mangaluru l tuesday l april 29, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Russia announces unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine next week Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a 72-hr ceasefire from May 8 midnight to May 10 midnight to mark Victory Day Ukraine dismisses it as ‘window dressing’ Need permanent ceasefire, says Trump The Kremlin said the truce was on humanitarian grounds. “Russia believes the Ukrainian side should follow this example,” the Kremlin said, adding its forces will respond in kind if Ukraine violates the ceasefire. Dismissing Putin’s move as ‘window dressing’, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: “If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately.” ■ ■ The development comes after US President Donald Trump expressed doubts about Putin’s interest in ending the war. The White House said Trump wanted a permanent ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine This is the second unilateral truce offer by Putin, following a 30-hour Easter ceasefire that saw each side accusing the other of violating it May 9 Is celebrated as Victory day to mark Soviet Union’s victory in World War-II CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Assault on Kashmiriyat: J&K House resolution Omar Abdullah says he will not use the Pahalgam brutality to demand statehood F aya z W a n i @ Srinagar A special session of the J&K assembly on Monday passed a unanimous resolution describing the April 22 terror attack on tourists at Pahalgam as a direct assault on Kashmiriyat, the Constitution and the spirit of unity, peace and harmony. As many as 25 tourists and a local resident were slaughtered in the attack. But what caught the eye was a contrite Omar Abdullah admitting he had failed in his capacities as chief minister and tourism minister to protect the lives of tourists. Participating in the debate, he said he will not use the Pahalgam incident to demand statehood. “How can I use it to demand restoration of statehood from the Centre? I do not believe in cheap politics... Curse on me if I go to the Centre and tell them that 26 people have died and now give me statehood.” Omar described the massacre as the beginning of the end of terror in Kashmir and cautioned against taking any step or action that “distances people from us and hurts this spontaneous protest”. He was alluding to the recent demolition of houses of terrorists and mass arrests. “The victims hailed from Express News Service @ New Delhi J&K MLAs, including CM Omar Abdullah, pay homage to the victims of the Pahalgam attack, in the assembly on Monday | PTI Rana’s Nia custody extended by 12 days New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday extended by 12 more days the NIA custody of 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Rana. The special court extended his custody on NIA’s request after his previous 18-day remand got over across India, from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat, from Kerala to J&K. The whole country has been affected by this attack,” he said. “I fully know that J&K’s security is not the responsibility of the elected government but as CM and tourism minister I had invited them to visit here and as a host it was my responsibility to ensure the safety of tourists, but I failed to do so,” he said. Work towards a responsible resolution, US to India, Pak J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi The United States on Monday said it is closely monitoring rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and called upon the two neighbours to pursue a “responsible resolution” to the crisis. “The United States encourages all parties to work together towards a responsible resolution,” a State Department spokesperson said. The spokesperson reiterated that that Washington “stands with India and strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Pahalgam”, echoing recent remarks by President Donald Trump and Vice President J D Vance. Both leaders had expressed solidarity with New Delhi following the April 22 assault, which left 26 dead, with Trump describing it as a “bad one” and acknowledging the deep-rooted tensions over Kashmir. “This is an evolving situation and we are monitoring developments closely We have been in . touch with the governments of India and Pakistan at multiple levels,” a US State Department spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement. The statement said that the US administration is in touch with the governments of India and Pakistan at “multiple levels”. India may let China invest via JV route R a k e s h K u m a r @ New Delhi In a move that could allow Chinese equipment manufacturers to operate in India, the Centre is considering permitting Chinese companies to invest under the Electronics Component Production Linked Incent ive ( P L I ) s c h e m e through joint ventures with Indian firms. According to industry sources, the government is mulling allowing Chinese companies to own up to 26% in JVs for specific critical electronics components, while maintaining a 10% equity cap for most other categories. In all cases, the management and control of the JV will remain with the Indian partner. Additionally, such JVs will need to secure approvals under the FDI norms. The latest move comes after Chinese companies agreed to most of the terms and conditions, including the transfer of technology to India. India-China relations touched their lowest point in April 2020 after the Galwan clashes. Subsequently, India mandated that FDI from entities or individuals based in countries sharing land borders with India would need prior government approv- al. The government allowed Chinese firms to operate in India only through partnerships with Indian firms. The reason for allowing Chinese firms into India is China’s existing strength in component manufacturing infrastructure and scale. The government views Chinese investment as key to building a strong component ecosystem in India and raising value addition in smartphones and consumer electronics from the current 15–20% to 30–40%. India has been also accelerating visa clearances of Chinese technicians involved in PLI scheme and electronic manufacturing projects. The government is mulling allowing Chinese companies to own up to 26% in JVs for specific critical electronics components, while maintaining a 10% equity cap for most other categories Industry officials K’taka human rights panel headless for over a year now R a k s h i t h G o w d a @ Bengaluru Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh with other officials during the signing of an Inter-Governmental Agreement for procurement of 26 Rafale aircraft | PIB via PTI India, France ink `63K cr deal for Rafale-M fighters M aya n k S i ng h @ New Delhi India and France on Monday for mally concluded the `63,000-crore ($7.4 billion) deal for 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets, in a move aimed at significantly enhancing the Indian Navy’s maritime combat capabilities. According to the contract, French military aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation will deliver 22 single-seater jets and four twin-seater trainers. “The agreement includes training, simulator, associated equipment, weapons and performance-based logistics. It also includes additional equipment for the existing Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force,” the statement added. Sources said the delivery of the first Rafale-M aircraft is expected to be delivered by May 2028 and the 26th aircraft by Rajnath meets Modi; Pak sees incursion bid 2030, with the crew undergoing training in France and India. “There would be aircraft-specific inspections to check and validate Indian Navy specific enhancements,” they added. Rafale-M jets will operate from Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. The agreement includes transfer of technology for integration of indigenous weapons in India. It also includes setting up of a production facility for Rafale fuselage as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for aircraft engines, sensors and weapons in India. The Indian Air Force already operates 36 Rafale combat jets. The new contract is for 26 naval variant of the Rafale combat jets. This newspaper had reported on April 9 that Cabinet Committee on Security had cleared the Rafale-M deal. The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), a statutory and quasi-judicial body responsible for checking and addressing human rights violations in the state, seems to be neglected by the state government. Key posts in the investigation and administrative wings are lying vacant. The SHRC has remained headless for more than 13 months, severely affecting its functioning. The position of the chairperson, which must be held by a retired chief justice or a High Court judge, remains vacant. Currently retired IAS of, ficer T Sham Bhatt, a member of the commission, is serving as the acting chairperson. Since its inception in 2007, SHRC has had only three chairpersons who collectively served for over 11 years. For the remaining seven years, the body has either been headless or had IAS officers and other members taking on additional duties. The chairperson is appointed by the Governor, based on recommendations from a committee comprising the Chief Minister, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Leader of the Opposi, tion, and Home Minister. CONTINUED ON P5 express read Girinath is UDD ACS, Rao BBMP chief Bengaluru: Tushar Girinath, Chief Commissioner, BBMP, has been appointed as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Urban Development Department and Home Department. BMRCL MD Maheshwar Rao has been appointed as Chief Commissioner of BBMP. Amid heightened security activity in J&K as India weighs it options following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him on the ongoing operations. The closed-door meeting lasted around 40 minutes. Earlier in the day Rajnath was given a de, tailed briefing by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi on the ground situation in J&K. The meeting came on a day when Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told news agency Reuters that a military incursion by India was imminent. “We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now,” he said, adding some strategic decisions have been taken. Asif said Pakistan would only use its arsenal of nuclear weapons if “there is a direct threat to our existence”. The Line of Control remained active with Pak Army indulging in small arms fire in the Kupwara and Poonch sectors. Siddu’s slap gesture at addl SP sparks row Express News Service @ Belagavi Chief Minister Siddaramaiah raised his hand to slap a senior police officer during a Congress rally against the Centre’s policies in Belagavi on Monday after a group of women BJP activists stormed the venue and raised slogans against him and his party. This sparked a controversy as several pro-BJP activists and leaders questioned Siddaramaiah’s conduct at the public event. They said as CM it was unfair to do so. Some netizens hit out at the CM, condemning his action. Siddaramaiah lost his cool when the women BJP activists, holding black flags, entered the venue and started sloganeering. Chaos prevailed at the venue and the CM had to stop his speech for a while.  Enraged by this, Siddaramaiah said, “Who is the SP of Belagavi? How can he allow BJP workers to enter the venue of the Congress rally?” Siddaramaiah summoned the additional Dharwad SP Narayan Baramani to the stage and raised his hand to slap him. Baramani, who was in-charge of security of the stage, was caught off-guard and stepped back. However, the rally resumed after some time. A video grab of CM Siddaramaiah raising his hand at a police officer at a Congress rally in Belagavi on Monday Baramani told TNIE that he was overseeing security at the stage area when a group in the audience (BJP activists) started raising slogans against the CM. Police detained the protesting activists and took them out of the venue. Tension prevailed outside the venue when Congress workers surrounded the police vehicles carrying the BJP activists. An argument erupted between them and some police officers. The police resorted to a mild lathicharge to disperse the Congress workers. Siddaramaiah, minister Laxmi Hebbalkar and other Congress leaders reportedly expressed their displeasure over the security lapse. They criticised the senior police officers deployed for the rally for the security breach.