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Hardik Patel announces formation of new group

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hardik-patel

New Delhi: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel on Wednesday announced the formation of a new group, Akhil Bhartiya Patel Navnirman Sena, with the aim to unite the Kurmi, Gujjar, Maratha and Patel communities.

Patel, who has been spearheading protests in Gujarat to demand reservations for the Patel community, said at a press conference here that the new organisation would try to mobilise support of these communities on the issue of reservation.

Akhilesh Katiyar will be the general secretary of ABPNS.

Katiyar was earlier with the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, which was led by Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha. The former was expelled from RLSP after he organised Patel’s first public meeting here.

Patel plans to organise a ‘Mahasabha’ (grand meeting) in the national capital next month to further his cause.

“The Akhil Bhartiya Patel Navnirman Sena will fight for the cause of farmers, labourers and youth of the country. We’ll organise a huge rally of all the communities from Delhi, Rajasthan and neighbouring states at Ramlila Maidan next month,” he said.

The Patel Navnirman Sena will organise a ‘Mahasammelan’ (grand conference) of five lakh women in Gujarat on October 4.

On October 11, another Mahasabha of 10 lakh Patidars will be organised in Madhya Pradesh.

Patel said he would fight for reservation in government jobs on the basis of castes.

Earlier, he had indicated that he would fight for reservation in jobs according to the economic condition of the candidate.

We are not breaking the unity of various communities, Patel said.

“We are working to unite people. Only the political parties think about fighting with each other. Patel community always thought about uniting everyone, including the Gujjars, Kurmis and other communities.”

(IANS)

India rejects Sharif’s ‘peace initiative’ to demilitarise Kashmir

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India-reject-kashmir-demeterialised

United Nations: India has rejected Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s “peace initiative” saying that de-terrorising Pakistan is the answer, not demilitarising Kashmir.

After raising the Kashmir issue at the General Assembly on Wednesday, Sharif proposed a four-point peace initiative for India that embraces demilitarising Kashmir, renouncing the use or threat of use of force, withdrawal from Siachen Glacier and formalising ceasefire along the Line of Control.

In a rapid response, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted, “To de-militarise Kashmir is not the answer, to de-terrorise Pakistan is.”

“Peace can be achieved through dialogue, not disengagement,” Nawaz said in his address to the General Assembly. “Cooperation, not confrontation, should define our relationship.”

But before proposing the peace initiative, Nawaz made the acrimonious reference to Kashmir, equating it with Palestinian and portraying it as a religious issue.

“Muslims are suffering across the world: Palestinians and Kashmiris oppressed by foreign occupation,” he said.

“The international community must redress these injustices against the Muslim people.”

Swarup replied in a Tweet, “Pak(istan) PM gets foreign occupation right, occupier wrong. We urge early vacation of Pak(istan) occupied Kashmir.”

Just after trying to internationalise Kashmir, Nawaz tried to couch the peace proposal as a bilateral move since India’s condition is that the Kashmir dispute is a bilateral one and there should be no outside involvement. However, it did included a request to increase the UN Millitary Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).

Although, Nawaz tried to strike a conciliatory note with his proposal and its phrasing, he insisted elsewhere in his speech on “consultations with Kashmiris, who are an integral part of the dispute.”

New Delhi considers Kashmir an integral part of India and any such move an interference in internal affairs and counterproductive to a dialogue. Recent attempts at holding bilateral talks have been sabotaged by Pakistan bringing in the Kashmir question or engaging Kashmiri separatists.

Sharif referred to the recent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and asserted, “Wisdom dictates that our immediate neighbour refrains from fomenting instability in Pakistan.”

He said that “the two countries should address and resolve the causes of tension and take all possible measures to avert further escalation” and for this he asserted he was making the peace initiative proposal.

These were the four points in his proposal:

– Pakistan and India formalise and respect the 2003 understanding for a complete ceasefire on the Line of Control in Kashmir with increased monitoring by the UNMOGIP

– Pakistan and India reaffirm that they will not resort to the use or the threat of use of force under any circumstances.

– Demilitarise Kashmir

– Unconditional mutual withdrawal from Siachen Glacier,

“An easing of threat perceptions through such peace efforts will make it possible for Pakistan and India to agree on a broad range of measures to address the peril posed by offensive and advanced weapons systems,” Sharif said.

However, beyond the international publicity that Nawaz hopes his announcement could generate for him, his initiative has internal contradictions.

As Swarup said in his tweet, demilitarising Kashmir would not be possible unless there was an end to terrorists backed by elements in the Pakistani government crossing over, which would be an unlikely development.

Similarly, the border tensions have been a result of cross-border terrorism.

Nawaz did not offer any credible solutions to terrorism directed against India, including a crackdown on anti-India terrorists or handing over to India those wanted for terror in India.

Swarup noted in a Tweet, “Pakistan’s instability arises from its breeding of terrorists. Blaming neighbors is not a solution.”

Nawaz tried to portray his country as “the primary victim of terrorism” and said, “We will fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, irrespective of who their sponsors are.” He referred to Operation Zarb-e-Azb, which, he said, “has made substantial progress in cleansing our country of all terrorists and will conclude only when our objective has been accomplished.”

On Monday, Afghanistan CEO Abdullah Abdullah, however, accused Pakistan on being a sanctuary for terrorists and of going back on its word to stop terrorism against his country.

Nawaz said Islamabad supported Security Council reforms. He did not make any direct mention of India’s quest for a permanent seat. But in a snide remark that can be interpreted as directed against India, he said what was wanted was “not a Council, which is an expanded club of the powerful and privileged.”

(IANS)

Muslim man “mistaken” for Pakistani terrorist lynched to death near temple

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kanpur mob lynching

New Delhi: In a shocking incident, an Muslim man was lynched to death in Kanpur’s Jana Village by a group of communal forces without any provocation and called him a ‘Pakistani terrorist’.

Few days ago, a man wearing a jeans a shirt was initially questioned by a group of men after they came to know that he was a Muslim.

The frenzied mob started beating him up because he didn’t utter a word and wasn’t able to explain his motive of being at the village.

The 42-year-old victim screamed “Allah, Allah”, while he was attacked by at least 15 people, following which one of the mob members said he could be a Pakistani terrorist trying to hide in the village.

The man was taken and assaulted mercilessly outside a temple. He was then dragged towards a bank of Ganga River and drowned to death.
Nine persons have been arrested by police for carrying out such a brutal act. However, a few locals allege the man was killed by neighbouring villagers and the ones held were innocent.

The incident comes amidst uproar over the killing of 50-year-old Muslim man by communal forces near Delhi over rumours that his family had been storing and consuming beef at home.

(Agencies)

Five-year-old boy kidnapped, beheaded for ‘black magic’

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black-magic

Andhra Pradesh: In a gruesome incident, a five-year-old boy was murdered allegedly by a man in a suspected case of human sacrifice as part of a witchcraft-related ritual in Prakasam district on Wednesday.

The incident took place this afternoon in Pokuru village under Voletivaripalem mandal, where the accused, Tirumala Rao, was thrashed and set ablaze by locals after the murder came to light, Kandukur Circle Inspector M Lakshman said.

Police, quoting locals, said Rao, a resident of the same village, killed the boy as part of a witchcraft-related ritual.

The accused, said to be in his mid 30s, took the boy from an anganwadi (child care centre) to his house, where he performed pujas. He then cut the boy’s head, collected the blood into a vessel and sprinkled it all over his house, they said.

The incident came to light when the victim’s mother went to the anganwadi. Not finding her son there, she enquired and was told he has gone with Rao, police said.

The woman went to Rao’s house along with a group of villagers and found it locked. They broke the lock and found the boy’s body in the house.

Villagers launched a search for Rao and managed to get hold of him. They tied him to a pole, thrashed and set him ablaze after pouring kerosene, police said.

After coming to know about the matter, police rushed to the village and rescued Rao, who was first taken to a local hospital and then shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ongole, the district headquarters, for treatment.

Superintendent of Police C Srikant visited the village to get details of the incident. Lakshman said police have filed a case and investigation was in progress.

(Agencies)

VHP rakes up demand for Ram temple construction in Ayodhya

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Ashok-Singhal

New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday made a renewed pitch for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and announced a seminar, to be held in January, on how to work toward a legal solution to the issue.

VHP leader Ashok Singhal, however, did not blame the Narendra Modi government for not making any move to construct the temple, despite a BJP majority government at the Centre.

“The Supreme Court has to pronounce its judgment on the matter, and the government too has to wait,” he said.

The VHP’s aim is to draw attention to the significant legal victories already in its kitty on the issue and how to move forward, he said.

The seminar would be held under the aegis of the Arundhati Vashisth Anusandhan Peeth, an affiliated organisation of the VHP.

Legal hurdles

Dr. Swamy said that he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on how to remove legal obstacles on the route to building the Ram temple and had “received an acknowledgement of the letter” but not a reply.

“I have also written to BJP president Amit Shah for calling a special session of the national executive.”

(Agencies)

Fortis brings La Femme – it’s comprehensive and exclusive women’s health and wellness facility to Bengaluru

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Centre will offer high end services covering Obstetrics, Gynaecology, General Surgery, Neonatology, Infertility & Cosmetology- all focused on women

fortis_la_femme

Bengaluru: Fortis Healthcare Limited (Fortis), today, launched La Femme, a comprehensive and distinctive boutique hospital for women offering a holistic range of medical services catering to all stages of a woman’s life, at Richmond Road, in the heart of Bengaluru.
Fortis La Femme has been conceptualised keeping in mind contemporary women and the multiple roles they play. It aimsto be their chosen healthcare partnerby offering top notch clinical care, state of the art facilities and infrastructure and trained and experienced staff in a warm and nurturing environment. This facility is the second of its kind in the Fortis network; the first La Femme, in New Delhi, has earned a formidable reputation for itself over the last decade in providing personalized, tailor made, healthcare solutions for women.

Dedicating the facility to the service of women, Mr. Bhavdeep Singh, CEO, Fortis, said, “Fortis La Femme, Bengaluru, extends the brand taking forward the legacy of its predecessor in New Delhi, which has earned a formidable reputation for itself in addressing every dimension of healthcare for women. This centre clearly recognizes that a woman needs specialized medical care in a nurturing and comforting environment and we will go the extra mile to deliver that promise.”

Focused on ‘Making Strong Women Stronger,’ La Femme gifts women medical care matching international standards through a pool of clinical specialists, superlative nursing care and efficient hospital staff who are equipped to manage all patient needs with empathy and warmth. The 70-bed women’s health and wellness facility, located at Richmond Road in the heart of Bengaluru, occupies nearly 70,000 sq. ft of space and has a variety of rooms to suit all needs, including general wards, twin, single and deluxe rooms and presidential suites.

Launching the facility, famed Bollywood actress, Ms. Shilpa Shetty Kundra, said, “The core belief behind this centre is that every woman is special and deserves the best medical care. Beauty, health, happiness – every medical need of the forward thinking woman on the go – is taken care of at Fortis La Femme.”

This specialty tertiary care hospital covers every stage of a woman’s life from birth, adolescence, motherhood, to menopause and beyond. Doctors at Fortis La Femme believe in a holistic approach that encompasses staying healthy and feeling good. The hospital staff has been specially trained to manage all medical situations related to women with empathy and warmth. The centre takes an integrated approach to women’s health and covers every medical aspect in Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Neonatology, Anaesthesia, General & Laparoscopic Surgery, Cosmetic Surgery, Genetic and Foetal Medicine. The centre has a unique department catering to the holistic birthing care needs of a woman, Mamma Mia, which complements the Fortis La Femme brand, offering a range of complementary services like Lamaze classes, pre and postnatal fitness and yoga, massage therapy and fertility counselling.
The following medical services are available in the facility:

1. Beauty and cosmetology including facelift, rhinoplasty, liposuction, eyelids, breast reduction, breast augmentation, breast lift, tummy tuck and body lifts.
2. Dermatology
3. Dental care
4. Birthing
5. Antenatal care
6. Post natal care
7. Genetic &Foetal medicine
8. Neonatal care
9. Infertility treatment
10. Preventive medicine including health check-ups
11. General and laparoscopic surgeries
12. Gynaecological surgery
13. Gynaecological cancer diagnostics and surgical treatment.

Fourteen years after US invasion, Taliban offensive claims major city

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Afghan government pledges to retake Kunduz one day after coordinated assault by Taliban

A Taliban fighter sitting on a motorcycle in Kunduz on Tuesday. (Photo: Uncredited/AP)

A Taliban fighter sitting on a motorcycle in Kunduz on Tuesday. (Photo: Uncredited/AP)

by Jon Queally, Common Dreams

The U.S. military launched airstrikes against targets in Kunduz, Afghanistan on Tuesday, just a day after Taliban fighters caught the U.S. Army, the Afghan National Security Forces, and local security forces off guard by staging a massive military offensive to capture the key northern city.

According to the ToloNews, a privately-run Afghan 24/7 news agency, local reports from the city “indicate that there are civilian casualties because of Afghan and foreign troops airstrikes.” On Monday, a Doctors Without Borders team working in a Kunduz hospital reported numerous casualties from the initial Taliban offensive.

The Guardian reports:

Kunduz is the first provincial capital in 14 years to effectively fall to the Taliban, and is possibly the militants’ biggest victory since they were ousted from power in 2001.

By Tuesday morning, roads were blocked and some government buildings set on fire, several residents told the Associated Press.

“From this morning, the Taliban have been setting up checkpoints in and around the city, looking for the government employees,” one resident said. “Yesterday it was possible for people to get out of the city, but today it is too late because all roads are under the Taliban control.”

On Tuesday morning the Afghan Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Army, along with other security personnel, had commenced a ground-level counter-offensive just after 8 am local time. Speaking from Kabul, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani later gave a televised address in which he vowed to retake the city. Ghani claimed the “enemy has sustained heavy casualties” and said government forces were “retaking government buildings … and that reinforcements, including special forces and commandos are either there or on their way there.”

The Wall Street Journal reports:

According to Jason Ditz, writing at Anti-War.com, “The loss of Kunduz is a huge blow to the Afghan government, because it had never really been under control of the Taliban even when the Taliban were in power. Kunduz was the center of the Northern Alliance rebellion against the Taliban, which eventually took over the key government positions during the U.S. occupation, and holds them to this day.”

And Bill Roggio, editor of the Long War Journal, argues that the fall of the city speaks to a more robust failure of the Obama administration’s strategy in Afghanistan, which has allowed the war to drag on—”token” draw downs aside—with nearly no progress towards a negotiated settlement, despite nearly 14 years of continuous fighting.

“The fall of Kunduz,” wrote Roggio on Monday, “would invalidate the entire U.S. ‘surge’ strategy from 2009 to 2012. The U.S. military focused its efforts on the southern Afghan provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, claiming that these provinces were the key to breaking the Taliban. Little attention was given to other areas of Afghanistan, including the northern provinces, where the Taliban have expended considerable effort in fighting the military and government. Today, the Taliban are gaining ground in northern, central, eastern and southern Afghanistan, with dozens of districts falling under Taliban control over the past year.”

Regarding additional updates on the fighting on Tuesday, Al Jazeera correspondent Qais Azimy, reporting from Baghlan, just south of Kunduz, said government troops attempted to reenter the city but were turned back due to intense fighting.

The fall of Kunduz, reported Azimy, “sends a message to the international community and Kabul, that the Taliban fighters are now capable of taking control of a provincial capital after 14 years.”

Russia launches first airstrikes in Syria

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US officials said the airstrikes appeared to have taken place in the Homs province, where Russia is likely support the Syrian Arab Army in its fight against rebels. (AFP/File)

US officials said the airstrikes appeared to have taken place in the Homs province, where Russia is likely support the Syrian Arab Army in its fight against rebels. (AFP/File)

by Al Bawaba

Russia has conducted its first airstrikes in Syria, US officials said, shortly after the country spoke to the UN to urge an international coalition against Daesh (ISIS).

US officials, however, told Reuters the airstrikes appeared to have taken place in the western province of Homs, where Daesh has no presence and the Syrian Arab Army is trying to regain territory from opposition fighters.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier reported Wednesday at least 27 people were killedand dozens wounded from Syrian army airstrikes. Six of the dead were children, the monitor said.

Russia on Wednesday gained approval from its parliament to conduct airstrikes in the war-torn country.

“The Federation Council unanimously supported the President’s request — 162 votes in favor of granting permission,” Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergey Ivanov said, according to Russian news agency Tass.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the UN General Assembly said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was the force to support to defeat Daesh. But analysts have expressed concern over Russian troops’ deployment in regime-held areas, indicating Russian military force would likely be used against rebels.

US judge dismisses 9/11 case against Saudi Arabia

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Judge throws out case filed by victims’ families, saying Saudi Arabia cannot be sued due to sovereign immunity.

The 9/11 attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people [Reuters]

The 9/11 attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

A US judge has dismissed claims against Saudi Arabia by families of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, who accused the country of providing material support to al-Qaeda.

US District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan, New York, said Saudi Arabia had sovereign immunity from damage claims by families of nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks, and from insurers that covered losses suffered by building owners and businesses.

“The allegations in the complaint alone do not provide this court with a basis to assert jurisdiction over defendants,” Daniels wrote.

The victims had sought to supplement their case with new allegations to avoid that result, including based on testimony they secured from Zacarias Moussaoui, a former al-Qaeda operative imprisoned for his role in the attacks, Reuters reported.

Daniels said even if he allowed the plaintiffs to assert those new claims, doing so would be “futile, however, because the additional allegations do not strip defendants of sovereign immunity”.

Classified evidence

Saudi Arabia was dropped as a defendant before as judges said it was protected by sovereign immunity, but a federal appeals court in December 2013 reinstated it, saying a legal exception existed and the circumstances were extraordinary.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they would appeal. Sean Carter, one the lawyers, said he believed the ruling was also the consequence of the US government’s decision to keep classified evidence that could be favourable to their cause.

Relatives allege that Saudi agents provided the hijackers who carried out the attack with assistance including helping two of them with accommodation in the US.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers who carried out the attacks were citizens of Saudi Arabia.

The US government’s 9/11 Commission said in a 2003 report that there was no evidence Saudi Arabia had funded al-Qaeda.

Hardik Patel meets caste leaders in Delhi

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Hardik Patel

New Delhi: Patel quota stir leader Hardik Patel today held a meeting with leaders of several other castes here as part of efforts to consolidate his agitation.

Representatives of kurmis and gujjars among others attended a meet organised by the Akhil Bhartiya Patel Navnirman Sena chief.

Patel had held a meeting with leaders of some of these communities in the national capital last month too.

The young Patidar leader has led massive rallies of Patels in Gujarat, demanding inclusion of his caste in the OBC list for reservation.

His agitation has shaken the BJP government in Gujarat after he organised a massive rally in Ahmedabad on August 25.

The violence that followed his detention engulfed many parts of the state, resulting in death of 10 people.

He has also announced support to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s bid to return to power in his state.

(Agencies)

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