WANT TIES WITH PAK BUT THERE SHOULD BE ATMOSPHERE FREE FROM TERROR: INDIA

Days after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for “serious and sincere talks” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “burning issues like Kashmir”, India on Thursday said it always wanted normal neighbourly ties with Pakistan but there should be an atmosphere free from terror and violence for such a relationship.

The Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday, “We have said that we have always wanted normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan. But there should be a conducive atmosphere in which there is no terror, hostility or violence. That remains our position.”

COLONIAL MINDSET: MEA SLAMS BBC DOCUMENTARY ON GUJ RIOTS

The Ministry of External Affairs has criticised a BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots, describing it as a “propaganda piece” designed to push a particular “discredited narrative”.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it was a “propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative”.

“The bias, lack of objectivity and continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi at a media briefing in reply to several questions on the first part of documentary “India: The Modi Question” that deals with the riots that broke out in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister. The MEA also made light of the then British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw’s comments that an investigation by the British government had concluded that as CM, Modi had “proactively” prevented the police from stopping riots. “Investigation? Inquiry?” asked Bagchi, going on to wonder whether the British were ruling India that they conducted an inquiry.

Then Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal recalled that he was “aware of mischief by the UK mission”. The UK mission had sent a diplomat to Gujarat and then circulated a highly slanted “report” to EU envoys in Delhi. “I was informed by an EU envoy which prompted me to issue warning to missions in Delhi to not interfere in our internal affairs,” he recalled on Twitter.

Meanwhile, responding to criticism, the BBC said its documentary was “rigorously researched”.

I HAVE COME HOME, WANT TO SHARE PEOPLE’S PAIN: RAHUL IN J&K

Entering Jammu and Kashmir in the last leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday invoked his connection with the land, saying his ancestors had moved from Kashmir to Uttar Pradesh and he felt he was “returning home”.

He said he had come here to share the pain and agony of the people of J&K. “I know how much pain the people of Jammu and Kashmir have faced. I understand it… Everybody has got hurt, everybody has suffered,” he said while addressing a crowd that had gathered in huge numbers at the entry point to J&K from Pathankot-Punjab to receive him.

He said the real issues facing the country today are “hatred, unemployment, rising prices and the making of two “Bharat” — one of the billionaires and the other of the poor”. “The BJP, RSS, top billionaires of the country and the media are working as a team to divert people’s attention from the real issues,” he said, adding that “the media is only taking up issues of Hindu-Muslim and hatred”.

Accusing the BJP and the RSS of spreading hatred in the country, the Congress leader said: “I earlier thought it (hatred) ran deep but it does not and is mainly seen on television.”

SC REVEALS GOVT OBJECTIONS TO 5 CANDIDATES FOR HC JUDGES POSTS

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The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud reiterated its decision Thursday to appoint five advocates as High Court judges.

Significantly, in at least three cases, it made public both its reasons for reiteration and the government’s objections.

The five candidates: senior advocate Saurabh Kirpal for appointment as judge of the Delhi High Court; advocate Somasekhar Sundaresan as judge of the Bombay High Court; advocate R John Sathyan for the Madras High Court; advocates Sakya Sen and Amitesh Banerjee as judges of the Calcutta High Court.

The government had sought reconsideration of these names on November 25 last year.

The Collegium, referring to communication from former Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, said that “it appears that there are two objections to the recommendation which was made by the Collegium of this Court on 11 November 2021 approving the name of Shri Saurabh Kirpal namely: (i) the partner of Shri Saurabh Kirpal is a Swiss National, and (ii) he is in an intimate relationship and is open about his (homo)sexual orientation.”

Rejecting these objections, the Collegium said: “As a matter of principle, there can be no objection to the candidature of Shri Saurabh Kirpal on the ground that his partner is a foreign National.” “There is no reason to pre-suppose that the partner of the candidate, who is a Swiss National, would be inimically disposed to our country, since the country of his origin is a friendly nation. Many persons in high positions including present and past holders of Constitutional offices have and have had spouses who are foreign Nationals,” the Collegium said.

On the Centre’s concerns about Kirpal’s sexual orientation, the Collegium said that “it would be manifestly contrary to the constitutional principles laid down by the Supreme Court to reject his candidature on that ground.”

SC’s decision to make public Govt’s objections shines some light on the process but also ratchets up tension with the Centre. Questions will be raised on why the Collegium released objections related to only three, not all.

On advocate Somasekhar Sundaresan, the Collegium statement said that the government had sought reconsideration of his name on the grounds “that he has aired his views in the social media on several matters which are the subject matter of consideration before the courts.”

Underlining that all citizens have the right to free speech and expression, the Collegium said that “expression of views by a candidate does not disentitle him to hold a constitutional office so long as the person proposed for judgeship is a person of competence, merit and integrity.”

On Sathyan, the Collegium statement quoted from a report by the Intelligence Bureau: “As per open sources, two posts made by him, i.e. sharing of an article published in ‘The Quint’, which was critical of the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi; and another post regarding committing of suicide by medical aspirant Anitha, who ended her life in 2017 since she was unable to clear NEET, portraying it as a killing by ‘political betrayal’ and a tag stating ‘shame of you India’ came to notice.”

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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LAVROV ACCUSES NATO MAKING ‘OVERTURES’ TO INDIA TO CREATE PROBLEMS IN TIES WITH CHINA

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the US-led military bloc Nato of attempting to make “overtures” to India to create “additional problems” in India’s already strained relations with China. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, he also said that the US-led West has taken the concept of the Indo-Pacific “out of context and given a new meaning — the indivisibility of interests of Nato and the Indo-Pacific region.

The difference is obvious”. “Nato is not limited to organising life on the European continent. In June 2022, Nato’s Madrid Summit declared that the military bloc had a global commitment, specifically in relation of the Asia-Pacific region, which they call the Indo-Pacific region. It is clear that they are attempting to make overtures to India to create additional problems in its relations with China,” Lavrov said.

FOR PAK, UNLIKE MANMOHAN, VAJPAYEE, ‘MODI ISN'T A PARTNER FOR TALKS’

Pakistani minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday said her country does not see a "partner" in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for working towards peace between the two countries.

Speaking at a session on South Asia at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos, Khar said, "When I went to India as foreign minister, I had worked really hard to press for better cooperation and we were in a much better position at that time compared to the situation in 2023."

"What we have done in these years, we have added to the hostility. We must realise that we cannot change geography. And let's understand it's not a South Asia problem, it is an India-Pakistan problem and the problem from India side and there was a lack of statesmanship," Pakistan's minister of state for foreign affairs alleged.

"There is a need to think beyond an election cycle and a willingness for peace. I am not seeing a partner in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, though he may be good for his country, I did see a partner in Manmohan Singh and in Atal Bihari Vajpayee," she said.

THE REST

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GEHLOT LIKENS SACHIN PILOT TO CORONAVIRUS

Amid the power tussle between Ashok Gehlot and his bete noire Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan, a video has surfaced online in which the chief minister is purportedly saying that a "big corona" entered the party after the pandemic. It is believed that Gehlot allegedly likened Pilot to coronavirus.

The video is of a pre-budget meeting Gehlot had with the representatives of employees' union on Wednesday.

Responding to one of the participants during the meeting, Gehlot without naming anyone said, “I have started meeting...earlier corona came...a big corona also entered our party.”

The comment by Gehlot is being seen as a counter to Pilot's repeated attack on his government.

In his daily public meetings since Monday in different districts, Pilot has been targeting the state government over the issues of paper leaks, sidelining party workers and political appointments to retired bureaucrats.

A FIRST FOR INDIAN ARMY: 108 WOMEN TO HOLD COMMAND POSTS

In a first for the Indian Army, 108 women officers have been promoted as Colonel and will be assigned command posts. They will lead units, just as their male counterparts do upon attaining the rank of Colonel.

In the armed forces, the rank of Colonel and above are selection posts, all officers don’t make the cut. Sources said the selection board found 108 women officers “fit for command assignments”. The first set of such postings would be issued by the end of this month.

The Army had held a selection board from January 9 onwards at the Army headquarters to select Lt Colonels who could be promoted. A total of 244 women officers were considered for promotion against 108 vacancies. Women officers are allowed in the Army in Engineers, Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (EME), Signals, Army Air Defence, Intelligence Corps, Army Service Corps and Army Ordnance Corps.

Sixty women officers were invited as observers to ensure fair conduct of the selection process.

NOW, WOMEN’S COMMISSION CHIEF DRAGGED BY ‘DRUNK’ DRIVER IN DELHI

Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal on Thursday alleged that she was molested by an inebriated man and dragged by his car for a few metres outside AIIMS with her hand stuck in the vehicle’s window as he drove.

The accused, who has been identified as 47-year-old Harish Chandra, has been arrested by the Delhi Police.

The incident has once again raised questions over the safety of women in the national capital. The DCW chief said she could have been killed just like Anjali Singh, the 20-year-old who died after being dragged for several kilometres by a car.

Elaborating on the incident, Maliwal said she was standing at a bus stop around 3 am as part of an experiment to get a reality check on women’s safety. “A man first asked me to get into his car. After I refused, he went away. After 10 minutes, he returned and made obscene hand gestures. When I went to reprimand him, he rolled up the window of his car and my hand got stuck in it. Instead of stopping the car, he accelerated. If the DCW chief isn’t safe in Delhi, one can imagine how unsafe it is for the women,” she said.

HYBRID COVID IMMUNITY OFFERS MORE COVER THAN INFECTION, SAYS STUDY

Hybrid immunity — from a previous infection coupled with vaccination — offers a “higher magnitude and durability” of protection against severe Covid than an infection alone, according to a meta-analysis published in “Lancet Infectious Diseases”.

The study says hybrid immunity may also help in extending the period before which a booster dose is needed, especially in the context of Omicron variants leading to a high number of breakthrough infections. It says, however, that all immunity — from infection, vaccination or vaccination coupled with infection — wanes against re-infection within months.

The study shows that hybrid immunity, coupled with primary vaccine doses, was effective in preventing severe disease and hospital admission in 97.4 per cent of participants upto 12 months.

After 12 months, the study says, protection against re-infection for all forms of immunity dipped to 24.7 per cent.

The study states that hybrid immunity with more vaccine doses provides more protection.

PLEA AGAINST MOVIE ‘FARAAZ’ IN DELHI HC

Hearing a plea to restrain the release of director Hansal Mehta’s upcoming movie Faraaz, which is based on the 2016 Dhaka terrorist attack, the Delhi High Court Tuesday asked both parties – the makers of the film and the mothers of two girls killed in the attack – to consider resolving their issues.

The two women, mothers of Abinta Kabir and Tarishi Jain, first approached the Delhi High Court last year seeking an interim order restraining the makers from releasing the film. Claiming a breach of their right to privacy protected under Article 21 of the Constitution, the women said the film may depict their daughters in “a bad light”, which would be difficult for them as they would have to revisit the traumatic incident all over again.

They argued that their “right to be left alone” supersedes the right of the filmmakers to commercially exploit the incident at the expense of the fundamental rights of the mothers protected under the Constitution.

Before the single-judge bench, the women claimed that several news articles have mentioned that “Faraaz stood up for the lives of his two friends”.

The order records that the women had a reasonable apprehension that the “film has been created to show Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain as a protagonist or something of the attack, as the movie has been named after Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain”. It was argued that if such a depiction is made, it shall be completely false as the mothers were amongst the first witnesses to meet the survivors after the attack and were well aware of the series of events, the order states. They said that glorifying or exaggerating upon one victim of the attack will be a gross misinterpretation of facts, the order states.

HOCKEY WORLD CUP: INDIA BEAT WALES BUT MISS DIRECT QUALIFICATION TO QUARTERS

Thursday’s Matches:

Malaysia 3-2 New Zealand (Pool C)

Netherlands 14-0 Chile (Pool C)

England 4-0 Spain (Pool D)

India 4-2 Wales (Pool D)

A below-par India beat tournament debutants Wales 4-2 in their final pool match but failed to qualify directly for the quarterfinals of the FIH Men's World Cup in Bhubaneshwar, on Thursday.

India can still qualify for the quarter-finals if they beat New Zealand (3rd placed team in Pool C) in their crossover match, on Sunday.

Akashdeep Singh (32nd and 45th minutes) struck twice, while Shamsher Singh (21st) and Harmanpreet Singh (59th) got the other goals for India. Gareth Furlong (42nd) and Jacob Draper (44th) were the goal-getters for Wales.

Needing to win by a margin of eight goals to directly qualify for the quarter-finals, India failed to live up to the expectations as they finished second in Pool D behind England.

Both India and England ended their pool engagements on seven points each after winning two matches and drawing one but the European side topped Pool D on the basis of superior goal difference.

England, who had outclassed Spain 4-0 in the earlier Pool D match in Bhubaneswar, have a better goal difference of +9 as against 4 of India.

AUS OPEN: MURRAY RALLIES TO DOWN KOKKINAKIS IN LATE-NIGHT EPIC

Former world number one Andy Murray produced one of his greatest ever comebacks to sink home hope Thanasi Kokkinakis in a titanic second-round thriller at the Australian Open in the early hours of Friday morning.

The 35-year-old Scot looked down and out against an inspired Kokkinakis as he trailed by two sets and 2-5 but displayed his trademark warrior spirit to somehow claw out a 4-6, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 7-5 victory after five hours and 45 minutes.

When Murray finally got the job done in what was his 250th Grand Slam match, the clock was just past 4.05am local time but a sizeable and vociferous crowd had remained glued to their seats inside the Margaret Court Arena.

It was another stupendous effort from the three-time Grand Slam champion whose career has been littered by such battles and who has stubbornly refused to call it a day since having a partly metal hip inserted in 2019.

Novak Djokovic also had to dig deep at times against French qualifier Enzo Couacaud but rolled into the third round 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-0 on Thursday to continue his quest for a 10th Australian Open crown and a 22nd Grand Slam title. The 35-year-old took a medical time out to change the strapping on his left thigh in the second set but otherwise appeared largely unhindered by the hamstring niggle he sustained at a warm-up tournament in Adelaide two weeks ago.

In women’s SIngles, Second seed Ons Jabeur crashed out of the second round of the Australian Open after an error-strewn display in a 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 loss to former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova on Thursday.The Tunisian, who stormed up the rankings last year after runs to the final at Wimbledon and the US Open, sprayed 50 unforced errors and had her serve broken eight times in the 102 minute contest.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. - Eric Hoffer

OFF TRACK

A pub in Hyderabad has installed a breathalyzer. If your drunk, it advises you not to drive. If you're really, really drunk, it advises you not to call your old girlfriend.