KOZHIKODE l SUNDAY l AUGUST 23, 2020 l `8.00 l PAGES 24 l CITY EDITION FEARING FATF ACTION, PAK STEPS UP CURBS ON TERRORISTS The new sanctions target Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and others including JuD chief Hafiz Saeed OCT DEADLINE TO AVOID BLACKLISTING PAK GIVES DAWOOD’S KARACHI ADDRESS The Financial Action Task Force put Pakistan on its grey list in June 2018, and directed Islamabad to take 27 steps to curb terror financing before June 2019. However, even a year after the deadline, Pakistan was still in non-compliance with the directives. In June, the watchdog retained Pak on its grey list and sought action by October to avoid being black-listed ■ ■ Islamabad issued two orders on August 18, announcing sweeping sanctions on 88 terrorist groups and their leaders Dawood Ibrahim and Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar are among those hit. Islamabad finally admitted that Ibrahim lives in Pak as the order mentions his Karachi address | P7 FATF IS AN INTERNATIONAL WATCHDOG SET UP TO COMBAT TERRORIST FINANCING CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Centre asks states to lift cross-border restrictions IPL teams locked in hotel rooms in UAE for six days EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Chennai THE six IPL teams to have reached the UAE for the competition starting on September 19 are confined to thier hotels. Players, coaches and team officials are not allowed out of their rooms for six days, according to Covid-19 rules in the UAE. They can not step out of their rooms under any circumstances. Even food is being served at the doorstep, according to a squad member. Six teams have already reached the UAE. The Delhi and Hyderabad franchises will reach on Sunday. Net practice starts from August 28. EXPRESS READ Airport bid: Row over legal firm’s selection T’Puram: The state government hiring a law firm close to the Adani Group as legal consultants while bidding for the Thiruvananthapuram airport has kicked up a row. The UDF and the BJP have hit out government’s double standards. The UDF, which offered to join hands with the government to pass a resolution, has indicated a rethink. P4 CBI quizzes violinist’s former manager T’Puram: CBI on Saturday interrogated Prakashan Thampi – the former manager of Balabhaskar’s band – in connection with the violinist’s death. Thampi was one of the accused in a gold smuggling case reported last year. He was accused of misusing the musician’s foreign trips for smuggling gold. He was let off after questioning. P4 WITH THIS ISSUE THE FUTURE IS HERE PLUS 12 PAGES Home ministry tells states and UTs local-level curbs on movement of goods are affecting economic activities and employment EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi ALL SMILES AS ONAM BEGINS Joyous children pluck flowers to make floral carpet in Kozhikode on Saturday, the 1st day of Onam celebrations | MANU R MAVELIL Bombay HC quashes FIRs against Jamaatis, says they were targeted 6 J&K parties vow to fight Centre’s action against Art 370 to the petitioners, who belong to various countries inlcuding the Ivory Coast, Ghana, TanzaSTATING that followers of the nia and Djibouti. Tablighi Jamaat were made A division bench of Justice “scapegoats”, the Bombay T V Nalawade and Justice M G High Court’s Aurangabad Sewlikar of the Aurangabad bench on Friday quashed the bench heard three separate petitions. “A political first information reports against 29 forgovernment tries to eign national belongfind the scapegoat ing to the Jamaat. when there is pandemic or calamity The court observed A political that the foreigners government tries and the circumstances show that there is had no option but to to find the stay in masjids as no scapegoat when probability that these hotels were available there is pandemic foreigners were choor calamity and sen to make them a for stay due to the the circumstances scapegoat,” the bench lockdown. The foreign nation- show that there is said. In a 58-page probability that als were booked un- these foreigners s t r o n g l y w o r d e d der various provijudgement, the bench were chosen to sions of Indian Penal said “in big religious make them a Code, Epidemic Displaces, including scapegoat eases Act, Maharashmasjids, there are artra Police Act, Disas- Bombay High Court rangements of stay ter Management Act made for religious and the Foreigner’s Act for al- persons or the persons who legedly violating their tourist are involved for maintaining visa conditions by attending of the masjids.” If pilgrims or followers are the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi. made to stay in an emergency Police also booked six Indi- situation, it cannot be seen as a an nationals and trustees of breach of rules and the law, the the masjids for giving shelter court said. CONTINUED ON: P7 FAYAZ WA N I @ Srinagar EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Mumbai THE six biggest political parties in Jammu and Kashmir— the National Conference, Peop l e ’s D e m o c r a t i c P a r t y, Congress, Peoples Conference, CPI (M) and the Awami National Conference — on Saturday vowed to unitedly fight for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution and the statehood for J&K. “We all reiterate that we are bound, wholly, by the contents of the August 4, 2019 ‘Gupkar Declaration’ and will unwaveringly adhere to it,” a joint statement released by the National Conference said. Under the Gupkar Declaration, the parties had vowed to protect and safeguard J&K’s special status. “We are committed to strive for restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, the J&K constitution and restoration of statehood. Any division of the State is unacceptable to us. We unanimously reiterate that there can be ‘nothing about us without us’,” the statement notted. It is the first open defiance to the Centre’s reading down of Article 370. P8 TAKING a grim view of the mindless restrictions imposed by many states on inter-state and intra-state movement of goods and services, the Centre on Saturday said such curbs are disrupting economic activities and employment. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla shot off a letter to the chief secretaries of all States and Union territories, expressing concern over reports of local-level restrictions on movement of persons and materials imposed by various districts and States. The Chief Secretaries were told not to impose any restrictions on inter-State or intraState movement, war ning them such restrictions would amount to violation of the Unlock-3 guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The letter explained that unnecessary hindrance to free movement of vehicles imposed by states is impacting supply chains. The Centre urged states and UTs to lift restrictions, reminding them that no separate permit is needed for movement of persons and goods. “The letter draws attention to para 5 of Unlock-3 guidelines that clearly states that there shall be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods. This para also states that no separate permission/ approval/e-permit will be required for such movement of persons and goods for cross land border trade under treaties with neighbouring coun- Trucks queue up at Sri City on the Andhra-TN border| SHIBA PRASAD SAHU Sandalwood smugglers suspect tribal woman to be informer, shoot her dead E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kochi A 34-year-old tribal woman was shot dead by members of a sandalwood smuggling gang in Idukki on Friday suspecting her to be an informer. The police said the deceased is K Chandrika, a resident of a Panapatti tribal sett l e m e n t i n M a r a y u r. Kaliyappan, a relative of the victim, has been arrested while two other accused --both minors --- have been taken into custody . A sandalwood smuggling case is pending against Kaliyappan. “Two of the accused are minors. They used a country- made gun to shoot the woman wood smugglers after a sandown. We’ve recovered the dalwood tree was reportedly weapon and it will be sent for smuggled out from the area detailed forensic examina- by a gang. Based on certain tion,” said Marayur Inspecspecific information, the detor of Police Sunil S. partment had also raided the area and arrestAs per a preliminary probe, the aced some members of cused had a fight the smuggling with the victim susracket. pecting that she had Following this, the passed on informaracket suspected that tion about the sanit was Chandrika K Chandrika dalwood smuggling who had passed on racket to forest officers. The the details to the forest accused were nabbed by the officials. local people and handed over Marayur forest division is to the police. world famous for its sandalThe police said the Forest wood trees which have a speDepartment was actively pur- cial aroma and rich oil suing the activities of sandal- content. UAE aid to Jaleel on Suspected IS terrorist with 15kg of explosives held FinMin probe radar EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @T’Puram IN WHAT may spell more trouble for Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel, the Centre has reportedly decided to probe whether the minister violated Life Mission: the foreign exchange rules ED notice to while receiving the assistance chief secretary T’Puram: The from the UAE Consulate. In a Facebook post, Jaleel Enforcement had admitted to receiving aid Directorate has sent from the UAE Consulate in the a notice to Chief form of Ramadan kit worth `5 Secretary Vishwas lakh. The minister had direct- Mehta seeking ly dealt with the consulate to clarification on avail of the aid. In the wake of whether Centre’s the revelation, the Centre was permission was flooded with numerous com- obtained before entering into an plaints against him. Jaleel’s decision to distrib- agreement with a ute copies of Holy Quran given foreign institution by the UAE Consulate is also for the project. P4 under a cloud. Sources said the possibility of Central agencies joining the Union finance ministry’s probe cannot be ruled out. Jaleel said he was ready to face any kind of probe. “I’ve nothing to fear. I’ve already clarified that I’m ready to face any kind of investigation by any agency he said. ,” The minister, who is in quarantine, has been directed to extend the self-isolation period after his gunman tested positive for Covid-19. Jaleel said he was available on phone for any queries. THE Delhi Police special cell has arrested a suspected Islamic State operative after a brief exchange of fire on the Ridge Road at Dhaula Kuan late on Friday night. The police said the accused, Muhammad Mustakeem Khan alias Abdul Yusuf, 36, was planning terror strikes at various spots with “high footfalls.” The police claimed to have recovered two pressure cooker Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) weighing approximately 15 kgs, a pistol with six cartridges and a motorcycle in which he was travelling. The ownership of the motorcycle was being verified but the police said it was most probably stolen. As per the standard operating procedure, the Delhi Police informed the National Security Guard, whose team defused the IED.Briefing reporters about the operation, DCP special cell Pramod Kushwaha said their teams had working on this for the past one year. tries,” an MHA official said. In his letter, Bhalla noted local-level restrictions run afoul of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs under provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005. The communication urged States and UTs to ensure that the Centre’s unlock guidelines are strictly followed. Cross-border movement of people and goods was stopped during the first two months of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Transportation was resumed gradually, first in May as part of Lockdown 5 guidelines, with the Centre allowing movement within and between states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi first announced lockdown with effect from March 25 to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, which was subsequently extended till May 31. Since June 1, the unlock process began with the opening up industrial activities and offices across the country . Currently, India is in the third phase of unlock. “His plan was to enter the city during Independence Day and carry out terror strikes but he could not near the national capital because of heavy security arrangements,” Kushwaha said. After Independence Day try, ing to take advantage of loosened security, he reached the city “but he was caught red handed during the operation,” the DCP said. “The accused and his contacts were being monitored through sources. We found out that he was in direct touch with his ISIS handlers for many years. This operation was being handled by Yisf Alindi, who was recently killed in Syria,” Kushwaha said. The police said after Alindi, he was in touch with Abu Huzafa Pakistani, another important ISIS commander who worked in the Khorasan province of Afghanistan. Huzafa promised the accused to call him to Khorasan for which fake IDs were created and passports for his wife and children were also made, the police said. KERALA CASE DIARY LOW-RISK CONTACTS NEEDN’T GO INTO 14-DAY QUARANTINE T’Puram: From now, only high-risk contacts of Covid patients must remain in 14-day quarantine. As per a revised advisory issued by the Health Department, low-risk primary contacts need not remain in quarantine, but are asked to avoid all non-essential travel. HOUSE OF COVID +VE FAMILY ATTACKED Alappuzha: The house of a family infected with Covid-19 was attacked by miscreants in Vayalar near Cherthala on Friday night. THE CURCUMIN EFFECT Booster shot: Milma launches turmeric milk in times of Covid A M I YA M E E T H A L @ Kozhikode It will be launched before Onam. It’s part of our attempt to launch more value-added products Milma MD K M Vijayakumaran AT A time when people are taking immunity boosters to rejuvenate health to fight the pandemic, Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) has launched its brand of turmeric milk. It’s been made with the technology developed by the Kozhikode centre of the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), under the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR). Though the turmeric milk is considered a traditional home remedy for common cold and fever, the insolubility of spices and low bio-availability of its active ingredients stood as bottlenecks while developing a product to sold in the market. IISR’s technology has overcome this limitation and the industrial testing of the prod- uct at Milma plant here has proved successful. Turmeric, ginger and cinnamon are the ingredients of product. Milma is launching two products ‘Milma Golden Milk’ in liquid form and ‘Milma Golden Mix’ in powder form with a shelf life of three months. “The product will be launched before Onam. It’s part of Milma’s attempts to launch more value- added products,” said Milma MD K M Vijayakumaran. According to IISR scientist, Dr Anees K, it took close to two years to develop the technology to make curcumin – the major content of turmeric – water soluble thus keeping its medicinal properties intact. Along with Anees, the IISR team of scientists include E J aya s h r e e, P R a j e ev, C K Thankamani and E Radha.