23122024-TT-01.qxd 12/22/2024 11:28 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 354 | 16 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH ALLU ARJUN’S HOUSE VANDALISED IN HYDERABAD NATION /thetribunechd RAJ FILES FIR OVER HILL BLAST, STATE YET TO ACT HARYANA RESERVATION POLICY: UKRAINIAN DRONES MP MEHDI TO PROTEST STRIKE RUSSIAN AGAINST OWN GOVT J&K FUEL DEPOT WORLD monday | 23 december 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Will SC reopen probe, asks Congress after Pegasus verdict in US India, Kuwait elevate ties to strategic level, ink defence pact, slam terrorism Focus on trade, solar energy as PM Modi calls on counterpart Al-Sabah, others Tribune News Service Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 22 Announcing enhanced cooperation in the defence and solar energy sectors, India and Kuwait today elevated their relationship to a “strategic partnership” and discussed future growth areas in the fields of health, education, technology and investments. The two sides condemned terrorism in all its forms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a two-day visit to Kuwait, held talks with his counterpart Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah today. The two leaders discussed a roadmap for strengthening partnership in various areas, including trade, energy, defence, security, culture and people-to-people ties. They witnessed the signing of an MoU on defence that institutionalises cooperation in training, joint exercises, defence industry, supply of equipment and collaboration in research and development. Kuwait joined the Indiabacked International Solar Alliance. A joint statement said, “Both sides discussed ways to expand bilateral energy trade”. The two sides are Indian Oil probing charges of US firm bribing its officers New Delhi, December 22 State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has begun a probe into allegations of a US speciality chemicals firm bribing its officials 15 years back to obtain contracts to supply catalysts, according to a company’s regulatory filing. Albemarle Corporation, a global speciality chemicals supplier that develops and sells catalysts used in the operation of oil refineries, allegedly “paid nearly $1.14 million in commission to India intermediary company relating to IOC business and obtained approximately $11.14 million in profits on that business between approximately 2009 and 2011,” according to a US SEC order dated September 28, 2023. Albemarle was caught for bribery by US officials in 2017. He settled the case in September 2023 by paying more than $198 million fine. IOC said it was “neither a party to nor is there any allegation against it”. — PTI HIGHEST KUWAITI HONOUR FOR MODI ■ Kuwait bestowed its highest honour, the ‘Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’, on PM Narendra Modi on Sunday. ■ The award was conferred on the PM by the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Sabah ■ Modi dedicated the award to the long-standing friendship between the two countries, to the Indian community in Kuwait and to the over 1.4 billion people of India ■ The award was instituted in 1974 and has since been conferred on select global leaders, including King Charles of Britain & former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush << Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Al-Sabah during a ceremonial welcome at Bayan Palace in Kuwait on Sunday. ANI looking to graduate from a buyer-seller relationship to having a comprehensive partnership. New Delhi is also keen on Kuwait participating in India’s strategic petroleum reserve programme. The decision to elevate the relationship to a strategic partnership came after Modi held extensive talks with the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Sabah. A joint statement said “the establishment of a strategic partnership will further broad-base and deepen the long-standing historical ties”. Modi posted on X, “We are extremely optimistic about the India-Kuwait strategic partnership scaling new heights of success in the times to come.” This was the first meeting between the two leaders. On arrival at the Emir’s Bayan Palace, Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome and received by the Emir. On the trade and investment front, the authorities of both countries have been tasked with fasttracking and completing the ongoing negotiations on the Bilateral Investment Treaty. continued on page 8 New Delhi, December 22 Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala on Sunday claimed that the Pegasus spyware case verdict in the US proved how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted. He further asked if the Supreme Court would now conduct a further inquiry in view of the judgment. Surjewala shared a media report, which said that, for the first time, a court in the US had held Israel’s NSO Group liable for its intrusive spyware Pegasus. “The Pegasus spyware case verdict proves how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted in the illegal spyware racket,” Surjewala posted on X. He said it was time for the Narendra Modi government to answer who the 300 Indians were. “Who are the two ministers? Who are the three opposition leaders? Who is the constitutional authority? Who are the journalists,” asked the Congress leader. He also questioned if appropriate criminal cases would now be lodged against the political executive or officials in the present government and the company owning NSO. “Will the Supreme Calibrated erosion of EC’s integrity: Kharge on poll rule changes Notice to Rahul over ‘provocative’remark BAREILLY: A court here has summoned Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to appear before it on January 7 for his remarks on the Economic Survey during the LS polls. District and Sessions Judge Sudhir Kumar on Saturday issued notice to Rahul. The summons are related to a plea filed by Pankaj Pathak, Mandal chief of the All India Hindu Mahasangh outfit. INSIDE 300 INDIANS TARGETED The Pegasus spyware case verdict proves how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted in the illegal spyware racket. ❝ Randeep Surjewala, CONGRESS GENERAL SECY Unnaorape:Sengar’s interimbailextended Court take note of the judgment of the US court in Meta v/s NSO? Will the Supreme Court proceed to make public the report of the Committee of Technical Experts on Pegasus Spyware, submitted to it in 2021-22,” Surjewala asked. He questioned if the Supreme Court would now conduct a further inquiry in view of the judgment affirming the targeting of 1,400 WhatsApp numbers, including 300 from India. “Will the Supreme Court now ask Meta to submit the 300 names to meet the ends of justice in the Pegasus case,” questioned Surjewala. “Shouldn’t Facebook (now Meta) now have responsibility to release the names of 300 Indians targeted by Pegasus, considering WhatsApp and Facebook have the biggest subscriber base in India and they have ‘duty of care and disclosure’ to its clients in India,” the Congress leader asked. NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC on Friday extended by one month the interim bail granted on medical grounds to expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who is serving life term in the 2017 Unnao rape case. The court told Sengar not to move out of his residence, except for visiting AIIMS for follow-up treatment. INSIDE Priyanka’s election as MP challenged NEW DELHI: The BJP has chal- lenged the election of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the Wayanad LS segment, alleging loopholes in her nomination papers. It alleged Priyanka had shared restricted information with regard to her assets. BJP’s Navya Haridas has filed a plea challenging her election in the Kerala HC. BACK PAGE BUILDING COLLAPSE Mohali toll rises to 2, rescue ops called off Tribune News Service Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 22 Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday hit out at the government for amending the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents. He said the amendment was “another assault in the Modi government’s systematic conspiracy to destroy the institutional integrity of the Election Commission”. Other opposition parties — the CPI, CPM and SP — also slammed the government over the issue. The amendment, introduced after the Election Commission’s recommendations, restricts public access to documents such as CCTV footage and other election material. In a post on X, Kharge Other parties too slam govt decision wrote, “Modi government’s calibrated erosion of the EC’s integrity is a frontal attack on the Constitution and democracy and we will take every step to safeguard them.” Kharge also highlighted the government’s previous actions, such as removing the Chief Justice of India from the panel responsible for appointing election commissioners, as part of a coordinated assault on the integrity of the EC. He accused the government of trying to restrict electoral information, even after a high court order. “Every time the Congress wrote to the EC regarding specific poll irregularities such as continued on page 8 edit: Blow to transparency Christ Church bedecked with lights ahead of Christmas in Shimla on Sunday. PHOTO: LALIT KUMAR CLOCK TICKS AGAIN AT ICONIC SHIMLA CHURCH Shimla’s landmark Christ Church, the second oldest in North India, has got a makeover ahead of Christmas. The renovation began in 2023 and involved refurbishing of the exterior and restoration of the clock. The funds for the work were raised through donations. INSIDE Mohali, December 22 The toll in the Mohali building collapse climbed to two with the recovery of the body of a 30-year-old man from the rubble on Sunday. The victim has been identified as Ambala resident Abhishek Dhanwal, who worked with an IT firm. Yesterday, the body of Drishti Verma (20), a native of Theog, had been recovered from the site. Drishti was employed with a private firm in Mohali. The multi-storey building had collapsed on Saturday evening at Sohana village in Mohali district. The 23-hour-long rescue operations were called off on Sunday evening after officiating Deputy Commissioner Viraj S Tidke said the NDRF had confirmed that there was no more possibility of any person being trapped under the Victims Drishti Verma & AbhishekDhanwal TWO ARRESTED ■ 2 building owners arrested on a charge of culpable homicide ■ Digging work was being car- ried out on the adjoining plot when the structure collapsed ■ MC officials said no permission was taken for the digging work debris. Besides the NDRF the , administration and the Army were involved in the rescue operations. A total of 600 personnel, including 140 NDRF team members, 167 from the Army’s 57 Engineers Regiment, 300 from the police and continued on page 8 Boxing body seeks report on doping at Hry tourney Blasts that shook Punjab bear stamp ofPak terror outfits, ISI Deepender Deswal Jupinderjit Singh Hisar, December 22 The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has taken serious note of doping allegations involving some players during a recent championship in Haryana and sought a report from the state governing body. The Tribune had highlighted how some athletes had apparently indulged in doping during the state-level meet last week as used syringes and empty vials were found inside a washroom of the Giri Centre Stadium in Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural WILL ACT AGAINST ERRING PLAYERS, COACHES ❝ Players indulging in doping will face disqualification and action may be initiated against coaches if their role is established. Ravinder Pannu, GEN SECY, HARYANA BOXING SANGH University (HAU) here. Acting on the news report, the BFI has formally sought a detailed report from the Haryana Boxing Sangh (HBS), sources have said. The HBS, for its part, has written continued on page 8 Tribune News Service INCIDENTS IN PAST Chandigarh, December 22 The stamp of Pakistan-based terror organisations, along with its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has become evident in the eight blasts that have rocked Punjab in a month. Those behind five blasts have been identified and arrested, two cases are under investigation while the suspects in the eighth blast have been identified. “It is a new strategy by the ISI, which is luring gullible youth with money, drugs and the promise of a ‘safe haven’ abroad. We have pre-empted ONE MONTH PUNJAB Cops at Islamabad police station where a blast occurred on December 17. FILE 11 other modules and have worked out five of the eight blast incidents,” said a senior police official. According to NOV 29 Gurbaksh Nagar DEC 17 Islamabad police station DEC 4 Majitha police station the police, the RDX was used in the Ajnala blast, while in the remaining seven incidents, Austria-made Arges grenades, c m y b NOV 23 Ajnala police station GURDASPUR AMRITSAR DEC 18 Bakshiwala police check post DEC 20Wadala Bangar police check post DEC 13 Ghania Ke Bangar police station DEC 2 Ansaro police post NAWANSHAHR probably from the old stock of the Pakistan army, were supplied via drones from across the border to the handlers of different modules of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). The Arges MAP NOT TO SCALE Tribune News Service Gullible youths being lured with money, drugs and promise of safe haven abroad for carrying out strikes grenades were used in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, the Parliament attack and, recently, in the Sector 10 Chandigarh blast. “These were common before 2010. After that, Chinese grenades were smuggled more from across the border. It seems an old stock is being pushed into the state now,” said the police official. Nearly 700 gm of the RDX was recovered from the IED planted outside the Ajnala police station. Fortunately, it did not explode. “The RDX and grenades were dropped by a drone at what is termed a ‘dead letter box location’ continued on page 8