22022026-TTB-01.qxd 22-02-2026 00:08 Page 1 c m y b MARYAM FACES HEAT OVER $42-MN JET WORLD /thetribunechd 123 88 NATIONS ENDORSE AI DECLARATION BACK PAGE CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 52 | 24 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  DELHI sunday | 22 february 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Day after SC jolt, Trump ratchets up global tariff from 10% to 15% TIES BOOSTER MANAS RANJAN BHUI NEW DELHI: Security was tightened across key religious and heritage sites in Delhi on Saturday, including in areas around the Red Fort and parts of Chandni Chowk, following intelligence inputs suggesting a possible terror threat. Security agencies issued an alert on a possible explosion near Red Fort after intelligence agencies indicated that LeT has allegedly kept religious places in India on its target list. — TNS India says studying developments as US top court strikes down duty Ujwal Jalali Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 21 In the wake of judicial setback to his earlier trade measures, US President Donald Trump has moved to an alternative legal mechanism to impose import duties, first announcing a 10 per cent global tariff and, in less than 24 hours, raising it to 15 per cent. The move followed the ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, which had struck down sweeping tariffs imposed under emergency economic powers, holding that the statute cited by the administration did not authorise broad-based duties of that nature. Within hours of the judgment, Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a temporary 10 per cent “ad valorem” duty on most imports for 150 days, effective February 24, describing it as a “legally per- INDIA TO NOW FACE 15% LEVY, INSTEAD OF 18% India will now face a uniform 15% duty on most goods entering the US instead of earlier 18%. “We have noted the US Supreme Court judgement on tariffs. President Trump has also addressed a press conference in that regard. Some steps have been announced by the US Administration. We are studying all these developmentsfor theirimplications,”theMinistryofCommerce& Industry said. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier said the trade deal with the US may be signed in March and implemented in April. missible interim measure while a long-term tariff structure is worked out”. In less than 24 hours, the US President posted on social media that the rate would be increased to 15 per cent. “I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10 per cent worldwide tariff on countries, many of which have been “ripping” the US off for decades, without retribution (until I came along), to the fully allowed, and legally tested 15 per cent level,” Trump said. The US President further said that over the next few months, his administration would determine and issue the new and legally permissible tariffs. India reacted earlier in the day to the initial 10 per cent announcement, saying it was examining the implications. “We have noted the US Supreme Court judgement on tariffs yesterday. Presi- dent Trump has also addressed a press conference in that regard. Some steps have been announced by the US Administration. We are studying all these developments for their implications,” the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said. India will now face a uniform 15 per cent import duty on most goods entering the US (once an executive order is signed by Trump), down from the recently agreed reciprocal tariffs of 18 per cent under the earlier framework. India and US had recently announced a framework for an interim trade agreement under which India had agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of food and agricultural products while the US side had agreed to bring down the reciprocal tariff rate from 50 per cent to 18 per cent. continued on page 6 Pb, HP border residents protest ~170 car levy Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service Ropar, February 21 Defying state boundaries, residents of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh came together this afternoon at the Mehatpur entry toll barrier in Una district to protest the sharp increase in entry tax on vehicles registered outside the hill state. The unusual show of unity reflected public anger as well as shared social and economic ties between people living on either side of the PunjabHimachal border. The Himachal Pradesh Government recently raised the entry tax for vehicles regis- Residents of Punjab and HP hold a protest at the Mehatpur border, Una, against the hike in entry tax on vehicles registered outside the hill state. tered outside the state from Rs 70 to Rs 170. This has triggered resentment among daily commuters, traders, lawyers, employees and families who cross the border frequently for work, education, healthcare and social obligations. The protesters raised slogans against the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government in Himachal and appealed for immediate rollback of the hike. From the Punjab side, the protest was led by Congress leader Paramjit Singh Pamma, a member of the Nangal council and former president of the Ropar District Bar Association, and BJP leader Rakesh Pammi. From the Himachal side, the protesters had gathered under the leadership of Una BJP MLA and former state unit president Satpal Satti. In a post on social media, Punjab BJP vice-president continued on page 6 CBIprobingofficers whosenamesfound inBhullar’sphone Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune news service Chandigarh, February 21 The CBI has told a Chandigarh court that it has been independently probing the roles of other officers whose names, chats and records of suspected transactions were found in the mobile phones seized from suspended Punjab Police DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar and his aide Kirshanu Sharda, both arrested in a corruption case. In the supplementary chargesheet submitted before the CBI court, the agency stated that during the investigation, two mobile phones belonging to Bhullar and one belonging to Sharda were seized. An analysis of the mobile data revealed certain chats indicating suspected instances of illegal gratification involving other public servants and private individuals. The extracted data and all other evidence — oral, documentary and electronic — were examined to ascertain whether any other public servant or private individual was involved in the present case. Upon detailed analysis, it emerged that no new or additional incriminating material directly linked with the present offences came on record. However, the analysis of the extracted data, corroborated by disclosures and seized documentary material (including a diary recovered from Sharda’s continued on page 6 Today’s issue is of 24 pages, including six-page Spectrum,including four-page Delhi Tribune. c m y b Security up in Delhi after LeT terror alert Naidu’soustersought over Ajit plane crash DELHI: NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar on Saturday wrote to PM Narendra Modi seeking the removal of Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and an independent probe into the plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on January 28. In his letter, Pawar alleged that the crash was not accidental but part of a larger conspiracy involving the air charter firm VSR. INSIDE NEW PM Narendra Modi with Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of talks in New Delhi on Saturday. India and Brazil signed a pact for cooperation in critical minerals as they set an annual bilateral trade target of $20 billion over five years. They also vowed to shore up ties in defence, energy & healthcare. BACK PAGE Bangladesh restores visa services as tensions ease under Tarique Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 21 In a sign of improving relations, Bangladesh has restored full visa and consular services for Indian citizens across its missions in India nearly two months after suspending them amid political unrest and diplomatic tensions, official sources confirmed on Saturday. Officials said the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and its assistant missions had begun issuing all categories of visas, including tourist and medical, ending a freeze imposed in December following protests and security concerns around diplomatic premises. The move comes days after the swearing-in of new PM Tarique Rahman, widely seen as signalling a reset in ties between New Delhi and Dhaka. The sources said both sides had begun quiet engagement to restore normal people-topeople travel, business visits and medical movement, sec- tions that had been severely hit by the suspension. With the political transition in Dhaka now complete, officials expect a thaw in ties. PM Narendra Modi had congratulated Rahman and expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation and mutual security, indicating a willingness on both sides to stabilise relations. Diplomatic observers say the restoration of visas is typically the first confidencebuilding measure between neighbours after tensions. SC issues directions on solid waste rules NEW DELHI: As massive dump sites active in metropolitan areas adversely impacted the right to a clean and healthy environment of citizens, the Supreme Court has issued panIndia directions for implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, which will come into effect from April 1. “The neglect of municipal solid waste will affect health as much as the economy,” said the Bench. BACK PAGE