An Indian Air Force officer, identified as Wing Commander Arvind Sinha, committed suicide by shooting himself with a double barrel gun in his quarters at the Air Force Colony in Prayagraj on Tuesday.
Arvind Sinha was the Central Air Command Public Relations Officer (PRO).
The reason behind the suicide is not clear yet, sources said. However, it is suspected that the 44-year-old officer committed suicide due to family reasons.
No suicide note was recovered by the police.
Details are awaited
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: Pakistan has a long history of harbouring militants and America should not give Islamabad even a dollar until it corrects its behaviour, Indian-American former US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley has said as she praised the Trump administration for wisely restricting financial assistance to the country.
Haley, who has founded a new policy group ‘Stand America Now’ that will focus on how to keep the US safe, strong, and prosperous, wrote in an op-ed that when the US provides aid to nations, “it is more than fair to ask what the US gets in return for our generosity” but instead Pakistan routinely opposed the US position at the UN on several issues.
“In 2017, Pakistan received nearly USD 1 billion in US foreign aid, the sixth most of any country. Much of the aid went to the Pakistani military. Some went for road, highway, and energy projects to assist the Pakistani people,” Haley wrote in the op-ed ‘Foreign Aid Should Only Go To Friends’.
“On all key votes at the UN, Pakistan opposed the American position 76 per cent of the time. Much more troubling, Pakistan also has a long history of harbouring militants who have killed US troops in Afghanistan,” she said.
Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina, added that the Trump administration has “already wisely restricted assistance to Pakistan, but there is much more to be done.”
Haley, who had stepped down as the US envoy to the UN at the end of last year, has previously strongly criticised Pakistan for continuing to harbour militants that turn around and kill American soldiers while taking billions of dollars in foreign aid from the US.
In an interview to US magazine ‘The Atlantic’ in December, Haley had said the US did not need to give money to countries that wish harm to America, go behind its back and try and “stop us from doing things”.
“The one example I’ll give you is, look at Pakistan. Giving them over a billion dollars, and they continue to harbour terrorists that turn around and kill our soldiers —that’s never okay. We shouldn’t even give them a dollar until they correct it. Use the billion dollars. That’s not a small amount of change,” she had said.
Last September, the Trump administration cancelled $300 million in military aid to Islamabad for not doing enough against militant groups active on its soil. Trump had defended his administration’s decision to stop hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to Pakistan, saying Islamabad does not do “a damn thing” for the US and its government helped late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden hide near its garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Haley’s new policy group aims to promote public policies that strengthen America’s economy, culture, and national security.
The group will provide information to grassroots Americans, to highlight the dangers and the opportunities they face domestically and internationally. It will advocate the policies that strengthen the US at all levels of government and in the broader media and culture.
Courtesy PTI
The Pakistan government on Tuesday said no film from India will release in the country as it has called for a ban on Indian content after the Indian air force destroyed a terror training camp in Balakot.
The country’s Information and Broadcasting Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said the country’s film exhibitors association will be boycotting the Indian films.
He also said that he has instructed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to crack down on “made-in-India advertisements”.
“Cinema Exhibitors Association has boycotted Indian content, no Indian movie will be released in Pakistan. Also have instructed PEMRA to act against Made in India Advertisements. #PakistanTayarHai” Hussain tweeted.
The minister’s comments came on a day when India bombed and destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed’s (JeM) biggest training camp in Balakot in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, about 80-km from the Line of Control (LoC).
The bombing resulted in killing of a “very large number” of militants, trainers and senior commanders, officials said in New Delhi.
The air strikes came 12 days after the JeM carried out a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district that killed 49 CRPF soldiers.
In the wake of the Pulwama attack, the makers of films such as Total Dhamaal, Luka Chuppi, Arjun Patiala, Notebook and Kabir Singh had announced that they will not be screening their movies in the neighbouring country.
Courtesy Indian Express
Jammu: Five army soldiers were wounded as the troops of India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir amid heightened tension following a pre-dawn raid by the Indian Air Force.
Greater Kashmir posted that that five army soldiers were injured in Keri-Battal sector of Akhnoor today evening.
They said that two soldiers grievously injured in the shelling have been referred to Military Hospital for treatment while three others received minor injuries.
A Jammu-based defence spokesperson said Pakistan violated ceasefire along the LoC in Akhnoor, Nowshera, Krishna Ghati sectors of Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts.
He maintained that Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively.
Input from GK
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Srinagar, Feb 26 : Amid fuel crisis in Kashmir Valley, the traffic authorities on Tuesday said they were unsure about the re-opening of Srinagar-Jammu highway immediately amid unabated shooting stones and “sinking” of road at few places in Ramban district.
Talking to GNS, IGP traffic Alok Kumar said that due to landslides and shooting stones, the thoroughfare is continuously blocked.
“Yesterday at 9:30 p.m. there were landslides at Mompassi in Ramsoo and shooting stones are continuing and there was massive landslide at 5 a.m. in the morning,” he said, adding, “This morning, road also started to sink in Ramban market and road clearance is going on from last 35 hours.”
At Mompassi, he said, unabated shooting stones and bad weather was hampering the road clearance.
“Around 100 oil tanker ate stranded at Chanderkote, Chennai, Nashri, Ramban and as soon as the road is cleared, they will be allowed,” he said. Asked when the road would be cleared, “ he said, “We cannot say anything with surety as it would be road maintenance agency who can say something regarding it. “The weather is also inclement as rains continue,” he added.
Deputy Commissioner Ramban, Showkat Aijaz Bhat said that road is sinking near JK Bank and “I myself inspected the spot.”
Meanwhile, an official said that fissure on road has widened while houses were at the risk of sinking. They said that even local transport through the road stretch has been stopped. (GNS)
Jammu, Feb 26 : Governor Satya Pal Malik has congratulated the State’s Power Development Department for becoming first in the country to achieve 100% households electrification.
R.K. Singh, Union Minister for Power, presented Awards to Sh. K.K. Sharma, Advisor to Governor; Sh. Hirdesh Kumar Singh, Commissioner Secretary PDD and his team at New Delhi. An award of Rs. 100 Cr for the State to improve power infrastructure and Rs. 50 lakh for employees who performed well to achieve this target was given during the function.
Governor has urged the Department to work devotedly towards improving the Power infrastructure in the State and be foremost in bringing reforms in this sector for the overall betterment of the State.
Jammu, Feb 26 : Chairman Legislative Council, Haji Anayat Ali welcomes the landmark decision of the High Powered Committee under the Chairmanship of Principal Secretary Finance, Navin K Choudhary whereupon an amount of Rs. 278 crore have been sanctioned for pending projects in Kargil District for funding under JKIDFC Ltd.
Haji Anayat Ali thanked the Governor administration for being generous enough to accord approval to provision of almost all pending projects which were languishing for want of funds since long. He further said he feels he will be failing in his duty if he doesn’t make special thanks to state administration at every level that is instrumental in making this possible.
Haji Anayat Ali said that my special thanks are due to the Chairman of HPC Navin K Choudhary for giving due consideration to all those demands of funding pending projects for which I have been striving since long and had brought to his notice during various meetings and through various communications in this regard.
He has implored upon the executive agencies in Kargil district to make judicious and timely use of the funds to ensure completion of all those projects for which the funds have been allocated so as to ensure that people of district Kargil can reap out the benefits of all these projects
Meanwhile Haji Anayat Ali has also taken the issue of the students of Degree College Kargil Ladakh, who cannot attend the exams of 5th and 6th Semester starting from 28th of February due to frequent cancellation of flights, with the Controller of Examination University of Kashmir.
He told that those Students who are struck at Jammu and Srinagar due to cancellation of flights of semester 5Th and 6Th shall contact Controller Examination Kashmir University at an earliest.
The Students can also contact on this no 7889363590 of former vice president of ALSU Kashmir who is making a list of all those students.
Locals suffer as PDD ‘repairs’ transformer five times in sixth months
Kupwara, Feb 26 : Hajam Mohalla locality of Padergund village in Ramhaal block here has been plunged into darkness several times over the past six months as authorities try and fail to “repair” an outdated and faulty power transformer, local residents told on Tuesday.
“They have tried to repair the transformer five times during past six months but to no avail,” a group of residents told news agency adding the repeated absence of electricity is causing immense suffering to villagers particularly students.
“Instead of replacing the transformer which cannot bear the electricity load of the area, the PDD( Power Development Department) officials just keep repairing it without any success, ” the locals complained, accusing the PDD authorities and district administration of being indifferent to their woes.
They said the transformer was again repaired last week but soon after being installed, it again developed a snag, rendering it dysfunctional.
The residents said they approached the authorities several times and requested them to install a high capacity transformer in the locality as the existing transformer (63 KV) gets “damaged every now and then.”
“We are facing immense hardships in absence of electricity. We are unable to charge our mobile phones while appliances like refrigerators and iron are lying defunct,” Javid Ahmad, a local resident told.
When contacted Chief Engineer Kashmir, Hashmat Qazi told news agency that he “will look into the matter”. (GNS)
Srinagar, Feb 26 : Army and other government forces have been put on high alert on Tuesday after New Delhi said Indian Air Force (IAF) carried air strikes across LoC in Balakote as a retaliatory measure for the February 14 Pulwama attack.
An army officer told news agency that instructions have been received by all government forces “to remain alert” against any possible attack till further orders.
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale earlier in the day said that India had “struck the biggest training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Balakote.”
At a press briefing, he said, “In this operation, a very large number of JeM (militants), trainers, senior commanders and groups of ‘jihadis’ who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated.”
“Credible intelligence was received that JeM was attempting another suicide attack in various parts of the country, and the fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose. In the face of imminent danger, a pre-emptive strike became absolutely necessary,” he said, adding, “In an intelligence-led operation in the early hours of today, India struck the biggest training camp of JeM in Balakot. In this operation, a very large number of JeM (militants), trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for fidayeen action were eliminated. This facility at Balakot was headed by Maulana Yousuf Azhar (alias Ustad Ghouri), the brother-in-law of Masood Azhar, Chief of JeM.”
The Government of India, he said, is firmly and resolutely committed to taking all necessary measures to fight the menace of “terrorism”.
“Hence this non-military preemptive action was specifically targeted at the JeM camp. The selection of the target was also conditioned by our desire to avoid civilian casualties. The facility is located in the thick forest on a hilltop far away from any civilian presence. As the strike has taken place only a short while ago, we are awaiting further details.” (GNS)
Kashmir Despatch News
Kulgam, Feb 26 : Militants this evening attacked an Army camp in South Kashmir’s Kulgam village.
Reports reaching Kashmir Despatch said that suspected militants this evening fired upon the 01 RR army camp at khudwani Kulgam in south Kashmir district.
Official reports said the fire was retaliated by the Army personnel.
However , no loss of life or injury has been reported, the official said.
Meanwhile police denied this attack and termed it baseless.