Batting legend Virendra Sehwag is all set to come out of retirement and open for the Kings XI Punjab in their opener in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018.

As per reports, the retired Indian Opener will open the Punjab innings against Delhi Daredevils in the absence of Aaron Finch.&nbsp

The decision, which was taken at the team preparatory camp in Mohali after a long deliberation by captain Ravichandran Ashwin, coach Brad Hodge, Director of Cricket Operations Virender Sehwag himself and the team management.

The IPL franchise even took to Twitter to confirm the news.

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BREAKING NEWS: 
You're in for a real treat. <a href="https://twitter.com/virendersehwag?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@virendersehwag</a> will take the field in Vivo <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IPL</a> once again, replacing <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronFinch5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronFinch5</a> for the season opener. It's deja vu all over again ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KXIP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KXIP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> <a href="https://t.co/0fKHF24Tuv">https://t.co/0fKHF24Tuv</a>
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) <a href="https://twitter.com/lionsdenkxip/status/980338876446371840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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However, the news is seen as a prank too, being 1st April.

April 1 is known as April Fool’s Day, so when Punjab announced the news it looked like a prank being played by the franchise as their Director of Cricket Operations has been out of the circuit for a while now and is not a registered player.&nbsp

But, some even took the news seriously after Yuvraj Singh to confirm the news&nbsp

"Yes @virendersehwag has been working very hard in the nets looking forward to see him play again," Yuvraj tweeted.

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Yes <a href="https://twitter.com/virendersehwag?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@virendersehwag</a> has been working very hard in the nets looking forward to see him play again ??
— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) <a href="https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/980340419677577217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Ever since Finch announced his unavailability in Punjab’s opening encounter owing to his marriage, the team has been pondering over the right top order combination.&nbsp

As a result, the run-machine Sehwag was finally asked to step up to the plate and he obliged, as per reports.

Sehwag was last seen batting at the recent Ice Cricket matches in St Moritz. He scored 62 off 31 in the first match and 46 off 22 balls in the second match there. &nbsp

The IPL franchise even took to Twitter to confirm the news

Batting legend Virendra Sehwag is all set to come out of retirement and open for the Kings XI Punjab in their opener in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. As per reports, the retired Indian Opener will open the Punjab innings against Delhi Daredevils in the absence of Aaron Finch. The decision, which was taken at the team preparatory camp in Mohali after a long deliberation by captain Ravichandran Ashwin, coach Brad Hodge, Director of Cricket Operations Virender Sehwag himself and the team management. The IPL franchise even took to Twitter to confirm the news. BREAKING NEWS: You're in for a real treat. @virendersehwag will take the field in Vivo @IPL once again, replacing @AaronFinch5 for the season opener. It's deja vu all over again ?#LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi #KXIP #VIVOIPL https://t.co/0fKHF24Tuv — Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) April 1, 2018 × However, the news is seen as a prank too, being 1st April. April 1 is known as April Fool’s Day, so when Punjab announced the news it looked like a prank being played by the franchise as their Director of Cricket Operations has been out of the circuit for a while now and is not a registered player. But, some even took the news seriously after Yuvraj Singh to confirm the news "Yes @virendersehwag has been working very hard in the nets looking forward to see him play again," Yuvraj tweeted. Yes @virendersehwag has been working very hard in the nets looking forward to see him play again ?? — yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) April 1, 2018 × Ever since Finch announced his unavailability in Punjab’s opening encounter owing to his marriage, the team has been pondering over the right top order combination. As a result, the run-machine Sehwag was finally asked to step up to the plate and he obliged, as per reports. Sehwag was last seen batting at the recent Ice Cricket matches in St Moritz. He scored 62 off 31 in the first match and 46 off 22 balls in the second match there.

IPL 2018: Virender Sehwag to come out of retirement, to open for Punjab against Delhi

Done with the tag of being the most under-performing team among all Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, Kings Xi Punjab went for a star-studded batting line-up to roar loud in the upcoming edition.

Aiming to shed their inconsistent tag, Punjab has gone big on experience, especially in the batting department, making them the most dangerous side.

However, they might have the problem of plenty in the batting department.

With Ravichandran Ashwin, who has 100 wickets in 111 IPL games at an economy of under 7, as the skipper, the franchise would want to make a fresh start and aim at clinching the title in their eleventh attempt.

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-squad-analysis-of-kkr-karthiks-knight-riders-36421" target="_blank">&nbsp;IPL 2018: Squad analysis of KKR &mdash; &#39;Karthik&#39;s Knight Riders&#39;</a>

Before the auctions, Punjab had only retained Axar Patel. But back at the auctions in January, the franchise managed to grab Marcus Stoinis, Mohit Sharma and David Miller via the Right to Match Card.

However, during auction Punjab snapped experienced veterans, including the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Chris Gayle, who might not be as effective as in their prime but getting them at their base price is a street-smart move.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-squad-analysis-of-rajasthan-royals-the-prodigal-son-returns-36117" target="_blank">IPL 2018: Squad analysis of Rajasthan Royals, the prodigal son returns</a>

With Indian batsman KL Rahul, who is the costliest purchase of Punjab at Rs 11 crore, and Aussie opener Aaron Finch, Rs 6.2 crore, also in the scheme of things, Punjab look a formidable force ahead of the season.

Finch is a perfect option alongside Gayle atop and together the duo can dismantle any bowling line-up on a given day.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2018-squad-analysis-of-ms-dhonis-yellow-brigade-35660" target="_blank">IPL 2018: Squad analysis of MS Dhoni&#39;s &#39;Yellow Brigade&#39;</a>

Finch has been in good form for the Aussies and he will look to carry on the momentum.&nbsp;

KL Rahul is another vital fit at the top order and will most likely keep wickets.&nbsp;

Yuvraj, who is also making a comeback to KXIP, will be hoping to make a difference in the middle order.

South African star David Miller is another experienced player and his presence also lifts up the side.&nbsp;

talking about the young guns, With Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal and Manoj Tiwary in the squad, the side does look well armoured.&nbsp;

However, consistency will be the key for KXIP&rsquo;s batsmen to get big runs and help their side hold control in the game.

Meanwhile, the Australian bowler Andrew Tye, captain Ashwin himself, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran etc. pace up Punjab&#39;s bowling attack.&nbsp;

Although the pace bowling unit lacks the fire-power to deliver consistently.

The only loose point in KXIP is lack of a genuine wicketkeeper in the side. &nbsp;Therefore Rahul&rsquo;s impact is crucial with little known Akshdeep Nath the back-up.&nbsp;

Ashwin&#39;s decision making is vital and with a lot of experienced foreign stars, he will get desired help

Altogether, Punjab dominates the batting order tut their weak pace department and Ashwin&#39;s inexperience as a skipper could separate Punjab from the teams which will reach play-offs.

Team:

Retained: 
Axar Patel (12.5 cr)

Purchased: 
R Ashwin (7.6 cr), Yuvraj Singh (2 cr), Karun Nair (5.6 cr), KL Rahul (11 cr), David Miller (3 cr), Aaron Finch (6.2 cr), Marcus Stoinis (6.2 cr), Mayank Agarwal (1 cr), Ankit Rajpoot (3 cr), Manoj Tiwary (1 cr), Mohit Sharma (2.4 cr), Mujeeb Zadran (4 cr), Barinder Sran (2.2 cr), Andrew Tye (7.2 cr), Akshdeep Nath (1 cr), Ben Dwarshius (1.4 cr), Pardeep Sahu (20 L), Mayank Dagar (20 L), Chris Gayle (2 cr), Manzoor Dar (20 L) 
&nbsp;

Before the auctions, Punjab had only retained Axar Patel

Done with the tag of being the most under-performing team among all Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, Kings Xi Punjab went for a star-studded batting line-up to roar loud in the upcoming edition. Aiming to shed their inconsistent tag, Punjab has gone big on experience, especially in the batting department, making them the most dangerous side. However, they might have the problem of plenty in the batting department. With Ravichandran Ashwin, who has 100 wickets in 111 IPL games at an economy of under 7, as the skipper, the franchise would want to make a fresh start and aim at clinching the title in their eleventh attempt. Also read: IPL 2018: Squad analysis of KKR — 'Karthik's Knight Riders' Before the auctions, Punjab had only retained Axar Patel. But back at the auctions in January, the franchise managed to grab Marcus Stoinis, Mohit Sharma and David Miller via the Right to Match Card. However, during auction Punjab snapped experienced veterans, including the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Chris Gayle, who might not be as effective as in their prime but getting them at their base price is a street-smart move. Also read: IPL 2018: Squad analysis of Rajasthan Royals, the prodigal son returns With Indian batsman KL Rahul, who is the costliest purchase of Punjab at Rs 11 crore, and Aussie opener Aaron Finch, Rs 6.2 crore, also in the scheme of things, Punjab look a formidable force ahead of the season. Finch is a perfect option alongside Gayle atop and together the duo can dismantle any bowling line-up on a given day. Also read: IPL 2018: Squad analysis of MS Dhoni's 'Yellow Brigade' Finch has been in good form for the Aussies and he will look to carry on the momentum. KL Rahul is another vital fit at the top order and will most likely keep wickets. Yuvraj, who is also making a comeback to KXIP, will be hoping to make a difference in the middle order. South African star David Miller is another experienced player and his presence also lifts up the side. talking about the young guns, With Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal and Manoj Tiwary in the squad, the side does look well armoured. However, consistency will be the key for KXIP’s batsmen to get big runs and help their side hold control in the game. Meanwhile, the Australian bowler Andrew Tye, captain Ashwin himself, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran etc. pace up Punjab's bowling attack. Although the pace bowling unit lacks the fire-power to deliver consistently. The only loose point in KXIP is lack of a genuine wicketkeeper in the side. Therefore Rahul’s impact is crucial with little known Akshdeep Nath the back-up. Ashwin's decision making is vital and with a lot of experienced foreign stars, he will get desired help Altogether, Punjab dominates the batting order tut their weak pace department and Ashwin's inexperience as a skipper could separate Punjab from the teams which will reach play-offs. Team: Retained: Axar Patel (12.5 cr) Purchased: R Ashwin (7.6 cr), Yuvraj Singh (2 cr), Karun Nair (5.6 cr), KL Rahul (11 cr), David Miller (3 cr), Aaron Finch (6.2 cr), Marcus Stoinis (6.2 cr), Mayank Agarwal (1 cr), Ankit Rajpoot (3 cr), Manoj Tiwary (1 cr), Mohit Sharma (2.4 cr), Mujeeb Zadran (4 cr), Barinder Sran (2.2 cr), Andrew Tye (7.2 cr), Akshdeep Nath (1 cr), Ben Dwarshius (1.4 cr), Pardeep Sahu (20 L), Mayank Dagar (20 L), Chris Gayle (2 cr), Manzoor Dar (20 L)

IPL 2018: Squad analysis of KXIP - Tigers set to 'roar loud'

The Amarinder Singh government has decided to create a dedicated social security fund for the poor and deprived sections of society.

The Punjab Cabinet on Saturday gave its assent to table The Punjab Social Security Bill, 2018 in the ongoing Budget session of the assembly.

A spokesperson in the Chief Minister&#39;s Office said the Bill relates to social services in the form of pension to senior citizens, old-aged, widows, destitute women, physically challenged persons, health and accident insurance, scholarship for education of children belonging to deprived sections, and other such financial assistance to the poor and needy as may be considered necessary.

The Social Security Fund would be administered by a trust headed by the chief minister and comprising the finance minister, welfare minister and social security minister, besides various experts.

&nbsp;

The Punjab Cabinet on Saturday gave its assent to table The Punjab Social Security Bill, 2018 in the ongoing Budget session of the assembly

The Amarinder Singh government has decided to create a dedicated social security fund for the poor and deprived sections of society. The Punjab Cabinet on Saturday gave its assent to table The Punjab Social Security Bill, 2018 in the ongoing Budget session of the assembly. A spokesperson in the Chief Minister's Office said the Bill relates to social services in the form of pension to senior citizens, old-aged, widows, destitute women, physically challenged persons, health and accident insurance, scholarship for education of children belonging to deprived sections, and other such financial assistance to the poor and needy as may be considered necessary. The Social Security Fund would be administered by a trust headed by the chief minister and comprising the finance minister, welfare minister and social security minister, besides various experts.

Punjab says will set up social security fund

The kin of Indians who died in Iraq are demanding a compensation for the families as they announced that they would hold&nbsp;a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar from Saturday.

The Brother-in-law of one of the Indian killed in Iraq said that &quot;we&#39;ve given govt time till tomorrow morning to announce a compensation to secure future of families of deceased. If they aren&#39;t able to do it then we&#39;ll protest at Jantar Mantar tomorrow.&quot;

Sister of Manjinder Singh, Gurpidner Kaur also claimed that the government is not responding to the demands even External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has not replied to the &#39;repeated attempts of contact.&#39;

&nbsp;&quot;We won&#39;t do a violent protest, we&#39;ll just sit peacefully. Union govt hasn&#39;t contacted us yet. EAM Sushma Swaraj has not replied to us even after repeated attempts to contact and meet her: Gurpinder Kaur, sister of Manjinder Singh who was among 39 Indians killed in Iraq,&quot; she said.

Sushma Swaraj informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday about the 39 kidnapped Indians&nbsp;who had gone missing since 2014 in Iraq are dead. Most of them were from Punjab.

All of them were shot in the head.The bodies have also been recovered from a mound in Badush village near Mosul.&nbsp;

The 39 Indians were kidnapped in 2014. On Wednesday Swaraj said they had been killed by the Islamic State.&nbsp;

Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd) VK Singh has flown to Mosul to bring back the bodies.&nbsp;

The government has come under much flak for its handling of the case. The families of the 39 killed have said they heard about the deaths when Swaraj made her speech in Parliament, and that they were not told beforehand.&nbsp;

The opposition meanwhile has said the government knew about the deaths beforehand but had been misleading the public.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Kin of Indians who died in Iraq are demanding a compensation for the families as they announce to hold a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar from Friday

The kin of Indians who died in Iraq are demanding a compensation for the families as they announced that they would hold a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar from Saturday. The Brother-in-law of one of the Indian killed in Iraq said that "we've given govt time till tomorrow morning to announce a compensation to secure future of families of deceased. If they aren't able to do it then we'll protest at Jantar Mantar tomorrow." Sister of Manjinder Singh, Gurpidner Kaur also claimed that the government is not responding to the demands even External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has not replied to the 'repeated attempts of contact.' "We won't do a violent protest, we'll just sit peacefully. Union govt hasn't contacted us yet. EAM Sushma Swaraj has not replied to us even after repeated attempts to contact and meet her: Gurpinder Kaur, sister of Manjinder Singh who was among 39 Indians killed in Iraq," she said. Sushma Swaraj informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday about the 39 kidnapped Indians who had gone missing since 2014 in Iraq are dead. Most of them were from Punjab. All of them were shot in the head.The bodies have also been recovered from a mound in Badush village near Mosul. The 39 Indians were kidnapped in 2014. On Wednesday Swaraj said they had been killed by the Islamic State. Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd) VK Singh has flown to Mosul to bring back the bodies. The government has come under much flak for its handling of the case. The families of the 39 killed have said they heard about the deaths when Swaraj made her speech in Parliament, and that they were not told beforehand. The opposition meanwhile has said the government knew about the deaths beforehand but had been misleading the public.

Families of Indians killed in Iraq to hold a protest in Delhi over compensation demand

Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu today said AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal had &quot;murdered&quot; his party in the state by apologising to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia.

The Delhi chief minister had yesterday apologised to Majithia for accusing him of being involved in the drug trade in Punjab, saying he had learnt that his allegations were unfounded.

&quot;Today AAP has been murdered in Punjab by Kejriwal,&quot; Sidhu told reporters here.

Kejriwal&#39;s apology also drew flak from his party&#39;s leaders and MLAs in Punjab, who said they were &quot;stunned&quot; by the move and &quot;disappointed&quot; as he had not kept them in the &quot;loop&quot;.

&quot;His statement finishes the existence of AAP in Punjab. It is as if their existence has been wiped out today. Why? Because he was the man who used to say he will get Majithia arrested...,&quot; the Punjab Tourism minister said.

Kejriwal has betrayed the people. How will AAP leaders now speak against drugs when their own leader has &quot;meekly surrendered&quot;, Sidhu said.

Hitting out at the Delhi chief minister, he said, &quot;Man like coward Kejriwal dies everyday for fifty times. But a brave man dies only once in life.&quot;

This is a psychological death of the party. Kejriwal has decimated the AAP in Punjab, Sidhu claimed.

&quot;Initially, he tried to run the party (in Punjab) from Delhi through remote control. Today, he is a helpless gambler,&quot; he alleged.

 
&nbsp;

The Delhi chief minister had yesterday apologised to Majithia for accusing him of being involved in the drug trade in Punjab, saying he had learnt that his allegations were unfounded

Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu today said AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal had "murdered" his party in the state by apologising to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia. The Delhi chief minister had yesterday apologised to Majithia for accusing him of being involved in the drug trade in Punjab, saying he had learnt that his allegations were unfounded. "Today AAP has been murdered in Punjab by Kejriwal," Sidhu told reporters here. Kejriwal's apology also drew flak from his party's leaders and MLAs in Punjab, who said they were "stunned" by the move and "disappointed" as he had not kept them in the "loop". "His statement finishes the existence of AAP in Punjab. It is as if their existence has been wiped out today. Why? Because he was the man who used to say he will get Majithia arrested...," the Punjab Tourism minister said. Kejriwal has betrayed the people. How will AAP leaders now speak against drugs when their own leader has "meekly surrendered", Sidhu said. Hitting out at the Delhi chief minister, he said, "Man like coward Kejriwal dies everyday for fifty times. But a brave man dies only once in life." This is a psychological death of the party. Kejriwal has decimated the AAP in Punjab, Sidhu claimed. "Initially, he tried to run the party (in Punjab) from Delhi through remote control. Today, he is a helpless gambler," he alleged.

Kejriwal has 'murdered' AAP in Punjab: Sidhu

The Lok Insaf Party on Friday&nbsp;announced to break its alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab in the wake of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal&#39;s apology to a SAD leader for accusing him of being involved in the drug trade.

Kejriwal tendered the apology to former minister Bikram Singh Majithia yesterday for levelling charges of involvement in drugs trade against the former minister

&quot;We have announced to break our alliance with the AAP. We cannot be associated with a party whose main leader meekly surrendered by tendering an apology to former minister Bikram Singh Majithia,&quot; LIP leader and MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains said here today.

Bains also called Kejriwal a &quot;traitor&quot;, alleging that he &quot;betrayed&quot; Punjabis by tendering an apology.

&quot;He is a fraudster. He accepted funds from Punjabis and also promised to punish Majithia. And now he tendered an apology which is the biggest fraud with Punjabis. Therefore we ended the alliance with AAP,&quot; he said.

However, he said he will continue to support &quot;at the&nbsp;personal level&quot; 14-15 AAP MLAs out of 20 who are working in the interest of Punjab.

The AAP and the LIP had entered into an alliance six months before the Punjab Assembly polls held in February last year.

In his apology, Kejriwal said he had now learnt that his allegations were unfounded.

Earlier in the day, Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann resigned as the AAP&#39;s Punjab chief protesting the apology.

The Delhi chief minister&#39;s apology drew flak from his party&#39;s other leaders and MLAs in Punjab, who said they were &quot;stunned&quot; by the move and &quot;disappointed&quot; as Kejriwal had not kept them in the &quot;loop&quot;.

The AAP and the LIP had entered into an alliance six months before the Punjab Assembly polls held in February last year.

The Lok Insaf Party on Friday announced to break its alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab in the wake of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's apology to a SAD leader for accusing him of being involved in the drug trade. Kejriwal tendered the apology to former minister Bikram Singh Majithia yesterday for levelling charges of involvement in drugs trade against the former minister "We have announced to break our alliance with the AAP. We cannot be associated with a party whose main leader meekly surrendered by tendering an apology to former minister Bikram Singh Majithia," LIP leader and MLA Simarjeet Singh Bains said here today. Bains also called Kejriwal a "traitor", alleging that he "betrayed" Punjabis by tendering an apology. "He is a fraudster. He accepted funds from Punjabis and also promised to punish Majithia. And now he tendered an apology which is the biggest fraud with Punjabis. Therefore we ended the alliance with AAP," he said. However, he said he will continue to support "at the personal level" 14-15 AAP MLAs out of 20 who are working in the interest of Punjab. The AAP and the LIP had entered into an alliance six months before the Punjab Assembly polls held in February last year. In his apology, Kejriwal said he had now learnt that his allegations were unfounded. Earlier in the day, Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann resigned as the AAP's Punjab chief protesting the apology. The Delhi chief minister's apology drew flak from his party's other leaders and MLAs in Punjab, who said they were "stunned" by the move and "disappointed" as Kejriwal had not kept them in the "loop".

Lok Insaf Party breaks alliance with AAP over Kejriwal apology

Punjab Province Chief Minister and former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif`s brother Shehbaz Sharif has been elected as the new chairperson of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) by the party`s general council.

Shehbaz had contested for the party seat unopposed. The general council meeting was scheduled to be held last week. However, it had to be postponed after he was unwell, The Express Tribune reported.

After this, the decision of Shehbaz`s election would be sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for listing him as the new PML-N president.&nbsp;

The PML-N on February 27 appointed Shehbaz as its acting president while Nawaz Sharif was named the party`s &quot;Quaid (leader) for life.&quot;&nbsp;

According to Geo News, Shehbaz, who is said to be a consensus choice for the top party position, will become the permanent president after intra-party elections are held within 45 days.&nbsp;

The development comes after Pakistan`s Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif from the post of PML-N party chief last month, saying all decisions made by him &quot;now stand null and void.&quot;&nbsp;

Shehbaz had contested for the party seat unopposed

Punjab Province Chief Minister and former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif`s brother Shehbaz Sharif has been elected as the new chairperson of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) by the party`s general council. Shehbaz had contested for the party seat unopposed. The general council meeting was scheduled to be held last week. However, it had to be postponed after he was unwell, The Express Tribune reported. After this, the decision of Shehbaz`s election would be sent to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for listing him as the new PML-N president. The PML-N on February 27 appointed Shehbaz as its acting president while Nawaz Sharif was named the party`s "Quaid (leader) for life." According to Geo News, Shehbaz, who is said to be a consensus choice for the top party position, will become the permanent president after intra-party elections are held within 45 days. The development comes after Pakistan`s Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif from the post of PML-N party chief last month, saying all decisions made by him "now stand null and void."

Shehbaz Sharif elected new PML-N chairperson

The Punjab government today said it is exploring the possibility of collaboration with job portal Naukri.Com to provide a platform for job seekers to find employment opportunities.

This was disclosed here by an official spokesperson in a release after a meeting between Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Naukri.Com promoter Hitesh Oberoi on the sidelines of TiECon 2018.

The spokesperson said the government was also looking at tie-ups with other such job portals to facilitate the fulfilment of its manifesto promise of &#39;Ghar Ghar Naukri&#39; by creating employment generation avenues for unemployed youth.

With a database of 54 million jobs, and 70,000 companies on board, Naukri.Com could be an ideal platform for Punjab&#39;s unemployed youth to find suitable jobs, Oberoi told the chief minister.

Singh explained the steps being taken by his government to fulfil the poll promise of a job for every household.

These included job fairs being organised by the government across the state to connect job seekers with prospective employers, he added.

The disclosure was made by an official spokesperson in a release after a meeting between Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Naukri.Com promoter Hitesh Oberoi on the sidelines of TiECon 2018

The Punjab government today said it is exploring the possibility of collaboration with job portal Naukri.Com to provide a platform for job seekers to find employment opportunities. This was disclosed here by an official spokesperson in a release after a meeting between Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Naukri.Com promoter Hitesh Oberoi on the sidelines of TiECon 2018. The spokesperson said the government was also looking at tie-ups with other such job portals to facilitate the fulfilment of its manifesto promise of 'Ghar Ghar Naukri' by creating employment generation avenues for unemployed youth. With a database of 54 million jobs, and 70,000 companies on board, Naukri.Com could be an ideal platform for Punjab's unemployed youth to find suitable jobs, Oberoi told the chief minister. Singh explained the steps being taken by his government to fulfil the poll promise of a job for every household. These included job fairs being organised by the government across the state to connect job seekers with prospective employers, he added.

To find people employment, Punjab thinks of tying up with job portal

Canada&#39;s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced persistent criticism Thursday over a convicted Sikh extremist&#39;s attendance at a Canadian event in Mumbai, nearly a week after the premier&#39;s return from a trip to India.

Opposition parties and editorialists heaped scorn on the prime minister and his Liberal government over the &quot;fiasco&quot; that dogged Trudeau during his first official visit to India to drum up trade and investment.

Canadian-Indian businessman Jaspal Atwal was sentenced in Canada to 20 years in prison for a 1986 assassination attempt on an Indian politician, as part of a violent campaign to establish an independent Sikh state of Khalistan.

Yet, he managed to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/canadian-pm-justin-trudeau-cancels-dinner-invite-to-convicted-khalistani-terrorist-jaspal-atwal-33681" target="_blank">get himself invited</a> to the Mumbai mixer as well as one to a dinner with Trudeau, which was rescinded at the last minute when Canadian media pointed out Atwal&#39;s criminal past.

Trudeau dodged questions about the scandal, saying that a senior member of his caucus had mistakenly extended the invitation.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/canadians-surprised-trudeaus-reception-hasnt-been-welcoming-33701" target="_blank">&#39;Canadians surprised Trudeau&#39;s reception hasn&#39;t been welcoming&#39;</a>

Later, he defended his national security advisor who floated a theory that rogue political factions in India orchestrated the embarrassing invitation in order to make Canada appear sympathetic to Sikh extremism.

Trudeau has said he does not support Sikh extremists, despite appearing in several photographs with Atwal published by Canadian media -- while New Delhi has rejected the conspiracy theory put forward by Trudeau&#39;s top intelligence official.

In Montreal on Thursday, Trudeau repeated lines that he had rehearsed in parliament the day before: that he has &quot;full confidence in Canada&#39;s national security agencies&quot; and &quot;when security officials say something to Canadians, it&#39;s because they know it to be true.&quot;

Canadian Sikhs number nearly 500,000 and account for roughly 1.4 percent of Canada&#39;s population, according to a 2016 census.

A handful of Canadian supporters of the Sikh nationalist movement were accused in the 1985 Air India bombings that killed 331 people, but only one person was ever convicted in the attack.

The movement was crushed in the 1990s.

Ujjal Dosanjh, a prominent moderate Sikh and a former Canadian Liberal minister, told AFP last week: &quot;The movement was all but dead, but it has resurfaced in Canada in the last few years partly because Canadian politicians have been careless in associating with these people.&quot;

Jaspal Atwal was convicted on terror charges but managed to get himself invited to a dinner hosted by the Canadian high commission in New Delhi

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced persistent criticism Thursday over a convicted Sikh extremist's attendance at a Canadian event in Mumbai, nearly a week after the premier's return from a trip to India. Opposition parties and editorialists heaped scorn on the prime minister and his Liberal government over the "fiasco" that dogged Trudeau during his first official visit to India to drum up trade and investment. Canadian-Indian businessman Jaspal Atwal was sentenced in Canada to 20 years in prison for a 1986 assassination attempt on an Indian politician, as part of a violent campaign to establish an independent Sikh state of Khalistan. Yet, he managed to get himself invited to the Mumbai mixer as well as one to a dinner with Trudeau, which was rescinded at the last minute when Canadian media pointed out Atwal's criminal past. Trudeau dodged questions about the scandal, saying that a senior member of his caucus had mistakenly extended the invitation. Also read: 'Canadians surprised Trudeau's reception hasn't been welcoming' Later, he defended his national security advisor who floated a theory that rogue political factions in India orchestrated the embarrassing invitation in order to make Canada appear sympathetic to Sikh extremism. Trudeau has said he does not support Sikh extremists, despite appearing in several photographs with Atwal published by Canadian media -- while New Delhi has rejected the conspiracy theory put forward by Trudeau's top intelligence official. In Montreal on Thursday, Trudeau repeated lines that he had rehearsed in parliament the day before: that he has "full confidence in Canada's national security agencies" and "when security officials say something to Canadians, it's because they know it to be true." Canadian Sikhs number nearly 500,000 and account for roughly 1.4 percent of Canada's population, according to a 2016 census. A handful of Canadian supporters of the Sikh nationalist movement were accused in the 1985 Air India bombings that killed 331 people, but only one person was ever convicted in the attack. The movement was crushed in the 1990s. Ujjal Dosanjh, a prominent moderate Sikh and a former Canadian Liberal minister, told AFP last week: "The movement was all but dead, but it has resurfaced in Canada in the last few years partly because Canadian politicians have been careless in associating with these people."

Khalistan terrorist 'fiasco' follows Trudeau back to Canada

The average temperatures from March to May across North India are likely to be above normal by more than one degree Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its seasonal forecast on Wednesday.

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&nbsp;

The MeT office, in a statement, said average temperatures in Delhi, along with neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, can soar over 1.5 degrees Celsius above normal levels. It projected a maximum rise of more than 2.3 degrees higher than usual temperatures in hilly states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Met office further projected that the average temperatures from March to May across half the country are likely to be above normal by more than 1 degree Celsius.

The temperature rise is likely to be moderate in south India and four north-eastern states.

India normally experiences hot weather and heat wave conditions during March to July period.&nbsp;

As per the seasonal forecast, there is about 52 per cent probability that maximum temperatures in the core heat wave zone during the period of March to May will touch their peak &mdash; pointing to a high likelihood of heat waves.

This zone includes Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Marathwada, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The forecast projects higher than normal temperature across India.

The seasonal average maximum temperature is likely to be warmer than normal by 1&deg;C over these states (heat wave zone) whereas it is likely to be 0.5&deg;C over Kerala, Tamil Nadu, south interior Karnataka and Rayalaseema.&nbsp;

Remaining subdivisions are likely to experience maximum temperature anomalies between 0.5&deg;C and 1&deg;C.

IMD says the regions where the temperature rise is likely to be moderate are south India and four north-eastern states. The outlook shows that the seasonal average mean temperature in Tamil Nadu, south interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema and north-eastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura is&nbsp;likely to be less than 0.5 degree Celsius above normal.

India normally experiences hot weather and heat wave conditions during March to July period

The average temperatures from March to May across North India are likely to be above normal by more than one degree Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its seasonal forecast on Wednesday. × The MeT office, in a statement, said average temperatures in Delhi, along with neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, can soar over 1.5 degrees Celsius above normal levels. It projected a maximum rise of more than 2.3 degrees higher than usual temperatures in hilly states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Met office further projected that the average temperatures from March to May across half the country are likely to be above normal by more than 1 degree Celsius. The temperature rise is likely to be moderate in south India and four north-eastern states. India normally experiences hot weather and heat wave conditions during March to July period. As per the seasonal forecast, there is about 52 per cent probability that maximum temperatures in the core heat wave zone during the period of March to May will touch their peak — pointing to a high likelihood of heat waves. This zone includes Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Marathwada, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh. The forecast projects higher than normal temperature across India. The seasonal average maximum temperature is likely to be warmer than normal by 1°C over these states (heat wave zone) whereas it is likely to be 0.5°C over Kerala, Tamil Nadu, south interior Karnataka and Rayalaseema. Remaining subdivisions are likely to experience maximum temperature anomalies between 0.5°C and 1°C. IMD says the regions where the temperature rise is likely to be moderate are south India and four north-eastern states. The outlook shows that the seasonal average mean temperature in Tamil Nadu, south interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema and north-eastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura is likely to be less than 0.5 degree Celsius above normal.

Average temperature in North India to be above normal from March-May

Punjab chief minister <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/amid-fears-over-khalistan-issue-punjab-cm-to-meet-canadian-pm-trudeau-today-33566">Captain Amarinder Singh said today </a>he took up the case of Khalistan militants with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau during the official meeting on Wednesday.

The Canadian prime<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/canada-seems-to-think-india-is-snubbing-trudeau-govt-says-no-33354"> minister who is on a seven-day</a> visit to India has reportedly been snubbed by Indian government officials after reports emerged his closeness towards Khalistan-based parties in Canada.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> &#39;I raised issue of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Khalistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Khalistan</a> as its the primary issue and there is money coming in from various countries including Canada&#39; says Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh after meeting Canadian PM <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JustinTrudeau?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JustinTrudeau</a> <a href="https://t.co/lY201BzX7H">pic.twitter.com/lY201BzX7H</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/966258441495904256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Although the &quot;snub&quot; has been emphatically denied by the government, however,&nbsp;reports say the top government ministers have kept a low profile even as Trudeau has been visiting India.

Reports suggested Trudeau insisted on taking ministers to India who apparently were&nbsp;&quot;sympathisers&quot;&nbsp;of the Khalistan movement which further riled Indian officials.

However, as the Canadian PM met Punjab chief minister Arminder Singh the two had a cordial meeting. The Punjab CM said PM Trudeau would &quot;look into the matter&quot;.

The Canadian prime minister who is on a seven-day visit to India has reportedly been snubbed by Indian government officials

Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said today he took up the case of Khalistan militants with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau during the official meeting on Wednesday. The Canadian prime minister who is on a seven-day visit to India has reportedly been snubbed by Indian government officials after reports emerged his closeness towards Khalistan-based parties in Canada. #WATCH 'I raised issue of #Khalistan as its the primary issue and there is money coming in from various countries including Canada' says Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh after meeting Canadian PM #JustinTrudeau pic.twitter.com/lY201BzX7H — ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2018 × Although the "snub" has been emphatically denied by the government, however, reports say the top government ministers have kept a low profile even as Trudeau has been visiting India. Reports suggested Trudeau insisted on taking ministers to India who apparently were "sympathisers" of the Khalistan movement which further riled Indian officials. However, as the Canadian PM met Punjab chief minister Arminder Singh the two had a cordial meeting. The Punjab CM said PM Trudeau would "look into the matter".

CM Amarinder Singh brings up Punjab militancy issue with Canadian PM Trudeau

By Saumyajit Ray*

The recent visit of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to India comes right on the heels of the decision by major Canadian gurudwaras (the Sikh place of worship) banning the entry of Indian diplomats in their official capacity. In April last year, during the India visit of Canada&rsquo;s Defense Minister, Harjit Sajjan, Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh accused Canadian Sikhs (including Sajjan) of being Khalistan sympathizers. This is over and above the hobnobbing that politicians of all hues in Canada indulge in with Sikh separatists in that country and the periodic yet regular glorification of dead Sikh extremist leaders during public functions in Canadian gurudwaras.

Though Prime Minister Trudeau is slated to meet the Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today. The no-nonsense Capt. Amarinder Singh, a scion of the Patiala royal family with impeccable nationalist credentials, has sent a strong message - Sikh leaders in India are unwilling to take their community back to a tragic and violent past that transformed the once-prosperous state into a vast killing field, snuffing out thousands of lives, and driving a wedge between Hindus and Sikhs for more than a decade.

If Canadian leaders do not wish to accept this truth and are bent upon flogging a dead horse, then relations between the two countries are bound to sour despite decades of strong business and cultural ties. The India of 2018 is not the India of 1985.

But is the Khalistan movement in Canada really a dead horse? Going by the glorification of dead Khalistan activists, it is not. Going by the plethora of Canada-based websites espousing Khalistan, it is not. And, going by the funds raised by Khalistan sympathizers for the election efforts of Canadian politicians cutting across party lines, it is not. But then under no stretch of imagination can such concerted Sikh activity in Canada be termed a &ldquo;movement&rdquo;.

The Khalistan cause does not have a widespread following in Canada, not even in areas with high Sikh populations like that of British Columbia, where Sikhs are nearly 5% as against the national percentage 1.4%. &nbsp;Nor do all gurudwaras in Canada give credence to pro-Khalistan sentiments. Many of them do not subscribe to the ban on the entry of Indian diplomatic officials in their official capacity in their precincts).&nbsp;

At the height of the Khalistan movement in the mid-1980s, led by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from India and Jagjit Singh Chauhan in Britain (both long dead), Canada was indeed a hotbed of Sikh separatism and consequent anti-Indian activity. There is no doubt that the federal government of Canada and the various provincial governments had allowed Canadian soil to be used for activities directed at weakening and undermining the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India. This may have been an unintended consequence of Canada&rsquo;s official policy of multiculturalism, but it created mayhem in India, another multicultural and officially faith-neutral country.

Canadian Sikhs had pumped millions of dollars into the murderously violent Khalistan insurgency in Punjab and the rest of north India, before and after the tragic and ill-conceived Operation Bluestar. That had razed the Akal Takht, the highest seat of Sikh temporal and spiritual authority, and damaged the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), the holiest of Sikh shrines. Though the government of India, under the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, succeeded in liberating the Golden Temple premises from the clutches of Sikh militants. It had scarred the Sikh collective psyche forever, expanding and deepening the alienation that the Sikh community everywhere (including expatriate Sikhs in Canada) suffered from. Less than six months after that notorious military action in Amritsar, Indira Gandhi herself paid with her life when she was gunned won by her own Sikh bodyguards at her official residence in New Delhi. It took more than a decade after that to get things back to normal in the beleaguered state of Punjab.&nbsp;

But for many Sikhs in Canada, the Khalistan cause was not a lost one. Even though the stories of woe and injustice in Punjab had stopped trickling into Canadian Sikh congregations, the dream of an independent Sikh state&mdash;expressed best in the slogan Raj karega Khalsa (the Khalsa shall rule)&mdash;lived on among Sikhs in Canada and the United States. Sikhs were and continue to be major sources of voter support and election funds for both liberals and conservatives in the two countries. And party leaders there, especially in Canada, have not been averse to support Khalistan from official platforms. Quite a large number of Sikhs have entered Canadian politics and hold official positions, and it is at them that Capt. Amarinder Singh had raised his finger, accusing them of keeping alive the Khalistan issue.&nbsp;

It is too early to predict whether discontent with India and the unfulfilled dream of a Sikh state among Canadian Sikhs have the potential of reviving the Khalistan &ldquo;movement&rdquo;. But there is no doubt that they have carved out for themselves a distinct identity&mdash;quite separate from the greater Indian immigrant identity&mdash;in that country.&nbsp;

It is evident that they have taken the advantage of Canadian official multiculturalism to cultivate such an identity, but in Indian eyes, it is nothing but collective attempts at reviving separatism. In India, though Sikhism remains as strong and vibrant as ever, Khalistan is history. Punjab and the rest of India look forward to the likes of Captain Amarinder Singh to cremate it for all times to come.&nbsp;

*Saumyajit Ray teaches at&nbsp;Centre for Canadian, US and Latin American Studies, School of International Studies, JNU.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

It is evident Khalistanis have taken advantage of Canadian official multiculturalism to cultivate an identity, but in Indian eyes, it is nothing but collective attempts at reviving separatism.

By Saumyajit Ray* The recent visit of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to India comes right on the heels of the decision by major Canadian gurudwaras (the Sikh place of worship) banning the entry of Indian diplomats in their official capacity. In April last year, during the India visit of Canada’s Defense Minister, Harjit Sajjan, Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh accused Canadian Sikhs (including Sajjan) of being Khalistan sympathizers. This is over and above the hobnobbing that politicians of all hues in Canada indulge in with Sikh separatists in that country and the periodic yet regular glorification of dead Sikh extremist leaders during public functions in Canadian gurudwaras. Though Prime Minister Trudeau is slated to meet the Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today. The no-nonsense Capt. Amarinder Singh, a scion of the Patiala royal family with impeccable nationalist credentials, has sent a strong message - Sikh leaders in India are unwilling to take their community back to a tragic and violent past that transformed the once-prosperous state into a vast killing field, snuffing out thousands of lives, and driving a wedge between Hindus and Sikhs for more than a decade. If Canadian leaders do not wish to accept this truth and are bent upon flogging a dead horse, then relations between the two countries are bound to sour despite decades of strong business and cultural ties. The India of 2018 is not the India of 1985. But is the Khalistan movement in Canada really a dead horse? Going by the glorification of dead Khalistan activists, it is not. Going by the plethora of Canada-based websites espousing Khalistan, it is not. And, going by the funds raised by Khalistan sympathizers for the election efforts of Canadian politicians cutting across party lines, it is not. But then under no stretch of imagination can such concerted Sikh activity in Canada be termed a “movement”. The Khalistan cause does not have a widespread following in Canada, not even in areas with high Sikh populations like that of British Columbia, where Sikhs are nearly 5% as against the national percentage 1.4%. Nor do all gurudwaras in Canada give credence to pro-Khalistan sentiments. Many of them do not subscribe to the ban on the entry of Indian diplomatic officials in their official capacity in their precincts). At the height of the Khalistan movement in the mid-1980s, led by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from India and Jagjit Singh Chauhan in Britain (both long dead), Canada was indeed a hotbed of Sikh separatism and consequent anti-Indian activity. There is no doubt that the federal government of Canada and the various provincial governments had allowed Canadian soil to be used for activities directed at weakening and undermining the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India. This may have been an unintended consequence of Canada’s official policy of multiculturalism, but it created mayhem in India, another multicultural and officially faith-neutral country. Canadian Sikhs had pumped millions of dollars into the murderously violent Khalistan insurgency in Punjab and the rest of north India, before and after the tragic and ill-conceived Operation Bluestar. That had razed the Akal Takht, the highest seat of Sikh temporal and spiritual authority, and damaged the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple), the holiest of Sikh shrines. Though the government of India, under the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, succeeded in liberating the Golden Temple premises from the clutches of Sikh militants. It had scarred the Sikh collective psyche forever, expanding and deepening the alienation that the Sikh community everywhere (including expatriate Sikhs in Canada) suffered from. Less than six months after that notorious military action in Amritsar, Indira Gandhi herself paid with her life when she was gunned won by her own Sikh bodyguards at her official residence in New Delhi. It took more than a decade after that to get things back to normal in the beleaguered state of Punjab. But for many Sikhs in Canada, the Khalistan cause was not a lost one. Even though the stories of woe and injustice in Punjab had stopped trickling into Canadian Sikh congregations, the dream of an independent Sikh state—expressed best in the slogan Raj karega Khalsa (the Khalsa shall rule)—lived on among Sikhs in Canada and the United States. Sikhs were and continue to be major sources of voter support and election funds for both liberals and conservatives in the two countries. And party leaders there, especially in Canada, have not been averse to support Khalistan from official platforms. Quite a large number of Sikhs have entered Canadian politics and hold official positions, and it is at them that Capt. Amarinder Singh had raised his finger, accusing them of keeping alive the Khalistan issue. It is too early to predict whether discontent with India and the unfulfilled dream of a Sikh state among Canadian Sikhs have the potential of reviving the Khalistan “movement”. But there is no doubt that they have carved out for themselves a distinct identity—quite separate from the greater Indian immigrant identity—in that country. It is evident that they have taken the advantage of Canadian official multiculturalism to cultivate such an identity, but in Indian eyes, it is nothing but collective attempts at reviving separatism. In India, though Sikhism remains as strong and vibrant as ever, Khalistan is history. Punjab and the rest of India look forward to the likes of Captain Amarinder Singh to cremate it for all times to come. *Saumyajit Ray teaches at Centre for Canadian, US and Latin American Studies, School of International Studies, JNU. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Khalistan is history, Amarinder Singh should state to Trudeau

Rahul Gandhi has constituted a &nbsp;steering committee for the forthcoming plenary session.&nbsp;

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The steering committee will function in the place of the working committee.

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Rahul Gandhi constitutes Steering Commitee for the forthcoming plenary session. It will function in the place of Working Committee
&mdash; Kartikeya Sharma (@kartikeya_1975) <a href="https://twitter.com/kartikeya_1975/status/964435564945539072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Congress Steering Committee will have 34 members
&mdash; Kartikeya Sharma (@kartikeya_1975) <a href="https://twitter.com/kartikeya_1975/status/964436683931369473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The steering committee is to have 34 members including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, former defence minister A K Antony, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni among others.&nbsp;

The meeting of the steering committee is scheduled to be held on Saturday&nbsp;at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) office.

The plenary session, according to sources, is likely to be held in March-April.&nbsp;

&quot;Apart from Delhi, Punjab is being considered as a possible venue for the session. However, a final decision has yet to be taken on this count,&quot; a report said quoting a senior leader of the party. 
&nbsp;

The steering committee will function in the place of working committee

Rahul Gandhi has constituted a steering committee for the forthcoming plenary session. × The steering committee will function in the place of the working committee. Rahul Gandhi constitutes Steering Commitee for the forthcoming plenary session. It will function in the place of Working Committee — Kartikeya Sharma (@kartikeya_1975) February 16, 2018 × Congress Steering Committee will have 34 members — Kartikeya Sharma (@kartikeya_1975) February 16, 2018 × The steering committee is to have 34 members including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, former defence minister A K Antony, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni among others. The meeting of the steering committee is scheduled to be held on Saturday at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) office. The plenary session, according to sources, is likely to be held in March-April. "Apart from Delhi, Punjab is being considered as a possible venue for the session. However, a final decision has yet to be taken on this count," a report said quoting a senior leader of the party.

Rahul Gandhi constitutes 'steering committee' for party plenary session

Adampur shivered at a minimum temperature of 5.3 degrees Celsius today as the cold weather conditions returned to most parts in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana after a temporary respite.

After rains in the two states earlier this week, the minimum temperature had hovered above normal limits at most places, a MeT official said today.

However, the minimum temperature dropped by few notches today reviving the cold weather conditions.

&quot;Adampur in Punjab was the coldest place in the two states,&quot; the MeT official said.

Amritsar, Bathinda and Faridkot also recorded below normal minimums at 6.3 degrees Celsius, 5.7 degrees Celsius and 7.4 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Halwara and Pathankot, too, experienced the cold weather recording respective lows of 6.4 degrees Celsius and 7.1 degrees Celsius.

Ludhiana, Patiala and Gurdaspur recorded respective minimums of 8.2 degrees Celsius, 8.6 degrees Celsius and 8.4 degrees Celsius.

While in Haryana, where Karnal was the coldest place recording a low of 7 degrees Celsius, Sirsa and Hisar settled at a low of 6.9 degrees Celsius and 7.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Also, Ambala recorded a low of 9.7 degrees Celsius and Bhiwani registered a low of 8.1 degrees Celsius.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states recorded a low of 8.4 degrees Celsius.&nbsp;

After rains in the two states earlier this week, the minimum temperature had hovered above normal limits at most places, a MeT official said today

Adampur shivered at a minimum temperature of 5.3 degrees Celsius today as the cold weather conditions returned to most parts in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana after a temporary respite. After rains in the two states earlier this week, the minimum temperature had hovered above normal limits at most places, a MeT official said today. However, the minimum temperature dropped by few notches today reviving the cold weather conditions. "Adampur in Punjab was the coldest place in the two states," the MeT official said. Amritsar, Bathinda and Faridkot also recorded below normal minimums at 6.3 degrees Celsius, 5.7 degrees Celsius and 7.4 degrees Celsius, respectively. Halwara and Pathankot, too, experienced the cold weather recording respective lows of 6.4 degrees Celsius and 7.1 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana, Patiala and Gurdaspur recorded respective minimums of 8.2 degrees Celsius, 8.6 degrees Celsius and 8.4 degrees Celsius. While in Haryana, where Karnal was the coldest place recording a low of 7 degrees Celsius, Sirsa and Hisar settled at a low of 6.9 degrees Celsius and 7.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. Also, Ambala recorded a low of 9.7 degrees Celsius and Bhiwani registered a low of 8.1 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states recorded a low of 8.4 degrees Celsius.

Minimum temperature drops again in Punjab and Haryana

Three blasts in quick succession were reported from Assam on Republic Day. The blasts were reported from the Jagun, Ledo, and Tirap areas of the state.&nbsp;

There were no casualties reported, and ANI said the blasts were &quot;minor&quot;.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpotVisuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpotVisuals</a> Two minor blasts reported in Jagun &amp; Ledo area of Tinsukiya district earlier today; no casualties reported <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Assam</a> <a href="https://t.co/4okkPPB3an">pic.twitter.com/4okkPPB3an</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/956806539582435328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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No one has as yet claimed responsibility but police said the militant group ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) is being thought of as a suspect since it had called for a boycott of Republic Day celebrations.&nbsp;

In Kashmir meanwhile, police said they had apprehended a suspected woman suicide bomber.&nbsp;

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A lady who is suspected to be a suicide bomber has been apprehended, we will verify facts and talk to her, only then can we come to a conclusion: Munir Khan,ADG,J&amp;K Police <a href="https://t.co/NWepMesu5j">pic.twitter.com/NWepMesu5j</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/956790056697544704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Intelligence agencies had put out an alert earlier, saying a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/republic-day-fidayeen-alert-issued-in-kashmir-30726" target="_blank">fidayeen attacker</a> was thought to be in the Valley.&nbsp;

They had added the attacker might be female and that everybody entering a venue where Republic Day was being celebrated was to be thoroughly frisked. Including women.&nbsp;

Republic Day celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, and other parts of the country troubled by insurgency, are usually held under heavy security.&nbsp;

In Punjab meanwhile, a police constable shot himself with his AK-47 at a Republic Day function at a school in Jagraon. Police said Manjit Singh died on the spot.&nbsp;

They added that an investigation was underway, and that Singh had been depressed because of family troubles.&nbsp;

And finally, a woman and her two sons were detained in Mumbai while trying to enter a Republic Day venue. The woman, ANI said, was reportedly angry over the death of her husband in custody and was planning on immolating herself.&nbsp;

On the good news front, mobile and internet services, which had been suspended in Kashmir for security reasons, were restored early in the afternoon.&nbsp;

The blasts were minor and there were no casualties

Three blasts in quick succession were reported from Assam on Republic Day. The blasts were reported from the Jagun, Ledo, and Tirap areas of the state. There were no casualties reported, and ANI said the blasts were "minor". #SpotVisuals Two minor blasts reported in Jagun & Ledo area of Tinsukiya district earlier today; no casualties reported #Assam pic.twitter.com/4okkPPB3an — ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2018 × No one has as yet claimed responsibility but police said the militant group ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) is being thought of as a suspect since it had called for a boycott of Republic Day celebrations. In Kashmir meanwhile, police said they had apprehended a suspected woman suicide bomber. A lady who is suspected to be a suicide bomber has been apprehended, we will verify facts and talk to her, only then can we come to a conclusion: Munir Khan,ADG,J&K Police pic.twitter.com/NWepMesu5j — ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2018 × Intelligence agencies had put out an alert earlier, saying a fidayeen attacker was thought to be in the Valley. They had added the attacker might be female and that everybody entering a venue where Republic Day was being celebrated was to be thoroughly frisked. Including women. Republic Day celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, and other parts of the country troubled by insurgency, are usually held under heavy security. In Punjab meanwhile, a police constable shot himself with his AK-47 at a Republic Day function at a school in Jagraon. Police said Manjit Singh died on the spot. They added that an investigation was underway, and that Singh had been depressed because of family troubles. And finally, a woman and her two sons were detained in Mumbai while trying to enter a Republic Day venue. The woman, ANI said, was reportedly angry over the death of her husband in custody and was planning on immolating herself. On the good news front, mobile and internet services, which had been suspended in Kashmir for security reasons, were restored early in the afternoon.

Republic Day: 3 blasts in Assam, woman suicide bomber apprehended in Kashmir, cop shoots himself in Punjab

The Punjab police have shot dead wanted <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/punjab-jailbreak-one-man-held-cache-of-weapons-seized-9385" target="_blank">criminals Vicky&nbsp;Gounder and Prema Lahoriya </a>in an encounter on Friday evening.

The two criminals were wanted in the Nabha jailbreak of 2016.

While Vicky Gounder was accused to be the mastermind of the infamous jailbreak, the other killed in the encounter was his associate.&nbsp;

The two were shot dead in Muktsar village near Punjab-Rajasthan border.

Two policemen have also sustained injuries in the operation.

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Wanted criminals Vicky Gounder &amp; Prema Lahoriya shot dead in an encounter with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Punjab?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Punjab</a> Police
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/956899915606577153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Wanted criminal Vicky Gounder, accused to be the mastermind of Nabha Jailbreak 2016, killed along with his associate Prema Lahoriya by Punjab Police this evening at Punjab-Rajasthan border near Muktsar village. Two policemen injured in the encounter
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/956905903415898112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Ten gunmen had stormed into a jail in Punjab on November 27, 2016, and freed six men.

Vickey Gounder was one of the convicts who was freed in the operation.&nbsp;

The gunmen also freed Khalistan Liberation Force chief Harminder Singh Mintoo.

The men who entered the jail wearing police uniforms, fired over 100 rounds at jail authorities after they stormed into the premises.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

While Vicky Gounder was accused to be the mastermind of the infamous jailbreak, the other killed in the encounter was his associate

The Punjab police have shot dead wanted criminals Vicky Gounder and Prema Lahoriya in an encounter on Friday evening. The two criminals were wanted in the Nabha jailbreak of 2016. While Vicky Gounder was accused to be the mastermind of the infamous jailbreak, the other killed in the encounter was his associate. The two were shot dead in Muktsar village near Punjab-Rajasthan border. Two policemen have also sustained injuries in the operation. Wanted criminals Vicky Gounder & Prema Lahoriya shot dead in an encounter with #Punjab Police — ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2018 × Wanted criminal Vicky Gounder, accused to be the mastermind of Nabha Jailbreak 2016, killed along with his associate Prema Lahoriya by Punjab Police this evening at Punjab-Rajasthan border near Muktsar village. Two policemen injured in the encounter — ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2018 × Ten gunmen had stormed into a jail in Punjab on November 27, 2016, and freed six men. Vickey Gounder was one of the convicts who was freed in the operation. The gunmen also freed Khalistan Liberation Force chief Harminder Singh Mintoo. The men who entered the jail wearing police uniforms, fired over 100 rounds at jail authorities after they stormed into the premises.

Punjab Nabha jailbreak: Punjab police shoots dead wanted criminals Vicky Gounder, Prema Lahoriya

Two civilians were killed when officers fired live rounds to disburse crowds that attacked a police station in Pakistan on Wednesday in a protest over the rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl.

Police recovered the body of Zainab Ansari on Tuesday from a garbage dumpster in the town of Kasur in eastern Pakistan, four days after she was reported missing.

It was the twelfth incident of a girl being abducted, raped, and killed in the past year in Kasur district, police say. Residents have been furious at the authorities for what they see as a failure to investigate such cases.

The spokesman for Pakistan&#39;s Punjab province, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, told Reuters that protesters turned violent and attacked a local police office.

&quot;They started throwing stones at the office and some of armed protesters shot bullets at police. In order to stop them, police resorted to aerial firing,&quot; Khan said, adding that two people were killed and one wounded as a result.

Locals said police responded with undue force.

&quot;A peaceful protest was taking place, some students threw stones and police responded by firing at the crowd,&quot; Saleem ur Rehman, a resident who was at the protest, told Reuters. &quot;The law and order situation here is really bad and there have been many such incidents. That is what the protest was about.&quot;

Ansari&#39;s parents, who were not in the country when their daughter was kidnapped, returned on Wednesday.

&quot;I want justice! I want justice!&quot; Zainab&#39;s mother cried, surrounded by reporters at the international airport in the capital Islamabad.

Ansari&#39;s case has attracted the attention of the country&#39;s civilian and military leadership, with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif calling for immediate action.

Police in Kasur deny they have been lax in investigating child abductions in the town. Regional police officer Zulfiqar Hameed told Reuters that four kidnappers had been arrested and another killed during an arrest attempt.

&quot;Investigations reveal that in each case a paedophile kidnaps little girls, rapes them and kills them,&quot; he said.

The case of Ansari would soon be solved, he said: &quot;We have got CCTV footage that shows a young man taking her along. We will catch him very soon,&quot; he said, adding that 95 DNA samples had been taken from suspects.

A number of police officials have been transferred out of the region for failing to investigate complaints of missing children since 2015, when authorities uncovered what they called a paedophile ring linked to a prominent local family. At least two people have been convicted in the case, in which authorities say hundreds of children in the district were abused.

It was the twelfth incident of a girl being abducted, raped, and killed in the past year in Punjab's Kasur district, police say

Two civilians were killed when officers fired live rounds to disburse crowds that attacked a police station in Pakistan on Wednesday in a protest over the rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl. Police recovered the body of Zainab Ansari on Tuesday from a garbage dumpster in the town of Kasur in eastern Pakistan, four days after she was reported missing. It was the twelfth incident of a girl being abducted, raped, and killed in the past year in Kasur district, police say. Residents have been furious at the authorities for what they see as a failure to investigate such cases. The spokesman for Pakistan's Punjab province, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, told Reuters that protesters turned violent and attacked a local police office. "They started throwing stones at the office and some of armed protesters shot bullets at police. In order to stop them, police resorted to aerial firing," Khan said, adding that two people were killed and one wounded as a result. Locals said police responded with undue force. "A peaceful protest was taking place, some students threw stones and police responded by firing at the crowd," Saleem ur Rehman, a resident who was at the protest, told Reuters. "The law and order situation here is really bad and there have been many such incidents. That is what the protest was about." Ansari's parents, who were not in the country when their daughter was kidnapped, returned on Wednesday. "I want justice! I want justice!" Zainab's mother cried, surrounded by reporters at the international airport in the capital Islamabad. Ansari's case has attracted the attention of the country's civilian and military leadership, with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif calling for immediate action. Police in Kasur deny they have been lax in investigating child abductions in the town. Regional police officer Zulfiqar Hameed told Reuters that four kidnappers had been arrested and another killed during an arrest attempt. "Investigations reveal that in each case a paedophile kidnaps little girls, rapes them and kills them," he said. The case of Ansari would soon be solved, he said: "We have got CCTV footage that shows a young man taking her along. We will catch him very soon," he said, adding that 95 DNA samples had been taken from suspects. A number of police officials have been transferred out of the region for failing to investigate complaints of missing children since 2015, when authorities uncovered what they called a paedophile ring linked to a prominent local family. At least two people have been convicted in the case, in which authorities say hundreds of children in the district were abused.

Two dead in protests over Pakistan girl's rape and murder

The distraught father of a 7-year- old girl who was brutally raped and murdered in Pakistan has blamed the &quot;callous attitude&quot; of police as the government roped in military intelligence and the ISI to probe the horrific incident that shocked the country.

The girl in Kasur district of Punjab province was abducted last week outside her home. Her body was found in a rubbish dump on Tuesday.

She had gone to a religious tuition centre near her house in Kasur city, some 50 km from Lahore, on January 5 from where a man said to be a &#39;serial killer&#39; abducted her, police said.

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<h5>Police was quick to open fire on the people seeking justice for my daughter but showed it&#39;s routine callous attitude to trace her when she had gone missing,&#39; the father said</h5>
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&quot;A serial killer seems to be behind this incident. That serial killer may have been involved in other eight such cases in Kasur,&quot; senior police officer Zulfiqar Hameed said.

Her parents were in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and she had been living with a maternal aunt.

According to a preliminary post-mortem report, the girl was raped multiple times before being strangled to death.

There were visible marks of torture on her face, congestion in her muscles.

The horrific incident triggered public outage throughout the country with people demanding justice for the child. The protests continued for the second day.

The protesters attacked the out house of a ruling PMLN legislator in Kasur and set ablaze his two cars. They also ransacked a district hospital in Kasur.

In Lahore, angry demonstrators blocked Ferozpur Road suspending the metro bus service. In Rawalpindi, traffic remained suspended for several hours as protesters demanded justice for her.

Police opened fire at the protesters that left two people dead.

&quot;My daughter could have been saved had police acted when she was abducted on January 5,&quot; Muhammad Amin told reporters.

He said he had no faith in Punjab police to trace the killers of his daughter.

&quot;Police was quick to open fire on the people seeking justice for my daughter but showed it&#39;s routine callous attitude to trace her when she had gone missing,&quot; he said.

&quot;I have appealed to the army chief and the chief justice of Pakistan to give me justice as I have no faith in Punjab government and police,&quot; he said.

The chief justice has taken suo motu notice of the incident while the army chief ordered the ISI and military intelligence to help police trace the girl&#39;s killers.

Kiran Naz, a TV anchor, brought her daughter to a news programme and blamed the government&#39;s inefficiency for the incident as she called the incident a murder of humanity.

Geo News published the last poem written by her on January 4 before she was kidnapped.

Meanwhile, Punjab government announced 10 million Pakistani rupees reward for providing information of the killers.

&quot;We have registered a murder case against four policemen involved in the killing of two protesters,&quot; the police said.

According to a NGO Sahil, every day more than 11 children under the age of 18 fall prey to sexual abuse in Punjab province of Pakistan.

Last year 4,139 incidents of child abuse took place in the province where 43 per cent of victims knew the perpetrators.&nbsp;

Two people have died in the protests that broke out after the rape and murder of the 8-year-old girl

The distraught father of a 7-year- old girl who was brutally raped and murdered in Pakistan has blamed the "callous attitude" of police as the government roped in military intelligence and the ISI to probe the horrific incident that shocked the country. The girl in Kasur district of Punjab province was abducted last week outside her home. Her body was found in a rubbish dump on Tuesday. She had gone to a religious tuition centre near her house in Kasur city, some 50 km from Lahore, on January 5 from where a man said to be a 'serial killer' abducted her, police said. Police was quick to open fire on the people seeking justice for my daughter but showed it's routine callous attitude to trace her when she had gone missing,' the father said × "A serial killer seems to be behind this incident. That serial killer may have been involved in other eight such cases in Kasur," senior police officer Zulfiqar Hameed said. Her parents were in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and she had been living with a maternal aunt. According to a preliminary post-mortem report, the girl was raped multiple times before being strangled to death. There were visible marks of torture on her face, congestion in her muscles. The horrific incident triggered public outage throughout the country with people demanding justice for the child. The protests continued for the second day. The protesters attacked the out house of a ruling PMLN legislator in Kasur and set ablaze his two cars. They also ransacked a district hospital in Kasur. In Lahore, angry demonstrators blocked Ferozpur Road suspending the metro bus service. In Rawalpindi, traffic remained suspended for several hours as protesters demanded justice for her. Police opened fire at the protesters that left two people dead. "My daughter could have been saved had police acted when she was abducted on January 5," Muhammad Amin told reporters. He said he had no faith in Punjab police to trace the killers of his daughter. "Police was quick to open fire on the people seeking justice for my daughter but showed it's routine callous attitude to trace her when she had gone missing," he said. "I have appealed to the army chief and the chief justice of Pakistan to give me justice as I have no faith in Punjab government and police," he said. The chief justice has taken suo motu notice of the incident while the army chief ordered the ISI and military intelligence to help police trace the girl's killers. Kiran Naz, a TV anchor, brought her daughter to a news programme and blamed the government's inefficiency for the incident as she called the incident a murder of humanity. Geo News published the last poem written by her on January 4 before she was kidnapped. Meanwhile, Punjab government announced 10 million Pakistani rupees reward for providing information of the killers. "We have registered a murder case against four policemen involved in the killing of two protesters," the police said. According to a NGO Sahil, every day more than 11 children under the age of 18 fall prey to sexual abuse in Punjab province of Pakistan. Last year 4,139 incidents of child abuse took place in the province where 43 per cent of victims knew the perpetrators.

Pakistan: Father blames police's callous attitude for daughter's rape, murder

The cold wave sweeping northern India tightened its grip in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and parts of Himachal Pradesh, as dense fog forced the Indian Railways to cancel 22 trains and reschedule another eight.

Delhi recorded the season&#39;s lowest minimum temperature at 4.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below the average, the Met office in the national capital said.

Dense fog delayed 45 north-bound trains, while eight were rescheduled and 22 were cancelled by the Railways.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kejriwal-blames-lg-for-deaths-in-delhi-says-he-appointed-useless-officer-28898" target="_blank">Kejriwal blames LG for deaths due to cold, says he appointed &#39;useless officer&#39;</a>

The night temperature in Srinagar slipped to the season&#39;s lowest at -6.2C, a MeT department official said in Srinagar.

This was the third straight night when the minimum temperature in Srinagar settled at -6.0C or below.

Many water bodies in the the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir have partially frozen due to the intense cold wave. The Dal Lake partially froze early today, but a bright sunshine through the day defroze the popular lake&#39;s surface.

Elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley, the minimum temperature stayed several degrees below the freezing point.

Biting cold conditions persisted in parts of Himachal Pradesh. The high-altitude tribal areas groaned as the minimum temperature in the hills ranged between -13C and -20C.

Keylong and Kalpa, in tribal Lahaul and Spiti, and Kinnaur recorded a low of -7.2C and -3.4C respectively.

The temperature during daytime, however, rose by 2-3 degrees in Himachal, including in Una, which recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 25.8C.

Punjab, Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh remained under the grip of intense cold conditions. Narnaul recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the states at 0.2C.

The minimum temperature remained up to five degrees below the normal in parts of Punjab and Haryana, the MeT office in Chandigarh said.

The minimum temperature in Chandigarh was 3.4C.

In the desert-state Rajasthan, Bhilwara, Alwar, Churu, Sikar, Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Pilani districts reeled under the cold wave.

Alwar was recorded the coldest place in the state at 0.3C, followed by 1.5C in Sikar, 2C each in hill station Mount Abu and Churu, and 2.2C in Sriganganagar.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Met office in Lucknow said the day temperature fell markedly in Bareilly division. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was in Meerut at 2.9C. 
 
The Met office has forecast dry weather in Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours, with shallow to moderate fog at a few places over eastern and western UP.&nbsp;

Delhi recorded the season's lowest minimum temperature at 4.2 degrees Celsius

The cold wave sweeping northern India tightened its grip in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and parts of Himachal Pradesh, as dense fog forced the Indian Railways to cancel 22 trains and reschedule another eight. Delhi recorded the season's lowest minimum temperature at 4.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below the average, the Met office in the national capital said. Dense fog delayed 45 north-bound trains, while eight were rescheduled and 22 were cancelled by the Railways. Also read: Kejriwal blames LG for deaths due to cold, says he appointed 'useless officer' The night temperature in Srinagar slipped to the season's lowest at -6.2C, a MeT department official said in Srinagar. This was the third straight night when the minimum temperature in Srinagar settled at -6.0C or below. Many water bodies in the the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir have partially frozen due to the intense cold wave. The Dal Lake partially froze early today, but a bright sunshine through the day defroze the popular lake's surface. Elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley, the minimum temperature stayed several degrees below the freezing point. Biting cold conditions persisted in parts of Himachal Pradesh. The high-altitude tribal areas groaned as the minimum temperature in the hills ranged between -13C and -20C. Keylong and Kalpa, in tribal Lahaul and Spiti, and Kinnaur recorded a low of -7.2C and -3.4C respectively. The temperature during daytime, however, rose by 2-3 degrees in Himachal, including in Una, which recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 25.8C. Punjab, Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh remained under the grip of intense cold conditions. Narnaul recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the states at 0.2C. The minimum temperature remained up to five degrees below the normal in parts of Punjab and Haryana, the MeT office in Chandigarh said. The minimum temperature in Chandigarh was 3.4C. In the desert-state Rajasthan, Bhilwara, Alwar, Churu, Sikar, Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Pilani districts reeled under the cold wave. Alwar was recorded the coldest place in the state at 0.3C, followed by 1.5C in Sikar, 2C each in hill station Mount Abu and Churu, and 2.2C in Sriganganagar. In Uttar Pradesh, the Met office in Lucknow said the day temperature fell markedly in Bareilly division. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was in Meerut at 2.9C. The Met office has forecast dry weather in Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours, with shallow to moderate fog at a few places over eastern and western UP.

Cold wave tightens grip over north India

India&#39;s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Thursday that three Indian girls had been rescued from Kenya.&nbsp;

Swaraj said the girls were victims of an &quot;organised crime syndicated that indulged in trafficking of girls&quot;.&nbsp;

She added that seven Nepalese girls had also been rescued.&nbsp;

Swaraj said the girls&#39; passports and phones had been taken from them and that they were being held captive in Mombasa.&nbsp;

Swaraj added that the Indian girls had been flown back to the country, and that the ministry of external affairs was &quot;sharing details&quot; with the government of Punjab so that a case can be registered against the agents and other people involved in the trafficking.&nbsp;

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I appreciate the efforts of Ms.Suchitra Durai, Indian High Commissioner in Kenya. Our First Secretary Karan Yadav deserves a special mention. We thank the Kenyan Police for their help./3 <a href="https://twitter.com/IndiainKenya?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndiainKenya</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/capt_amarinder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@capt_amarinder</a>
&mdash; Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) <a href="https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/948765376816365569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
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It is unclear when the girls were taken to Kenya.&nbsp;

Swaraj said the girls, who have been flown back to India, were being held captive in Mombasa

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said Thursday that three Indian girls had been rescued from Kenya. Swaraj said the girls were victims of an "organised crime syndicated that indulged in trafficking of girls". She added that seven Nepalese girls had also been rescued. Swaraj said the girls' passports and phones had been taken from them and that they were being held captive in Mombasa. Swaraj added that the Indian girls had been flown back to the country, and that the ministry of external affairs was "sharing details" with the government of Punjab so that a case can be registered against the agents and other people involved in the trafficking. I appreciate the efforts of Ms.Suchitra Durai, Indian High Commissioner in Kenya. Our First Secretary Karan Yadav deserves a special mention. We thank the Kenyan Police for their help./3 @IndiainKenya @capt_amarinder — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 4, 2018 × It is unclear when the girls were taken to Kenya.

Have rescued 3 Indian girls from Kenya: Sushma Swaraj

The CBI has registered an FIR after 22 minors from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi were illegally taken to France by three travel agents last year in the garb of giving them rugby coaching and went missing, agency officials said here today.

The agency today carried out searches at the premises of the travel agents -- Faridabad-based Lalit David Dean and Delhi-based Sanjeev Roy and Varun Choudhary -- from where documents were seized, they said.

The officials alleged that the agents had charged Rs 25- 30 lakh from the parents of each of the minors for sending them abroad.

In their visa application, the agents had shown that the 25 children in the age group of 13-18 years were going to attend a rugby training camp in Paris, they said.

&quot;A group of 25 students shown as students of two Kapurthala (Punjab)-based schools led by private persons (travel agents) embarked at Delhi airport for Paris to participate in a rugby training camp on the basis of alleged invitation received from the French Federation, Paris,&quot; CBI Spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.

He said all of them visited Paris and, thereafter, the said 25 students also attended a rugby training camp there for about a week.

Dayal said in between, the travel agents cancelled their return tickets but before that two children, anticipating something wrong, returned to India.

The minors, who were left behind, were allegedly dumped in a local gurudwara and went missing, CBI officials said.

One of them was arrested by the French police which referred the matter to the Interpol, they said, adding the Interpol intimated the CBI.

After getting the information, the agency conducted a preliminary enquiry and registered an FIR, they said.

The officials said the CBI will soon contact the parents and also collect information if any missing person complaint was registered.&nbsp;

The agents had charged Rs 25- 30 lakh from the parents of each of the minors for sending them abroad.

The CBI has registered an FIR after 22 minors from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi were illegally taken to France by three travel agents last year in the garb of giving them rugby coaching and went missing, agency officials said here today. The agency today carried out searches at the premises of the travel agents -- Faridabad-based Lalit David Dean and Delhi-based Sanjeev Roy and Varun Choudhary -- from where documents were seized, they said. The officials alleged that the agents had charged Rs 25- 30 lakh from the parents of each of the minors for sending them abroad. In their visa application, the agents had shown that the 25 children in the age group of 13-18 years were going to attend a rugby training camp in Paris, they said. "A group of 25 students shown as students of two Kapurthala (Punjab)-based schools led by private persons (travel agents) embarked at Delhi airport for Paris to participate in a rugby training camp on the basis of alleged invitation received from the French Federation, Paris," CBI Spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said. He said all of them visited Paris and, thereafter, the said 25 students also attended a rugby training camp there for about a week. Dayal said in between, the travel agents cancelled their return tickets but before that two children, anticipating something wrong, returned to India. The minors, who were left behind, were allegedly dumped in a local gurudwara and went missing, CBI officials said. One of them was arrested by the French police which referred the matter to the Interpol, they said, adding the Interpol intimated the CBI. After getting the information, the agency conducted a preliminary enquiry and registered an FIR, they said. The officials said the CBI will soon contact the parents and also collect information if any missing person complaint was registered.

22 minors taken to France go missing, FIR registered: CBI

&quot;Kaalakaandi&quot;&nbsp;makers are out with yet another peppy song and this time it is a revamped version of a popular Punjabi folk song -- Kaala Doreya.&nbsp;

Going by the name of the film and the looks of its trailer, we imagined that its songs will also have a twist and it&#39;s true with the new song.&nbsp;

The new Kaala Doreya with Neha Bhasin&#39;s vocals, Sameer Uddin&#39;s composition and Saif Ali Khan in the foreground will take you to a new dark world of adventure, fun and twisted stories.&nbsp;

The song features Saif Ali Khan, Isha Talwar, Akshay Oberoi, Nary Singh and Amyra Dastur.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Watch the song here:&nbsp;

<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xwxb3wh1up8" width="970"></iframe>

Speaking previously about this film, Saif&nbsp;said, &quot;The film is a cross-section of Mumbai with underworld goons, doomed bankers and idealistic lovers all mixed together in this karmic tale about love, crime and living a lifetime in one night!! I truly consider it to be one of my best films and am really forward to the release.&quot;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;Kaalakaandi&quot;&nbsp;will be releasing on January 12, 2018.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Kaalakaandi makers have come up with a new version of famous Punjabi folk song Kaala Doreya

"Kaalakaandi" makers are out with yet another peppy song and this time it is a revamped version of a popular Punjabi folk song -- Kaala Doreya. Going by the name of the film and the looks of its trailer, we imagined that its songs will also have a twist and it's true with the new song. The new Kaala Doreya with Neha Bhasin's vocals, Sameer Uddin's composition and Saif Ali Khan in the foreground will take you to a new dark world of adventure, fun and twisted stories. The song features Saif Ali Khan, Isha Talwar, Akshay Oberoi, Nary Singh and Amyra Dastur. Watch the song here: Speaking previously about this film, Saif said, "The film is a cross-section of Mumbai with underworld goons, doomed bankers and idealistic lovers all mixed together in this karmic tale about love, crime and living a lifetime in one night!! I truly consider it to be one of my best films and am really forward to the release." "Kaalakaandi" will be releasing on January 12, 2018.

Watch: 'Kaalakaandi' brings back our favourite Punjabi song 'Kaala Doreya' with a twist!

Few events in history have had such a telling effect on the history and trajectory of South Asian politics the way Bangladesh Liberation War has. Strategically and ideologically, it fundamentally redefined the calculations of the regional political players.

There are many tales that can be told about this dramatic historic event. For instance, the events running up to the war, the way the actual war was fought, its consequence for Indo-Pak relations or the trajectory of Indo-Bangladesh relations. However, the basic fulcrum for all these aspects remains the Bangladesh Liberation war which can only be understood properly in the larger context of South Asian history and politics. Even after decades, the War continues to shape South Asian diplomacy.

Pakistan viewed the event (and still does) as a betrayal of the idea of two-nation theory&nbsp;which, historically, acted as the foundation of the nation-state. Pakistan continues to see Bangladesh as a product of Indian intrigue and conspiracy against Pakistan.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, sees this event as a story of liberation from Pakistani atrocities with the central rallying point being an ethnic Bengali identity.

For India, it was a significant chapter in its relations with Pakistan and how it was heavily and decisively able to prevail upon it.

With the creation of Bangladesh, the balance of power&nbsp;in the subcontinent,&nbsp;compared to Pakistan, was tilted heavily in India&rsquo;s favour.

In India, this war was also seen as a clear mandate in favour of India&rsquo;s secular ideals in South Asia as opposed to Pakistan&rsquo;s idea of being a state based on Islamic ideals. For India, the Bangladeshi liberation movement showed that religion was not an adequate criterion for forging a national identity. Since independence, this was an ideological score that India subconsciously had been looking to settle.

Even though these regional reasons formed an important aspect of the Bangladesh Liberation War,&nbsp;there was a strong current of international politics too that heavily shaped the events of the subcontinent. Srinath Raghavan shows in his book, &#39;1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh&#39; that the birth of a new South Asian country in 1971 was part choice and part chance. He attributed such international influence to the process of decolonisation, Cold War politics and the beginnings of globalisation as a phenomenon. As is the case, generally, with all important historical events, the Bangladesh Liberation War had its roots in a multitude of causes.

The Liberation War left a profound impact on Kashmir.

The Simla Agreement, signed after the war, was crucial in defining the politics of the region for a long time, primarily in terms of the Line of Control in Kashmir and the conflict in the Siachen Glacier.

Pakistan which felt humiliated at such a crushing defeat significantly changed its strategy with respect to India. It now abandoned the strategy of direct warfare and, instead, started instigating and supporting the insurgency in India, most notably in Punjab and Kashmir.

Even though the issue in Punjab had been resolved, the issue of Kashmir still festers. Indian relation with Bangladesh has also been marred by political complications. After the initial euphoria had died down the complicated reality started to rear its head.

It was evident that even though Bengali ethnic identity had been the rallying point of the nationalist movement in Bangladesh, the complications of religious identity as a binding force had not left either the public discourse or the Bangladeshi political scene. Strategically speaking, an unstable and indifferent Bangladesh could be a fertile ground for other external powers to influence Bangladesh, a situation which is not palatable to New Delhi.

The collective memory of a nation effects politics in very subtle ways that are not always tangible enough for a rigorous academic study, however, its importance cannot be completely undermined either. 1971 holds that power on the collective conscious of South Asia. Whether directly or indirectly, the Bangladesh Liberation War set into motion a chain of events which have had massive implications for South Asian politics, the natural centre for which is India.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Having met defeat in 1971, Pakistan abandoned the strategy of direct warfare and, instead, started instigating and supporting the insurgency in India, most notably in Punjab and Kashmir.

Few events in history have had such a telling effect on the history and trajectory of South Asian politics the way Bangladesh Liberation War has. Strategically and ideologically, it fundamentally redefined the calculations of the regional political players. There are many tales that can be told about this dramatic historic event. For instance, the events running up to the war, the way the actual war was fought, its consequence for Indo-Pak relations or the trajectory of Indo-Bangladesh relations. However, the basic fulcrum for all these aspects remains the Bangladesh Liberation war which can only be understood properly in the larger context of South Asian history and politics. Even after decades, the War continues to shape South Asian diplomacy. Pakistan viewed the event (and still does) as a betrayal of the idea of two-nation theory which, historically, acted as the foundation of the nation-state. Pakistan continues to see Bangladesh as a product of Indian intrigue and conspiracy against Pakistan. Bangladesh, on the other hand, sees this event as a story of liberation from Pakistani atrocities with the central rallying point being an ethnic Bengali identity. For India, it was a significant chapter in its relations with Pakistan and how it was heavily and decisively able to prevail upon it. With the creation of Bangladesh, the balance of power in the subcontinent, compared to Pakistan, was tilted heavily in India’s favour. In India, this war was also seen as a clear mandate in favour of India’s secular ideals in South Asia as opposed to Pakistan’s idea of being a state based on Islamic ideals. For India, the Bangladeshi liberation movement showed that religion was not an adequate criterion for forging a national identity. Since independence, this was an ideological score that India subconsciously had been looking to settle. Even though these regional reasons formed an important aspect of the Bangladesh Liberation War, there was a strong current of international politics too that heavily shaped the events of the subcontinent. Srinath Raghavan shows in his book, '1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh' that the birth of a new South Asian country in 1971 was part choice and part chance. He attributed such international influence to the process of decolonisation, Cold War politics and the beginnings of globalisation as a phenomenon. As is the case, generally, with all important historical events, the Bangladesh Liberation War had its roots in a multitude of causes. The Liberation War left a profound impact on Kashmir. The Simla Agreement, signed after the war, was crucial in defining the politics of the region for a long time, primarily in terms of the Line of Control in Kashmir and the conflict in the Siachen Glacier. Pakistan which felt humiliated at such a crushing defeat significantly changed its strategy with respect to India. It now abandoned the strategy of direct warfare and, instead, started instigating and supporting the insurgency in India, most notably in Punjab and Kashmir. Even though the issue in Punjab had been resolved, the issue of Kashmir still festers. Indian relation with Bangladesh has also been marred by political complications. After the initial euphoria had died down the complicated reality started to rear its head. It was evident that even though Bengali ethnic identity had been the rallying point of the nationalist movement in Bangladesh, the complications of religious identity as a binding force had not left either the public discourse or the Bangladeshi political scene. Strategically speaking, an unstable and indifferent Bangladesh could be a fertile ground for other external powers to influence Bangladesh, a situation which is not palatable to New Delhi. The collective memory of a nation effects politics in very subtle ways that are not always tangible enough for a rigorous academic study, however, its importance cannot be completely undermined either. 1971 holds that power on the collective conscious of South Asia. Whether directly or indirectly, the Bangladesh Liberation War set into motion a chain of events which have had massive implications for South Asian politics, the natural centre for which is India. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Pakistan can't let go Kashmir as it can't forget 1971

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to lift the ban on firecrackers in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

The court will now hear the case against on January 5.

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SC refuses to lift the ban on bursting of firecrackers in Punjab, Haryana &amp; Chandigarh, says it would hear the case against the ban on January 5.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/941579213445898245?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Supreme court had in October ordered a ban on the sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali and even after Diwali in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh till the next hearing.

The ruling came in order to curb the rise in air pollution caused by burning of firecrackers&nbsp;after Diwali in Delhi.

The notice came in order to curb the rise in air pollution caused by burning of firecrackers, after Diwali in Delhi

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to lift the ban on firecrackers in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The court will now hear the case against on January 5. SC refuses to lift the ban on bursting of firecrackers in Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh, says it would hear the case against the ban on January 5. — ANI (@ANI) December 15, 2017 × The Supreme court had in October ordered a ban on the sale of firecrackers ahead of Diwali and even after Diwali in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh till the next hearing. The ruling came in order to curb the rise in air pollution caused by burning of firecrackers after Diwali in Delhi.

Supreme Court refuses to lift ban on firecrackers in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh spoke on the ongoing controversy around Sanjay Leela Bhansali&#39;s magnum opus, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-kangana-ranaut-explains-why-she-refused-to-sign-shabana-azmis-petition-in-support-of-deepika-padukone-25904" target="_blank">Padmavati</a> stating that the movie shall not be barred from screening in Punjab.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh noted that anything can be shown in the state as long it does not hurt anybody&#39;s religious sentiments.

He demanded the makers of the film to keep the integrity of the historical characters portrayed in the film and project historical events and facts in correct perspective.

Speaking at an event in Mohali, he noted that his government did not believe in media censorship and was totally against it.

&quot;While different historical perspectives can be there, any attempt to completely falsify historical facts cannot be tolerated,&quot; he added.

This, he said, becomes even more necessary in an age&nbsp;when children acquire knowledge through the audio-visual medium rather than by reading alone.

While addressing the media at the event, he encouraged journalists and asked them to discharge their duties fearlessly, free from bias and with utmost sincerity.

He noted that his government would immediately clear the formalities for any media organisation wishing to operate in the state.

&quot;We want the competition to grow so people get the news as they should be getting it,&quot; he said, according to an official release.

The Chief Minister also&nbsp;noted that media must be responsible in sharing information and news in a fair manner.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali&#39;s &#39;Padmavati&#39; has been mired in major controversy, drenched in allegations of distorting history in its storytelling.

Padmavati was scheduled to hit theatres all across in December which was later postponed to January 2018.

There are now fresh reports of the overseas distributors to have sent a schedule to Ameican/Canadian theatre chains with a release date scheduled for February 2018.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

Speaking at an event in Mohali, he noted that his government did not believe in media censorship and was totally against it

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh spoke on the ongoing controversy around Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus, Padmavati stating that the movie shall not be barred from screening in Punjab. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh noted that anything can be shown in the state as long it does not hurt anybody's religious sentiments. He demanded the makers of the film to keep the integrity of the historical characters portrayed in the film and project historical events and facts in correct perspective. Speaking at an event in Mohali, he noted that his government did not believe in media censorship and was totally against it. "While different historical perspectives can be there, any attempt to completely falsify historical facts cannot be tolerated," he added. This, he said, becomes even more necessary in an age when children acquire knowledge through the audio-visual medium rather than by reading alone. While addressing the media at the event, he encouraged journalists and asked them to discharge their duties fearlessly, free from bias and with utmost sincerity. He noted that his government would immediately clear the formalities for any media organisation wishing to operate in the state. "We want the competition to grow so people get the news as they should be getting it," he said, according to an official release. The Chief Minister also noted that media must be responsible in sharing information and news in a fair manner. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmavati' has been mired in major controversy, drenched in allegations of distorting history in its storytelling. Padmavati was scheduled to hit theatres all across in December which was later postponed to January 2018. There are now fresh reports of the overseas distributors to have sent a schedule to Ameican/Canadian theatre chains with a release date scheduled for February 2018. (With inputs from PTI)

Will not ban 'Padmavati', says Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh

&quot;The day I was born, my father tried to bury me alive,&quot; Manju Singh tells me. &quot;The moment he knew he&#39;d had a daughter, he charged into the windowless room in which my mother had delivered me and started digging a hole in the mud floor. The umbilical cord had just been cut. My maternal grandmother scooped me up and fled.&quot;

Sitting before a wood stove in her outdoor kitchen in Haryana, Singh is cooking breakfast. It&#39;s winter, around dawn, and the 35-year-old mother of two speaks in a matter-of-fact tone, not allowing her narrative to interrupt the rapid motion of her rolling pin. The year is 2012 and there&#39;s bad news from India&rsquo;s just-published Census report: the number of girls born, compared to boys, has fallen drastically between 2001 and 2011&ndash; from 927 to 919.

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&lsquo;That I lived is nothing short of a miracle,&rsquo; Manju says while cooking on a wood stove (Others)
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&quot;That I lived is nothing short of a miracle,&quot; Manju continues. &quot;My mother had to fight hard to keep me alive. Even while I was growing up my father tried several times to kill me. He&#39;d beat me to pulp. But somehow, I lived through it all. I was just that stubborn.&quot; She laughs.

For generations, no girl child in Singh&rsquo;s family in Sadikpur village had been allowed to live. When she was 10, Manju&rsquo;s father told her that he had watched his sister being buried alive by his father. Killing new-born female progeny was a family &lsquo;tradition&rsquo;. The strictly &lsquo;sons only&rsquo; policy was implemented ruthlessly.

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A milestone on the way to Manju&rsquo;s village, Sadikpur (Others)
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What happened in Singh&#39;s family over generations was not an isolated instance. Female infanticide &ndash; an unfortunate confluence of culture and economics &ndash; was practiced in some parts of India for centuries. The methods varied from region to region, but all were equally macabre &ndash; feeding the baby grain husk to slit her windpipe, a morsel of rice to choke her, tobacco juice to poison her. Strangulation, starvation, overfeeding, and the fate Manju escaped &ndash; being buried alive &ndash; were also common.

These methods are now rare, though not entirely absent. In 2014, according to National Crime Records Bureau data, 121 cases of infanticide were reported in the country. But female infanticide in India was once widespread enough to necessitate a law against it: the Female Infanticide Prevention Act of 1970. It only succeeded in making the killers more furtive, their crimes harder to detect.

What did nearly eradicate infanticide was ultrasound, a technology that came to India in the late 1980s. With ultrasound imaging techniques, parents could identify the gender of their child in the womb. Identification services combined with sex-selective abortions at affordable prices mushroomed all over India. Though the practice of infanticide declined, many more girls actually died.

In 1994, India passed the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Techniques Act to prohibit sex determination during ultrasound. But the Act, as well as an amendment passed in 2003, have been ineffective: India&#39;s ratio of young girls to young boys has slid lower every decade.

Manju is trying to counter this in her corner of Haryana. Breakfast cooked, she is now vigorously working the hand-pump in the courtyard to fill water for her family for the day. She tells me about the traditional rituals that accompanied infanticide in different parts of India:

&quot;In the state of Rajasthan a popular song urges the daughter not to return to this land. They used to sing that after killing the infant. And in Punjab they would place the girl alive in an earthen pot with a lump of jaggery, some gram and raw cotton yarn. Then they buried the pot while chanting &lsquo;Gud khaanyi, punni katti. Aap na aayi, veerey nu kalli&#39; [Eat this jaggery, spin this cotton. Don&#39;t come back. The next time, send your brother instead]&rsquo;.&quot;

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Manju&rsquo;s kids and husband: &lsquo;I love my son too, but my daughter is special&#39; (Others)
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Manju explains: &quot;Gram and jaggery are symbols of celebrating a boy child. And the cotton yarn is what a sister ties on her brother&#39;s wrist to ask for his protection. These male symbols are meant to invoke a son.&quot;

Singh is a health and gender rights advocate in her community in Ambala district; she works (at the time of our meeting) with the Voluntary Health Association of Punjab. She educates village women about preventing the crime her father tried to commit. &quot;I understand women&rsquo;s concerns, the pressures they face. I never preach to them; I try to befriend them. That&#39;s the only way to make change happen,&quot; she says as she winds up her household chores and steps out for the day.

Our first stop is a village meeting. A crowd of women has gathered and a raucous debate is underway. The topic of discussion is the relative &lsquo;merits&rsquo; of sons and daughters. Many women give various reasons for their preference: &quot;Daughters are expensive to bring up. We need to spend on their dowries;&quot; &quot;Sons earn money, they bring dowries. Daughters only take from their families;&quot; &quot;A daughter gets married and goes away but a son is always there to look after you;&quot; &quot;Raising a daughter is like watering a tree in your neighbour&#39;s garden.&quot;

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Addressing a meeting, discussing the relative &lsquo;merits&rsquo; of sons and daughters (Others)
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Then a middle-aged woman at the back of the crowd pipes up in a robust tone: &quot;All of you who want only sons, can you tell me who will make the babies? Can men give birth to children? We need girls too. Girls are great! Ask me, I have two daughters.&quot; The air becomes thick with cheers.

But the truth is, there is little cause for cheer. According to Census 2011 data, Haryana has only 834 girls for every 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group. There aren&#39;t enough girls in the state for young men to marry. Entire villages in Haryana are now devoid of brides. Bachelors are desperate, trying everything from propitiating the gods to buying brides from other states and arm-twisting local politicians to get them brides in exchange for votes.

Says Singh, &quot;When I got married I learned about sex-selective abortion. It was all around me. It was happening in practically every home. Women were under immense pressure to do it. Many of them were undergoing five, six, even 10 abortions in the quest for a son. It&#39;s physical and mental torture. I felt very strongly that I should work with women to try and stop this killing... It was a calling from deep within.

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According to Census 2011 data, Haryana has only 834 girls for every 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group (Others)
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&quot;Even medicine can become a poison if not used correctly,&quot; Singh tells me. &quot;Ultrasound technology was supposed to be used to improve the health of mothers and babies. But society has used it as a killing tool. People are complicit. So are doctors. It&#39;s illegal to reveal the sex of the child and sex-selective abortion is illegal too. But it happens all the time, clinics do this everywhere. And it&#39;s so much easier compared to infanticide that people feel it is okay.&quot;

At the end of a day of trudging from village to village, addressing meetings, gathering data, chatting with pregnant women, and talking to young mothers who&#39;ve just given birth to female children, it&#39;s time for Manju to head home. The sun is setting and there&#39;s a cold wind blowing. Her daughter is back from school and busy preparing for her mother&#39;s arrival. Steaming cups of tea and biscuits await us.

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A cold wind is blowing on the way back to Sadikpur that evening; at Manju&rsquo;s home, her daughter awaits us with steaming cups of tea (Others)
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Ruffling her daughter&#39;s hair, Singh praises her effort and then turns to me and asks, &quot;Do you have a daughter?&quot; &quot;Yes,&quot; I answer. &quot;Then,&quot; she says, &quot;you&#39;ll know what I mean when I say that they are precious. When I was pregnant for the first time, I prayed for a girl. And god&nbsp;heard me. I love my son too, but my daughter is special.&quot;

This <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/manju-fights-to-change-the-script" rel="nofollow" target="blank">article</a> was originally published on 22/03/2016 on the <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">People&#39;s Archive of Rural India</a>.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Image Credit: Svati Chakravarty

Manju Singh is a health and gender rights advocate in her community in Ambala district and educates village women about preventing female infanticide. Her father tried to bury her when she was born but she survived

"The day I was born, my father tried to bury me alive," Manju Singh tells me. "The moment he knew he'd had a daughter, he charged into the windowless room in which my mother had delivered me and started digging a hole in the mud floor. The umbilical cord had just been cut. My maternal grandmother scooped me up and fled." Sitting before a wood stove in her outdoor kitchen in Haryana, Singh is cooking breakfast. It's winter, around dawn, and the 35-year-old mother of two speaks in a matter-of-fact tone, not allowing her narrative to interrupt the rapid motion of her rolling pin. The year is 2012 and there's bad news from India’s just-published Census report: the number of girls born, compared to boys, has fallen drastically between 2001 and 2011– from 927 to 919. ‘That I lived is nothing short of a miracle,’ Manju says while cooking on a wood stove (Others) × "That I lived is nothing short of a miracle," Manju continues. "My mother had to fight hard to keep me alive. Even while I was growing up my father tried several times to kill me. He'd beat me to pulp. But somehow, I lived through it all. I was just that stubborn." She laughs. For generations, no girl child in Singh’s family in Sadikpur village had been allowed to live. When she was 10, Manju’s father told her that he had watched his sister being buried alive by his father. Killing new-born female progeny was a family ‘tradition’. The strictly ‘sons only’ policy was implemented ruthlessly. A milestone on the way to Manju’s village, Sadikpur (Others) × What happened in Singh's family over generations was not an isolated instance. Female infanticide – an unfortunate confluence of culture and economics – was practiced in some parts of India for centuries. The methods varied from region to region, but all were equally macabre – feeding the baby grain husk to slit her windpipe, a morsel of rice to choke her, tobacco juice to poison her. Strangulation, starvation, overfeeding, and the fate Manju escaped – being buried alive – were also common. These methods are now rare, though not entirely absent. In 2014, according to National Crime Records Bureau data, 121 cases of infanticide were reported in the country. But female infanticide in India was once widespread enough to necessitate a law against it: the Female Infanticide Prevention Act of 1970. It only succeeded in making the killers more furtive, their crimes harder to detect. What did nearly eradicate infanticide was ultrasound, a technology that came to India in the late 1980s. With ultrasound imaging techniques, parents could identify the gender of their child in the womb. Identification services combined with sex-selective abortions at affordable prices mushroomed all over India. Though the practice of infanticide declined, many more girls actually died. In 1994, India passed the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostics Techniques Act to prohibit sex determination during ultrasound. But the Act, as well as an amendment passed in 2003, have been ineffective: India's ratio of young girls to young boys has slid lower every decade. Manju is trying to counter this in her corner of Haryana. Breakfast cooked, she is now vigorously working the hand-pump in the courtyard to fill water for her family for the day. She tells me about the traditional rituals that accompanied infanticide in different parts of India: "In the state of Rajasthan a popular song urges the daughter not to return to this land. They used to sing that after killing the infant. And in Punjab they would place the girl alive in an earthen pot with a lump of jaggery, some gram and raw cotton yarn. Then they buried the pot while chanting ‘Gud khaanyi, punni katti. Aap na aayi, veerey nu kalli' [Eat this jaggery, spin this cotton. Don't come back. The next time, send your brother instead]’." Manju’s kids and husband: ‘I love my son too, but my daughter is special' (Others) × Manju explains: "Gram and jaggery are symbols of celebrating a boy child. And the cotton yarn is what a sister ties on her brother's wrist to ask for his protection. These male symbols are meant to invoke a son." Singh is a health and gender rights advocate in her community in Ambala district; she works (at the time of our meeting) with the Voluntary Health Association of Punjab. She educates village women about preventing the crime her father tried to commit. "I understand women’s concerns, the pressures they face. I never preach to them; I try to befriend them. That's the only way to make change happen," she says as she winds up her household chores and steps out for the day. Our first stop is a village meeting. A crowd of women has gathered and a raucous debate is underway. The topic of discussion is the relative ‘merits’ of sons and daughters. Many women give various reasons for their preference: "Daughters are expensive to bring up. We need to spend on their dowries;" "Sons earn money, they bring dowries. Daughters only take from their families;" "A daughter gets married and goes away but a son is always there to look after you;" "Raising a daughter is like watering a tree in your neighbour's garden." Addressing a meeting, discussing the relative ‘merits’ of sons and daughters (Others) × Then a middle-aged woman at the back of the crowd pipes up in a robust tone: "All of you who want only sons, can you tell me who will make the babies? Can men give birth to children? We need girls too. Girls are great! Ask me, I have two daughters." The air becomes thick with cheers. But the truth is, there is little cause for cheer. According to Census 2011 data, Haryana has only 834 girls for every 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group. There aren't enough girls in the state for young men to marry. Entire villages in Haryana are now devoid of brides. Bachelors are desperate, trying everything from propitiating the gods to buying brides from other states and arm-twisting local politicians to get them brides in exchange for votes. Says Singh, "When I got married I learned about sex-selective abortion. It was all around me. It was happening in practically every home. Women were under immense pressure to do it. Many of them were undergoing five, six, even 10 abortions in the quest for a son. It's physical and mental torture. I felt very strongly that I should work with women to try and stop this killing... It was a calling from deep within. According to Census 2011 data, Haryana has only 834 girls for every 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group (Others) × "Even medicine can become a poison if not used correctly," Singh tells me. "Ultrasound technology was supposed to be used to improve the health of mothers and babies. But society has used it as a killing tool. People are complicit. So are doctors. It's illegal to reveal the sex of the child and sex-selective abortion is illegal too. But it happens all the time, clinics do this everywhere. And it's so much easier compared to infanticide that people feel it is okay." At the end of a day of trudging from village to village, addressing meetings, gathering data, chatting with pregnant women, and talking to young mothers who've just given birth to female children, it's time for Manju to head home. The sun is setting and there's a cold wind blowing. Her daughter is back from school and busy preparing for her mother's arrival. Steaming cups of tea and biscuits await us. A cold wind is blowing on the way back to Sadikpur that evening; at Manju’s home, her daughter awaits us with steaming cups of tea (Others) × Ruffling her daughter's hair, Singh praises her effort and then turns to me and asks, "Do you have a daughter?" "Yes," I answer. "Then," she says, "you'll know what I mean when I say that they are precious. When I was pregnant for the first time, I prayed for a girl. And god heard me. I love my son too, but my daughter is special." This article was originally published on 22/03/2016 on the People's Archive of Rural India. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity). Image Credit: Svati Chakravarty

Opinion: Manju fights to change the script

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Center, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi governments on the petition on stubble burning and dust pollution.

Stating that it&#39;s an emergency situation, the Supreme Court sought expeditious action from the authorities.

The court also said that there will be no stay on matters pertaining to pollution which is going on before any other court.&nbsp;

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea seeking to curb rising pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

A Bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, considered the submission of lawyer R.K. Kapoor that rise in dust particles on roads, stubble burning in Delhi&rsquo;s neighbouring States like Haryana and Punjab have led to an alarming rise in pollution levels in the NCR and adjoining areas.

&ldquo;We cannot ignore the pollution,&rdquo; the Bench said earlier.&nbsp;

The plea sought a direction to the Centre and the States concerned to take steps to curb road dust and stubble burning. It also sought effective implementation of the odd-even car rationing scheme.

&nbsp;

Stating that it's an emergency situation, the Supreme Court sought expeditious action from the authorities.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Center, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi governments on the petition on stubble burning and dust pollution. Stating that it's an emergency situation, the Supreme Court sought expeditious action from the authorities. The court also said that there will be no stay on matters pertaining to pollution which is going on before any other court. The Supreme Court was hearing a plea seeking to curb rising pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). A Bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, considered the submission of lawyer R.K. Kapoor that rise in dust particles on roads, stubble burning in Delhi’s neighbouring States like Haryana and Punjab have led to an alarming rise in pollution levels in the NCR and adjoining areas. “We cannot ignore the pollution,” the Bench said earlier. The plea sought a direction to the Centre and the States concerned to take steps to curb road dust and stubble burning. It also sought effective implementation of the odd-even car rationing scheme.

Air pollution: Supreme Court issues notices to Centre, state govts

A speeding bus carrying over 100 passengers fell into a ravine killing at least 24 people and injuring 69 others in Pakistan&#39;s Punjab province, police said today.&nbsp;

The overloaded bus was going from Kohat to Raiwind when the accident took place in Kallar Kahar town last night.

&quot;The passengers were going to Raiwind to attend an annual religious congregation,&quot; said Muhammad Afzal, the Station House Officer of Saddar Police Station.

Confirming that 24 people had been killed, Afzal said that all the passengers belonged to Kohat area, the Dawn News reported.

Thirteen of the injured were rushed to Rawalpindi because of their serious condition while many injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, the report said.

The cause of the accident was not known but apparently overloading was the reason as it was carrying around 100 passengers, the police said.

The bus originally was to go to Raiwind via Islamabad- Lahore Motorway but it opted for another route. &quot;The motorway is closed after&nbsp;10 pm&nbsp;due to smog and overloaded buses are fined on the motorway because of which the driver opted to go through Grand Trunk Road,&quot; Afzal said.

&quot;The driver was unfamiliar with this area and he was driving the bus at high speed. The bus fell into the ravine while it was passing through a slope,&quot; he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives and sought a report of the accident.

He also ordered the authorities to provide immediate medical treatment and relief to all those injured in the accident.

Road accidents are common in Pakistan. Most of them are caused by careless driving, bad roads, and faulty vehicles.

In April 2014, some 15 people were killed in a bus crash in Kallar Kahar, the same area where last night&#39;s accident had occurred.

The overloaded bus was going from Kohat to Raiwind when the accident took place in Kallar Kahar town last night

A speeding bus carrying over 100 passengers fell into a ravine killing at least 24 people and injuring 69 others in Pakistan's Punjab province, police said today. The overloaded bus was going from Kohat to Raiwind when the accident took place in Kallar Kahar town last night. "The passengers were going to Raiwind to attend an annual religious congregation," said Muhammad Afzal, the Station House Officer of Saddar Police Station. Confirming that 24 people had been killed, Afzal said that all the passengers belonged to Kohat area, the Dawn News reported. Thirteen of the injured were rushed to Rawalpindi because of their serious condition while many injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, the report said. The cause of the accident was not known but apparently overloading was the reason as it was carrying around 100 passengers, the police said. The bus originally was to go to Raiwind via Islamabad- Lahore Motorway but it opted for another route. "The motorway is closed after 10 pm due to smog and overloaded buses are fined on the motorway because of which the driver opted to go through Grand Trunk Road," Afzal said. "The driver was unfamiliar with this area and he was driving the bus at high speed. The bus fell into the ravine while it was passing through a slope," he said. Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives and sought a report of the accident. He also ordered the authorities to provide immediate medical treatment and relief to all those injured in the accident. Road accidents are common in Pakistan. Most of them are caused by careless driving, bad roads, and faulty vehicles. In April 2014, some 15 people were killed in a bus crash in Kallar Kahar, the same area where last night's accident had occurred.

24 killed, 69 injured as bus falls into ravine in Pakistan

The dense fog in Bhatinda,&nbsp;Punjab has resulted in a huge&nbsp;accident leading to the death of at least&nbsp;10 students with at least 25 others injured.&nbsp;

The low visibility due to the smog in Bhatinda led to the collision of four vehicles.

A truck rammed into a Scorpio and then collided with the college bus killing ten students.&nbsp;

The accident happened in Bhucho&nbsp;mandi, a village in Bhatinda.&nbsp;

One student who suffered serious injuries was referred to PGIMER hospital in Chandigarh.

Finance minister of Punjab, Manpreet Singh Badal has assured one lakh as compensation to the students who have died in the accident.

The 25 injured have been promised compensation of Rs 50,000.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner said that a college bus had stopped on the expressway, a truck collided with a Scorpio which&nbsp;hit the college bus.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Finance Minister of Punjab, Manpreet Singh Badal has assured to give one lakh as compensation to the students who have died in the accident

The dense fog in Bhatinda, Punjab has resulted in a huge accident leading to the death of at least 10 students with at least 25 others injured. The low visibility due to the smog in Bhatinda led to the collision of four vehicles. A truck rammed into a Scorpio and then collided with the college bus killing ten students. The accident happened in Bhucho mandi, a village in Bhatinda. One student who suffered serious injuries was referred to PGIMER hospital in Chandigarh. Finance minister of Punjab, Manpreet Singh Badal has assured one lakh as compensation to the students who have died in the accident. The 25 injured have been promised compensation of Rs 50,000. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner said that a college bus had stopped on the expressway, a truck collided with a Scorpio which hit the college bus.

Watch: 10 students die in accident due to fog in Punjab

Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked several states to inform about the action taken against stubble burning.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-pollution-tips-to-choose-air-purifier-23667">The court asked Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan to inform about the action taken against stubble burning.</a>

Observing that the situation was grave in wake of advisories issued against sending children to school &amp; discouraging morning walks, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-wakes-up-to-hazardous-smog-23655">the court said that stubble burning may be the visible villain but there are other contributory factors too, the court observed.</a>

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Air Pollution matter: Delhi High Court asks Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan to inform about action taken against stubble burning.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/927850756593434625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, with the air quality in Delhi getting worse, the CISF ordered the issuance of over 9,000 face masks for its personnel deployed to guard the IGI Airport, the Delhi Metro and other government ministries and installations here.

A senior officer of the paramilitary force said CISF Director General (DG) O P Singh has ordered for the issuance of the masks so that the men and women of the force out in the open, could better combat the severe toxic smog.

&quot;While 2,000 protective face masks are being issued immediately, 7,000 more will be sent to all the units in Delhi in the next few hours,&quot; he said.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a paramilitary force under the Union home ministry, is tasked to guard the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, the Delhi Metro and a number of government departments and ministries in the national capital region.

A blanket of thick haze enveloped Delhi this morning, as pollution levels breached the permissible standards by multiple times.

The court asked Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan to inform about the action taken against stubble burning.

Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked several states to inform about the action taken against stubble burning. The court asked Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan to inform about the action taken against stubble burning. Observing that the situation was grave in wake of advisories issued against sending children to school & discouraging morning walks, the court said that stubble burning may be the visible villain but there are other contributory factors too, the court observed. Air Pollution matter: Delhi High Court asks Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan to inform about action taken against stubble burning. — ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2017 × Meanwhile, with the air quality in Delhi getting worse, the CISF ordered the issuance of over 9,000 face masks for its personnel deployed to guard the IGI Airport, the Delhi Metro and other government ministries and installations here. A senior officer of the paramilitary force said CISF Director General (DG) O P Singh has ordered for the issuance of the masks so that the men and women of the force out in the open, could better combat the severe toxic smog. "While 2,000 protective face masks are being issued immediately, 7,000 more will be sent to all the units in Delhi in the next few hours," he said. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a paramilitary force under the Union home ministry, is tasked to guard the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, the Delhi Metro and a number of government departments and ministries in the national capital region. A blanket of thick haze enveloped Delhi this morning, as pollution levels breached the permissible standards by multiple times.

Delhi HC asks states to inform about action taken against stubble burning

The suspected killers of the Punjab RSS leader shot dead Tuesday morning have been caught on CCTV.&nbsp;

News reports, citing CCTV footage, had said the killers had recced the area before the shooting.&nbsp;

Ravinder Gosai had been shot in Ludhiana while walking home from a shakha.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rss-leader-shot-dead-in-punjab-22528" target="_blank">Read:&nbsp;RSS leader shot dead in Ludhiana by two motorcycle-borne assailants</a>

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RSS leader Ravinder Gosai shot dead by unidentified men in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ludhiana?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ludhiana</a>&#39;s Kailash Nagar, this morning. <a href="https://t.co/LI3RjHQ28T">pic.twitter.com/LI3RjHQ28T</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/920134707349659649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2017</a></blockquote>
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In the CCTV footage, two men on a motorcycle can be seen driving down a narrow lane with houses on either side.&nbsp;

Both men have their faces covered.&nbsp;

A few seconds later, the two men are seen returning the way they had gone.&nbsp;

News reports quoted eyewitness as saying Gosai was shot at close range.&nbsp;

And that he was rushed to hospital but he died from his injuries.&nbsp;

This is not the first time a senior RSS leader has been killed in Punjab.&nbsp;

Brigadier (retd) Jagdish Gagneja, senior&nbsp;vice-president of the Punjab RSS, was shot dead by young men on a bike in Jalandhar last year.

Gagneja&#39;s killers have not been caught so far.

 
&nbsp;

It is thought the killers recced the area before the shooting

The suspected killers of the Punjab RSS leader shot dead Tuesday morning have been caught on CCTV. News reports, citing CCTV footage, had said the killers had recced the area before the shooting. Ravinder Gosai had been shot in Ludhiana while walking home from a shakha. Read: RSS leader shot dead in Ludhiana by two motorcycle-borne assailants RSS leader Ravinder Gosai shot dead by unidentified men in #Ludhiana's Kailash Nagar, this morning. pic.twitter.com/LI3RjHQ28T — ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2017 × In the CCTV footage, two men on a motorcycle can be seen driving down a narrow lane with houses on either side. Both men have their faces covered. A few seconds later, the two men are seen returning the way they had gone. News reports quoted eyewitness as saying Gosai was shot at close range. And that he was rushed to hospital but he died from his injuries. This is not the first time a senior RSS leader has been killed in Punjab. Brigadier (retd) Jagdish Gagneja, senior vice-president of the Punjab RSS, was shot dead by young men on a bike in Jalandhar last year. Gagneja's killers have not been caught so far.

VIDEO: Suspected killers of Punjab RSS leader caught on CCTV

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