23092024-TTC-01.qxd 23-09-2024 00:39 Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 264 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 ISRAELI STRIKE KILLS SEVEN AT GAZA SCHOOL COMPOUND WORLD /thetribunechd DO-OR-DIE POLL BATTLE FOR BUKHARI IN CHANNAPORA J&K ATTEMPTS TO DERAIL ASHWIN SCALPS 6 WICKETS, TRAINS FOILED IN MP, INDIA TRUMP BANGLADESH UTTAR PRADESH NATION BY 280 RUNS SPORT monday | 23 september 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Quad takes on China, announces its MarxistleaderDissanayake wins Lanka’s prez election first joint Coast Guard mission at sea Result announced after historic second vote count Modi holds bilaterals with Oz, Japan PMs | India, US to boost semiconductor partnership Ajay Banerjee QUAD FOR TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY, SAYS PM The Quad is not against anyone. We all support a rule-based international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a peaceful resolution of all issues. Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 22 The Quad group of nations dropped their hesitation today in mounting a venture with military potential to counter China’s expanding influence by announcing the first-ever joint Coast Guard mission at sea. The four nations, represented by their leaders — Joe Biden of the US, India’s Narendra Modi, Australia’s Anthony Albanese and Japan’s Fumio Kishida — announced in Wilmington, Delaware, where the Quad summit was hosted by the US, that it would stand for the maintenance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The summit came up with the “Wilmington Declaration”, detailing the way forward. Smaller countries in the Indo-Pacific will also be trained in maritime security. Another layer of technology will be added and real-time data shared to keep an eye at sea. “Four years since elevating it to a leader-level format, the Quad is more strategically continued on page 8 ❝ Narendra Modi, PRIME MINISTER NEED TO END CONFLICTS ■ Quad leaders stress need Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australia’s Premier Anthony Albanese and Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida ahead of the Quad summit in Wilmington. ANI Biden hails Modi’s historic visit to Ukraine New Delhi, September 22 US President Joe Biden commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his historic visit to Ukraine last month and his message of peace. Modi had met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. The India-US joint fact sheet detailing the outcome of the Modi-Biden bilateral in the US said: “President Biden commended PM Modi for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine”. Biden mentioned Modi’s message of peace and the ongoing humanitarian sup- port for Ukraine. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, answering questions on whether a specific peace proposal related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict was on the cards, said, “We are involved in a set of ongoing conversations with continued on page 8 for ending Russia-Ukraine conflict, bat for a two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Gaza crisis ■ Say smaller countries in the Indo-Pacific to be trained in maritime security US returns 297 priceless artefacts New Delhi: The US has returned 297 priceless artefacts, including one that is almost 4,000 years old. The MEA said: “The US facilitated the return of 297 antiquities that had been stolen or trafficked from India.” BACK PAGE Colombo, September 22 Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake was on Sunday declared winner of the Sri Lankan presidential election by the country’s election commission after an unprecedented second round of counting of votes. Dissanayake, 56, the leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party’s broader front National People’s Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of Samagi Jana Balawegaya. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe was eliminated in the first round after he failed to make it to the top two in the vote list. The NPP said Dissanayake would take oath on Monday. He will be the ninth president of the island nation. After being defeated in the election, Wickremesinghe bid an emotional farewell to his 26-month tenure, marking the end of his presidency. The election on Saturday was the first to be held since mass protests unseated Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022 after the country suffered an economic crisis. Earlier, the election commission ordered a second round of counting Punjab Cabinet to get five new faces today Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service India win maiden chessgoldmedals BUDAPEST: India on Sunday scripted history as its men's and women's teams clinched maiden gold medals in the 45th Chess Olympiad. The men's team defeated Slovenia after D Gukesh (pic), Arjun Erigaisi & R Praggnanandhaa won their matches. The women's team beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title. INSIDE HP minister for Waqf reforms Chandigarh, September 22 The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will get five new faces on Monday evening, while four ministers will be dropped by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. Though there is no official announcement of the names of new inductees or the ones being dropped, sources in the government and AAP claim that Mohinder Bhagat, who just won the Jalandhar West bypoll, Sham Churasi MLA Dr Ravjot Singh, Khanna MLA Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Lehragaga MLA Barinder Goyal and Sahnewal MLA Hardeep Singh Mundian will be inducted into the Cabinet. The CM had earlier announced that Bhagat would be in the Cabinet soon. The government has sought time from Governor Gulab Chand Kataria for inducting the new ministers into the Cabinet on Monday evening. Among those to be dropped are: Local Bodies Minister Balkaur Singh, Horticulture and Public Relations Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Revenue Minister Brahm Shankar Jimpa and Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Anmol Gagan Maan. All four have reportedly submitted their resignations. A number of senior ministers were called to Delhi on Sunday afternoon. They held continued on page 8 SHIMLA: Amid protests by a section of the majority community over alleged unauthorised mosques and inadequate verification of migrants coming to Himachal Pradesh, state Public Works Department Minister Vikramaditya Singh has suggested that the Waqf Board should bring reforms in its functioning. INSIDE Tarunpreet Hardeep Singh Singh Sond Mundian Mohinder Bhagat Barinder Goyal Ravjot Singh FOUR MINISTERS TO LOSE BERTH Local Bodies Minister Balkaur Singh, Horticulture and Public Relations Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra, Revenue Minister Brahm Shankar Jimpa and Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Anmol Gagan Maan Tribune News Service Patiala, September 22 With over 60 farm fires reported within a week of the start of paddy harvesting season in Punjab, the district administrations in the state have started issuing formal orders to make “red entries” in the revenue records of the farmers who set crop residue on fire. The move by the district authorities reportedly comes after a nod by the state government. The farmers having red entries in their revenue records will not be able to apply for a new licence for any weapon or get their existing arms licences renewed. Patiala Additional Deputy Commissioner-cum-Additional District Magistrate Kanchan has ordered that anyone applying for a new arms licence or the renewal of an existing one “will get a nod” only after the land records have been verified. According to the order, those ■ JVP dubbed Indian interven- Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a Marxist party, in 1987 when antiIndia sentiment was at its peak ■ JVP eliminated key activists of parties that backed 1987 IndoLanka Accord, which aimed at finding a solution to Tamil demand for political autonomy tion a betrayal of Lanka’s sovereignty; in 2019, JVP rebranded itself as the National People’s Power (NPP) ■ Dissanayake’s visit to India earlier this year is, however, seen as a change in NPP leadership’s approach towards India after no candidate secured over 50 per cent votes needed to be declared the winner of Saturday’s poll. In the first round of counting, Dissanayake topped the chart by securing 5.63 million votes or 42.31 per cent, followed by Premadasa with 4.36 million votes or 32.8 per cent and Wickremesinghe getting only 2.29 million votes or 17.27 per cent of the total votes polled. No election in Lanka has ever progressed to the second round of counting, as single candidates have always emerged as clear winners. — PTI edit: lankan mandate Anshita Mehra Tribune News Service NC leader Omar Abdullah rides a jet ski during a poll rally on the Dal Lake in Srinagar on Sunday. PTI NC joined hands with Congress to avoid hung Assembly: Omar Says BJP would want any excuse to extend L-G’s rule in UT Adil Akhzer Srinagar, September 22 National Conference vicepresident and former CM Omar Abdullah on Sunday said his party and the Congress had forged a pre-poll alliance to avoid a hung Assembly in J&K. He claimed that the BJP would want a hung Assembly as that would give it an excuse to extend the Lieutenant Governor’s rule in the UT. “But, people of Jammu and Kash- ‘RED ENTRIES’ IN REVENUE RECORDS ■ ‘Red entries’ to be made in PART OF 1987 ANTI-INDIA MOVEMENT ■ Dissanayake joined the Janatha Will 75-year retirement rule apply to PM? Kejri’s poser to RSS targets BJP mir will not allow this,” he said. Talking to reporters at a shikara rally on the Dal Lake in Srinagar ahead of the September 25 polling for the second phase, Omar said the NC and Congress could have also gone for a post-poll partnership, but the alliance was forged “to ensure there is no hung Assembly, and to give people an option and leave no room for any doubt about government formation”. The NC and the Congress have sealed a pre-poll alliance for the three-phase Assembly elections in the UT. Asked if the National Conference was ready to ally with the Peoples Democratic Party, Omar said there would be no need for it while adding that “let’s wait for the results on October 8”. The top leader said the voter turnout in the first phase was not good in some areas. “There were some areas where the voting percentage this time was lower than that continued on page 8 Punjab’s new firefighting step, no arms licences for stubble-burners Aman Sood National People’s Power leader AK Dissanayake in Colombo. REUTERS the revenue records of farmers resorting to farm fires ■ Anyone applying for a new arms licence or the renewal of an existing one will get the nod only if there’s no such entry in his revenue record ■ This may lead to a controversy as farm unions have already announced their opposition to any such move by the govt resorting to farm fires (having red entries in the revenue records) will not be able to get any new arms licence or get their existing arms licences renewed. The state witnessed 11 farm fires on Sunday, the highest in a single day this season that started on September 15. Six of these incidents were in Amritsar, four in Gurdaspur and one in Patiala. Meanwhile, farm unions have demanded that farmers be financially supported by the government for stubble management. “They are forced to burn stubble as the state government has failed to provide them adequate support for crop residue management. We will oppose any action against farmers in this regard, including red entries in revenue records or the registration of FIRs,” they said. This season, paddy has c m y b been sown on 32.5 lakh hectares in the state. It is expected to generate around 22.5 million tonnes of straw and managing it will be a challenge for the state government. Another Deputy Commissioner posted in the Doaba belt said he would also pass similar orders in the coming days since the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal closely monitored the performance of DCs in every district. New Delhi, September 22 AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday used the RSS to launch a scathing attack on the ruling BJP by asking Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat whether the rule of retirement from politics at 75 would apply to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The former Delhi CM, in five pointed questions to the RSS, also questioned Sangh’s ability to keep tabs on the BJP by referring to the purported remarks by party president JP Nadda that they did not need their ideological mentor. The AAP chief’s new line of approach to target political opponents comes days after Asks Sangh chief to answer 5 questions he was released from the Tihar Jail in the excise policy case. “The RSS and BJP have made the rule that leaders must retire at 75. LK Advani was made to retire, and prominent leaders such as Murli Manohar Joshi and Kalraj Mishra were also forced to step down. Now, Home Minister Amit Shah says this rule will not apply to Modi. Do you (RSS) agree with this?” said Kejriwal at his first ‘Janta ki Adalat’ public meeting here. While campaigning for the Lok Sabha poll in May, Kejriwal had claimed Modi would retire next year when he turns continued on page 8 RWAs knock at EC doors over Haryana nod to S+4 Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 22 Urging the Election Commission to suspend the government order giving the goahead to the stilt-plus-four construction in Haryana, residents’ welfare associations have sought action against the Director, Town and Country Planning Department, Haryana, for acting under the “influence” of the caretaker Haryana Government while giving his nod. Speaking to The Tribune after a meeting of the residents’ welfare associations, which met under the aegis of the HUDA Sectors Confederation, an umbrella body with 287 members, in Hisar today, president Yashvir Malik said, “We have sent an e-mail to the EC, stating that the removal of embargo on the construction Seek action against Town & Country Planning Dept head of S+4 floors in residential areas be put on hold. This notification is beyond the powers of the current caretaker government in the state and is clearly a big allurement for voters,” he said. The letter to the EC states that the notification regarding the construction will not only come in the way of a level playing field during elections, but also smacked of the government’s “vested interests”. Maintaining that it violates the model code of conduct, the confederation has sought a ban on the latest notification while seeking “disciplinary action” against the officer concerned. continued on page 8