>The defence ministry officials had earlier said that the Indian Air Force pilot was ill-treated by the Pakistan Army in violation of the Geneva convention.</p>

<p>Service chiefs of the Navy, Army and Air Force will meet Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at 5pm today to discuss the strategy going forward.</p>

<p>India has made it clear that its focus is counter-terror, and New Delhi's strikes on UN-listed terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camps in Balakot, Pakistan, on Tuesday was to send across a message to Pakistan. In Indian strikes, no civilians or Pakistani military installations were targeted.</p>


India has categorically said that the government will not allow Pakistan to change the mood of the nation, asking for the immediate release of the pilot who is in Pakistan's custody since Wednesday.

India has categorically said that the government will not allow Pakistan to change the mood of the nation, asking for the immediate release of the pilot who is in Pakistan's custody since Wednesday. The pilot was captured after his MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft, which was pushing away Pakistani fighter jets from Indian airspace, crashed into Pakistani territory. "We will not allow a Kandahar this time," government sources said. "If they think they will hold us hostage with our captured defence personnel, this won't happen," the sources added. The statement assumes significance because India had to release Masood Azhar, the chief of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), after the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight was hijacked in 1999. The plane was taken from Kathmandu to Kandahar in Afghanistan. Azhar and other terrorists were released in exchange of 179 passengers and 11 crew members. The attack was reportedly planned and executed by Azhar's brother-in-law Yousuf Azhar, who India said was killed in the air strike by Indian Air Force's fighter jets on JeM camp in Pakistan's Balakot on Tuesday. "India wants Pakistan to immediately send back the Air Force personnel; New Delhi is not demanding consular access. We won't be negotiating any deal with Pakistan on him," the sources said. New Delhi has given two strong demarches to Islamabad on the custody of its defence personnel and called for his humane treatment along with the immediate and early release. Accusing Pakistan of creating a war hysteria, sources said the government on Wednesday handed over to Pakistan a dossier on specific details of involvement of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in the Pulwama terror attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as also the presence of camps of the UN-proscribed terror outfit in that country. The sources also said that four of the P5 countries - the permanent members of the UN Security Council - are firmly with India. The only exception is China. "China has taken an ambiguous position. We will make every effort to convince China. Other major countries also trying to convince China," the sources said. The US, the UK and France have formally proposed listing of Masood Azhar, the chief of JeM, under the UN Security Council's terror list. India is lobbying with all 15 members of the UNSC. Lashing out at Pakistan for sending its fighter jets in Indian airspace, the sources said that Pakistan Air Force specifically targeted Indian military facilities while the Indian jets only targeted the JeM terror camp. The defence ministry officials had earlier said that the Indian Air Force pilot was ill-treated by the Pakistan Army in violation of the Geneva convention. Service chiefs of the Navy, Army and Air Force will meet Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at 5pm today to discuss the strategy going forward. India has made it clear that its focus is counter-terror, and New Delhi's strikes on UN-listed terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camps in Balakot, Pakistan, on Tuesday was to send across a message to Pakistan. In Indian strikes, no civilians or Pakistani military installations were targeted.

Won't allow a Kandahar this time, Pakistan must immediately send our pilot back, says India

<p>Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said Tuesday that though<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/on-vajpayees-95th-birth-anniversary-memorial-sadaiv-atal-to-be-inaugurated-in-delhi-186260"> former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee</a> took a lot of initiatives to have a "proper friendship" with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/pakistan">Pakistan</a>, the latter has continued with its "old disease" of funding terror.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While addressing an event to commemorate the 94th birth anniversary of Vajpayee, Naidu said even Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited leaders of all SAARC countries for his swearing-in ceremony.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He recalled Vajpayee's statement that 'You can change your friends but you cannot change your neighbours. India wants to be friendly with all countries'.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"That is why Narendra Modi invited all SAARC countries for his swearing-in and all came. We want to have a friendship with all, including Pakistan. We can work together. We want to live together happily. We want to progress together but unfortunately, they are continuing with their old disease of aiding, inhabiting and funding terror. They must give it up," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lahore bus yatra, Agra Talk, even earlier Samjhauta Express all the initiatives were taken by Vajpayee to have a proper friendship with Pakistan, he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Naidu said Vajpayee led the country ably through difficult times. He said despite the world imposing restrictions on India, he successfully conducted nuclear tests in Pokhran in 1998, which was also depicted on the celluloid.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It was the time when the country gave a fitting reply in the Kargil war and also overcame devastation caused during the Gujarat earthquake in 2001. The attack on Parliament was a testimony to how dangerous cross-border terrorism could be," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The vice-president said the coming generations will remember Vajpayee for bringing connectivity revolution and paving the way for development and growth.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"He will be remembered after Sher Shah Suri for connectivity air connectivity, rail connectivity, rural connectivity, port connectivity... He brought such political connectivity in the country and brought 23 political parties of the country together," Naidu added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the importance of Good Governance Day that is being observed on the birth anniversary of Vajpayee, Naidu said taking care of the needs of the poor and downtrodden and keeping people at the centre of public administration was the key element of governance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A 'bhajan sandhya' was organised here on the occasion of birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away on August 16 this year. Singer Daler Mehndi rendered devotional songs on the occasion.&nbsp;</p>


Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said Tuesday that though former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a lot of initiatives to have a "proper friendship" with Pakistan, the latter has continued with its "old disease" of funding terror.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said Tuesday that though former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a lot of initiatives to have a "proper friendship" with Pakistan, the latter has continued with its "old disease" of funding terror. While addressing an event to commemorate the 94th birth anniversary of Vajpayee, Naidu said even Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited leaders of all SAARC countries for his swearing-in ceremony. He recalled Vajpayee's statement that 'You can change your friends but you cannot change your neighbours. India wants to be friendly with all countries'. "That is why Narendra Modi invited all SAARC countries for his swearing-in and all came. We want to have a friendship with all, including Pakistan. We can work together. We want to live together happily. We want to progress together but unfortunately, they are continuing with their old disease of aiding, inhabiting and funding terror. They must give it up," he said. Lahore bus yatra, Agra Talk, even earlier Samjhauta Express all the initiatives were taken by Vajpayee to have a proper friendship with Pakistan, he said. Naidu said Vajpayee led the country ably through difficult times. He said despite the world imposing restrictions on India, he successfully conducted nuclear tests in Pokhran in 1998, which was also depicted on the celluloid. "It was the time when the country gave a fitting reply in the Kargil war and also overcame devastation caused during the Gujarat earthquake in 2001. The attack on Parliament was a testimony to how dangerous cross-border terrorism could be," he said. The vice-president said the coming generations will remember Vajpayee for bringing connectivity revolution and paving the way for development and growth. "He will be remembered after Sher Shah Suri for connectivity air connectivity, rail connectivity, rural connectivity, port connectivity... He brought such political connectivity in the country and brought 23 political parties of the country together," Naidu added. On the importance of Good Governance Day that is being observed on the birth anniversary of Vajpayee, Naidu said taking care of the needs of the poor and downtrodden and keeping people at the centre of public administration was the key element of governance. A 'bhajan sandhya' was organised here on the occasion of birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away on August 16 this year. Singer Daler Mehndi rendered devotional songs on the occasion.

Pakistan has continued with its 'old disease' of funding terror: Venkaiah Naidu

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/pakistan">Pakistan</a> Prime Minister <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/harassment-of-indian-diplomats-returns-in-islamabad-185684">Imran Khan telephoned</a> UN chief Antonio Guterres and raised the issue of Kashmir, a UN spokesman has said. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary General, did not give further details about the conversation between Khan and Guterres.<br />
<br />
When asked by PTI to comment on India’s strong retort to Khan that Pakistan should mind its own business and that Kashmir is an integral part of India, Dujarric said, “Our position on Kashmir has been reiterated. There is an observer group as mandated by the Security Council,” He was referring to the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).<br />
<br />
Dujarric added that the Pakistani Prime Minister wanted to speak to the Secretary-General. “It’s only normal that the Secretary-General speaks to Heads of Governments and Heads of State and, as I said, I can confirm that the call took place and that the Prime Minister raised the issue of Kashmir,” Dujarric said.<br />
<br />
In a set of recent tweets, Khan said that “Kashmiris must be allowed to decide their future”. He also tweeted that Pakistan would raise the issue of India’s alleged human rights violations at the United Nations.&nbsp; External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar in response said that “the statements coming out from their side demonstrates the insincerity and duplicity”.<br />
<br />
The UNMOGIP was established in January 1949 and currently has a total of 118 UN and civilian staff. Following the India-Pakistan war in 1971 and a subsequent ceasefire agreement of December 17 of that year, the tasks of UNMOGIP have been to observe, to the extent possible, developments pertaining to the strict observance of the ceasefire and to report thereon to the Secretary-General.<br />
<br />
India has maintained that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Shimla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC).</p>


Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan telephoned UN chief Antonio Guterres and raised the issue of Kashmir, a UN spokesman has said. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary General, did not give further details about the conversation between Khan and Guterres.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan telephoned UN chief Antonio Guterres and raised the issue of Kashmir, a UN spokesman has said. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary General, did not give further details about the conversation between Khan and Guterres. When asked by PTI to comment on India’s strong retort to Khan that Pakistan should mind its own business and that Kashmir is an integral part of India, Dujarric said, “Our position on Kashmir has been reiterated. There is an observer group as mandated by the Security Council,” He was referring to the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP). Dujarric added that the Pakistani Prime Minister wanted to speak to the Secretary-General. “It’s only normal that the Secretary-General speaks to Heads of Governments and Heads of State and, as I said, I can confirm that the call took place and that the Prime Minister raised the issue of Kashmir,” Dujarric said. In a set of recent tweets, Khan said that “Kashmiris must be allowed to decide their future”. He also tweeted that Pakistan would raise the issue of India’s alleged human rights violations at the United Nations. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar in response said that “the statements coming out from their side demonstrates the insincerity and duplicity”. The UNMOGIP was established in January 1949 and currently has a total of 118 UN and civilian staff. Following the India-Pakistan war in 1971 and a subsequent ceasefire agreement of December 17 of that year, the tasks of UNMOGIP have been to observe, to the extent possible, developments pertaining to the strict observance of the ceasefire and to report thereon to the Secretary-General. India has maintained that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Shimla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC).

Pakistan PM Imran Khan raised Kashmir issue with UN chief, says UN spokesman

<p>India and Pakistan have both agreed to build the Kartarpur corridor on their respective sides of the border. The corridor will lead to Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kartarpur-sahib-pakistani-gurudwara-where-guru-nanak-spent-final-18-years-of-his-life-178745">Guru Nanak's final resting place</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India will build&nbsp;the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak gurudwara in Gurdaspur district till the International Border.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Announcing the cabinet decision, Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted: "The Kartarpur corridor will provide smooth and easy passage to pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib throughout the year."</p>

<p>India had approached the Pakistani high commission in Delhi and referred to the longstanding proposal to create the corridor to facilitate "easy and smooth" access for Indian pilgrims visiting the gurudwara. Kartarpur Sahib lies in Pakistan, just across the International Border.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Confirming India had approached Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement, "We have approached and urged the Pakistan government to recognize the sentiments of Sikh community and build a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory to &nbsp;facilitate easy and smooth visits of pilgrims from India to Kartarpur Sahib throughout the year".</p>

<p>India approached the Pakistani High Commission on Friday, the commission sent the letter to Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MOFA) on Monday. The Pak MOFA wrote to the Indian High Commission on Wednesday and the Indian High Commission sent the letter to the MEA on Thursday.</p>

<p>Later, at the cabinet briefing, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "All I can say is government of India has always been pursuing this matter."</p>

<p>The Kartarpur shrine is visible from Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak, where binoculars are installed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an integrated development project with Government of India funding. The development comes ahead of the 550th Prakash Purab or birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, top sources have told WION that India has requested that the corridor be open 365 days and 24 hours and that there must be no restrictions on the number of pilgrims travelling across the border. The Indian intention basically is that the corridor must be a full-fledged one that allows for maximum movement. The corridor should be open not just on special occasions but through the year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India also believes that Sikh pilgrims continue to make the difficult journey with no consular access and wants free and readily available consular access for Indian citizens on the Pakistani side.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was conducting a briefing when the Indian cabinet announced the decision, reacted by saying that good news will soon come on Kartarpur corridor.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Within a few hours, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan will "ground break" for the corridor on November 28. "Pakistan has already conveyed to India its decision to open Kartarpura Corridor for Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. PM Imran Khan will do break ground at Kartarpura facilities on 28th November. We welcome the Sikh community to Pakistan for this auspicious occasion."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Pakistan has already conveyed to India it's decision to open Kartarpura Corridor for Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. PM Imran Khan will do break ground at Kartarpura facilities on 28th November. We welcome the Sikh community to Pakistan for this auspicious occasion.</p>
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/SMQureshiPTI/status/1065544884973654016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also welcomed the decision with a tweet saying, "Indian Cabinet endorsement of Pakistan’s proposition on Kartarpur Border Opening is victory of peace lobby in both countries, its a step towards right direction and we hope such steps encourage voice of reasons and tranquillity on both sides of the border."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Indian Cabinet endorsement of Pakistan’s proposition on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KartarPurBorderOpening?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KartarPurBorderOpening</a> is victory of peace lobby in both countries, its a step towards right direction and we hope such steps ll encourage voice of reasons and tranquility on both sides of the border.</p>
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) <a href="https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry/status/1065532193987092480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Indian sources dismissed the idea that the corridor was planned in response to a Pakistani proposal, calling it "preposterous, but hurtful to the sentiments of the Sikh community." The proposal is a long-standing demand from the Indian side for more than 20 years, they said.</p>

<p><br />
The Kartarpur corridor issue got highlighted this year when Punjab Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu travelled to Pakistan for Imran Khan's swearing-in, and during which time he claimed Pakistani Army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa had suggested the opening of the corridor to him. (Sidhu had been slammed on his return for hugging the Pakistan Army chief.)&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Thursday, Sidhu tweeted, "I welcome this auspicious step by the Union Cabinet, it will be a cup of joy for 12 Crore ‘Nanak Naam Laivas.’ It will build bridges, burn animosity and will act like a soothing balm for two neighbouring countries."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I welcome this auspicious step by the Union Cabinet, it will be a cup of joy for 12 Crore ‘Nanak Naam Laivas.’ It will build bridges, burn animosity and will act like a soothing balm for two neighbouring countries. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GuruNanakJayanti?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GuruNanakJayanti</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kartarpurcorridor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kartarpurcorridor</a></p>
— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sherryontopp/status/1065517369529896960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Kartarpur Sahib is of immense significance for the Sikhs since Guru Nanak spent 18 years of his life here.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kartarpur is located in the Narowal district of Pakistani Punjab. It is about 120 kms from Lahore and is located only 3 kms from the Indo-Pakistan border by the Ravi river. At the time of partition, there were three gurdwaras in the border region which were of historical and religious importance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>India got two and Pakistan got one.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Dera Baba Nanak and Dera Chola Sahab are the two gurdwaras in India. Dera Kartarpur is in Pakistan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Welcoming the development, Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal said, "A long-standing demand on Kartarpur Corridor has been finally accepted by Modi Govt."</p>

<p>The forward movement on the Kartarpur corridor can be considered a big development since despite the India-Pakistan deadlock in talks, both New Delhi and Islamabad have been able to form a consensus on the issue.&nbsp;</p>


India and Pakistan have both agreed to build the Kartarpur corridor on their respective sides of the border. The corridor will lead to Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara, Guru Nanak's final resting place.

India and Pakistan have both agreed to build the Kartarpur corridor on their respective sides of the border. The corridor will lead to Kartarpur Sahib gurudwara, Guru Nanak's final resting place. India will build the Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak gurudwara in Gurdaspur district till the International Border. Announcing the cabinet decision, Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted: "The Kartarpur corridor will provide smooth and easy passage to pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib throughout the year." India had approached the Pakistani high commission in Delhi and referred to the longstanding proposal to create the corridor to facilitate "easy and smooth" access for Indian pilgrims visiting the gurudwara. Kartarpur Sahib lies in Pakistan, just across the International Border. Confirming India had approached Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement, "We have approached and urged the Pakistan government to recognize the sentiments of Sikh community and build a corridor with suitable facilities in their territory to facilitate easy and smooth visits of pilgrims from India to Kartarpur Sahib throughout the year". India approached the Pakistani High Commission on Friday, the commission sent the letter to Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MOFA) on Monday. The Pak MOFA wrote to the Indian High Commission on Wednesday and the Indian High Commission sent the letter to the MEA on Thursday. Later, at the cabinet briefing, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "All I can say is government of India has always been pursuing this matter." The Kartarpur shrine is visible from Gurdwara Dera Baba Nanak, where binoculars are installed. The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an integrated development project with Government of India funding. The development comes ahead of the 550th Prakash Purab or birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next year. Meanwhile, top sources have told WION that India has requested that the corridor be open 365 days and 24 hours and that there must be no restrictions on the number of pilgrims travelling across the border. The Indian intention basically is that the corridor must be a full-fledged one that allows for maximum movement. The corridor should be open not just on special occasions but through the year. India also believes that Sikh pilgrims continue to make the difficult journey with no consular access and wants free and readily available consular access for Indian citizens on the Pakistani side. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was conducting a briefing when the Indian cabinet announced the decision, reacted by saying that good news will soon come on Kartarpur corridor. Within a few hours, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan will "ground break" for the corridor on November 28. "Pakistan has already conveyed to India its decision to open Kartarpura Corridor for Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. PM Imran Khan will do break ground at Kartarpura facilities on 28th November. We welcome the Sikh community to Pakistan for this auspicious occasion." Pakistan has already conveyed to India it's decision to open Kartarpura Corridor for Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. PM Imran Khan will do break ground at Kartarpura facilities on 28th November. We welcome the Sikh community to Pakistan for this auspicious occasion. — Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) November 22, 2018 × Pakistan's Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also welcomed the decision with a tweet saying, "Indian Cabinet endorsement of Pakistan’s proposition on Kartarpur Border Opening is victory of peace lobby in both countries, its a step towards right direction and we hope such steps encourage voice of reasons and tranquillity on both sides of the border." Indian Cabinet endorsement of Pakistan’s proposition on #KartarPurBorderOpening is victory of peace lobby in both countries, its a step towards right direction and we hope such steps ll encourage voice of reasons and tranquility on both sides of the border. — Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) November 22, 2018 × Indian sources dismissed the idea that the corridor was planned in response to a Pakistani proposal, calling it "preposterous, but hurtful to the sentiments of the Sikh community." The proposal is a long-standing demand from the Indian side for more than 20 years, they said. The Kartarpur corridor issue got highlighted this year when Punjab Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu travelled to Pakistan for Imran Khan's swearing-in, and during which time he claimed Pakistani Army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa had suggested the opening of the corridor to him. (Sidhu had been slammed on his return for hugging the Pakistan Army chief.) On Thursday, Sidhu tweeted, "I welcome this auspicious step by the Union Cabinet, it will be a cup of joy for 12 Crore ‘Nanak Naam Laivas.’ It will build bridges, burn animosity and will act like a soothing balm for two neighbouring countries." I welcome this auspicious step by the Union Cabinet, it will be a cup of joy for 12 Crore ‘Nanak Naam Laivas.’ It will build bridges, burn animosity and will act like a soothing balm for two neighbouring countries. #GuruNanakJayanti #Kartarpurcorridor — Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) November 22, 2018 × Kartarpur Sahib is of immense significance for the Sikhs since Guru Nanak spent 18 years of his life here. Kartarpur is located in the Narowal district of Pakistani Punjab. It is about 120 kms from Lahore and is located only 3 kms from the Indo-Pakistan border by the Ravi river. At the time of partition, there were three gurdwaras in the border region which were of historical and religious importance. India got two and Pakistan got one. Dera Baba Nanak and Dera Chola Sahab are the two gurdwaras in India. Dera Kartarpur is in Pakistan. Welcoming the development, Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal said, "A long-standing demand on Kartarpur Corridor has been finally accepted by Modi Govt." The forward movement on the Kartarpur corridor can be considered a big development since despite the India-Pakistan deadlock in talks, both New Delhi and Islamabad have been able to form a consensus on the issue.

India-Pak agree to build Kartarpur corridor, Imran Khan to break ground on November 28

<p>A day after&nbsp;India&nbsp;called-off the proposed&nbsp;India-Pakistan&nbsp;Foreign Minister-level talks,&nbsp;Army Chief&nbsp;General&nbsp;Bipin Rawat&nbsp;has said that it is time to give it back to&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;in the same coin.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I think our government's policy has been quite clear and concise. We have made no bones about the fact that talks and terrorism can't go hand in hand.&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;needs to curb the menace of terrorism,"&nbsp;Bipin Rawat&nbsp;said here.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We need to take stern action to avenge the barbarism that terrorists and the&nbsp;Pakistan army have been carrying out. Yes, it is time to give it back to them in the same coin, not resorting to similar kind of barbarism. But I think the other side must also feel the same pain," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Asked about the use of Army in political campaigns,&nbsp;Bipin Rawat&nbsp;said, "I don't want to comment on the political issues. But, I will like to say that we are getting full cooperation. We are given freedom on how to carry out our operations. And, you can see its effect in Kashmir and North-East."&nbsp;</p>

<p>The&nbsp;Army Chief&nbsp;further stated that the&nbsp;Indian Army"&gt;Indian Army requires modern weapons on a continuous basis.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"There is a limit till which we can use a particular weapon, and as new technologies come, we also want them to be included in our forces. So buying of weapons continue," General Rawat said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The&nbsp;Army Chief's statement comes after&nbsp;Pakistan&nbsp;Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier today expressed discontent over the cancellation of the meeting.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Khan, in his tweet, said, "Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by&nbsp;India&nbsp;to my call for the resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture."&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Friday,&nbsp;India&nbsp;pulled out of the proposed meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her&nbsp;Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, hours after two Special Police Officers and one policeman in Jammu and Kashmir were kidnapped and brutally killed by the terrorists.</p>


A day after India called-off the proposed India-Pakistan Foreign Minister-level talks, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has said that it is time to give it back to Pakistan in the same coin.

A day after India called-off the proposed India-Pakistan Foreign Minister-level talks, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has said that it is time to give it back to Pakistan in the same coin. "I think our government's policy has been quite clear and concise. We have made no bones about the fact that talks and terrorism can't go hand in hand. Pakistan needs to curb the menace of terrorism," Bipin Rawat said here. "We need to take stern action to avenge the barbarism that terrorists and the Pakistan army have been carrying out. Yes, it is time to give it back to them in the same coin, not resorting to similar kind of barbarism. But I think the other side must also feel the same pain," he added. Asked about the use of Army in political campaigns, Bipin Rawat said, "I don't want to comment on the political issues. But, I will like to say that we are getting full cooperation. We are given freedom on how to carry out our operations. And, you can see its effect in Kashmir and North-East." The Army Chief further stated that the Indian Army">Indian Army requires modern weapons on a continuous basis. "There is a limit till which we can use a particular weapon, and as new technologies come, we also want them to be included in our forces. So buying of weapons continue," General Rawat said. The Army Chief's statement comes after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier today expressed discontent over the cancellation of the meeting. Khan, in his tweet, said, "Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by India to my call for the resumption of the peace dialogue. However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture." On Friday, India pulled out of the proposed meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, hours after two Special Police Officers and one policeman in Jammu and Kashmir were kidnapped and brutally killed by the terrorists.

Time to give it back to Pakistan in same coin, says Bipin Rawat

<p>Indian decision makers were too quick to be influenced by Imran Khan’s letter to Prime Minister Modi, calling for resumption of peace dialogue, by announcing the “Meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on the side lines of UNGA later this month”. It was also clarified by MEA that “There was no change in its policy that talks and terror couldn’t go together”. Within a day, MEA on Friday announced calling off the meeting citing the two incidents - release of stamps to glorify terrorists and mutilation of the body of soldier in BAT action. In a sensitive subject involving public sentiments and having security implications, the fumble represents a lack of understanding of security issues by the people involved in it. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Imran's compulsion for writing letter to PM Modi</strong></p>

<p>It is not difficult to understand that unless Pakistan shows some credible actions, it may get further punishment from Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which might declare it black. It would pose insurmountable economic problems for newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan. A peace initiative like this can thus be an optical mirage to suggest that he is trying his best.</p>

<p>Even if we leave out the two incidents, and assess if terror activities/proxy war has reduced after his taking over as Prime Minister or otherwise, the answer is a clear NO. It is well known that he is a puppet Prime Minister propped up by Pakistan Army, which holds all levers of power. An active Indo–Pak border/LoC is Pakistan Army’s existential requirement to hold power which it will not compromise.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A pressure by US/China and loaning agencies like IMF could be another reason for initiating such a letter. The fact that the courts have allowed Hafiz Saeed to start business as usual, over-ruling the government indicates Imran’s inability in reigning UN declared terrorists. The courts in Pakistan have also acted at the behest of Army, which is proved by the fact that Nawaz Sharif is now out, when he is harmless to the Army.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Can India pin high hopes on Imran Khan?</strong></p>

<p>In my opinion, India could try Imran’s experiment with peace. To experiment with him, his initiative has to be preceded with few steps like no ceasefire violations, no support to terrorist, taking immediate action on UN declared terrorists and convincing not only India but FATF, the US and global community of having done so.&nbsp;</p>

<p>When many diplomats/strategists and the establishment were justifying the meeting, they tried to explain the difference meeting and dialogue, justifying no change in Indian stance, but the letter of Imran Khan clearly indicated what he expected to be spoken in the meeting. It will be naïve to assume that it could have been a meeting with no issues of divergences discussed, ending with pleasantries and future plan of dialogue.</p>

<p>Even in informal meetings between leaders earlier, all issues of divergences were discussed. In fact, we should have understood that even if meeting was done as explained, we would have lost out in giving them a point to score in FATF and General Assembly. It is encouraging to see that a midcourse correction of cancellation of meeting took place.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>What do we do to deter Pakistan from proxy war? &nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>To deter a neighbour to stop proxy war, there is a need to have a clear National aim, National Strategy, Comprehensive National Power and the will to use it. For many decades, it has been seen that the need for hard power has been underplayed by diplomats/bureaucrats, who have been able to convince the political hierarchy that diplomacy can resolve security issues and relevance of military forces stands considerably reduced.</p>

<p>This is a major departure from basic teachings of Chanakya that no nation can be strong and secure without a strong military. This has resulted in inadequate defence budget, bulk of which is consumed by bloating, inefficient, defence civilians and inadequate modernisation taking away the conventional edge required to deter the notorious neighbor.</p>

<p>Politicisation of defence matters like surgical strikes, defence procurements by all politicians looking at political aim instead of national aim, has slowed down the pace of modernisation. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>In fact not many decision makers understand the basic difference between Para-military forces, which are protective forces trained and equipped accordingly, and Defence Forces, which are the punch of the country, instruments of last resort, trained and equipped to project national power across the IB/LoC.</p>

<p>The confusion is evident from the fact that Defence forces are increasingly being employed for internal security and being targeted by legal and Human Right fraternity. The consistent lowering of the status of Defence Forces for decades confirms this confusion.</p>

<p>The end result is that the adversary is not deterred and continues with proxy war. Even within the country in border areas like Kashmir, the political games have not allowed to deal with internal enemies like separatists, which have created conditions for proxy war to succeed.</p>

<p>India therefore urgently needs to do the capacity building of its military and deal firmly with separatists, not in the form of speeches but convictions. India also needs to apply some lessons of the history of 1962 debacle due to lack of military advise and success of 1971 War due to direct military advice to decision makers, by getting some military specialists in the decision-making loop.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


Indian decision makers were too quick to be influenced by Imran Khan’s letter to Prime Minister Modi, calling for resumption of peace dialogue, by announcing the “Meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on the side lines of UNGA later this month”.

Indian decision makers were too quick to be influenced by Imran Khan’s letter to Prime Minister Modi, calling for resumption of peace dialogue, by announcing the “Meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on the side lines of UNGA later this month”. It was also clarified by MEA that “There was no change in its policy that talks and terror couldn’t go together”. Within a day, MEA on Friday announced calling off the meeting citing the two incidents - release of stamps to glorify terrorists and mutilation of the body of soldier in BAT action. In a sensitive subject involving public sentiments and having security implications, the fumble represents a lack of understanding of security issues by the people involved in it. Imran's compulsion for writing letter to PM Modi It is not difficult to understand that unless Pakistan shows some credible actions, it may get further punishment from Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which might declare it black. It would pose insurmountable economic problems for newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan. A peace initiative like this can thus be an optical mirage to suggest that he is trying his best. Even if we leave out the two incidents, and assess if terror activities/proxy war has reduced after his taking over as Prime Minister or otherwise, the answer is a clear NO. It is well known that he is a puppet Prime Minister propped up by Pakistan Army, which holds all levers of power. An active Indo–Pak border/LoC is Pakistan Army’s existential requirement to hold power which it will not compromise. A pressure by US/China and loaning agencies like IMF could be another reason for initiating such a letter. The fact that the courts have allowed Hafiz Saeed to start business as usual, over-ruling the government indicates Imran’s inability in reigning UN declared terrorists. The courts in Pakistan have also acted at the behest of Army, which is proved by the fact that Nawaz Sharif is now out, when he is harmless to the Army. Can India pin high hopes on Imran Khan? In my opinion, India could try Imran’s experiment with peace. To experiment with him, his initiative has to be preceded with few steps like no ceasefire violations, no support to terrorist, taking immediate action on UN declared terrorists and convincing not only India but FATF, the US and global community of having done so. When many diplomats/strategists and the establishment were justifying the meeting, they tried to explain the difference meeting and dialogue, justifying no change in Indian stance, but the letter of Imran Khan clearly indicated what he expected to be spoken in the meeting. It will be naïve to assume that it could have been a meeting with no issues of divergences discussed, ending with pleasantries and future plan of dialogue. Even in informal meetings between leaders earlier, all issues of divergences were discussed. In fact, we should have understood that even if meeting was done as explained, we would have lost out in giving them a point to score in FATF and General Assembly. It is encouraging to see that a midcourse correction of cancellation of meeting took place. What do we do to deter Pakistan from proxy war? To deter a neighbour to stop proxy war, there is a need to have a clear National aim, National Strategy, Comprehensive National Power and the will to use it. For many decades, it has been seen that the need for hard power has been underplayed by diplomats/bureaucrats, who have been able to convince the political hierarchy that diplomacy can resolve security issues and relevance of military forces stands considerably reduced. This is a major departure from basic teachings of Chanakya that no nation can be strong and secure without a strong military. This has resulted in inadequate defence budget, bulk of which is consumed by bloating, inefficient, defence civilians and inadequate modernisation taking away the conventional edge required to deter the notorious neighbor. Politicisation of defence matters like surgical strikes, defence procurements by all politicians looking at political aim instead of national aim, has slowed down the pace of modernisation. In fact not many decision makers understand the basic difference between Para-military forces, which are protective forces trained and equipped accordingly, and Defence Forces, which are the punch of the country, instruments of last resort, trained and equipped to project national power across the IB/LoC. The confusion is evident from the fact that Defence forces are increasingly being employed for internal security and being targeted by legal and Human Right fraternity. The consistent lowering of the status of Defence Forces for decades confirms this confusion. The end result is that the adversary is not deterred and continues with proxy war. Even within the country in border areas like Kashmir, the political games have not allowed to deal with internal enemies like separatists, which have created conditions for proxy war to succeed. India therefore urgently needs to do the capacity building of its military and deal firmly with separatists, not in the form of speeches but convictions. India also needs to apply some lessons of the history of 1962 debacle due to lack of military advise and success of 1971 War due to direct military advice to decision makers, by getting some military specialists in the decision-making loop. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why MEA fumbled over Imran Khan's offer of peace talks

<p>Pakistan's military on Wednesday claimed that the terrorist organisation, the Al-Qaeda has been "dismantled".</p>

<p>Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Al-Qaeda threat would have reached India had Pakistan not dismantled the terrorist organisation.</p>

<p>"If Pakistan had not dismantled Al Qaeda, this (terror) threat would have reached India," Major General Asif Ghafoor said.</p>

<p>Major General Ghafoor also claimed that the border cooperation between India and Pakistan had improved.</p>

<p>"Pakistan-India border cooperation has improved ever since Army chief's visit to Tehran," he said.</p>

<p>He expressed pride over the nation's Intelligence agencies to help bust seven major terror networks.</p>

<p>"Intelligence agencies in Pakistan are first in a line of defence. They have identified the threats. Seven major terror networks have been busted" Major General Ghafoor said.</p>

<p>The terrorist groups named by him were TTS Lahore, TTP Swabi chapter, TTS Dir Chapter, Ansur Ur Sharia Karachi , JuA Kurram Chapter and Inteqam E while. Major General Ghafoor said he would interact with the members of these groups post their detention.</p>

<p>Stating that Pakistan was a part of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), the Pakistan army spokesperson said that the country will not be a part of any terror activity.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Al-Qaeda threat would have reached India had Pakistan not 'dismantled' the terrorist organisation

Pakistan's military on Wednesday claimed that the terrorist organisation, the Al-Qaeda has been "dismantled". Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Al-Qaeda threat would have reached India had Pakistan not dismantled the terrorist organisation. "If Pakistan had not dismantled Al Qaeda, this (terror) threat would have reached India," Major General Asif Ghafoor said. Major General Ghafoor also claimed that the border cooperation between India and Pakistan had improved. "Pakistan-India border cooperation has improved ever since Army chief's visit to Tehran," he said. He expressed pride over the nation's Intelligence agencies to help bust seven major terror networks. "Intelligence agencies in Pakistan are first in a line of defence. They have identified the threats. Seven major terror networks have been busted" Major General Ghafoor said. The terrorist groups named by him were TTS Lahore, TTP Swabi chapter, TTS Dir Chapter, Ansur Ur Sharia Karachi , JuA Kurram Chapter and Inteqam E while. Major General Ghafoor said he would interact with the members of these groups post their detention. Stating that Pakistan was a part of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), the Pakistan army spokesperson said that the country will not be a part of any terror activity.

Al-Qaeda has been 'dismantled', claims Pakistan military

<p>Officials of the Indian high commission in Pakistan, who had gone for shopping in Islamabad&#39;s Blue Area, were on Saturday harassed with two persons aggressively following them and hurling abuses.</p>

<p>India gave a Note Verbale to Pakistan through its high commission in Islamabad protesting the &quot;intimidation and harassment&quot; of its staff there, the 12th such diplomatic note in less than three months.</p>

<p>In its communication to the Pakistan foreign ministry, the Indian high commission specifically mentioned two incidents of harassment -- the one on Saturday and the other on March 15, official sources said.</p>

<p>In the March 15 incident, another official of the mission and his family was aggressively followed by two men on motorbike when he was going to a restaurant.</p>

<p>&quot;Another Note Verbale was sent today (March 18) by our High Commission in Islamabad to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan protesting against the intimidation and harassment of Indian High Commission officials,&quot; a source said.</p>

<p>&quot;This was the 12th Note Verbale this year on the subject,&quot; the source said.</p>

<p>&quot;We have asked the Pakistan Government to investigate these incidents,&quot; the source said.</p>

<p>The Note Verbale is a diplomatic note, which is unsigned and drafted in the third person.</p>

<p>The Note Verbale to Pakistan foreign ministry comes two days after Islamabad called its High Commissioner home for consultations, which was termed by India as &quot;routine&quot; and &quot;normal&quot;.</p>

<p>Pakistan had said it <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-refuses-to-send-envoy-back-to-india-36133">called home its envoy</a> in India Sohail Mahmood for consultations after repeated incidents of &quot;harassment&quot; of its diplomatic staff in New Delhi.</p>

<p>External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was also facing a &quot;litany of issues&quot; which have not been resolved for several months by Pakistan.</p>

<p>(<em>With inputs from PTI</em>)</p>


Officials of the Indian high commission in Pakistan, who had gone for shopping in Islamabad's Blue Area, were on Saturday harassed with two persons aggressively following them and hurling abuses

Officials of the Indian high commission in Pakistan, who had gone for shopping in Islamabad's Blue Area, were on Saturday harassed with two persons aggressively following them and hurling abuses. India gave a Note Verbale to Pakistan through its high commission in Islamabad protesting the "intimidation and harassment" of its staff there, the 12th such diplomatic note in less than three months. In its communication to the Pakistan foreign ministry, the Indian high commission specifically mentioned two incidents of harassment -- the one on Saturday and the other on March 15, official sources said. In the March 15 incident, another official of the mission and his family was aggressively followed by two men on motorbike when he was going to a restaurant. "Another Note Verbale was sent today (March 18) by our High Commission in Islamabad to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan protesting against the intimidation and harassment of Indian High Commission officials," a source said. "This was the 12th Note Verbale this year on the subject," the source said. "We have asked the Pakistan Government to investigate these incidents," the source said. The Note Verbale is a diplomatic note, which is unsigned and drafted in the third person. The Note Verbale to Pakistan foreign ministry comes two days after Islamabad called its High Commissioner home for consultations, which was termed by India as "routine" and "normal". Pakistan had said it called home its envoy in India Sohail Mahmood for consultations after repeated incidents of "harassment" of its diplomatic staff in New Delhi. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was also facing a "litany of issues" which have not been resolved for several months by Pakistan. (With inputs from PTI)

India makes written complaint to Pakistan on harassment of its diplomatic staff

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/always-wanted-to-work-in-films-based-on-social-issues-akshay-kumar-32021" target="_blank">Akshay Kumar</a> starrer&nbsp;&quot;PadMan&quot;&nbsp;released countrywide in India on February 9 amid rave reviews from all corners.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While the film has managed to pull the audience to the theatres, it has been banned in the neighbouring country, Pakistan.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/padman-review-akshay-kumars-film-is-warm-relevant-and-serves-its-purpose-32277" target="_blank"><em>Also Read:&nbsp;PadMan review: Akshay Kumar&#39;s film is warm, relevant and serves its purpose</em></a></p>

<p>Ever since the ban, women of Pakistan have taken to Twitter to condemn it and ask for a release of the film as it deals with a socially relevant issue and has nothing controversial in it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Many women have been questioning the intent of the ban with support from some men too.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is what Twitter users are writing:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dear Sir, the film <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padman</a> has been released internationally. Your decision-making is embarrassingly slow. Why should a film about menstrual hygein &amp; cheap sanitary napkins denied a release or delayed? Pakistan deserves to become a part of this conversation on reproductive health <a href="https://t.co/tTzZTDvIg7">https://t.co/tTzZTDvIg7</a></p>
&mdash; Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) <a href="https://twitter.com/ammarawrites/status/962806993638608896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Yes, Pakistani Women menstruate too. I support <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padman</a> and menstrual hygiene. Ban on <a href="https://twitter.com/PadManTheFilm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PadManTheFilm</a> in Pakistan is senseless. Release it now. <a href="https://t.co/KpsTL6Rc3a">pic.twitter.com/KpsTL6Rc3a</a></p>
&mdash; Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) <a href="https://twitter.com/ammarawrites/status/962294732918489088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Banning PadMan in Pakistan is another one of those illogical things that simply affect the business of cinemas in Pakistan.<br />
Menstruation is a fact of life, and bringing it to mainstream consciousness is neither immoral nor un-Islamic.</p>
&mdash; Mehr Tarar (@MehrTarar) <a href="https://twitter.com/MehrTarar/status/962353264074338304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">&quot;Against our traditions &amp; culture&quot; Oh well, coz women don&#39;t menstruate here... What stupid people sitting at Censor Board ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PadMan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PadMan</a> must be allowed in Pakistan ! <a href="https://t.co/S7PUfBV9ak">https://t.co/S7PUfBV9ak</a></p>
&mdash; Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) <a href="https://twitter.com/GFarooqi/status/962412837321805824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dear Censor Board of Pakistan<br />
Yes! We <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pakistani?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pakistani</a> women get our periods too! Every month we bleed, it&#39;s simple biology.<br />
<br />
I condemn the ban on <a href="https://twitter.com/PadManTheFilm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PadManTheFilm</a> in Pakistan!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IAmPadman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IAmPadman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Padman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Padman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnBan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UnBan</a> <a href="https://t.co/mnrNLJkROC">pic.twitter.com/mnrNLJkROC</a></p>
&mdash; The Lodhi (@AnnamL0dhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnamL0dhi/status/962231453839962114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Banning padman in Pakistan just shows how we havent mentally progressed as a nation. Utterly disappointing.</p>
&mdash; Amna Mazhar (@ozilinaa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ozilinaa/status/962365366440792064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Those banning should know this &ldquo;taboo&rdquo; topic is the reason they are alive. No menstration means no fertility. No fertility 4 means no babies. Banners were babies 2 na. Nature se bhi panga. Leh. Apas ki baat. ???? Misogyny much? &lsquo;PadMan&rsquo; banned in Pakistan <a href="https://t.co/ANkxyt194i">https://t.co/ANkxyt194i</a></p>
&mdash; Nadia Jamil (@NJLahori) <a href="https://twitter.com/NJLahori/status/962476125187436544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Some men also showed support:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Movies like jism 2 can be shown in Pakistan cinemas but Padman is banned. What a shame it is. Its fine to show half naked women and highly intimidated scenes in movies but a movie based on real issues and everyone loses their minds.<br />
HEIGHT OF HYPOCRISY!</p>
&mdash; T. (@Crushkacrush) <a href="https://twitter.com/Crushkacrush/status/962705139923668992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">1 out of 3 women r died because of cultural taboo. Remaining are victim of nutrition and various virus and cancers.most popular is breast and ovarian cancer but still in pakistan, movie like padman is banned.women in centre r aware what abt 60%in rural areas? <a href="https://twitter.com/saifsamejo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@saifsamejo</a></p>
&mdash; Ali aamir siming (@AamirSiming) <a href="https://twitter.com/AamirSiming/status/962315106536259584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>As of right now, the film has not been previewed by the&nbsp;Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The decision to issue an NOC by the Ministry of Information Broadcasting National History and Literary Heritage is yet to be taken on the release of a foreign feature film &quot;Padman&quot; as the film has not yet been pre-viewed by the Central Board of Film Censors. <a href="https://t.co/NExGsWGV8M">pic.twitter.com/NExGsWGV8M</a></p>
&mdash; Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) <a href="https://twitter.com/pid_gov/status/962591498213699585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Speaking on the issue, the director of &quot;PadMan&quot;, R Balki said,&nbsp; &quot;It is shame that a film that endeavours to eradicate the stigma towards menstrual hygiene is being seen in this negative light.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The women took to Twitter to question the reason behind banning PadMan film in Pakistan

Akshay Kumar starrer "PadMan" released countrywide in India on February 9 amid rave reviews from all corners. While the film has managed to pull the audience to the theatres, it has been banned in the neighbouring country, Pakistan. Also Read: PadMan review: Akshay Kumar's film is warm, relevant and serves its purpose Ever since the ban, women of Pakistan have taken to Twitter to condemn it and ask for a release of the film as it deals with a socially relevant issue and has nothing controversial in it. Many women have been questioning the intent of the ban with support from some men too. This is what Twitter users are writing: Dear Sir, the film #Padman has been released internationally. Your decision-making is embarrassingly slow. Why should a film about menstrual hygein & cheap sanitary napkins denied a release or delayed? Pakistan deserves to become a part of this conversation on reproductive health https://t.co/tTzZTDvIg7 — Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) February 11, 2018 × Yes, Pakistani Women menstruate too. I support #Padman and menstrual hygiene. Ban on @PadManTheFilm in Pakistan is senseless. Release it now. pic.twitter.com/KpsTL6Rc3a — Ammara Ahmad (@ammarawrites) February 10, 2018 × Banning PadMan in Pakistan is another one of those illogical things that simply affect the business of cinemas in Pakistan. Menstruation is a fact of life, and bringing it to mainstream consciousness is neither immoral nor un-Islamic. — Mehr Tarar (@MehrTarar) February 10, 2018 × "Against our traditions & culture" Oh well, coz women don't menstruate here... What stupid people sitting at Censor Board ! #PadMan must be allowed in Pakistan ! https://t.co/S7PUfBV9ak — Gharidah Farooqi (@GFarooqi) February 10, 2018 × Dear Censor Board of Pakistan Yes! We #Pakistani women get our periods too! Every month we bleed, it's simple biology. I condemn the ban on @PadManTheFilm in Pakistan!#IAmPadman #Padman #UnBan pic.twitter.com/mnrNLJkROC — The Lodhi (@AnnamL0dhi) February 10, 2018 × Banning padman in Pakistan just shows how we havent mentally progressed as a nation. Utterly disappointing. — Amna Mazhar (@ozilinaa) February 10, 2018 × Those banning should know this “taboo” topic is the reason they are alive. No menstration means no fertility. No fertility 4 means no babies. Banners were babies 2 na. Nature se bhi panga. Leh. Apas ki baat. ???? Misogyny much? ‘PadMan’ banned in Pakistan https://t.co/ANkxyt194i — Nadia Jamil (@NJLahori) February 10, 2018 × Some men also showed support: Movies like jism 2 can be shown in Pakistan cinemas but Padman is banned. What a shame it is. Its fine to show half naked women and highly intimidated scenes in movies but a movie based on real issues and everyone loses their minds. HEIGHT OF HYPOCRISY! — T. (@Crushkacrush) February 11, 2018 × 1 out of 3 women r died because of cultural taboo. Remaining are victim of nutrition and various virus and cancers.most popular is breast and ovarian cancer but still in pakistan, movie like padman is banned.women in centre r aware what abt 60%in rural areas? @saifsamejo — Ali aamir siming (@AamirSiming) February 10, 2018 × As of right now, the film has not been previewed by the Central Board of Film Censors of Pakistan. The decision to issue an NOC by the Ministry of Information Broadcasting National History and Literary Heritage is yet to be taken on the release of a foreign feature film "Padman" as the film has not yet been pre-viewed by the Central Board of Film Censors. pic.twitter.com/NExGsWGV8M — Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) February 11, 2018 × Speaking on the issue, the director of "PadMan", R Balki said, "It is shame that a film that endeavours to eradicate the stigma towards menstrual hygiene is being seen in this negative light."

Pakistani women demand 'PadMan' release, say 'We bleed too'

<p>Pakistan on Friday said it was &quot;regrettable&quot; that India had not responded to its queries on Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav&#39;s passport and details of his service.</p>

<p>Calling Mr Jadhav, a &quot;serving Indian Naval Commander&quot;, Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said the former naval officer had confessed to his involvement in numerous terrorist incidents in Pakistan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;It is regrettable that India has so far not given us any reply on how commander Kulbhushan Jadhav was in possession of the passport of Hussain Mubarak Patel, or any details of his retirement from Indian Navy,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Jadhav, 47, was sentenced to death on charges of espionage and terrorism by a Pakistani military court in April last year.</p>

<p>Also&nbsp;read - <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kulbhushan-jadhav-case-icj-fixes-time-limit-for-india-and-pakistan-for-submitting-pleadings-30539">Kulbhushan Jadhav case: ICJ fixes time limit for India and Pakistan for submitting pleadings</a><br />
<br />
The International Court of Justice in May had halted his execution on India&#39;s appeal.</p>

<p>Pakistan claims its security forces arrested him from restive Balochistan province on March 3 in 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Pakistan on Friday said it was 'regrettable' that India has not responded to its queries on Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav's passport and details of his service

Pakistan on Friday said it was "regrettable" that India had not responded to its queries on Indian death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav's passport and details of his service. Calling Mr Jadhav, a "serving Indian Naval Commander", Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said the former naval officer had confessed to his involvement in numerous terrorist incidents in Pakistan. "It is regrettable that India has so far not given us any reply on how commander Kulbhushan Jadhav was in possession of the passport of Hussain Mubarak Patel, or any details of his retirement from Indian Navy," he said. Jadhav, 47, was sentenced to death on charges of espionage and terrorism by a Pakistani military court in April last year. Also read - Kulbhushan Jadhav case: ICJ fixes time limit for India and Pakistan for submitting pleadings The International Court of Justice in May had halted his execution on India's appeal. Pakistan claims its security forces arrested him from restive Balochistan province on March 3 in 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.

India has not responded to queries on Kulbhushan Jadhav, alleges Pakistan

<p>In an indirect but obvious reference at Pakistan and China, India has criticised the two countries for supporting &quot;world-recognised terrorists&quot;.</p>

<p>India&#39;s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Syed Akbaruddin said the UN Sanctions Committees were failing to make progress due to narrow political and strategic concerns of few states, while others were supporting terrorists.</p>

<p>&quot;Where Sanctions Committees have designated terrorists, there are states who venture to mainstream UN-designated terrorist individuals into their political process, in total disregard of international law, thus putting our common security in peril,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The Indian envoy was referring to United Nations-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, who was recently released from house arrest after a Pakistani court cited lack of evidence and was being allowed to run for office in Pakistan in 2018.</p>

<p>The Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, who is wanted by India for his role in masterminding the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai that claimed 166 lives, recently announced he would contest the general elections in Pakistan in 2018 under the banner of the Milli Muslim League.</p>

<p>In a reference to China, considered an ally of Pakistan, India&#39;s Permanent Representative to the UNSC criticised the country for failing to make &quot;concrete progress&quot; on the issue of the &quot;designation of of terrorist individuals and entities.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;It is noticed that on an issue as serious as designation of terrorist individuals and entities, the Council-mandated Sanctions Committees fail to make concrete progress and fall victim to narrow political and strategic concerns in some cases,&quot; Akbaruddin said.</p>

<p>China has repeatedly blocked the move by India and other countries like the US, France and Germany to declare Masood Azhar, the chief of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), a global terrorist.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>(<em>With inputs from ANI</em>)</p>


The Indian envoy was referring to United Nations-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, who was recently released from house arrest by Pakistan and JuD founder Masood Azhar, attempts to designate whom as a global terrorist have repeatedly been stonewalled by China

In an indirect but obvious reference at Pakistan and China, India has criticised the two countries for supporting "world-recognised terrorists". India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Syed Akbaruddin said the UN Sanctions Committees were failing to make progress due to narrow political and strategic concerns of few states, while others were supporting terrorists. "Where Sanctions Committees have designated terrorists, there are states who venture to mainstream UN-designated terrorist individuals into their political process, in total disregard of international law, thus putting our common security in peril," he said. The Indian envoy was referring to United Nations-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed, who was recently released from house arrest after a Pakistani court cited lack of evidence and was being allowed to run for office in Pakistan in 2018. The Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, who is wanted by India for his role in masterminding the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai that claimed 166 lives, recently announced he would contest the general elections in Pakistan in 2018 under the banner of the Milli Muslim League. In a reference to China, considered an ally of Pakistan, India's Permanent Representative to the UNSC criticised the country for failing to make "concrete progress" on the issue of the "designation of of terrorist individuals and entities." "It is noticed that on an issue as serious as designation of terrorist individuals and entities, the Council-mandated Sanctions Committees fail to make concrete progress and fall victim to narrow political and strategic concerns in some cases," Akbaruddin said. China has repeatedly blocked the move by India and other countries like the US, France and Germany to declare Masood Azhar, the chief of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), a global terrorist. (With inputs from ANI)

Indian envoy to UN slams Pakistan, China over Hafiz Saeed

<p>In June 2015, this correspondent was fresh out of college and working for a back-packers&#39; hostel in Daryaganj in central Delhi. The job was to design walking tours of the city and arranging a rich cultural experience for guests from across the world. It was during this period that one got to know Chintan Girish Modi, the founder of an India-Pakistan friendship initiative, Aao Dosti Karein (Let&#39;s be friends) or Friendships Across Borders (FAB), that utilises the power of internet and technology to change minds.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
On a summer afternoon, Chintan was busy chatting animatedly with a Pakistani couple in their 50s, who were on a tour of India. After a 30-minute chat, they discovered they had common friends. The couple looked out of place because they were the only people their age in a hostel full of young backpackers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A talk with Chintan revealed that he worked to build friendships between Indians and Pakistanis. The so-called &lsquo;broad-minded, modern, cosmopolitan Delhi-girl&rsquo; that one thought one was, the instinctive question on my mind was -- Is friendship even possible?</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/be%20friends,%20not%20enemies-%20me-20170421071458.png" />
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<p>Chintan Girish Modi with his friend Aliya from Pakistan (left), Artwork (right) by Kirthi Jayakumar from Chennai to symbolise love, peace, unity, hope, and strength (Image Courtsey: Aao Dosti Karein) (WION)</p>
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<p>Chintan related tales of his travels in Pakistan. He had visited Lahore. Was it even safe to go there, one wondered. The questions stayed with one. Ours is a generation increasingly connected by Internet. Many of us use it to stay in touch with our friends from across the border whom we may have met while studying or travelling abroad. WION decided to reach out young Indians and Pakistanis through and online survey: &nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
<strong>&#39;Indians and Pakistanis be friends?&#39; &nbsp;</strong><br />
<br />
We reached out to 336 respondents between the ages of 18 years and 30 years of whom 193 are Pakistanis, while 143 are Indians. We sought responses from college students and professionals working for major corporate houses in cities of India and Pakistan like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata in India and Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi in Pakistan.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
From the responses, it appears that friendship is definitely possible. Of the Pakistanis we got responses from, 55 per cent seemed very fond of India. In India, 18 per cent said they had positive feelings to Pakistan, while 42 per cent said they had neutral feelings toward their neighbour.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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<p>55% people in Pakistan expressed positive feelings towards their neighbouring nation. (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>When asked what was the main reason they would want to befriend someone from across the border &ndash; the shared culture emerged as the main factor &ndash; 42 per cent Indians and 60 per cent Pakistanis felt it was the main thing that brought the two countries together.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&ldquo;I love everything about India - it is absurd to base your perceptions on political differences. We are much more than that,&rdquo; Raza Khan, a student of University of Karachi from Pakistan wrote as a part of his response.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Coke Studio, Lahore Fort, same as us, Sufi music, delicious food, Pakistani serials, cricket matches were the most instant &nbsp;answers to things the neighbours liked about each other. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;I visited Pakistan on an exchange programme and felt like I&rsquo;m in some part of Old Delhi. I didn&rsquo;t feel there was much difference between the two countries,&rdquo; said Madhurima Chopra, an engineering student from Delhi. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The citizens of both the countries are also keen on visiting the other. About 45 per cent Indians said yes, while 26 per cent said may be. Pakistanis (75% ) also want to visit India someday. &ldquo;I have heard a lot about the Lahore Fort. I&rsquo;d love to see it someday,&rdquo; says Arushi Chand, an architecture student from Delhi.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Around 75% people in Pakistan would want to visit India someday (WION)</p>
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<p><br />
&nbsp;<br />
These respondents are also hopeful that the differences between the two nations can be resolved -- 34.3 per cent Indians and about 75 per cent Pakistanis believe it can definitely happen. Some Indians (25%) and Pakistanis (23%) are unsure about that happening, but hope it happens. &ldquo;The differences are only in our minds&rdquo; said Syed Muhamed Qasim, working in an electronics MNC in Lahore.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>A major share in both countries believe that their differences can be resolved (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Most of them were open about having friends on the other side of the border. Fifty per cent Indians would like to have friends in Pakistan and 17 per cent already do. Fifty-one per cent of the Pakistanis respondents have friends in India and 40 per cent were interested in having one. &ldquo;I have plenty of friends in India and they are no different from my friends here,&rdquo; said Amira Khan, a student from Rawalpindi.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Both countries are willing to have friends on the other side of the border. (WION)</p>
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<p><br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>Separated by a border, virtually friends&nbsp;</strong><br />
<br />
Internet, the largest community in history, is a technology without borders. India and Pakistan -- separated by a decades-old animosity, can explore friendships that would otherwise never be.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Pakistan has been a part of Chintan&rsquo;s imagination ever since he was a child.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;When I was a kid, adults asked me where I would like to go when I grew up? I would say Pakistan. For an Indian child to say this seems quite strange to people. But all I heard about Pakistan when I was growing up was that it was a dangerous place. That the people were mean. I would not come back alive if I went there. I was not convinced. How could a place be all bad? I was curious and wanted to check it out for myself.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Modi got the opportunity to visit Pakistan during an exchange project. Friendships formed during this time showed him another way to think about Pakistan &ndash; quite different from the tone of most media, history textbooks, and news. &ldquo;I had a growing urge to make these experiences and opportunities available to other people, to let them participate and interact with folks across the border. And so Aao Dosti Karein: Friendships Across Borders (FAB) was formed,&rdquo; said Modi. &nbsp;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;I also visit schools in India to talk to students about my experiences in Pakistan. All our interactions are based on questions the children had. It was an enriching experience for me as well. I began thinking about combining social media and interactions with young people. That&rsquo;s how FAB started. However, FAB owes tremendously to friends who have volunteered their time and support and organised speaking engagements.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The project has contributors and volunteers of diverse backgrounds including a poet, a journalist, an arts manager, a historian, a filmmaker, and students from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
An inspiring <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fabaaodostikarein/photos/a.250723438441144.1073741833.245356592311162/526053360908149/?type=3">story</a> is the one of Devika from Delhi and Aliya from Islamabad.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Devika Mittal (right) from India and Aliya Harir (left) from Pakistan share an everlasting bond (Image Courtsey: Aao Dosti Karein) (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Devika Mittal is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics. (WION)</p>
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<p>Aliya Harir has a Masters in International Relations from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>A part of the motivation for FAB is to show the different forms that peace can take, and provide alternatives to the powerlessness that people feel. &ldquo;What you and I can do is make friends even if we can&rsquo;t sign treaties.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
These are relationships that the internet enables and makes that much easier. &nbsp; &nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;Indians and Pakistanis can connect on online platforms &nbsp;even when the visa regime makes physical travel difficult.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br />
Students from India sent messages to Pakistan after the attack on the army school in Peshawar in solidarity and condolence to the families of the slain children. There is hope yet.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Messages from Indian students of Ecole Mondiale World School (Mumbai) and Heritage School (Gurgaon) to Pakistan after the attack on army school in Peshawar (Image Courtsey: Aao Dosti Karein) (WION)</p>
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<p>&nbsp;&quot;The only true borders lie between day and night, between life and death, between hope and loss&quot; - Erin Hunter</p>


Youngsters from India and Pakistan say their shared culture is the strongest factor for forging friendships

In June 2015, this correspondent was fresh out of college and working for a back-packers' hostel in Daryaganj in central Delhi. The job was to design walking tours of the city and arranging a rich cultural experience for guests from across the world. It was during this period that one got to know Chintan Girish Modi, the founder of an India-Pakistan friendship initiative, Aao Dosti Karein (Let's be friends) or Friendships Across Borders (FAB), that utilises the power of internet and technology to change minds. On a summer afternoon, Chintan was busy chatting animatedly with a Pakistani couple in their 50s, who were on a tour of India. After a 30-minute chat, they discovered they had common friends. The couple looked out of place because they were the only people their age in a hostel full of young backpackers. A talk with Chintan revealed that he worked to build friendships between Indians and Pakistanis. The so-called ‘broad-minded, modern, cosmopolitan Delhi-girl’ that one thought one was, the instinctive question on my mind was -- Is friendship even possible? Chintan Girish Modi with his friend Aliya from Pakistan (left), Artwork (right) by Kirthi Jayakumar from Chennai to symbolise love, peace, unity, hope, and strength (Image Courtsey: Aao Dosti Karein) (WION) × Chintan related tales of his travels in Pakistan. He had visited Lahore. Was it even safe to go there, one wondered. The questions stayed with one. Ours is a generation increasingly connected by Internet. Many of us use it to stay in touch with our friends from across the border whom we may have met while studying or travelling abroad. WION decided to reach out young Indians and Pakistanis through and online survey: 'Indians and Pakistanis be friends?' We reached out to 336 respondents between the ages of 18 years and 30 years of whom 193 are Pakistanis, while 143 are Indians. We sought responses from college students and professionals working for major corporate houses in cities of India and Pakistan like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata in India and Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi in Pakistan. From the responses, it appears that friendship is definitely possible. Of the Pakistanis we got responses from, 55 per cent seemed very fond of India. In India, 18 per cent said they had positive feelings to Pakistan, while 42 per cent said they had neutral feelings toward their neighbour. 55% people in Pakistan expressed positive feelings towards their neighbouring nation. (WION) × When asked what was the main reason they would want to befriend someone from across the border – the shared culture emerged as the main factor – 42 per cent Indians and 60 per cent Pakistanis felt it was the main thing that brought the two countries together. “I love everything about India - it is absurd to base your perceptions on political differences. We are much more than that,” Raza Khan, a student of University of Karachi from Pakistan wrote as a part of his response. Coke Studio, Lahore Fort, same as us, Sufi music, delicious food, Pakistani serials, cricket matches were the most instant answers to things the neighbours liked about each other. “I visited Pakistan on an exchange programme and felt like I’m in some part of Old Delhi. I didn’t feel there was much difference between the two countries,” said Madhurima Chopra, an engineering student from Delhi. The citizens of both the countries are also keen on visiting the other. About 45 per cent Indians said yes, while 26 per cent said may be. Pakistanis (75% ) also want to visit India someday. “I have heard a lot about the Lahore Fort. I’d love to see it someday,” says Arushi Chand, an architecture student from Delhi. Around 75% people in Pakistan would want to visit India someday (WION) × These respondents are also hopeful that the differences between the two nations can be resolved -- 34.3 per cent Indians and about 75 per cent Pakistanis believe it can definitely happen. Some Indians (25%) and Pakistanis (23%) are unsure about that happening, but hope it happens. “The differences are only in our minds” said Syed Muhamed Qasim, working in an electronics MNC in Lahore. A major share in both countries believe that their differences can be resolved (WION) × Most of them were open about having friends on the other side of the border. Fifty per cent Indians would like to have friends in Pakistan and 17 per cent already do. Fifty-one per cent of the Pakistanis respondents have friends in India and 40 per cent were interested in having one. “I have plenty of friends in India and they are no different from my friends here,” said Amira Khan, a student from Rawalpindi. Both countries are willing to have friends on the other side of the border. (WION) × Separated by a border, virtually friends Internet, the largest community in history, is a technology without borders. India and Pakistan -- separated by a decades-old animosity, can explore friendships that would otherwise never be. Pakistan has been a part of Chintan’s imagination ever since he was a child. “When I was a kid, adults asked me where I would like to go when I grew up? I would say Pakistan. For an Indian child to say this seems quite strange to people. But all I heard about Pakistan when I was growing up was that it was a dangerous place. That the people were mean. I would not come back alive if I went there. I was not convinced. How could a place be all bad? I was curious and wanted to check it out for myself.” Modi got the opportunity to visit Pakistan during an exchange project. Friendships formed during this time showed him another way to think about Pakistan – quite different from the tone of most media, history textbooks, and news. “I had a growing urge to make these experiences and opportunities available to other people, to let them participate and interact with folks across the border. And so Aao Dosti Karein: Friendships Across Borders (FAB) was formed,” said Modi. “I also visit schools in India to talk to students about my experiences in Pakistan. All our interactions are based on questions the children had. It was an enriching experience for me as well. I began thinking about combining social media and interactions with young people. That’s how FAB started. However, FAB owes tremendously to friends who have volunteered their time and support and organised speaking engagements.” The project has contributors and volunteers of diverse backgrounds including a poet, a journalist, an arts manager, a historian, a filmmaker, and students from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. An inspiring story is the one of Devika from Delhi and Aliya from Islamabad. Devika Mittal (right) from India and Aliya Harir (left) from Pakistan share an everlasting bond (Image Courtsey: Aao Dosti Karein) (WION) × Devika Mittal is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics. (WION) × Aliya Harir has a Masters in International Relations from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. (WION) × A part of the motivation for FAB is to show the different forms that peace can take, and provide alternatives to the powerlessness that people feel. “What you and I can do is make friends even if we can’t sign treaties.” These are relationships that the internet enables and makes that much easier. “Indians and Pakistanis can connect on online platforms even when the visa regime makes physical travel difficult.” Students from India sent messages to Pakistan after the attack on the army school in Peshawar in solidarity and condolence to the families of the slain children. There is hope yet. Messages from Indian students of Ecole Mondiale World School (Mumbai) and Heritage School (Gurgaon) to Pakistan after the attack on army school in Peshawar (Image Courtsey: Aao Dosti Karein) (WION) × "The only true borders lie between day and night, between life and death, between hope and loss" - Erin Hunter

Keeping aside hate, Indians and Pakistanis enter into virtual friendship

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India Pakistan, News on India Pakistan, stories on India Pakistan, articles on India Pakistan, India Pakistan stories at Wion, India Pakistan news, India Pakistan latest news

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