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No war till I’m in command: Pak Punjab CM
Stars dazzle Ludhiana as kabaddi cup ends
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PAU presents combine harvester
Lunch at Badal village to be a family affair
Punjab Police personnel during a guard of honour for Pakistan Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif in Ludhiana on Saturday. Tribune photo
Visit rekindles hope for opening more trade routes
At Jatti Umra village, 6 gold rings await Sharif family
SGPC to raise upkeep of Pak gurdwaras
Crisis at
PIMS, Punjab’s flagship institution — II
PIMS doctors protesting against non-payment of salaries for the past six months in Jalandhar on Saturday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
Cop hurt as AK-47 goes off; suicide suspected
The crime scene in Jalandhar on Saturday. Tribune photo
Heroin worth Rs 100 crore seized
at Attari rly station
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No war till I’m in command: Pak Punjab CM
Ludhiana, December 14 Speaking at an interaction between industrialists and a 30-member Pakistani delegation, Sharif said: “I have come to build bridges. We will convert Kalashnikovs into drilling machines and a tank into a road roller to build a road for people to commute... There is not going to be any war between the two countries. I can say this with all authority in my command. We have learnt our lessons. Wars only lead to injuries, killings, unemployment, poverty and diseases. We will now strive for competition in innovation, research and progress.” Amidst applause from the gathering at a local hotel, the Pakistan Chief Minister said, “We will compete but only in agriculture, conservation of water resources, technology and development.” Sharif said both the countries needed to shed the baggage of the past for the betterment of future. Hinting at chalking out a road of peace and prosperity between the two countries, Sharif said the government of Pakistan will communicate with New Delhi for a asymmetrical trade agreement. Calling upon this part of Punjab to rise above cross-border politics, Sharif said both sides should exchange technology and agricultural techniques to become an engine of growth in the region. He said hopefully in the times to come, “we will sign an MoC (memorandum of commitment) with the Punjab Government on several issues instead of an MoU (memorandum of understanding) because it’s absolutely a useless thing. “I have always called MoU as most outrageous understanding,” he said, leaving the gathering in peals of laughter. At the start of his 15-minute address, Sharif was all praise for Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Badal when he said the father-son duo had been working for the development of the state as a “perfect combination of expertise, youthfulness and experience”.
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Stars dazzle Ludhiana as kabaddi cup ends
Ludhiana, December 14
After the comedy performance by comedian Ghuley Shah, popular TV actor and anchor Mona Singh anchored the event. Renowned Pakistani singer Fareeha Parvez sang popular Punjabi songs such as ‘Dama Dam Mast Kalandar’ and ‘Jehda Agge Pichhe Vekhe Ohdi Shamat Ayi’. Another singer Lakhvinder Wadali performed ‘Yaara Ve Yaara’ while Master Saleem, Roshan Prince and
Jaspinder Narula sang popular songs. Prince Dance Group of reality TV series fame performed ‘Krishna Act’ amid laser show and Bir Khalsa Group staged
gatka.
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Security lapse during Narula’s performance
Ludhiana, December 14 Policemen rushed to Narula’s rescue and the miscreant was dragged off the stage. After a brief pause, Narula resumed her performance. There was another breach during the singer’s performance when a person from the media gallery reached close to the stage. Police got hold of him and took him away. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif requested his Indian counterpart Parkash Singh Badal to organise the next World Cup Kabaddi jointly. “I request that from next year, one semi-final should be held in Lahore and the other semi-final and the final in Ludhiana,” he said. Sharif started his address in Urdu, but soon shifted to Punjabi. This was received with applause from the spectators. Badal expressed hope that the sport would play an important role in strengthening the ties between India and Pakistan in general and between East and West Punjab in particular.
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PAU presents combine harvester
Ludhiana, December 14 When Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal handed over the key to the combine to Sharif, he called Iqrar A Khan, Vice-Chancellor (V-C), University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (Pakistan), and remarked, “See what a great machine!” Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal apprised Sharif that India’s Punjab had made progress in agricultural machinery and the state exported machines to other countries. Badal senior advised his Pakistani counterpart to introduce an agro technology project in his country. “Chaudhary sahib, we will send our men at your place. They will start making such machines in Pakistan,” Parkash Badal said. Sharif thanked PAU V-C Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon for presenting him with the maize dehusker machine. PAU experts said both machines were gifted after observing the need to provide impetus to the agriculture sector in Pakistan. The combine costs Rs 18 lakh in the Indian market, while the maize dehusker machine costs Rs 1 lakh. While taking a round of an exhibition at the PAU, Sukhbir told Sharif that the mushrooms being cultivated in India’s Punjab were being used by several countries.
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Lunch at Badal village to be a family affair
Badal (Muktsar), December 14 A Chandigarh-based leading private caterer and a Moga tent house have been hired for the event. A senior executive of the catering company said, “We will be preparing chicken, mutton and some vegetarian dishes.” But, he refused to divulge the menu details. No local leader has been invited as the Badals wanted to keep it a family gathering, said a SAD leader close to the ruling family. While Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, is expected to arrive at Badal village in advance, the Chief Minister and his deputy would accompany the guests. The students of Mata Jaswant Kaur Memorial School, Badal, are also scheduled to meet the foreign dignitaries. Sharif will be accompanied by his wife, daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and a few other members of his family. After the lunch, the Sharifs will fly to their ancestral Jatti Umra village in Tarn Taran district.
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Visit rekindles hope for opening more trade routes
Ferozepur, December 14 Since then, border residents have been clamouring for the reopening of the route considered a “magic wand” for the development of the Malwa region in Punjab. “Lahore! Lahore!” the cry of the conductor beckoning people to hop on a bus for a ride to the pre-Partition capital city of undivided Punjab still reverberates in the hearts of many elderly people, who want those days to return. Over the past four decades, in the absence of any initiative from the Central Government juxtaposed with an atmosphere of political uncertainty in Pakistan, the matter is hanging fire but the visit of Pakistan’s Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has rekindled hope. The Hussainiwala-Lahore border was the lifeline for the traders on both sides of the Radcliff Line to export and import vegetables, dry fruits and other commodities. “It makes sense to open Hussaniwala border and set up a dry port here,” legislator Parminder Singh Pinki said. The visit has also kindled hopes that the Sadaki border in Fazilka would be opened. It is believed that Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal might take up the issue with his counterpart at dinner being hosted at Badal Mansion. Beopar Mandal Fazilka president Ashok Gulbadhar said Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal had also urged the Congress-led UPA Government to open Fazilka for trade with Pakistan and other Central Asian countries.
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At Jatti Umra village, 6 gold rings await Sharif family
Amritsar, December 14 Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia reviewed the arrangements at the village on the eve of Sharif’s visit. Elaborate security arrangements are in place at the village. The villagers have got six gold rings which they intend to present as a gift to Sharif and his family members. Besides, they will present them with shawls and a memento. They are also looking forward to interact with him, though his village tour is tentatively scheduled to last for around 45 minutes.
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Joint agri research on the cards
Ludhiana, December 14 Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Pakistani counterpart constituted a committee of officers and V-Cs of the PAU, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (Pakistan), and GADVASU to finalise the terms and conditions of an agreement. — TNS
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Crisis at
PIMS, Punjab’s flagship institution — II
Jallandhar, December 14 But, the government acquired the 170-acre plot from PAU and handed over 56 acres to PIMS for establishing a premier tertiary healthcare and research institute. The decision not only came as a setback to sugarcane research but also cost 110 employees their jobs. Seeing the present crisis, agriculturists say PIMS has not been worth the sacrifice. They say farmers across the state would have benefited immensely had a cane research institute come up. More trouble brewing The PIMS crisis seems far from over. Sources said the present turn of events appear to be the precursor of fireworks in the days to come. They said three factions having stake in the institute, including the one led by Jaspal Singh Dhesi and another referred to as the ‘NRI (Andhra Pradesh) Group’, are poised against each other in a new power tussle. The third faction is led by Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, which is learnt to have contributed Rs 10 crore for setting up the institute. Dhesi said, “We have recently added new members to the society (which runs PIMS) and the crisis should be over by December 20.” But, doctors refuse to buy his argument, saying salary cheques paid to them had repeatedly bounced. Raj Shekhar of the Andhra group said he had been lying low for the last over a year. “Enough is enough. The Dhesi group has failed miserably. We will now make a sincere effort to run the institute,” he said. Dr Vimal Sikri, the government-appointed director of PIMS, said, “We are working on various proposals, including allowing Fortis to run the institute, to tide over the crisis.” Patients moving out For the last five days, no new patient has been admitted to the hospital. The number of patients in the 250-bed hospital has dwindled to less than 30. The doctors are on an indefinite strike and have been demanding their salaries pending for the last six months. Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Vinnie Mahajan said the government, as of now, was not interfering in the functioning of the society. “But, we are keeping a close watch and can interfere if the need arises,” she said. Docsfed for govt control The Docsfed (Doctors Federation of India) has demanded that the Punjab Government should take back the control of PIMS as the society had gone “bankrupt and had failed miserably in running the institute”.
Concluded Turbulent journey
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Cop hurt as AK-47 goes off; suicide suspected
Jalandhar, December 14A head constable, posted as a gunman with Inspector General (IG-Zonal), was injured when three bullets from his AK-47 rifle hit him in the chest in a guard room on the first floor of the IG’s office here today.
Since there is no witness to the incident, the police are clueless as to whether the gunshots were fired accidentally or was it a suicide attempt. The incident occurred around 8.30 am when head constable Jagtar Singh of Hussainpur village in Kapurthala district, went downstairs with five other gunmen, who lived with him in the same room, to start for the day. The victim reportedly went upstairs, saying he wanted to go to a washroom. None of the five gunmen heard the gunshots. The incident came to the light when a gunman went upstairs to look for Jagtar. The injured head constable was taken to the Civil Hospital, from where he was referred to a private hospital. Assistant Commissioner of Police Jasvir Singh Rai said, “The police have filed a case.”
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Heroin worth Rs 100 crore seized
at Attari rly station
Amritsar, December 14 The train reached at about 3.50 pm after unloading the material at Pakistan. During the search that began in the evening, the custom team headed by Custom Superintendent Surinder Kumar Kaler seized the heroin from under bogie number 107960. Vijay Bahadur, Deputy Commissioner, Custom, confirmed the heroin seizure. A case has been registered under the NDPS Act and investigation is underway.
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In the backdrop of cries over war between India and Pakistan, the Chief Minister of Punjab province (in
Pak), Shahbaz Sharif, today said there would not be any war between the two countries as long as he was in command.
Guarded by CISF and NSG commandos, the families of the Chief Ministers of east and west Punjab would have lunch at the residence of Parkash Singh Badal here on Sunday.
Before reaching Badal village, Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will visit nearby Channu village to see a biomass plant owned by a relative of the
Badals.
The Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a victim of alleged official mismanagement, came up on a Punjab Agricultural University
(PAU) plot
that was originally meant for a hi-tech sugarcane research centre. But, the government acquired the 170-acre plot from PAU and handed over 56 acres to PIMS for establishing a premier tertiary healthcare and research institute.
A head constable, posted as a gunman with Inspector General (IG-Zonal), was injured when three bullets from his AK-47 rifle hit him in the chest in a guard room on the first floor of the IG’s office here today.
Since there is no witness to the incident, the police are clueless as to whether the gunshots were fired accidentally or was it a suicide attempt.
