by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Caracas : Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday ordered the country’s southern border with Brazil be sealed off, media reported.
“I have decided: in south Venezuela, starting at 8 p.m. today Thursday (February 21), the land border with Brazil will be totally and absolutely closed,” said Maduro.
The measure will be in effect until further notice, the president said during a meeting with the high command of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces.
The move comes amid what he called “provocation” from Brazil’s right-wing government, reports Xinhua news agency.
Venezuela is also considering sealing its border with Colombia, he added.
“I don’t want to have to make these types of decisions, but I am evaluating it — the total closure of the border with Colombia,” said Maduro.
Both Colombia and Brazil have aligned themselves with Venezuela’s right-wing opposition and its campaign to oust Maduro and the ruling socialist PSUV party from power.
The president called on Colombia’s armed forces to refrain from taking part in the Washington-orchestrated maneuvers, including an announced February 23 attempt to deliver humanitarian aid, which Venezuelan officials believe is a pretext for military intervention.
The responsibility “for any outbreak of violence on the border between Colombia and Venezuela rests on (Colombian President) Ivan Duque,” Maduro said.
According to Maduro, Duque informed his US counterpart Donald Trump that “he does not have the backing of the Colombian armed forces for an attack on Venezuela.”
On Wednesday, Caracas announced the indefinite suspension of air and maritime connections with the neighbouring islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, which face Venezuela’s Caribbean coast.
Political tensions between the government and opposition groups in Venezuela came to a head after Maduro was sworn in to a new term on January 10.
The opposition, which largely boycotted the presidential elections in May, refuses to recognize Maduro’s re-election win and has been demanding a new round of voting.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Israeli army
Ras al-Naqoura (Lebanon) : The United Nations-drawn Blue Line was the focus of a meeting Wednesday between the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon’s head Stefano Del Col and senior officers from the Lebanese National Army and the Israel Defence Forces, UNIFIL said in a statement.
“Calm” has prevailed along the Blue Line border demarcation with Israel since the last tripartite talks on January 10, Del Col said at Wednesday’s meeting held in Ras al-Naqoura in southern Lebanon.
“I see the Blue Line marking as one of the most important confidence building tools at our disposal and I ask that every effort is undertaken to create new momentum in the process going forward,” he said, thanking the LNA and the IDF for their cooperation.
“The tripartite forum is a proven mechanism for reaching all party agreement and I ask that you continue to engage, through UNIFIL on sensitive issues,” Del Col said.
Wednesday’s talks also covered air and ground violations, the situation along the Blue Line, permanent violations, issues within the scope of the UN Security Council resolution 1701 (which was intended to resolved the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict) and other related resolutions, UNIFIL said.
Tripartite meetings have been held regularly under the chairmanship of UNIFIL since the end of the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israeli forces in south Lebanon as an essential conflict management and confidence building mechanism.
—IANS/AKI
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
By Jaideep Sarin,
Dera Baba Nanak (Punjab) : A massive political slug-fest was played out on Monday in full public view, shoving protocol to the side in the presence of Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, as political leaders from opposing sides in Punjab bared it at what was meant to be solemn celebration related to the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara corridor project.
Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday laid the digital foundation stone of a road project that will link the Kartarpur corridor (in Pakistan) by pressing a button.
The actual foundation stone was removed by the authorities just three hours before the event after Punjab cabinet Minister and local legislator Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa objected to the names of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union Minister Harsimrat Badal on the foundation stone.
A clearly upset Randhawa announced that he would ‘boycott’ the foundation stone ceremony and even put black tape on the stone where the names of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Punjab PWD Minister Vijay Singla and his own (Randhawa) were put on the foundation stone along with the names of the Badals.
Officials of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), sensing that the situation could get unpleasant in the presence of dignitaries, removed the foundation stone and replaced it with the digital one.
The foundation on the screen carried the names of Vice President Naidu, Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Though the ceremony was to celebrate the approval of the governments of India and Pakistan to allow the Kartarpur corridor to enable people to pray at the gurdwara in Pakistan, leaders of the Akali Dal and its ally BJP on one side and Punjab’s ruling Congress on the other not only indulged in running each other down and claiming credit for getting the project cleared but even raised slogans against each other in the presence of the Vice President.
Harsimrat Badal, in her address at the function, took a dig at the Congress leaders over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. There was immediate sloganeering against her by Congress leaders and activists.
When Gurdaspur MP and Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar was giving his vote of thanks, he hit back at the Akali Dal leadership by making Punjab a drugs hub. This led to protests and sloganeering by Akali Dal leaders, including Harsimrat’s brother and former Minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
Earlier, Randhawa was seen speaking and gesturing angrily to officers making while they made arrangements for the high-profile function.
The Minister, the Congress legislator from Dera Baba Nanak, was visibly disturbed and shouted at officers. He later told a TV channel: “I will not boycott the function but I will boycott the foundation stone itself. I cannot see my name and those of my ministerial colleagues along with the Badals.”
“The Badals have no contribution in getting the Kartarpur corridor project cleared. They ruled Punjab from 1997 to 2002 and again for 10 years (2007-17). Did they come here to offer prayers while in power? They are only trying to take credit (for the Kartarpur corridor) just because they (Akali Dal) have an alliance with the BJP,” the Minister said.
Randhawa blamed the NHAI officers for the foundation stone controversy. He said that he had serious objections to the foundation stone carrying the names of the Badals.
“The sanctity of the function should have been kept. The foundation stone should have carried only the names of the Vice President and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh,” Randhawa said.
The Minister was also upset that the Congress leadership in Punjab, including him (as the local minister and legislator), Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar (the Punjab Congress President) and cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu were being deliberately ignored for the function while all attention was being given to the Badal family.
Randhawa’s outburst came even as the SAD-BJP and Congress leaders in Punjab were in the midst of a major controversy in claiming credit for getting the Kartarpur corridor project cleared by the governments of India and Pakistan.
The NDA government at the Centre, of which the SAD is a part, approved the project in Punjab linked to the Kartarpur corridor on November 22. The date of the foundation stone was hurriedly decided for November 26 to ensure that it was done before Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the actual Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan on November 28 (Wednesday).
The Congress government in Punjab was going to hold its own function here this week but Chief Minister Amarinder Singh decided to be part of the central government function itself.
The SAD-BJP combine leadership has also been trying hard to take the credit away from state cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu who in August went to Pakistan for the swearing-in of his cricketing friend Imran Khan and was the first to announce that Pakistan was keen to open the Kartarpur corridor for devotees from India.
The Akali Dal leadership, including Harsimrat Badal, branded Sidhu as a ‘traitor’ for hugging Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the swearing-in function. They questioned his statements regarding Pakistan’s move on the Kartarpur corridor.
Harsimrat Badal is now herself headed to Pakistan as the central government’s representative for the foundation stone ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor on Wednesday. Sidhu is also going for the same event.
It was at the Kartarpur gurdwara, which is located around two to three kilometre from the India-Pakistan border and is situated right opposite the border belt in Dera Baba Nanak in Indian Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, that Sikhism founder, Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), spent 18 years of his life till he died in 1539.
The gurdwara, which fell in Pakistan territory following the partition of India in 1947, has major significance in Sikh religion and history.
For the past over 71 years, even since partition, Sikhs have been offering prayers near the international border.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
1971 India-Pakistan war hero Brig Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, who inspired Sunny Deol’s role in the movie Border (1997).
By Jaideep Sarin,
Chandigarh : Famously known for the heroics and volour that he and his men displayed on the night of December 5, 1971 during the battle of Longewala (Laungewala) to stop the onslaught by tanks of a determined Pakistani Army, Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri was always a fighter – be it for Chandigarh’s civic issues or his last battle against cancer.
When he passed away on the morning of November 17, just five days before he would have celebrated his 78th birthday, Brig. Chandpuri did not let go his fighting spirit even in hospital. He is survived by his wife and three sons.
A Major during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, he had held his post through the night in the famous battle of Longewala in Rajasthan with just 120 men against a full-fledged attack by advancing Pakistani Patton tanks and over 2,000 soldiers.
He was decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) for the heroic stand-off that forced the enemy to retreat.
The MVC citation read: “Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri was commanding a company of the Punjab Regiment occupying a defended locality in the Rajasthan Sector. On the 5th December 1971, in the early hours of the morning the enemy launched a massive attack on this locality with infantry and tanks. Major Chandpuri exhibited dynamic leadership in holding his command intact and steadfast.”
“Showing exceptional courage and determination, he inspired his men moving from bunker to bunker, encouraging them in beating back the enemy till reinforcements arrived. In this heroic defence, he inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and forced them to retreat leaving behind twelve tanks.
“In this action, Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri displayed conspicuous gallantry, inspiring leadership and exceptional devotion to duty in keeping with the highest traditions of the Indian Army,” the citation said.
A soft-spoken but firm man, Brig. Chandpuri settled in his corner house in Chandigarh’s Sector 33 after retiring from the Inddian Army, remaining active socially.
The famous photograph of his soldiers dancing atop vanquished Pakistani tanks after the battle of Longewala was won, adorned the wall in a big frame in the living room of his house.
The feat of Brig. Chandpuri and his men later became celluloid history through the J.P. Dutta-directed Bollywood blockbuster “Border” which was released in 1997. His action-packed role was played by actor Sunny Deol.
The decorated war veteran, who took the Chandpuri surname from his native village Chandpur in Balachaur sub-division of Punjab, was born on November 22, 1940 in Montogomery (now in Pakistan) in undivided India.
Commissioned into the Indian Army in 1963 after completing his training course at the Officers’ Training Academy-Madras (now Chennai), Brig. Chandpuri was assigned to the 23rd battalion of the Punjab Regiment.
Brig. Chandpuri lived up to the reputation of the Regiment when he led his men to hold back the advancing Pakistanis and finally decimate them with support from the Indian Air Force (IAF). Twenty-two Pakistani tanks were destroyed in the Battle of Longewala.
He saw action in the 1965 India-Pakistan war in the Western sector, served in the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in Gaza (Egypt) and was twice an instructor at the prestigious Infantry School, Mhow (Madhya Pradesh), imparting combat training.
Chandpuri was nominated as a Councillor in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, where he served actively (2006-2011), raising issues of civic amenities, sports and other local matters.
Chandigarh, and Punjab, have lost a great fighter.
(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
By Jaideep Sarin,
Attari (Punjab) : This is one war between traditional rivals India and Pakistan that has really been scaling new heights. The war of flags between the two countries at the Attari-Wagah joint check post (JCP) is set for a renewal with the authorities on the Indian side readying to make the tricolour flutter once again on top of a 360-feet tall flagpole at Attari.
While the Pakistani national flag has been fluttering since last August, the Indian flag had to be taken off on a few occasions last year as strong winds along the border belt have repeatedly damaged the tricolour.
The Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT), which manages the Indian flag at Attari, 30 km from the Sikh holy city, has handed over the task of hoisting and maintenance of the flag to Delhi-based company Fast Track. The company manages the giant national flag fluttering at the Central Park in New Delhi’s busy Rajiv Chowk.
Both the countries are spending millions of rupees annually to remain involved in this war of flags. The AIT has given the contract for maintaining the flag to the company for over Rs 46 lakh (almost $72,000) annually.
The 360-feet high pole and flag was installed last year at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore. The flag, which got damaged four times, has been replaced five times at a cost of Rs 6 lakh each time.
Even though the Pakistani flag is fluttering on a higher 400-feet pole, the Indian authorities have decided to keep the tricolour at a height of 360 feet only.
“The height of the pole will remain fixed at 360 feet. There is no proposal at present to increase the height. The company will be responsible for keeping the tricolour fluttering,” AIT executive engineer Ravi Kumar said.
India had pipped Pakistan in this war of flags by hoisting the flag in March last year, much ahead of Pakistan’s move to hoist a flag near the JCP. It was reported that the Indian flag was even visible from Lahore city, one of the biggest cities in Pakistan which is around 15 km from the Wagah border.
However, the Indian flag had to be taken off from the pole as the strong winds repeatedly damaged it. The main reason for this was that the tricolor is made, as per specifications, from Khadi material which could not sustain itself at the height of 360 feet. The Pakistani flag is reported to be made from finer and stronger material which can sustain strong winds.
The Attari-Wagah JCP gets thousands of visitors from both sides every evening to witness the lowering of the national flags of the two countries at the border gates and the closure of the gates for the night.
“We could see the Pakistan national flag from some distance during our visit. But on our side, only the tall pole was standing and there was no flag. We were disappointed,” Arvind Chauhan, a visitor from Delhi, said.
The AIT had put up another flag, on top of a 170-feet pole, at Ranjit Avenue along the National Highway No. 1 (NH-1) which connects Amritsar bypass to the border belt at Attari. The flag here has also been replaced 14 times.
Activists feel that putting up of the flags was a wasteful move due to the high cost of putting them and spending lakhs of rupees annually on maintenance.
(Jaideep Sarin can be reached at jaideep.s@ians.in)
—IANS
