The Tribune – Another Chandigarh-Amritsar express on cards, says Bansal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 17. Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has said that the second Chandigarh-Amritsar express was on the cards. Speaking to The Tribune here, Bansal said the Railway Ministry had, after analysing the demands of the residents of both the cities, decided to start the train from Chandigarh to Amritsar in the morning and from Amritsar to Chandigarh in the evening.

The Union Minister said the train will get on track after a survey by the Railways. He said the residents had since long been demanding a return train from Amritsar to Chandigarh. Also, he said the train will have a stoppage in Mohali, which was another pending demand of the residents.

About running a third Shatabdi between Chandigarh and Delhi, he said officials had proposed starting the train at 10 am and reverting it back in the evening at 7 pm.

On launching new trains in the region, he said the Ministry would take up the proposal after the completion of the Chandigarh-Ludhiana track where trial run would commence soon. Bansal said work on giving a facelift to the Chandigarh railway station was being undertaken. “In next three months, the station will have a food plaza, four accelerators and a lift, especially for specially abled and senior citizens,” he said.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121218/punjab.htm#5

The Tribune – Sarna, Badal to cross swords in Delhi gurdwara panel elections

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 17. With the stage set for the DSGMC elections next month, archrivals — ruling SAD (Delhi) led by Paramjit Singh Sarna and the opposition SAD (Badal) — are all geared up for the polls that will be keenly contested which is evident from the violent clash between the two groups at the Gurdwara Rakabganj in New Delhi on November 15.

While the SAD (Badal) is eying a hattrick after scoring victories in the SGPC elections and the Punjab Assembly polls, the SAD (Delhi) is making all out efforts to ensure that it retains power in the DSGMC elections, which are being held after a delay of almost a couple of years.

After emerging stronger in the last year’s SGPC elections, in which the opposition was almost wiped out, the SAD (Badal) sees an opportunity to extend its control over the gurdwaras from Punjab and Haryana, extending up to the national capital. The optimism of SAD (Badal) stems from the fact that Sarna is facing the heat over various issues.

Among them are transferring ownership of a DSGMC hospital at Gurdwara Bala Sahib premises to a private trust and allegedly stalling the move to dedicate a park in Punjabi Bagh to 1984 riot victims. Till now, Sarna has managed to restrict SAD (Badal) to Punjab and Haryana. In July this year, he even managed to have his men elected to the Takht Shri Patna Sahib Management Board.

Also the fact that the DSGMC is the second most important and second richest gurdwara body after the SGPC will make the two groups vie with each other to wrest its control. The recent move of the Delhi government to bring in an amendment which proposes direct election of the DSGMC president has already brought the two groups face to face and the recent clash in Rakabganj Gurdwara is being seen by many as a consequence of this confrontation.

DSGMC chief Paramjit Singh Sarna said, “We are ready to go to the polls. We were even prepared earlier also when the polls were scheduled for March this year. We’ve already decided the names of our candidates in 95 per cent of the seats. Mostly, we’ve re-nominated our sitting members. In the remaining six out of the total 46 seats, we are yet to finalise the names as there are more aspirants.”

On the other hand, SAD secretary Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema said the party was well prepared for the elections and their Delhi unit was already active on this front.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121218/punjab.htm#6

The Asian Age – Hafiz was never held in 26/11 case

Namrata Biji Ahuja, Asian Age Correspondent

Delhi, 18 December 2012. Pakistan’s lie on Lashkar-e-Tayyaba patron and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed stands exposed as documents provided by Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik to the Union home ministry clearly show Islamabad never detained or arrested Saeed in the 26/11 terror attack case.

During his just-concluded India visit, Mr Malik had turned down New Delhi’s request for action against Saeed, arguing there was lack of “credible evidence” against the 26/11 mastermind who had repeatedly been acquitted by the Pakistani courts. The fact that none of the three cases referred to by Mr Malik involved Saeed’s role in 26/11 has widened a trust deficit between the two nations on whether Islamabad is deliberately brushing aside New Delhi’s concerns under pressure from the ISI, top security officials said.

“For us, Saeed’s involvement in 26/11 can expose the Laskhar-ISI nexus. Saeed’s quitting LeT in 2001, months before Pakistan imposed a ban on it, indicates there was a move to give him safe passage,” the officials remarked.

Nailing Pakistan’s lie, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday told Parliament that Mr Malik appeared to have been “misinformed in the matter of Hafiz Saeed”. “We had been given to understand by the interior minister of Pakistan that Mr Hafiz Saeed had been arrested on charges of being a part of the conspiracy for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks,” he said, adding, “From the papers given to us, it is clear that the detentions of Saeed in these cases were for other reasons and not for his role as a conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.” he said.

http://www.asianage.com/india/hafiz-was-never-held-2611-case-833

Luik / Liège Kirtan Darbar – 22 September 2012

UK Sangat

UK Sangat

Paying respect to the Guru Granth

Paying respect to the Guru Granth

Three Singhanis wearing dastar

Sikhs from other areas of Belgium and from the UK were also present

Guru Nanak Prakash Gurdwara
625 Rue Saint Leonard
B-4000 Liège

To see more Belgium and Netherlands gurdwara pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622147381380/

More Luik – Liège pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – Delhi’s shame: Girl battles for life after gang-rape in bus

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 17. In another incident shaming the Capital, a 23-year-old girl was brutally beaten up and gang-raped twice allegedly by four men inside a moving private bus in south Delhi last night. She was stripped naked by her assaulters and thrown out of the bus under a flyover at Mahipalpur.

The rape happened in front of the victim’s male friend, who was also badly thrashed by the accused. The victim, who hails from Uttarakhand, is in a critical condition at the Safdarjung Hospital, the police said.

The girl had completed a paramedical course at Dehradun and was working with a hospital in Delhi. Her friend is an engineer and works with HCL.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South District), Chhaya Sharma said, “Six persons have been detained and main accused Ram Singh who hails from Rajasthan has been arrested. Some vehicles have also been impounded. We have the CCTV footage of the bus but are yet to identify it.” Unconfirmed reports said the bus had been identified and traced to Noida. It was allegedly used to transport school children between Delhi and Noida.

The police has registered a case under various IPC sections pertaining to rape, robbery and abduction at the Vasant Vihar police station in South Delhi.

The police claimed that the couple after watching a movie in Saket had taken an auto-rickshaw to Munirka at 9.15 pm yesterday. From Munirka, they boarded a private bus for Mahipalpur. The bus had four passengers who reportedly started teasing the boy. An argument ensued, resulting in a fight and the boy was severely beaten. The four men then took the woman to the driver’s cabin and gang-raped her twice.

The boy’s uncle, D K Mishra, had told reporters that the couple was then stripped naked and their belongings were snatched away. Then the duo was thrown of the bus under the Mahipalpur flyover in an unconscious state. Chhaya Sharma said the site where the couple was dumped is close to the Gurgaon toll plaza. A call was made to the police police at 10.30 pm from there.

Police sources said the call was transferred to the Gurgaon police. They then informed their Delhi counterparts. The couple was taken to the Safdarjung Hospital by some people around 11 pm.

While the girl is battlling for her life, her friend was discharged from hospital. The victim remained unresponsive to treatment and is on the ventilator with serious injuries in her stomach and intestine.

The incident has triggered an outrage in the Capital. JNU students shouted slogans outside the station Vasant Vihar Police Station on Monday evening. A bigger protest is being planned by students, women rights organisations and local residents on Tuesday.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121218/main3.htm

Dawn – Treason petition filed against Rehman Malik in Supreme Court

Karachi, 18 December 2012. A petition was filed against Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s tour of India, alleging illegal use of taxpayers’ money for the tour and for offering hospitality to the family of Sarabjit Singh at the Karachi registry of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.

The petitioner has called for the recovery of the expenses incurred on Malik’s tour, stating that the funds utilised for the tour were spent from the national treasury and therefore, should be returned by the federal interior minister.

The petition also claimed that Malik caused great embarrassment to the people of Pakistan by announcing that visas would be granted to the family members of the jailed Indian spy, Sarabjit Singh, who is allegedly responsible for a large number of Pakistani deaths.

The petition added that the interior minister vowed to extend hospitality to Singh’s family, which was detrimental to national interests.

Moreover, the petition maintained the stance that the initiatives taken in India between the Indian delegation and Rehman Malik were illegal.

The petition requested the Supreme Court to try Rehman Malik for treason under Articles 5 and 6 of the Constitution.

http://dawn.com/2012/12/18/treason-petition-filed-against-rehman-malik-in-sc/