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COAL SCAM
CBI to question Cong MP Jindal
UPA govt to give 2.5 crore free mobile phones to rural poor
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Muzaffarnagar
violence
Tunda says no to brain-mapping
Double strikes expose chinks in security
12 militants killed in major infiltration bid along LoC
Attacks an attempt to derail peace process, says Omar
Terror outfit involved had threatened Zubin concert
Cong rallies behind PM over talks
HC: Elderly can stay; children to move out in property dispute
Mumbai world’s second most-honest city: Survey
‘Missing’ Mumbai gang-rape accused found in jail
Defiant Kiran Reddy on warpath with Cong?
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SC puts 7 states on notice
R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, September 26 A three-member Bench headed by Justice RM Lodha sought the states’ response as Attorney General GE Vahanvati said the Centre had merely played the role of a facilitator in the allocations. The states that have been put on notice are West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. They have been asked to explain their understanding of the coal block allocations by the Centre and their role in their allocations prior to and after the 1999 amendment to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act. The seven states have also been asked to provide details of the agreements they had signed with private companies in connection with the allocations. The SC Bench, which included Justices Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, also asked the Centre to specify the break-up of the private companies and the government enterprises that were given a total of 172 coal blocks. The legality of the allocations should be justified by the Centre, instead of giving vague details to the court, the Bench clarified. The Bench is hearing PILs filed by several persons pleading for quashing the allotment of 194 coal blocks by the Centre to private companies during 2004-11 “in a pick and choose manner” thereby causing a “huge loss” to the country. Among the petitioners are former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian, NGO Common Cause, former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami, ex-Union Secretaries Ramaswamy Iyer and Sushil Tripathi and Admirals (retd) RH Tahiliani and L Ramdas, who has been the Navy chief. The CBI began investigating the alleged scam in May 2012 on the basis of a complaint filed by BJP MP Prakash Javadekar and following the filing of the PILs the SC is monitoring the probe.
Explain role in allocations
* The states that have been put on notice are West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra *
They have been asked to explain their understanding of the coal block allocations by the Centre and their role in their allocations prior to and after the 1999 amendment to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act *
The seven states have also been asked to provide details of the agreements they had signed with private companies in connection with the allocations
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CBI to question Cong MP Jindal
New Delhi, September 26 The agency has booked him in its 12th FIR in connection with coal blocks allocation scam registered in June this year. Former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao has also been booked by the agency in the case. Highly-placed sources said here on Thursday that notices have been issued to Jindal to appear for questioning in connection with the case. No immediate reaction was available either from the company Jindal Steel and Power Limited or Naveen Jindal as messages and emails remained unanswered. They said Jindal is likely to appear for questioning on Friday but maintained that no date has been fixed so far. During its probe into the scam, it was for the first time the then minister of state was named as an accused in an FIR by CBI in which it was alleged that he had received Rs 2.25 crore camouflaged as investment from one of Jindal's firms within a year of allocation of a coal block to him. CBI sources said Jindal Steel and Power Limited and Gagan Sponge Iron Limited, also a Jindal firm, had bagged Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Birbhum, West Bengal in 2008 by alleged misrepresentation of facts when Rao was the Minister of State for Coal. Reacting to the FIR, head of external affairs, JSPL Manu Kapoor had said, "JSPL, as a law abiding company, is governed by a strong ethical code of conduct. This is an ongoing CBI investigation into coal block allocation. At this stage of investigation, JSPL is committed to fully cooperate with the CBI." The CBI has claimed in its FIR that the misrepresentation was allegedly done on three counts - land, water supply and previous allocations. — PTI
Booked in 12th FIR
* The probe agency has booked him in its 12th FIR in connection with the coal blocks allocation scam registered in June this year *
Former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao has also been booked by the agency in the case *
Highly-placed sources said here on Thursday that notices have been issued to Jindal to appear for questioning in connection with the case
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UPA govt to give 2.5 crore free mobile phones to rural poor
New Delhi, September 26 With necessary approvals in place, the scheme, which includes a handset with bundled voice and SMS service connection up to two years, is ready for launch any time, sources in the top echelons of the government told The Tribune here. The move is being seen as yet another step in the direction of the government's desire to empower the ‘aam aadmi’ (common man), bridge the digital divide and promote socio-economic development by providing access to SMS-based information related to agriculture, healthcare, education, financial services, skill development etc. “The scheme will enable rural people to have access to information related to these fields. Improved telecom access helps reduce transaction costs through faster access to information. This increases incomes and improves the quality of life,” sources said. Public sector unit Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited will be the service provider and, during the two years, the beneficiary will get 30 minute talk-time, 30 SMS and 30 Mbps per month free of cost. The only rider for eligibility is that a person has to have availed benefit under MGNREGA for not less than 25 days or not below the average of the state -- whichever is minimum. State governments will identify the beneficiary who will pay Rs 300 for a two-year connection. The government plans to hand over 25 lakh connections in the first year, 50 lakh in the second, 75 lakh in the third and 1 crore the next year to reach 2.5 crore individuals over the next four years. According to calculations, the per head outgo will be Rs 1,940. This includes cost of each mobile phone with accessories, three years’ warranty and SIM card including recharge for two years. This is expected to cost Rs 1,200. Rs 720 is for two-year service, including free talk time, and Rs 320 towards administrative and distribution charge, minus Rs 300. BSNL will float a tender for supply of sets that will be based on market price through competitive bidding. The total estimated amount of Rs 4,850 crore is expected to be met from the Universal Service Obligation (USO) Fund accumulation that was nearly Rs 28,000 crore at the end of last financial year with annual approximate accrual of Rs 6,500 crore. The objective behind the scheme was to provide affordable and quality telecom access in the form of a mobile phone to one adult in every eligible household in rural areas and empower them with the benefits of information communication technology, sources said.
Empowering common man
The move is being seen as yet another step in the direction of the government's desire to empower the 'aam aadmi', bridge the digital divide and promote socio-economic development by providing access to SMS-based information related to agriculture, healthcare, education, financial services, skill development etc
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violence SC notice to UP on plea for denial of relief to assailants Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, September 26 A Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam sought the state government’s response to an application by Brij Beer, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, contending that the state and the Centre were biased in favour of the minority community and were apathetic towards the plight of about 1,500 Jats who had taken shelter in the Ravidas temple in Kamalpur village in the district. The application, filed through advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, contended that hundreds of Jats were injured and several others were untraceable following an attack on them while they were returning from a maha-panchayat at Nagla Mandor on September 7, 2013. The maha-panchayat had been necessitated by the inaction of the police and the district administration in booking the culprits responsible for the molestation and killing two persons, including the brother of one of the girls, the petition said while pleading for a judicial probe. It also sought prosecution of the political leaders who were found to be shielding the accused persons in a media sting operation. The SC is hearing a bunch of petitions on the issue and has posted the next hearing for October 17. Meanwhile, the state government informed the Bench that normalcy had returned to the district and those in relief camps had begun to go back to their villages. The Centre also assured the court that it was committed to giving all assistance to the state for dealing with the situation.
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Tunda says no to brain-mapping
New Delhi, September 26 Tunda, who was produced before chief metropolitan magistrate Amit Bansal, told the court that he does not want to undergo brain mapping test. "I am a person of about 72 year of age and I am suffering from various aliments. Recently one pacemaker has also been inserted in me and I am also suffering from high blood pressure. In these circumstances and my medical condition, I do not want that brain mapping test be conducted upon me. "I specifically decline my consent for getting conducted the brain mapping test upon me," Tunda told the court. — PTI
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Double strikes expose chinks in security
New Delhi, September 26 Since the first week of September, Indian security agencies had been warning that militants were plotting to spread the arc of terror to the Jammu division that has remained mostly peaceful in the past decade or so. This led to a manhunt for militants, but now, it is generally accepted within the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Indian Army that the militants, who carried out the twin attacks, had sneaked into India last night. The attacks this morning exposed certain flaws and has raised questions and eyebrows in Delhi. Probably, a fresh standard operating procedure needs to be devised. First, the militants are believed to have crossed over from Pakistan despite the fence in Jammu and Kashmir. It has Israeli sensors and latest equipment like night-vision thermal imagers. Secondly, the two attacks took place some 25 km from each other and 35 minutes apart. The ease with which the militants travelled unhindered between the two locations has raised eyebrows especially after they had exposed their location in the first attack. The terrorists first barged into the Hiranagar police station of Kathua district, around 60 km south of Jammu city. This was around 6.45 am. The gunmen fired at the police station indiscriminately, killing five policemen. Then, they used the national highway to travel on truck for some 25 km and reach Samba. In these 35 minutes of travel on the highway, they faced no resistance as an alert had not been sounded out after the Hiranagar incident, sources said. On reaching Samba, they found the first gate of the Army battalion closed. The sentry on duty at the second gate was shot dead. Officials in Delhi, who have been tracing the steps of the militants, have found that the area just north of the Ravi or the upper portion of the Shakargarh bulge was “always vulnerable”. The tall elephant grass along the various small rivulets provides hiding pockets to aid the militants’ entry. “This had not been pruned despite a standing instruction of 2003 to cut down the grass especially during monsoon,” sources who are privy to the information said. Operational commanders had long calculated that the ISI and Pakistan army wants to trigger violence in Jammu division. Intelligence reports indicate that militants wanted to increase the geographical spread of terrorism. The last major strike at an Army camp in the Jammu region was in July 2003 in which Pakistani terrorists shot dead Brigadier VK Govil and seven soldiers near Akhnoor. And one of the worst hits was on May 2002 when an Army camp at Kaluchak -- just 10 km short of Jammu -- was attacked. As many as 32 persons, most of them family members of Army personnel, were killed and over 60 wounded. Today, Defence Minister AK Antony condemned the attack by terrorists on Indian security posts in Jammu. Antony conveyed his condolences to the family members of the martyred officers and jawans and said the Indian security establishment would leave no stone unturned in dealing with the terrorists with a firm hand.
Fatal flaws
* The militants are believed to have crossed over from Pakistan despite Israeli sensors and latest equipment such as night-vision thermal imagers installed along the fencing *
The attacks took place 25 km from each other and 35 minutes apart. The ease with which the militants travelled unhindered between the two locations raises concerns especially after they had exposed their location in the first attack
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12 militants killed in major infiltration bid along LoC
Srinagar, September 26 The Army said the infiltration attempt was made in the Keran sector of Kupwara, 130 km from Srinagar, where heavy firefight was still on. “On September 24 night, a desperate and active attempt was made by a large number of terrorists to infiltrate at multiple points along the Line of Control (LoC). Our integrated intelligence network had given us advance inputs about the infiltration attempt by a group of militants from JeM (Jaishe-e-Mohammad), LeT (Lashkar-e-Toiba), Al-Bader and HM (Hizbul Mujahideen). A heavy firefight is on. Troops have reported seeing at least 12 bodies of terrorists,” said Lt Gen Gurmit Singh, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 15 Corps, in Srinagar. “We are in no hurry to retrieve the bodies of the terrorists killed,” he added. The 15 Corps Commander said the troops had cordoned off the area of operation and sealed all escape routes. “The situation is under our control,” he said, adding that the militants had tried to evade thermal sensors by camouflaging themselves using grass and bushes. “The alert troops detected them and foiled the major bid (to infiltrate),” he said, adding that there was no casualty on the Army side. The sources said a group of more than 30 militants tried to infiltrate through three points along the LoC in the Keran sector. “The militants who had divided themselves in various groups tried to infiltrate through Lashdat, Muthal top and Shalbatu along the LoC on Tuesday,” a source said.
Firefight on
* Sources say a group of more than 30 militants belonging to JeM, LeT, Al-Bader and HM tried to infiltrate through three points along the LoC in the Keran sector *
The Army used helicopters, UAVs to locate the hiding militants in the dense forests *
The troops have sighted at least 12 bodies of terrorists; heavy firefight is on
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Attacks an attempt to derail peace process, says Omar
Srinagar, September 26 “Given the timing and location of today’s attacks it is clear that the aim of the forces inimical to peace is to derail the proposed dialogue between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan,” Omar Abdullah said at a press conference this morning. “They (the inimical forces) have always wanted to keep the ongoing turmoil alive,” he said. In the aftermath of the twin attacks, it was up to the two Prime Ministers and their Advisers to go ahead with the proposed talks on the sidelines of the UN summit. He said the attacks took place within 24 hours after the formal announcement about a meeting between Manmohan Singh and Nawaz Sharif. The area where the attacks took place did not harbour militants, he said. The attackers were armed militants who had recently infiltrated into the Indian Territory. “I personally feel the militants had infiltrated during the last 12 to 24 hours,” he said. The government would take all possible measures to foil attempts aimed at derailing the peace process. He expressed sincere condolences to the families of civilians and police personnel killed in Kathua and the Army personnel killed in Samba. He said a Unified Command meeting would be held in Jammu today or tomorrow to deliberate on the dastardly attacks, the circumstances under which these took place and the measures to prevent such attacks in future.
What he said
* The attacks were aimed at derailing the ongoing peace process and the forthcoming talks between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan *
In the aftermath of the twin attacks, it is up to the two Prime Ministers and their Advisers to go ahead with the proposed talks on the sidelines of the UN summit
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Terror outfit involved had threatened Zubin concert
Srinagar, September 26 Earlier this month, Shuhada Brigade, along with two other lesser-known groups — Al Nasireen and Farzandan-e-Millat — had threatened to carry out attacks to protest against international music maestro Zubin Mehta’s concert in Srinagar on September 7. The security establishment claims that the Shuhada Brigade serves as front for the Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT). “The Shuhda Brigade serves as a front for the LeT militant group. The name of Shuhada Brigade surfaced in past also. The owning up of one of the deadliest attacks by Shuhada Brigade in Jammu this time is with the purpose that the LeT does not want its name to be involved in an attack at a time when the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan are all set for talks,” said a senior security official. “Hizbul Mujahideen has been claiming responsibility for all the major attacks. This time, Hizb has not claimed responsibility for the attack as it too doesn’t want to come in the limelight,” he said. While security agencies blame the Lashker for the attack, the police suspect that the attack could also have been carried out by a militant group that works independently.
A front for LeT
A senior security official says the Shuhada Brigade serves as a front for the LeT. It has owned up the attacks as the LeT does not want its name involved in an attack at a time when the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan are all set for talks
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Samba’s date with terror
Samba, September 26 Twelve persons, including a Lieutenant Colonel and three terrorist, were killed when a police station and an Army camp in Hiranagar and Samba, respectively, were attacked by terrorists on Thursday.
Terror was visible on the faces of people in the Mehsar area of Samba, where hundreds of local people gathered near the Army camp that came under attack. Heavy deployment of security forces, including Army, CRPF and J&K Police personnel, was made around the encounter site. It was the Army that took charge against the terrorists who were eliminated in a day-long battle inside the 16 Cavalry battalion Army camp in Samba. Though a sense of uncertainty prevailed outside the camp, Army men moved with a specific plan to neutralise all terrorists inside the camp. A Brigadier-level officer monitored the whole operation. This Army camp of 165 Cavalry Battalion, known as ‘Carnatic Warriors’ is situated along the Jammu-Pathankote national highway, around 42 km from Jammu. The camp is surrounded by a dense forest and a barbed fencing marks its boundary. It has two gates. The terrorists entered from the Shilavanti gate, smaller of the two gates. The camp is spread in a huge area and houses a school, officers’ quarters, mess and buildings where Army men stay. Senior Army officials and Jammu zone IGP Rajesh Kumar came out of the camp around 4.30 pm. When the IGP announced that all terrorists had been killed, people started raising slogans in favour of the Army and against Pakistan for supporting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Things were different before 4.30 pm. “It was around 7.10 am while I was leaving to see off my child to the school that three terrorists, dressed in Army uniform, entered the camp through the Shilavanti gate and opened fire on the sepoy. It was followed by sound of gunshots and grenades,” said Ravi Singh, 49, whose house is situated just opposite the Shilavanti gate. For the first few hours, there was a heavy exchange of fire from both sides. Things started to change in the afternoon when information came that two terrorists had been killed. Intermittent firing, however, kept people on their toes. After 2 pm, the Army launched its final assault and fired UBGL grenades on the building where terrorists had been hiding. After 10-15 minutes, there were several blasts inside the camp. Heavy firing re-started around 3.15 pm, bringing back tension on the faces of people around there.
Audacious attack
* Three terrorists entered an Army camp in the Mehsar area of Samba around 7.10 am and opened fire on the sepoy on duty *
For the first few hours, there was a heavy exchange of fire from both sides *
Things started to change in the afternoon when information came that two terrorists had been killed *
The terrorists were later eliminated by the Army and the entire area was sanitised
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Cong rallies behind PM over talks
New Delhi, September 26 While the BJP came down heavily on the Prime Minister and the government for “the pursuit of spineless diplomacy and political motives”, the Congress threw its weight behind Manmohan Singh saying the dialogue must go on even if it was in the manner of a complaint over terror emanating from Pakistan. Congress spokesperson Raj Babbar echoed the statement the Prime Minister made in respect of today’s terror strikes. “The country must resist the trap of terrorists who want the Indo-Pakistan dialogue process derailed,” he said. The Congress also called upon the Opposition BJP to trust the sagacity of the Prime Minister in the matter reminding it of the times when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee initiated bus diplomacy with Pakistan when the world had little faith in his resolve for peace with the neighbour. “We are courageous enough to face up to Pakistan and ask some questions. Even if we have to complain, we have to talk. We can raise 26/11, beheading of Indian soldiers on the border and J&K strikes. We must trust the wisdom of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister on the issue,” said Babbar. The Congress further rushed to mention BJP patriarch LK Advani’s recent letter to party president Rajnath Singh where he wrote: “The BJP as it was is no longer alive now.” Advani’s statement was used to refer to the NDA times when the BJP was not “so hawkish” about Pakistan. Babbar’s remarks were preceded by a significant tweet from Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh who blamed the BJP for opposing the Indo-Pak dialogue. Singh literally bracketed the principal Opposition party with militants on the issue of opposition to talks. “Who are opposing peace and dialogue? Only militants, BJP, drawing room hawks and some hawkish elements in the media,” Digvijay tweeted after Prime Minister’s statement on the J&K terror strikes. Earlier in the day, the BJP sought the cancellation of the proposed meeting on Sunday. “Pursuing spineless diplomacy at this juncture will present India as a soft state which could be pushed around by any big or small country. The PM and the UPA government seem to be in a hurry to initiate a dialogue with Pakistan.... There should be no talks unless the environment is conducive for dialogue,” said Rajnath. The CPI condemned terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir saying these were an attempt to destabilise the state administration, create turmoil and foil any India-Pakistan dialogue.
— Raj Babbar, Congress spokesperson
— Rajnath Singh, BJP president
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HC: Elderly can stay; children to move out in property dispute
Chandigarh, September 26 Interpreting the provisions of the “Maintenance & Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act, 2007”, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih also made it clear that in case of a property dispute, the parents would remain in the house, while the children would have to move out. They, in turn, can move the civil court, but will not be entitled to interim relief. “The right of exclusive possession of a self-owned property by a registered document of title can well be enforced under the provisions of the Act by issuing appropriate directions in exercise of jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India,” the Bench has asserted. The ruling came on a petition filed by former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Shanti Sarup Dewan, and his wife Romilla against his own son. They were seeking directions to son Suvir Dewan and his family to vacate the house. One of the arguments during the proceedings was that the matter should be remanded to a civil court for the adjudication of the dispute. Referring to the case in hand, the Bench observed the very object of son Suvir Dewan was to relegate the proceedings to the civil courts, so that the proceedings outlasted the life of Chief Justice Dewan. The Bench asserted: "It cannot be said that in such a situation, where respondent Suvir was at best living with the permission of his parents, which permission stands long withdrawn, the appellants and more specifically Chief Justice Dewan should be compelled to knock on the door of the civil court and fight a legal battle to obtain exclusive possession of the property. This would defeat the very purpose of the Maintenance & Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act, 2007". The Bench added the Act has "an overriding effect qua any other enactment. In fact, the civil court has been precluded from entertaining any matter qua which jurisdiction is vested under the Act and specifically bars granting any injunction. "Suvir is, thus, required to move out of the premises to permit the appellants to live in peace and civil proceedings can be only qua a claim thereafter if Suvir so chooses to make in respect of the property at Chandigarh, but without any interim injunction. "It is not the other way round that Suvir with his family keeps staying in the house and asking the appellants to go to the civil court to establish their rights knowing fully well that the time-consuming civil proceedings may not be finished during the lifetime of Chief Justice Dewan. In fact, that is the very objective of Suvir Dewan.”
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Mumbai world’s second most-honest city: Survey
Washington, September 26 Finnish capital Helsinki bagged the top spot for the world's most honest city in the survey, while Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, proved to be the least honest. The survey put hundreds of people to test in four continents to find out just how honest they were by dropping wallets and seeing how many would be returned. In the study, 192 wallets were dropped in cities in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Each wallet contained a cell phone number, a family photo, coupons, business cards and the equivalent of $50 in cash. The wallets were left in parks, near shopping malls and on sidewalks, and researchers watched to see what would happen. Of the 192 wallets dropped, 90 — or 47 per cent — were returned, according to the survey by Reader’s Digest magazine. In Helsinki, 11 out of 12 wallets were returned. In Mumbai, nine out of 12 wallets were returned. — PTI
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‘Missing’ Mumbai gang-rape accused found in jail
Mumbai, September 26 The embarrassing lapse came to light when the accused in the gang-rape case of a photojournalist were brought to the court for routine production. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam informed the sessions court trying the gang-rape case that accused Siraj Rehman Khan, who was lodged in Thane jail, was "untraceable". — PTI
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Defiant Kiran Reddy on warpath with Cong?
Hyderabad, September 26 Kiran, a cricketer-turned-politician hailing from Rayalaseema region, is known for his staunch support for keeping the state united. He has once again gone public on his views, opposing the formation of separate Telangana state. In an interview to a TV channel, the Chief Minister said that the issues and concerns being raised by the people of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, jointly referred as Seemandhra, are far more important than the party’s interests. Claiming that the people of the state had always showed preference for the Congress, Kiran said that the party leadership should now display sensitivity towards the concerns of the people of Seemandhra. He was responding to a question regarding the ongoing anti-bifurcation agitation rocking Seemandhra for the last 57 days. To a query on whether he was on the warpath with the Congress, Kiran Reddy said: "It is not a question of my being on the warpath, but I have to answer concerns of the people. When thousands of people have got certain concerns, it is all the more my responsibility as the Chief Minister to satisfy them." He said it would be difficult to go ahead with the division of the state without addressing the concerns of the Seemandhra people. AICC general secretary in charge of AP, Digvijay Singh, had told a delegation of Congress leaders from Telangana that Kiran Reddy was the Chief Minister for the entire state and not a particular region. His remark came in response to the Telangana leaders’ allegation that Kiran was behaving in a partisan manner.
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Enlarging the scope of the PILs on the coal scam, the Supreme Court today issued notice to seven states seeking their replies to four questions on the allocation of coal blocks in their territories.
A three-member Bench headed by Justice RM Lodha sought the states’ response as Attorney General GE Vahanvati said the Centre had merely played the role of a facilitator in the allocations.
In one stroke on Thursday, Pakistan-based militants have exposed a chink in the Indian defence and rolled back the fight against militancy by almost a decade -- the time when the border fence was yet to come up in totality and Army camps were attacked often.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said the attacks by armed militants in the Kathua and Samba areas of Jammu were aimed at derailing the ongoing peace process and the forthcoming talks between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan.
“Given the timing and location of today’s attacks it is clear that the aim of the forces inimical to peace is to derail the proposed dialogue between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan,” Omar Abdullah said at a press conference this morning.
We are courageous enough to face up to Pakistan and ask some questions. Even if we have to complain, we have to talk…. We must trust the wisdom of the PM and the Foreign Minister on the issue
Pursuing spineless diplomacy at this juncture will present India as a soft state which could be pushed around by any big or small country…. There should be no talks unless the environment is conducive