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Centre to hold meeting with farmers in Chandigarh today

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Chandigarh, Feb 14: The Centre will hold a meeting with protesting farmers late Friday afternoon in Chandigarh to discuss their long-pending demands, including a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

The farmers have been staging a sit-in protest for a year at Shambhu, the border point between Punjab and Haryana.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told the media at Shambhu, where a Mahapanchayat was held on Thursday to mark one year of the agitation, that they would make efforts to convince the Centre to fulfil the demands of the farmers.

Farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite fast at the Khanauri border since November 26 last year, will participate in the meeting with top functionaries of the Union government. Dallewal, the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), will be taken by ambulance from the protest site Khanauri to Chandigarh for the talks. He agreed to accept medical aid after the Centre invited farmers for talks.

Friday’s talks were earlier scheduled at 5 p.m., but with the insistence of farmers, they will now start at 4 p.m.

Dallewal-led Bharatiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) and Pandher-led Kisan Mazdoor Sangarsh Committee (KMSC), under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political), have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February 13 last year after security forces foiled their attempt to march to Delhi to press for their demands.

A delegation of senior officials from the Union Agriculture Ministry, led by joint secretary Priya Ranjan, on January 19 met farm leaders and invited representatives of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha for a meeting to discuss their demands on February 14.

Farmer leader Pandher last month announced the postponement of the January 21 foot march, by 101 farmers to Delhi, urging the Central government to hold talks soon over their demands.

“It’s not a condition but a request,” the convener of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, has told the media at Shambhu, urging the Centre to hold a meeting in Delhi before February 14, instead of Chandigarh, as initially proposed. But the meeting was not held.

Earlier, security forces had used tear gas shells as protesting farmers thrice attempted to march towards Delhi at the Shambhu border.

Shambhu, the crossing point near Ambala on National Highway-1, became the flashpoint of the farmers’ protest for a year. Earlier, the 13-month-long agitation of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, at Delhi borders ended after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his televised address to the nation on November 19, 2021, announced the government had decided to repeal the three controversial farm laws passed. Thousands of farmers had been camping at the Delhi border points demanding a repeal of three farm laws, besides demanding a legal guarantee on the MSP for their crops.

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Proud of our military, nation stands united: Samajwadi Party’s Nadvi

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New Delhi, May 9: In the wake of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Mohibbullah Nadvi on Friday lauded the Indian Armed Forces for their strong and decisive response to Pakistan’s aggression following Operation Sindoor.

The Indian forces responded to unprovoked attacks from Pakistan firmly, gaining widespread support and admiration from across the nation. Terming the response as a “moment of pride for the entire nation”, Nadvi emphasised the bravery and unity of the Indian people.

Speaking to IANS, Nadvi said, “It is a moment of pride for the whole country. We are all proud of our military, which is courageously giving a befitting reply to the enemy. Today, the entire nation stands united. Clearly, such action should have been taken a long time ago in response to Pakistan’s shameful behaviour. Though delayed, this step was necessary.”

He strongly remarked that India would not rest until Pakistan’s terror infrastructure is dismantled completely.

“Until the terror factories in Pakistan are completely shut down, and until our armed forces achieve their objectives, we must remain firm. Today, we are proud that all political parties, all religions, and every Indian citizen are standing together. We salute the bravery of our soldiers,” he added.

Nadvi’s remarks come at a time when international concern is mounting over the possibility of an escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Addressing comments made by US Vice President J.D. Vance, who expressed hope that a nuclear war would be avoided, Nadvi responded firmly.

“Of course, no one wants a nuclear war. But for over 50 years, India has endured pain in Kashmir that no one else, not even the US, Russia, or any global power, can truly understand. We have warned Pakistan many times to abandon its path of terrorism. They did not listen, and now they are facing the consequences of their actions,” Nadvi stated.

As tensions continue to rise, calls for international intervention to pressure Pakistan into dismantling terror networks have intensified.

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India negates Pak drone/missile attack on over 15 places, knocks out Lahore air defence system

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New Delhi, May 8: In a significant operation, India on Thursday morning targeted the Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan, during which the one at Lahore has been neutralised, said the government in a statement.

On the night of May 7-8, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India, including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles.

These drones and missiles were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. “The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks,” said the release.

Following this, India launched a major strike and targeted Pakistan’s Air Defence Radars and systems at several locations.

“The Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised,” the government statement read..

Pakistan has increased the intensity of its unprovoked firing across the Line of Control using mortars and heavy-calibre Artillery in areas in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, Poonch, Mendhar and Rajouri sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.

The government said that India was compelled to take the action in view of Pakistan’s unprovoked heavy shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. In the firing by the Pakistan Army, 16 lives have been lost so far.

“Sixteen innocent lives have been lost, including three women and five children, due to Pakistani firing. Here too, India was compelled to respond to bring Mortar and Artillery fire from Pakistan to a halt,” said the release.

The Indian Armed Forces have reiterated their commitment to non-escalation, provided the same is respected by the Pakistani military.

During the Press Briefing on Operation Sindoor on May 7, India had called its response as focused, measured and non-escalatory.

It was specifically mentioned that Pakistani military establishments had not been targeted. It was also reiterated that any attack on military targets in India will invite a suitable response.

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Abdul Rauf Azhar, Masood Azhar’s Brother & Kandhar IC-814 Hijack Mastermind Critically Injured In Operation Sindoor: Reports

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Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar’s brother, Abdul Rauf Azhar, was critically injured in Indian airstrikes carried out under Operation Sindoor in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur, according to reports.

Abdul Rauf Azhar, who is also the terror group’s second-in-command and played a role in the Kandahar IC-814 hijacking and various other terrorist activities in India, is currently undergoing treatment at a Pakistani military hospital, the sources added.

The reports about Rauf Azhar come after the JeM chief confirmed in a statement that 14 members of his family and four close aides were killed in the Indian strikes.

Among those killed in the Indian strikes were Azhar’s elder sister, her husband, his nephew and his wife, another niece, and five children, along with Azhar’s mother and three key aides, as per reports.

Meanwhile, amid reports suggesting drone strikes in Pakistani cities, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reportedly told political leaders during the all-party meeting in Delhi that Operation Sindoor is still ongoing.

Separately, the Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday with secretaries of various ministries and departments to review national preparedness and inter-ministerial coordination in light of recent developments concerning national security.

Prime Minister Modi stressed the need for seamless coordination among ministries and agencies to uphold operational continuity and institutional resilience. He also reviewed the planning and preparations by ministries to deal with the current situation, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

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