14092025-TTB-01.qxd 9/14/2025 12:55 AM Page 1 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 9 NO. 254 | 24 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 RAHUL, UP MINISTER ENGAGE IN HEATED EXCHANGE NATION /thetribunechd 32 KILLED IN GAZA CITY AS ISRAEL RAMPS UP OFFENSIVE WORLD FOR ATHLETES, MENTAL OP SINDOOR NOT OVER, WAR CONDITIONING DRIVES PREPAREDNESS ON, SAYS FORM SPECTRUM LT GEN KATIYAR BACK PAGE sunday | 14 september 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com THE TRIBUNE RELIEF FUND FOR J&K, PUNJAB & HP On first visit since 2023 ethnic clashes, PM US asks NATO to halt vows to turn Manipur into symbol of peace Russia oil buy, presses Stresses Centre’s role in Kuki-Meitei dialogue | Violence left 260 dead, 60,000 displaced Animesh Singh 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. — President and Trustees of The Tribune Trust, Chandigarh Noseparatetrial ofHryCongMLAin Nuhviolencecase Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 13 The Supreme Court has quashed the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order directing a separate trial for Haryana Congress MLA Mamman Khan in the July 2023 Nuh communal violence case solely on the ground of his being a legislator. SC quashes HC order against Mamman Khan “The right to equal access to justice is an essential facet of the rule of law, and no person — whether a sitting MLA or an ordinary citizen — can be subjected to procedural disadvantage or preferential treatment without express legal justification,” the top court said. “While expeditious disposal of cases involving legislators is undoubtedly desirable, such administrative prioritisation cannot override the procedural safeguards guaranteed continued on page 7 Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service An Appeal to our Readers G7 for tariffs on India Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 13 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited strife-torn Manipur for the first time since ethnic clashes erupted in May 2023 and promised to transform the state into a “symbol of peace and prosperity”. He urged all groups to shun violence and assured the people that the Centre stood firmly with them in rebuilding lives torn apart by the conflict. Addressing a public meeting in Kuki-dominated Churachandpur, the PM said it was due to the Centre’s efforts that peace talks were conducted between the Hills (home to the Kuki community) and the Valley (dominated by the Meiteis). Modi, who landed amidst heavy rain in Manipur capital Imphal, described the state as the “ratna (jewel)” adorning the crown of “mother India” and lauded the role of the “valiant sons” of the state in the success of Operation Sindoor. “It’s unfortunate that violence broke out here. Today, I want to promise you that the Centre is with you. I urge all groups and organisations to adopt the path of peace,” he said. The violence had left over 260 people dead and more than 60,000 displaced, many of continued on page 7 New Delhi, September 13 US President Donald Trump today questioned Europe’s commitment to ending the Russia-Ukraine war and asked the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) nations to “stop buying” crude oil from Moscow. This came as Washington asked its Group of Seven (G7) partners to impose tariffs on countries, including India and China, purchasing Russian oil. Ramping up pressure on G7 partners — the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan — to match US tariff measures, Washington said only a “unified effort to cut off Russia’s energy revenues” could bring an end to the war. Ahead of virtual talks of G7 foreign ministers, chaired by Canadian Finance Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne, a US Treasury spokesperson demanded “meaningful tariffs” on Chinese and Indian goods, arguing that both nations’ continued purchase of discounted Russian crude was “prolonging” the conflict. “Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reiterated President Trump’s call to G7 partners that if they are truly committed to ending the war in PM Narendra Modi interacts with people displaced in the 2023 violence in Imphal on Saturday. He also met victims in Churachandpur. ANI Cong calls it ‘pit stop’, says should’ve come earlier Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 13 The Congress on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur as a “pit stop” and an “exercise in tokenism”, and that it should have been undertaken much earlier. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge termed 46 TRIPS ABROAD, NOT ONE TO STATE lost, 67,000 displaced, 1,500 injured ❝ Nearly300livesmade46foreigntripssince,butnota&864 days of violence. You single visit to share the pain of Manipur. Mallikarjun Kharge, CONG PRESIDENT the “merely three-hour visit as farce and a grave insult to the wounded people”. He said the planned roadshows in Imphal and Churachandpur were “nothing but a cowardly escape to not hear the plight of people in relief camps”. “Your three-hour pit stop in Manipur is not compassion, EC sets ball rolling for SIR in flood-hit Punjab, chief poll officer orders update of voter lists THE TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE OP CLEANUP Tribune News Service SIR norms were discussed in a recent meet convened by the CEO . FILE was a prerequisite for conducting the exercise. He said the SIR norms were discussed at length during a recent conference convened by the Chief Electoral Officer. “As the issue is intricately linked to the citizenship Act and the qualifying dates, we have devised a formula for understanding all this…. Booth level officers (BLOs) will be required to fill a particular document,” said the official. An IAS officer posted as a deputy commissioner said matched and unmatched voters would be put in seven categories on the basis of documents submitted during the SIR. “Though the exercise has been delayed due to the floods, we are working on it. Revised lists will be matched, updated and then submitted to the Punjab CEO. Orders have been issued to the BLOs under the title SIR-2026 to match the voter lists of 2003 and 2025. The names of the continued on page 7 PLAYERS FOCUSED here game. ❝ We aredon’tfor theour I personally think players have anything in mind apart from cricket and that’s what we are focusing on. Salman Ali Agha Suryakumar Yadav Sitanshu Kotak, INDIA BATTING COACH the clashes, with several former Indian players urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to boycott what will be the first meeting between the teams since the recent hostilities. While the threat of a boy- cott is over, sparks may fly with India captain Suryakumar Yadav and his Pakistan counterpart Salman Agha ruling out dialling down aggression in the muchanticipated Group A fixture. India, the reigning 20-overs world champions, are firm favourites to retain their Asia Cup title and are determined not to let geopolitics derail their campaign. “Once the BCCI said they are aligned with the government, we are here to play,” India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak told reporters on Friday. “Once we are here to play, I think players are focused on playing cricket. I personally don’t think they have anything in mind apart from playing cricket and that’s what we focus on.” continued on page 7 A member of the teachers’ union removes silt deposited at a government school in Baupur village of Sultanpur Lodhi. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on Saturday announced a cleanliness drive in 2,300 flood-hit villages of the state and earmarked ~100 crore for the purpose. PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Tribune News Service Today’s issue is of 24 pages, including six-page Spectrum and four page Jalandhar Tribune. DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Monday pronounce its interim order on petitions seeking a stay on the provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act-2025 that did away with the concept of “waqf by user”. During the previous hearing, the Bench had reiterated that there was a presumption of constitutionality in favour of a law passed by Parliament. INSIDE NEW attack victim’s widow calls for boycott New Delhi, September 13 The Opposition on Saturday slammed the Centre for allowing the Indian team to play a cricket match against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday during the ongoing Asia Cup, even as the widow of a Pahalgam terror attack victim called for its boycott. The Opposition, including the Congress, AAP and Shiv Sena (UBT), trained its guns on the government, citing Ukraine, they should join the US in imposing tariffs on countries purchasing oil from Russia,” a statement said after the meeting. Trump later posted a letter sent to NATO allies on a social media platform, saying: “I am ready to do major sanctions on Russia when all NATO nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO nations stop buying oil from Russia”. continued on page 7 Topcourtverdicton pleas challenging Waqf Act tomorrow India, Pak battle it out on field post May skirmish Oppn raises pitch over match, Pahalgam Dubai, September 13 An India-Pakistan cricket match is always a blockbuster, but emotions will run even higher in Sunday’s Asia Cup clash between the nucleararmed neighbours, who engaged in a four-day military conflict earlier this year. Even before the May clash, which nearly escalated into a full-blown war, bilateral cricket ties had been suspended. The archrivals now play each other only in multiteam tournaments. Political relations have deteriorated further since ❝ NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Saturday registered an FIR on a BJP worker’s complaint over an AI-generated video posted by the Bihar Congress unit on X that allegedly tarnished the image of PM Modi and his late mother, an official said. The complaint was filed by Sanket Gupta, convener of the BJP Delhi election cell, who alleged the video “maligned the PM’s image, grossly violating law, morality and women’s dignity”. — TNS Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 13 Asserting its plenary powers under Article 324 of the Constitution, the Election Commission has told the Supreme Court that it has “complete discretion” over the policy of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, to the exclusion of any other authority. In an affidavit filed in the top court, the poll panel, however, said, “Any direction to conduct an SIR at regular intervals throughout the country would encroach upon the exclusive jurisdiction of the EC.” The EC said it was vested with constitutional and statutory powers to oversee the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. The affidavit was submitted in response to continued on page 7 BOLTON SLAMS TRUMP IndiashouldlookatTrump as a one-time proposition & deal with it & take whatever steps they believe are in its interests. John Bolton, FORMER US NSA FIR over Cong AI video on PM Modi, his late mother Have sole discretion on roll revision, poll panel tells top court Aman Sood & Mohit Singla Patiala, September 13 After Bihar, the Election Commission has set the ball rolling for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in other states, including floodaffected Punjab. Anticipating directions from the Election Commission (EC) to start the SIR once the flood situation improved, the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer has, in a letter dated September 5, asked various district authorities to “update and keep ready” their electoral record. “The revised lists should be prepared while comparing these with the 2003 voter record. The SIR is to be completed in 2026,” the letter states. A senior official attached with the process said comparing the 2025 electoral lists with those of 2003 (when the last SIR was conducted) but farce, tokenism and a grave insult to the wounded people,” he said in a post on X. “As many as 864 days of violence, nearly 300 lives lost, 67,000 displaced and 1,500 injured. You made 46 foreign trips since, but not a single visit to share the pain of Manipur. Your last visit to Manipur was in January 2022—for elections! continued on page 7 KWATRA HOLDS TALKS Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Friday discussed trade ties with key US lawmakers and underlined Delhi’s support to efforts to bring an end to the Ukraine conflict through dialogue. BJP: Game due to BCCI’s compulsion the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians. Aishanya Dwivedi, the widow of a man killed in the attack, urged people to boycott the match. Accusing organisers of not looking at the grief of families who lost their loved ones, Aishanya criticised the BCCI for agreeing to the fixture. “The BCCI should not have accepted a match between India and Pakistan. I think the BCCI is not sentimental towards the families of the victims. What are our cricketers doing? They are said to be nationalists. Cricket is viewed as our national game. Except for one or two players, nobody stepped forward to say that we should boycott the match against Pakistan. The BCCI cannot make them play at gunpoint. They should take a stand for their country. continued on page 7 Nepal Parliament dissolved; fresh polls on March 5 NEW DELHI: Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel on Saturday called on all sides to cooperate in conducting fresh elections to the house of representatives that are to be held on March 5, following a week of violent protests that led to the resignation of KP Sharma Oli and Sushila Karki taking over as the country's first woman PM. On Friday, Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives. INSIDE