saturdAY 27 september, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard MiG-21, the iconic jet of Indian air force, makes its last flight Hamas in Gaza Bibi: Israel must finish the job MiG-21, for long the primary aircraft of the Indian Air Force, was decommissioned on Friday after serving the country for more than six decades Encircled by critics & protesters at the UN, Israeli PM told fellow world leaders on Friday that his nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza. Played key roles in wars with Pakistan A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS Page 9 l New Delhi l J8.00 l PAGES 12 MiG-21, inducted into the IAF in the 1960s, played crucial roles in the India-Pakistan wars of 1965, 1971, and 1999, as well as in the 2019 Balakot air strikes. Speaking at the decommissioning ceremony, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called the “mighty machine” a symbol of India’s pride. The event featured aerial displays, including formation take-offs by MiG-21s. p8 Wangchuk held Govt nails NATO chief Rutte lie on oil diplomacy under the NSA, flown to Jodhpur J ayanth J a c o b @ New Delhi Home Ministry says activist ‘incited mob that went on rampage’; Opposition cries foul F aya z w an i @ Srinagar noon. An FIR against Wangchuk has been filed under SIX years after he praised Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NSA in connection with for granting Union Territory incidents of rioting and arson status to Ladakh, Magsaysay on Wednesday . awardee climate activist Sonam Under the NSA, a person can Wangchuk, 59, was arrested on be detained for 12 months withFriday and booked under the out a trial. Wangchuk, accordstringent National Security Act ing to sources, has been moved (NSA) for allegedly ‘instigating out from Ladakh and shifted to and inciting violence and un- Jodhpur in Rajasthan. rest in Leh through provocative The Ministry of Home Afstatements’. fairs blamed WangParallelly, the govchuk’s speeches for inernment rescheduled a stigating unrest in the preparatory meeting region. “It is clear that between Ladakh leadthe mob was incited by ers and Union home S o n a m Wa n g c h u k ministry officials in through his provocaNew Delhi to Septemtive statements,” MHA ber 29 so as to prepare Sonam Wangchuk said in a statement. the ground for the OcThe FCRA licence of tober 6 talks. Leh Apex Mehbooba Wangchuk’s NGO, the Body (LAB) co-chair- slams move Students’ Educational man Chering Dorjay and Cultural Movetold this newspaper PDP president ment of Ladakh (SECMehbooba that the that a sevenMOL), was cancelled Mufti said the member delegation of on Thursday . Ladakh leaders, includ- arrest of Sonam Wangchuk has denied Wangchuk is ing three each from the allegations and “deeply LAB and Kargil Demotermed it “scapegoatdisturbing”, cratic Alliance and the ing” and “witch huntterming him Ladakh MP, will paring”. Immediately afas a lifelong ticipate in the Septemter the arrest, advocate of ber 29 talks. authorities suspended peace The meeting will dismobile internet servcuss the agenda for the ices in Leh district, October 6 talks between the La- where curfew remained in force dakh leaders and the Union for the third consecutive day . home ministry in New Delhi. Opposition parties, including Wangchuk’s arrest comes the Congress and Trinamool two days after violent protests Congress slammed the Centre in Leh over demands for state- over the arrest, alleging that hood and Sixth Schedule status the move “clearly exposes the left four persons dead and 80 in- government’s witch-hunting jured on Wednesday . agenda” and its “abysmal Sources said Wangchuk was failure” to maintain law and ortaken into custody by police der in the Union Territory from his residence in the after- of Ladakh. Express read NCERT can issue class X and XII equivalent certs The government has issued a notification entrusting the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) with the responsibility of granting certificates equivalent to that of Class X and XII certificates awarded by various school education boards. The move is aimed at facilitating smooth inter-school education board migrations, the Centre said. P7 AFSPA extended in parts of Manipur for 6 months The MHA on Friday issued three separate notifications extending the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) across Manipur, barring 13 police station areas in five districts of Imphal West, Imphal East, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching, for another six months with effect from October 1, 2025 after reviewing of the prevailing law and order situation. HC: Kapur’s wife can file papers in sealed cover The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed late industrialist Sunjay Kapur’s wife Priya Kapur to file the list of his assets in a sealed cover and suggested the parties involved in the dispute not to share details with the media. Justice Jyoti Singh took note of the consequent undertakings from the counsel appearing for all the parties, including Priya, aside from Sunjay’s children with former wife and actor Karisma Kapoor. India on Friday strongly rejected remarks made by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to clarify his stance on Ukraine and termed the statement as “factually incorrect and entirely baseless.” Speaking to CNN, Rutte claimed that India had been in contact with Moscow and Prime Minister Modi had con- fronted Putin over the Ukraine war, linking it to economic fallout from US tariffs. “Delhi is on the phone with Putin, and Narendra Modi is asking him to explain his strategy on Ukraine because India is being hit with tariffs,” Rutte alleged. In a sharply worded rebuttal, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the comments as false and irresponsible. “We have seen the statement pects better from a leader of such a key international body . “We expect the leadership of an important institution like NATO to exercise greater responsibility and accuracy in public statements. Speculative or careless remarks that misrepresent the Prime Minister’s engagements or suggest conversations that never occurred are unacceptable.” The controversy comes against the backdrop of rising trade tensions, with US President Donald Trump last month doubling tariffs on key Indian goods to 50%, citing India’s continued imports of Russian oil. Reiterating India’s energy policy, the MEA spokesperson stressed that its purchases are guided solely by national interest, market conditions and economic considerations. Answering a question on the European Union calling upon India to cut energy imports from Russia, Jaiswal pointed to President Trump statement that the EU, G7, NATO also needs to stop Russian energy imports. Asia Cup row Surya, Rauf fined, BCCI files appeals against verdict E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai Kanpur Bareilly sparks fly in Bareilly amid ‘I Love Muhammad’ row Demonstration called off Police, locals clash Shops vandalised Over two dozen held Clashes erupted in UP’s Bareilly after a demonstration in support of “I Love Muhammad” campaign was called off on Friday As a large crowd marched towards the Islamia Inter College ground, police tried to stop them, leading to clashes at Khalil Tiraha Police in anti-riot gear used force to disperse the crowd, which reorted to stone pelting and vandalism of shops and vehicles More than two dozen people have been detained. No official figures were available about the number of injured people | p8 29L domestic users Sharif makes ‘sincere, to get 100% late fee waiver, says DJB The government will waive 100% of late payment surcharges on water bills for domestic users and government establishments starting next month. | P4 serious’ composite talks offer to India at UNGA J ayanth J a c o b @ New Delhi DELHI-NCR manufacturing of green crackers okay, no sale: SC S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the manufacture of green firecrackers in Delhi, provided that they are not sold in the Delhi-NCR region. A three-judge bench led by CJI B R Gavai said, “We permit the manufacturers who have the certification of green crackers by the NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute), and PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation), to manufacture. However, this will be subject to an undertaking by the manufacturers that until further orders, they would not sell any of their crackers in the prohibited areas,” and posted the matter for further by NATO Secretary-General Mr Mark Rutte regarding a purported phone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin. The statement is factually incorrect and entirely baseless,” said Jaiswal. “At no point has Prime Minister Modi spoken with President Putin in the manner suggested. No such conversation has taken place.” Jaiswal added that the Government of India ex- hearing to October 8. Some parties argued that the SC’s April 3 order extending the firecracker ban in NCR to the whole year instead of just the winter season was in conflict with the 2018 verdict in the Arjun Gopal case. The bench said it was not proposing to go into that issue at this moment, keeping in view the level of pollution. Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, the amicus curiae in the matter, suggested to the SC for a complete ban on firecrackers, including their manufacture. She submitted that allowing the firecracker manufacture in NCR will eventually lead to their sale and use in the prohibited areas, which will ultimately increase the level of pollution. Opposing the submissions, senior advocates Balbir Singh and other lawyers, appearing for some firecracker manufacturers association, sought to allow manufacturing within certain strict conditions. “They can declare the quantities on the websites and will make all necessary declarations while keeping the safety parameters of pollution level,” Singh added. To this, the SC expressed concerns about the impact on the livelihood of workers engaged with the firecracker manufacture companies. In his speech at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday extended what he called his “most sincere and serious” offer of a renewed diplomatic engagement with India, proposing a “composite, comprehensive and result-oriented dialogue” to resolve all outstanding issues even as he launched a sharp critique of New Delhi’s stance on Kashmir. Sharif recalled the decades-old Composite Dialogue framework, originally initiated in 2003 under Gen Pervez Musharraf ’s military regime. The eight-point dialogue process, which covered contentious issues including Kashmir, trade and counter-terrorism, was suspended following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Despite intermittent backchannel talks, formal negotiations have not resumed since. “This is my most sincere and serious offer before this august assembly of world nations,” Sharif declared. “Pakistan stands ready for a composite, comprehensive and result-oriented dialogue with India on all outstanding issues.” However, the overture came alongside allegations. Sharif criticised India’s policy in Kashmir, reiterating Islamabad’s demand for an “impartial plebiscite” under UN auspices. He asserted that Pakistan would continue to support the Kashmiri people in their quest for what he described as the “fundamental right to self-determination.” Sharif also Operation Sindoor, alleging that “seven Indian jets” were damaged during the four-day conflict. The claim has not been independently verified. Sharif praised US President Donald Trump for his mediation, crediting him for averting what he said was an imminent war. “In recognition of President Trump’s wonderful and outstanding contribution to promote peace in our part of the world, Pakistan nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Sharif said, calling Trump a “man of peace” and lauding his “courageous and decisive” leadership. p7 Ahead of their first-ever Asia Cup final in 41 years of tournament history on Sunday, India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s pacer Haris Rauf have reportedly been fined 30% of their respective match fees by ICC match referee. Pakis t a n b at t e r S a h i b z a d a Farhan, however, escaped with a warning for his gunshot celebration after completing his fifty in the Super Fours match against India. It was also learnt that the BCCI has appealed against the ICC’s verdict. While the global body didn’t issue any statement, sources said Suryakumar attended the hearing on Thursday while the hearing for the Pakistan duo was conducted at the team hotel on Friday . The Indian skipper dedicated his team’s win over Pakistan on September 14 to the victims of the Pahalgam attack and the Indian armed forces. Pakistan Cricket Board had lodged a complaint against him for making a political statement. It was also learnt that Suryakumar has been asked not to make any statement that could be construed as political during the tournament. Rauf was fined for allegedly engaging with Indian fans during the Super Fours match on September 21. The pacer allegedly mimicked a jet going down. The BCCI complained against the duo. It all started with the first match between the two archrivals on September 14 when Suryakumar didn’t shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha after the toss. The India team then refused the solidarity handshake with Pakistan players after the match, escalating the tension further. 55 MW solar power through rooftop plants on 1K govt buildings launched E x p r e ss N e ws Se r v i c e @ New Delhi Delhi will install solar panels on 1,000 government buildings to generate 55MW of clean electricity, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Friday . The plan envisages converting unused rooftop space across departments into decentralised power sources, reducing reliance on conventional genera- tion and lowering pollution in the national capital. The launch event in Rithala marked the beginning of the initiative as Gupta inaugurated a 25KW solar installation at the local sewage treatment plant. She said the complete rooftop rollout is scheduled for completion by January next year. Soon, work on panels will begin at other identified gov- ernment buildings. The target of 55MW from 1,000 rooftops will be achieved through a phased schedule that includes surveys, retrofits, and grid connections. In addition to the solar push, Gupta also laid the foundation stone for a power grid project being built by TPDDL, signalling an inte- grated approach to emergency services and distribution upgrades. She framed these steps as part of her administration’s environmental agenda for the “golden chapter” of a clean, green Delhi. Waste management was also a focal point. Gupta noted that Delhi generates an estimated 11,000–12,000 metric tonnes of solid waste daily, of which roughly 7,000 tonnes are disposed of, and cautioned that unprocessed garbage would only build “mountains” if left unchecked. The administration has intensified efforts on waste-to-energy plants and biogas facilities to tackle the shortfall and convert waste into usable energy . Work has begun on an e- waste processing plant in Tehkhand to handle discarded electronics, chargers, and batteries. Gupta highlighted the procurement of 3,000 electric buses to reduce vehicular pollution and modernise public transport. Officials expect the programme to attract private investment and create technical jobs.