8
Dimapur
NATIONAL
Friday 12 June 2015
The Morung Express
Pak parliament passes anti-India resolutions
iSlAmAbAD, JuNe 11 (iANS) Terming the recent statements by the Indian leadership as “irresponsible”,Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Thursday that the atmosphere for relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours has been hampered even as the country's parliament passed resolutions against India. “Recent statements by Indian ministers have hampered our relations with India,” the premier said while addressing journalists at the foreign office, Radio Pakistan reported. “Despite these statements, we will continue our efforts towards good neighbourly relations but they need to be reciprocated,” Sharif maintained. “The entire nation is dismayed over these irresponsible and imprudent statements by the Indian leadership,” Sharif added. The premier’s comments came during a time of constant verbal exchanges between the two countries. Indian Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore warned that the Indian strikes in Myanmar were a message to all countries, including Pakistan and groups harbouring “terror intent” and that India would strike at a “place and time” of its choosing. “Pakistan will protect its territory at all costs and this message should be heard loud and clear,” Sharif reaffirmed. “Externally sponsored violence poses as a great threat to the country,” he said. “I told the UN secretary general that early implementation of their resolutions is incumbent,” Sharif
said regarding his meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during his visit to Tajikistan. “Kashmir cannot be relegated to backburner of history,” he added. Earlier, the Pakistani parliament unanimously passed resolutions condemning recent antiPakistan statements made by the Indian leadership. A resolution was tabled in the National Assembly by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Addressing the assembly, Dar said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi openly accepted India’s role in breaking up Pakistan in the 1971 war, Geo News reported. Dar urged the UN to take notice of the Indian leadership’s “hateful” statements, adding that Pakistan was continuously working to establish peace in the region, but foreign hands were involved in terrorism and suicide bombings in Pakistan to sow instability in the country. The Indian prime minister’s statement of admission made this clear, he added. The Senate or the upper house also approved a resolution against statements made by the Indian leadership. The Senate resolution was tabled by Leader of the House, Senator Raja Zafar ul Haq. The resolution likened Modi’s statements to an attack on Pakistan. It reiterated that the Pakistan Army was fighting a war against terrorism and was fully prepared to respond to any form of aggression. The response comes in light of the Indian prime minister's statements relating to the 1971 war during his visit to Bangladesh earlier this month.
Those fearing India's 'new posture' are reacting: Parrikar
New Delhi, JuNe 11 (iANS): Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said those who "fear" India's "new posture" have already started reacting, adding that "change requires a change in mindset". "I am going into the aspect of creating a different mindset. So much so that those who fear India's new posture have already started reacting," Parrikar said at a seminar focusing on 'Make in India' in the national capital. Citing the surgical strike by the Indian Army on the India-Myanmar border that killed an unspecified number of insurgents on Tuesday, he said, "Change requires change in the mindset." "If the thinking pattern changes, a lot of things change...you are seeing it for the last two-three days. A simple action against insurgents has changed the mindset on the whole security scenario in the country," Parrikar said. The defence minister said he will not go into the army operation's details. Parrikar's comments come a day after Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that "India should not mistake the country for Myanmar". "Pakistan Army is fully capable of responding to any adventurism," said Nisar. Indian Army's two surgical strikes along the Indo-MyPakistani protesters stand on a banner of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an anti-Indian protest in Multan, Paki- anamar border on Tuesday was in response to the June 4 stan on Thursday, June 11. Pakistan has reacted angrily to comments made by the Indian prime minister that reportedly acknowledged Indian forces had a role in the war that created Bangladesh, part of Pakistan until 1971 when separatists won ambush of an army convoy in Manipur, in which 18 soldiers of 6 Dogra regiment were killed. independence after a war. (AP Photo)
'Sending army into Pakistan can escalate into war' New Delhi, JuNe 11 (iANS): Amid voices in the government that the Indian Army's precision strike against insurgents inside neighbouring Myanmar was a lesson to those who incite terror, former top army officials have said sending troops into Pakistan in hot pursuit of militants can escalate into war. Former army chief Gen. (retd) V.P. Malik said the situation was different on the western border. Talking to host Karan Thapar during a programme on India Today television channel, Gen. Malik said surgical strikes do not take place on the western border but there is artillery bombardment. Another former army chief Gen. (retd) N.C. Vij, who was also present during the programme,
said that while the army did a commendable job in its response to the militant attack, there were lessons to be learnt as far as the strike was concerned. Answering a query, Gen. Malik said India cannot send troops into Pakistan as the issue will escalate. "Moreover, one needs to bear in mind that Pakistan is an enemy nation whereas Myanmar is not. Sending troops there (Pakistan) will escalate the problem and blow into a full-fledged war. The manner of response is different when it comes to Pakistan," he said. Asked about Pakistan possessing nuclear weapons, Gen. Malik said "the nuclear state aspect is a little overblown". "Pakistan is well aware of the
consequences of using a nuclear weapon. Moreover, do you think they are going to target New Delhi? The diplomatic community of the entire world is in New Delhi and if they are targeted, you can well imagine what would happen to Pakistan," Gen. Malik said. He said if Pakistan's nuclear weapons go into the wrong hands, it was the West that will be targeted. He said there were threefour very significant points in the army operation along the Myanmar border. Gen. Malik said there was very good coordination between the intelligence agencies, and the army was able to get actionable intelligence from all sources. "Second, I would say very
good decision-making. Operations of this nature on the border... slightly across the border would require political permission also so the whole decision making has gone (about) very fast and apparently there is no hesitation on the part of the political authority to give this permission. "Third, I would say as far as the operation is concerned, the air force would be involved also, the helicopters would have been involved in this, so that is another good coordination point." Gen. Vij also said the army carried out a commendable job on the Myanmar border but it was caught completely off-guard by the militants during their strike on June 4. "The hot pursuit that was
conducted along the border of Myanmar is no doubt a rendition of honour, but there are several lessons that need to be learnt as well," Gen. Vij said. About the role of the Myanmar government and the army, Gen. Vij said: "I believe the operation could not have been possible without the help and coordination of the Myanmar government and the army. Without informing them, things could have gone wrong. "Miscommunication could have led to casualties on our side too," he said. Asked about statements that the operation along the Myanmar border was also a kind of message to Pakistan, he said one should think before issuing statements on army operations.
Don't ignore farmers' plight: Rahul to Modi, Badal Activists oppose proposed amendments to child labour act New Delhi, JuN 11 (Pti): Rahul Gandhi today asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal not to "ignore" the plight of farmers and condoled the death of farmer Surjit Singh whom he had earlier met. "Farmers in our country are in deep distress. I urge the Modi-Badal Govt to take action & not continue to ignore their plight," he tweeted.
"Extremely sad to hear of the death of Sardar Surjit Singh who I met when I visited Punjab. My deepest condolences to his family," the Congress Vice President said in another tweet. His tweets came a day after the debt-stressed farmer from Fatehgarh Sahib, who had told Rahul about agrarian problems during their meeting in April, allegedly committed suicide by consuming poisonous substance.
The family of 60-yearold Singh, a resident of Dadumajra village, claimed that his debt was mounting and he was unable to pay back the loan from bank and others. Singh had taken a loan of Rs 10 lakh from bank and other persons but could not repay, they claimed. Singh had met Rahul during his Sirhind grain market visit. According to state Congress leaders, Singh had
briefed Rahul about the problems faced by Punjab farmers that included problems in selling their paddy and famers committing suicide. Rahul had after his recent Punjab visit raised the issue of farmers in Lok Sabha. Rahul, who had taken a padyatra to meet farmers in Vidarbha and Telangana region, will be on a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh from June 15 to interact with farmers.
Nestle moves Bombay High Court on Maggi ban mumbAi, JuNe 11 (iANS): The Bombay High Court will hear on Friday a plea by the Indian arm of Swiss multinational Nestle's seeking a judicial review of the food safety regulator's order calling for the withdrawal of its top-selling Maggi instant noodles on health issues. A division bench of Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice B.P. Colabawala posted the matter for Friday after the company's lawyer mentioned it in the court on Thursday. Earlier, the matter had been listed for June 18. The company, in a filing with
stock exchanges, said it was also seeking a similar review of a June 6 order passed by the Food and Drug Administration of Maharashtra. "At the same time, we are continuing the withdrawal of Maggi products. This action (moving the court) will not interfere with this (withdrawal) process. We shall proceed further as per the orders that may be passed by the Hon'ble Bombay High Court," Nestle India further added. In technical terms, Nestle moved the court over issues pertaining to the
interpretation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2011. Nestle had been ordered to withdraw Maggi by the food safety regulator after some samples were allegedly found to contain higher-than-permissible levels of lead - a premise that was rejected by the company, saying its own independent tests suggested otherwise. Several states have also issued their own ban orders, even as the regulator widened its testing process to other brands of instant noodles and pasta with tastemaker
New Delhi, JuNe 11 (iANS): Opposing the proposed amendments to the existing child labour act, child rights activists and civil society groups on Thursday urged the government to do away with the provision to legitimise child labour in family enterprises. Strongly objecting to the proposal, they said that it would lead to the dilution of the objective of the child labour legislation to ban child labour up to 14 years of age and align it with the right of children to free and compulsory education. Their opposition comes on the eve of the World Day Against Child Labour. They also said that the "proposed amendment legitimises the economic exploitation of children and rob them of their childhood and their rights". The proposed amendment will allow employment of children below the age of 14 in family enterprises. It also allows children to work in the audio-visual
'Over 50% rise in child labour in urban areas'
A boy who studies in a government run school awaits customers as he sells balloons at a traffic intersection on the eve of World Day Against Child Labor in Ahmadabad on Thursday, June 11. (AP Photo)
and entertainment industry, except in a circus, provided that the school education of the child is not affected. "These changes are against all our efforts in the past 20 years to ban all forms of child labour up to 18 years, and not in the best interest of children," said P. Joseph Victor Raj, national convener of Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL). Social activist Swami Agnivesh, who chaired the consultation
meet told IANS that the with an amendment like this, the country was being taken back by decades.The meet was attended by various parliamentarians who lent their support. Former union minister Oscar Fernandes was among them. The government on May 13 approved amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Bill which prohibits employment of children under 14 years in all occupations.
KolKAtA, JuNe 11 (iANS): Child labour in urban India increased by over 50% between 2001 and 2011, a report by NGO CRY said on Thursday, highlighting the links to the rise in migration. An analysis of the census data by CRY (Child Rights and You) said child labour in urban areas in the coyuntry increased by 53% over 2001-2011. "Working children between 5-9 years increased by 37%. Of particular concern is the whopping rise in child labour in the age group of 5-9 years in urban areas - the number of working boys grew by 154% whereas the number of working girls grew by 240%," the analysis said. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra - harbour the majority of working children accounting for more than 55 lakh child workers.
Film lifts lid on ‘corrective rape’ India scraps import duties on in families of gay people in India AIDS drugs to battle shortage New Delhi, JuNe 11 (thomSoN ReuteRS FouNDAtioN): Families in India are using "corrective rape" to convert their gay, lesbian and transgender sons and daughters, the director of the first Indian film on the issue said, urging society to confront the brutal, hidden practice. Corrective rape, which is known to happen in Africa and the Caribbean though largely perpetrated by strangers or acquaintances, in India can involve families and is thus seldom reported. D i re c t o r D e e p t h i Tadanki said research for her film "Satyavati" named after the lesbian protagonist who is raped by a family member - helped her understand why families were committing cor-
rective rape in India. "There is this very conservative society where people are very afraid to tell anyone that their son is gay or daughter is lesbian, and they think that they can change their orientation if they get them into contact with someone of the opposite sex," the 27-year-old director said in an interview on Thursday. "They can't approach outside people to do it as they are worried about the family's name and reputation... so they get a family member to do it." Tadanki said although it was difficult to find victims willing to speak about their ordeal, she came across two cases in the city of Bengaluru which were "horrific". In one case, a young
lesbian was raped by her cousin to make her "normal", and in another case, the family of a gay man tried to make him have sex with his mother. Homosexuality was re-criminalised in India in 2013, after four years of being legal, in a Supreme Court decision that shocked rights groups. The United Nations called it a "significant step backwards for India". The 155-year-old British colonial law states that "carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal" widely interpreted to refer to gay sex - is punishable by up to 10 years in jail. Tadanki said cases of corrective rape were kept inside the home, and victims were afraid to speak
out for fear of being arrested themselves. "When something happens to you, you go to your family for support, but when your family is committing the abuse and the police might arrest you, where do you go?" she said by phone from the southern city of Hyderabad. The film tells the story of Satyavati - which means "she who speaks the truth" - and how she falls in love with another woman, much to the horror of her parents. It explores their concern over their reputation being ruined in their middle class neighbourhood, and follows the parents as they plot the rape that will "correct" her. Tadanki hopes the 90-minute film will be
ready for screening in September, but has struggled to find funders willing to finance a first-time director with a film on a taboo subject. She and her friends have poured in their own money, but to complete the film they need an additional 1.6 million rupees ($25,000), which they are trying to raise through crowdfunding. "I have received a lot of acknowledgement and appreciation for the film... but when it comes to actual support such as funding, there has been nothing," she said. "It's important to complete this film - not just for India, but also for the world. This is happening in other countries also and people should know."
mumbAi, JuNe 11 (ReuteRS): India has scrapped customs import duties for drugs and test kits used to treat AIDS in an effort to cut prices across the country, as it struggles to cope with an ongoing shortage in its national program to fight the disease. More than a third of India's 2.1 million HIV/AIDS patients depend on getting their daily antiretrovirals for free from state-run distribution centres, but many of them have been facing shortages or stock outs for months. The notice put out by the Central Board of Excise and Customs this week intends to make it cheaper to import raw materials that are used to make antiretrovirals under the national program, BB Rewari of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) told Reuters. Currently, U.S. firm Mylan Inc and India's Aurobindo Pharma supply AIDS drugs to the government program. The exemption applies to certain firstline and second-line antiretroviral drugs used to treat adults and children, as well as to certain diagnostic kits and equipment that are used by NACO, Rewari said.
He added the drugs under exemption make up roughly 95 percent of the antiretrovirals used by India's AIDS patients under the national program. The exemption, which will remain in effect until March 2016, is the national AIDS control department's latest effort to deal with a chronic shortage of HIV/AIDS drugs at home, even though Indian companies are some of the world's major suppliers of AIDS drugs. Local firm Cipla Ltd made headlines in 2001 by making antiretrovirals for Africa for under $1 a day. The AIDS control program has been in disarray for months after the government changed the way over $1.3 billion in federal funds were distributed, according to data and letters seen by Reuters. Government officials have previously told Reuters of a lack of participation by local drugmakers in the tenders floated by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) to procure drugs. Industry insiders, meanwhile, cite delayed tender approvals, supply bottlenecks and late payments, as well as poor coordination between the central and state governments.