India protests after envoy denied entry to Pak gurdwara
India lodged a strong protest with Pakistan on Saturday after its envoy and other officials in Islamabad were barred from meeting Indian pilgrims at Gurdwara Panja Sahib, the second such incident in a little more than two months.
Indian high commissioner Ajay Bisaria and consular officials were denied entry to the gurdwara at Hasan Abdal, 65 km from Islamabad, even though they had been granted travel permission by Pakistan’s foreign ministry, the MEA said in a statement. The envoy and other officials had gone to Hasan Abdal to meet some 300 Indian pilgrims who are in Pakistan to participate in ceremonies being held during June 21-30 to mark the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Pakistan’s deputy high commissioner was summoned to the external affairs ministry, the MEA statement said.
A “strong protest was lodged at the denial of access to the Indian high commissioner and consular officials…to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib and meet the Indian pilgrims”, the statement said.
India expressed its concerns at “repeated attempts by entities in Pakistan to extend support to secessionist movements in India and incite the Indian pilgrims”, the statement said.
This was the second time Pakistan had barred Bisaria from meeting visiting pilgrims at Gurdwara Panja Sahib.
On April 14, Bisaria was on his way to the gurdwara to meet Indian pilgrims visiting on the occasion of Baisakhi, when he was suddenly asked by Pakistani authorities to return to Islamabad for unspecified “security” reasons.
CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Rupnagar Amarjeet Singh Sandoa, who was allegedly attacked by mining mafia in at Beinhara village in Nurpur Bedi area of his constituency on Thursday, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the allegations that he received money from those indulging in illegal mining.
Interacting with the media at the house of leader of opposition Sukhpal Khaira on Saturday denied charges levelled by the opposition parties and the main accused Ajvinder Singh that he was attacked as he was asking for “more money” from the mining business.
“The charges that I was blackmailing Arvinder are baseless. The CBI should probe the matter, and if I am found guilty of receiving even a single penny as favours, hang me till death,” said Sandoa.
Contrary to the report of the Rupnagar sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) that the mining site
THE RUPNAGAR MLA DENIES CHARGES THAT HE HAD BEEN DEMANDING MONEY FROM THE ACCUSED FOR ILLEGAL SAND MINING
where Sandoa was attacked was “legal”, Sandoa said he would urge the chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to personally visit this site and inspect it. “The site is illegal and I stand by my allegations,” said the MLA.
Meanwhile, Khaira alleged that the chief minister was mischievously trying to frame the Rupnagar MLA in the mining scandal and was shielding the accused, who are backed by the Congress.
Khaira said he was surprised to read reports that the district administration had termed the controversial mining site legal where the MLA was attacked, this only goes to show the partisan role of Amarinder and a blatant attempt to shield mining mafia and the attackers.
ILLEGAL MINING: SAD HITS OUT AT GOVT
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) lashed out at the Congress government for its alleged failure to end the menace of illegal mining in Punjab.
Akali MP and party’s senior leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said the environment and people of Punjab were under a “big threat” due to the “illegal mining in the state”.
“All norms and rules for sand mining are being thrown to the wind. For instance, rules say that digging cannot go beyond the 10 feet limit as it could harm the balance of ecology. But you can see 30-40 feet deep ditches at the mining sites across Punjab,” he claimed.
“The same callousness was being shown towards the law and order situation by the state government as anti-social elements were running amok with impunity,” he alleged.
About the adverse effects of illegal mining, the SAD leader said it has started to take toll on everything — from fertile land and bridges to people’s houses.