Nasheman News : As India waits to welcome back Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in middle of India Pakistan tension External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed at Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conclave as the Guest of Honour in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

“OIC members constitute 1/4th of the United Nations and almost a quarter of humanity. India shares much with you, many of us have shared dark days of colonialism,” said Sushma Swaraj.

“I’m honoured to join colleagues from nations that represent a great religion and ancient civilisations. I stand here as a representative of land that has been mountain of knowledge, beacon of peace, the source of faith and traditions, home to many religions and one of the major economies,” said Swaraj.

Many of us saw the light of freedom and ray of hope at the same time, we have stood together in solidarity in our quest for dignity and equality, said Swaraj.

Terrorism is destroying lives, destabilising regions and putting the world at great peril. Terror reach is growing and the toll it is taking is increasing, said Swaraj.

“Terrorism in each case is driven by distortion of religion. Fight against terror is not a confrontation against any religion. Just as Islam means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah means violence. Similarly, every religion stands for peace,” said Swaraj.

I carry the greetings of my PM Narendra Modi and 1.3 billion Indians, including more than 185 million Muslim brothers and sisters. Our Muslim brothers and sisters are a microcosm of the diversity of India, said Swaraj.

Indian Muslims practice their respective beliefs and live in harmony with each other and with their non-Muslim brothers. It’s this appreciation of diversity and coexistence that has ensured that very few Muslims in India have fallen prey to the poisonous propaganda of radical and extremist ideologies, said Swaraj.

“India has always embraced and found it easy to embrace pluralism since it is embedded in the oldest Sanskrit religious text “The Rig Veda” and I quote “Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadhanti”, which means “God is One but learned men describe him in many ways,” said Swaraj.

I come from the land of Mahatma Gandhi where every prayer ends with a call for ‘shanti’ that is peace for all. I convey our best wishes, support and solidarity in your quest for stability, peace, harmony, economic growth and prosperity for your people and world.

If we want to save humanity, we must tell the states who provide shelter and funding to terrorists, to dismantle the infrastructure of the terrorist camps and stop providing shelter and funding to the terror organisations based in that country, said Swaraj.

“Recognising India’s engagement with the Islamic world. EAM Sushma Swaraj arrives in Abu Dhabi for the Ministerial Meeting of India has been invited by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of UAE as the ‘Guest of Honour’,” Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Raveesh Kumar had written on Twitter.

Nasheman News : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday welcomed IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman back home while choosing not to receive him at the border to ensure that the military protocol is not violated in any way.

“I would have loved to go since both he and his father were from the National Defence Academy, like me, and it would have been an extremely happy and nostalgic moment for me to receive the brave officer,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.

After his offer to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening to welcome the Indian Air Force (IAF) officer back on Indian soil at the Punjab border, Amarinder Singh said he thought it over and concluded that it might contravene the protocols laid out in such cases.

“When any prisoner of war from the 1965 or 1971 war came back, he was first sent for medical examination, followed by a debriefing, which was likely to be the case with Wing Commander Abhinandan too,” he noted.

It would be more proper for him not to go to the Attari border, around 285 km from here, to receive the officer, said the Chief Minister, who was camping in the border areas for the past three days as part of the confidence-building exercise undertaken by him in the wake of tensions prevailing at the Line of Control following the IAF strikes in the aftermath of the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.

But the Chief Minister extended a very warm welcome to Varthaman, saying the whole nation was proud of the way he stood up to questioning by the Pakistan armed forces during captivity.

Nasheman News : Scores of people assembled at the Attari Joint Check Post (JCP) here on Friday to receive Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman who is likely to be released by Pakistani authorities later in the day.

People started arriving in Attari, around 30 km from Sikh holy city of Amritsar, since 6 a.m. Their numbers swelled by 9 a.m.

“We have come here to welcome our country’s hero back home. We will give him a grand welcome. He showed a lot of bravery in the air combat and even after being captured by the Pakistanis,” Jitender, a resident of Amritsar, who arrived here with his friends, said.

Abhinandan’s parents, Air Marshal S. Varthaman (Retired) and mother Shobha Varthaman, who is a doctor, were cheered by passengers when they boarded a flight from Chennai to New Delhi on Thursday evening. They are expected to be in Attari to welcome their son back home.

The 35-year-old Wing Commander was captured on Wednesday by Pakistan after his MiG-21 Bison fighter jet was hit by Pakistan Air Force jets near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sources said that the pilot is likely to be brought by Pakistani authorities from Rawalpindi to Lahore and handed over first to the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) under rules of the Geneva Convention before being brought to the JCP on Friday afternoon.

The Border Security Force (BSF), which mans the JCP and the 553-km long International Border with Pakistan in Punjab at high alert, Punjab Police and other security agencies stationed additional personnel since early Friday morning.

Varthaman will be debriefed by defence and security officials after his return before he is taken to New Delhi from the Amritsar airport.

“Many celebrities and other important people come to Attari border on different occasions. But today, a real hero is coming back. We will give him a a big and warm welcome with dhol and bhangra,” Manjit Singh, who was carrying a dhol, said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Thursday that the captured IAF pilot will be freed as a “goodwill gesture” after New Delhi sought his unconditional, immediate and unharmed release.

Nasheman News : The Central government on Thursday banned the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, declaring it an “unlawful association” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The order by the Union Home Ministry said that the organisation has “been indulging in activities which are prejudicial to internal security and public order and have the potential of disrupting the unity and integrity of the country”.

Around 200 leaders and cadres of the Jamaat have been arrested in nocturnal raids across the Kashmir Valley in the last seven days.

Nasheman News :In a measure to woo farmers ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday approved waiving, in the interim, Aadhaar seeding for farmers to receive the second instalment of the income support scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN).

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the one-time waiver of the mandatory quoting of Aadhaar to avail benefits under PM-KISAN was made due to paucity of time as the second instalment is to be given on April 1 as promised by the Modi government. 

“The PM-KISAN was launched in Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh) on February 24 by the Prime Minister and the first instalment of the income to the tune of Rs 2,021 crore has already been transferred to the beneficiaries. 

“For the second instalment which is to be paid on April 1, the cabinet has decided that Aadhaar quoting will not be mandatory,” said Prasad. 

The PM-KISAN entailing a direct cash support of Rs 6,000 for farmers was announced in the Interim Budget 2019. 

The cabinet also approved promulgation of the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019. The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was passed by the Lok Sabha in its sitting held on January 4. However, before the bill could be considered and passed by the Rajya Sabha, the House was adjourned sine die. 

Prasad also said the voluntary use of Aadhaar will be considered in either electronic or physical form. 

“Any entity that takes Aadhaar will follow the privacy standards. Aadhaar can be used on voluntary basis for KYC documents for Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,” he said