India Narrative

  Shikhar Dhawan scored his maiden T20 century while Axar Patel knocked off the required 17 runs off the last over with ease as Delhi Capitals beat Chennai Super Kings by five wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Dhawan ended the match unbeaten on 101 off 58 balls while Axar smashed three sixes in the last over to remain unbeaten on 21 off just five balls. CSK had scored 179/5 in their 20 overs thanks to a late surge from Ambati Rayudu and Ravindra Jadeja, while DC ended the game on 185/5 with a ball left. DC were helped in their chase by a series if misfields and dropped catches by the CSK players. Dhawan was first dropped in the seventh over when he was on 25 and later in the 16th over by Rayudu when he was on 79. CSK wicketkeeper MS Dhoni was also late to a potential catch off Dhawan in the 10th over just after he had scored his half-century. Earlier, Rayudu and Jadeja combined to score 50 runs off the last 21 balls to take CSK to 179/4 in 20 overs. Brief scores: CSK

President Donald Trump and his National Security Adviser, Robert C. O’ Brien are aching to announce troop withdrawal from Afghanistan as a last-minute sweetener for the American voter, rather like floral touches in an Indian wedding. Gen. Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is probably looking at life beyond Trump, unless there is a second coming. He is talking of ending the Afghan war “responsibly”, which means “not in a hurry”. When President Barack Obama had set firm deadlines for withdrawal, I made an extensive survey of the country for the Observer Research Foundation. I had concluded that the US is “not leaving Afghanistan today; it is not leaving it tomorrow.” A super power enters a major theatre with one set of interests but, over a period of time, develops multiple compelling interests. Why would a country, which is directly involved in 14 shooting wars in various parts of the globe, walk away from its longest war ever without any identifiable gain. Withdra

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkey found more gas reserves in the Black Sea. “As a result of testing, analysis, and detailed engineering work, another 85 billion cubic meters were added to the reserves we had discovered,” Erdogan said onboard the Fatih drillship in the Black Sea on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported. “Total amount of natural gas reserves in the Tuna-1 well in Sakarya Gas Field reached 405 billion cubic meters,” he added after his inspections at the ship. In August, the drilling ship discovered 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves. The Fatih vessel started its drilling activities in late July in an exploration zone known as Tuna-1 off the northern Zonguldak province in the Black Sea region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on a new “humanitarian ceasefire” in the Nagorno-Karabakh region starting midnight (2000 GMT), the two countries’ foreign ministries announced on Saturday evening via identical statements. It is the second ceasefire both sides have agreed on in weeks. The first came on October 10, following lengthy negotiations in Moscow on October 9, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at loggerheads over the Nagorno-Karabakh region since 1988. Peace talks have been held since 1994 when a ceasefire was reached, but there still have been sporadic minor clashes.

The Jammu & Kashmir administration on Saturday amended the J&K Panchayati Raj Rules 1996 to pave the way for establishment of elected District Development Councils in J&K. An official statement said that the J&K Panchayati Raj Rules 1996, have been amended to provide for the establishment of elected district development councils in the Union territory. “The move to have elected third tier of Panchayati Raj institutions marks the implementation of the entire 73rd Amendment Act in J&K. District Development Councils will comprise members directly elected from 14 territorial constituencies of the district as well as the Members of the Legislative Assembly and the Chairperson of all Block Development Councils of the district.” “Reservations for SC, ST and women have also been kept in the seats to be filled by direct election to the District Development Councils,” the statement said.

  The Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) has alleged serious discrepancies in the ongoing admission process of the Delhi University (DU). The students’ union alleged on Saturday that some colleges affiliated to DU are denying admission to the students of OBC/EWS quotas who have failed to furnish the latest documents supporting their quotas. “Despite issuing the guidelines which state that applicants availing OBC/EWS quota can give an undertaking supporting their old certificates of OBC/EWS, the colleges have turned down many applicants,” alleged Shivangi Kharwal, joint secretary of DUSU. “Some students could not produce their latest documents supporting their quota due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the colleges have been mandated to accept their certificates with an undertaking which grants the applicants 15 days’ time to furnish the latest documents. Besides, the nodal officers appointed to look after admissions were unresponsive when the applicants tried to contact them,” s

  It was over a year after they signed the ‘ Gupkar Declaration ’—pledging a joint fight to safeguard Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) special status, Article 370 and 35-A—that the top leaders of six regional and one national party met at the National Conference (NC) patriarch Dr Farooq Abdullah’s residence in Srinagar on Thursday, October 15. Ghulam Ahmad Mir, President of the J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) was, however, conspicuously absent. The Congress party was part and parcel of the Gupkar Declaration when it was signed on 4 August 2019. It was represented by the senior party leader and a former Minister, Taj Mohiuddin. According to some reports, Mir was absent due to a “medical emergency”. There was no explanation as to why Taj or any other JKPCC leader did not represent the party. Late on the night of 14 October, Mir revealed to this journalist that Dr Abdullah had invited him for a meeting of the Gupkar Declaration signatories. “I told Farooq Sahab that I would try my

Kyrghyzstan will hold its presidential election no later than January 10, 2021, the newly-appointed Prime Minister Sadyr Zhaparov , who has declared himself as acting president, said on Friday. The announcement came a day after Sooronbai Jeenbekov, the fifth President of the Central Asian country, resigned in order to restore stability in the country following weeks of unrest that resulted from a disputed election. Addressing an extraordinary session of Parliament on Friday morning, Zhaparov said both the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held within the framework of the law, adding that consultations will be held soon to decide on the dates. He also proposed lowering the threshold to enter Parliament up to 5 per cent, and reducing the electoral deposit from 5 million Kyrgyz soms to 1 million soms, as well as the number of deputies from 120 to 90 or 70. “When such a Parliament comes, then we will be able to go for constitutional reform,” he said. Kyrgyzstan, which gained

  If ignorance is blissful, feigned ignorance is beneficial—even if it is unconscionable. The way China treats the Uighurs is just that—unconscionable—as also its vassal state Pakistan’s attitude towards the unspeakable atrocities the Uighurs are subjected to. In fact, Pakistan has “absolutely zero concerns” about Uighur Muslims. In an interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s advisor on national security and strategic policy planning Moeed Yusuf flatly denied of any atrocities against the Uighurs. “I’ll quote Imran Khan to you,” Thapar said, “this is what he said to the British paper The Financial Times last year, I’m quoting him, ‘Frankly, I don’t know much about it. If I had enough knowledge about it, I would comment but I don’t.’ In other words, ignorance, he says—he admits—is preventing him from commenting. You’re there, you’re his national security advisor, in effect, why don’t you fill his ears with the truth? Why don’t you tell him what’s happ

Amid the massive spike in air pollution in Delhi and ts surroundings, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Friday claimed that stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and other neighbouring regions may not contribute much to city’s deteriorating air quality this year. The air pollution reaches a peak in Delhi and surrounding regions every winter, when pollution from stubble burning combines with the suspended water droplets in the lower atmosphere to form a thick blanket of noxious smog. “This time, we are expecting that the peak contribution of the stubble may not coincide with the peak adverse meteorology in Delhi. We may see less contribution of stubble burning in Delhi’s air quality, but it depends on meteorological conditions,” CPCB Member Secretary Prashant Gargava said at a press conference. By Delhi’s peak adverse meteorology, the official meant the inability of the atmosphere to disperse the pollutants during winters. Due to low wind speed, the pollutants from the local s