11022021-TT-01.qxd 2/10/2021 11:22 PM Page 1 13 chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | vol.141 no.41 | 12 pages | ~5.00 | regd.no.chd/0006/2021-2023 established in 1881  haryana SIX REPUBLICANS SIDE WITH DEMS FOR TRUMP TRIAL WORLD /thetribunechd INFLOW IN GOLD ETFs SURGES 45% TO ~625 CRORE IN JANUARY BUSINESS GOVT POSITION FOR AZAD? SPECULATION RIFE BACK PAGE /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com thursday | 11 february 2021 India, China begin pullback from Pangong Tso Tank withdrawal commences from south bank | Troop cut from north | Beijing announces move Ajay Banerjee PERMANENT UN SEAT: CHINA HARPS ON ‘PACKAGE SOLUTION’ Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 10 More than nine months into the military standoff, India and China on Wednesday kick-started the process to disengage troops from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The process has been initiated on the north and south banks of the Pangong Tso, 135-km glacial lake. Some 50,000 troops on either side have been facing each other along the 823-km-long LAC. While India is yet to make The Pangong lake in Ladakh EPICENTRE OF TENSIONS BETWEEN TWO SIDES ■ 50,000 troops on either side have been facing each other along the 823- km-long LAC. Since August-end, both armies have been within rifle-shot range of each other in the south bank of Pangong Tso following a clash. an official statement on the matter, Chinese defence ministry website ran a state- ment by its spokesperson Colonel Wu Qian today. “Chinese and Indian front- Beijing: China, which has been blocking India’s efforts to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, on Wednesday called for evolving a “package solution” that is acceptable to all to reform the top organ of the global body. India began its twoyear tenure as a non-permanent member on January 1. PTI line troops at the southern and northern bank of the Pangong Tso start synchro- nised and organised disengagement from February 10,” he stated. Top sources in the Indian security establishment have said that “this will be part of a gradual step-wise disengagement process”. Tanks and mechanised equipment of both sides have been pulled back from locations south of the Pangong Tso, the sources said. Since August-end, troops of both sides have been within rifle-shot range of each other in the Rinchen La and Rezang La areas on the south bank of the Pangong Tso following a clash. On the north bank of the lake – which has a more rugged terrain – both sides have begun the process of thinning out troops. The pullback shall be physically verified before the next disengagement step is undertaken, said the sources, as they recalled the Galwan clash on June 15 which occurred after the first phase of pullback had been initiated. So far, only tanks and mechanised equipment Continued on page 9 Twitter suspends 500 accounts Govt, Parliament have respect Spares media entities, activists, politicians for farmers: PM in Lok Sabha Tribune News Service & PTI New Delhi, February 10 Twitter on Wednesday said it had suspended over 500 accounts and blocked access to several others within India as it partly acceded to a government order to curb the spread of misinformation around farmers’ protests. Twitter, in a blog post, said it had not blocked accounts consisting of “news media entities, journalists, activists and politicians as doing so would violate their fundamental right to free expression”. The government, however, termed as “unusual” Twitter’s move to publish the blog. “Upon the request of Twitter, the IT Secretary was to engage with its senior management. In this light, a blog AMNESTY DECRIES CRACKDOWN ON AGITATORS DEAD FARMER’S KIN MOVE HC YADAV INCITED FARMERS: BITTU IN LOK SABHA UK MP DHESI WORRIED OVER NODEEP ARREST READY FOR DIALOGUE ❝ Iqbal Singh, R-Day violence key accused, was arrested from Hoshiarpur on Wednesday. post published prior to it is unusual,” the IT Ministry said in its response on Koo, a Our objective is not change in power (at the Centre). We want the govt to repeal the farm laws. Our committee is ready for talks. Rakesh Tikait, BKU LEADER homegrown platform. Twitter was asked by the government to block 1,178 accounts. Intruder shot dead near LoC in Uri Hry creates special job cadre for sportspersons SRINAGAR: Tribune News Service IN BRIEF The Army shot an intruder dead near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of Baramulla district, the police said on Wednesday. Army jawans killed an intruder near the LoC at Dulanja in Uri in north Kashmir on Tuesday night, a police official said. He identified the “intruder” as Sarfraz Mir, 56, a resident of Kundibarjala Kamalkote, Uri. INSIDE 18 sailors stuck in China head home NEW DELHI: Eighteen Indian sailors stuck in China would return to India on February 14, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday. “Our 18 stranded seafarers of MV Anastasia will sign off from Japan today and reach India on February 14,” the minister said. — PTI POSTS SANCTIONED Chandigarh, February 10 The Haryana Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of CM Manohar Lal Khattar, today unveiled a bonanza for outstanding sportspersons by creating a special cadre for them in government jobs. With the introduction of Haryana Outstanding Sportspersons (Group A, B & C) Service Rules-2021, a separate cadre would be created to promote sports in the state. Under the new rules, 50 Group-A posts (deputy director), 250 Group-B posts (senior coach and coach) and 250 50 250 250 Group-A posts (deputy director) Group-B posts (sr coach & coach) Group-C posts (junior coach) Group-C posts (junior coach) have been sanctioned. The upper age limit has also reduced from 50 to 42 years. Outstanding sportspersons will be eligible to apply for the post within 10 years of their sports achievement or up to the age of 42. Continued on page 9 Will scrap laws, if voted in: Priyanka Lucknow, February 10 Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today said her party would scrap the farm law, if voted to power. Addressing a “kisan panchayat” in Saharanpur, she accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders of “insulting” farmers who are protesting against the laws. “The three laws are demonic. If voted to power, the Congress will scrap these,” she said. The party’s fight would continue till the laws were scrapped, she added. — PTI Shadow campaign: Most women candidates bank on sons, spouses Principals of HP pvt institutes overage sHIMLA: The principals of over 30 private educational institutions in Himachal Pradesh are either overage or working in officiating capacity, while five institutions are headless. An exercise undertaken by the Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission (HPPEIRC) to verify credentials of the principals of 182 private educational institutes in the state also found that some institutions were functioning without affiliation. A section of private colleges has allegedly submitted fictitious data pertaining to qualification and experience of their principals. INSIDE New Delhi, February 10 Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the motion of thanks on President's Address, PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday reached out to agitating farmers, saying the government and Parliament had great respect for them, which was why topmost ministers had been talking to them. Once again accusing “andolanjeevis” of exploiting the “pavitra andolan” of the farmers, he urged the pro- Photos of male kin dot posters & hoardings CIVIC BODY POLL Sameer Singh Tribune News Service Bathinda, February 10 Even as 50 per cent of seats are reserved for women candidates in Punjab civic body elections this year, most are running their campaign in the “shadow” of their husbands, fathers-in-law or sons. For elections to the Bathinda Municipal Corporation, more than 100 women candidates are in fray from 50 wards.With campaigning in full steam, women candidates are often seen shadow walking their menfolk. Their posters have Posters of women candidates in Bathinda with photos of kin. TWO KILLED IN MOGA POLL CLASH, CASE REGISTERED Moga: Two activists were allegedly run over by SUVs following a clash between Cong and SAD workers during campaigning here late Tuesday night, the police said. A case has been filed. INSIDE been put up at public places, streets and roadsides, but they hardly feature alone in any poll material. Women rights activists believe that women have a long way to go. A local Congress man said: “Post poll, it’s mostly male members who call the shots.” Prof Neetu Arora said it would take time for women to be “truly empowered”. MANDIS, MSP TO STAY ing these were enacted to meet new challenges in the agriculture sector. He allayed fears, saying neither any “mandi” had been shut ‘RAIL ROKO’ ON FEB 18: UNIONS PM MODI IN LOK SABHA testers to come forward for a dialogue. Amid disruptions by Opposition MPs, PM Modi defended the farm laws, say- down nor had the MSP been discontinued, rather the MSP had been hiked. “No one asked for laws against dowry, triple talaq…. but these laws were enacted because they were progressive.” he said. BACK PAGE Overused, JCBs at tunnel ineffective Mukesh Ranjan Tribune News Service Tapovan (Joshimath), Feb 10 The pace of rescue operation at the Tapovan hydel project tunnel slackened considerably on Wednesday with mud-removal machines giving way and reinforcements far from sight. Over 35 to 50 workers are feared trapped inside the 250-metre-long tunnel. So far 55 metre length of the tunnel has been cleared of slush, which has been hampering rescue efforts even as families of those missing held a protest at Joshimath today to question “inordinate delay in breaching the tunnel”. The Uttarakhand administration said 32 bodies had been recovered so far and eight identified. The estimation of those missing has gone up from 166 yesterday to 172 today after multiagency teams, which used drones and remote-sensing equipment at the site, pointed to new locations where bodies could be buried under slush. At Tapovan, rescuers told The Tribune that the two JCB loaders deployed to clear the tunnel could break down any time now. There were no replacements available yet. Further, the water level inside the tunnel is con- Patience thinning, kin of trapped workers protest ‘delay’ in ops Rescuers in Tapovan tunnel. PTI HOPING AGAINST HOPE ■ Flood toll 32, no body extri- cated on Wednesday. ■ 55 metre length of the tunnel has been cleared of slush. ■ Urgent machinery reinforce- ment sought. stantly surging. Families of missing workers of the Rishiganga hydel project site protested accusing the authorities of not carrying out rescue operations properly. Some of the families among protesters were from Punjab.