Pakistan's Claim Of Arrest Of RAW Agent 'Absolute Nonsense', Says Tarek Fatah

March 26, 2016

New Delhi, Mar 26: Former Research and Analysis Wing chief AK Verma on Friday rubbished Pakistan's claim that they have arrested an Indian intelligence operative from Quetta, saying that Islamabad is fabricating a tale to back its allegations of India brewing unrest in Balochistan.

indopakVerma said that Pakistan does not have enough evidence to substantiate its claim that the arrested individual was apprehended from Balochistan.

"The fact remains that he was previously working with the Indian Navy and he took premature retirement the question is why was he found in Balochistan it's not very clear. It was not even clear whether he was found in Balochistan," he said.

"He could have been kidnapped anywhere on the borders or even in the neighbourhood and brought to Balochistan to create a story that an agent of India has been arrested in Balochistan because Pakistan needs some evidence to support what it has been alleging since the number of years that India has been active in Balochistan to conspire against Pakistan," he added.

Dubbing the entire episode as fictitious, Verma said that there is a code of conduct which intelligence community follows, that a lone agent does not work on foreign soil in the said manner.

"Another point to remember is a lone agent does not work like this in a foreign country creating subversion or mischief. He needs local support, he got to have local friends, nothing of the kind it has been indicated so far as this person is concerned, it appears that he was caught alone single handed. All this makes it a very highly and likely story of him being an agent," he said.

Pakistan security forces earlier arrested a man during a raid in Balochistan province who, according to them, is 'a serving officer in the Indian Navy and deputed to RAW.

Expert on Pakistan affairs and author, Tarek Fatah, also said that the arrest of a former Indian Navy officer, whom the Pakistani agencies are claiming to be a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) operative, from Quetta is an attempt by Islamabad to divert the attention from 'genocide' being committed by them in Balochistan.

"They are committing genocide in Balochistan, and to distract from that they are saying that they have arrested a former Indian naval officer from Quetta. Even if you arrest a navy officer then you would nab him in Gwadar, how will they find him in Quetta," Fatah said.

He further questioned India's silence over the 'genocide' being committed by Pakistan in Balochistan.

"Pakistan is fooling India and India loves being fooled. They enter your country and kill your people and you trade onions and tomatoes with them. No self respecting nation would keep a relationship with country that attacks you," he added.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier yesterday said that Indian Government has no link with the arrested individual, adding that New Delhi has no interest in interfering in internal matters of any country.

MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that the matter was raised yesterday by Pakistan's Foreign Secretary with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad.

"The said individual has no link with Government since his premature retirement from Indian Navy," Swarup said.

A Pakistan security official earlier told Dawn that the arrested individual had been shifted to Islamabad for interrogation, as he was suspected of involvement in various acts of terrorism and other dissident activities in Balochistan.

Confirming the arrest, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said, "the arrest has proved Indian involvement in Balochistan".

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News Network
June 17,2020

New Delhi, Jun 17: Petrol and diesel prices were increased in metros on Wednesday, marking the eleventh straight day of increase since state-owned oil companies returned to the normal practice of daily reviews following a 12-week pause. With effect from 6 am, the price of petrol was increased by 55 paise per litre, and diesel by 69 paise per litre in Delhi, compared to the previous day. While the price of petrol was revised to Rs 77.28 per litre in the national capital from Rs 76.73 per litre the previous day, the diesel rate was increased to Rs 75.79 per litre from Rs 75.19 per litre, according to notifications from state-run Indian Oil Corporation, the country's largest fuel retailer. In the 11-day period, the price of petrol has been increased by a cumulative Rs 6.02 per litre, and diesel by Rs 6.49 per litre.

International crude oil prices retreated on Wednesday, weighed down by an increase in US crude inventories and worries about a potential second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Brent crude futures - the global benchmark for crude oil - were last seen trading 1.0 per cent lower at $40.56 per barrel.

State-run oil marketing companies revise the prices of petrol and diesel from time to time, besides aviation turbine fuel (ATF) - or jet fuel - and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). However, since March 16, the oil companies had kept petrol and diesel prices on hold, possibly due to the volatility in global oil markets.

Fuel retailing in the country is dominated by state refiners - Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation. The three own about 90 per cent of the retail fuel outlets in the country.

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News Network
March 29,2020

New Delhi, Mar 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that people should not think of COVID-19 quarantine facilities as a prison and spoke with two survivors of the infection during his radio show 'Mann Ki Baat' to establish that it was curable.
The Prime Minister spoke to coronavirus survivors -- Ramagampa Teja and Ashok Kapoor - and urged them to share their success against the infection with people.
The Prime Minister asked people to listen to the survivors who had successfully defeated the coronavirus.
"I have spoken to a few people who were infected from the virus and speaking to such people. While I tried to boost their morale they also lifted my spirits when I talked to them," he said.
Speaking to the Prime Minister during the show, Ramagampa Teja, an IT professional, who tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Dubai, said that he was frightened when he tested positive for the disease and could not believe that this has happened to him.
He said even his family was very stressed after finding out his COVID-19 positive status. "But their test results came negative, which I took as a great blessing. And since then, there were improvements every day," he said.
Teja was admitted to a government hospital in Hyderabad and was released after 14 days as he successfully overcame the infection. "The first few days were the hardest but the dedicated doctors and nurses at the hospital ensured that I recovered," he added.
He asked people not to be afraid of being quarantined. "People feel that going into quarantine means going to prison. They should know that the government quarantine is for them and their families. I want to emphasise that people must get tested and do not fear quarantine," he added.
The Prime Minister congratulated him and his family and asked him to share an audio clip of his experience. "I would like you to make an audio of your experiences and share it on social media so that it goes viral and removes fear from people's minds," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister also spoke to another coronavirus survivor, Ashok Kapoor, six members of whose family in Agra were tested positive for the deadly virus.
On being asked by the Prime Minister whether they had feared for their lives, Kapoor said, "We were not scared as we received excellent cooperation from the doctors and support staff at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital."
The six of them were shifted to Delhi and put under quarantine for 14 days where all of them successfully recovered from the infection.
The Prime Minister also commended the spirit of Ashok Kapoor and said: "Your experience came in handy for all. My best wishes to you and your family."
He also urged the Kapoor family to spread awareness regarding COVID-19 in the way they see fit. "Please spread awareness your way and you can feed whoever is hungry, look out for the poor and also spread awareness to people urging them to follow the rules," the Prime Minister said.
"If everyone follows the rules, the country will be saved," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister also thanked the people involved in ensuring the continuous supply of goods and services in the country and advised them to "follow all the safety precautions, take care of themselves and their family members."
Earlier in his address, Modi had asked for the forgiveness of all countrymen, and especially the poor, for the nationwide lockdown in the country in the view of the novel coronavirus. He had then termed it a necessary measure needed to defeat the infection in India.

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News Network
July 24,2020

New Delhi, Jul 24: India reported the highest single-day spike of 49,310 coronavirus cases on Friday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total COVID-19 positive cases stand at 12,87,945 including 4,40,135 active cases, 8,17,209 cured/discharged/migrated.
With 740 deaths in the last 24 hours, the cumulative toll reached 30,601.

Maharashtra has reported 3,47,502 coronavirus cases, the highest among states and Union Territories in the country. A total of 1,92,964 cases have been reported from Tamil Nadu till now, while Delhi has recorded 1,27,364 coronavirus cases.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 3,52,801 samples were tested for coronavirus on Thursday and overall 1,54,28,170 samples have been tested so far. 

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