09012021-TTB-01.qxd 1/9/2021 12:05 AM Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | vol.5 no.9 | 16 pages | ~6.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2021-2023 established in 1881 IRAN BANS COVID VACCINES FROM US, UK WORLD /thetribunechd ECONOMISTS URGE PM MODI TO PUSH PRIVATISATION BUSINESS COVID JAB FOR ALL SOON, SAYS VARDHAN BACK PAGE /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com saturday | 9 january 2021 Deadlock stays, govt pins hopes on SC Hearing on Jan 11, talks on Jan 15 | Won’t repeal laws, says Centre | Nothing less: Farmers Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 8 Protesting farmers and the Centre today failed to resolve the ongoing deadlock over three farm laws with the eighth round of talks ending inconclusively and the next scheduled for January 15. The government appears to have pinned hopes of a resolution on the Supreme Court that will hear the matter on January 11 even as farm union representatives ruled out option of impleading in the case. “We will win or die” was the message on the placards representatives of 41 farm unions held at the meeting where they refused to break for lunch reportedly upset over ministers arriving 40 minutes late for the talks. “We are not going to vacate the sites of agitation even if the Supreme Court directs us to,” farmer leader Darshan Pal said after the meeting as unions vowed to escalate mobilisation for the Farm leaders at the eighth round of talks with the government in Vigyan Bhawan on Friday. PTI CANADIAN MP’S PRESENCE UNDER LENS 5K VOLUNTEERS FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL The MEA on Friday said it had noted reports about the presence of Indo-Canadian MP Ramandeep Brar at the farmers’ protests at Kundli on January 2. Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the government was “ascertaining the fact”. Brar was backed by DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa. January 26 protests. Agriculture Minister NS Tomar said after the meeting that no consensus could be reached With the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha keen on a massive tractor rally in Delhi on Republic Day, process has begun to recruit thousands of volunteers from different states to regulate the traffic for the march. Farm bodies believe around 5,000-10,000 volunteers will be needed to control the traffic. today as farm unions did not offer any alternatives barring repeal of farm laws. The government categorically ruled out rescinding the legislations with Tomar noting that “many other farm groups nationally are in sup- port of the laws”. The minister said the Centre was committed to the directions of Supreme Court, whatever these might be. He, however, said no proposal was made to farmers to implead in the ongoing SC case. Farmer leaders on their part maintained that Tomar had suggested in the meeting that the union leaders could petition the apex court, if they found the farm laws unconstitutional. “We will not be party to the case as that will delay the matter,” said farmer leader BS Rajewal, who opened the dialogue on the behalf of the farmers today saying the Centre did not have the right to legislate on agriculture, since it is a state subject. BKU’s Rakesh Tikait said farmers were ready to protest till 2024 and hold as many rounds of talks as the Centre had to offer. “If we can go to jail 350 times, why can’t we talk to the Centre 350 times?” he said. Edit: time for breakthrough 26/11 mastermind gets 15-yr jail SC: Decide Rajoana in terror case, India calls it farce mercy plea by Jan 26 Lahore/New Delhi, January 8 Mumbai attack mastermind and LeT commander Zakiur-Rehman Lakhvi was sentenced to 15 years in jail by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court here in a terror financing case on Friday. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), however, was unimpressed by Pakistan’s action, which came amid growing international pressure on Islamabad to bring to justice terrorists roaming free in the country. “The timing of these actions clearly suggests the intention of conveying a Pak action comes ahead of FATF meeting in Feb sense of compliance ahead of the APJG meeting and next FATF plenary meeting in February 2021. It has become routine for Pakistan to come up with such farcical actions MAIDEN TEST HALF CENTURY 50 SHUBMAN GILL P UNJAB batsman Shubman Gill, 21, scored his first Test 50 — in his second match at this level India ended second day of the third Test in Sydney at 96/2, in reply to Australia’s 338 Gill showed great technique, hitting eight fours in his 50 He is now among youngest Indian batsmen to score a Test 50 in Australia SCORE AUSTRALIA INDIA 338 96/2 IN BRIEF Orders to dist courts on physical hearing CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana HC has written to all District and Sessions Judges in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to permit physical hearing of cases. Also, all courts in the HC will start functioning virtually from Monday. INSIDE G’gram case: 4 Hry cops chargesheeted NEW DELHI: The CBI has filed a chargesheet in a special court in Panchkula against four Haryana cops for their alleged role in framing a bus conductor in the killing of a seven-year-old boy in a private school in Gurugram in September 2017. INSIDE prior to important meetings,” said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava at a media briefing here on Friday. The 61-year-old UN proscribed terrorist, on bail since 2015 in the Mumbai case, was arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab province on Saturday. “The Anti-Terrorism Court, Lahore, convicted Lakhvi for commission of offences of terrorism financing in a case registered by the CTD for 15 years under different sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997,” a court official said after the hearing. — PTI/TNS Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 8 The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to decide by January 26 Balwant Singh Rajoana’s plea for commuting the death penalty awarded to him in former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassination case. The former Chief Minister and 16 others were killed in an explosion outside the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh in 1995. In jail for last 25 years, Rajoana was sentenced to death in 2007. His mercy petition under Article 72 of the Constitution has been hanging fire for eight years. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde continued on page 7 1.6L birds to be culled in P’kula Samples of 2 farms test +ve | Centre confirms flu in 6 states Chandigarh, January 8 Haryana’s Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister JP Dalal has said over 1.66 lakh birds of five poultry farms in Panchkula district will be culled after poultry samples from two farms tested positive for avian flu. Dalal said the culling operations had started following the Centre’s guidelines stipulating that poultry in farms located within 1 km of any PB BANS POULTRY IMPORTS infected farm would have to be culled. “The employees of these farms would be exam- Brace for fresh cold wave: IMD Tribune News Service New Delhi, January 8 After fairly warm weather conditions in the past few days, cold wave conditions are set to return with a gradual fall in temperatures over the next four to five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said today. “Due to the prevailing northwesterly winds over most parts of northwest India, minimum temperature will fall gradually by 3-5°C during the next four to five days, leading to cold wave conditions in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan on January 11-12,” the weather office said. Due to western disturbance, Balwant Singh Rajoana, convict in Beant Singh assassination case 3 to 5°C temperature likely to fall over the next 4-5 days ined by the Health Department and administered antiviral drugs,” the Animal Husbandry Minister asserted. Meanwhile, avian influenza on Friday spread to six states, including Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, with the Centre asking the authorities to mount surveillance operations and begin culling infected birds or poultry. — TNS HPU decision not to hold admission test illegal: HC Legal Correspondent Shimla, January 8 The Himachal Pradesh High Court today declared the HP University’s decision of not holding entrance tests for admission to various undergraduate/postgraduate courses as arbitrary and illegal. Keylong in Lahaul & Spiti witnesses fresh snowfall on Friday. PTI Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad are witnessing scattered rain/snow and isolated rain/thundershower over Haryana, northeast Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh. Dense to very dense fog is very likely at isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and west Uttar Pradesh and dense fog over Delhi, east Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and northwest Madhya Pradesh in the morning hours over the weekend. Wants record placed before executive council A Division Bench of Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua said, “Although we have held the action of university… continued on page 7 To defuse crisis, Centre plans to turn to Akal Takht Jathedar Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Jalandhar, January 8 With talks deadlocked, the Centre has started roping in heads of religious sects in Punjab to break the impasse on the farm laws. While Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar met Baba Lakha Singh of Nanaksar Gurdwara yesterday, the BJP is now contemplating involving Giani Harpreet Singh, Akal Takht Jathedar, for mediation between the Centre and protesting farmers. “As negotiations aren’t moving beyond ‘yes’ and ‘no’, we need a third party whom both sides look up to. There has been trust deficit ‘We will win or die’ — A farm leader’s message at Vigyan Bhawan WILL BRIDGE TRUST GAP ❝ As negotiations aren’t moving beyond ‘yes’ and ‘no’, we need a third party whom both sides can look up to. There is trust deficit and spiritual leaders can help bridge the gap. Kamaljit Soi, BJP NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON and spiritual leaders can help bridge the gap. We will approach Giani Harpreet Singh — head of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs,” said BJP national spokesperson Kamaljit Soi. Soi claimed it was tough to come to conclusion on any point with around 40 union leaders, attending talks from the farmers’ side. “It’s terribly cold and even Baba Lakha Singh was of the view that all farmers, particularly women and children, should return home,” he added. About the proposed mediation, SGPC chief Jagir Kaur said, “Though the ongoing crisis is no way related to religion, it’s up to Giani Harpreet Singh continued on page 7 Trump won’t attend Biden’s inauguration Washington, January 8 President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would not attend President-elect Joe Biden’s Inauguration on January 20. He will be the first incumbent President since Andrew Johnson to skip his successors inauguration. On Thursday, Trump delivered a video statement admitting his presidency would soon end — though he declined to mention Biden by name or explicitly state he had lost. The outgoing President condemned the mayhem caused by his supporters in the US Capitol, saying they do not represent America, as the beleaguered President vowed to ensure a “smooth, orderly and seamless” transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden. DAY AFTER, FLAYS MAYHEM ❝ Like all Americans, I am outraged by the lawlessness and mayhem. BIDEN PICKS CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER GUPTA AS ASSOCIATE AG Donald Trump, US PREZ ■ US President-elect Joe Biden IMPEACHMENT LOOMS, PELOSI WARNS ON N-CODES Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff about preventing Trump from accessing nuke codes In a new video message, a day after he urged the crowds to head for Capitol, where they forced their way inside, Trump said, “Like all Americans, I am outraged by the mayhem. You (demonstrators) do not represent our country,” he added. — PTI has nominated Indian-American Vanita Gupta to be the Associate Attorney General ■ Gupta, 46, is currently serv- ing as president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights ■ If confirmed by the US Sen- ate, Gupta will be the highest-ranking Indian-American in the Department of Justice ■ “Proud daughter of immi- grants from India. Vanita is one of the most respected civil rights lawyers in America,” said Biden — PTI