First Hindu woman judge in Pak
Pakistan has a first Hindu woman judge, Suman Kumari. She has been appointed as a civil judge in Qambar-Shahdadkot in Sindh province. Kumari says that she has entered the field of law “because I know that in the backward areas of Sindh, poor people need a lot of advice and assistance in legal matters. In our community, it is not easy for women to enter such professions.” Her father, Dr Pawan Kumar Bodan is an eye specialist.
Pakistan’s first judge from the Hindu community was Justice Rana Bhagwandas, who served as the acting Chief Justice for brief periods between 2005 and 2007. In 2018, Mahesh Kumar Malani became the first non-Muslim to be elected on a general seat in the National Assembly, while a Thari woman, Krishna Kumari, was elected in Pakistan’s Senate elections.
Poll bugle from Kurukshetra
Aft her the BJP’s victory in the Jind byelection in Haryana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to sound the 2019 poll bugle there with a major rally in Kurukshetra on 12 February. He will address 10,000 women representatives of panchayati raj institutions. Among the major events planned are youth meetings across the state on 13 February and motorcycle rallies in all 90 Assembly segments on 2 March.
It is believed that the Haryana Assembly elections, scheduled to be held towards the end of the year, may be organised along with the Lok Sabha elections in April/May. There is speculation that the Assembly elections in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and J&K may also be brought forward.
Suspicious movement in Ramgarh sector
The Intelligence Bureau and the Army are monitoring terror organisations operating from Pakistan, Kashmir, Punjab, as well as urban Naxals, as they fear that they might make attempts to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Army and J&K’s Special Operations Group police on Tuesday launched search operations in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district after suspicious movement of some “armed” men was observed in the Ramgarh sector. PM Modi is scheduled to hold a rally in the Vijaypur area of Samba district on Sunday. The suspicious movement was observed around 1.15 am, in the Basanter river area of Ramgarh sector, after which the Army cordoned off the area.
Congress wary of Ram temple move
The Centres’ move asking the Supreme Court to return the undisputed land to the owners in Ayodhya, has made the Congress worried about the Ram temple issue influencing Hindu votes in Uttar Pradesh. Though the Congress officially is maintaining that it is for the Supreme Court to consider the Narendra Modi government’s application, but privately it is keeping its fingers crossed on the potential outcome of the development. Congress’ spokesman and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi told The Sunday Guardian that it was for the people and the country to judge the government intent behind making such an application to the SC right on Lok Sabha poll eve.“A status quo on the site has been maintained for 16 years since 31 March 2003,” points out Singhvi.
Canada honours Punjab policemen
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), British Columbia, on Tuesday honoured two senior Punjab police officers. Inspector General Jatinder Aulakh and Superintendent of Police Swaran Singh were honoured for their investigation into the infamous Jassi honour killing case, which led Canada to extradite the two alleged conspirators of the case to India.
On behalf of the RCMP, Inspector Dave Chauhan honoured the two officers in the presence of DGP Suresh Arora at the Punjab Police headquarters in Chandigarh. Chauhan presented citations signed by Ward Lymbumer, Chief Superintendent, RCMP, British Columbia.
The investigation was laden with complexities which involved multiple accused in India and Canada who had conspired to kill Jassi Sidhu and her husband.”
‘With CIA help’
Dan Coats, US’ Director of National Intelligence, based his assessment of possible communal violence ahead of India’s general elections apparently with the help of CIA director Gina Haspel, who returned from a trip to India recently, apart from FBI director Christopher Wray and Defense Intelligence Agency director Robert Ashley.