AIRTEL, ELON MUSK’S SPACEX JOIN HANDS FOR SATCOM SERVICE WEDNESDAY 12 Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said it signed an agreement with Musk’s SpaceX to offer high-speed internet services under Starlink to its customers in India MARCH, 2025 8% epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard OF ADJUSTED GROSS REVENUE IS WHAT TELCOS ARE CHARGED AS LICENCE FEE ICC WARRANT EX-PHILIPPINE PREZ DUTERTE ARRESTED AIRTEL GAINS HEFT VERSUS RIVAL EUTELSAT Rodrigo Duterte boarded a flight bound for The Hague on Tuesday night, following his arrest on an ICC warrant tied to his war on drugs. A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 MORNING MADNESS 1 Attackers blew up railway tracks between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar in Sibi district of Balochistan in Pakistan 2 Armed men stormed the train, taking over 100 passengers, including security men, women and kids, hostage 3 Security forces have launched an operation to rescue the hostages, with local media reporting a fire exchange late in the night Peshawar Railway Station Islamabad Railway Station AFGHANISTAN Quetta Railway Station BOLAN PASS  NEW DELHI  J8.00 Balochistan Liberation Army said it seized control of the train when it was minutes away from the Mashkaf tunnel on the Pehro Kunri route in Sibi district  The development assumes significance as Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel was at loggerheads with Starlink over licence fees and spectrum pricing for satellite-based internet service providers. Airtel is also the single-largest shareholder with a 21.2% share in Starlink’s rival firm Eutelsat OneWeb, which has got the nod to start operations in India | P10 PAGES 12 ILLUSTRATION: SOURAV ROY PAKISTAN INDIA Provisions to deny foreigners’ entry, restrict their movement; harsh penalty for violators THE TAKING OF JAFFAR EXP PAK TRAIN HOSTAGE DRAMA WITH 500 ABOARD QUETTA: Suspected Baloch insurgents opened fire at a passenger train in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan region on Tuesday and shot dead 20 soldiers while taking hundreds of passengers, including women and children, hostages. Pakistan media reported late Tuesday that 80 hostages had been rescued and 13 terrorists eliminated after an operation by special forces. There were still close to 400 hostages on the train. The insurgents bombed the track before storming the Jaffar Express, headed from Quetta to Peshawar, between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar stations in a remote, mountainous area of Sibi district in Balochistan province which borders Afghanistan and Iran. Government spokesperson Shahid Rind termed it as a “terrorist attack.” The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) took owed up the attack, and warned “all hostages would be executed” if Pakistan army intervened. BLA, banned in Pakistan, the UK and the US, is fighting for independence and accuses outsiders of profiting from the region’s vast mineral wealth. Controller of Railways Muhammad Kashif said that the train, comprising nine coaches, has around 500 passengers on board. There are 17 tunnels in the area on the railway line and due to the difficult terrain, trains move at a slow speed, Kashif said. The train was ambushed near Mashkaf tunnel in Sibi district. Dawn.com said security forc- es had surrounded the area and launched a clearance operation that would continue till the aggressors were eliminated. An emergency has been declared at local hospitals, and rescue teams are on their way to the site. However, the rocky terrain is making it difficult for officials to reach the area. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, and said: “The beasts who fire on innocent passengers do not deserve any concessions.” The siege comes amid a surge in terror attacks in Balochistan, with over 1,600 people killed in attacks in 2024. In November 2024, at least 26 people were killed in a suicide blast at Quetta railway station. AP/AFP M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Security forces later surrounded the tunnel and began flushing out ops Reports suggested that the Balochistan Liberation Army insurgents used civilian passengers as human shields before issuing a warning that any interference from the Army would lead to the death of the hostages Ministry lifts suspension, WFI calls trials Court orders FIR against Kejriwal over Dwarka illegal banners F I R O Z M I R Z A @ Chennai the smooth flow of traffic by distracting traffic and poses a A city court on Tuesday direct- safety challenge to the pedestried the police to register an FIR ans and vehicles. Deaths caused against former CM Arvind Ke- by collapse of illegal hoardings jriwal and others in connection are not new,” the court said. with alleged defacement of The complaint alleged that public property in 2019. despite bringing the matter to The order was passed by Ad- the police attention in 2019, no ditional Chief Judiaction was taken. Opposing the plea, cial Magistrate Neha Report by the police argued that Mittal of the Rouse March 18 the alleged hoardings Avenue Court in reA complaint was were no longer present sponse to a complaint lodged accusing at the location and filed by Shiv Kumar Arvind Kejriwal and that no cognizable ofSaxena, who accused Kejriwal and others others of violating fence could be estabof violating Section 3 Section 3 of Delhi lished at this stage. Prevention of The police stated that of the Delhi PrevenDefacement of the absence of printtion of Defacement Property Act, 2007, ing press details on of Property (DPDP) Act, 2007, by illegally by illegally putting the banners made it up hoardings in difficult to trace their putting up hoardings Dwarka. The police origin and the indiin Dwarka. told to file a viduals responsible While directing the police to file a compli- compliance report for putting them up. by March 18. T he cour t reafance report by March firmed that affixing 18, the court underlined the gravity of the offence. banners and hoardings consti. “The seriousness of the offence tutes defacement of property It also emphasised that the compunishable under Section 3 of DPDP Act 2007 can be gauged plainant had produced photofrom the fact that it is not only graphic evidence, establishing an eyesore and public nuisance a prima facie case of an offence. thereby destroying the aesthet- The court ordered the police to ic sense of the city but is also register an FIR under Section 3 hazardous and dangerous to of the DPDP Act. S H E K H A R S I N G H @ New Delhi MONTHS of uncertainty gave way to hope as the sports ministry through an order dated March 10 revoked suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The suspension was imposed on December 24, 2023, days after the elections of the executive committee following which Sanjay Kumar Singh was elected as the president. The sports ministry after much deliberation and evalua- tion took this decision in the interest of the wrestlers. There was ambiguity over selection and participation in international competitions was also getting affected. T h e d eve l o p m e n t meant the Indian wrestlers, who had to miss two Ranking Series last month, could now compete at the Asian Championships this month. Had they missed this, they would have rendered ineligible to compete at the World Championships. Sports minister Mansukh J I T E N D R A C H O U B E Y @ New Delhi INDIA houses 13 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities, with Assam’s Byrnihat topping the list, according to a report by IQAir, a Swiss organisation. The report released on Tuesday said that despite a slight reduction in air pollution, Delhi remained the most polluted capital city in the world in 2024. A slight decrease in dangerous PM2.5 concentrations improved India’s ranking from third in 2023 to fifth in 2024. Delhi grapples with high air pollution year-round, and the problem worsens in winter when unfavourable weather conditions, combined with ve- Assam’s Byrnihat tops global list Screen shot of the webpage displaying price of CSK tickets | EXPRESS Tickets, at this point in time, are listed across 12 price bands, with the cheapest at `17,804. According to the website, one KMK Lower ticket was grabbed for `123,593 two days ago. Right now, there are 84 tickets available for the marquee clash against Mumbai. Interestingly , even the lower stand tickets (without hospitality and on the square of the wicket) are selling for 10 times its original price. For example a D lower cost `1700 last season and for the same Mumbai match the price has touched `20,600. Right now, tickets are available on viagogo for six of the seven home matches. Tickets are also available 7% DECLINE 13 — Byrnihat, Delhi, Punjab’s Mullanpur, Faridabad, Loni, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh and Noida — of world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India India ranked 5th most polluted country in 2024, marking an improvement from its 3rd rank in 2023 IN PM2.5 CONCENTRATIONS IN 2024 Air pollution remains a serious health risk in India, reducing life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years Source: The World Air Quality Report 2024 by Swiss air quality tech company IQAir 4 CITIES IN PAK AND ONE IN CHINA ARE AMONG THE WORLD’S TOP 20 POLLUTED CITIES hicular emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources, make the air hazardous. Four cities in Pakistan and one in China are among the world’s top 20 polluted cities. The report — ‘2024 World Air Quality’ — states that India’s 10 `17,804 to `1.23 lakh: CSK tickets on resell site CHENNAI Super Kings (CSK) are yet to announce ticket sales for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season but that hasn’t stopped tickets for their matches from appearing in a prominent ticket reselling website. When this daily last accessed the pages of viagogo, the current asking price for one KMK Lower ticket is `123,593 for the team’s opener against Mumbai Indians at Chepauk on March 23. Mandaviya said the decision was taken keeping in mind the welfare of wrestlers. While WFI chief thanked the prime minister, home minister and sports minister for lifting suspension. Due to the suspension and an order of the single bench of the Delhi High Court, the WFI was not able to hold selection trials. The WFI is planning to hold trials on March 15. Hours after the suspension was revoked, the Delhi HC division bench disposed off an appeal challenging single bench order over IOA’s ad hoc committee. P11 THE government on Tuesday introduced the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha, seeking to overhaul existing immigration laws and streamline various services related to foreigners’ entry, exit, and stay in the country . Introducing the bill on the behalf of Home Minister Amit Shah, Minister of State Nityanand Rai said that once the proposed law is passed, it will replace the colonial-era Foreigners Act, 1946; Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939; and the Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000. According to the bill, the objective is to enhance national security, control immigration procedures, and introduce stricter penalties on foreigners who violate visa rules. It says any foreigner posing a threat to national security, sovereignty or the integrity of the nation “will not be allowed into the country or will be denied the permission to stay in India”. It further mandates registration for foreigners upon arrival. The bill proposes heavy penalties for violations. Those overstaying, violating norms, or trespassing in restricted areas face three years imprisonment and fine of up to `3 lakh. Transport carriers carrying foreigners without valid documents face up to `5 lakh fine. If a foreigner is denied entry the , carrier will be responsible for their removal from India. The bill also empowers immigration officers to arrest individuals without a warrant. Meanwhile, the opposition dubbed the bill as violative of Delhi world’s most polluted capital again SALES NOT OPEN YET S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Chennai Immigration law has more teeth in new bill in LS across venues including Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad but there are no tickets available for the season opener between Kolkata and Bengaluru at Eden Gardens on March 22. Not yet anyway. In all, tickets are available for over 50 games. Tickets bought off reselling websites come in with the inherent risks so the buyer ought to be aware of these risks. The caveats are usually mentioned on the back of tickets purchased off the official ticketing agencies. cities, especially those in the Indo-Gangetic region, have been featured in the top 15 polluted cities of the South and Central Asian region. Globally, the region is home to the world’s top nine most polluted cities. Byrnihat, an industrial township on the As- sam-Meghalaya border, has been identified as the most polluted metropolitan area. Overall, the report said that 35% of Indian cities reported annual PM2.5 levels exceeding 10 times the World Health Organization (WHO) limit of 5 micrograms per cubic metre. KEY PROVISIONS  Mandatory registration of foreigners upon arrival; restrictions on their movement, name change, and stay in protected/restricted areas  Mandatory for universities, hospitals and accommodation providers to report about foreign nationals  Burden of proof on individuals to establish they are not foreigners  International transport carriers must provide passenger data PUNITIVE CHARGES  Entry without valid documents: Up to 5 yrs in prison or `5 lakh fine  Use of forged documents: 2-7 years in jail and `1-10 lakh fine  Overstaying Visa: Up to 3 years in jail or `3 lakh fine ENFORCEMENT POWERS  Immigration officers empowered to arrest without warrant  Authorities can remove foreigners violating the law  No appeal provision in proposed law constitutional provisions. Briefly intervening during the introduction of the bill, Congress MP Manish Tiwari said it doesn’t even have the right to appeal. He said the government should withdraw the bill or send it to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. TMC MP Sougata Roy also opposed the bill, saying: “I beg to oppose the Immigration and Foreigners Bill. There are already four laws in the country for the entry and exit of foreigners.” P7 EXPRESS READ 4 new copter services from Dehradun launched Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhamni launched four new copter services on Tuesday, officials said on Tuesday. The helicopter services will connect Dehradun to Nainital, Dehradun to Bageshwar, Dehradun to Mussoorie and Haldwani to Bageshwar. 3 BSF personnel killed in Manipur road accident Three BSF personnel were killed while 14 others injured when a vehicle they were travelling in fell down into a 100-ft-deep gorge in Manipur on Tuesday. The accident occurred at around 4 pm near South Changoubung village in the hilly Kangpokpi district. Eco-friendly Yamuna river cruise soon A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi Row over poison remark THE Delhi government and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch eco-friendly Yamuna river cruise from Sonia Vihar and Jagatpur (Shani Mandir). The initiative is aimed at transforming the fourkm stretch of the Yamuna into a hub for eco-friendly river cruise operations. Under the project, hybrid boats, equipped with bio-toilets, public announcement systems, and life jackets, will carry 20-30 passengers. The initiative is expected to encourage short-dis- Days before the Assembly election, Arvind Kejriwal alleged that BJP government in Haryana was supplying contaminated water to Delhi. His remarks met with strong rebuttal from BJP. tance water travel and recreational activities, making the river more accessible for both tourists and locals. The IWAI signed the MoU with multiple agencies of the Delhi government at a function where Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Union MoS Shantanu Thakur, L-G V K Saxena, CM Rekha Gupta among others were present. According to the MoU, the IWAI will provide infrastructure facilities consisting of floating jetties, DDA will provide land for shore side facilities and last-mile connectivity for passengers/tourists and DJB will provide guidelines for permissible activities and water quality restrictions. “It is a big step for the development of Delhi. Earlier, the AAP tried to stop the development of Delhi. Soon the people of Delhi will sit on the banks of Yamuna and watch a grand aarti like the Ganga aarti of Banaras,” CM Gupta said.