DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2025, KOLKATA, LATE CITY, 16 PAGES SINCE 1932 REMARKS RATTLE ISLAMABAD Kashmir will be solved when part stolen by Pak returns: Jaishankar BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY On China, says want relationship that respects interests, works for both THE WORLD PAGE 10 Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Harsil, in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, on Thursday. The PM made a strong pitch for round-the-year tourism in the state. PTI PAGE2 Manmohan Singh’s TMC seeks unique ID for voter cards, family gives nod for claims BJP ‘manipulating’ voter rolls his memorial site at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal ATRI MITRA KOLKATA, MARCH 6 Sent formal acceptance to Govt after visit to site, says daughter Upinder Singh A DELEGATION of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday met the chief electoral officer (CEO) of West Bengal, demanding that “unique ID” be introduced on voter cards to prevent the induction of fake voters in the electoral rolls. Earlier in the day, a TMC core committee, constituted by party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, convened a meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue of “ghost” voter cards in the state. However,theparty’ssecondin-command and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, as well as Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien, were absent in the meeting. The TMC's state president, Subrata Baksi, pointed out that Abhishek Banerjee has called a separate meeting on March 15 to discuss the same issue. All MLAs, MPs and block presidentsof thepartywouldattend that meeting, said Baksi. After the meeting on Thursday, state ministers Firhad Hakim, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Aroop Biswas, state president Subrata Baksi and MP Ritabrata Banerjee went to the Election Commission of India office and submitted a memorandum to CEO Dibyendu Das. In the meeting earlier, TMC leaders and district functionaries reviewed findings of a doorto-doorscrutinyof electoralrolls, alleging that the BJP has been manipulating the voters' list ahead of next year's Assembly elections, with a focus on addressing detected irregularities and finalising the party's strategy to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Punjab pastor named in sexual harassment case, is on the run A 900 sq m plot at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal complex has been chosen for Manmohan Singh’s memorial. Anil Sharma RITU SARIN NEW DELHI, MARCH 6 THE FAMILY of late Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has given the government its written approval for his memorialona900sqmplotinthemiddle of the complex of samadhis called the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal near Delhi’s Raj Ghat. Following a visit to the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal by members of the family last week, Gursharan Kaur, the former PrimeMinister’swife,islearntto have sent a formal acceptance letter to the government. Last week, Singh’s daughters Upinder Singh and Daman Singh, along with their spouses, surveyed the plot. The Indian Express has learnt that as of date there are only two empty plots left in the samadhi complex. One was offered to the familyofformerPresidentPranab Mukherjee in January this year. Theotherplot,measuring900sq m, located towards the centre of theRashtriyaSmritiSthal,wasoffered to Singh’s family. UpinderSinghconfirmedthe development to The Indian Express andsaidaformalacceptance has been sent by them. “The land is to be allotted to a Trustandwewillshortlysetthat up.Thestipulationisthatwecan apply for a one-time grant of up toRs25lakhfortheconstruction of the memorial,” she said. The Rashtriya Smriti Sthal complex consists of 9 samadhi spots which are meant to have a similar architectural design for the cenotaph. SourcesinSingh’sfamilysaid the plot chosen by the government — and now approved by the family — has the samadhi of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar in front; that of former President R Venkataraman behind it; and those of former Presidents Giani Zail Singh and PranabMukherjeeoneitherside. In 2013, when Singh was Prime Minister, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for creation of a “common” memorial ground near Raj Ghat – ironically,hisfamilyhasnowapproved what could be the last or among the last vacant pieces of land there. The Cabinet decision, dated May 16, 2013, had, however, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 ANJU AGNIHOTRI CHABA JALANDHAR, MARCH 6 A SELF-PROFESSED miracle healer,asubjectof manymemes, and a preacher who claims to preside over 260 churches worldwide — Pastor Bajinder Singh is many things to many people. For the Punjab police, however, he is currently an accused in a sexual harassment casewhoisyettoturnhimself in. On February 28, Singh (42) was booked based on a complaint filed by a 22-year-old woman at the Kapurthala City police station. The head of the Church of Glory and Wisdom, Pastor Bajinder Singh claims to have a global following headquartered in Jalandhar's Tajpur village, Singh has been booked under sections of sexual harassment, stalking and criminal intimidation. The woman claims she first started visiting his church when she was 16-17 and was sexually harassed for years. Since her complaint, police have formed a Special Investigation Team, the state Women's Commission has sought a response from Singh, and a Mohali court has issued non-bailable warrants in a separate rape case. A senior police officer said that while the charges are bailable, bail can only be granted oncehesurrendersorisarrested. According to police sources, the pastor is believed to be in Nepal. Investigating Officer Rajvinder Kaur confirmed that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Bronwen Maddox, Director and CEO of Chatham House, in London. PTI SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, MARCH 6 EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Minister S Jaishankar has said the Kashmir issue will be “solved” once the “stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation” returns to India. Speaking late Wednesday at Chatham House, the Londonbased think tank, Jaishankar, responding to a question on “solving” issues in Kashmir, said: “On Kashmir, actually we have done, I think, a good job, solving most of it. Removing Article 370 was step number one, restoring growth and economic activity andsocialjusticeinKashmirwas step number two, and holding elections with a very high turnoutwasstepnumberthree.” “I think the part we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation; when that is done, I assure you Kashmir will be solved.” This is in line with what has E ● Unanimity at home JAISHANKAR’S REMARKS echo the unanimous resolution by both Houses of Parliament on February 22, 1994 that J&K (and Ladakh) is an integral part of India, and that Pakistan must vacate the parts under its illegal occupation. Successive governments have stuck to this resolution, warning Pakistan to desist from its acts of terror. been said about Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by BJP ministersinthepastincludingUnion Home Minister Amit Shah who, inMaylastyear,said,“PoKispart of India and we will take it.” Jaishankar’s remarks drew a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the Assembly on Thursday. PTI ARUN SHARMA JAMMU, MARCH 6 REFERRING TO External Affairs MinisterSJaishankar’srecentremarks on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday asked who was stopping the Centre from reclaiming PoK. Jaishankar, while answering a Pakistani journalist’s question at an event in London on Wednesday, had said the Kashmir issue would be solved whenthe“stolenpartofKashmir, which is under illegal Pakistani occupation,” is returned. At the J&K Assembly on Thursday,Abdullahasked,“Who stopped you (from reclaiming PoK)?” “Chaliye, ek hissa Pakistan ke pass hai. Humne kabhi kaha ki mat lao (One part is with Pakistan. Did we ever say don’t reclaim it)?” he asked. “Reclaim CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MOBILE BANKING SUPER APP CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Khalistan activists breach minister’s security, India & UK condemn incident SHUBHAJITROY NEWDELHI,MARCH6 AS A pro-Khalistan protester attempted to breach the security perimeter outside Chatham House in London when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was leaving the think-tank, India on Thursdaycondemnedtheincident andsaidit“deploredthemisuseof democratic freedom by such ele- ments”. It also called on the “host government... to fully live up to theirdiplomaticobligations”. The UK, too, strongly condemned the security breach, saying such attempts to “intimidate, threaten,ordisrupt”publicevents are“completelyunacceptable”. The incident took place when Jaishankar was leaving Chatham House on Wednesday evening. A purported video of the incident shows a man carrying the Indian flag rushing towards Jaishankar's vehicle.Evenashewasrestrained andtakenawaybypolicepersonnel,agroupofprotesterswithproKhalistanflagscanbeseenshoutingslogans. “Wehaveseenthefootageofa breach of security during the visit of the External Affairs Minister to the UK. We condemn the provocativeactivitiesofthissmall group of separatists and CONTINUEDONPAGE2 ‘World’s most expensive’ breed of cow: Booming in Brazil, dwindling in India PAGE 1 ANCHOR NIKHILA HENRY GUNTUR, MARCH 6 A SMALL group of veterinary interns stand huddled together at the opening of Shed No 9 in a cattle farm on the outskirts of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Minutes later, a calf tumbles out of her mother and there are Who’s stopping you? Reclaim PoK, also part with China: Omar to Govt PM IN UTTARAKHAND EXPLAINED TRUMP DELAYS TARIFFS ON MOST GOODS FROM MEXICO FOR A MONTH IT’S OVER FOR YOU: TRUMP ISSUES ‘LAST WARNING’ TO HAMAS `6.00 (`12 IN NORTH EAST STATES, `20 IN ANDAMAN) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM OngolecattleatLivestockResearchStationinGuntur. LAMFarm cheers all around. The group is witnessing the birth of a purebred Ongole calf attheLivestockResearchStation, LAMFarm,inGuntur–oneof the few government-run farms in the country dedicated to the conservation of the indigenous cattle breed. Asthecowlicksheroffspring, helping it to its feet, Dr M Mutha Rao, the officer in charge of the LAM Farm, tells The Indian Express, “This calf was born out of IVF-embryo transfer technol- ogy. With similar breeding techniques, we have been maintaining the purity of the breed over the past 30 years and eight generations of cattle.” Whileithassofarbeenalong andlonelyfightattheLAMFarm to conserve the Ongoles, one of the53indigenouscattlevarieties in the country, the breed is having its moment under the Brazilian sun as “the most expensive cattle in the world”. In February, an Ongole purebred CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MSMEs Govt. Sponsored Schemes Financial Inclusion Date : 7th March, 2025 3PM to 6PM Park Prime AJC Bose Road, Kolkata Looking forward to your participation at this unique event for MSMEs. (Toll Free No.) 1800 208 2244 / 1800 425 1515 / 1800 425 3555 | 9666606060 Kolkata