‘World's oldest marathon runner' dies aged 114 in road accident
Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the 'Turbaned Tornado', died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on Monday.
'My Turbaned Tornado is no more,' Fauja's biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X. 'He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja.'
Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.
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Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Chidambaram pokes holes in Modi's Pahalgam narrative
A senior leader of India's Congress party dealt a severe blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi government narrative, saying that there was no proof that the assailants, who carried out the Pahalgam attack on April 22, had come from Pakistan. As Indian forces claimed to have killed "three foreign terrorists" linked to Pahalgam attack in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), former Indian minister P Chidambaram questioned why the government was not releasing the investigation report of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Indian army claimed in a statement on social media that the three were killed "in an intense firefight" near the major Hindu shrine of Amarnath in the mountains of Dachigam, around 30 kilometres from Srinagar. Though the army did not identify the deceased, a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity that they were all "foreigners". Two Indian TV news channels, however, claimed that the men were suspected to be behind the Pahalgam attack. In Pakistan, however, the state media while quoting security sources said that India had initiated a new covert military operation, "Operation Mahadev," aimed at staging fake encounters to cover up the failure of its earlier campaign, "Operation Sindoor." Under this plan, according to a Radio Pakistan report, the Indian Army was killing detained Pakistani citizens in staged shootouts, branding them as "terrorists" to mislead the international community. It added that Operation Mahadev aimed at suppressing the freedom movement in IIOJK. On April 22, gunmen shot dead 26 tourists in Pahalgam. with presenting any evidence India blamed Pakistan. Pakistan vehemently denied the accusation and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered an independent investigation into the incident and offered Pakistan's full cooperation. However, in the night between May 6-7, India fired missiles at Pakistani civilian targets in six cities under its 'Operation Sindoor'. However, Pakistan gave a forceful reply, downing six Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets. Furthermore, Pakistan launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos in the morning of May 10, hitting 26 Indian military targets, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy's war machines. Hours later India agreed to a ceasefire after intervention from US President Donald Trump. During an interview given to the Indian newspaper 'The Quint', Chidambaram said that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not yet presented any evidence that those who attacked Pahalgam had come from Pakistan. "The second thing is that the government is not bringing out the report of the NIA to see what the agency investigated during this time. Was the agency able to identify the terrorists? And where did they come from? These terrorists may be local. Why are you assuming that they came from Pakistan?" He said that the Indian government was hiding the losses incurred during the four-day war. When asked what the Indian government was trying to hide, Chidambaram said the government was trying to hide what the Indian Chief of Defence had pointed out that India made strategic mistakes. The Radio Pakistan report said that Operation Mahadev attempts to restore the dwindling political credibility of Modi's government, following the embarrassment of Operation Sindoor, which ended in failure after India's aggressive posturing against Pakistan backfired. According to the report, on April 24, two innocent Kashmiri citizens, Muhammad Farooq and Muhammad Deen, were extrajudicially killed by Indian forces after they mistakenly crossed the border. Additionally, the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) disclosed in April that 723 Pakistanis were illegally detained in Indian jails, with another 56 forcibly disappeared by Indian intelligence agencies. There are growing fears that these detainees may be used in fake encounters under Operation Mahadev, where they could be coerced into recording anti-Pakistan statements before being killed and labelled as "terrorists." The sources indicate that Indian media is being fed fake videos, planted weapons, and staged images immediately after these encounters to reinforce New Delhi's false claims. This tactic mirrors past Indian false flag operations, where innocent individuals were framed as militants to justify military aggression. Operation Mahadev would constitute a grave violation of international law and human rights, the sources say. Pakistan has repeatedly exposed India's history of fake encounters, including the Pahalgam false flag operation earlier this year, which India used to justify its military aggression. Human rights organisations and the United Nations have been called upon to investigate India's alleged atrocities in IIOJK. With tensions still simmering after the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, the international community must prevent further escalation by holding India accountable for its actions. (WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)
Business Recorder
2 days ago
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Pahalgam attack: Indian army claims three suspects killed after firefight in Occupied Kashmir
The Indian army claimed on Monday that it had killed three men after an intense firefight in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), according to a post by the army on X. The men were suspected to be behind the April 22 attack on tourists in IIOJK that sparked a deadly military conflict with neighbour Pakistan, two Indian TV news channels said. Reuters could not immediately verify the involvement of the men in the attack. On May 7, Indian jets bombed what New Delhi claimed 'terrorist infrastructure' sites across the border. Pakistan said it downed six Indian planes, including at least three Rafale fighters, in the initial clashes. The ceasefire was announced on May 10 after bitter fighting in which both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Gutka sales continue amidst police complicity
For any illegal activity, be it extortion, theft, or drug smuggling, strict enforcement of laws through the police is crucial to delineate the boundary between acceptable and deviant behaviours. However, when the law enforcers themselves are complicit in the crimes, little can be done to fix society. Recently, the Inspector General (IG) Sindh Police issued a circular to all divisional and district police officers, expressing concern over the widespread addiction to gutka among police personnel and instructing the initiation of rehabilitation efforts. The circular called for action against those who failed to comply, including potential dismissal from service. Syed Atif Ali, a resident of New Karachi, felt that the sale of gutka in the city was impossible without the complicity of local police. "Gutka is freely available at shops and paan stalls, and even Indian gutka is sold in the city," said Ali. Gul Muhammad Baloch, a social activist working in Karachi's Baldia Town, opined that although gutka was banned by the law, it was not yet perceived as a social evil. "As a result, its use remains common in homes and neighborhoods. Adults consume gutka in front of children, while people offer it to each other at social gatherings. Gutka should be recognized as a social vice. For this, an effective public awareness campaign should be launched with the involvement of schools, mosques, and community organizations," stressed Baloch. According to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO), Pakistan ranks highest among countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region for the use of smokeless tobacco, which includes gutka, paan, betel nut (chhalia), and naswar. This widespread usage has contributed to a dangerous rise in cases of oral cancer, which has become the second most common cancer after breast cancer in Pakistan. Karachi is the most affected city in terms of the number of cases of oral cancer, with the majority of gutka users belonging to the lower middle-class areas of the city. The WHO report further claimed that after paan, gutka was the second most commonly used form of chewable tobacco in Karachi. Although the preparation, sale, and use of gutka is legally banned under the Sindh Prohibition of Preparation, Manufacturing, Storage, Sale and Use of Gutka and Manpuri Act, 2019, the law appears to be ineffective in practice. Even though a special task force consisting of police officials from various departments was established in March last year, its impact has been limited. Taha Ahmed Khan, Deputy Parliamentary Leader of MQM-Pakistan in the Sindh Assembly, revealed that the Sindh Assembly had passed a law against gutka however, there has been no meaningful enforcement. "It seems that there is no government presence in Karachi and the city is being run by mafias, including the water mafia, builder mafia, hydrant mafia, and gutka mafia," said Khan. Sadia Javed, a member of the Sindh Assembly from the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and spokesperson for the Sindh government, claimed that the Sindh government was considering amending the law to impose stricter penalties against the sale of gutka. "Tackling major gutka dealers is essential for curbing its spread. IG Sindh Police is personally monitoring the issue," said Javed. The Express Tribune attempted to contact Superintendent of Police (SP) Samiullah Soomro, a member of the task force, to inquire about the number of offenders arrested and punished over the past one year, however, he did not respond. Similarly, Sindh Police spokesperson Syed Saad Ali was also sent several questions via WhatsApp but he too did not send a reply.
