07082025-TTB-01.qxd 8/7/2025 12:13 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 145 NO. 217 | 18 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  DELHI BIBI FACES PUSHBACK ON PLAN TO ANNEX GAZA STRIP WORLD /thetribunechd OMAR WRITES TO NAT’L PARTIES OVER STATEHOOD BILL J&K RBI KEEPS REPO RATE UNCHANGED AMID TARIFF WAR BUSINESS NSA DOVAL IN MOSCOW; S-400, SUKHOI UPGRADE ON AGENDA BACK PAGE thursday | 7 august 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Trump doubles tariff on India Scores missing in flashflood-ravaged Dharali as bad weather hits rescue to 50%, MEA terms it unfair Tribune News Service US Prez order singles out New Delhi |Levies to take effect from Aug 27 Kuldeep Singh DUTY DISPARITY Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 6 US President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods in response to New Delhi’s Russian oil imports. The latest order raises the total duty on Indian imports to 50 per cent, with New Delhi calling the move “extremely unfortunate”. The US has imposed this additional tariff for Russian imports only on India while other buyers such as China and Turkey have so far escaped such measures. The 30 per cent tariff on China and 15 per cent on Turkey is lower than India’s 50 per cent. While the initial duty of 25 per cent becomes effective on August 7, the additional levy will come into effect after 21 days on August 27. A White House statement said, “The President found that India is currently importing Russian oil. Accordingly, to address the national emergency stemming from the government of the Russian Federation’s actions taken against Ukraine, he is impos- ■ The US imposed high tariff for Russian imports only on India while other buyers like China (30%) and Turkey (15%) spared ■ India’s other competitors will also be better placed in the US market as their duty is lower ■ They are Myanmar (40%), Thailand and Cambodia (36%), Bangladesh (35%), Indonesia (32%), Sri Lanka (30%), Malaysia (25%), the Philippines and Vietnam (20%) US President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday. AP/PTI ing an additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India, effective August 27, due to India’s direct or indirect import of Russian oil.” The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed the development “extremely unfortunate” and stated that India would take all necessary steps to protect its national interests. “It is extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariff on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interests. We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” it said in a statement. Regarding Russian oil imports, the MEA clarified that India’s purchases were driven by market factors and aimed at ensuring energy security for its 1.4 billion people. Russia has become India’s top crude supplier, accounting for over 30 per cent of total imports in 2024, a sharp increase from just 0.2 per cent before the Ukraine war began in 2022. The White House argued that India’s oil purchases from Russia undermined US efforts to counter Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, adding that India’s resale of Russian oil at a profit further supported Russian economy and its aggression. The US also warned other countries of similar penalties if they continued trade with Russia. The tariffs on India are 20 per cent higher than those applied to China and 31 per cent more than those on Pakistan. The increased tariffs are expected to raise prices of Indian goods in the US market. While the government has not provided exact estimates, experts continued on page 10 New Delhi, August 6 Two more bodies were recovered and at least 200 people were rescued from the flashflood-ravaged Dharali village of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand on Wednesday even as fears mounted for those still trapped under the massive river of sludge that buried scores of houses, trees and cars. A massive rescue operation is currently underway amid bad weather. The Indian Army has launched a full-scale disaster relief operation, deploying over 225 personnel, including combat engineers, radar units and dog squads. Rescue teams from the IndoTibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are also on the ground. However, the region has been battered by relentless rain over the past 48 hours. Key road stretches near Bartwari, Linchigad and Gangrani have been washed away, cutting off access for rescue convoys to reach continued on page 10 A search and rescue operation underway at Dharali village in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi on Wednesday. PTI 537 HP roads shut; Ghaggar swells in Pb wanoo on the ChandigarhShimla National Highway around 6 am on Wednesday. Only single-lane traffic could be restored at 9.15 am, leading to slow movement of traffic due to long queues of vehicles on either side of the point. Besides, 60 residents from the Nand panchayat in Nalagarh had to vacate their houses as a large tract of land subsided due to heavy rain. Meanwhile, the Patiala administration sounded a flood alert, asking residents of over a dozen villages situated along the Ghaggar to stay vigilant as the water level in the seasonal river touched the danger mark following heavy rain in areas fed by it. INSIDE Xi bilateral likely as PM SC tells EC to give details of65L Facing HC heat over land to visit China for SCO deleted Bihar voters in 3 days pooling policy, Punjab Arundhatibook,24 othersbannedinJ-K over‘secessionism’ New Delhi, August 6 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are likely to meet on the sidelines of the SCO leaders’ summit scheduled at Tianjin in China from August 31 to September 1. This would be the first visit by PM Modi to China since the June 2020 Galwan clash and the second bilateral between the two leaders since their meeting in Kazan (Russia) on the sidelines of the BRCIS summit in October last year. After the Kazan event, the two sides engaged in confidence-building measures, including the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to Tibet. The PM’s last visit to China was in 2019, but the latest one comes amid a shift in India-US relations following the imposition of 50 per cent tariffs by US President Donald Trump in response to New Delhi’s purchase of crude oil from Russia. Modi’s participation at the SCO summit also comes in Wang Yi to be in Delhi for SR-level talks on Aug 18 PM Modi plants a tree as he inaugurates Kartavya Bhavan. the backdrop of China’s support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor even as Beijing had condemned “all forms of terrorism” after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The SCO summit is continued on page 10 Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 6 Ahead of the August 12 hearing on petitions challenging the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to furnish by Saturday details of around 65 lakh voters deleted from the draft electoral rolls. A Bench of Justice Surya Kant, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Kotiswar Singh directed the EC’s counsel to provide the details of deleted voters already shared with political parties and also submit a copy to the petitioner, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The Bench said, “File a reply by Saturday and let (Prashant) Bhushan (representing ADR) look at it. Then we can see what is disclosed and what is not disclosed.” The order came on ADR’s fresh application seeking directions to the poll panel to publish the names of around 65 lakh deleted voters, clari- Shimla/Patiala, August 6 As many as 537 roads, including four national highways, have become non-operational across Himachal following heavy to very heavy rain on Tuesday night. A landslide blocked the vulnerable Chakki Mor near Par- says it’s on hold for a day Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress MP Imran Masood and others at a protest in New Delhi against the Bihar SIR exercise. PTI SIR UNITES OPPN, CHORUS GROWS FOR DEBATE From Parliament to Vijay Chowk, the Opposition on Wednesday continued to raise its voice against the SIR exercise in Bihar, with the Aam Aadmi Party also extending its support to INDIA bloc over the demand for a debate in Parliament. INSIDE fying whether they were deceased, had permanently migrated or were excluded for other reasons. The Bench assured, “We will see (to it) that every voter likely to be affected gets the required information.” On July 29, the Bench had said it would intervene if there was mass exclusion of eligible voters in poll-bound Bihar and if the Election Commission deviated from its June 24 SIR notification. “We are over-viewing the thing as a judicial authority. If there is mass exclusion, we will immediately step in. continued on page 10 Chandigarh, August 6 A week after its land pooling policy came under the judicial scanner, the Punjab Government on Wednesday told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the policy had been put on hold for a day and no further steps would be taken till August 7, the next date of hearing. As Punjab Advocate General Maninderjit Singh made the submission, the court questioned the state on the provision for rehabilitation of landless labourers and others dependent on land for their sustenance. The Bench of Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Deepak Manchanda also directed the state to inform the court whether an environmental impact assessment had been carried out before notifying the policy. At the outset, Maninderjit Singh sought time to inform the court whether a social impact assessment was also FARMERS TO PROTEST IN LUDHIANA TODAY Close to 1,000 police personnel will be on guard around Ludhaina’s Jodhan grain market on Thursday as thousands of farmers are expected to gather there to lodge their protest against the state government’s land pooling policy. The rally has been called by the Bharti Kisan Union (BKU-Sidhupur). conducted prior to the notification of the policy, and to respond to the arguments raised by the petitioner. Taking note of the submissions, the Bench observed that the Supreme Court in the case of “Residents’ Welfare Association and another versus the Union Territory of Chandigarh” had held that an environmental impact assessment study was required before permitting urban development. Senior advocate Shailendra Jain continued on page 10 Bains gets tankhahover Wooing Sikhs, Haryana plans its own Virasat-e-Khalsa ‘dance gig’ at Sikh event ~115-CR MUSEUM TO BE READY IN 2 YEARS Geetanjali Gayatri Tribune News Service Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 6 Five Sikh high priests on Wednesday pronounced “tankhah” (punishment for religious misconduct) to Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains in a case pertaining to a dance performance at an event to mark Guru Teg Bahadur’s 350th martyrdom in Srinagar last month. Assembled at Akal Takht, the five Sikh high priests — Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht; Giani Sultan Singh, PUNJAB MINISTER TO PERFORM SEWA, PILGRIMAGE BAREFOOT Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib; Giani Kewal Singh, Granthi of the Golden Temple; Giani Tek Singh, Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib; and Giani Mangal Singh, Panj Piara of Akal Takht — delivered the punishment. They directed the minister to undertake a series of religious tasks for spiritual atonement for violating Sikh maryada during the event. The punishment continued on page 10 Chandigarh, August 6 Mandated with the task of turning the BJP’s fortunes around in neighbouring Punjab ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and his government are going all out to woo the Sikh community. The state government, sources say, plans to build an ambitious Sikh museum on three acres in Kurukshetra on the lines of Virasat-eKhalsa in Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib. Also, the government is simultaneously ■ The Haryana Government has finalised a consultant for the ~115-crore museum on three acres in Kurukshetra ■ Likely to be ready in two years, the museum will look at the roots of Sikhism, the birth and rise of Khalsa ■ It will showcase the Sikh empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the contemporary global Sikh identity working on a Guru Ravidas museum and bhawan, which will come up on five acres in Kurukshetra. The Saini government has finalised a consultant, Splat media, for the museum, whose conceptual design with a tentative cost of Rs 115 crore is ready. The foundation stone of the museum will be laid in November, and it will be ready and open to visitors in two years, the sources add. Since hardly any artefacts are available, this museum will look at the roots of Sikhism, the birth and rise of Khalsa and highlight the Sikh empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It will also Today’s issue is of 18 pages, including four-page Delhi Tribune. c m y b showcase the contemporary global Sikh identity using audio-visual means. The sources say the consultant’s concept plan includes an amphitheatre, a meditation hall, a light and sound show and a musical fountain among others. The government has also fast-tracked the construction of the Guru Ravidas museum and bhawan. Last week, CM Saini chaired a meeting to discuss the events to be organised in Haryana to mark the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, in November. Besides strengthening the bond with the Sikh community in his home state, Saini has been visiting Punjab on a regular basis. The year began with a Saini sammelan in Ropar and frequent meetings with leaders and activists of the neighbouring state. He visited Sangrur to pay his respects to veteran Akali leader Sukhdev Singh Dhinsa and targeted the AAP government. He caused a flutter in Punjab politics by visiting Sunam on Udham Singh’s martyrdom anniversary. “Nayab Singh Saini is the party’s OBC face at the national level. He has specifically continued on page 10 Jammu, August6 The J&K administration has banned 25 books, including those by prominent authors Arundhati Roy and AG Noorani, for allegedly propagating false narrative and promoting secessionism in the UT. A notification issued by the J&K Home Department said, “Twentyfive books have been identified that propagate false narratives and secessionism in J&K and are hereby declared ‘forfeited’ under Section 98 of the BNSS.” Among the books are ‘The Kashmir Dispute 1947-2012’ by AG Noorani; ‘In Search of a Future: The Story of Kashmir’ by David Devadas; ‘A Dismantled State: The Untold Story of Kashmir after Article 370’ by Anuradha Bhasin; ‘Between Democracy and Nation’ by Seema Kazi and ‘Azadi’ by Arundhati Roy. MORE ON PAGE 10 2 die, 4 hurt in Mohali oxygen cylinder blast mohali: Two youths were killed and four seriously injured as a blast rocked an oxygen plant in the Industrial Area, Phase 9, here on Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Lucknow native Mohammed Asif (25) and Davinder Kumar (27) of Gramsihari in UPboth employed at High , Tech Gases Pvt Ltd. — TNS Rahul gets bail over his remarks on Shah Chaibasa (Jharkhand): Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was granted bail by an MP-MLA court in Jharkhand’s Chaibasa on Wednesday in connection with a case related to alleged defamatory remarks against Home Minister Amit Shah at a rally in 2018. Rahul appeared before the court around 10.55 am. — PTI