National
How India’s ‘most wanted’ terrorists were eliminated on Pakistan soil
New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) Over 20 dreaded terrorists, all on India’s most wanted list, were mysteriously killed in Pakistan and Canada over the last two years.
All those killed were linked to terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizbul Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and the banned Khalistan Tiger Force.
While Pakistan continued to be in a denial mode on terrorists enjoying safe haven on its soil, the killing of these individuals, many of whom were involved in terror attacks in India, nailed Islamabad’s lies.
As these terrorists continued to fall prey to assassins’ bullets, questions were raised in various circles as to who killed India’s enemies on Pakistani and Canadian soil.
Are the Indian secret agents behind the neutralisation of India’s most wanted terrorists as has been claimed recently by The Guardian, the world’s leading daily from the UK, in a report quoting unnamed Indian and Pakistani intelligence operatives?
The London-based newspaper reported that the Indian government ordered killings in Pakistan “as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists on foreign soil.”
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied the claims by the UK newspaper reiterating an earlier statement that they were “false and malicious anti-India propaganda.”
But the report has bolstered the image of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government that the present dispensation in India has a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism emanating from Pakistan or any other safe haven abroad.
The Guardian’s “disclosure” report assumes significance as it came close on the heels of PM Modi, at a rally in Bihar said, “Aaj Ka Bharat Ghar Mein Ghus Ke Marta Hai”, with many foreign affairs experts terming the international media report as a great boost for the image of PM Modi in this context.
“Enemies of India have nowhere to hide,” they remark.
As The Guardian’s report spotlights India’s no-nonsense approach towards terrorism, internal and external security experts are recounting how terrorists on India’s most wanted list were killed one by one in Pakistan and Canada over the last two years. They went down like ninepins on the territory under the control of Pakistan and Canada.
Within the first fortnight of November last year, three LeT and JeM terrorists had been shot dead in Pakistan. Security officials see the same pattern in each case of killing: “Unknown armed men riding motorcycles perpetrated the targeted killings of militants accused of terrorism in India.”
Khwaja Shahid alias Mian Mujahid was kidnapped and later discovered beheaded near the Line of Control in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on November 5, 2023. He was the LeT terrorist and one of the masterminds of the 2018 terror attack on an Indian Army Camp in Sunjuwan that had claimed seven lives.
Lashkar terrorist Akram Khan, alias Akram Ghazi, was shot dead in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur tribal district on November 9, 2023.
Similarly, JeM terrorist Raheem Ullah Tariq, a close associate of Maulana Masood Azhar, was shot dead in Karachi by unknown men on November 13, 2023.
Zahoor Mistry, the terrorist involved in the hijack of the Indian plane IC-814 in Afghanistan’s Kandahar in 1999, was killed in Pakistan on March 1, 2022. He was killed by two bike-borne assailants in Karachi’s Akhtar colony.
Security experts say that top leaders of the terror organisation JeM led by Masood Azhar had attended Mistry’s funeral. Azhar was among the three terrorists released by the Indian government when IC814 was hijacked in 1999. Mistry was said to have been living under a false identity as Zahid Akhund for several years before being shot dead.
Pakistan had pinned blame on Indian intelligence operatives for this killing, alleging that New Delhi hired assassins for the act.
Similarly, Shahid Latif, another India’s most wanted terrorists, was shot dead in October 2023 by unknown gunmen in Pakistan’s Sialkot. Latif was a key conspirator in the 2016 Pathankot terror attack in which seven security personnel were killed. Latif was killed inside a mosque.
The gunmen fled the scene on a motorcycle after killing him. Latif’s killing was then another significant addition to the list of the terrorists who were eliminated in Pakistan.
One of them was Mufti Qaiser Farooq who was gunned down by unknown men in Karachi. He was shot in a ‘targeted attack’ near a religious institution in Karachi’s Samanabad area in October 2023.
Farooq was a member of LeT and an aide of its chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
In September 2023, Ziaur Rahman, who was also a LeT operative, was killed in Karachi as two motorcycle-borne unidentified gunmen pumped multiple bullets into their target.
Rahman was on a daily evening stroll when he was gunned down.
The killing of this Lashkar operative was exactly like the murder of Paramjit Singh Panjwar, Chief of Khalistan Commando Force. Panjwar was also wanted by India for terrorism.
Panjwar was gunned down when he was out for a morning walk near his residence in Lahore in May 2023.
Hizbul commander Bashir Ahmad Peer alias Imtiyaz Alam, one of India’s most wanted designated terrorists was killed by unknown gunmen outside a shop in Rawalpindi on February 20, 2023.
Two weeks after Peer’s killing, NIA had attached his property in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Peer was designated as a terrorist by the government in October last year for his role in sending terrorists and providing logistic support for infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir.
He was the launching Chief of the Hizbul in Pakistan.
Saleem Rehmani was another terrorist to have been shot dead in January 2022 by unidentified gunmen. He was also wanted by India as a terrorist.
In another significant development, unidentified gunmen shot dead a top terrorist commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim, inside Al-Qudus mosque in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir’s Rawalakot September 2023.
He had come from Kotli to offer prayers when he was shot in the head at point-blank range. He was one of the main conspirators behind the Dhangri terror attack on January 1, 2023.
Around seven people had died when terrorists struck Dhangri village in Rajouri district and fired indiscriminately.
This was the fourth such killing of a top terrorist commander operative from across the border in 2023.
Mullah Sardar Hussain Arain, Jamat-ud-Dawah, was shot dead in Nawab Shah district of Sindh in August 2023.
Amidst all the killings in Pakistan, the focus also shifted to Ottawa as Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed on Canadian soil, which triggered a massive diplomatic face-off between India and Canada following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of India’s role in the killing of a Khalistani terrorist.
–IANS
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Patna, July 31 (IANS) A joint team of Special Task Force (STF) from West Bengal and Bihar along with local police conducted a raid and busted a mini-gun factory in Rahimpur village in Bihar’s Saran, officials said on Tuesday.
Superintendent of Police (SP), Saran, Kumar Aashish said that the team has arrested five individuals. Of them, four are natives of Bihar’s Munger.
During the raid, authorities seized a substantial cache of partially built guns, barrels, and equipment used in the manufacture of country-made pistols and “kattas” (country-made firearms).
“We have confiscated 75 partially built firearms, 15 barrels, 36 partially built barrels, 6 cutters, 14 drill machines, 2 building machines, 1 generator, 1 mobile phone, 1 lathe machine, 1 milling machine, 10 tons of iron bars, and other equipment,” the SP said.
The mini-gun factory was illegally operating in a house owned by one Akhilesh Singh. Police have arrested Singh and four others, identified as Mohammad Chand, Mohammad Parvez, Irfan, and Mohammad Parwala — all four are natives of Munger and are believed to be workers at the factory.
The team also recovered a large amount of raw materials at the factory during the raid.
–IANS
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New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) An Indian-origin woman, who has been allegedly deserted by her Pakistani husband, has sought help from the governments of both countries to get her children back.
Farzana Begum, a resident of Mumbai, said that she married Yusuf Mirza Ilahi, in Abu Dhabi in 2015, and after two to three years, he deceitfully brought her to Pakistan. However, later, he returned to Abu Dhabi with their two children.
Farzana also claimed that Yusuf had married multiple times in the past and had hidden this fact from her. She further claimed that Yusuf had deserted his previous wives and children in a similar manner.
She has now filed a plea in a Lahore court seeking justice. The plea is scheduled to be heard on August 15.
Farzana has pleaded for help from Pakistan and the Indian government to get her children back. She has urged the Indian Embassy to speak to Abu Dhabi authorities on this issue.
The victim’s Pakistani lawyer said that Farzana is the wife of a Pakistani citizen and the mother of two Pakistani children. Therefore, Farzana has the same rights in the country as any Pakistani citizen. It is the duty of the Pakistani government to help Farzana in this matter, the lawyer said.
–IANS
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New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reached New Delhi late on Tuesday evening for a three-day state visit which is expected to further strengthen the age-old ties between the two countries.
“Warm welcome to PM Phạm Minh Chinh of Vietnam as he arrives in New Delhi on a State Visit. India and Vietnam share civilisational links and a longstanding friendship based on mutual trust. The visit will further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
The Vietnamese PM is scheduled to participate in various programmes and business events on Wednesday. He will receive a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday.
On the same day, Pham Minh Chinh will visit the Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and then hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will also host a luncheon in honour of the visiting delegation.
Chinh is also scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during the course of his visit.
“India considers Vietnam as a key pillar of its Act East Policy and an important partner in its Indo-Pacific vision,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.
India-Vietnam relations have been on the upswing since the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Hanoi in 2016.
PM Modi has maintained Vietnam’s importance as an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy and the Indo-Pacific vision, while seeking to enhance the scope of the bilateral relationship – including defence partnership – besides working for expeditious progress on the existing initiatives.
–IANS
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Jammu, July 30 (IANS) A terrorist associate was apprehended in a joint operation by the army and police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Tuesday, police said.
The individual, identified as Mohd Khalil Lone, of Bandipora district in the Kashmir Valley, was apprehended after a meticulously planned and executed operation.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that Lone is associated with the proscribed terror organisation Hizbul Mujahideen as a logistic provider and Overground Worker,” police said.
“He was deputed to receive a consignment of arms and ammunition. Further investigation is going on.”
–IANS
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Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) In a major policy initiative, the Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday approved to carry out renovation, modernisation, degradation, and life extension (RMU&LE) of the old hydroelectricity plants on lease, renovate, operate and transfer (LROT) basis.
The move will initially cover hydroelectric power projects of over 167 MW which are mainly irrigation projects where power generation is incidental. The government will initiate the RMU&LE process later for projects of 2411,5 MW which are used mainly for power generation.
For the implementation of this policy, two categories of hydroelectric power projects have been made based on water consumption. Category one will include projects whose main objective is power generation. Renovation and modernisation of such projects will be done by the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MahaGenco).
Category two will include irrigation and power generation projects. The renovation and modernisation of these projects will be done through competitive bidding.
The Chief Minister’s Office said that the government will not make any capital investment, but it will annually earn a revenue of Rs 507 crore through threshold premium, upfront premium, 13 per cent free electricity, lease, and intake maintenance charges.
Out of the 25 projects owned and constructed by the Water Resources Department (WRD), nine are independent hydropower projects (IPP) of 2411.5 MW capacity. In these, water is used only for power generation and the projects are important for stability and management of the grid.
“Considering the strategic importance of these projects, MahaGenco will carry out RMU&LE works of these IPPs after the expiry of their 35 years of normative life,” read the Cabinet note.
In the remaining hydroelectric projects of 167.45 MW and six others with 9.575 MW capacity, where power generation is incidental to irrigation and/or water supply, releases will be carried out on LROT basis.
Some of the major projects which can be leased out to private players include Yeldari (22.5 MW), Bhatghar (16MW), Paithan (12 MW), Pawna (10 MW), Khadakwasla (8MW+8MW), Ujani (12 MW), and Bhatsa (15 MW), among others.
The project shall be allotted through a bidding process where MahaGenco is also allowed to participate. The term of the lease will be 25 years from the commercial operation date.
According to the objectives of the policy, it will give about 25 years beyond the project’s normative life; improve the performance of the over-lived hydroelectric projects in terms of efficiency, output, availability, and reliability; converting existing base load stations to peaking stations for the benefit of the electricity grid; reducing maintenance requirements and ensuring ease of operation and safety; and protection of consumer interests by timely completion of RMU&LE works without cost overrun and minimum loss of generation.
The projects to undergo RMU&LE will be identified based on their performance records. A residual life assessment (RLA) study will be carried out to assess the health and residual life of every component of the hydro generating unit. A detailed project report (DPR) will be filed to avoid further complications, especially related to the cost.
–IANS
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