08072025-TT-01.qxd 7/7/2025 11:28 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 187 | 12 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH DECISION ON CHARGES AGAINST HASINA ON JULY 10 WORLD /thetribunechd TOURISM ON THE RISE IN KASHMIR, SAYS SHEKHAWAT J&K 91% INDIVIDUALS LOSE MONEY IN DERIVATIVES IN FY25: SEBI BUSINESS PACKING DONE, WILL VACATE HOUSE SOON, SAYS EX-CJI BACK PAGE tuesday | 8 july 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Trump slaps 25% tariffs on allies Japan, S Korea; warns of 10% addl tax on BRICS Tahawwur was in Mum during 26/11, aided LeT terrorists As July 9 deadline nears, India says further progress on trade deal to depend on US Once sent by Pak on covert op to Saudi Tribune News Service CHINA SLAMS COERCION BY US New Delhi, July 7 US President Donald Trump on Monday placed a 25 per cent tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, citing persistent trade imbalances with the two crucial US allies in Asia, the move coming two days ahead of the July 9 deadline set by the western nation for sealing a trade deal with India. Also, the Trump administration does not intend to immediately impose a new 10 per cent tariff against members of the BRICS bloc, but will proceed if individual countries take so-called “anti-American” policy actions, according to a source familiar with the matter. Trump provided notice of the tariffs on Japan and South Korea, which will begin on August 1, by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the two countries. The letters warned both to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would increase import taxes that ■ China on Monday pushed back against US Presi- dent Donald Trump’s threat to impose an additional 10% tariff on BRICS nations, stating the bloc is not seeking confrontation ■ The country also warned that Trump’s tariff measures would serve no constructive purpose ■ “The use of tariffs serves no one,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, reiterating opposition to using tariffs as a means of political pressure ■ “We oppose tariffs being used as a tool to coerce other countries,” the foreign ministry said ■ The statement comes amid renewed rhetoric from Trump, who said his administration would consider additional tariffs on BRICS members ■ The BRICS grouping comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and the newly added members like Egypt and the UAE could damage the auto and electronics sectors of Japan and South Korea, two crucial partners for the US in countering China’s influence. “If for any reason you decide to raise your tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25 per cent that we charge,” Trump wrote in the letters to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. Trump was expected to send out letters to 18 countries informing them about a new tariff regime kicking in from August 1. He, however, mentioned only Japan and South Korea even as India’s deadline for the “Trump tariff” deal ends within two days. There are unresolved issues between the US and India as New Delhi has drawn its red lines on contentious sectors, particularly agriculture and dairy. “Now the ball is in the US court,” a news agency quoted an official, suggesting that further movement would depends on Washington’s response. A deal could still be announced before the July 9 deadline if the remaining differences are resolved. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump confirmed that the tariff letters would start going out Monday midnight, with more expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. “Some deals have been SC to hear Bihar poll roll PILs on July 10 Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 7 The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up on July 10 petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections to be held around October-November this year. A Bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi listed the matter for hearing on Thursday after senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Gopal Sankara- 9 dead, 33 hurt as packed mini-bus overturns in Dasuya HOSHIARPUR: Nine passengers, among them a five-year-old girl, were killed and 33 others injured when an overcrowded mini-bus overturned near Saggran village on the HajipurDasuya road in Hoshiarpur on Monday morning. Eight of the deceased were from Punjab, while one hailed from Himachal Pradesh. The private bus, en route from Hajipur to Talwara via Dasuya, was reportedly speeding when the accident occurred. — TNS Ashwani Sharma is PbBJPworkingprez, mayreplaceJakhar NEW DELHI: The BJP has named Pathankot MLA Ashwani Sharma as Punjab’s working president to oversee internal elections. Sharma, a three-time MLA, will conduct proceedings to elect the new state chief, replacing incumbent Sunil Jakhar. His appointment signals he may succeed Jakhar, a former Lok Sabha MP as state , BJP president. Jakhar had replaced Sharma as state chief in July 2023. INSIDE RAHUL TO LEAD BANDH AGAINST EC MOVE Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi will be in Patna on Wednesday to lead the Congress’ state unit during the Bihar bandh called by INDIA bloc allies to protest the Election Commission’s ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The INDIA allies, including the Congress, RJD and the Left, have called the SIR a move to disenfranchise crores of voters ahead of the Assembly poll. narayanan and several other counsel mentioned petitions filed by various NGOs and political parties seeking urgent hearing, apprehending a large number of voters might get disenfranchised. The petitioners included the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), RJD MP Manoj Jha, TMC MP Mahua Moitra and activist Yogendra Yadav. made… but letters are easier and faster,” he said. Trump had said late on Sunday that the US would impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on countries aligning themselves with so-called “antiAmerican policies” of the BRICS group of developing nations, and that there would be “no exceptions to this policy”. This triggered sharp denials from BRICS members that they were oriented against the US. The announcement by Trump, made on Truth Social, came as India, Indonesia and other BRICS members were negotiating last-minute trade deals with the US. The BRICS bloc, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, recently expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE. In February, India and the US had agreed to work on a full-fledged bilateral trade agreement. While the pact is likely to take shape by September or October 2025, the focus for now is on securing an interim deal to prevent continued on page 8 Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 7 Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks who was recently extradited to India from the US after a prolonged diplomatic and legal battle, has made startling revelations on his connections with the Pakistan army and spy agency ISI. He also admitted to directly facilitating the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)-led assault that killed 166 persons in Mumbai in November 2008. A Pakistani-origin Canadian national, Tahawwur is currently lodged in Tihar Jail and is in judicial custody. During interrogation by Mumbai Police Crime Branch officers in the prison, he admitted to being present in Mumbai during the attacks and supporting the Lashkar operatives. Tahawwur told the investigators that he was trusted by the Pakistanarmy and was once sent on a covert mission to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. Officials said the revelation reaffirmed the long-suspected nexus FAITH TRAIL The senior advocates submitted that voters who failed to submit the forms with the specified documents will face the harsh consequence of being deleted from the electoral rolls, even if they had voted in elections during the last 20 years. Noting that there were eight crore voters in Bihar, Sibal and Singhvi submitted that it was an impossible task. “The timeline is so strict and by July 25 if you don’t submit the form, you will be out,” Singhvi said. However, Justice Dhulia pointed out that the timeline continued on page 8 Abohar, July 7 In a spike in gang violence in Punjab, Sanjay Verma, a renowned cloth merchant and co-owner of New Wear Well Emporium in Abohar, was shot dead in broad daylight outside his showroom on Monday. The murder is being linked to an extortion threat he had reportedly received days earlier. Verma (58) was a respected questioned the state’s failure figure in Abohar. His tailoring to curb gangster activity. He brand, co-founded with said, “We pay taxes, we his brother Jagat Vergive jobs, and my brothma, employed over 500 er is killed on the road. people and catered to What was his fault? politicians, NRIs and Why are gangsters celebrities. His killing operating from jails?” has triggered wideShortly after the spread panic in the Sanjay Verma killing, a Facebook town. All markets and schools post allegedly from gangwill remain shut on Tuesday in ster Aarzoo Bishnoi, an continued on page 8 protest against the incident. edit: guns and gore A visibly shaken Jagat Verma between the 26/11 attackers and Pakistan’s military establishment. The 63-year-old also confessed to being part of the operational planning of the attacks and conducting a reconnaissance of the highvalue targets such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. He also admitted that he and David Coleman Headley, his long-time friend and co-conspirator, were trained by the LeT and worked in close coordination with ISI handlers. Tahawwur was brought to India on April 10 following a landmark US Supreme Court ruling on continued on page 8 A Delhi court on Monday recorded the statement of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar over the violence in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas in the capital during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Kumar, who was produced physically, claimed a fair investigation was not conducted and he was being implicated in the case. INSIDE Five of Bihar family killedoverwitchcraft : Five members of a family were allegedly killed and their bodies burnt on suspicion of practising witchcraft in Bihar’s Purnea district, the police said on Monday. Two persons have been arrested in connection with the murders and a manhunt was launched to nab the other accused, they said. — PTI PURNEA HC junks Celebi plea onsecurityclearance NEW DELHI: In a setback for Turkiye-based Celebi, the Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed its petition challenging revocation of its security clearance by aviation watchdog BCAS in the “interest of national security”. “I find no merit in the present petitions,” Justice Sachin Datta said. BACK PAGE Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Assailants flee after firing 10 rounds| Bishnoi-linked gang claims role Tribune News Service Pakistan army chief Asim Munir has said Islamabad didn’t receive external support during the four-day Operation Sindoor. He said India’s assertions that Pakistan got China help were “factually incorrect”. “Naming other states as participants in the purely bilateral military conflagration is a shoddy attempt at playing camp politics,” he said. BACK PAGE NEW DELHI: Punjab withdraws consent to deploy CISF at BBMB dams Abohar bizman shot dead in brazen daylight attack, 4th killing in 10 days ArchitWatts & Raj Sadosh NO CHINA HELP AMID OP SINDOOR: MUNIR ’84riotscase:Sajjan records statement Pilgrims en route to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath at Sheshnag in Anantnag district of J&K on Monday. Nearly 93,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine since the start of the 38-day yatra on the twin tracks of Pahalgam and Baltal on July 3. PTI Chandigarh, July 7 The Punjab Government on Monday withdrew its consent to the Bhakra Beas Management Board for the deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the dams operated by it. The decision was taken at a Punjab Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here. This comes over a month after the Centre decided to deploy the central force at the Bhakra dam project amid a tussle between Punjab and neighbouring Haryana over the sharing of river waters. An in-principle approval had been given by the previous Congress government to deploy the central force at the dam on July 23, 2021, when Capt Amarinder Singh was the Chief Minister. Later during Charanjit Singh Channi’s tenure, a letter was issued by the state Finance Department on October 21, 2021, saying it would bear the expenses of this security. The Mann Cabinet’s deci- Resolution against Centre’s move at special session: Cheema sion today is aimed at ensuring that the Centre does not deploy its forces at the dams. The CISF had made a move to create 296 posts for induction in the security wing of the BBMB in May, when the dispute between Punjab and Haryana over the allocation of Bhakra waters to the latter was raging. The Centre had used this inprinciple approval given by the previous Congress government to initiate the process of the deployment of the CISF at Bhakra and Nangal dams. The Nangal dam is currently secured by 146 personnel of the Punjab Police against a sanctioned strength of 83. The Bhakra dam is being guarded by the Himachal Police with 347 policemen being deployed against a sanctioned strength of 288. Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said the consent was being withdrawn as the Punjab Police were a valiant force continued on page 8 How Shubman Gill redefines gangland Punjab narrative with a cricket bat Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 7 From the heart of Malwa in Punjab, a star was born in fair England this week. Not for him the signature AK-47 rifle or action guns or gangland violence that has become synonymous with this part of the country. Instead, you could accuse the dimpling Shubman Gill, 24, of using his cricket bat to undertake a rapier cut-and- thrust to rewrite the records with back-to-back centuries. What’s more, history has been made with Gill’s leadership of a young, largely untested squad. No Virat or Rohit or Bumrah, but mainly Akash Deep, Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. India’s newest Test captain hails from Chak Jaimal Singh Wala, a village in Fazilka district — a semi-arid zone infamous for gang wars, drug smuggling, farmer suicides, and cancer deaths. Within a 50-kilometre radius — spanning Fazilka, Muktsar, Moga and Faridkot — Punjab has birthed some of its most feared gangsters over the past two decades. These men aren’t petty criminals, but Category A gangsters who have spawned a roll call of terror. Lawrence Bishnoi from Duttaranwali, Dimpy Chandbhan — the state’s first modern gangster — from Chandbhan, Shera Khuban from Khuban, Rocky from Jhuggian, Vicky Gounder from Sarawan and Devinder Bambiha from Bambiha village in Moga. Ironically, many of these boys were landlords with over 30 acres of land before they took to crime. Some — like Shera, Bambiha, and Gounder — were even promising athletes before fate took a darker turn. That’s why Shubman Gill’s rise and rise is more than a sporting triumph — it may c m y b even become a cultural shift. His success offers a powerful counter-narrative to the stereotype that Punjabi youth are either migrating abroad, or are addicted to drugs, or viscerally drawn into crime. Ajay Pal Singh Brar, founder of Misl-Satluj Punjab, an organisation devoted to addressing regional issues, told The Tribune that Gill’s victory is not personal, but a victory for continued on page 8 edit: well played