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Congress leader Satheeshan Pacheni passes away at 54

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Congress leader Satheeshan Pacheni passed away at a Kannur hospital on Thursday, days after he suffered a stroke. He was 54. �

Born into a Communist family in Taliparambu in Kannur district, Pacheni got attracted to the Congress after he heard a speech of A.K.Antony during the Emergency. Since then, he had been a die-hard fan of Antony.

Known as an unlucky Congressman, Pacheni rose to be the general secretary of the party in Kerala after heading the party’s student wing in 1999.

The reason why he was often referred to as an unlucky Congressman is that he contested five Assembly elections and once to the Lok Sabha but could never win.

In 2001, he was pitted against CPI-M stalwart V.S.Achuthanandan at the Malampuzha Assembly constituency in Palakkad district, which was a pocket borough of the CPI-M and gave a shock to the veteran, but at the end he lost by a margin of 4,703 votes, while the average margin of victory in the previous elections was over 15,000 votes.

At the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, he lost to then sitting CPI-M candidate and present state LSG and Excise Minister M.B.Rajesh by a narrow margin of 1,820 votes.

Then again in 2016 Assembly polls at his home town Kannur, he lost to the Left candidate by a slender margin of 1,196 votes and against the same candidate at the 2021 polls again lost by 1,745 votes.

Condoling the death of his protege, Antony said none will forget how committed Pacheni was to the party as when he was the Kannur district president of the party, he pledged his house to raise money to complete the new building of the party at Kannur.

Recalling him as a person with polite behaviour, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called his loss a big one.

Pacheni was seen exchanging pleasantries with all top party leaders at the state party headquarters here on the 17th of this month when he came to cast his vote in the presidential polls.

On 19th night, he complained of uneasiness at his residence in Kannur and was rushed to a hospital. He was diagnosed with a stroke and all the top leaders rushed to meet him and shift him to a leading hospital, but by then his condition had deteriorated and he was put on a ventilator.

The last rites would be held in Kannur on Friday.

National News

Shiv Sena(UBT) questions govt on India-Pak ceasefire, raises finger at Trump’s role

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Mumbai, May 12: The Shiv Sena(UBT) has strongly expressed displeasure over the US President Donald Trump’s ‘intervention’ in the India-Pakistan conflict and his announcement of a ceasefire.

In a scathing editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the Shiv Sena(UBT) asked, “Who gave the President authority? Did President Trump buy India’s sovereignty? In exchange for what? Exactly, “What deal was made? The country must know.”

“The Indian Army and Air Force have foiled the drones and missiles launched by Pakistan against India. They have given a befitting reply to the Pakistanis, but while doing all this, the exact whereabouts of the six terrorists who carried out the Pahalgam attack have not been traced. The trigger for the India-Pak conflict was the killing of 26 innocent people by six terrorists. But President Trump has poured water. President Trump wants peace to prevail between India and Pakistan. He is not Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandela. He is a businessman. The ruling businessmen of India have joined hands with the businessmen of America. President Trump has not stopped the Israel-Palestine war. By directly supporting Israel, he watches the deaths of the people of Gaza and preaches peace to India,” said the editorial.

“India is a sovereign and independent nation. No outside country has the right to interfere in our nation, but US President Trump has intervened in the India-Pakistan conflict, and India has accepted Trump’s ceasefire proposal. Trump announced on his ‘X’ account that India has accepted the ceasefire. Till then, the people of India and the Indian Army were not aware of this ceasefire. Who gave President Trump this authority?” asked the Shiv Sena(UBT) in the editorial.

“According to the Simla Agreement signed between the two nations after the 1971 Indo-Pak war, a third nation was not allowed to intervene in the conflict between the two nations. However, now the Prime Minister of India has violated the Simla Agreement. India succumbed to Trump’s pressure and ratified the ceasefire, but was ‘Operation Sindoor’ or Pakistan’s revenge completed? The country has not received an answer to this,” said the editorial.

“Twelve innocent civilians were killed in the Pakistani attack in Poonch-Rajouri. What was their mistake? Prime Minister Modi was so eager that amid the conflict between India and Pakistan, there was no turning back. Just as Modi’s eagerness was generating new energy in the country and the army, President Trump struck a deal. Seven Indian soldiers died in the Pakistani attack. One of them is Murali Naik from Mumbai, and this young martyr is only 23 years old. Murali Naik and Dinesh Sharma died while responding to Pakistani firing in the Uri sector. Dinesh Sharma is also a young soldier. He fought with Pakistan in the Poonch sector. He showed unparalleled bravery for the country and made the supreme sacrifice of his life to protect Mother India. Thousands of such Dinesh Sharmas and Murali Naiks are fighting on the Indian border and are taking bullets in their chests. Murali Naik’s parents live in a slum in Ghatkopar. They work hard to run their household. The only son of Mother India, he was martyred while fighting on the country’s border to protect it. Murali’s father said, “I am proud that my son has come to serve the country,” but in the end, he will be sad that his stomach has been emptied. Those who have been swept up in the political frenzy of war should remember this,” said the editorial.

“Those who have been charged up due to the political frenzy of war have never sacrificed for the country, nor have they shown any bravery, but the propaganda is going on as if this war is being fought by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its own people. The government has closed down news agencies and a few channels. Even after the ceasefire game has started, the Defence Minister is raking up Operation Sindoor. However, the basic questions still remain that is, how did those six terrorists come and how did they disappear? Why was their whereabouts not known? These questions will be asked. Seven terrorists of the terrorist organisation. Jaish-e-Mohammed, who tried to infiltrate into India from the Samba sector in Jammu on Thursday midnight, were killed by the brave jawans of the Border Security Force. These same soldiers destroyed the outpost on the Pakistani border. This is commendable and every Indian citizen should know,” said the editorial.

“Pakistan is standing firm, and the Pakistani Prime Minister has rubbed salt in the wounds of 26 sisters who were left destitute in the Pahalgam attack by claiming that ‘we won the war’. While all this is happening, the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and Home Minister are nowhere to be seen. Before the war started, Home Minister Amit Shah had said in Parliament that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a part of India. We will even give our lives for it, but when the Indian Army moved forward to take Kashmir, Modi-Shah simply accepted the ceasefire and surrendered to President Trump. Have the sacrifices of seven soldiers in the conflict with Pakistan gone in vain?” asked the Shiv Sena (UBT).

“One should be proud of the action. If the infiltration of seven Jaish terrorists on the Indian border is stopped and they are killed, then how were the terrorists who entered the tourist spot of Pahalgam and attacked indiscriminately allowed to enter? How were they left free? How were they allowed to wipe the vermilion of 26 sisters, and what happened to them after doing this? These questions arise,” said the editorial.

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India and Pakistan to stop all firing and military action: MEA

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New Delhi, May 10: A few minutes after US President Donald Trump announced a “full and immediate ceasefire” between India and Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, air and sea with effect from 5 PM Indian Standard Time, on Saturday.

“The Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan called the Director General of Military Operations of India at 1535 hrs earlier this afternoon. It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 1700 hrs Indian Standard Time today,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a short media briefing.

“Instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to this understanding. The Director General of Military Operations will talk again on the 12th of May at 1200 hours,” the Foreign Secretary added.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced a “full and immediate ceasefire” between India and Pakistan without sharing any details of the negotiations or the ceasefire.

US Secretary of State Rubio also said in a State Department statement that he and Vice-President J D Vance conducted the ceasefire negotiations.

“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns.

“Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.

Secretary of State Rubio said in a separate statement: “Over the past 48 hours, Vice President Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik.

“I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site. We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace,” he stated.

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National News

Trump says India and Pakistan ‘agree to full and immediate ceasefire’

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Donald Trump says “India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire”.

In a post on social media platform Truth Social, the US President says: “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE.

“Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

We have not heard this from either India or Pakistan, stay with us for the latest developments.

Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect, Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar says.

He adds: “Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity!”

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