Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli said on Sunday that the Kalapani area at the tri-junction of Nepal, India and Tibet belongs to Nepal, and that India should “immediately withdraw” its Army from there, Nepal 24 Hours.com reported. There have been protests in Nepal against India’s move to place the Kalapani area inside its territory. Kalapani lies in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district.
“The government will not allow anybody to encroach even one inch of its land,” said Oli in his first public statement on the matter. “The neighbouring country should take its Army back from our territory.”
Earlier this month, India had said it had not made any change to its border with Nepal in a newly-released map and that it depicts its sovereign territory accurately. Nepal had on Wednesday objected to the Kalapani area being shown as part of Indian territory.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will be filing a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute. Maulana Arshad Madani said on Sunday after a meeting of the board that although they do not have much hope, a review petition will be filed.
AIMPLB has also decided to refuse the 5-acre alternative plot of land that the Supreme Court has asked the Centre to allot for a mosque. AIMPLB said that senior advocate Rajeev Dhawan will advocate the case. "Will file a reconsideration petition within 30 days [before December 9]" Zafaryab Jilani said.
"The land of the mosque belongs to Allah and under Sharia law, it cannot be given to anybody," AIMPLB secretary Zafaryab Jilani told reporters after a meeting of the board in New Delhi.
Edited by xyzt on Nov 18th 2019 at 8:48:51 PM
New Delhi: In a day replete with hectic political activities in Maharashtra, action shifted to Supreme Court by Saturday evening. Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party have filed a petition in the apex court seeking the quashing of the decision of the Governor of Maharashtra to invite Devendra Fadnavis to form government in Maharashtra.
The move is significant because the three parties have alleged foul play in government formation where in senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as chief minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar as his deputy in a low key swearing in ceremony at Mumbai's Raj Bhawan on Saturday morning.
A total of 629 girls and women from across Pakistan were sold as brides to Chinese men and taken to China. The list, obtained by Associated Press, was compiled by Pakistani investigators determined to break up trafficking networks exploiting the country’s poor and vulnerable. The list gives the most concrete figure yet for the number of women caught up in the trafficking schemes since 2018.
But since the time it was put together in June, investigators’ aggressive drive against the networks has largely ground to a halt, largely because of pressure from government officials fearful of hurting Pakistan’s lucrative ties to Beijing.
The biggest case against traffickers has fallen apart. In October, a court in Faisalabad acquitted 31 Chinese nationals charged in connection with trafficking. Several of the women, who had initially been interviewed by police, refused to testify because they were either threatened or bribed into silence, according to a court official and a police investigator. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution for speaking out.
India woke up to the news of four rape accused being shot dead by a team of the Hyderabad Police, which claimed the accused tried to flee during the recreation of crime scene on early Friday morning. To many among those who are reacting to this killing of gangrape and murder accused, who were under police custody, the police action was "justice" being delivered.
For those not aware of what happened in Hyderabad, a 27-year-old veterinarian was waylaid, gangraped, smothered to death and burnt. Police said the four persons arrested committed the crime.
The case was still under investigation. The chargesheet had not been filed. Trial had not begun. The court was yet to hear the accused and the prosecution. It was not yet proven that the accused who were shot dead were the actual culprits of the gangrape and murder.
People were seen shouting slogans in praise of the Hyderabad Police. Flowers were showered on police personnel. People were seen celebrating the police action in other parts of the country, including the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai.
Some politicians too have justified the police action. Mayawati, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said the police action is "commendable" and that justice has been done. She went on to say, "Had police taken a similar tough action in the case of Nirbhaya gangrape, justice could have been delivered early."
People of my country sure do love police/ mob justice, then again if our courts weren't so slow and inefficient there wouldn't be such joy over this.
Edited by xyzt on Dec 7th 2019 at 2:12:05 AM
The citizenship amendment bill is currently being debated in Lok Sabha Parliament in India.
Details are as given below:
Who is eligible?
The proposed legislation applies to those who were “forced or compelled to seek shelter in India due to persecution on the ground of religion”. It aims to protect such people from proceedings of illegal migration. The cut-off date for citizenship is December 31, 2014, which means the applicant should have entered India on or before that date. Indian citizenship, under present law, is given either to those born in India or if they have resided in the country for a minimum of 11 years.
The Bill also proposes to incorporate a sub-section (d) to Section 7, providing for cancellation of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration where the OCI card-holder has violated any provision of the Citizenship Act or any other law in force.
What if an applicant doesn't have proof of birth?
In such a case they can apply for citizenship after six years of staying in the country.
Why does India need this Bill?
The Bill was an election promise of the BJP in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Defence minister Rajnath Singh had made it clear at the meeting of the BJP parliamentary party last week that the legislation was the top priority of the government, equating its significance with the decision to turn Article 370 into a dead letter. "Minorities in the neighbouring theocratic countries have been subjected to continuous persecutions, which forced them to seek asylum in India. Giving citizenship to six minorities will be yet another push from the Modi government to the spirit of ‘sarva dharma sambhav’,” Singh said.
Any exceptions to the Bill?
CAB won't apply to areas under the sixth schedule of the Constitution – which deals with autonomous tribal-dominated regions in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The bill will also not apply to states that have the inner-line permit regime (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram).
Isn't it the same like the NRC?
The National Register of Citizens or NRC that we saw in Assam targeted illegal immigrants. A person had to prove that either they, or their ancestors were in Assam on or before March 24, 1971. NRC, which may be extended to the rest of the country, is not based on religion unlike CAB.
Why is there such a hue and cry?
The opposition says the Bill violates Article 14 of the Constitution — the Right to Equality. They claim that citizenship cannot be given on the basis of religion. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said it violates the basic idea of India that religion can never be a reason for citizenship.
Edited by xyzt on Dec 9th 2019 at 11:05:42 PM
Fresh protests have erupted in Assam against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill as thousands of students from different universities, colleges and common people came out on the streets and staged protests against the bill on Wednesday.
Two protesters have been killed in police firing during protests in Karnataka Mangaluru. The victims, Jaleel (49) and Nauseen (23), had suffered bullet injuries when police opened fire to quell the violent protests against recent amendment in Citizenship Act in India.
The incident took place as the protests turned violent with demonstrators hurling stones at police personnel leading to lathicharge and firing.
Mangalore Police Commissioner Dr Harsha has confirmed the deaths.
Servant of the Omnissiah
Funny how those "protesters" think that burning property and vandalism is going to somehow legitimize their stand.
I was initially somewhat supportive of them right up until they started breaking things - now, I couldn't care less if they get stomped into the ground by Law Enforcement. Bloody thugs.
The Police shooting at them is unjustified, but rampant destruction of property for the sake of destruction merely makes them out as assholes, irrespective of their grievance.
For clarity's sake, a brief rundown of what the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) is:
- Who does the CAB affect?
CAB affects immigrants/refugees, not Indian Citizens - whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh etc.
CAB is for refugees who came into India from Pakistan/Bangladesh/Afghanistan, not any other nation.
CAB is only for those refugees who came into India before Dec 31 2014, not after.
CAB is for refugees who came into India based on religious persecution reasons in those 3 countries.
- What does the CAB do?
CAB reduces the waiting time for citizenship from the usual 11 years to 5 years for Hindu/Buddhist/Sikh/Parsi/Christian refugees
CAB keeps waiting time at the usual 11 years for Muslim refugees
CAB does not deny citizenship to any refugee - whether they are Muslim/Hindu, whether they came for religious/economic reasons.
- Why does CAB differentiate based on religion?
CAB is designed to help minorities - based on definition. Pakistan/Bangladesh/Afghanistan are 'Islamist Republics' based on their constitution. Hence other religions are considered secondary/minority to Islam.
CAB is meant to help minorities - based on population. Those 3 countries have religious minority population between 3-10%. During 1971 Pakistan-Bangladesh liberation, Hindu population was ~25% in Bangladesh. Currently it is ~10%
CAB is designed to help minorities - based on persecution. Minorities in those 3 countries have historically faced trauma - conversion, exodus, rape & murder.
- Why does the Bill differentiate based on country?
4 other neighbors - Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar - have a 'secular' constitution. While they may have a dominant religion (like Buddhism), and while the minority religions may be ill-treated occasionally, such persecution does not have State sanction and could be just the result of a particular government's policies.
CAB does not deal with religious minorities of other nations - the goal of first iteration is to start by helping refugees from neighboring countries.
- Does the CAB violate the constitution, especially Article 14 & 15 ?
Article 14 - The State shall not deny to any person equality* before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India
*equality - subject to reasonable classification
e.g. SC/ST and other castes have different reservations. This is not a violation of equality because SC/ST require extra reservations to correct historical wrongs and to uplift.
Or in simple terms, 'Equal' does not mean 'Same' in this context.
Similarly, Minorities (Hindu/Buddhist/Sikh/Parsi/Christian) and Muslims have different citizenship requirements. This is not a violation of equality because religiously persecuted minorities require faster citizenship to raise their standard of living which was denied in those 3 countries.
Thus Article 14 is NOT violated.
Article 15 - The State shall not discriminate against any citizen* on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them
*citizen - CAB does not affect citizens (see the first point above). Discrimination (positive) is applied to refugees (non-citizens), which is within the right of the law/government.
Thus Article 15 is NOT violated.
- Why does the CAB exclude Muslim minorities like Shia/Ahmediyas/Rohingyas ?
Factions within a particular religion fall under theological debate and are outside the scope of the Bill. CAB does not differentiate among Hindus (Shaiva/Vaishnava, Brahmin/Dalit), nor among Christians (Catholic/Protestant), nor among Muslims (Shia/Sunni)
- Why are Northeastern peoples, especially the Assamese, protesting against the CAB?
The Assamese are afraid of losing their indigenous culture / jobs / land to large number of refugees, which is (in theory) guaranteed to them via the Assam Accords. Whether the refugees are Hindus or Muslims does not matter to them. It is a question of race, culture and ethnicity.
Several Northeastern states like Meghalaya, Mizoram and Manipur were recently given an ILP (Inner Line Permit), hence are exempt from the CAB - this means refugees cannot settle in those areas. Only some districts in Assam have this sanction - as such, the rest are protesting being left out of it.
- Is the CAB against/exclusive of Muslims?
Is the CAB against/exclusionary of Indian Muslims? No. No current Indian citizen will be asked to prove their citizenship. For that matter, the government admits Birth Certificates and existing documents or legally valid declarations as proof of residence and citizenship.
Is the CAB against/exclusionary of Refugee Muslims? No. No refugee Muslim will be denied citizenship, nor their waiting time increased, due to their faith. Any approval/denial will be based on it's own merit.
Is CAB for/inclusionary of Refugee Minorities? Yes. The waiting time of citizenship is reduced for specific communities.
From what I hear it is not the CAB by itself that is problematic but that combined with a possible nationwide NRC (that Amit Shah has multiple times expressed his desire of wanting to implement) that has the Muslim population spooked. The narrative seems to be that most poorer sections of society who would probably not have the necessary documents would end up deprived of their citizenship due to a nationwide NRC and while CAB will help the non Muslims regain their citizenship with ease, that will not be the case for Muslims effectively stripping a large chunk of Muslims of their citizenship. If there is even a remote possibility of this narrative actually happening and given that anti Muslim sentiment is at an all time high in India, then there is a lot at stake for the Muslim population to fight for.
Edited by xyzt on Dec 20th 2019 at 1:55:26 AM
Servant of the Omnissiah
The Draft NRC proposal for Nationwide implementation is as follows -
- The list of admissible documents for proof of citizenship is any one of the following (this is not a complete listing, more may be added later).
- Passport
- Voter ID
- Personal Account Number (PAN) Card
- Certificate of Birth
- Land/Title Deeds for Property
- Unique Identification (UID) Number AKA Aadhar Card
- Driving License
- Any valid, non-expired Identification Document issued by State or Central Government Authorities
- Insurance Papers
As long as you have any one of those documents, you are legally an Indian Citizen. Two or more is good, but not necessary.
- There is no discriminatory criterion based on Race, Sex, Gender or Religious Identity for Citizenship.
- The Assam NRC had a cutoff date of 1971. The Nationwide NRC does not and follows all rules as set in the Citizenship Act of 1955, which permits citizenship based on the following points:-
- By Birth
- BY Naturalization
- By Registration
- By Descent/Right of Blood (jus sanguinis)
- By Incorporation of Territory into the Union of India (Incorporation being defined as acquisition, annexation, accession or any other transfer of land to the jurisdiction of the Indian Central and State Governments).
As can be seen, there is no cutoff date as per the rules set within the Constitution.
- The NRC has provisions in it if documentation is lost/unavailable.
- For instance, simply provide proof in the form of a sworn assurance or any other legally admissible document that the individual or their family members were living or were born within India.
- In case the individual is illiterate and does not have the required documentation, they may provide two or more witnesses to substantiate their claim. Community verification will also be done by asking in the locality of residence of the individual.
- There is no need to provide any documentation supporting the residence claims for parentage, since many people were born during Imperial Rule (pre-1947) and may, understandably, not have the required papers.
TL;DR - The fears that there is going to be widespread disenfranchisement because of anti-Muslim policies is twaddle. Anti-Muslim sentiment may be on the rise (I strongly dispute this, since I still have friends and family back home, and they simply laugh at the notion) - but there is no sign except for the yaps of a discredited opposition that there is any "plan" for doing anything like mass disenfranchisement.
So I take that kind of suggestion with a pinch of salt large enough to make the tongue shrivel.
Edited by TechPriest90 on Dec 19th 2019 at 3:51:52 PM
I hold the secrets of the machine.
Do we have any assurance there won't be any de facto discrimination (or alternatively, examples of de facto discrimination happening?)
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Servant of the Omnissiah
Well, the Assam NRC was contentious in the North East precisely because after people complained about being left off, the rules were expanded to cover the lack of documentation bit.
The Assam NRC List had about equal numbers of Hindus and Muslims admitted, with a small handful of Christians and Buddhists. Those excluded were those who could not provide any documentation at all, nor any proof of residence even with sworn witnesses or community investigation.
And given that the NRC Process in the Northeast was extended twice to account for everyone (by almost two whole years), they really have no excuse after all of that to not be able to prove residency.
Of course, a radical section of the Assamese didn't like that for the Racial and Ethnic factors ("No Bengalis and Outsiders into Assam, Ever" is what they go by, which is exactly what it sounds like, complete with Blood and Soil imagery).
And the Government of India has repeatedly stated that there is no discriminatory provision within the Nationwide NRC - if anything, it is far more wide ranging and permissive than the one held in Assam.
So on the face of it, there is no indication that there was - or will be - any discrimination by law. In practice, local sentiment may vary, but there is, and will be, no state sanction for it.
Which is why I find all the doomsaying and Fascism accusations utterly ridiculous. It's just Godwin's Law being invoked with zero irony.
Edited by TechPriest90 on Dec 19th 2019 at 4:11:21 AM
I hold the secrets of the machine.
If it doesn't allow for persecuted Muslims the same as it does other minorities (in the case I'm speaking of, from Sri Lanka and Myanmar), then it is discriminatory. Simple as that.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
As per the details regarding the citizenship act 1955 I found
https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/citizenshipact1.htm
(1) Except as provided in sub-section
(2), every person born in India,-
(a) on or after the 26th day of January,1950, but before the 1st day of July, 1987;
(b) on or after the 1st day of July, 1987, but before the commencement of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003 and either of whose parents is a citizen of India at the time of his birth;
(c) on or after the commencement of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003, where-
(i) both of his parents are citizens of India; or
(ii) one of whose parents is a citizen of India and the other is not an illegal migrant at the time of his birth, shall be a citizen of India by birth.
Doesn't this mean 1st July 1987 is more or less the cutoff date if the nationwide NRC is following the citizenship act 1955. Also where did you get the info regarding the provisions and other details of the nationwide NRC draft? I can't seem to find much on it
Edited by xyzt on Dec 21st 2019 at 1:33:56 AM
Servant of the Omnissiah
What I've got is from the Government's own press release bulletins.
Their brief of the NRC that is planned for Nationwide Implementation.
Initial Brief on the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Further clarifications in response to the protests.
Dispelling some of the rumours floating in the Northeast.
A government spokesman on why they feel the Citizenship Amendment Bill is needed.
The Citizenship Act of India, 1955 - Including all Amendments (2003 and 2004).
My summary was based off on all of those data points.
I hold the secrets of the machine.
In several West UP districts, the administration is said to have sealed even those shops which had their shutters down on Friday. The police sealed 67 shops on Arya Samaj Road and Vikas Bhawan Road near Meenakshi Chowk in Muzaffarnagar.
“The fact that the shutters were down indicated their complicity; they must have known about the impending disturbances,” reasoned officials.
The District Magistrate of Lucknow also went on record to say that miscreants had been identified and the exercise to confiscate their property had started.
Reports reaching from Muzaffarnagar spoke of Muslims being terrorised and forced to leave for safety. Amidst allegations that policemen vandalised houses and private vehicles, members of the minority community are being forced to hand over statements giving a clean chit to the police, reports held. Pickets have been placed outside Muslim mohallas with heavy police presence in the areas.
In a shocking development, the police has booked a few prominent persons of the town who were helping the police in placating the crowds as accused in rioting.
The police also lifted prominent Shia cleric Maulana Asad along with others and allegedly tortured the 60-year-old cleric. He is currently hospitalised with multiple injuries and fracture.
Reports also came of mobile phone services including voice calls having been totally shut in Muslim majority areas of Khalapar, Khadarwala, Kidwai Nagar, Mallupura and Naddawala, while the phone services, including mobile internet, have been restored in other areas of the town.
Meanwhile, four TMC M Ps- Dinesh Trivedi, Protima Mandal, Nadimul Haq and Adhir Vishwas- Who arrived at Lucknow airport on Sunday to visit the areas affected in the December 19 violence and meet victims’ family, were detained by the police. UP DGP O.P. Singh had already declared that no Opposition MP or delegation would be allowed to visit the affected areas in view of prohibitory orders being in place.
In Rampur too Farooq Rahmani, a known Muslim face in Rampur and office-bearer of Ittehad Naujawan Committee was arrested and charged with IPC section 147 (rioting) and 307 (Attempt to murder) when he was trying to placate some Muslim youth in Gher Mohella in old city area.
Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan, 28, was arrested and charged with rioting when he was returning home after purchasing medicine for his ailing mother. He showed the prescription of the doctor and the medicines to police as a proof that he had gone to purchase medicine but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
As Uttar Pradesh burns in the aftermath of anti-CAA protest the ‘skull cap’, associated with Muslims, has become the target of Uttar Pradesh police. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that rioters could be identified from their dress, the police acted on the cue and targeted anyone who is Muslim, branding them as anti-national.
Even a journalist with The Hindu, Omar Rashid, was arrested merely because he looked like a ‘Kashmiri’ while he was having tea with a Rihai Manch leader.
Those who were arrested were booked under different sections for rioting, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, criminal assault on public servant etc. They were also booked for alleged criminal conspiracy and under Public Property Damage Act.
Allegations have however been levelled that BJP and RSS workers and supporters were engaged in violence and vandalism. Reports named a ABVP leader who allegedly led the attack on police. Similarly
Edited by xyzt on Dec 24th 2019 at 12:04:20 AM
The decision to convert was taken at a meeting the outfit held in Mettupalayam on Sunday and the reason cited was the alleged injustice meted out to the Dalit residents of Nadur village where on December 2, 17 people were killed in a wall collapse incident.
Tamil Puligal Katchi’s General Secretary M Ilavenil said this was the last straw. “Our lives have no value in this religion and if they don’t want Dalits, we don’t need them,” he added.
The imprisonment of the organisation’s leader Nagai Thiruvalluvan and the bail granted to the house owner whose compound wall fell on the houses of three Dalit families in the village also added to their decision to convert, The New Indian Express reported. “Sivasubramanian constructed the wall with a discriminatory motive,” Ilavenil said. “There were no pillars to support it. He built the wall in order to separate his house from those of the Dalits who lived nearby. Citing the discrimination, we have been demanding officials to alter the case registered on Sivasubramanian and book him under the SC/ST Act. But the state government has not altered the case so far.”
He pointed Sivasubramanian was released on bail within 20 days of his arrest. “But Thiruvalluvan who protested in a democratic way seeking justice has been detained in Coimbatore prison. It exhibits the inequality in the religion,” the organisation’s general secretary said.
Most people who will convert are party members and their families, he added. The outfit has 120 members in Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur, Namakkal and Salem district.
I very much support Dalits converting to other religions. I don't know why so many of them continue to be part of a religion that treats them like literal filth. Although I wish they would convert to the other religions as those could do with a boost in their numbers although converting to Islam is the most likely to get the most reaction from the other upper castes compared to any other religion.
Edited by xyzt on Dec 27th 2019 at 1:12:29 AM
Servant of the Omnissiah
Whatever their decision, the fact that they've chosen to make a huge ruckus about converting away is what will ultimately bring the wrath of the Upper Castes down on them - which is even worse than the brutality they've endured.
That they were treated shoddily is fucking disgusting in the extreme. But if they're assuming they'll be treated better if they convert, they're living in cloud cuckoo land - their treatment will get far, far worse. And it will be precisely because they chose to convert.
For some of the more reactionary Upper Castes - once a Dalit, always a Dalit. And if they convert away - especially to Islam - this isn't going to end well for them. Grim but true.
EDIT: And I'd like it if you not tar my faith by lumping us all in with those reactionary assholes, thank you kindly. Literally every single one of your posts is doomsaying - it's getting old real fast.
Edited by TechPriest90 on Dec 26th 2019 at 3:15:04 PM
I hold the secrets of the machine.
So is you being an apologist for anything the BJP does against Muslims. And I say that as a devout Hindu.
Servant of the Omnissiah
So what would you have me do, hm? Back the fucking Congress? Or any of the regional parties who can't and won't see beyond their own state borders and damn everything else?
I do not like the BJP's reactionary nutters. But if moving against them results in the Congress gaining any ground, I'll take the reactionary nutters, even if I have to do so with gritted teeth.
Anything but the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. And I do mean literally anything but them. Even the reactionary assholes I despise.
I hold the secrets of the machine.
You can also just not back anyone. Or back someone who isn't currently on the scene who actually would treat everyone well and being competent.
The Gandhi family is useless, but being judgmental against them but not the reactionaries doesn't speak well to whatever principled dislike you have for the former.
Would that it were so simple.
You don't sound like you despise the reactionaries. You sound like you're making excuses for them.
"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Servant of the Omnissiah
In a just world, those dynastic bastards would be thrown out, and someone competent - like Scindia or Pilot or Tharoor - should take over the party. If that happens, I'd dump the damned Saffronites without even considering anything further.
All I hope is they wake the hell up. And soon. Before Modi and Shah do something even I can't stomach.
And after seeing the madness of the Anti-Sikh Riots and the exile of the Pandits, it'll have to be something beyond the pale.
I fear it is imminent anyhow. Keeping my head down and telling myself some comforting lies - even at the expense of sounding like an apologist - is what's keeping me sane. Because I don't think the necessary change is going to happen before it is too late - no matter what I do about it.
Edited by TechPriest90 on Dec 27th 2019 at 5:15:18 AM
I hold the secrets of the machine.
https://amp.dw.com/en/pakistan-declares-national-emergency-over-locust-swarms/a-52224762
Prime Minister Imran Khan made the emergency declaration following a government briefing on the situation on Friday.
"We are facing the worst locust infestation in more than two decades and have decided to declare national emergency to deal with the threat," Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Saturday.
The desert locusts — large herbivores that resemble grasshoppers — arrived in Pakistan from Iran in June and have already ravaged cotton, wheat, maize and other crops.
Favorable weather conditions and a delayed government response have helped the locusts breed and attack crop areas.
Their potential for large-scale destruction is raising fears of food insecurity.
National Food Security Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar said the locust swarms were currently on the Pakistan-India border along Cholistan and were previously in Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported.
"The locust attack is unprecedented and alarming," Bakhtiar told Pakistani lawmakers in a briefing on Friday.
"Action has been taken against the insect over 0.3 million acres (121,400 hectares) and aerial spray was done on 20,000 hectares ,” he was quoted as saying by Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune. "District administrations, voluntary organizations, aviation division and armed forces are put into operation to combat the attack and save the crops,” he added, according to
Prime Minister Imran Khan pledged to tackle the issue, adding that protection of agriculture and farmers was the government's priority.
"The federal government will take all possible steps and provide required facilities to protect crops from any possible danger with special focus on the danger of locust,” Khan said, according to Dawn.
The last time Pakistan saw a serious threat of locusts was in 1993. Currently, locusts swarms are affecting neighboring India and countries in East Africa.
Edited by xyzt on Feb 1st 2020 at 7:14:49 PM
The Congress party, led by Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, repeated its 2015 performance and once again drew a blank. Full results are expected later on Tuesday.
AFP has this to say:
Having spearheaded the brutal end of the Tamil separatist war a decade ago, Rajapaksa is a divisive figure but popular among his own majority Sinhalese-Buddhist community.
His landslide win split the island nation of 21.6 million on religious and ethnic lines as never before, seven months after deadly Islamist attacks.
Unusually, his inauguration was held at a revered Buddhist shrine with an imposing stupa — reputedly built by a Sinhalese king who vanquished invading Tamils over 2,000 years ago.
At the ceremony, Rajapaksa put his success down to the "extraordinary blessings of the Buddhist monks".
"The main message of the election is that it was the Sinhala majority vote that allowed me to win the presidency," the 70-year-old retired lieutenant colonel said.
"I knew that I could win with only the votes of the Sinhala majority. But I asked Tamils and Muslims to be a part of my success. Their response was not what I expected. However, I urge them to join me to build one Sri Lanka," he said.
Rajapaksa was defence chief under his brother Mahinda's 2005-15 presidency, when the military conducted a no-holds-barred campaign to end the 37-year war in which 100,000 people perished.
This makes the brothers heroes among Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority and the powerful Buddhist clergy.
But around 40,000 Tamil civilians were allegedly killed in the closing stages of the conflict, which ended in 2009, and Saturday's election saw Tamils — who account for about 15 percent of the population — vote overwhelmingly against Rajapaksa.
- War crimes -
As defence secretary Gotabaya had unfettered control over the security forces, while "death squads" that abducted dozens of dissidents, opponents, journalists and others also allegedly reported to him.
Many people were never found again after being bundled into feared white vans, while some were killed and dumped by roadsides.
The new president has denied any involvement and has resisted international calls to investigate the alleged war crimes.
At his only press conference during a three-month election campaign, Rajapaksa reiterated that he will not allow Sri Lankan troops to be tried by any war-crime tribunal, foreign or local.
He had also pledged to exonerate the dozens of military personnel accused of abductions, extortion and killings during his brother's decade in power.
The island's Tamils have been campaigning for accountability for war crimes and greater autonomy in areas where Tamils are concentrated.
Tamil youth took up arms in 1972 demanding a separate state and their violent guerilla campaign at its height saw them control a third of the country.
- Comeback -
After being in opposition for nearly five years, Rajapaksa announced his intention to run for the presidency just days after Islamist attacks on April 21 that killed 269 people, promising to protect the nation.
The Easter Sunday suicide bombings on three upscale hotels and three churches was carried out by a homegrown outfit from among Sri Lanka's Muslim minority, who make up 10 percent of the population.
It shocked the nation, and the world, just as Sri Lankan tourism was booming and as the nation prepared to celebrate a decade since the end of the Tamil separatist war.
Rajapakasa insisted that extremists would not have carried out any attacks if he had been in power. He blamed the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for weakening the intelligence apparatus he had built.