03092025-TTB-01.qxd 9/3/2025 12:58 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 9 NO. 243 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 KIM JOINS XI, PUTIN IN CHINA FOR MILITARY PARADE WORLD /thetribunechd AMID NH DISRUPTIONS, FRUIT GROWERS SEEK GOVT ASSISTANCE J&K INDIA’S CHIP TO DRIVE BIGGEST CHANGE: PM AT SEMICON BUSINESS KCR SUSPENDS DAUGHTER KAVITHA FROM PARTY BACK PAGE wednesday | 3 september 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com THE TRIBUNE RELIEF FUND FOR J&K, PUNJAB & HP An Appeal to our Readers The devastating floods that have ravaged J&K, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in the past weeks have caused unprecedented destruction, sweeping away homes, crippling infrastructure, taking away lives, displacing families and leaving countless people in need for urgent relief and rehabilitation. In the past years, during such calamities, be it the floods in Kerala, the landslides in Uttarakhand, the floods in Jammu and Kashmir, the cloudburst in Ladakh, the Orissa Cyclone, the Kargil War or the Gujarat earthquake, Tribune readers have always come forward to make their valuable donations. The Tribune Trust appeals to its readers to do so once again. Their contributions will provide invaluable support for reducing the anguish of the families of those who have lost lives and their homes. The names of all those who donate ~500 and above will be published in the paper. These donations shall also qualify for deduction under the Income Tax Act, in accordance with the applicable provisions. Donations should be in the form of crossed cheques or demand drafts in favour of the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund and sent to The Tribune Trust, Sector 29-C, Chandigarh160030, or to The Tribune offices in various cities. All donations received by us will be duly sent to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. US trade talks on, says Goyal as Navarro slams PM-Putin-Xi bonhomie Bessent hopeful of both countries resolving tensions Kuldeep Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 2 Amidst the ongoing friction in the India-US trade ties in the backdrop of 50 per cent tariffs slapped by President Donald Trump’s administration on Indian goods, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday asserted that India was “in dialogue with the US for a bilateral trade agreement”. Goyal said India was always open to a fair, equitable and mutually beneficial trade agreement. He also stated that India’s free trade agreements with Oman, Chile, Peru and the EU were currently in an advanced stage. Goyal’s remarks on the India-US trade talks came hours after President Trump’s Trade Adviser Peter Navarro criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bonhomie with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. “It was a shame to see Modi getting in bed as the leader of the biggest democracy in the MONSOON MAYHEM 7.8% IN Q1: PM COUNTERS ‘DEAD ECONOMY’ JIBE In a veiled rebuttal to the “dead economy” jibe, PM Modi on Tuesday said the Indian economy grew 7.8 per cent in the first quarter, surpassing all expectations despite global uncertainties and challenges driven by economic self-interest. Speaking at Semicon India-2025 in New Delhi, he said the GDP growth in April-June was better than “every expectation, hope and estimate”. He said this trajectory of growth was propelling India swiftly towards becoming the third largest economy in the world. ‘CHINA TIES MOVING TOWARDS NORMALCY’ RUSSIA OFFERS INDIA OIL DISCOUNT: REPORT Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said the India-China ties are gradually moving towards normalcy, noting that as border issues get resolved, easing of tensions is a natural consequence. BACK PAGE As India faces sustained pressure from the Trump administration to cut its oil purchases from Russia, Moscow has offered a discount of $3 to $4 per barrel to New Delhi, according to a Bloomberg report. world with the two biggest authoritarian dictators in the world — Putin and Xi Jinping. That doesn’t make any sense,” Navarro said as the India-US ties are passing through their worst phase in over two decades. “I’m not sure what he (Modi) is thinking, particularly since India has been in a cold war and sometimes a hot war with China for decades. So we hope that the Indian leader comes around to seeing that he needs to be with us and Europe and Ukraine and not with Russia on this and he needs to stop buying the oil.” Amidst the friction, some sort of positivity came with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressing the hope that the two countries would resolve the ongoing tensions. In an interview with Fox News, Bessent said, “I think at the continued on page 8 A vehicle stuck in the swollen Manalsu in Kullu, where a woman died in a house collapse incident on Tuesday. Another woman was killed in Solan. ANI 5 yrs in jail, Umar, Sharjeel bail pleas junked Shekhar Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 2 The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed the bail pleas of former JNU students Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and eight others, who have been behind bars for the past five years, in an anti-terror law case linked to the alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots. The court held that the 10 did not deserve parity with co-accused Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, granted bail in September 2020. “It is trite in law that merely 2020 DELHI RIOTS HIGH COURT SETBACK FOR 10 ACCUSED ACCUSED Sharjeel Imam ARRESTED ON ACCUSED ARRESTED ON Sharjeel Imam Umar Khalid Athar Khan Khalid Saifi Saleem Khan Jan 28, 2020 Sept 13, 2020 June 29, 2020 Feb 26, 2020 June 24, 2020 Shifa Ur Rehman Meeran Haider Gulfisha Fatima Shadab Ahmed Tasleem Ahmed April 26, 2020 April 1, 2020 April 4, 2020 June 11, 2020 June 19, 2020 because co-accused have been granted bail, would not, by itself, entitle the other accused to bail; there are other considerations and factors which weigh in for considering parity,” a Division Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Umar Khalid Shalinder Kaur said, rejecting the bail pleas of Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid, Mohd Saleem Khan, Shifa Ur Rehman, Athar Khan, Meeran Haider, Shadab Ahmed, Abdul Khalid Saifi and Gulfisha Fatima. “In our prima facie view, the role ascribed to the present appellant, as reflected from the material on record, is distinct than that of co-accused Kalita and Narwal in the alleged conspiracy,” the Bench said, concluding that “the ground of continued on page 8 Sisodia visits flood-hit Rape-accusedAAPMLAevades Each acquittal of culprit areas, asks Centre to arrest by Punjab cops in Karnal blot on justice system: SC Cautions against misuse shun politics, help Pb Pathanmajrahadblamedowngovtfor‘poor’floodrelief of ‘beyond a reasonable Kerala Guv moves SC against CM role inVCs’appointment — President and Trustees of The Tribune Trust, Chandigarh Satya Prakash Tribune News Service Aparna Banerji Aman Sood & Parveen Arora Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 2 AAP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said a permanent solution was needed to deal with floods in Sultanpur Lodhi, which had repeatedly been ravaged by nature’s fury over the years. Sisodia is the first national AAP leader to visit floodaffected areas of the state. He said the state government was working earnestly and was ready to deal with the floods. He asked the Centre to rise above politics and extend help to the state. Sisodia visited flood-affected villages of Sultanpur Lodhi along with Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, AAP Sutanpur Lodhi halka in-charge Sajjan Singh Cheema and several others. Sisodia said the entire AAP leadership, Punjab ministers and MLAs, Seechewal and his volunteers were offering their services to help the flood-hit. He said the flood relief work was a testimony to the spirit of Punjab. Seechewal raised the issue of debt-ridden farmers of the region with Sisodia, who assured him that he would take up the matter with the state government. Accompanied by Seechewal and Cheema, the former Delhi Deputy CM went to Baupu Jadid and Sangra villages on a boat. He stayed in the floodaffected areas for an hour. Sisodia said, “It’s a natural disaster; it’s difficult to say when the water will recede. The weatherman has issued a high alert for the next twothree days. However, the state government, the party Tribune News Service AAP leader Manish Sisodia with RS MP Balbir Singh Seechewal. Relief work a testimony of Punjabiyat:AAP leader ENTIRE STATE DECLARED ‘DISASTER-AFFECTED’ As Punjab battles one of the worst floods in decades, the AAP govt on Tuesday declared the entire state “disaster-hit”. Now, all 23 districts of Punjab have been affected by floods. GUV VISITS FEROZEPUR Patiala/Karnal, September 2 High drama prevailed in Karnal’s Dabri village on Tuesday as AAP MLA from Sanaur Harmeet Singh Pathanmajra evaded arrest by the Punjab Police in a case of rape and cheating lodged against him in Patiala on Monday on the complaint of a Zirakpur-based woman. The police claimed Pathanmajra’s supporters and villagers allegedly fired gunshots and pelted them with stones, which allowed the MLA to escape. The action against Pathanmajra came days after he publicly criticised his party’s government over its “mishandling of the flood relief efforts”. He also accused a “Delhi lobby of interfering in Punjab’s internal affairs”. Pathanmajra was learnt to be at the residence of his relative Gurnam Singh, alias Laa- Harmeet Pathanmajra escaped amid high drama in Karnal. FILE di, a member of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), when a Patiala police team, including two SHOs and a CIA in-charge, came looking for him at 4.45 am. The police claimed they took the MLA into custody, but he managed to escape in the melee that erupted following the alleged firing and stonepelting. The police recovered three weapons and an SUV . Laadi’s family members and villagers, however, denied any firing and stone-pelting took place. They maintained the police personnel “stayed at the house till 8 am, had breakfast and even held discussions with Pathanmajra”. “Laadi is a respected man of the region and the MLA was sleeping at his house when the police team arrived,” said a resident. In the evening, the Punjab Police retracted the firing allegation, saying “it only appeared as if someone had fired into the air, and that the villagers disrupted the operation, allowing the MLA to escape”. Karnal SP Ganga Ram Punia said they were informed about the raid only after the matter escalated. Punia said an FIR had been registered against the MLA, Gurnam Singh and others under Sections 121,132, 221, (causing hurt to deter a public servant from discharging duty), 263 (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person) and 304 (snatching) of the BNS. He said continued on page 8 New Delhi, September 2 Holding that every acquittal of an actual culprit is a blot on the criminal justice system, the Supreme Court has cautioned lower courts against acquitting persons accused of serious crimes by loosely applying the principle of “beyond a reasonable doubt”. “Every instance of acquittal of an actual culprit revolts against the sense of security of society and acts as a blot on the criminal justice system. Therefore, not only should no innocent face punishment for something that he has not done, but equally, no culprit should manage an acquittal on the basis of unreasonable doubts and misapplication of procedure,” a Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma said. The Bench set aside a verdict of the Patna High Court, which had acquitted two men charged under stringent provisions of the POCSO Act for raping a minor girl on the basis of minor contradictions doubt’ principle DANGEROUS TREND ❝ Actual culprits walking free by taking benefit of doubt is dangerous for society. SC Bench and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s case. Restoring the rigorous imprisonment for life along with a fine of Rs 85,000 each imposed on the accused duo by the trial court, the top court directed them to surrender in two weeks to suffer the remaining sentence. The Patna High Court had acquitted the accused, citing discrepancies about the victim’s age, time of the incident, proof of pregnancy and abortion, defects in framing of charges and the legality of a joint trial. The Supreme Court, however, termed these grounds “unsustainable”. “It is always a matter of utter failure for the system as a whole continued on page 8 NEW DELHI: Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar, who is also the Chancellor of APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University and the Kerala Digital University in the state, on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking the exclusion of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from the process to select vice chancellors for the two state-run universities. NATION ~102-crore penalty on Kerala actor in goldsmugglingcase BENGALURU: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has imposed a fine of Rs 102 crore on Kannada actor Ranya Rao in a gold smuggling case. Besides, the DRI imposed a penalty of Rs 63 crore on hotelier Tarun Kondaraju and Rs 56 crore each on jewellers Sahil Sakaria Jain and Bharat Kumar Jain. On Tuesday, DRI officials served each of them a 250-page notice in the Bengaluru Central Jail. — PTI Governor Gulab Chand Kataria visited flood-hit Ferozepur on Tuesday. He discussed relief and rehabilitation measures for those affected and asked officials to ensure timely aid. Trump’s ‘good friend’ Munir meets ‘iron brother’ Xi leaderhsip and volunteers are doing their best to reach out to those affected.” He said, “During this natural calamity, we are seeing how people are helping each other. Isko Punjabiyat kehte hain, ye Punjab ka spirit hai (this is Punjabiyat and the spirit of Punjab).” On aid from the Centre, Sisodia said, “Everyone has chipped in. I am sure the Centre will also rise above politics and extend help to the state.” New Delhi, September 2 Less than a month after he met US President Donald Trump, Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir met Chinese President Xi Jinping along with his prime minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing today, as part of the latter’s delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. This is General Munir’s first meeting with the Chinese president. He will attend a grand parade of the Chinese Tribune News Service Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and PM Shehbaz Sharif meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. COURTESY: X Today’s issue is of 16 pages, including four-page Jalandhar Tribune. c m y b PROTECT OUR CITIZENS, PROJECTS IN PAK: CHINA Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Pakistan to take “effective measures” to protect Chinese personnel and projects in the country, even as Beijing reaffirmed its support for Islamabad’s “fight against terrorism”. Interestingly, the readout released by the Pakistani PMO omitted any reference to terrorism or Chinese security concerns. army to be held here tomorrow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of what the Chinese call their “People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression”, reported PTI. The Chinese military is expected to display its most modern weapons, including aerial, ground, electronic and missile systems, at the military parade — Pakistan sources 80 per cent of its equipment from China, a demonstration of the “all weather relationship” between Islamabad and Beijing. Munir’s presence in Bei- jing is significant because as army chief he is the chief broker of the relationship not just with China — a fact that was manifest during Operation Sindoor when Pakistan used Chinese missiles, knowhow as well as strategic advice from their Chinese counterparts — but also because he is now seen as Pakistan's key interlocutor to the US President. Old-timers wonder if an action replay is on the cards today — dating back to the time in the late 1960s when continued on page 8