15092026-TTC-01.qxd 9/15/2026 12:47 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 10 NO. 255 | 18 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 CJP BACKS SIBAL, SEEKS TOUGHER DEFECTION CURBS NATION /thetribunechd TALIBAN WARNED OSAMA TO STEPUP SECURITY POST KANDAHAR: CIA WORLD GLOBAL AI STOCKS DIP GERMANY’S ZVEREV AMID CALL FOR SLOWING LIFTS MAIDEN US DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS OPEN TITLE SPORT tuesday | 15 september 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com India-Pak showdown in Jalandhar on Nov1;HockeyIndiatoinvitePMModi Deepankar Sharda Animesh Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 14 Pakistan on Monday announced a reward of 70 lakh Pakistani rupees for information leading to the arrest of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) founder and chief Masood Azhar (58), the move coming just weeks ahead of the plenary session of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Paris from October 26 to 30. Azhar is wanted in India in connection with several terror cases, including the 2001 attack on Parliament. He was also among the 20 fugitives India sought from Pakistan, a demand it renewed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which were carried out by 10 Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists who killed 166 people. The Indian authorities have also linked JeM to subsequent attacks, including the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been listing Azhar in its “Red Book” of most-wanted terrorists since 2021 and on Monday raised the bounty on him by PKR 20 lakh. Sources said by increasing the reward to PKR 70 lakh, Pakistan appeared to be seeking to avoid falling back into the FATF “grey list”, Masood Azhar PAK’S MOST-WANTED TERRORISTS UP 35% ■ Most-wanted terrorists in Pak ‘Red Book’ up 35%, from 1,330 in 2021 to 1,804 in 2026 ■ Apart from Azhar, updated list has 19 terrorists involved in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks ■ While 17 are listed with their photos and specific roles, 2 have only names mentioned which identifies jurisdictions with weak measures to combat money laundering and terror financing. India has for years accused Pakistan of sheltering Azhar, while Pakistan has maintained that he fled to Afghanistan, a claim rejected by Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Technical analysis by Indian intelligence agencies over the past six months revealed that he was hiding in the Nawabshah city of Pakistan’s Sindh province. Apart from Azhar, the updated “Red Book” contains the names of 19 terrorists involved Retail inflation rises to 4.82%, overshoots RBI target for third month in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks who assisted, financed, or managed boats for the operatives. While 17 of these terrorists are listed along with their photographs and specific roles in the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan has covertly removed the photographs, LeT affiliations and detailed operational roles of two — Muhammad Khan from Turbat and Abdul Rehman from Bahawalnagar — retaining only their names. Muhammad Khan had provided a boat (Al-Hussaini) to transport the attackers to Mumbai. The updated roster lists 11 LeT terrorists responsible for facilitating the sea journey of the Mumbai attackers aboard Al-Hussaini and Al-Fauz boats: Muhammad Amjad Khan (Multan), Shahid Gafoor (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Usman (Sahiwal), Ateeq-urRehman (Lahore), Riaz Ahmad (Hafizabad), Muhammad Mushtaq (Gujranwala), Muhammad Naeem (Dera Ghazi Khan), Abdul Shakoor (Karachi), Muhammad Sabir Salfi (Multan), Muhammad Usman (Lodhran) and Shakeel Ahmed (Rahim Yar Khan). The list also has the names of six terrorists who provided financial backing for the attacks. They are Muhammad Iftikhar Ali (Faisalabad), an LeT operative (gave PKR continued on page 8 Tribune News Service Mohali, September 14 The Indian hockey team will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in Jalandhar during the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Monday. If all goes as planned, the high-profile clash scheduled for November 1 is expected to be the tournament’s blockbuster fixture. “The India-Pakistan match on November 1 in Jalandhar will be one of the biggest attractions of the tournament. The match coincides with Punjab Day, making the occasion even more special for the people of the state,” Mann said. Hockey India is planning to make the contest more memorable by inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to witness the match. “It will be great to have the Prime Minister for this match. Hockey India will certainly invite him,” Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh said. Despite Move being seen as bid to escape re-entry in ‘grey list’ Aditya Rangroo Tribune News Service Ahead of FATF meet, Pak raises bounty on Jaish chief Azhar to PKR 70L Govt bars levy on UPI up to ~2,000, transfers above it may be charged New Delhi, September 14 The government has clarified that banks and payment system providers cannot levy charges on UPI transactions of up to Rs 2,000, while leaving room for fees on transactions above that threshold. The Ministry of Finance on Monday issued a gazette notification under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, specifying UPI transactions of up to Rs 2,000 and RuPay debit card payments as electronic payment modes on which customers cannot be charged. The notification effectively keeps transactions within this threshold free, while allowing charges to be levied on transactions exceeding Rs 2,000. The move follows concerns over potential fees on UPI transactions after Parliament passed the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, which proposed changes to the legal framework governing payment systems. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann releases the logo of Hockey Asian Champions Trophy 2026 in the presence of Hockey India secretary Bhola Nath (R) and Hockey Punjab president Nitin Kohli on Monday. PHOTO: VICKY strained ties between the two countries, Mann said the Indian government had approved Pakistan’s participation. “Pakistan have confirmed their participation. The Indian government has also cleared their travel as this is a tournament and not a bilateral event,” he said. India’s sports policy bars Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 14 Three foreign nationals managed to fly out of India without undergoing mandatory departure immigration clearance after being incorrectly channelled through Delhi airport’s international transfer system, prompting the Civil Aviation Ministry to issue a show-cause notice to Air India over what it has termed a “serious security and immigration-related lapse”. The three Italians had travelled on Air India flight AI1115 from Amritsar to Delhi on the intervening night of September 3 and 4 before boarding Lufthansa flight LH763 for Munich at 1.45 am on September 4, without passing through the mandatory departure immigration process. HIGHWAY SHOCKER The Congress on Monday took a swipe at the government over the recent wholesale price index data, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi keeps saying ‘sab changa si’, but actually ‘sab mehenga si’. Meanwhile, WPI inflation in the food index increased to 7.05 per cent in August from 6.65 per cent in July. Inflation in manufactured products touched a new series high of 8.37 per cent, up from 8.29 per cent in the previous month. Inflation in the fuel and power basket stood at 22.93 per cent in August. “Across groups, mineral oils (containing petroleum products), food articles, manufacture of food products, manufacture of basic metals, non-food articles, and manufacture of chemicals and chemical products were the major drivers of WPI inflation in August 2026,” the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said while releasing the data. continued on page 8 Taking a serious view of the breach, the ministry has given Air India seven days to explain why action should not be initiated against it for violating the standard operating procedure (SOP) governing hub-and-spoke operations and failing to put in Tribune News Service OIL PRICES ZOOM CONG TAKES JIBE AT PM to accept Asia Cup trophy from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi ■ Last year, Indian men’s team had snubbed Naqvi, also Pak minister, at the meet ■ The BCCI said it was a “con- scious” call keeping circumstances & sentiments in view A car rammed into a woman biker, sending her skidding on the Golf Course Road in Gurugram on Monday. The victim, who alleged misbehaviour by car occupants prior to the incident, escaped with minor injuries. PTI FIR in Disha case names Uddhav, son tion in the death of Disha Salian, former manager of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The names figure in an FIR registered by the agency following a Bombay High Court direction for a thorough probe into the circumstances surrounding her death. The FIR also names Rhea’s brother Showik Chakraborty, Sachin Waze and former Mum- Animesh Singh & Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 14 The CBI has named former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, his son and MLA Aaditya Thackeray, actress Rhea Chakraborty and actors Dino Morea and Sooraj Pancholi among those whose roles require investiga- place adequate checks to prevent passengers from bypassing immigration. According to the ministry’s show-cause notice, the three passengers arrived at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 12.50 am aboard AI1115 from Amritsar. What followed is now under the government’s scanner. The passengers had been issued boarding passes for the Amritsar-Delhi sector as well as boarding passes for their onward Lufthansa journey at Amritsar. On reaching Delhi, however, they were allegedly “incorrectly handled” and escorted to the international-to-international, or I-to-I, transfer area. That routing effectively allowed them to proceed towards their Munich flight continued on page 8 Check Guj first: Mann to Centre ahead of BJP’s Pb anti-drug drive Wholesale prices climb 9.92% ahead of meet on interest rates Oil prices rose by more than $3 a barrel on Monday following further strikes on Saudi Arabia and vessels in the Gulf on Sunday. Brent crude futures rose $3.62, or 3.46 per cent, to $108.23 a barrel. Aviation Ministry issues show-cause notice to AI Ruchika M Khanna bai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh among others. The FIR states that these persons are among those whose roles require investigation in connection with the alleged principal offences, criminal conspiracy, the subsequent creation and propagation of a false suicide narrative and the suppression, destruction or continued on page 8 Chandigarh, September 14 Ahead of the BJP’s ‘Nasha Mukt Yatra’ in poll-bound Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday asked the BJP-led Centre to first check drug supplies in party-ruled Gujarat instead of “defaming” Punjab over the issue. Mann said opposition parties were “deliberately portraying Punjab as a state plagued by drugs and lawlessness while turning a blind eye to the broader national drug smuggling network”. The BJP’s campaign, set to begin on September 18, is expected to bring the issues of law and order and drug abuse to the centre of political discourse. Flanked by DGP Gaurav Yadav and other senior police officers, Mann said Punjab remained a peace-loving state, and that the state’s law and order record was being unfairly questioned. He said the Centre should address the drug con- NAKLI PAGDI BARB AT SAINI STIRS ROW ■ Mann triggered a row by claim- ing Haryana CM Nayab Saini ‘keeps a nakli pagdi in his car’. “He doesn’t wear it in Panchkula... he puts it on the moment he enters Punjab,” the CM said ■ Saini hit back, saying calling the turban nakli pagdi was an insult to Sikh Gurus & Punjabis ■ He said Mann must apologise to Sikhs and Punjabis immediately signments entering the country through ports in Gujarat and major seizures in other BJPruled states such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Mann said drug packets weighing between 1 kg and 5 kg were being smuggled into Punjab from Pakistan and were being regularly intercepted. “But what about the 3,000 kg of drugs seized at a port in Gujarat? It is the home state of the Union Home Minister. Why is that not even acknowledged? They only know how to blame and defame,” he said. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had seized nearly 3,000 kg of heroin at Gujarat’s Mundra port on September 15, 2021. He said Punjab’s geographical position made it particularly vulnerable to cross-border smuggling. “The state shares a 533-km border with Pakistan and, being a gateway to the country, faces continuous attempts to push drugs and weapons across the border. Nearly 40 per cent of Punjab Police personnel have been assisting the Border Security Force…. The police have also strengthened their anti-drone capabilities and acquired a fleet of new vehicles to improve policing,” he said. Defending the government’s record against organised crime, Mann said, “Since 2022, the Anti-Gangster Task Force has arrested 1.24 lakh continued on page 8 edit: drug shift Happy to meet foreign dignitary without curbs in years, says Mirwaiz Adil Akhzer FILE New Delhi, September 14 Retail inflation accelerated to 4.82 per cent in August, driven largely by higher onion and other food prices, and remained above the Reserve Bank of India’s medium-term target for the third consecutive month. Wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation also inched up to 9.92 per cent from 9.78 per cent in July, according to government data released on Monday. The consumer price index (CPI)-based retail inflation was 4.45 per cent in July. August retail inflation is the highest since the new series, with base year 2024, came into effect from January. Higher CPI reading will be a key factor in deciding policy rates when the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meets on October 5 to 7. Retail food inflation in August climbed to 5.95 per cent from 5.52 in the preceding month. Inflation in onions rose to 48.27 per cent in August against 22.54 per cent in July. After August MPC meeting, the RBI had kept key shortterm policy rates unchanged amid inflation worries. It had projected the CPI inflation for 2026-27 at 5 per cent, with Q2 at 4.7 per cent, Q3 at 5.9 per cent, and Q4 at 5.5 per cent. The government has mandated the RBI to ensure CPIbased inflation remains at 4 per cent, with a margin of 2 per cent on either side. INDIAN EVES SNUB NAQVI ■ Indian women’s team refused Security lapse at Asr as 3 Italians fly out sans immigration checks Aditya Rangroo Tribune News Service any bilateral sporting engagement with Pakistan. However, there is no restriction on the two countries competing in international tournaments, and Pakistan’s athletes are allowed to participate in such events held in India. Questions, however, remain over continued on page 8 edit: Trophy impasse Mirwaiz Umar Farooq with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Srinagar, September 14 Two days after meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New Delhi, Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Monday said he was “happy” to have met a foreign dignitary “without any obstruction” after several years. Last week, Mirwaiz travelled to New Delhi to participate in an interfaith confer- ence addressed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. On Saturday, he held a meeting with Araghchi. In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Mirwaiz said since the developments of August 2019, this was the first such interaction he had with a visiting foreign leader. Mirwaiz said during the meeting, Araghchi expressed a “desire to visit Kashmir” and spoke warmly about the “long historical Today’s issue is of 18 pages, including four-page Jalandhar Tribune. c m y b relationship between Iran and Kashmir.” “Those ties are centuries old. Persian scholarship, literature, art and spirituality have left a deep imprint on Kashmiri civilisation, and these bonds between our peoples have endured across generations and changing political circumstances,” Mirwaiz said. In 2015, India had objected to the Pakistan embassy’s invitation to Hurriyat leaders ahead of talks between the national security advisers of the two countries. After the government briefly detained Hurriyat leaders in Srinagar, the proposed meeting between the two NSAs was called off. This time, however, the Centre allowed Mirwaiz to meet a foreign dignitary. Considered a moderate voice among separatists, Mirwaiz has long advocated dialogue. In January 2025, he engaged with the formal democratic process for the first time in over a decade when he deposed before the Joint Parliamentary Committee on amendments to the Waqf Act and opposed changes to the parent law. Mirwaiz has remained largely under house arrest since 2019. The Hurriyat Conference has been virtually defunct and leaders of his faction have not issued any statement on any of the recent developments. Mirwaiz said, “My approach and continued on page 8