12042026-TTC-01.qxd 12-04-2026 00:41 Page 1 c m y b 123 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 100 | 20 PAGES | ~7.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 RUSSIA, UKRAINE SWAP 175 PRISONERS EACH AHEAD OF CEASEFIRE WORLD /thetribunechd WILL REVOKE AADHAAR, PASSPORTS OF DRUG SMUGGLERS: L-G J&K CAPTURING ESSENCE, PERSONALITIES OF ARTISTS SPECTRUM MURMU ADMITS PRIVATE MEMBER BILL ON ONLINE HATE SPEECH BACK PAGE sunday | 12 april 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com US, Iran hold historic direct talks in Islamabad No headway after 2 rounds |Washington looks at N-curbs, Hormuz| Tehran wants easing of sanctions, Lebanon truce Ajay Banerjee WINDFALL TAX ON DIESEL, JET FUEL HIKED Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 11 The US and Iran on Saturday held their first historic direct talks in Pakistan to end their six-week-old war, days after a fragile ceasefire was agreed. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported late on Saturday that the US and Iran were exchanging text messages in an effort “to reach a common framework for the negotiations”. At least two rounds of talks have been held. Tasnim said progress had been hindered by what it described as Washington’s “usual excessive demands”, but added that consultations were ongoing. According to it, the Strait of Hormuz remained one of the main points of serious disagreement. Separately, on Saturday night, the US Central Command said its two warships had begun operations to remove undersea mines in Hormuz as part of efforts to restore commercial shipping. The direct discussions between the two sides, the first since 1979, began in Islamabad this afternoon, following earlier bilateral meetings each side held separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The US delegation is led by Vice-President JD Vance and includes special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared continued on page 6 The Centre hiked export duty, or windfall tax, on diesel to ~55.5 per litre and on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to ~42. The hikes would be applicable with immediate effect, the finance ministry said. On March 26, the government had imposed an export duty of ~21.50 a litre on diesel, and ~29.5 per litre on ATF. The duty hikes would be applicable with immediate effect. Tribune News Service INDIAN TANKER CLEARS STRAIT, 1ST POST TRUCE Iranian Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stands in front of images and belongings of four students killed in strikes on a Minab school, aboard a flight to Islamabad. In his post on social media, he wrote: “My companions on this flight — Minab 168”; and (right) Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif shakes hands with US Vice-President JD Vance on Saturday. REUTERS Blood-stained school bags, pics of killed Will open Hormuz even if Minab kids accompany Iran team to Pak Tehran doesn’t wish:Trump Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 11 Blood-stained school bags, shoes, white flowers and photographs of children killed in strikes at a school in Iranian town Minab were placed in the front row of a plane that carried a delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to Pakistan for talks with the US. The move was seen as a pow- Life term, ~25 lakh fine: Punjab Cabinet clears anti-sacrilege legislation erful message by Iran to show the world the human toll of the ongoing West Asia conflict. “My companions on this flight— Minab 168,” Ghalibaf shared on X alongside a picture showing him looking at the children’s belongings and photos. Iran has named its delegation “Minab 168”, in reference to the schoolchildren reportedly killed on the first day of the US-Israel strikes on Iran. The Iranian embassy in South Africa reposted the image with a message: “We will never forget the children of Minab.” According to Iranian officials, over 160 children were killed on February 28 during the alleged strikes on Shajareh Tayyibeh girls elementary school in Minab, a town in southern Iran. Days later, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi shared an continued on page 6 Tribune News Service New Delhi, April 11 US President Donald Trump has said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen soon and “automatically”, with or without Iran’s cooperation. Referring to how Iran laid sea mines to stop ships from entering the waterway, Trump posted on social media that the US was now “clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a RARE BONHOMIE ANI Chandigarh, April 11 The Punjab Council of Ministers, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, today cleared the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which prescribes punishment ranging from a minimum of 10 years in prison to life imprisonment for any act of sacrilege against Guru Granth Sahib. The Bill is set to be tabled in a special Assembly session scheduled for Monday. By bringing in a new law against sacrilege, the ruling AAP is not only “refreshing” public memory of the 2015 sacrilege incidents during the Akali-BJP rule, but also attempting to consolidate Sikh votes in its favour. The amendments approved today also seek to impose fines ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh on those found guilty of sacrilegious acts, besides paving the way for confiscation of properties of the accused. Desecration will include words, spoken or written, signs or visible representation through electronic means or otherwise, that hurt the religious feelings of Sikhs. Official sources said the individual, institution or gurdwara committee to whom saroops of Guru Granth Sahib had been formally supplied would also be responsible for its protection and adherence to the prescribed Sikh rehat maryada. It may be noted that the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Bill to be tabled in special Assembly session tomorrow Sahib Satkar Act, 2008, which is being amended, had given exclusive rights of publication of Guru Granth Sahib to the SGPC. Under the new amendments, the SGPC will also be legally bound to maintain records, both manual and electronic, of all saroops of the Guru Granth Sahib, to prevent incidents such as the missing saroops case. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the government had decided to amend the existing state law by inserting provisions for stringent punishment for those desecrating Guru Granth Sahib. “Since it is a state law, it will not require Presidential assent and will come into force immediately,” he said after the Cabinet meeting. He added that while masterminds behind sacrilege incidents often escaped by using mentally challenged individuals to commit such acts, the amended law sought to also punish those orchestrating these acts. “There have been several incidents in the past involving sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and other revered scriptures, which have deeply hurt public sentiments and caused unrest,” he said, adding most such incidents occurred during the Akali-BJP government from 2012 to 2017, and little continued on page 6 US warships ‘deployed’ to clear out sea mines favour to countries all over the world”. This came even as the US and Iranian negotiators started discussions on the peace agreement in Pakistan. Trump told reporters on Friday that the US negotiators would discuss reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with the continued on page 6 ■ Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had a rare, cordial chat in public during a commemorative event for renowned social reformer Jyotirao Phule at the Parliament complex in New Delhi on Saturday. ■ The Leader of the Opposition in LS was flanked by Speaker Om Birla, Union Minister JP Nadda among others when the PM greeted everyone and stopped near him. Rahul was seen replying to the PM during their minute-long exchange. India-flagged LPG tanker ‘Jag Vikram’ has crossed the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first such transit by an Indian vessel since the two-week ceasefire. “The vessel is carrying 20,400 tonnes of LPG with 24 seafarers on board. It is expected to arrive at Mumbai on April 15, 2026,” said a government statement. Around 15 Indiaflagged ships still remain in the region, awaiting passage. 312 INDIAN FISHERMEN RETURN VIA ARMENIA A group of 312 Indian fishermen, who were stranded in Iran amid regional tensions, returned to India through Armenia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. The fresh batch was brought home a week after 345 Indian fishermen were evacuated from Iran. The EAM thanked his Armenian counterpart for the assistance. Ladakh sheds ‘J&K’ tag, gets own Aadhaar identity Our Correspondent Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Jaishankar begins UAE visit; Goyal holds talks with Saudi counterpart Srinagar, April 11 Ladakh, which was carved out as a separate union territory from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, has secured a distinct identity in Aadhaar records. A spokesperson for the Ladakh administration said residents could now see their identity reflected in Aadhaar records with “Ladakh” replacing “Jammu & Kashmir”. Officials said Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena took a serious note of Aadhaar records of Ladakh’s residents continuing to reflect the erstwhile state name — J&K — instead of Ladakh, despite the formation of the UT in 2019. He directed the UT Administration to resolve the issue at the earliest. Subsequently, the administration moved the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which corrected the anomaly, ensuring that Ladakh’s distinct regional identity is accurately represented in Aadhaar records. The continued reflection of Jammu & Kashmir in Aadhaar records had been causing inconvenience to Ladakh residents. They faced difficulties in using Aadhaar as a valid proof of identity and address while availing services, as the “state” field did continued on page 6 331 kg in 3 months, BSF nears last year’s Pb heroin seizure 414 kg of contraband recovered in 2025 & 283 kg in 2024 | 47 drones also neutralised Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 11 The Border Security Force (BSF) has seized 331 kg of heroin along the Punjab border with Pakistan in the first quarter of the year, reflecting a substantial rise compared to 414 kg of heroin seized in 2025 and 283 kg in 2024. Fortyseven drones have also been recovered, a count that stood at 272 last year. A security official said this suggested how smugglers were relying heavily on unmanned vehicles to push drugs across the border. Apart from heroin, the seizure of synthetic drugs has also gone up, with 5.5 kg of ICE and 10.50 kg of opium recovered in multiple opera- tions during the period. “The recovery of 331 kg of heroin in roughly 100 days suggests smuggling attempts remain intense, even as detection capabilities have also improved,” said the official. The recovery of arms and ammunition has also gone up. The BSF has seized 58 weapons, 654 rounds of ammunition and 93 magazines, along with a grenade, suggesting sustained attempts to fuel illegal activities and set up terror modules. It had recovered 201 weapons in 2025, which was a massive jump from 36 in 2024. On the enforcement side, 110 Indian smugglers have been arrested this year along with 34 suspects. The number of caught Pakistani intruders stands at five, while an Egypt- The seizure of synthetic drugs by the BSF has also gone up. FILE ian national was also apprehended. In a separate development, three Pakistani intruders were killed during border operations this year, said the official. A senior official from the Punjab Police’s counterintelligence wing pointed out Today’s issue is of 20 pages, including six-page Spectrum. c m y b that there had been a sustained campaign linked to narco-terror elements aiming to destabilise the region through drug proliferation and arms inflow. A senior BSF official pointed out that these seizures also reflected the heightened alert- ness and synergy among agencies in safeguarding the border. He said the BSF was working in close coordination with the Punjab Police and other sister agencies. It had ramped up intelligence-driven operations, anti-drone measures and rapid response tactics, he said. Officials pointed to how evolving tactics such as GPS-programmed precision drops, night-time operations and lowaltitude flights made traditional detection methods less effective. Security agencies have called for a shift towards intelligence-driven interdiction strategies, coupled with enhanced technological deployment, to effectively counter sophisticated smuggling networks and curb crossborder criminal activities. New Delhi, April 11 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday began his visit to the UAE, while Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held a virtual meeting with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Majid bin Abdullah al-Qasabi. “We discussed strengthening India-Saudi Arabia trade relations, enhancing energy supply cooperation and advancing negotiations for a trade agreement between India and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries,” Goyal said. Jaishankar said he began his visit by interacting with members of the Indian community. “Spoke about the Government of India’s efforts towards their well-being and security amidst the West Asia conflict,” he said. He appreciated the contributions of the Indian community to local society during these difficult times, as well as continued on page 6 Singer Asha Bhosle suffers cardiac arrest,hospitalised MUMBAI: Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on Saturday evening after suffering cardiac arrest, sources said. The 92-year-old singer also had pulmonary issues, they said. Bhosle, with a career spanning eight decades, is known for her versatility. She is the younger sister of the late legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar. — PTI Haryana STFarrests gangster deported from Thailand GURUGRAM: Gangster Sahil Chauhan, wanted in multiple cases in different states and facing an Interpol Red Notice, was deported from Thailand, officials said on Saturday. The Haryana Police’s Special Task Force (STF) arrested the mostwanted gangster at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, and took him to Bhondsi in Gurugram, the officials said. INSIDE Toll rises to 11 in Mathura tragedy; boat operator held MATHURA: The death toll in the boat capsize tragedy in the Yamuna in Mathura climbed to 11 after the recovery of one more body in the search and rescue operation on Saturday, officials said. The operator of the ill-fated vessel has been arrested, they added. The deceased has been identified as Manik Tandon (42), a resident of Ludhiana. Four people still remain missing. INSIDE