03102025-TTC-01.qxd 10/3/2025 DEMOCRACY UNDER ATTACK: RAHUL IN COLOMBIA NATION /thetribunechd 12:39 AM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 9 NO. 273 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 DIVERSITY SHOULDN’T CAUSE DIVIDE: BHAGWAT BACK PAGE friday | 3 october 2025 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Victory glitter TRIBUNE PHOTO: MUKESH AGGARWAL Taliban foreign minister to visit India next week Will mark first high-level contact since 2021 Af takeover Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service Effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakarna burn during the Dasehra celebrations in New Delhi. Direct India-China flights from Oct 26 NEW DELHI: After a five-year gap, India and China have agreed to resume direct air services between designated points from October 26, Ministry of External Affairs and civil aviation officials said on Thursday, marking a major step toward normalising ties between the two neighbours. BACK PAGE Heavy rain forecast in Punjab on Oct 6-7 NEW DELHI: Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ropar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Moga, Mansa, Barnala and Bathinda on October 6-7, according to the IMD data shared with the Punjab Government. The forecast has put the state government on tenterhooks. INSIDE Centre lifts curbs, allows Sikh jathas to visit Pak Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 2 The Centre on Thursday lifted its restrictions and allowed select Sikh jathas to travel to Pakistan to participate in the upcoming Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev, officials said. The move follows criticism of a September 12 directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that had barred cross-border travel by Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan on security grounds. Religious bodies and political leaders had protested the ban, arguing that pilgrimage should not be singled out while other crossborder activities continued. Under the new decision, permission is limited to jathas specifically recom- HOME MINISTRY TO GIVE FINAL APPROVAL New Delhi, October 2 Afghanistan foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is slated to travel to New Delhi next week, official sources said here on Thursday. The visit is tentatively scheduled for October 9-10 and could mark the first high-level travel by a Taliban leader to India since 2021. As per the Afghan media, Muttaqi may first travel to Moscow on October 6 to attend the seventh round of the “Moscow Format” talks at the invitation of Russian officials. After that he will travel to India. While the official confirmation is awaited, Amir Khan Muttaqi OCT 9-10 LIKELY DATES The visit is tentatively scheduled for October 9-10 and will mark a milestone in the IndiaTaliban diplomacy at a time of shifting dynamics in South Asia the sources said India and Afghanistan were working to firm up the agenda and logistics for Muttaqi’s visit. The visit will mark a mile- stone in the India-Taliban diplomacy at a time of shifting dynamics in South Asia. Muttaqi has long been under a United Nations Security Council (UNSC)imposed travel ban as part of sanctions on senior Taliban leaders. Earlier efforts to arrange his visit were derailed when a waiver was not granted, delaying a planned August trip. However, this time, the UNSC has approved a temporary travel ban exemption for Muttaqi, allowing him to visit New Delhi. “On September 30, the Security Council Committee, established pursuant to resolution continued on page 8 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during shastra puja on Vijayadashami at the Bhuj military station in Gujarat on Thursday. PTI No ‘misadventure’ in Sir Creek, Pak warned Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 2 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday warned Pakistan of a strong reply if it resorted to any “misadventure” in the disputed Sir Creek sector along the IndiaPakistan border in Gujarat. The minister was addressing OUR RESPONSE WILL CHANGE HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY: RAJNATH troops on Dasehra at the Bhuj military station in Gujarat. Rajnath also performed the ceremonial ‘shastra puja’ (worship of weapons) at the military station. The air defence gun — L-70 — that continued on page 8 ■ The move follows criticism of a September 12 directive from the MHA that had barred cross-border travel by Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan on security grounds ■ States will screen and forward applications in coordination with intelligence and security agencies, while the final clearance will be granted by the MHA mended by state governments and cleared by central ministries after security vetting. The state authorities will screen and forward the applications in coordination with intelligence and security agencies, while the final continued on page 8 Pb’s new chitta‘high’: 80 FIRs, 109 arrests daily Jupinderjit Singh Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 2 Punjab has recorded the highest-ever number of FIRs and arrests under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the first nine months of this year, with the police attributing the surge to their ‘Yudh Nashiyan Virudh’ campaign. A total of 22,045 FIRs were lodged at a daily average of 80 cases up to September 30, according to state govern- 1,566 kg heroin seized in nine months as border state sets new record during crackdown on drugs BREAKING NEXUS Year 2022 2023 2024 2025* FIRs 12,380 11,551 8,978 22,045 Arrests 16,807 15,880 12,377 29,933 Heroin seizure 593.68 kg 1,352.14 1,129. 21 1,566.62 (*DATA TILL SEPTEMBER) ment data. The police also arrested 29,933 drug smugglers and peddlers during the c m y b same period, averaging 109 arrests per day. About 1,566 kg of “chitta” (a synthetic drug made from heroin) was also seized, breaking the previous record of 1,352 kg seized in an entire year in 2023. The previous highest number of FIRs (14,483) as well as arrests (17,022) in a year under the NDPS Act were recorded in 2014. Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the sharp increase in the arrests and FIRs was due to the statewide crackdown against drugs under the ‘ Yudh Nashiyan Virudh’ continued on page 8 Magisterial probe ordered into Leh violence, 4 deaths Leh, October 2 The Ladakh administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the events leading to the “serious law and order situation” and the “police action” in Leh on September 24. Four persons were killed in firing. The inquiry was ordered by the Leh DC, who appointed Nubra SDM Mukul Beniwal as the inquiry officer. The report is expected in four weeks. INSIDE
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).