Why the government is paralysed
Don’t blame Manmohan Singh. Look for the reasons in the Congress dyarchy that places organisation above parliamentary party
UPA Policies & Scams- 2004 to 2014 (1 Viewer)
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Morgan Stanley flags UPA ‘paralysis’
Morgan Stanley warned that economic growth is being endangered due to UPA's non-action.
indianexpress.com
NEW DELHI: Issue of green clearance was indeed a major irritant during Jayanthi Natarajan's tenure (2011-13) as environment minister, not only for private industries but also for public projects and defence infrastructure.
No one would have probably complained had it been for adhering to green laws and procedures. If one looks at the 350-odd files Natarajan and her office sat over at the time of her resignation in December, 2013, it may be clear that the files mainly related to those projects which had approval of expert appraisal committees.
And by the time the Congress leadership realized implications of keeping projects pending, it was too late. Still, her successor M Veerappa Moily could manage to clear projects worth over Rs 1.5 lakh crore before the model code of conduct for 2014 general elections came into force in early March.
NEW DELHI: Issue of green clearance was indeed a major irritant during Jayanthi Natarajan's tenure (2011-13) as environment minister, not only for private industries but also for public projects and defence infrastructure.
No one would have probably complained had it been for adhering to green laws and procedures. If one looks at the 350-odd files Natarajan and her office sat over at the time of her resignation in December, 2013, it may be clear that the files mainly related to those projects which had approval of expert appraisal committees.
And by the time the Congress leadership realized implications of keeping projects pending, it was too late. Still, her successor M Veerappa Moily could manage to clear projects worth over Rs 1.5 lakh crore before the model code of conduct for 2014 general elections came into force in early March.
The key approvals given by him included one on the South Korean steel giant Posco's Rs 52,000 crore steel plant in Odisha. It ended eight years of wait for a project that would involve the largest ever foreign direct investment in India.
The government had then got it done by putting a condition for clearance on Posco where the company would have to spend on "social commitments" and delink the plant from its port project. It raised the project cost but the company readily agreed for it.
"If the government had got it done in January, 2014 by making certain rooms for it through conditions, it could have easily done it before. It shows the project got stuck because the government of the day might have opted for it," said an official who was involved in the process.
Posco was not the lone example. Moily quickly approved many projects within the first 30 days of taking additional charge of the ministry in December, 2013.
Many big-ticket projects worth over Rs 10 lakh crore had got stuck due to non-clearance on one pretext or the other during Natarajan's tenure. She had, in fact, inherited many of the pending files from her predecessor Jairam Ramesh.
The pendency during the period showed how the 'environmental clearance' issue (green tape) during the UPA regime had become a tool to stall projects by virtually replacing the 'Licence Permit Raj' (red tape regime) of the pre-1990s era.
Vedanta project of bauxite mining in Niyamgiri hills in Odisha also showed how it was stalled under Jairam Ramesh's tenure to fulfill the promise of Rahul Gandhi to the local tribals. The permission was, however, formally denied during Natarajan's tenure under the Supreme Court's order which was later flagged by Gandhi as a trophy in political rallies in the state.
Moily tried to undone many things which were done during Natarajan's and Ramesh's tenures. Obviously, he had a mandate for it from the top, signaling a major shift in the Congress Party's stand from pro-environment to pro-industries barely three months before the 2014 parliamentary election.
Surprisingly, the list of stalled projects also included defence projects that were crucial from the security point of view. The ministry under the NDA government cleared all those projects that had already got nod from the expert committees under the UPA regime but remained stuck.
The new government has also taken a number of measures to streamline the green clearance process. Launch of online system for both environment and forest clearances under the NDA government not only brings transparency but also speeds up clearance process within the existing law.
"If the government had got it done in January, 2014 by making certain rooms for it through conditions, it could have easily done it before. It shows the project got stuck because the government of the day might have opted for it," said an official who was involved in the process.
Posco was not the lone example. Moily quickly approved many projects within the first 30 days of taking additional charge of the ministry in December, 2013.
Many big-ticket projects worth over Rs 10 lakh crore had got stuck due to non-clearance on one pretext or the other during Natarajan's tenure. She had, in fact, inherited many of the pending files from her predecessor Jairam Ramesh.
The pendency during the period showed how the 'environmental clearance' issue (green tape) during the UPA regime had become a tool to stall projects by virtually replacing the 'Licence Permit Raj' (red tape regime) of the pre-1990s era.
Vedanta project of bauxite mining in Niyamgiri hills in Odisha also showed how it was stalled under Jairam Ramesh's tenure to fulfill the promise of Rahul Gandhi to the local tribals. The permission was, however, formally denied during Natarajan's tenure under the Supreme Court's order which was later flagged by Gandhi as a trophy in political rallies in the state.
Moily tried to undone many things which were done during Natarajan's and Ramesh's tenures. Obviously, he had a mandate for it from the top, signaling a major shift in the Congress Party's stand from pro-environment to pro-industries barely three months before the 2014 parliamentary election.
Surprisingly, the list of stalled projects also included defence projects that were crucial from the security point of view. The ministry under the NDA government cleared all those projects that had already got nod from the expert committees under the UPA regime but remained stuck.
The new government has also taken a number of measures to streamline the green clearance process. Launch of online system for both environment and forest clearances under the NDA government not only brings transparency but also speeds up clearance process within the existing law.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
No one would have probably complained had it been for adhering to green laws and procedures. If one looks at the 350-odd files Natarajan and her office sat over at the time of her resignation in December, 2013, it may be clear that the files mainly related to those projects which had approval of expert appraisal committees.
And by the time the Congress leadership realized implications of keeping projects pending, it was too late. Still, her successor M Veerappa Moily could manage to clear projects worth over Rs 1.5 lakh crore before the model code of conduct for 2014 general elections came into force in early March.
NEW DELHI: Issue of green clearance was indeed a major irritant during Jayanthi Natarajan's tenure (2011-13) as environment minister, not only for private industries but also for public projects and defence infrastructure.
No one would have probably complained had it been for adhering to green laws and procedures. If one looks at the 350-odd files Natarajan and her office sat over at the time of her resignation in December, 2013, it may be clear that the files mainly related to those projects which had approval of expert appraisal committees.
And by the time the Congress leadership realized implications of keeping projects pending, it was too late. Still, her successor M Veerappa Moily could manage to clear projects worth over Rs 1.5 lakh crore before the model code of conduct for 2014 general elections came into force in early March.
The key approvals given by him included one on the South Korean steel giant Posco's Rs 52,000 crore steel plant in Odisha. It ended eight years of wait for a project that would involve the largest ever foreign direct investment in India.
The government had then got it done by putting a condition for clearance on Posco where the company would have to spend on "social commitments" and delink the plant from its port project. It raised the project cost but the company readily agreed for it.
"If the government had got it done in January, 2014 by making certain rooms for it through conditions, it could have easily done it before. It shows the project got stuck because the government of the day might have opted for it," said an official who was involved in the process.
Posco was not the lone example. Moily quickly approved many projects within the first 30 days of taking additional charge of the ministry in December, 2013.
Many big-ticket projects worth over Rs 10 lakh crore had got stuck due to non-clearance on one pretext or the other during Natarajan's tenure. She had, in fact, inherited many of the pending files from her predecessor Jairam Ramesh.
The pendency during the period showed how the 'environmental clearance' issue (green tape) during the UPA regime had become a tool to stall projects by virtually replacing the 'Licence Permit Raj' (red tape regime) of the pre-1990s era.
Vedanta project of bauxite mining in Niyamgiri hills in Odisha also showed how it was stalled under Jairam Ramesh's tenure to fulfill the promise of Rahul Gandhi to the local tribals. The permission was, however, formally denied during Natarajan's tenure under the Supreme Court's order which was later flagged by Gandhi as a trophy in political rallies in the state.
Moily tried to undone many things which were done during Natarajan's and Ramesh's tenures. Obviously, he had a mandate for it from the top, signaling a major shift in the Congress Party's stand from pro-environment to pro-industries barely three months before the 2014 parliamentary election.
Surprisingly, the list of stalled projects also included defence projects that were crucial from the security point of view. The ministry under the NDA government cleared all those projects that had already got nod from the expert committees under the UPA regime but remained stuck.
The new government has also taken a number of measures to streamline the green clearance process. Launch of online system for both environment and forest clearances under the NDA government not only brings transparency but also speeds up clearance process within the existing law.
"If the government had got it done in January, 2014 by making certain rooms for it through conditions, it could have easily done it before. It shows the project got stuck because the government of the day might have opted for it," said an official who was involved in the process.
Posco was not the lone example. Moily quickly approved many projects within the first 30 days of taking additional charge of the ministry in December, 2013.
Many big-ticket projects worth over Rs 10 lakh crore had got stuck due to non-clearance on one pretext or the other during Natarajan's tenure. She had, in fact, inherited many of the pending files from her predecessor Jairam Ramesh.
The pendency during the period showed how the 'environmental clearance' issue (green tape) during the UPA regime had become a tool to stall projects by virtually replacing the 'Licence Permit Raj' (red tape regime) of the pre-1990s era.
Vedanta project of bauxite mining in Niyamgiri hills in Odisha also showed how it was stalled under Jairam Ramesh's tenure to fulfill the promise of Rahul Gandhi to the local tribals. The permission was, however, formally denied during Natarajan's tenure under the Supreme Court's order which was later flagged by Gandhi as a trophy in political rallies in the state.
Moily tried to undone many things which were done during Natarajan's and Ramesh's tenures. Obviously, he had a mandate for it from the top, signaling a major shift in the Congress Party's stand from pro-environment to pro-industries barely three months before the 2014 parliamentary election.
Surprisingly, the list of stalled projects also included defence projects that were crucial from the security point of view. The ministry under the NDA government cleared all those projects that had already got nod from the expert committees under the UPA regime but remained stuck.
The new government has also taken a number of measures to streamline the green clearance process. Launch of online system for both environment and forest clearances under the NDA government not only brings transparency but also speeds up clearance process within the existing law.
Jayanthi Natarajan sat on 350 files that had clearances | India News - Times of India
India News: Many big-ticket projects worth over Rs 10 lakh crore had got stuck due to non-clearance on one pretext or the other during Natarajan’s tenure.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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I hope Mauni is rotting in hell.
Fucking napunsak.
Fucking napunsak.
MEGA BREAKING: GOVT SOURCES:
+ USAID funding has been linked to influencing political outcomes, particularly during election years.
+ Under the UPA (2004-13), the Indian government received $204.28 million, while NGOs received $2,114.96 million.
Under NDA (2014-24), government funding dropped to $1.51 million (till 2015), while NGO funding increased to $2,579.73 million.
+ "Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance" funding spiked in 2022, coinciding with Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra.
+ USAID stopped funding the Government of India after 2015. But Top NGO recipients linked to USAID include Catholic Relief Services ($218M), CARE International ($208M)
OCCRP (received $47M) published reports that were allegedly used against the Modi government.
+ InterNews trained Indian journalists in USAID-backed programs to influence media narratives.
USAID ceased funding the Indian government after 2015.
Verified Sources:
USAID India Page (http://usaid.gov): Notes a pivot to “partnerships with private sectors and NGOs” rather than direct government aid in recent years, consistent with post-2015 policy shifts under NDA’s stricter foreign aid stance.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report (2023): States U.S. aid to India dropped significantly post-2010s, focusing on non-governmental channels ( http://crsreports.congress.gov).
Status: Verified indirectly. No explicit USAID statement says “stopped in 2015,” but the trend aligns with official narratives and India’s economic status reducing direct aid eligibility.
Funding spiked in 2022, coinciding with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Verified Sources:
USAID Budget Data: The Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) budget increased globally in FY2022 (http://usaid.gov), with $290M allocated for such initiatives (Web ID: 12). India-specific allocations aren’t detailed publicly.
Bharat Jodo Yatra Timing: Launched September 7, 2022 (per Indian news archives, e.g., http://india.gov.in), overlapping with USAID’s fiscal year.
Status: Partially verified. Global DRG funding rose, but no public USAID document ties an India-specific spike to the Yatra—correlation is speculative without project-level data.
InterNews trained Indian journalists in USAID-backed programs to shape narratives.
Verified Sources:
InterNews Official Site (http://internews.org): Confirms USAID as a primary funder (87% of $472.6M over 17 years, per Web ID: 10). It trained 9,000+ journalists globally in 2023, worked with 4,291 outlets, reaching 778M people.
India-Specific: InterNews’ “FactShala” initiative (http://organiser.org, Web ID: 10) trained Indian journalists on misinformation, funded by USAID. No exact participant list or content bias is public.
X Sentiment: Posts (e.g., ID: 0) claim InterNews pushes “left ideology” or “U.S. propaganda,” but this is anecdotal without training curricula.
Status: Verified that InterNews operates in India with USAID funds for journalism training. Narrative-shaping intent is unproven without specific program details.
+ USAID funding has been linked to influencing political outcomes, particularly during election years.
+ Under the UPA (2004-13), the Indian government received $204.28 million, while NGOs received $2,114.96 million.
Under NDA (2014-24), government funding dropped to $1.51 million (till 2015), while NGO funding increased to $2,579.73 million.
+ "Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance" funding spiked in 2022, coinciding with Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra.
+ USAID stopped funding the Government of India after 2015. But Top NGO recipients linked to USAID include Catholic Relief Services ($218M), CARE International ($208M)
OCCRP (received $47M) published reports that were allegedly used against the Modi government.
+ InterNews trained Indian journalists in USAID-backed programs to influence media narratives.
USAID ceased funding the Indian government after 2015.
Verified Sources:
USAID India Page (http://usaid.gov): Notes a pivot to “partnerships with private sectors and NGOs” rather than direct government aid in recent years, consistent with post-2015 policy shifts under NDA’s stricter foreign aid stance.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report (2023): States U.S. aid to India dropped significantly post-2010s, focusing on non-governmental channels ( http://crsreports.congress.gov).
Status: Verified indirectly. No explicit USAID statement says “stopped in 2015,” but the trend aligns with official narratives and India’s economic status reducing direct aid eligibility.
Funding spiked in 2022, coinciding with Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Verified Sources:
USAID Budget Data: The Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) budget increased globally in FY2022 (http://usaid.gov), with $290M allocated for such initiatives (Web ID: 12). India-specific allocations aren’t detailed publicly.
Bharat Jodo Yatra Timing: Launched September 7, 2022 (per Indian news archives, e.g., http://india.gov.in), overlapping with USAID’s fiscal year.
Status: Partially verified. Global DRG funding rose, but no public USAID document ties an India-specific spike to the Yatra—correlation is speculative without project-level data.
InterNews trained Indian journalists in USAID-backed programs to shape narratives.
Verified Sources:
InterNews Official Site (http://internews.org): Confirms USAID as a primary funder (87% of $472.6M over 17 years, per Web ID: 10). It trained 9,000+ journalists globally in 2023, worked with 4,291 outlets, reaching 778M people.
India-Specific: InterNews’ “FactShala” initiative (http://organiser.org, Web ID: 10) trained Indian journalists on misinformation, funded by USAID. No exact participant list or content bias is public.
X Sentiment: Posts (e.g., ID: 0) claim InterNews pushes “left ideology” or “U.S. propaganda,” but this is anecdotal without training curricula.
Status: Verified that InterNews operates in India with USAID funds for journalism training. Narrative-shaping intent is unproven without specific program details.
UPA Releassd 25 terrorist as Goodwill gesture
The Jammu and Kashmir government has released 25 Pakistani terrorists lodged in various prisons of the country on the advice of the Union home ministry. The state government on Thursday revoked the detention orders of these terrorists, mostly belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), and will facilitate their return to Pakistan.
The release of the terrorists comes ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Jammu and Kashmir on June 7. Political observers believe the decision is the Centre's olive branch to separatist leaders in an attempt to bring them on the dialogue table
The PM is expected to renew his offer of talks with all shades of opinion in Jammu and Kashmir during his visit.
These militants were detained under Section 19 (1) of the J&K Public Safety Act (a law that allows the government to keep people in jail without trial for two years) over the years.
Some of them were sent to jails outside the state for security reasons. They were also provided consular access in the Amritsar jail on March 25. Not a single Indian languishing in the Pakistani jails is, however, being set free in exchange of these militants.
According to reports, the Pakistani detainees have been released. Sources said they were handed over to the Pakistani authorities at the Wagah border on Friday.
Nine of them were earlier lodged in the high-security Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu
They include Noor Mohammad, Abdul Rashid, Nazir Mohammad, Mohammad Shafi, Rahim Din, Mohammad Sharief Malik, Karamat Hussain and Suhail Ahmad Kataria.
Kataria, from Kotli in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was released from the Central Jail in Srinagar. He was recently shifted to the Valley from the Agra jail.
The terrorists released from the Agra jail are Mohammad Ajmal Chouhan alias Munna alias Abu Walid from Lahore, Meharban Sethi alias Nadeem from Rawalpindi and Mohammad Nawaz from Gujranwala.
Four Pakistanis were lodged in the Naini jail in UP. They are Shahid Mehmood, Ghulam Haider, Mohammad Farooq Raja and Quadratullah.
Shahid Latief alias Shahid Bhat of Muzaffarabad was released from the Varanasi jail while Mohammad Yasin Khokhar of Lahore was released from the Tihar jail.
Three detainees were lodged in the Jodhpur jail - Shabeer Ahmed, Sajad Ali Jat alias Sajad Bhat and Sher Khan (Peshawar).
Four terrorists were set free from the Sangrur jail in Punjab.
They are Faiz Ali alias Ali Bahadur Ali, Dawood Ahmad alias Osama, Mohammad Usmaan Sheikh alias Abdul Samad Askari and Zarar Balouch alias Ibrahim.
Pak terrorists freed in goodwill gesture
The Jammu and Kashmir government releases 25 Pakistani terrorists lodged in various prisons of the country on the advice of the Union home ministry
The Jammu and Kashmir government has released 25 Pakistani terrorists lodged in various prisons of the country on the advice of the Union home ministry. The state government on Thursday revoked the detention orders of these terrorists, mostly belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), and will facilitate their return to Pakistan.
The release of the terrorists comes ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Jammu and Kashmir on June 7. Political observers believe the decision is the Centre's olive branch to separatist leaders in an attempt to bring them on the dialogue table
The PM is expected to renew his offer of talks with all shades of opinion in Jammu and Kashmir during his visit.
These militants were detained under Section 19 (1) of the J&K Public Safety Act (a law that allows the government to keep people in jail without trial for two years) over the years.
Some of them were sent to jails outside the state for security reasons. They were also provided consular access in the Amritsar jail on March 25. Not a single Indian languishing in the Pakistani jails is, however, being set free in exchange of these militants.
According to reports, the Pakistani detainees have been released. Sources said they were handed over to the Pakistani authorities at the Wagah border on Friday.
Nine of them were earlier lodged in the high-security Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu
They include Noor Mohammad, Abdul Rashid, Nazir Mohammad, Mohammad Shafi, Rahim Din, Mohammad Sharief Malik, Karamat Hussain and Suhail Ahmad Kataria.
Kataria, from Kotli in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was released from the Central Jail in Srinagar. He was recently shifted to the Valley from the Agra jail.
The terrorists released from the Agra jail are Mohammad Ajmal Chouhan alias Munna alias Abu Walid from Lahore, Meharban Sethi alias Nadeem from Rawalpindi and Mohammad Nawaz from Gujranwala.
Four Pakistanis were lodged in the Naini jail in UP. They are Shahid Mehmood, Ghulam Haider, Mohammad Farooq Raja and Quadratullah.
Shahid Latief alias Shahid Bhat of Muzaffarabad was released from the Varanasi jail while Mohammad Yasin Khokhar of Lahore was released from the Tihar jail.
Three detainees were lodged in the Jodhpur jail - Shabeer Ahmed, Sajad Ali Jat alias Sajad Bhat and Sher Khan (Peshawar).
Four terrorists were set free from the Sangrur jail in Punjab.
They are Faiz Ali alias Ali Bahadur Ali, Dawood Ahmad alias Osama, Mohammad Usmaan Sheikh alias Abdul Samad Askari and Zarar Balouch alias Ibrahim.
In Pathankot Attack, Key Role Of Terrorist Released By Congress Government
Delhi:Indian investigators waiting to travel to Pakistan have uncovered crucial information about how a group of terrorists crossed the border at the start of the New Year to attack one of the country's best-secured military areas, the air force base at Pathankot.
Shahid Latif, 47, who was released from an Indian prison in 2010 by the previous government, allegedly provided logistical and other support for the four Pakistanis who went on to attack the Pathankot base. Seven military personnel were killed in a siege that lasted a grueling 72 hours. The four terrorists were shot and recently buried in Punjab after Pakistan refused to accept their bodies.
Latif, who is from Pakistan, was arrested in 1996 from Jammu in a case related to narcotics and terrorism. He is a senior leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, whose chief, Maulana Masood Azhar, masterminded the Pathankot attack, according to India.
To improve relations with Pakistan, Latif was deported by the Congress-led government six years ago, along with nearly 20 other terrorists who returned home through the Wagah border in Punjab. "All those released had served their full term in Indian jails and couldn't have been kept back," said a senior source in the National Investigation Agency or NIA, the country's top counter-terror body.
In 1999, when Indian Airlines plane IC814 was hijacked by five armed men to Kandahar in Afghanistan, Latif was among the men whose release was unsuccessfully demanded by the terrorists. Masood Azhar, who would go on to found the Jaish-e-Mohammed, was freed along with two others in exchange for the 189 passengers and crew who were caught in a hostage situation that lasted nearly a week.
After India accused the Jaish of January's Pathankot attack, a team of Pakistanis visited India to scrtunizie the evidence and question witnesses. Amid much criticism from the opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi allowed them onto the Pathankot base. Pakistan, however, has yet to approve a visit by investigators of the National Investigation Agency or NIA, the top counter-terror agency.
NIA officers are keen to question top leaders of the Jaish, including the chief; however, Pakistani sources have told NDTV they cannot confirm whether Masood Azhar is still in the country.
www.ndtv.com
Delhi:Indian investigators waiting to travel to Pakistan have uncovered crucial information about how a group of terrorists crossed the border at the start of the New Year to attack one of the country's best-secured military areas, the air force base at Pathankot.
Shahid Latif, 47, who was released from an Indian prison in 2010 by the previous government, allegedly provided logistical and other support for the four Pakistanis who went on to attack the Pathankot base. Seven military personnel were killed in a siege that lasted a grueling 72 hours. The four terrorists were shot and recently buried in Punjab after Pakistan refused to accept their bodies.
Latif, who is from Pakistan, was arrested in 1996 from Jammu in a case related to narcotics and terrorism. He is a senior leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, whose chief, Maulana Masood Azhar, masterminded the Pathankot attack, according to India.
To improve relations with Pakistan, Latif was deported by the Congress-led government six years ago, along with nearly 20 other terrorists who returned home through the Wagah border in Punjab. "All those released had served their full term in Indian jails and couldn't have been kept back," said a senior source in the National Investigation Agency or NIA, the country's top counter-terror body.
In 1999, when Indian Airlines plane IC814 was hijacked by five armed men to Kandahar in Afghanistan, Latif was among the men whose release was unsuccessfully demanded by the terrorists. Masood Azhar, who would go on to found the Jaish-e-Mohammed, was freed along with two others in exchange for the 189 passengers and crew who were caught in a hostage situation that lasted nearly a week.
After India accused the Jaish of January's Pathankot attack, a team of Pakistanis visited India to scrtunizie the evidence and question witnesses. Amid much criticism from the opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi allowed them onto the Pathankot base. Pakistan, however, has yet to approve a visit by investigators of the National Investigation Agency or NIA, the top counter-terror agency.
NIA officers are keen to question top leaders of the Jaish, including the chief; however, Pakistani sources have told NDTV they cannot confirm whether Masood Azhar is still in the country.
In Pathankot Attack, Key Role Of Terrorist Released By Congress Government
Indian investigators waiting to travel to Pakistan have uncovered crucial information about how a group of terrorists crossed the border at the start of the New Year to attack one of the country's best-secured military areas, the air force base at Pathankot.
www.ndtv.com
Pathankot attack mastermind Shahid Latif killed in Pakistan mosque
Latif, alias Bilal, a designated terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, is learnt to have been shot dead along with two of his associates by three gunmen
Updated - October 11, 2023 02:54 pm IST - New Delhi
Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Shahid Latif. Photo: nia.gov.in
Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Shahid Latif, believed to be the mastermind of the 2016 attack on an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, was gunned down on October 11 by unidentified assailants in a mosque in Daska town of Pakistan's Sialkot district, officials said.
He was deported to Pakistan in 2010 following his release and formally joined the terror group, they said.
"This is the biggest blow to JeM on Pakistan soil," an official said.
Latif was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Seven IAF personnel were killed when four JeM terrorists sneaked into the Pathankot Air Force Station on January 2, 2016. The siege went on for three days.
Pathankot attack mastermind Shahid Latif killed in Pakistan mosque
Shahid Latif had infiltrated into the Kashmir Valley in 1993 and was arrested a year later. He was in Jammu jail with Masood Azhar, founder of the JeM, till 2010, officials said.
How blatant appeasement of Kashmiri terrorists during Congress rule led to humiliation at Hazratbal and Chrar-e-Sharief
Picture of JKLF militants inside the compound of Hazratbal Shrine (Image courtesy: Twitter/@ShadabPeerzada)
The release of the biopic Kashmir Files has opened many wounds, not just related to the brutal ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Pandits, but also a string of other humiliations including at Hazratbal and Chrar-e-Sharif.
The two shrines deeply revered by Kashmiri Muslims became hideouts for terrorists on three particular occasions in October 1993, May 1995 and March 1996 during PV Narasimha Rao’s Congress leadership at the Centre. Jammu and Kashmir was under the President’s rule and Gen (retd) KV Krishna was Governor.
Out-of-bounds for security forces, the Hazratbal shrine, holding the holy relic of Prophet Mohammad since the beginning of the 18th century, became a meeting ground for militants in 1990. In 1993, they set their hideouts on the secured premises. The Border Security Force (BSF), followed by the Army, laid siege to the shrine-cum-mosque complex on 15 October 1993 after receiving reports that some militants had tampered with the locks of the sanctum sanctorum.
Some 50–70-armed militants of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Operation Balakot and Al-jehad, got holed up. The standoff lasted for 32 days and ended with a safe passage to all the militants.
Close to the Assembly elections in five States of the Hindi heartland, including Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Rao left everything to the discretion of Governor Krishna Rao with the direction that there shouldn’t be any exchange of gunfire or bloodshed at the shrine premises. Multiple ego clashes in the highest echelons of the government, both in New Delhi and Srinagar, messed up the whole rescue operation to the militants’ advantage.
Minister of Home Affairs, SB Chavan, and Minister of State for Internal Security, Rajesh Pilot, who was Narasimha Rao’s principal point man in Kashmir, didn’t see eye to eye. In Srinagar, Krishna Rao didn’t have a good bonhomie with the Army and his Security Advisor Gen (retd) Mehmood Ahmad Zaki. Krishna Rao wouldn’t respond to anybody less than the PM. On at least two occasions, he is known to have ignored calls from the Union Home Secretary NN Vohra.
Chief Secretary Sheikh Ghulam Rasool and Additional Chief Secretary Home, Mehmood-ur-Reman, were at daggers drawn. Divisional Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah had his own agenda and way of functioning.
The relationship between Pilot and Krishna Rao had gone sour over the appointment of MN Sabharwal as J&K’s DGP at the exit of BS Bedi. Pilot had got the name of KPS Gill, former DGP of Punjab, cleared as Bedi’s successor from the PMO. Mainly for this reason, Pilot, who had built tremendous rapport in the valley, kept himself out. Afraid that a strong personality like Gill would undermine his office, Krishna Rao botched up Pilot’s plan. Sabharwal took over on the day the siege was laid.
With no clarity and direction to the bureaucracy and security forces, chaos and confusion ruled the State. Army Chief BC Joshi said: “We will tire them out and break their will”. Corps commander S. Padmanabhan ruled out any safe passage to the militants. Chief Secretary Rasool conveyed to the Prime Minister’s Office that he would resolve the crisis with the help of his Hurriyat friends. Habibullah began meeting with the militants and facilitating the supply of food and blankets to them all.
With all the government mandarins pulling in different directions and the Corps Commanders giving orders to snap water and electricity to the shrine complex, the High Court Bar Association managed to get orders of providing 1200-calorie food and other essential commodities to the holed-up militants and civilians from the Supreme Court. Chief Engineers of Public Health Engineering and Power departments refused to implement the GOC’s orders. It reduced Army’s ‘Operation Psycho’ to ‘Operation Boomerang’!
The militants had no-secret goodwill for Habibullah. Previously, they laid a cordon around his cavalcade during an official visit in Baramulla but left him unharmed. During his service in the IAS and his appointment as India’s Chief Information Commissioner, Habibullah maintained an intimate liaison with the JKLF chief Yasin Malik.
Later being CIC, he kept standing like a waiter and overlooked service of wazwan to hundreds of guests at Malik’s waleema at Hyderpora, just furlongs away from the spot where he and his militants once allegedly gunned down four IAF personnel.
The holed-up militants at Hazratbal put Governor’s administration under pressure to the extent that they were also provided a telephone which they used to communicate their messages to the whole world. Foreign journalists interviewed the militants’ leader and JKLF’s ‘military advisor’ Idrees through the same medium. Even after Habibullah got critically injured in a road accident, the militants continued to dictate terms.
After a month-long standoff, the militants received a letter from their leader through the IB and Habibullah advising them to lay down arms and come out. They were assured that they all would be released through a judicial process and none of them would be detained. “We have already gained as much as we could. You all have become heroes and your lives are very valuable to us”, wrote their commander.
Hurriyat Conference’s two top leaders, Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat and Maulvi Abbas Ansari, met Chief Secretary Rasool almost daily at his official residence. Rasool wanted Mehmood-ur-Rehman out. Later Zaki resigned as Advisor to the Governor.
This is how Pakistan floated a political support structure for the militants by the title of All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and got the same introduced with international publicity. All the 60-odd militants were later set free and left free to return to their organisations.
In February-March 1996, a group of over 30 terrorists of JKLF (Amanullah Khan group) established their headquarters at Green House, a building outside the Hazratbal shrine. There were instructions to Commandant of J&K Armed Police 14th battalion, Raja Aijaz Ali, against disturbing that particular group of the terrorists. However, the JKLF terrorists opened fire at the sentries, sparking an armed retaliation. Six terrorists and a policemen died.
Soon after all the group terrorists rushed inside the shrine premises and the standoff continued for 5 days. Even after the Governor’s administration managed to get the holed-up terrorists out through negotiations, another encounter took place at Green House. Almost all the 30 terrorists, including their dreaded chief ‘General’ Basharat Raza and political head Shabir Sidiquee, were killed in the two encounters.
In 1994-95, Pakistani terrorists led by ‘Major’ Mast Gul used the shrine of Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani, as also its adjoining monastery and a mosque, at Chrar-e-Sharief, as their hideout for about 6 months. Troops finally laid siege to the whole premises and the congested township sitting on a mountain slope on 10 May 1995. In the ensuing encounter almost the whole township, including the shrine structures, were destroyed. Even as some militants were killed, many of them including Mast Gul managed to escape. Mast Gul later surfaced as a ‘hero’ in Pakistan..
List of terrorists released by Farooq Abdullah govt between July and December 1989
Between July and December 1989, 70 hardcore terrorists were released by the Farooq Abdullah government.
www.indiatoday.in
List of terrorists released by Farooq Abdullah govt between July and December 1989
Between July and December 1989, 70 hardcore terrorists were released by the Farooq Abdullah government.
List of terrorists released by Farooq Abdullah govt between July and December 1989
Between July and December 1989, 70 hardcore terrorists were released by the Farooq Abdullah government
Between July and December 1989, 70 hardcore terrorists were released by the Farooq Abdullah government. Below is a partial list. All detentions had been confirmed by the Advisory Body headed by the chief justice of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court.
Mohammed Afzal Sheikh of Trehgam
Crossed over to Pakistani territory. Stayed in the home of his brother-in-law, Mohammed Wani, in POK at Athmuqam. Went to Peshawar for training. Met Javed Maqbool Butt and Showkat Maqbool Butt, sons of the hanged JKLF leader Maqbool Butt, with the help of JKLF Chairman Amanullah Khan, in Muzaffarabad. Took oath of allegiance to POK, with a thumb impression using his blood. Was responsible for bomb blast damaging two buses
Rafiq Ahmed Ahangar
Went to Pakistan on August 22,1988 via Leepa. Trained in handling explosives. Involved in several bombings.
Mohammad Ayub Najar
Arrested following crossfiring incident near Jamia Masjid on August 25,1989. Was detained under Public Safety Act. On December 8, 1989, the day of the kidnapping of Dr Rubaiya Sayeed, it was decided in the office chamber of agriculture minister, Mohammed Shafi, that he would be released with 45 others.
Farooq Ahmed Ganai
Went to Pakistan under the code name of Khalid. Took courses in creating internal disturbances. Mission was to target army, police, the CRPF and BSF, and assassinate dignitaries. Met Amanullah Khan in the house of Raja Muzaffar Khan at Muzaffarabad. Involved in bombings, arson and looting.
Ghulam Mohammed Gujri
Entered Pakistan in August 1988 via Bungna Bala, Kupwara district, for sophisticated arms training. Crossed with help of two POK guides, stayed for the night in the house of one Ghulam Mohammed Wani, originally a resident of Kupwara but settled in Pakistan at Athmuqam (POK). This house was being used as a transit camp for the trainees. He was issued one Kalashnikov gun, two magazines, 200 rounds of ammunition, and detonators. Arrested following involvement in a bombing.
Farooq Ahmed Malik
Entered Pakistan with the help of Abdul Ahad Waza via Rashanpur for arms and explosives training. Met Amanullah Khan. Arrested after bomb blast in Telegraph Office, Srinagar.
Nazir Ahmed Sheikh
Entered Pakistan for arms training. Was taken to the house of Raja Muzaffar Khan. Met Amanullah Khan. On return, was arrested for role in Anantnag bombing.
Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Teli
Hardcore Jamaat-e-lslami. Key co-conspirator in an espionage ring. Under his guidance, two Handwara residents went to Pakistan to be trained to spy on Indian Army. Information passed to Pakistani intelligence.
Riyaz Ahmed Lone
Trained in Pakistan. Involved in several bombings.
Farooq Ahmed Thakur
Arrested following a Shootout with security forces near Jamia Masjid on August 25, 1989. Considerable amount of arms and ammunition recovered from him.
In 14 terror cases SP govt wanted to drop, acquittal in 8, conviction in 4
With BJP accusing the previous Samajwadi Party govt of withdrawing terror cases, Manish Sahu pieces together all the 14 cases, and what happened to the move of withdrawing them.
Written by Manish SahuLucknow | Updated: February 22, 2022 14:59 IST
The SP government decided to withdraw 14 such cases in which 19 people – all from UP and West Bengal — were accused.
A year after coming to power in UP in 2012, the Samajwadi Party (SP) government of Akhilesh Yadav decided to withdraw terror cases as promised in its poll manifesto. The SP government decided to withdraw 14 such cases in which 19 people – all from UP and West Bengal — were accused.
However, the Allahabad High Court stayed the state government’s move after hearing a PIL filed by a lawyer, Ranjana Agnihotri, and five others. Agnihotri’s lawyer Hari Shankar Jain said that the then SP government had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the High Court’s stay order, and it is still pending.
Also Read | ‘Cycle & bombs’: PM Modi targets Samajwadi Party on terror, says it withdrew cases against accused
In the meantime, the trial in eight of the 14 terror cases ended in acquittal either for lack of evidence or the judge giving the accused the benefit of doubt. In four others, the courts have convicted the accused. The trial in one of the cases is still going on, and in the last case, the accused is still on the run.
The Indian Express lists the 14 cases below.
Cases 1 & 2
Accused: Yakoob
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UP Police arrested Yakoob, a resident of Bijnor, from Lucknow on June 21, 2007, for allegedly supplying RDX in different parts of the country. Police claimed to have recovered explosives from his possession and alleged that he was an operative of a terror outfit — HuJI. He was booked in two terror cases along with two others — Naushad Hafiz and Jalaluddin. The cases were registered at Hussainganj Police Station in Lucknow.The SP government had sought to drop the charge against Yakoob only.
Eight years later – on August 6, 2015 — a Lucknow court acquitted Yakoob and the two others on benefit of doubt.
Cases 3&4
Accused: Nasir Hussain
Nasir Hussain, a resident of Bijnor, was arrested from a hotel in Lucknow in June 2007. Police claimed to have recovered RDX and detonators from his possession. Two FIRs were registered against him at Naka Hindola Police Station in Lucknow.
On March 20, 2014, a Lucknow court acquitted Nasir for lack of evidence.
His lawyer, Syed Ahsan Abbas Rizvi, had said that a seer — Swami Shivanand — who runs an ashram in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district, gave a statement in the court stating that Nasir was a part of a construction work team at his ashram when the police “picked” him on June 19, 2007. He added that the police theory was wrong as their record stated he was arrested from Lucknow on June 21. Referring to Shivanand’s statement and the police’s claim, the court observed that whenever two possibilities arise, the benefit of doubt must go to the accused.
Case 5
Accused: Mohammad Kaleem, Syed Abdul Mobeen
The two were booked in connection with a blast that took place near Sahkarita Bhawan in Lucknow on August 15, 2000. While there was no human casualty, the explosion had left a breach in a wall and some window panes shattered.
A terror case was filed at Qaiserbagh Police Station in Lucknow against the two. Mohammad Kaleem and Syed Abdul Mobeen are residents of UP.
April 10, 2014, the trial court acquitted the three by giving them the benefit of doubt.
Case 6
Accused: Mukhtar Hussain, Mohammad Ali Akbar, Ajijur Rehman, Naushad Hafiz & Noor Islam
The five undertrials were booked for allegedly raising anti-national slogans when they were produced before a court in Lucknow on August 13, 2008. Except for Naushad, others were residents of West Bengal. They were arrested in 2007 for allegedly planning a blast in Lucknow.
The SP government had sought withdrawal of the case in which they were booked for allegedly raising anti-national slogans. On January 14, 2016, a Lucknow court acquitted all the five in the sloganeering case. They were later acquitted in the terror case also.
Case 7
Accused: Maqsood, Javed & Taj Mohammad
Rampur police arrested Maqsood, Javed, Taj Mohammad and Mumtaz Mian on August 13, 2002, for allegedly leaking Indian military secrets to Pakistan. Police claimed that they gave away vital information about the army’s movement and claimed to have found military installation maps of several places, including that of Dehradun and Meerut, from their possessions. Police also invoked the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) against three. All the four are residents of Rampur. The case was transferred to Moradabad after POTA was invoked.
The SP government had decided to drop the charge against Maqsood, Javed, Taj Mohammad.
On January 20, 2014, the court acquitted the four for want of evidence.
Case 8
Accused: Ahmed Hasan
Ahmed Hasan, a truck driver, and his neighbour Wasif were arrested in Bijnor on June 21, 2002, for allegedly spying for Pakistani agencies. They were booked on various charges, including Officials Secret Act.
Case 9
Accused: A juvenile
After four policemen were injured in a blast in Arya Nagar area of Kanpur on August 14, 2000, 10 persons, including a juvenile, were booked under the Explosives Act and on charges of attempt to murder, sedition, and waging war against the state. One of the accused was gunned down in an encounter in Kashmir in 2005.
A local court in Kanpur acquitted the eight accused, who were major, for lack of evidence. However, the trial of the remaining accused, a juvenile, continued. The SP government had wanted the withdrawal of the case against the juvenile.
As per the juvenile’s lawyer, Azizul Rehan, the trial is still pending before the Juvenile Justice Board, and the statements of 12 prosecution witnesses have been examined so far.
Case 10
Accused: Imtiyaz Ali
Imtiyaz Ali, a resident of Jhansi, was arrested from Kanpur in September 2009 for allegedly spying for Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
Police had claimed that he was on their payroll was assured Rs 5,000 monthly pay by the ISI. Police had then claimed to have recovered eight SIM cards and documents containing details of the Indian Army from his possession.
Ali was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment. His lawyer said that an appeal has been filed in the Allahabad High Court against the trial court’s verdict.
Case 11 & 12
Accused: Mohammad Tariq Qasmi
The SP government had decided to withdraw two cases filed against Tariq Qasmi, a resident of Azamgarh, in Barabanki and Gorakhpur.
Qasmi was arrested with his associates Khalid Mujahid from Barabanki on December 20, 2007, allegedly with explosives. He was later booked for May 2007 Gorakhpur serial blasts case in which six people were injured.
While Khalid Mujahid died in 2013 during the trial, a Barabanki court awarded Qasim life imprisonment in April 2015. In December 2020, a Gorakhpur court also sentenced Qasmi to life imprisonment in the blast case. He has also been awarded life imprisonment for the Lucknow and Faizabad court blasts in which five persons were killed.
His lawyer said that pleas against the lower court verdict are pending in the High Court.
Case 13
Accused: Sitara Begum
Sitara Begum, a resident of Auraiya, was arrested in August 2010 for allegedly giving shelter to Pakistani citizen Waqas Ahmed.
Police claimed that Waqas was a Pakistani spy and was passing information about Indian military installations to the ISI since 2005. He had married Sitara’s daughter.
Sitara was accused of helping prepare a fake voter identity card for Waqas.
In April 2017, a Kanpur court convicted Sitara and sentenced her to six years and 10 months’ imprisonment. The court also awarded 10 years of jail to Waqas.
Case 14
Accused: Shamim Ahmed alias Sarfaraz
Shamim Ahmed, a resident of Chandauli, was charged for allegedly planting a bomb at a public place in Varanasi in 2006. The bomb, which did not explode, was found soon after March 7, 2006, twin blasts at Sankatmochan Mandir and Varanasi Cantt Railway Station in which 21 people were killed.
All the bombs were made by packing explosives in pressure cookers.
UP STF arrested Waliullah, the imam of a mosque in Prayagraj, on April 5, 2006, and said that he was the mastermind of the blasts.
The police had claimed that the blasts were executed by three men from Bangladesh with whom Waliullah had studied at Deoband.
While Waliullah is currently lodged at Dasna jail in Ghaziabad, the trio was never caught. In December 2006, the police named Shamim in the chargesheet and he too is absconding.
The crimes of the Congress/Italian family mafia: Why it took so long to take steps in plugging this huge gap (absence of any operational air base) from Bhuj in Gujarat to Phalodi in Rajasthan and that too with our most rabid neighbor.
While the land was acquired in 1983, the Centre gave a go-ahead to construct a full-fledged air base only in the year 2020. The Vajpayee government had given in-principal approval to the Indian Air Force in 2000. However, under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government put the development plan was stalled.
The project was revived by PM Modi. The massive floods in Banaskantha in 2017 threw the spotlight on the airbase once again.
Amid the calamity, the Centre reached out to the IAF to provide relief to affected people. But the Air Force found relief operations to be difficult because of poor weather. Having no airfield nearby proved to be a major deterrent. Then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman played a crucial role in getting approval for the airbase along with the funds, reports Hindustan Times.
At the Defence Expo 2022, the PM said, “When I was the chief minister, I used to constantly make efforts to build it (the Deesa airbase). I explained the importance of this airfield to the then-government (UPA). But nothing happened for 14 years.”
“They made such question marks on the files that even after I came there (in government), it took time to install the right things, the right way,” he added.
Phase 1 of the project will see the construction of the main runway, the taxi tracks, and the fighter squadron dispersal area. Phase 2 will take care of the technical infrastructure and accommodation, according to a report by India Today.
While the land was acquired in 1983, the Centre gave a go-ahead to construct a full-fledged air base only in the year 2020. The Vajpayee government had given in-principal approval to the Indian Air Force in 2000. However, under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government put the development plan was stalled.
The project was revived by PM Modi. The massive floods in Banaskantha in 2017 threw the spotlight on the airbase once again.
Amid the calamity, the Centre reached out to the IAF to provide relief to affected people. But the Air Force found relief operations to be difficult because of poor weather. Having no airfield nearby proved to be a major deterrent. Then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman played a crucial role in getting approval for the airbase along with the funds, reports Hindustan Times.
At the Defence Expo 2022, the PM said, “When I was the chief minister, I used to constantly make efforts to build it (the Deesa airbase). I explained the importance of this airfield to the then-government (UPA). But nothing happened for 14 years.”
“They made such question marks on the files that even after I came there (in government), it took time to install the right things, the right way,” he added.
Phase 1 of the project will see the construction of the main runway, the taxi tracks, and the fighter squadron dispersal area. Phase 2 will take care of the technical infrastructure and accommodation, according to a report by India Today.
Explained: How Deesa airbase in Gujarat will help thwart the threat from Pakistan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thrown his weight behind Indian Air Force’s new airbase at Deesa in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district. It will be up and running by 2024 and help intercept enemy aircraft from Pakistan along the western borders
www.firstpost.com
Explained: How Deesa airbase in Gujarat will help thwart the threat from Pakistan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thrown his weight behind Indian Air Force’s new airbase at Deesa in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district. It will be up and running by 2024 and help intercept enemy aircraft from Pakistan along the western borders
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