27062025-TT-03.qxd 6/26/2025 11:56 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 176 | 18 PAGES | ~6.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH HINDI FRIEND OF ALL INDIAN LANGUAGES, SAYS SHAH NATION /thetribunechd 10% DIP IN AMARNATH REGISTRATIONS AFTER PAHALGAM ATTACK J&K INDIAN TEAM REACHES SLAPPED US IN THE FACE, US FOR NEXT ROUND OF WILL STRIKE BACK IF TRADE TALKS BUSINESS ATTACKED: KHAMENEI WORLD friday | 27 june 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com No Pahalgam reference, India refuses to sign SCO declaration on terrorism Objects to Balochistan mention in draft document | China, Pak wanted J&K attack excluded Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 26 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh refused to sign a proposed joint declaration on terrorism at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting at Qingdao, China, as it did not mention the Pahalgam terror attack. The joint declaration was finally not adopted. A draft joint declaration on terrorism was discussed at the meeting. However, it did not reflect India’s position on countering terrorism, said sources. India accuses Pakistan of having masterminded, aided, abetted and financed the Pahalgam terror attack. In New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Member countries could not reach a consensus on certain issues and hence the document could not be finalised.” “India wanted concerns on terrorism reflected in the document, which was not acceptable to a particular country. As such, the joint statement was not adopted,” Jaiswal said. The sources said the SCO joint declaration proposed to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with his Iranian and Pakistani counterparts Aziz Nasirzadeh and Khawaja Muhammad Asif (centre) at the SCO meeting in the Chinese province of Qingdao on Thursday. AP/PTI NO MEETING BETWEEN INDIAN, PAK DEFENCE MINISTERS ■ Pakistan is a member of the SCO and it’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was at the meeting mention the attack in Balochistan — the Jaffar Express hijacking in March — while China, the present ■ Sources in the Indian establishment said “there was no meeting between Rajnath and Asif” Chair of the SCO, and its ally Pakistan wanted Pahalgam’s exclusion from the document. Rajnath and his Centre writes to Punjab, Haryana CMs for July talks to end SYL dispute Aditi Tandon A search operation underway after the encounter in Udhampur dist. PTI JeM terrorist shot in J&K encounter, three trapped Arjun Sharma Jammu, June 26 A week ahead of start of the Amarnath pilgrimage, a highly trained terrorist, believed to be Pakistani, was shot dead during an encounter with the security forces in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur district on Thursday. Armed group equipped with M4 carbines Intelligence agencies received information about the presence of at least four terrorists in the dense forest of Bihali in Basantgarh. They were confronted by a joint search party of the J&K Police and the Special Forces of the Army on Thursday morning. Basantgarh is located on the traditional route of Pakistani terrorists who infiltrate from the International Border in Kathua and travel to higher reaches of the Jammu region or to the Valley. Sources said the group belongs to the Pakistanbacked Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror outfit and is heavily armed. They are also equipped with M4 carbines. The sources said from the tactics being used by the terrorists during the encounter, it appeared they were likely trained in jungle warfare. “Based on a tip-off, a joint operation was launched by the Army and the police in the Bihali area of Basantgarh. A contact has been established with terrorists. continued on page 6 Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 26 The Centre on Thursday said it was making every possible effort to resolve the vexed decades-old Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue of water sharing between Punjab and Haryana and had sought the convenience of the chief ministers of both states to discuss the issue at the earliest. The Jal Shakti Ministry has written to Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini and Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann for a meeting and mediation talks are likely around July 10 in Delhi. Top sources today told The Tribune that Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil took the initiative to hold an arbitration between the two states after previous rounds led by his predecessor Gajendra Singh Shekhawat failed. The Supreme Court in May again directed Punjab and Haryana to cooperate with the Centre to resolve the matter. The apex court had earlier appointed the Jal Shakti Minister as the chief arbiter in the delegation objected to it. In the past, New Delhi has consistently trashed Pakistan’s allegations about its involvement in Balochistan. Earlier, while making his remarks at the meeting, Rajnath, without naming Pakistan, said some countries “use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists”. Pakistan is a member of the SCO and it’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif was at the meeting. Sources in the Indian establishment said “there was no meeting between Rajnath and Asif”. Rajnath said the SCO should not hesitate in criticising nations that “use terrorism as an instrument of policy”. “It is imperative that those who sponsor, nurture and utilise terrorism for their narrow and selfish ends must bear the consequences,” Rajnath said. The minister said peace and prosperity could not co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in the hands of nonstate actors and terror groups. Speaking about the Pahalgam terror attack, Rajnath said terror group The Resistance Front (TRF) carried out the dastardly and heinous attack on innocent tourists in Jammu continued on page 6 edit: duplicity on terror Irrefutable proof to nail big fish: Mann on Majithia’s arrest Tribune News Service Chandigarh, June 26 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today said the state government had gathered “substantive and irrefutable proof” against the “big fish” arrested on charges of running drug rackets and amassing huge wealth through drug money. Without naming Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau on Tuesday, Mann said, “The seized 29 mobile phones, eight laptops and other documents, along with investigations into business and hawala transactions, have given us enough evidence to nail him. A proper money trail has been established.” Denying the allegations of political vendetta, the Chief Minister said the “big crocodile in the illicit drug trade had been caught and investigations during his police remand will establish his role”. He said another big fish would be caught soon and any property built with illicit drug money would be razed. “With this arrest, we have Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann talks to the media in Chandigarh. 7-DAY POLICE REMAND Modi likely to travel to Brazil next week for BRICS summit CHUGH BACKS MAJITHIA new delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to embark on a five-nation tour next week to attend the BRICS summit in Brazil and to enhance India’s ties with four other nations, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Besides Brazil, Modi is set to visit Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina and Namibia, they said. The main focus of the trip will be his visit to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro to participate in the BRICS summit on July 6 and 7. — PTI BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh has backed Majithia and slammed Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann for ‘weaponising state agencies’. started arresting the kingpins in the drug business. Earlier, all opposition parties would accuse my government of arresting only drug peddlers. Now that I have arrested the kingpin, they have all joined hands and started accusing me of political witchhunt. continued on page 6 RAIN FURY IN HIMACHAL Investigation teams retrieve data from AI flight black boxes DATES BACK TO 1966 Reorganisation Act ■ Punjab cited riparian principle issue asking him to play a proactive role rather than be just a “mute spectator”. Paatil today confirmed to The Tribune that efforts to resolve the conflict were on. “The SC has issued certain orders in the matter and as per the SC directions, we will move forward in the direction of a solution to the SYL issue,” Paatil told this correspondent. The issue pertains continued on page 6 A partially caved in portion of the strategic Chandigarh-Kullu National Highway near Manali on Thursday. Four persons were killed while 10 are missing in a series of cloudbursts triggered by heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra and Kullu districts on Wednesday. PTI INSIDE Drop ‘secular, socialist’ from Constitution: RSS NewDelhi, June 26 The RSS on Thursday called for reviewing the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the preamble of the Constitution, saying these were included during Emergency and were never part of the Constitution drafted by BR Ambedkar. Addressing an event on 50 years of Emergency here, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabole said, “Babasaheb Ambedkar never used these words in the preamble. The words were added during Emergency, when fundamental rights were suspended, Parliament did not function and the judiciary became lame.” He said discussions were held on this issue later but no effort was made to remove the two words from the preamble. “So whether these words should remain must be considered. The preamble is eternal. Are the thoughts of social- Jaipur: A Navy staffer posted at the naval headquarters in Delhi was arrested in Jaipur for allegedly leaking defencerelated sensitive information to a Pakistani handler in exchange for money, a police official said on Thursday. Vishal Yadav, an upper division clerk in the Directorate of Dockyard at the Navy building, allegedly also shared details on Op Sindoor — strikes carried out by the Indian armed forces in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. — PTI A Mohali court sent SAD leader Bikram Majithia to seven-day remand in an alleged disproportionate assets case involving ~540 crore “drug money”. ■ Started in 1966 post-Punjab (owner of land close to the river will use it) to oppose sharing Ravi and Beas waters with Haryana ■ Water-sharing pact reached in 1981; decision taken to build SYL Canal; Punjab was to build 122 km, Haryana 92 km ■ 2002: Apex court decrees the suit of Haryana asking Punjab to honour pact ■ 2004: Punjab Assembly passes a law to terminate the 1981 agreement ■ 2016: Apex court strikes down the 2004 Punjab law Navystafferheldfor leaking Op Sindoor details to Pakistan ism as an ideology eternal for India,” he asked. The suggestion from the RSS’ second most senior functionary to consider removing the terms secular and socialist came as he hit out at the Congress for the excesses during Emergency, demanding an apology from the party. Recalling the days of Emergency, which was announced on June 25, 1975, Hosabale said while thousands were put in jail and tortured during that period, the freedom of the judiciary and media was also curtailed. The days of Emergency also witnessed large-scale forced sterlisation, the RSS leader said. “Those who did such things are today moving around with Constitution’s copy. Your ancestors did it.... You must apologise,” he said. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also attended the event. — PTI New Delhi, June 26 The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday confirmed the successful recovery and ongoing analysis of critical flight data from the black boxes of the Air India flight that crashed on June 12 in Ahmedabad killing all but one of the 242 on board and nearly 30 on ground. India, a signatory to the ICAO Chicago Convention, is conducting the inquiry in strict accordance with international aviation norms, particularly ICAO Annex 13 and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. According to a senior official from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, a multidisciplinary investigation team was constituted on June 13. The team includes experts from the AAIB, an aviation medicine specialist, an air traffic control (ATC) officer and representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in line with global investigative protocols. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR), commonly known as black boxes, were retrieved in separate rescue and debris removal operations — one continued on page 6 Namaskar from space, taking baby steps: Shukla first Indian to reach ISS Aksheev Thakur Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 26 The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. With this, Shukla became the first Indian to enter the ISS. Before the spacecraft docked with the ISS, Shukla said he was taking baby steps in space. “Hello everyone, namaskar from space. I am thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts. What a ride it was,” he said. The crew of the Axiom-4 mission was welcomed by the other seven astronauts who were already at the ISS. Apart from Shukla, former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, European Space Agency astronaut Slawosz UznanskiWisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary are part of the mission. Whitson pinned astronaut number 634 on Shukla’s chest. In his welcome address at the ISS, Shukla said it was a privilege to be Shubhanshu Shukla and Axion-4 crewmates share a light moment during their first in-flight event. PTI among a few who have got the chance to see the earth from a vantage point. Addressing Indians from the space station, he said, “Due to your love and blessings, I c m y b have reached the ISS safely. It appears to be easy to stand here (in microgravity), but it is a bit difficult. There is heaviness in my head, but we will get used to it. This is the first step in this journey. In the next 14 days, we will conduct several scientific experiments. Let’s make this journey exciting. I am carrying a Tricolour on my shoulder, which makes me feel that you are with me. Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!” He thanked the other seven astronauts who welcomed him at the ISS. “I was looking forward to coming to space. It is something to look forward to as such. The minute I entered the ISS, you (the other seven astronauts) made me feel so welcome. You literally opened your house doors for us. I feel even better. Whatever expectation I had, they were surpassed by the view but by you guys as well. So the next 14 days are going to be amazing for advancing science and research,” he said. In her welcome remarks, Whitson said being a part of the mission with the first-time astronauts made her relive her first journey to space. continued on page 6