News18 Daybreak I Kulbhushan Jadhav, Kashmiri Security, Crown Prince visit and Other Stories You Need to Watch Out For
Kulbhushan Jadhav-Kashmiri Security-Crown Prince visit
India and Pakistan are all set to lock horns for the last time in the Kulbhushan Jadhav trial today.
A Pakistani military court had sentenced Jadhav, a retired Indian Navy officer, to death on charges of ‘espionage and terrorism’ after a closed trial in April 2017.
India on Wednesday urged the International Court of Justice to annul Jadhav’s death sentence saying, “Jadhav has become a pawn in Pakistan's tool to divert international scrutiny from itself”. Harish Salve, who is representing the Indian side, called Pakistan a “state sponsor of terrorism” citing the Pulwama terror attack and the strike in Iran.
Revoked: As the countries fight it out in the UN court, another conflict is brewing back on the home turf with the Centre revoking or downgrading the security of all 18 Jammu and Kashmir separatist leaders and 155 other political persons. The list also included Wahid Parra, a close aide of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, and ex-bureaucrat Shah Faesal
The process of withdrawal of security began this Sunday, two days after Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Srinagar during which he had said that security given to people getting funds from Pakistan and its snooping agency ISI should be reviewed.
Coveted visit: Pakistan also found a place in the discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday. The two leaders in their joint press statement condemned in the “strongest terms” the terror attack on the CRPF convoy in Pulwama and vowed to dismantle “terrorism” infrastructure.
"Last week's barbaric Pulwama attack was a symbol of the shadow of the inhuman danger hovering over the world. To deal with the scourge, we have agreed that there was a need to ramp up pressure on countries extending any sort of support to terrorism," Modi said, without naming Pakistan.
What next: India has now submitted a dossier highlighting Pakistan’s involvement in the Pulwama terror attack to the global agency Financial Action Task Force, seeking the blacklisting of the country for funding terror. FATF spokesperson tells CNN-NEWS18 compliance with recommendations are being studied.
In another jibe at the neighbouring country, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said that those demanding that India boycott Pakistan in the upcoming cricket World Cup are "justified" to some extent given that things are not normal between the two countries after the Pulwama terror attack.
Background: The hearing and India’s persistent rebuke of Pakistan comes after the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The February 15 strike happened when a explosive-laden vehicle, driven by a suicide bomber of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohamme, rammed into a CRPF convoy. India has blamed Pakistan for their “complicity” in their attack, while the other side has countered saying that there is no proof of their involvement.
Farmers-Maharashtra
Over 50,000 farmers embarked on a 180-km long march from Nashik to Mumbai for the second time in the last 12 months. Farmers from 23 districts of Maharashtra joined in the march which will end at Mumbai on February 27. Meanwhile, an anxious Maharashtra government has announced that it will not allow farmers to march. In a clampdown on the farmers' leaders, the police not only denied them permission to, but have also started a process of stopping and fining the vehicles, which carried farmers from various places to Nashik and Palghar.
Shashi Tharoor-Sundanda Pushkar
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor will appear before a sessions court on Thursday in connections with the Sunanda Pushkar death case. Pushkar, Tharoor’s wife, was found dead in a Delhi hotel under mysterious circumstances on January 17, 2014. Tharoor has been charged under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) but dismissed the charges as “preposterous”.
What You May Have Missed
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have condemned "in the strongest terms" the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed last week by a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad, a joint statement said today. Both sides, it added, agree on the need to create "conditions necessary" for resumption of dialogues between India and Pakistan. Earlier today, the two leaders held bilateral talks in the shadow of escalating tension with Pakistan over the attack. The Crown Prince had arrived in New Delhi after a visit to Pakistan, where he praised Islamabad's efforts for "regional peace and security".
Saudi Arabia has committed to deals to the tune of 100 billion dollars, which includes $11 billion investments in mega petrochemical project in Maharashtra. They have identified a few projects where they will invest the remaining 89 billion dollars.The two sides inked five agreements in various fields, including tourism and enhancement of bilateral investment relations, the foreign ministry said.
DMK-Congress
The DMK and the Congress in Tamil Nadu have sealed a seat-sharing agreement for the Lok Sabha elections, a day after the AIADMK and the BJP finalised their alliance and decided on the division of seats. DMK president MK Stalin said the Congress will contest from nine seats in Tamil Nadu and one seat from Puducherry. According to sources, the Congress had been bargaining for 16 seats from the state, which sends 39 lawmakers to the Lok Sabha. The DMK has not finalised its seat share, however, as it is still deciding on other potential alliance partners in the state.
Reliance-Contempt
The Supreme Court on Wednesday held industrialist Anil Ambani and Reliance Communication guilty of contempt for breaching undertakings to clear outstanding dues to Ericsson India. Ambani and directors of the group companies, however, escaped the jail term since the court said that the contempt can be purged by making clear the dues within four weeks, along with an interest.
A bench headed by Justice Rohinton F Nariman ordered Ambani and the RCom companies to pay up Rs 453 crore with interest within four weeks. It added that the contemnors will suffer a jail term of three months and an additional penalty of Rs 1 crore if they fail to make the payment in four weeks.
News18 Elections Lab: MFN status withdrawal’s impact on India-Pak trade and Indian prisoners in Pakistani jails
The Kulbhushan Jadhav case in the International Court of Justice hearing is slated to end today after four days of fiery arguments between exchanged between the Indian and the Pakistani side. Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was awarded the death sentence by a Pakistani military court under Pak Army Act-59 (PAA- 59) on charges of espionage. However, Jadhav is not the only Indian national lodged in Pakistani jail under charges of espionage. According to an RTI response from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) over 500 Indian nationals are lodged under various charges. Read Ghazanaffar Abbas’report to find out more.
A day after the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) led by PM Narendra Modi withdrew the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, India raised customs duty on all goods imported from Pakistan to 200% with immediate effect. The move comes amid tensions with neighbouring country over the Pulwama attack. But how does this move affect our trade with Pakistan? Read Rishika Pardikar’s report to find out more.
Pakistan National
A Pakistani national lodged in the Jaipur Central Jail serving a life sentence was killed on Wednesday in a brawl with other inmates allegedly over the volume of the TV. An official said Shakrullah (45), who was from Pakistan Punjab's Sialkot, was hit with a large stone during a fight with eight other prisoners. Pakistan expressed concern and sought a response from India on the killing, according to PTI.