WEDNESDAY 16 OCTOBER, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard K-POP IDOL TELLS LAWMAKERS OF HARASSMENT Representational Image SIMILAR TO THE DRONE THAT KILLED QAEDA CHIEF ■ A member of chart-topping K-pop group NewJeans testified to South Korean lawmakers on Tuesday as part of an enquiry into workplace harassment. ■ A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 NEW DELHI Same old Trudeau saying same old things: Govt J8.00 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar being welcomed upon his arrival in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday | PTI JAISHANKAR IN ISLAMABAD TO ATTEND SCO SUMMIT Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as they met in Islamabad for a banquet dinner hosted by the latter for foreign dignitaries visiting Pakistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. This is the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years. “Landed in Islamabad to take part in SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting,” the foreign minister posted on ‘X’. Jaishankar was received at the Nur Khan airbase by Pakistan Foreign Ministry’s Director General for South Asia, Ilyas Nizami. The SCO summit will take place on Wednesday . Before Jaishankar left for India remains Pakistan, India on Tuesday actively engaged said that it remains actively in the SCO engaged in various mechaformat, including nisms of the SCO. “India revarious mains actively engaged in mechanisms and initiatives the SCO format, including within the SCO various mechanisms and framework initiatives within the SCO framework,’’ the Ministry Ministry of of External Affairs said in a External Affairs statement. “The SCO CHG meeting is held annually and focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the Organisation,” the MEA said. Discussions on India-Pakistan ties are not expected as the focus of Jaishankar’s visit is the SCO conclave. “Normally the PM would have gone. We are going for a multilateral event, and not to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I am going there to be a good member of the SCO and since I am a civil and courteous person I will behave myself accordingly Jais,’’ hankar had earlier said. The last Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj in December 2015. Days after her visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down in Lahore for a brief, surprise visit on his way back to India from Kabul. The ties have since been strained by a series of terror attacks in India. INDIA on Tuesday rubbished all allegations of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that New Delhi had hired the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to target Khalistani elements on its soil. Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly said all options were on the table, including announcing sanctions. It’s the same old Trudeau saying the same old things for the same old reasons, of ficial sources remarked. Both India and Canada expelled six diplomats each as part of their punitive action the previous day . But one person who might have found it difficult to conceal a chuckle was Lawrence Bishnoi, 31, who is in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail. By alleging that he was hired to harm the Khalistanis, Canada elevated him to the level of the once dreaded gangster Chhota Rajan, who was cultivated by India to neutralise Dawood Ibrahim some decades ago. Bishnoi’s name was recently linked to the supari murder of senior NCP leader Baba Siddiqui in Mumbai. “India made a fundamental error in thinking that they could engage in supporting criminal activity against Canadians on Canadian soil, whether it was the murders or extor- tion or other violent acts,’’ claimed Trudeau. Bilateral diplomatic ties dived following the gunning down of Khalistani radical Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year. Rebutting the charges, official sources said, “From the very beginning, the Canadian approach has been to make vague accusations and put the burden of denial on India.” RCMP officer Brigitte Gauvin had alleged that India specifically targeting pro-Khalistani elements in Canada. “What we have seen is, from an RCMP perspective, they use organised crime elements. It has been publically attributed and claimed by one organised crime group in part i c u l a r ( L aw re n c e ) Bishnoi group. We believe that the group is connected to agents of the Government of India.’’ An RCMP statement said, its multidisciplinary probe team has a significant amount of information “about the breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Government of India, and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada... specifically members of the pro-Khalistan movement.” It alleged that Indian diplomats and consular officials engaged in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for the Government of India. PAGES 12 Option of curbs on table: Ottawa INDIA TRASHES ALL CANADIAN CHARGES YESHI SELI AND HARPREET B A J W A @ New Delhi/Chandigarh DECISION ABSURD: INDIA “It is absurd that after intensively engaging the High Commissioner over the last year, the Canadian government now chooses to target him,’’ India said BASIC ERROR: TRUDEAU India made a fundamental error in thinking it could support criminal activity against Canadians on Canadian soil, claimed Trudeau India treats good, bad Khalistanis equally: Report H A R P R E E T B A J W A @ Chandigarh WHEN Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on October 16 deposes before a commission examining the extent of foreign interference in his country he can be , expected to play the familiar but discredited ‘good Taliban, bad Taliban’ card, though replacing the Taliban with the Khalistanis. He could also cite statements by the counsel for the proscribed Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and the allegations by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on the alleged Indian attempts to go after the Khalistanis in Canada. Significantly, the RCMP has not even filed a chargesheet in the Khalistani radical Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder case yet, said sources. The report of a ‘Public Inquiry into foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions’ released in May last, alleged that Indian officials, including Canada-based proxies, engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians. “These activities include foreign interference, which aim to align Canada’s position with India’s interests on key issues, particularly with respect to how the Indian government perceives Canadabased supporters of an independent Sikh homeland (Khalistan),” the report said. The report said, India views part of these communities as fostering an anti-India sentiment, and representing a threat to stability and national security “India does not . differentiate between lawful, pro-Khalistani political advocacy and the relatively small Canada-based Khalistani violent extremism. It views anyone aligned with Khalistani separatism as a seditious threat to India. Targets of Indian foreign interference are often members of the Indo-Canadian communities, but prominent non-Indo-Canadians are also subject to India’s foreign influence activities.’’ In other words, good Khalistanis, bad Khalistanis. PTI Air quality in ‘moderate’ category Air quality improved to the ‘moderate’ category on Tuesday. The air quality was in the ‘poor’ category for the past two days. GRAP Stage-1 was imposed to tackle air quality on Monday Coldest morning this season With 17.4 degree Celsius, Tuesday was the coldest morning of the season. The IMD has predicted that the daytime temperatures are likely to drop further in the coming days | P3 EFFLUENT YAMUNA Fishermen row their way through toxic foam on the surface of Yamuna river at Kalindi Kunj on Tuesday Atishi crackdown on dust pollution P R A B H AT S H U K L A @ New Delhi CHIEF Minister Atishi on Tuesday said 99 teams have been formed to inspect construction sites—both private and government-owned—to ensure strict compliance of dust control measures. The move comes a day after the Stage-1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was enforced, following a decline in the air quality . The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Atishi, which included representatives from Delhi Pollution Control Committee, PWD, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, and the revenue department, among others. Atishi said that while Delhi has seen an increase in the number of “good air days” this year, the air quality has recently dipped, necessitating urgent action and the implementation of GRAP Stage-1 restrictions. Under this stage, 33 teams each from DPCC, revenue, and industry departments will conduct inspections of construction sites to ensure that dust mitigation protocols are followed. The teams will submit daily reports to the ‘Green War Room,’ a dedicated control room monitoring air quality measures across the city . In addition, the MCD has deployed 79 teams during the day and 75 at night to supervise removal and proper disposal of construction and demolition waste. Also, 116 additional teams have been assigned to monitor and prevent biomass burning, a significant contributor to pollution levels. To address road dust, the PWD has been instructed to repair potholes. Mass deployment of anti-smog guns has also been initiated. The traffic police have been directed to identify congestion hotspots and deploy additional personnel. Traffic congestion is another source of pollution. Dates out for high-octane Maha, Jharkhand electoral battles PRIYANKA TO MAKE POLL DEBUT IN WAYANAD ON NOV 13 With the Election Commission announcing that bypoll to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat vacated by Rahul Gandhi will be held on November 13, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is all set to make her electoral debut. Since her election is a no-brainer, this will be the first time Priyanka Gandhi will enter Parliament as an MP. This will also be the first time that the three Gandhi family members—Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka—will be in Parliament together S U D H I R S U R YAWA N S H I & MUKESH RANJAN @ Mumbai/Ranchi WITH the Election Commission announcing the schedule for the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the stage has been set for the big fights between the BJP and the Opposition INDIA bloc. Voting for Maharashtra’s 288 Assembly seats will be held on November 20. In Jharkhand, elections will be held in two phases—on No- vember 13 and November 20. The counting of votes will take place on November 23. The BJP-led MahaYuti alliance is facing a tough challenge from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of the Congress, NCP-SP and Shiv Sena-UBT. Just a few months ago, the MVA alliance won 31 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections. It hopes to carry that momentum. The MahaYuti government, however, is The defence ministry approved their procurement from the US in June last year under a government-togovernment framework The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 “Reaper” which was used to launch a modified version of the Hellfire missile that eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul in July 2022 | P7 banking on its welfare schemes to help it sail through. CM Eknath Shinde has reached out to every caste and community in the state. In recent days, his government has announced separate welfare boards for various communities, tripled the salary of madrasa teachers and approved ex-gratia payment for government employees and ASHA workers. The MVA is playing the emotive card of Maharash- tra’s pride, promising to restore its glory The Congress . said that the Opposition bloc will go to the polls with an agenda to ‘save’ the state from the NDA. In Jharkhand, the ruling JMM-Congress alliance appears to be in a better position than the BJP Jharkhand . CM Hemant Soren said that the alliance will contest all 81 seats. JMM legislator and Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren is confident of victory The . state has 2.6 crore voters. MORE REPORTS ON P8 SEA OF OKHOTSK RUSSIAN ADRIFT ON DINGY IN COLDEST SEA OF GALES FOR TWO MONTHS RESCUED A Russian man was rescued in the stormy Sea of Okhotsk after surviving for more than two months in a tiny inflatable boat that lost its engine, but his brother and nephew have died, officials said on Tuesday | P9 Be aware crazy fans! Dosanjh’s Delhi show goes the Coldplay way U J W A L J A L A L I & S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi EVEN before the hullabaloo around the exorbitant Coldplay concert ticket prices—which skyrocketed by 30 times, still leaving hundreds of thousands, including celebrities like Karan Johar, heartbroken—could subside, came the announcement of Punjab singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert in the national capital. And with the high-profile concerts, enter the black marketeers who taking advantage of the fans’ obsessive nature, quadruple the ticket costs. A 29-year-old BTech dropout has been arrested for selling fake tickets to Dosanjh’s concert on October 26-27. The accused, Kaushik Raj, spent the cheated amount of `6.75 lakh in travelling to multiple cities and purchasing an iPhone and an Apple watch worth `1,35,000 and `50,000, respectively . The Delhi Police has recently warned the people against scammers while buying the concert tickets. They used the lyrics from Dosanjh’s hit track—‘Oh Paise Puse Baare Billo Soche Duniya’—from his GOAT album, writing, “Gana sunne ke chakkar me ticket ke liye galat link par paise puse dekar apna band na bajwa lena (Don’t fall for fake ticket links and end up getting scammed; always verify first).” . Meanwhile, a petition was filed before the Delhi High Court urging the government to establish regulations for ticket resale on authorised platforms. The petition aims to curb black-market sales and inflated ticket prices, particularly for high-demand concerts like the upcoming Coldplay show in Mumbai. Coldplay set to perform in January 2025, has already sold , out two shows, prompting addition of a third date, which also sold out in no time. As a result, ticket resale prices skyrocketed, with some now costing up to 30 times. The excitement has also driven up hotel and flight prices for the event dates. Some hotels near the venue charge up to `4,50,000 per night. Similarly, Dosanjh’s tour has generated a huge buzz, particularly since tickets for his upcoming show in Delhi on October 26 are priced as high as `25,000. Tickets for his shows were released on September 10 and 12, with more than 2,50,000 tickets being sold, marking the highest sales ever for an Indian artist. On September 10, ticket prices ranged from `1,499 to `19,999, but prices started changing within two minutes of their release. By September 12, Gold (Phase 3) tickets were sold for `12,999, while Fan Pit tickets went for `20,000. EXPRESS READ 4th accused in Baba Siddique murder nabbed Mumbai Police has arrested one more person in connection with the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique, saying that he provided money and weapons for the crime. Harishkumar Balakram Nisad (23), from Bahraich and the fourth person to be arrested in the case, was on Tuesday remanded in police custody till October 21. Nisad worked as a scrap dealer in Pune. Firing in Punjab gram panchayat elections Polling to elect gram panchayat members concluded amid tight security in Punjab on Tuesday, officials said. Two incidents of firing were reported, they added. Voting for the posts of sarpanch and panch through ballots started at 8 am and concluded at 4 pm, the officials said, adding that a voter turnout of more than 45% was recorded.
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