Tag: soil

Banned TTP still using Afghan soil to attack Pakistan: Defence Minister Asif

[ad_1]
Islamabad: Amid a surge in attacks by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the banned militant group was still using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside the country, a media report said on Tuesday.
Asif expressed his concern at the TTP using neighbouring Afghanistan for terrorism in an interview with the Voice of America on Monday, the Dawn newspaper reported.
“TTP is using (the) Afghan soil even today for attacks in our country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan enjoys good ties with the interim Taliban government.

Asif’s remarks come as Pakistan has witnessed a surge in TTP violence since peace talks between the militant group and the government began to falter in the latter half of last year.
The TTP formally ended the ceasefire on November 28 and has executed more than 100 attacks since then.
Many of these attacks were planned and directed by the militant group’s leadership based in Afghanistan.
During the interview, Asif recalled that the issue of increased attacks by the TTP was brought to the notice of the Afghan Taliban rulers during his recent visit to Kabul.
Earlier this year, a Pakistani delegation comprising of Asif, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan, Charge d’Affaires to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani and Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq visited the Afghan capital for talks on security-related matters, including counter-terrorism measures.

“(In the meeting) The (Afghan) Taliban had expressed their determination to deal with this problem and said that they won’t allow their land to be used for terrorism as per the Doha Agreement,” the minister said in the interview.
According to the report, Asif said the Afghan Taliban and TTP shared a “camaraderie” because they have been fighting against NATO for the past 20 years.
“According to my information on TTP militants, between 7,000 to 8,000 of them have been involved in the war against Nato with the Afghan Taliban,” the defence minister was quoted as saying.
“In this context, there is a camaraderie between the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban which was also seen in their (Afghan Taliban’s) words during our meetings that they are not in a position to oppose them (TTP), but they also want to help Pakistan,” he added.
Asif also said that the banned militant group was equipped with advanced weapons, such as night vision goggles left behind by the American forces when they withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Talking about the recent protests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province against rising militancy, the minister said the province’s residents were not ready to “co-exist” with the TTP.
“It is remarkable that people are protesting unarmed against the return of the Taliban (in Pakistan). These people have been poisoned by the Taliban in the past as well, Asif said.
“What is encouraging is that people protested of their own will. They did not protest in the past. They have realised that they don’t want to live with the TTP, considering the peaceful life they have lived in the last eight to 10 years,” he added.
The minister also admitted that due to the political situation in Pakistan, protests against militancy in several areas of the country were often overlooked by the media.
In response to a question, the minister said there was no difference between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban.
“But according to our talks with the Afghan Taliban it seems that they want to distance themselves from the TTP,” Asif pointed out, adding that the Afghan Taliban were “politically astute” people.
Asif’s remarks came days after the National Security Committee (NSC) – the principal decision-making body on national security matters – agreed to launch an “all-out comprehensive operation” to rid the country of the menace of terrorism, the report said. PTI SH
[ad_2]
#Banned #TTP #Afghan #soil #attack #Pakistan #Defence #Minister #Asif
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
Soil Excavator Rolls into River Chenab in Doda; Driver Feared Dead, Rescue Operation Underway

[ad_1]
Srinagar, Mar 17: A moving soil excavator rolled down into Chenab river in Doda district this morning causing apprehension about the death of driver even as a rescue operation is underway at the site.
An official told GNS that a soil excavator (JCB) rolled down into river Chenab at Shiva Dal Pul near Prem Nagar in Doda this morning.
Identifying the driver as one Rahul Sharma, son of Govind Ram, a resident of Dharamthal Chenani, the official said that soon after the accident a rescue operation was launched at the site.
“Given the nature of the accident, it is highly unlikely that the driver would be alive”, he said adding “We nonetheless are making every possible effort to see if he could be rescued safely.” (GNS)
[ad_2]
#Soil #Excavator #Rolls #River #Chenab #Doda #Driver #Feared #Dead #Rescue #Operation #Underway
( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )

March 17, 2023
Vice President targets Rahul for attempt to tarnish India on foreign soil

[ad_1]
New Delhi: Without taking name, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for making ‘anti-India’ remarks on foreign soil, terming them as ironic and painful.
Speaking at the launch of the book ‘Mundaka Upanishad: The Bridge to Immortality’ penned by veteran politician Karan Singh, Dhankhar said, “How ironic, how painful! While the world is applauding our historic accomplishments as a functional vibrant democracy, some among us, including parliamentarians, are engaged in the thoughtless, unfair denigration of our well-nurtured democratic values. How can we justify such wanton orchestration of a factually untenable narrative?”
He said that at a time when India is having its moment of glory as G20 President, there are people outside the country working in overdrive to denigrate the nation.
“Such misplaced campaign mode to taint and tarnish our Parliament and constitutional entities is too serious and exceptional to be ignored or countenanced. No political strategy or partisan stance can justify compromising our nationalism and democratic values,” the Vice President said.
Dhankhar said he would be on the wrong side of the Constitution if he maintains silence on this misadventure-orchestration by a Member of Parliament outside the country, which is ill-premised, unwholesome and motivated.
“How can I sanctify a statement that mics are put off in the Indian Parliament? How can people say so? Has there been any illustration? Yes! We did have a dark chapter of our political history. Proclamation of Emergency was the darkest period any democracy can suffer. But Indian democratic polity is now mature. There can be no repeat of that.
“Anyone who says so, inside or outside the country, that in mics are put off in the Parliament… Imagine this being done after having held the floor for nearly 50 minutes. Such kind of wanton and misadventure to run down our democratic values cannot be countenanced. I call upon everyone – intelligentsia, media and youth who are our warriors of 2047 – to rise to the occasion, expose these forces and neutralise them,” he said.
Dhankhar also said that people should not allow such a narrative to gain momentum by those elements who wish to pose hurdles to our rising growth.

“I preside over the Rajya Sabha, let someone come forward and say mics were put off,” he said.
Dhankar reiterated that there is fullest freedom of expression in India as per the Constitution and no democracy in the world can rival that.
“You run down our judiciary on foreign soil. Where on the planet is a judiciary that acts with such lightning speed? Our judiciary is made with the most brilliant minds in the world,” he added.
Addressing MBA students at the Cambridge Judge Business School on the topic of ‘Learning to Listen in the 21st Century’, Rahul Gandhi had recently said that opposition parties are under ‘constant pressure’ as numerous cases have been slapped on them by the BJP government.
“Indian democracy is under attack. The institutional framework which is required for a democracy — Parliament, free press, the judiciary, just the idea of mobilisation — these are all getting constrained. We are facing an attack on the basic structure of democracy,” Rahul Gandhi had said.
[ad_2]
#Vice #President #targets #Rahul #attempt #tarnish #India #foreign #soil
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 10, 2023
Rahul must apologise for defaming India on foreign soil: Chugh

[ad_1]
New Delhi: BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Thursday hit out at senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “tarnishing the image of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on foreign lands”.
Taking strong exception to Rahul’s speech in Cambridge university recently, Chugh said that at a time when India has been given the proud responsibility of leading the G20 group, Gandhi’s “defamatory address demonstrated that he was still wearing Italian glasses to look at India”.
The BJP leader said at a time when the entire world is looking up to India and India has become a vibrant example of democracy, Rahul’s address at Cambridge was a piece of “ridicule for him and the Congress”.
“Rahul’s misleading and negative propaganda against India to defame all Indians speaks of bankruptcy in the Congress and it’s thinking,” Chugh added in a statement.
He said that Rahul Gandhi should have talked about a large number of governance initiatives that Modi government has brought about but his Italian glasses don’t let him see that and for this he owes an apology to the country.
Subscribe us on
[ad_2]
#Rahul #apologise #defaming #India #foreign #soil #Chugh

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 9, 2023
Rahul Gandhi denigrated India on foreign soil, says Himanta Sarma

[ad_1]
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks during a lecture at the Cambridge Judge Business School in United Kingdom and said his speech was “a brazen attempt to denigrate our country on foreign soil” in the guise of targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also attacked Rahul Gandhi over his remarks that the Congress leader saw terrorists from a distance during Bharat Jodo Yatra and a man who came near him pointed them to him.
Sarma, who made a series of tweets, asked why did Rahul Gandhi not report the incident to security agencies.
“Rahul says in Kashmir militants saw him, but he knew they wouldn’t target him. Why was this not reported to security agencies? Was there some understanding Congress had with these militants to protect Rahul?” he asked.
The BJP leader said Rahul Gandhi described the Pulwama terror attack as a “car bomb that killed 40 soldiers”.
“How dare he insult our jawans? It wasn’t a bomb sir, but a terror attack. No surprises that he refused to name Pakistan behind Pulwama attack. Is this part of the understanding Cong had with militants?” Sarma asked.
“First foreign agents target us! Then our own targets us on a foreign land! Rahul Gandhi’s speech at Cambridge was nothing but a brazen attempt to denigrate our country on foreign soil in the guise of targeting PM Narendra Modi ji,” he added.
Rahul Gandhi in his lecture ‘Learning to Listen in the 21st century’ at Cambridge University said that during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir, he was pointed towards terrorists by a man who came near him to talk.

He menitoned the incident while emphasising the power of listening and non-violence.
“People are coming and one guy looks at me and he says, ‘Call me. So, I am like, ‘Come’ … And the security people said, ‘Please do not do this … please do not call people, because it is putting everyone at risk.’ So, he comes and he starts walking next to me. And, he says, ‘Mr Gandhi, you have come here to listen to us.’ I am like, ‘yes’. He said, ‘That is interesting.’ He is like, ‘You really come here to listen to us.’ I am like, ‘yes’ and he is like good. And then he says, ‘You see those guys over there?’ And we are walking. I ask, ‘Who?’ He says, ‘Those boys over there.’ He is like, ‘They are militants.’ Now militants should normally kill me,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“In that environment, militants should kill me. He says they are there and they are looking at you. So, I look at them and they are giving me this sort of look and I am like, okay, I am now in trouble because this guy has just told me this … They give me this look and I give them this look back and then we carry on. Nothing happens. Why I am telling you this is because they actually could not do anything. They actually did not have the power to do anything even if they wanted to. Because I had come into that environment listening. And I had come into that environment completely with no violence in me at all. And a vast number of people there were saying that. That to me was an indicator of power of listening and non-violence,” he added.
In his lecture, Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack at the Centre alleging that an attack has been unleashed on the basic structure of Indian democracy while also claiming that Israeli spyware Pegasus was being used to snoop into his phone.
The Congress leader claimed that he had been warned by the intelligence officers to be “careful” while speaking on the phone as his calls were being recorded.
[ad_2]
#Rahul #Gandhi #denigrated #India #foreign #soil #Himanta #Sarma
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 4, 2023
21 structures damaged in soil erosion incident in Doda

[ad_1]
Doda, Feb 03: At least 21 structures including 19 residential houses, a Masjid and a Madrasa have developed cracks in a soil erosion incident in Doda district on Friday.
Sub District Magistrate (SDM) Thathri, Athar Amin Zargar while talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the soil erosion has been reported at Nai Basti village in Thathri Municipal area following which the teams of experts including Geologists have visited the place.
“On the first day of soil erosion , six houses got affected, but today the number has reached 21 structures including 19 houses, one Masjid and a Madrasa,” he said.
He added that affected families have been shifted to safer places, adding that the situation is being monitored and a team of Geological Survey of India is also arriving by this evening.
He further said that the affected residential houses belong to labourers, Ponywalas and other poor section people, adding that the arrangements are being made for them—(KNO)
[ad_2]
#structures #damaged #soil #erosion #incident #Doda
( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )

February 3, 2023
Three men indicted in plot to kill Iranian-American journalist on U.S. soil

[ad_1]
The men — Rafat Amirov, Polad Omarov and Khalid Mehdiyev — were charged with murder-for-hire and money laundering for their role in a Tehran-backed plot to kill Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist, on U.S. soil. One of the defendants has been detained since his arrest last July, another is in custody of foreign partners pending extradition, and the third is in U.S. custody and will be presented today in court, Garland said.
Alinejad responded to the news in a video posted on Twitter shortly after the press conference, expressing gratitude for the law enforcement teams who thwarted the plot to kill her, and calling on the U.S. government to respond to the regime’s violent crackdowns on protesters.
“Let me make it clear: I am not scared for my life. Because I knew that killing, assassinating hanging, torturing, raping, is in the DNA of the Isalmic Republic,” Alinejad said. “And that’s why I came to the United States of America. To practice my right, my freedom of expression, to give voice to brave people of Iran who say no to [the] Islamic Republic.”
Alinejad added she is “thankful” for the work of the FBI and U.S. law enforcement, but called on the U.S. government to continue to take “strong action” against Iran. “This is the time that we have to pay attention to innocent people in Iran who don’t have any protection,” she said.
“The law enforcement action today is the latest U.S. disruption of plotting activities against this victim and other Americans,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in statement. “It follows a disturbing pattern of Iranian Government-sponsored efforts to kill, torture, and intimidate into silence activists for speaking out for the fundamental rights and freedoms of Iranians around the world. Today’s announcement by the Attorney General should serve as a warning about the long reach of the U.S. Government in defense of Americans everywhere”.
Earlier this week, the U.S. and its allies hit Iran with new sanctions targeting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, five of its board members, four senior IRGC commanders and Iran’s deputy minister of intelligence and security.
[ad_2]
#men #indicted #plot #kill #IranianAmerican #journalist #U.S #soil
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

January 27, 2023