Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / Archives for 2017

Archives for 2017

Amid Gulf crisis, Qatar creates new residency status for foreigners

by

[AFP]

Doha: Qatar, currently boycotted by four Arab states, on Wednesday created a new permanent residents status for certain groups of foreigners, including those who have worked for the benefit of the emirate.

In a first for the Gulf, Qatar’s cabinet ministers approved the measures, the official QNA press agency reported, in a move that will likely affect tens of thousands of resident foreigners.

Under the new rules, children with a Qatari mother and a foreign father can benefit from the new status along with foreign residents who have “given service to Qatar” or have “skills that can benefit the country,” the agency said.

A specially created interior ministry commission will decide individual cases, according to the Qatar News Agency.

Those deemed eligible for the new status will be afforded the same access as Qataris to free public services, such as health and education.

They will also receive preferable treatment for jobs in the administration and armed services as well as being able to own their own properties and exercise some commercial activities without the need for a Qatari partner.

While stopping short of offering Qatari nationality the new measures constitute a first for the Gulf.

Naturalisation is extremely rare in the region and the status of the millions of foreigners working in the Gulf are strictly limited.

Oil-rich Qatar has a population of 2.4 million people, 90 percent of whom are foreigners, including many from Southeast Asia working in construction.

The move comes as Qatar languishes under a boycott imposed by Regional kingpin Saudi Arabia as well as Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The four Arab states broke ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing the emirate of fostering Islamist extremist groups and of ties to Saudi arch-rival Iran. Qatar has denied the allegations.

The four Gulf nations have closed their land and sea borders to Qatar and imposed economic and air traffic restrictions.

Kuwait is leading mediation efforts in the crisis, the worst to grip the region since the 1981 creation of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.

The two other GCC members, Kuwait and Oman, have not joined the Qatar boycott.

(AFP)

Over 11 lakh ‘fake, duplicate’ PANs deactivated: Govt

by

New Delhi: The Income Tax Department has either deleted or de-activated over 11.44 lakh Permanent Account Numbers wherein one person held multiple PANs, the Finance Ministry told Parliament in a written reply on Wednesday.

In the reply, Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar wrote that 11.44 lakh PANs had been identified as duplicate till July 27.

Additionally, 1,566 PANs were found to be ‘fake’ as on July 27. These were allocated to either non- existent people or in the names of people with fabricated identities.

The Assessing Officer is responsible for deletion or de-activation of the with the help of a software. PAN is the key identifier of taxable entity and aggregator of all financial transactions undertaken by one person.

Gangwar also addressed a question which asked for data on retrieval of undisclosed income in the aftermath of demonetisation. As per the minister, the I-T department has seized Rs 900 crore and received admission of undisclosed income worth Rs 7,961 crore between November 2016 to March 2017.

He said that 8,239 surveys were conducted as well and resulted into the department discovering undisclosed income of Rs 6,745 crore.

On ‘Operation Clean Money’ which was launched early this year, Gangwar mentioned that the I-T department has detected around 18 lakh people with cash transaction records which did not fall in line with their tax profile. The department has approached these people through email or messages on phone.

(Agencies)

Over Rs 11 cr seized from Karnataka minister, I-T raids continue for second day

by

Karnataka energy minister D K Shivakumar at his residence in Bengaluru on August 2. (PTI Photo)

Bengaluru: The Income Tax department raids on various properties linked to Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar, who is hosting 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs at a resort+ on city outskirts, continued on Thursday at various places in the state for the second consecutive day.

Official sources said the raids that began early morning on Wednesday went on till late in the night with the minister being grilled at his residence at a posh locality here and were continuing on Thursday as well.

In a swoop down that raised a political storm, the I-T department had on Wednesday conducted searches at 64 locations and properties linked to Shivakumar in a tax evasion case.

I-T officials said about Rs 10 crore cash has been recovered+ during the search at properties linked to the minister.

He has been put in charge of 44 MLAs lodged in the resort, to keep the flock together for preventing the BJP from “poaching” on them ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat where Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is facing a tough battle.

The ruling Congress in Karnataka is holding a protest in the Bengaluru against the raids on Shivakumar, accusing the Centre of “dictatorial” attitude and “murdering democracy”.

Shivakumar, hailing from a modest agrarian family, is an influential Vokkaliga community leader and also one of the wealthiest state ministers in the country.

According to the affidavit filed by him for the 2013 assembly polls, he had assets over Rs 251 crore, including those of his wife and children and liabilities of over Rs 104 crore.

55-year old Shivakumar, considered a resourceful troubleshooter for the Congress+ with proximity to the party high command, is a six-time MLA.

He has also made known his chief-ministerial ambitions while making it clear he would bide his time.

I-T officials had on Wednesday said a “good amount” of jewellery has been recovered from a teacher’s locker in a college here, adding it is in the name of a relative of Shivakumar.

The officials had said that about Rs 7.9 crore cash has been recovered from Delhi and Rs 2.23 crore found at locations in the southern state.

Certain investments linked to him in Singapore and few other foreign locations are also under the scanner of the department, they said, adding, some shell firms and their operatives allegedly linked to this case were being probed.

The raids at the resort had on Wednesday sparked a huge political row with Parliament getting disrupted and Congress calling it “unprecedented witch-hunt”+ to win one Rajya Sabha seat.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah alleged it was a politically motivated action to silence the voice against the BJP.

(PTI)

Afghan Taliban: Qatar plays major role in peace talks

by

Comments come as email leak suggests Emirati FM was disappointed US chose Doha over Abu Dhabi to host group’s office.

[Reuters]

by Shereena Qazi, Al Jazeera

Qatar played a major role in facilitating peace talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban by opening an office for the group in Doha, a senior Taliban offical told Al Jazeera.

The Taliban official’s comments on Tuesday come as a series of leaked emails from UAE diplomats suggest the Emirati foreign minister was disappointed that US officials had chosen Doha over Abu Dhabi to host the office.

The June 2013 opening of the unofficial embassy allowed for talks to develop, said the Taliban official, who is based in the Qatari capital.

“We got a chance to discuss with Afghan diplomats, journalists and analysts face-to-face on how peace can be achieved in Afghanistan,” he told Al Jazeera, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

In 2016, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, an international crisis group, organised a meeting in Doha bringing Afghan diplomats, analysts and journalists to the table with the Taliban to discuss how to achieve peace.

“We’ve conducted many peace conferences in Doha and discussed many issues with the help of Qatari officials who played the role of mediators, and nothing else.”

That conference was not a part of the official process between officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US aimed at charting a roadmap to peace.

But the Taliban official said such meetings were important.

He also noted a separate meeting was held between the Taliban and Afghan journalists where both sides were able to discuss their ideas for peace.

The official went on to say that demands on Doha by a Saudi-led bloc currently boycotting the peninsula are “unfair”, and that the quartet should not “accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism”.

Leaked UAE emails

As part of its attempt to isolate the peninsula, the kingdom, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have derided Qatar for hosting an office for the Afghan armed group.

But a series of leaked emails show UAE diplomats lobbied US officials so Abu Dhabi could host the office.

Reported by the New York Times on Monday, the emails from UAE ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba apparently contradict a mounted campaign against Qatar for its alleged support of “terrorist groups”.

Otaiba said he received an “angry call” from UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, complaining that the Taliban had ended up in Qatar and not the UAE, according to messages in the ambassador’s Hotmail account.

“I got an angry call from [Zayed] saying how come we weren’t told,” Otaiba wrote to an American official.

The newspaper obtained another email dated September 12, 2011, in which an Emirati official questioned the US position on the Taliban office’s location.

“There is an article in the London Times that mentions US is backing setting up a Taliban embassy in Doha,” the diplomat, Mohamed Mahmoud al-Khaja, wrote to Jeffrey Feltman, then assistant secretary of state for near east affairs.

“HH says that we were under the impression that Abu Dhabi was your first choice and this is what we were informed”, Khaja said in the email, referring to bin Zayed.

The latest email leak comes from a group called “GlobalLeaks”, which is not affiliated with the software developer, GlobaLeaks.

GlobalLeaks told Newsweek that the recent messages are proof of the “biggest hypocrisy” in the Qatar crisis.

The office was part of a broader US-led effort to facilitate peace talks in Afghanistan – not to support their ideology or the group itself.

Qatar agreed to open the mission for the Taliban with Washington’s blessing four years ago.

In 2011, when the emails were sent, the Obama administration was making efforts to hold peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government as it sought to remove NATO troops from the country.

Most of the troops withdrew in 2014, but peace was not achieved.

The opening of the office enraged the Afghan president at the time, Hamid Karzai, by styling itself as an unofficial embassy for a government-in-exile.

Karzai broke off bilateral talks with the Americans and threatened to boycott any peace process altogether after the Taliban opened the offices with a flag-raising ceremony for the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” – the name of the country under Taliban rule.

That flag has since been removed.

Flipkart completes eBay India merger

by

New Delhi: E-commerce major Flipkart today said it has completed the merger with eBay India’s operations.

With this, eBay.in will now be a Flipkart Group company. The deal was announced in April when the Flipkart group raised USD 1.4 billion from global technology majors eBay, Tencent and Microsoft.

In exchange of an equity stake in Flipkart, eBay had made a cash investment of USD 500 million and sold its eBay.in business to Flipkart.

The announcement comes a day after smaller rival Snapdeal said it was terminating all discussions of a potential merger. While Snapdeal did not name Flipkart, it had been widely reported that both were negotiating a merger for the last five months.

“Effective immediately, Flipkart will own and operate eBay.in, which will remain an independent entity as part of Flipkart,” Flipkart said in a statement.

Besides, the companies will also partner to leverage opportunities in cross-border trade, it added.

“As a result, Flipkart customers will get expanded product choices with the wide array of global inventory available on eBay while eBay customers will have access to a more unique Indian inventory from Flipkart sellers,” the statement said.

The partnership will, therefore, provide an opportunity to sellers on Flipkart’s platform to expand their sales globally.

“Our coming together directly benefits Indian customers and sellers for whom we want to provide the best possible e- commerce experience. This is a step in that direction,” Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru police chief Praveen Sood transferred

by

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has transferred city police chief Praveen Sood, who had drawn flak from Kannada activists and writers during recent protests against Hindi signboards at some metro stations.

T Suneel Kumar has been appointed as the new Commissioner.

A government notification said yesterday that Sood has been transferred with immediate effect and posted until further orders as the Additional Director General of Police, Communication, Logistics & Modernisation.

Kumar was earlier the Additional Director General of Police & Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation Ltd.

Sood, who had taken charge as the city police chief on January 1, faced criticism from Kannada activists and writers over a police case under section 153A of IPC against activists for blackening Hindi signages at metro stations, recently.

The section relates to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence and language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.

(Agencies)

SC allow Madani to attend son’s wedding

by

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday allowed PDP leader Abdul Nazir Ma’dany, facing trial in the 2008 Bengaluru serial blasts case, to visit his home state to attend his son’s wedding.

A bench of justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao asked Ma’dany to bear the expenses incurred on his escort provided by Karnataka Police.

Last Friday, the apex court had agreed to hear Monday the plea by Ma’dany seeking to visit Kerala.

Ma’dany (51) has challenged the trial court’s order of July 24 declining him permission to attend his son’s wedding functions between August 8 and August 20.

The trial court had, however, allowed him to visit his ailing mother from August 1 to August 7, but had declined him the permission to attend his son’s wedding on August 9.

In his plea, Ma’dany said he was granted bail in July 2014 with a condition that he would not leave Bengaluru without permission.

(PTI)

Massive clashes erupt as LeT commander Abu Dujana killed in encounter

by

Srinagar: A top Pakistani militant who carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head was killed along with a local associate in fighting with security forces on Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police called the killing of Abu Dujana, whom they described as Lashkar-e-Taiba commander active in southern Kashmir since 2012, as a “huge achievement”.

His local accomplice was identified as Arif Lalihaari. They were killed in Hakripora village. “(A) huge achievement for the police and security forces,” the police tweeted.

Dujana, a resident of Gilgit-Baltistan region in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir, was said to be responsible for a number of attacks on Indian security forces, including the August 2015 Udhampur strike that left two Border Security Force troopers dead and 12 injured.

An LeT terrorist was killed in that attack.

“The killing of Abu Dujana and Lalihaari is a big success for the security forces and a huge setback to terrorist activities in south Kashmir,” a police official said.

Acting on information about the presence of Dujana and Lalihaari, the security forces surrounded the Hakripora village at about 3 a.m. on Tuesday, triggering a gunfight.

“The operation ended after bodies of the two militants were recovered from the site and identified,” the police officer said.

Two houses in the village were destroyed in the gunfight.

Meanwhile, clashes broke out between the security forces and stone-pelting protesters as news of Dujana’s death spread.

Three protesters were admitted to hospitals with bullet injuries and several others sustained pellet injuries in the clashes.

Authorities have suspended Internet services in south Kashmir.

Train services between Bannihal town in Jammu region and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley were also suspended.

The police, however, said Dujana had broken loose from the LeT in last few months after which he established close proximity with Zakir Musa, another Pakistani who was recently appointed the head of Al Qaeda terror outfit in the Kashmir Valley.

Dujana was replaced by Abu Muhammad Ismail as the Divisional Commander of the LeT, a Pakistan-based group that masterminded the 2008 Mumbai terror attack that killed 166 Indians and foreigners.

Ismail had carried out the July 10 attack on an Amarnath Yatra bus in Anantnag district which killed eight pilgrims.

(IANS)

Kannada actor-cricketer Dhruv Sharma dies after suffering cardiac arrest

by

Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, Kannada actor Dhruv Sharma, who was also a member of cricket team Karnataka Bulldozers led by actor Sudeep at the Celebrity Cricket League, died on Tuesday. The 37-year-old was speech and hearing impaired but never let it come in the way of his life or career. He is survived by his parents, wife and two daughters.

According to reports, Dhruv collapsed at his home on Saturday. He was immediately rushed to a hospital. On Tuesday, he suffered a cardiac arrest followed by multiple organ failure, leading to his death. The Kannada actor is known for his films such as Snehanjali, Bangalore 560023, Ninandre Ishta Kano, Tippajji Circle and The Hit List.

The members of film fraternity and celebrities who had the opportunity to meet him during the CCL tournaments have expressed shock and condolences over the untimely death of Dhruv. He played for Katanataka team in CCL for all the six seasons.

Qatar rebuts Saudi ‘Hajj politicisation’ claim

by

Foreign minister says there has been no suggestion by any Qatari official about internationalising the pilgrimage issue.

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Qatar’s foreign minister has rebutted accusations by his Saudi counterpart that Qatar is trying to politicise the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, appeared to accuse Qatar on Sunday of politicising the issue and “declaring a war” against the kingdom by demanding the internationalisation of the Hajj pilgrimage.

The claim was rejected by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in an interview with Al Jazeera.

“Qatar never politicised the issue of Hajj,” he said.

“It was Saudi Arabia trying to politicise the Hajj pilgrimage amid the Gulf crisis.

“There has been no suggestion by any Qatari official about internationalising the issue.”

The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca attended by hundreds of thousands of Muslims from around the world.

Jubeir was quoted by Al Arabiya’s website as saying: “Qatar’s demands to internationalise the holy sites is aggressive and a declaration of war against the kingdom … We reserve the right to respond to anyone who is working on the internationalisation of the holy sites.”

Jubeir’s statement

In a separate statement in the Bahraini capital of Manama on the same day, Jubeir denied what he called claims that Saudi Arabia was trying to politicise the Hajj.

“We reject attempts by Qatar to politicise the issue and consider it disrespect to the Hajj and pilgrims,” he said.

Qatar accused the Saudis of politicising the Hajj and addressed the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion on Saturday, expressing concern about obstacles facing Qataris who want to attend Hajj this year.

Qataris are allowed to go to Hajj by Saudi authorities, but they can access the country via only two designated airports: King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Airport in Medina.

The citizens of Qatar who are abroad will have to return to the country, during the Hajj period at the end of August and beginning of September, to be able to enter Saudi Arabia by way of one of the designated airports.

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation has said Qatar Airways flights are banned even for pilgrims during the Hajj period.

The land border with Saudi Arabia has been closed since June 5, preventing pilgrims from reaching Saudi Arabia via land.

The fact that Qatari diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia are also closed means there is no authority to appeal to for Qataris in case issues come up during Hajj.

The moves are designed “to set obstacles for the pilgrims from Qatar to Mecca”, according to Qatar’s Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf).

‘Registrations reach 20,000’

Ali Sultan al-Misifry, director of Hajj and Umrah department at Awqaf, said the number of registrations by national and resident pilgrims had reached 20,000.

“Many of these registrants have joined Hajj campaign to begin their holy ritual. However, then the Saudi ministry’s refusal to communicate and to provide safety guarantees led to the apprehension of the pilgrims,” Misifry said, according to Qatari news media.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain previously issued a list of 13 demands for Qatar, which included curtailing its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shutting down the Doha-based Al Jazeera channel, closing a Turkish military base and downgrading its relations with Gulf enemy Iran.

On Sunday, foreign ministers of the four countries said they were ready for dialogue with Qatar if it showed willingness to tackle their demands and “fights terrorism”.

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives