Kathmandu (TIP): Kaamya Karthikeyan, the youngest Indian Mount Everest summiter, was on May 29 felicitated by Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ at a special function here on the International Everest Day along with other veteran international summiters. The International Everest Day is celebrated on May 29 every year to mark the first ascent of the world’s highest peak at 8,848.86 metres. 71 years since Nepal’s Tenzing Norgey and New Zealander Edmund Hillary stood atop Everest in 1953, more than 8,000 people have scaled it. At just 16 years and 9 months old, Kaamya reached the top of the world on May 20 from the South Col on the Nepalese side successfully along with her father S Karthikeyan, 45, an Indian Navy Commander.
Kaamya said she got attracted to climbing Everest when she had trekked to the Everest Base Camp seven years ago. “I am overwhelmed by the love and affection that the people of Nepal have shown during my journey here,” she said.
The young Indian student has embarked on a journey to climb all the highest peaks on the seven continents; Mt Everest being her sixth peak. She plans to climb Mt Vinson Massif in Antarctica in December.
Besides Kaamya, Prime Minister Prachanda also felicitated Kami Rita Sherpa, who climbed Mt Everest for a record 30 times this spring, and Phunjo Lama, who climbed Everest in just 14 hours and 31 minutes becoming the first female to do so in the shortest time. (PTI)
Tag: South Asia
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Youngest Indian Everest summiter felicitated by Nepal PM Prachanda among others
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Amnesty slams military trial of civilians in Pakistan
Karachi (TIP): Military courts in Pakistan should not try more than 100 people for their alleged role in attacks on army installations during the riots that followed former premier Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 last year, Amnesty International chief has said, urging the government to uphold its international obligations.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights clearly state that civilians should not be tried by military courts, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Dr Agnes Callamard said. The Amnesty chief, who is on her first regional visit to South Asia, said “sadly it has happened throughout Pakistan’s political history… (and) is not a novelty”. (PTI) -
Turkish Airlines resumes flights to Afghanistan nearly 3 years after Taliban captured Kabul
Islamabad (TIP): Afghanistan’s Taliban government confirmed the resumption of Turkish Airlines flights to Kabul’s international airport, nearly three years after the carrier’s services were suspended following the collapse of the Western-backed government. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation said that the first Turkish Airlines flight landed May 21 and was greeted by government officials. Turkish Airlines flights have returned with a schedule of four weekly round-trip flights between Istanbul and Kabul on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. All international airlines halted flights to Afghanistan when the Taliban seized power in August 2021 as US and NATO forces departed after two decades of war. In January, Air Arabia restarted flights to Kabul’s international airport. In November 2023, FlyDubai became the first international carrier to resume flights to Afghanistan. (AP)
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Iranian President Raisi’s death: Pakistan to observe one-day state mourning, flag to fly at half-mast
Islamabad (TIP): Pakistan on May 21 announced it will observe one-day mourning and the flag will fly at half-mast as a mark of respect for Iranian President of Dr Seyed Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who died in a helicopter crash in the Varzaqan region of Azerbaijan, in the northwest of Iran.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on X: “Pakistan will observe a day of mourning and the flag will fly at half mast as a mark of respect for President Raisi and his companions and in solidarity with Brotherly Iran”.
Pakistan had the pleasure of hosting President Raisi and Foreign Minister Abdollahian on a historic visit, less than a month ago. They were good friends of Pakistan, Sharief said.
In another post Sharif said: “Had been anxiously following developments regarding the reported crash landing of President Raisi’s helicopter. Was hoping for good news. (TNS) -
Owner of Nepal’s largest media organization arrested over citizenship card issue
KATHMANDU, Nepal (TIP): The owner of Nepal’s largest news organization has been arrested for allegedly violating the country’s citizenship laws over an issue with his citizenship card.
Kailash Sirohiya will be presented before a judge in a district court in south Nepal on May 22 where a case has been filed against him. He was arrested Tuesday at the Kathmandu offices of Kantipur Publications, which operates newspapers, television and radio stations, magazines and online news sites.
Sirohiya has denied any wrongdoing and accused Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane of seeking revenge for publishing news stories about alleged financial irregularities involving the minister. (AP) -
Slain Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim Anar’s body was dismembered, put in plastic bags and dumped at different locations
Dhaka (TIP): The body of Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim Anar who was murdered in a flat in New Town, Kolkata was dismembered by the assailants in such a way that it would be tough to identify it as human remains, an investigating officer said. Harun Or Rashid, additional commissioner (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said, “The killers dismembered the body in such a way that it would be tough to identify it as human remains,” according to The Daily Star.
Azim’s remains were put in plastic bags and were dumped at different locations.
After killing the MP, the assailants skinned the body, removed the flesh and minced it to prevent identification, a report said.
“We also suspect that some parts were kept in a refrigerator. We have the samples,” a West Bengal CID officer said, requesting anonymity, The Daily Star said.
According to reports, the slain MP and his old friend Aktaruzzaman, known as Shaheen Mia, used to run a gold smuggling racket until they fell out over money.
It is understood that Aktaruzzaman smuggled gold into Bangladesh from Dubai while Azim, the ruling Awami League lawmaker from Jhenaidah-4, made sure the shipment reached the hands of the right people in India. Sometime last year, Azim told his partner that he wanted a bigger cut of the money. Aktaruzzaman snubbed Azim’s proposal, and it created a rift between the two, The Daily Star said quoting investigating officers.
“The partnership hit rock bottom after Azim received two stashes worth more than Tk 100 crore, but did not deliver them,” said the officer involved in the investigation.
Aktaruzzaman then started asking Azim for the money and recruited other people who could make the deliveries, said the investigators.
“The duo met several times in the last six months to settle the matter, and Azim persistently refused to pay Aktaruzzaman. The latter then decided to have him killed,” an investigator said, citing information given by arrested suspects.
The MP had gone missing on May 13, a day after he arrived in Kolkata.
Aktarauzzaman, his girlfriend, a hitman and a couple of others were involved in the crime. (NIE) -
Kenyan climber is found dead on Mount Everest in Nepal
KATHMANDU, Nepal (TIP): A climber from Kenya attempting to scale the world’s highest mountain has been found dead near the summit, officials said May 23. The body of Cheruiyot Kirui was found on Mount Everest, said Khim Lal Gautam, a government official at the mountain’s base camp. It was unclear when the body would be recovered because it would be difficult to carry at that altitude due to the low oxygen level.
The climb by Kirui, a 40-year-old banker at Kenya Commercial Bank, had been closely followed in Kenya, and fellow climber James Muhia had posted frequent updates about the attempt online.
“It is a sad day,” Muhia wrote on May 23 on X. “Our brother is now one with the mountain. It will be a difficult time. Go well my brother.”
Kenyan foreign ministry secretary, Korir Sing’oei, said he had met with Kirui before his trip to Nepal, and described him as fearless and audacious.
“Really gutted by this news,” Sing’oei wrote on X. “I have been following his exploits until this unfortunate end. He is a fearless, audacious spirit, and represents the indomitable will of many Kenyans. We shall miss him.”
Officials said more than 450 climbers have scaled Mount Everest from the Nepali side of the peak in the south this season. Three climbers were reported killed and four are still missing on Mount Everest this season, which ends in a few days.
Most climbing of Everest and nearby Himalayan peaks is done in April and May when weather conditions are most favorable. (AP) -
Civilian casualties rise in Myanmar’s civil war as resistance forces tighten noose around military
BANGKOK (TIP): Six months into an offensive against Myanmar ’s military government, opposition forces have made massive gains, but civilian casualties are rising sharply as regime troops increasingly turn toward scorched-earth tactics in the Southeast Asian country’s bitter civil war. There is pressure on all fronts from powerful militias drawn from Myanmar’s ethnic minority groups and newer resistance forces. Troops are retaliating with air, naval and artillery strikes on hospitals and other facilities where the opposition could be sheltered or aided.
“When the mass of people rise up against them, I think it terrifies them,” said Dave Eubank, a former US Special Forces soldier who founded the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian aid organization that has provided assistance to both combatants and civilians in Myanmar since the 1990s.
“They know that hospitals, churches, schools and monasteries are important places for human care, and gathering, and symbols — and they hammer them,” said Eubank. “That’s new.”
Military forces now control less than half the country, but are holding on tenaciously to much of central Myanmar including the capital, Naypyidaw — recently targeted by drone attacks — and largest city, Yangon, and is far better armed than the resistance forces, with support from Russia and China.
“People have been saying that the regime was on the brink of collapse since two weeks after the coup,” in February 2021, said Morgan Michaels, an analyst with the International Institute of Strategic Studies who runs its Myanmar Conflict Map project.
“On the other hand, obviously the regime is weaker than it’s ever been…. so there’s no doubt that it’s in serious, serious trouble,” he said.
Thet Swe, a spokesman for the military government, denied that troops were targeting buildings and areas where civilians were sheltering, blaming their destruction instead on the opposition forces, without citing evidence.
“The military never harmed hospitals, churches and civilians in our country,” he told The Associated Press in an email. “They did not use that strategy and are fighting the rebels only for the sovereignty of our country.”
As the fighting has moved into more populated areas, about 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the start of the offensive in October, contributing to the more than 3 million internally displaced people in the country of some 56 million, according to the UN’s humanitarian aid agency.
With the collapse of its health care system and food supplies dwindling, 18.6 million people are in need, up 1 million from a year ago, including 6 million children, the agency said.
Opposition in Myanmar, also known as Burma, had been growing since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, but it gained new momentum in October when major militias known collectively as the Three Brotherhood Alliance launched a joint offensive.
Together, the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army — among the most powerful militias formed by Myanmar’s ethnic minorities — made quick advances.
As they captured huge swaths of territory largely in the north and northeast, including economically important border crossings with China and several major military bases, other ethnic armed groups sensed momentum and joined the fighting. (AP) -
Bangladesh gets draft approval for IMF payout of almost $1.2 bn
WASHINGTON (TIP): IMF staff and Bangladesh have reached an agreement to unlock close to $1.2 billion in financing as the South Asian country grapples with declining foreign exchange reserves, the Washington-based institution said May 08. Following two weeks of talks in the capital, Dhaka, the International Monetary Fund said a “staff-level agreement” had been reached to pay out the latest portion of three ongoing programs — subject to board approval. (AFP)
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Six killed in Pakistan suspected ethnic attack
QUETTA, PAKISTAN (TIP): Six migrant workers were shot dead in southwestern Pakistan, police said May 09, in a region where militants have long waged ethnic violence against outsiders. The men were killed late Wednesday at their home, 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Gwadar in Balochistan province where major Chinese investment has funded a deepwater port.
Police said the men, who had migrated to the region and were working as barbers, were likely targeted for being Punjabi, the most populous and influential ethnic group in Pakistan.
“We are investigating the matter at the moment but apparently it looks like they were attacked because they were Punjabis,” said Muhammad Mohsin, a senior police official in Gwadar, adding that six were killed and one was injured.
A second police official Zohaib Ahmad confirmed the death toll and said they were shot dead inside their home. Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but poorest province, despite an abundance of natural resources.
Militants have in the past targeted ethnic Punjabis and Sindhis, as well as foreign interests that they believe are exploiting the impoverished region without sharing its riches.
Punjabis in particular are perceived to dominate the ranks of the military which is locked in a battle to quash Balochistan’s armed factions.
Last month 11 Punjabi labourers were killed in the region when six gunmen stopped a bus near the city of Naushki in Balochistan province.
Beijing is Islamabad’s closest regional ally, frequently offering financial assistance to support its often-struggling neighbour and pouring more than $2 trillion into infrastructure projects.
The security of Chinese workers, however, is a major concern to both countries. (AFP) -
Afghan diplomat caught smuggling gold into India left for US before tendering resignation
NEW DELHI (TIP): The lone Afghan woman diplomat in India who was caught smuggling 25 kgs of gold last month has allegedly fled to the US. Zakia Wardak, a US citizen, served as the first female Consul General of Afghanistan in Mumbai and an advocate for inclusion and women’s rights. The 58-year-old was apprehended by the Department of Revenue intelligence (DRI) with 25 kgs of gold that she allegedly smuggled from Dubai to Mumbai on April 25th.
The gold was stitched to her inner clothing and carried it in the inner layers of her jacket, her leggings and body were strapped with gold worth Rs 18.6 crore.
Accompanied by her son, Wardak brought in these gold bars each weighing 900 gms.
However, Wardak wasn’t arrested as she had diplomatic immunity.
Interestingly, in her resignation letter, which she shared on social media, she attributed her stepping down from her post to personal attacks on her ethnicity.
“It is with great regret that I announce my decision to step down from my role at the consulate and Embassy of Afghanistan in Mumbai effective May 5th,’’ said Wardak on Saturday.
Wardak in her resignation went on to say that during the past year she had faced personal attacks aimed at her and her family.
“It had become increasingly clear that the public narrative is unfairly targeted the only female representative within this system, rather than focusing on constructive assistance and support,’’ said Wardak in her resignation. (NIE) -
Ishaq Dar appointed Pakistan’s Deputy PM
Islamabad (TIP): In a surprise move, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was on April 29 appointed the country’s Deputy Prime Minister.
Dar, 73, a chartered accountant and a veteran politician, belongs to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the appointment was made by PM Sharif “with immediate effect and until further orders”. (PTI) -
Bangladesh faces longest-ever heatwave
Dhaka (TIP): The authorities in Bangladesh have issued another heatwave alert for three more days from April 28 as the South Asian country is facing its longest heatwave in 75 years. Bangladesh reported the season’s highest temperature at 42.7°C on Friday in the south-western district of Chuadanga. Dhaka’s maximum temperature was 38.2 degrees that day. IANS
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20 killed in bus accident in northwest Pakistan
Peshawar (TIP): Twenty people were killed when a passenger bus skidded off a mountainous terrain and plunged into a ravine in northwest Pakistan on May 3, authorities said.
The incident occurred on the Karakoram Highway in Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan region when the bus was on its way from Rawalpindi to Hunza and the driver lost control of the vehicle, a police official said.
It was not clear as to how many passengers were aboard the bus, the official said.
At least 15 people, who were injured in the incident, have been moved to a hospital in Chilas, the official said.
Rescue efforts are in progress and the dead bodies are being shifted to the hospital, the official said.
A hospital source said three women were among the dead.
The source said the death toll was expected to rise further as many of the injured were in a critical condition.
Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan expressed condolences over the incident and directed the administration to provide immediate medical aid to the injured.
Giltgit-Baltistan government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said an emergency was declared at the Chilas Hospital after the accident. (PTI) -
Pakistan Foreign Office on arrest of 14 people with drugs from Pakistani boat off Gujarat coast
Islamabad (TIP): Pakistan said on May 2 that it was waiting for an independent confirmation about an Indian claim regarding the arrest of over a dozen people with 86 kg of drugs from a Pakistani boat off the Gujarat coast.
The Indian Coast Guard said on Sunday that it seized 86 kg of drugs worth Rs 600 crore from a Pakistani boat and arrested 14 persons on board the vessel off the Gujarat coast. The operation in the Arabian Sea was carried out in coordination with the Gujarat Anti-terrorism Squad and the Narcotics Control Bureau.
“We have seen these media reports and we are awaiting independent confirmation of the claims made by the Indian authorities. We will make our comments known once we have details of this incident,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said when asked about the development during her weekly media briefing here.
She alleged that India’s “network of espionage”…, over the last several decades, has expanded to several continents and is now “an issue of concern” for the international community.
To a question that Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a rally that he wanted to tell Pakistan over telephone about the Balakot strikes in February 2019, she said, “there has been a rewriting of history from the Indian side”.
“They have made statements which are not based on facts, and which are many times geared towards political mileage inside India. So, I would not like to comment on this particular statement by the Indian Prime Minister. However, I would like to highlight that as Pakistan demonstrated in 2019, the people of Pakistan and its armed forces are ready to defend the country against all intrusions from any quarters,” she said.
When asked about reports that Pakistan was planning to give two air bases to the US, she said, “this speculation is completely unfounded and we reject it”. (PTI) -
Intense battle in Myanmar town prevents 1,500 Hindus, 20 Rakhines from moving to safer zones
Myanmar’s / New Delhi (TIP): The situation in Myanmar’s Buthidaung town, a region in the Rakhine state, remains precarious as residents from the Hindu and Rakhine communities have been trapped amidst escalating conflict between the military and the rebel group, the Arakan Army. The situation has worsened due to a burgeoning communal divide, fuelled by allegations of the military’s training and conscription of Rohingyas, compelling their participation in combat. There have been increasing instances of people’s houses being gutted based on their ethnic beliefs.
“The battles are intensifying on the ground in Buthidaung. Over 1,500 Hindus and 20 Rakhines are being prevented from leaving as the situation is unsafe there. Rohingyas are being trained as conscripts and they are being made to target people based on their religion and ethnicity,” a source tells TNIE.
A curfew has been imposed in Buthidaung and Maungdaw areas of Rakhine state from 7 pm to 6 am. The Arakan Army claims to have taken control over a 16-mile-long road around these areas to make it safe for the civilian population.
However, fighting has intensified around the Thahtay hydropower project in Thandwe town, in the westernmost part of Myanmar.
Reports indicate that medicine shops are being seized and imports of critical medications are being prohibited. Pharmacy owners in Thandwe express dismay, questioning how restricting access to medicines for patients would benefit the military.
“Due to intensified checking, even food packets are not being delivered, and residents are now fearing an existential crisis,” said a source.
Meanwhile, two Rohingya youths, reportedly plucked from refugee camps in Bangladesh for military training under Myanmar’s junta, were apprehended after fleeing the training grounds.
Numerous reports have emerged indicating the Myanmar Junta’s role in recruiting young Rohingya boys from refugee camps in Bangladesh for military training as part of efforts to combat rebels in the ongoing civil war.
The arrested youth have been identified as Kefayet Ullah (19) from Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s bazaar and Anwar Mostafa (18) from Bhasan Char refugee camp in Noakhali district.
According to reports, the youths were undergoing training in rifle usage to confront rebel groups.
However, they absconded from training due to intolerable heat and food shortages, fleeing within a week of their recruitment. (AP) -
Pakistan: 19 killed, 55 injured over resisting robberies during Ramzan
Karachi (TIP): During Ramzan, Karachi witnessed a surge in crime, with 19 fatalities and 55 injuries resulting from resistance to robberies, as reported by ARY News.
A police official disclosed that armed robbers were responsible for the deaths of 19 citizens in Karachi during robbery attempts.
This year, the city has seen a notable escalation in robbery-related fatalities, totalling 56, with over 200 individuals injured thus far. In comparison, the corresponding period last year saw 25 fatalities and 110 injuries due to resistance against robberies. In 2023, the figures were alarmingly higher, with 108 deaths and 469 injuries resulting from similar circumstances.
Karachi police have engaged in 425 shootouts with robbers this year, resulting in 55 dacoits being neutralised and 439 sustaining injuries. According to a report by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), the first three months of 2024 saw 22,627 reported crimes, including 59 fatalities and over 700 injuries stemming from robbery resistance. Additionally, 373 cars, 15,968 motorbikes, and 6,102 mobile phones were reported stolen or snatched during this period. The CPLC report also documented 25 extortion incidents and five cases of kidnapping for ransom in Karachi, ARY News reported.
Karachi’s Police Chief, Additional Inspector General Imran Yaqoob, attributed a significant portion of the city’s crime to outsiders, including individuals from interior Sindh and Balochistan. Yaqoob highlighted that approximately 4,00,000 “professional” beggars and criminal elements flock to Karachi during Ramzan and Eid-ul-Fitr.
Addressing Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other stakeholders during a meeting on April 8, Yaqoob reiterated that Karachi’s crime rate was relatively modest, averaging less than one case per police station, despite the challenges posed by external criminal elements, ARY News reported. (ANI) -
‘No ground’ for Indian request for return of Kachchatheevu island: Sri Lankan Minister
Colombo (TIP) : The statements coming out of India on “reclaiming” Kachchatheevu island from Sri Lanka have “no ground”, the Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda has said.
The senior Sri Lankan Tamil politician’s comments came days after the Narendra Modi Government targeted the Congress Party and its ally the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu accusing them of overlooking national interests in the ceding of Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka in 1974.
The BJP has also been targeting the two parties for not ensuring the rights of the fishermen wanting to fish in waters around the Katchatheevu island.
“It is the election time in India, it is not unusual to hear such noises of claims and counterclaims about Kachchatheevu,” Devananda told reporters in Jaffna on Thursday.
“I think India is acting on its interests to secure this place to ensure Sri Lankan fishermen would not have any access to that area and that Sri Lanka should not claim any rights in that resourceful area”, Devananda said.
The statements on “reclaiming” Kachchatheevu from Sri Lanka’s hold has “no ground,” Devananda has said.
The Sri Lankan Minister said according to the 1974 Agreement, fishermen from both sides could do fishing in the territorial waters of both countries. But it was later reviewed and amended in 1976.
Accordingly, fishermen from both countries were banned from fishing in neighbouring waters.
Devananda stressed, “There claims to be a place called West Bank which is located below Kanyakumari – it is a much bigger area with extensive sea resources – it is 80 times bigger than Kachchatheevu, India secured it at the 1976 review agreement.”
As a Fisheries Minister, Devananda has faced pressure from the local fishermen in recent months.
The local fishermen have led widespread protests to stop illegal fishing by their Indian counterparts in the Sri Lankan waters. They say the bottom trawling by the Indians is harmful to Sri Lankan fishing community interests.
So far this year, at least 178 Indian fishermen and 23 trawlers have been arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy.
Devananda, an ex-Tamil militant who now leads the Eelam People’s Democratic Party, was named a proclaimed offender by a court in Chennai in 1994.
On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) steered clear of the row surrounding Katchatheevu island.
To a volley of questions on the Katchatheevu issue, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s recent comments on the matter.
“I would like to tell you that on the issues that have been raised, the external affairs minister has spoken to the press here in Delhi and also in Gujarat clarifying all the issues,” he said.
“I would refer that you please look at his press engagements. You will get your answers there,” Jaiswal said in New Delhi. (PTI) -
Militants kidnap, kill 11 people in Pakistan’s Balochistan province
Karachi (TIP): At least 11 people, including nine bus passengers, were killed by unknown militants in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, authorities said on April 13.
In the first incident, armed men stopped a bus on the highway in Noshki district and kidnapped nine men at gunpoint on Friday, police said.
“The bodies of these nine men were later found with bullet wounds in the nearby mountainous areas near a bridge,” one official said.
“The bus was going from Quetta to Taftan when armed men stopped it and after identifying passengers took the nine men to the mountainous areas,” he added.
In a separate incident a car was fired upon on the same highway in which two passengers were killed and two others injured.
Balochistan’s Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said that the terrorists involved in the killing of the 11 people on Noshki highway would not be forgiven and hunted down soon.
Bugti that the terrorists involved in the attacks would be chased, adding that their aim was to sabotage the peace of Balochistan.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the incident, saying that the government stands with the families of the deceased at this time.
“There is no room for such a tragic incident…,” he added.
No banned outfit has claimed responsibility for the killings but in recent weeks this year there has been a surge in terror attacks by banned outfits and terrorists in the province in which security forces and installations have also been brazenly targeted.
The banned Balochistan Liberation Army has claimed to having carried out three major terror strikes in the province in recent weeks in Mach town, Gwadar port and a naval base in Turbat in which security forces killed some 17 militants. (PTI) -
Govt of India should rename 60 places in Tibet as ‘tit for tat’: Himanta
GUWAHATI (TIP): Responding to China’s release of a fourth list of 30 new names of various places in Arunachal Pradesh, BJP stalwart and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on April 2 said he would want Government of India to rename 60 places in Tibet as tit for tat.
“My request to Government of India will be that we should give 60 geographical names to the Tibetan area of China,” Sarma told journalists on the sidelines of an election rally in Assam’s Karbi Anglong.
“It should always be tit for tat but I don’t want to comment because it is a policy decision of Government of India. But if they have named 30, we should name 60,” he further said.
His Arunachal counterpart Pema Khandu condemned China’s act.
“Another gimmick from China. Being a proud citizen of Bharat and a native of Arunachal Pradesh, I strongly condemn this act of naming of places within Arunachal Pradesh which has been an inalienable and integral part of India,” Khandu wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
He said the proud citizens and patriots of Arunachal will reject such antics.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju, who is also from the frontier state, condemned China’s illegally “standardised” geographical names given to the 30 places inside Arunachal.
“China has been making all baseless claims but that’s not going to change the ground reality and the historical facts. Arunachal Pradesh is inalienable part of India, & people of Arunachal Pradesh are supremely patriotic Indians by all standards & definitions,” he wrote on X. (ENS) -
3 Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts return to Sri Lanka
CHENNAI (TIP): Three former convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case returned to Sri Lanka on April 3, nearly two years after being freed by the Supreme Court in the case.
Agency reports quoting police sources said V Murugan, B Robert Payas, and S Jayakumar reached the Colombo International Airport around 11 am (local time) on Wednesday on a flight from Chennai. The Colombo police crime investigation department recorded their statements for more than five hours at its office, reports said.
Jailed for their role in the assassination of the former PM for more than 30 years, the three left by a Sri Lankan aircraft from Chennai to Colombo at 10am on Wednesday.
‘Couple wanted to join daughter in the UK’
An official from the Sri Lankan High Commission that granted them travel documents, told TNIE that trio will undergo investigation in Sri Lanka as they have fled the country illegally.
Murugan had earlier moved the Madras High Court seeking direction to authorities to provide him a photo ID card for getting a Sri Lankan passport. Murugan’s wife Nalini had also moved the court, seeking a direction to authorities to permit her husband to appear before Sri Lankan High Commission in Chennai with an escort to get an ‘all country passport’.
The couple wanted to join their daughter who is now residing in the UK. On Wednesday, Nalini joined Murugan at the airport, ahead of their journey back home.
The three were among the seven convicted for their involvement in the assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi in a suicide bomb attack by the banned LTTE near Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991. Capital punishment awarded to them was later commuted to life. They were freed by the Supreme Court in November 2022. (PTI) -
10 Iranian security personnel killed in jihadist attacks near Pakistan border
TEHRAN (TIP): Jihadist attacks in southeastern Iran near Pakistan killed 10 Iranian security personnel, state media reported on April 4, doubling an earlier toll.
The number of dead is almost as large as from a similar attack in December, which the same group claimed and was followed by tit-for-tat air strikes with neighbouring Pakistan.
The attacks occurred in Sistan-Baluchistan province which has for years faced unrest involving drug-smuggling gangs, rebels from the Baluchi minority, and Sunni Muslim extremists.
“The case of the terrorist attacks was closed with the martyrdom of 10 members of the security forces,” and the killing of 18 “terrorists”, state television said. Majid Mirahmadi, vice-minister of the interior, had earlier told the channel that five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the police died during two night-time attacks against a Guards base in Rask and a police post in Chabahar.
The attacks occurred in the Sistan-Baluchistan province of Iran (Image used for representational purposes)
Pakistan and Iran agree to work together to improve security after tit-for-tat airstrikes
“The terrorists had planned to seize military bases,” Mirahmadi later told state television, adding “none of them survived” the clashes.
He warned that the death toll could rise as some of the security forces injured in the attacks were “not in a favourable condition”.
He added that the assailants appeared to be foreigners, without providing further details.
The number of assailants killed in the clashes also rose from the 15 which General Mohammad Pakpour, who heads the Guards’ land forces, had announced on television. The Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice, in Arabic) group claimed the attacks on its Telegram channel.
Based in Pakistan, the Sunni Muslim rebel organisation, formed in 2012, is listed as a “terrorist” group by Iran and also by the United States.
The attacks occurred in the Sistan-Baluchistan province of Iran (Image used for representational purposes)
Escalating border tensions threaten Baluchistan stability amid Iran-Pakistan clashes
Jaish al-Adl claimed an attack in December that killed 11 officers, one of the deadliest attacks in years, at a police station in Sistan-Baluchistan’s city of Rask.
The group claimed another police station attack in Rask that killed one officer on January 10.
A week later, Iran said it retaliated with missiles and drone strikes against Jaish al-Adl over the border in Pakistan. Pakistan then said it carried out air strikes against ethnic separatists inside Iran.
The Iranian strikes killed at least two children, according to Pakistan, while Pakistan’s strikes left at least nine people dead in Iran, according to the official IRNA news agency.
The rare cross-border fire added to regional tensions during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, but by late January the two countries sought to ease the pressure.
The porous border region of Baluchistan is split between Iran and Pakistan.
Impoverished Sistan-Baluchistan province, which also borders Afghanistan, is one of the few mainly Sunni provinces in Shiite-dominated Iran. (AFP) -
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina lashes out at BNP’s ‘India Out’ campaign
NEW DELHI / DHAKA (TIP): Bangladesh National Party (BNP) has been propogating an ‘India Out’ campaign for some time and has been asking people to boycott Indian products. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has lashed out at BNP for propagating this campaign.
Challenging BNP, Sheikh Hasina sarcastically said, “Why they don’t burn their wives’ Indian sarees”, not use Indian spices in the kitchen.”
This social media campaign against India surfaced on social media in January after their general elections.
“How many Indian saris do their (BNP) wives have?,” PM Hasina said at an event organised on their Independence Day on March 26th.
“When they burn their wives’ Indian saris in front of their party office, only then they will prove that they are truly committed,” she said making the audience laugh.
After Maldives, Bangladesh is the second country where the opposition took up the ‘India Out’ campaign.
Meanwhile, taking Sheikh Hasina’s stance of lashing out at the India Out campaigners, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, Dr Hasan Mahmud, spoke about the usage of Indian products.
“They (BNP) eat food made with Indian onions, Sehri with Indian beef at night and wives wearing Indian saris when they go out. Which contradicts the call of Indian product boycotts.”
Dr Mahmud criticized the BNP’s political stance stating that the actions do not benefit the country. He also said that the country’s image gets reflected badly overseas when such campaigns are run.
India is the biggest trading partner of Bangladesh, in numerous industries. The relationship between both countries is marked by shared interdependence, as Bangladesh depends on India for essential imports including raw materials, machinery, and agricultural goods. At the same time, India gains from Bangladesh’s exports of garments, textiles, and medicines. Therefore, the implementation of the “India-Out” campaign requires strong support from citizens.
Meanwhile, according to sources, PM Hasina is expected to visit Delhi in June after the conclusion of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. (PTI) -
Five Chinese dam workers, driver killed in Pakistan suicide attack
PESHAWAR (TIP): Five Chinese nationals working on a major dam construction site were killed along with their driver on March 26 when a suicide bomber targeted their vehicle in northwest Pakistan, officials said.
Their vehicle plunged into a deep ravine off the mountainous Karakoram Highway after the bomber rammed his car into them and detonated his explosives.
Beijing has poured billions of dollars into Pakistan in recent years, but Chinese-funded projects have sparked resentment and their citizens have frequently come under attack.
Images shared with AFP show smoke rising from the valley, near Besham city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Five Chinese and their local driver were killed in the attack,” Muhammad Ali Gandapur, a senior provincial police official, told AFP.
He said the vehicle was travelling from the Dasu hydroelectric dam site, under construction by the China Gezhouba Group Company, towards the capital Islamabad.
Zahid Khan, a senior local police official, told AFP that four Chinese nationals and their driver were killed.
“Upon reaching an unpopulated area in Besham, a suicide bomber crashed his vehicle into theirs. The vehicle caught fire and plunged down the ravine,” he said.
In 2021, a bus carrying engineers to the same construction site was hit by a bomb, killing 13 people, including nine Chinese workers.
Tuesday’s attack comes days after security forces killed at least seven militants as they attempted to storm the offices of Gwadar Port in southwest Pakistan, considered a cornerstone of Chinese investment.
Islamabad is Beijing’s closest regional ally, readily providing financial assistance to bail out its often struggling neighbour.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has seen tens of billions of dollars funnelled into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects.
But separatist groups say locals see little benefit from major Chinese projects, with most jobs going to outsiders.
The security of Chinese workers has long been of concern to both countries.
In 2019, gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Balochistan province, overlooking the flagship Chinese-backed deep-water seaport in Gwadar that gives strategic access to the Arabian Sea, killing at least eight people.
In June 2020, Baloch insurgents targeted the Pakistan Stock Exchange, which is partly owned by Chinese companies, in the commercial capital of Karachi. (AFP) -
TTD EO to visit Sri Lanka on Mar 29 to finalise site for Srivari temple
TIRUMALA (TIP): Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) executive officer (EO) AV Dharma Reddy is set to visit Sri Lanka to finalise the site where a temple of Lord Venkateswara Swamy will be built. He will leave for the island nation on March 29 and is expected to stay there for four to five days. He will also establish a permanent setup of the temple administration.
According to senior TTD officials, a Sri Lanka-based Trust had approached the Union government through the Government of Sri Lanka, seeking help in the construction of a massive Hindu temple of Lord Venkateswara in their country. The TTD was apprised of the matter. Subsequently, the Temple Trust approved the construction of the temple in Colombo in a step towards disseminating Hindu dharma. Dharma Reddy was scheduled to leave for Sri Lanka on March 2, but it was postponed to March 26 and later to March 29, due to some administrative reasons. End of the financial year is often hectic for the Srivari Trust. According to TTD sources, once the site for the proposed temple is finalised and designs are prepared (NIE)