Dutch Politician Geert Wilders, who is known for his anti-Islam rhetoric, has hailed India’s decision to nullify Article 370 of the Constitution in occupied Kashmir and called Pakistan “a 100% terror state”.
“India is a full Democracy and Pakistan is a 100% terror state [sic],” leader of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) tweeted after the Indian government paved way for a Muslim genocide in held Kashmir.
India is a full democracy. Pakistan is a 100% terror state.
Wilders had earlier made headlines when he had announced his plans to hold a blasphemous caricatures contest as part of his “campaign against Islam”.
His tweet comes after the Indian government on Monday through a presidential decree abolished Article 370Â that gave a measure of autonomy to Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK).
Now with the special status of Kashmiris repealed, among other feared outcomes is that people from the rest of India would have the right to acquire property in IoK and settle there permanently, which could lead to ethnic cleansing.
A massive shift in demographics of the Muslim-majority disputed territory can also follow.
The Indian government has rushed through a presidential decree to abolish Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a measure of autonomy to the Muslim-majority Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK).
Here is everything you need to know about Article 370 and what could follow the development that comes as tensions mount in the troubled valley.
WHAT IS ARTICLE 370?
Article 370 was the basis of Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to the Indian union at a time when former princely states had the choice to join either Pakistan or India after their independence from the British rule in 1947.
The article, which came into effect in 1949, exempts Jammu and Kashmir state from the Indian Constitution.
It allows IoK to make its own laws in all matters except finance, defence, foreign affairs and communications. The article established a separate constitution, a separate flag and denied property rights in the region to the outsiders.
That means the residents of the state live under different laws from the rest of the country in matters such as property ownership and citizenship.
WHAT IS ARTICLE 35A?
Article 35A is a branch of Article 370, which was introduced through a presidential order in 1954 to continue the old provisions of the territory regulations.
The article permits the local legislature in IoK to define permanent residents of the region. It forbids outsiders from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs or winning education scholarships in the region.
While Article 35A has remained unchanged, some aspects of Article 370 have been diluted over the decades.
WHY ARE THEY BEING ABOLISHED?
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its right-wing allies have challenged Article 35A which it calls discriminatory. Last month, a senior BJP leader had hinted that the government was planning to form exclusive Hindu settlements in the region.
With the special status repealed, people from the rest of India would have the right to acquire property in IoK and settle there permanently.
Kashmiris fear the move would lead to a demographic transformation of the region from majority-Muslim to majority-Hindu, paving way for Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s hardliner BJP in the disputed territory.
Neighbouring India has been left divided ever since a Hindu man refused to accept his order from a Muslim food delivery guy.
âJust cancelled an order on @ZomatoIN. They allocated a non-Hindu rider for my food they said they canât change rider and canât refund on cancellation [sic],” Amit Shukla of Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur city tweeted Tuesday.
Zomato is an Indian restaurant search and discovery service that operates in 24 countries. It provides information and reviews of restaurants as well as images of menus where the restaurant does not have its own website and also online delivery.
Shukla, through the appâs customer support, requested another rider and when asked what was wrong, he replied, âWe have Shravan [month of fasting] and I donât need a delivery from a Muslim fellow.â
The company refused to change the rider on the basis of religion and the customer care executive’s response was widely shared over social media.
âFood doesnât have a religion. It is a religion,â Zomato tweeted.
The companyâs founder, Deepinder Goyal, also tweeted:
We are proud of the idea of India – and the diversity of our esteemed customers and partners. We arenât sorry to lose any business that comes in the way of our values. đŽđł https://t.co/cgSIW2ow9B
âWe are proud of the idea of India — and the diversity of our esteemed customers and partners. We arenât sorry to lose any business that comes in the way of our values,â he wrote.
While Zomato’s stand against religious intolerance won many hearts, some stood up in Shukla’s support.
Food has a religion. You are wrong. Halal and Jhatka. Now most of butchers are muslims they only do 'jibah' but if i ask them to go for Jhatka they say its against their religion. Don't be biased.
Unity in diversity is the culture of India. And we as it's citizens are the ones who need to protect it.#Zomato episode proves, barring a few, we are all one. We are Indians first. So proud of being an Indian.
Prime minister (PM) of neighbouring India, Narendra Modi, will be seen in a never-seen-before avatar on August 12 when he ventures into his countryâs wilderness along with Bear Grylls, the host of Discovery Channel’s popular show âMan vs. Wildâ.
The Discovery Channel has issued a statement saying the
special episode featuring survivalist and adventurer Grylls and shot in the Uttarakhandâs
Jim Corbett National Park, will be a “frank and freewheeling
journey”.
In a clip of the show that was shared by Grylls on his Twitter account, PM Modi can be seen riding a small dinghy down a river along with the adventure travel show host.
People across 180 countries will get to see the unknown side of PM @narendramodi as he ventures into Indian wilderness to create awareness about animal conservation & environmental change. Catch Man Vs Wild with PM Modi @DiscoveryIN on August 12 @ 9 pm. #PMModionDiscoverypic.twitter.com/MW2E6aMleE
In another scene, the Indian premier is seen welcoming Grylls to India and holding up a weapon carved out of bamboo and other material collected from the forest and saying, “I will keep this with me for you.”
To this, Grylls replies with laughter, âYou are the most important man in India, my job is to keep you alive.â
âFor years, I have lived among nature, in the mountains and the forests. These years have a lasting impact on my life. So when I was asked about a special show focusing on life beyond politics and that too in the midst of nature I was intrigued to take part in it,â Modi said while speaking about the show.
He added that the show was a âgreat opportunity to showcase
to the world India’s rich environmental heritage and stress on the importance
of environment conservation and living in harmony with natureâ.
With the International Court of Justice (ICJ) pronouncing the long-awaited verdict in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, both Pakistan and India have claimed victory.
The narrative in Indian media paints a different picture of the judgment than the one shown by Pakistan. But how is that even possible?
PAKISTAN’S WIN:
According to the ICJ, Jadhav’s conviction and sentence by a military court were not to be regarded as a violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention, which India had claimed.
“As regards Indiaâs claim based on the Vienna Convention, the court considers that it is not the conviction and sentence of Jadhav which are to be regarded as a violation of the provisions of the Vienna Convention,” read the verdict.
Article 36 states that foreign nationals who are arrested or detained be given notice without delay of their right to have their embassy and consulate be notified of the arrest and have consular officers visit them.
Among other Indian demands were the annulment of the military court’s decision and permitting Jadhav a safe passage to India. However, the same was denied.
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) July 17, 2019
But what exactly is that India is celebrating?
INDIA’S WIN:
India had also demanded that Jadhav be tried once again by a civilian court after giving him consular access. No retrial was granted, however, Pakistan was ordered to grant the convicted spy consular access.
India also demanded the relief of “review and reconsideration” for its spy, which ICJ has granted, but by means of Pakistan’s own choice.
It means that Islamabad is now required to judicially review Jadhav’s trial and assess if denial of consular access prejudiced his trial.
FOREIGN MEDIA:
Meanwhile, international media reports focused on the ICJ’s directive to Pakistan to review its death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav.
“World Court Orders Review of Pakistan Death Sentence for Indian Convicted of Spying”, The New York Times‘ headline said. The Washington Post story on the judgment said: “Alleged Indian spy on death row in Pakistan wins reprieve from execution”.
British media also focussed on the part of the ICJ judgment which went in India’s favour. “UN court orders Pakistan not to execute Indian man accused of spying” The Guardian said in its report.
KULBHUSHAN JADHAV:
Commander Jadhav â an Indian Navy officer working for Indian covert agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) â was arrested on March 3, 2016, from Balochistan after he entered Pakistan from Iran.
Jadhav was tried in a military court that sentenced him to death for espionage and subversive activities. In a reaction to the move, Pakistanâs relations with neighbouring India tensed and New Delhi approached the ICJ to hear the case.
On May 18, 2017, the ICJ had ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Jadhav until a final decision was made.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved India’s request to replace injured batsman Vijay Shankar with Mayank Agarwal, who is set to fly out of India and join the rest of the squad in England.
Earlier in the tournament, Shankar was drafted in to replace Shikhar Dhawan, who sustained a thumb fracture during his match-winning century against Australia. He, however, failed to impress the team management — scoring just 58 runs in three matches.
Agarwal’s impressive domestic form, as well as his excellent record batting alongside KL Rahul, offers India a renewed hope after a campaign marred by constant injuries to their star players.
He has amassed a total of 3,964 runs in first-class cricket and has consecutive test match fifties to his name against Australia. Agarwal’s form while batting for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is also admirable.
The Bangalore born batsman has scored 332 runs in 13 games, with a formidable strike rate of 141.88. At a time when India’s batting has struggled to pile up runs in the initial overs, Agarwal’s inclusion in the line-up could accelerate the run rate and lay the foundation for a big total.
However, for their match against Bangladesh, India have opted to start Dinesh Karthik instead of the newly-arrived Agarwal. A win for India would seal their spot in the top four, while a Bangladesh victory keeps the Tigers’ hopes alive for progressing to the semifinals.
A leader of the hardliner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been removed from her position in the party’s women wing after she encouraged âHindu brothers to gang rape Muslim women openly in the streets”, Indian media reported.
âMuslim mothers and sisters should have their honour looted as there is no other way to protect India,â said Sunita Singh Gaur in a Facebook post.
The viral post was later deleted; however, with screenshots being posted all over Twitter, Gaur was sacked as the Mahila Morcha leader.
âBe assured, BJP Mahila Morcha will not tolerate any hateful comments whatsoever from any karyakarta [worker],â BJP Mahila Morcha National President Vijaya Rahatkar said.
This is not the first time a member of BJP has spewed hate online. However, many were shocked to see the leader openly encourage rape and sexual violence.
Former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq has offered to coach Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya to “improve his faulty techniques”.
âToday I saw Pandya batting against West Indies and found a few issues in his foot movement, bat swing and body balance while hitting,â the former all-rounder said in a video on his official YouTube channel.
WATCH VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IXIaYFasBE
On Thursday, Pandya scored a brisk 46 and shared a crucial 70-run partnership with MS Dhoni to help India post a competitive total of 268/7 against West Indies in their ICCâWorld Cup 2019 game at the Old Trafford.
Pandya chipped in with the ball and also took the wicket of opener Sunil Ambris. In fact, his send-off to the Windies opener became one of the talking points of the game.
However, Razzaq, who scored 5,080 runs in ODI, said Pandyaâs game had weaknesses, which needed to be worked upon.
“If Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) gives me just two weeks to coach Pandya, he can become worldâs no 1 hitter and all-rounder,” he added.
An Indian parliamentarian has demanded that Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s gunslinger moustache be declared the “national moustache of India”.
“Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman should be awarded and his moustache should be made the national moustache,” Indian National Congress (INC) leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was quoted as saying by India Today.
On February 27, the IAF pilot was captured after Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down two Indian jets for intruding into Pakistan’s territory.
Pakistan, as a goodwill gesture, had handed over the captured pilot to Indian authorities at Wagah border on March 1.
According to Indian media reports, the opposition partyâs leader has now argued that the pilot should be given a national honour “for his bravery”.
Earlier, the shot down and captured Indian pilot’s facial hair had become the talk of the town as India hailed him as a “war hero”.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor has trolled Indian Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah over his congratulatory message to the Indian cricket team.
“Another strike on Pakistan by Team India and the result is same [sic],” Shah had tweeted after India secured an 89-run defeat against Pakistan in the ongoing ICC World Cup on Sunday.
Another strike on Pakistan by #TeamIndia and the result is same.
Congratulations to the entire team for this superb performance.
He was referring to the aerial combat between the two neighbouring countries in February, which happened after Indian aircraft on February 26 carried out an airstrike on what it alleged was a âterrorist training campâ in Pakistan.
“Dear Amit Shah, yes your team won a match. Well played,” Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor tweeted while responding to Shah’s tweet. He, however, advised the Indian home minister to not compared “two things with different denominators”.
Dear @AmitShah yes ur team won a match. Well played. Two things with different denominators canât be compared. So are strikes & match. If in doubt please see results of our Nowshera counter strikes & response to IAF violation on 27 Feb19 downing two Indian jets. Stay Surprised. https://t.co/cY089VmYIe
“Two things with different denominators canât be compared. So are strikes and match. If in doubt, please see results of our Nowshera counter strikes and response to IAF violation on February 27, 2019, downing two Indian jets. Stay Surprised,” he said.
