5 & @ / < ( A A A "6"8 3*+- 0) !67 *56"" *75 8$ - $ 301 /- (4# $$ (01$2 =/-"3=,-)3$"# ,$==0-/ %$:$2- ;-")1<30- #$$:3<$>;3";$ !" #$ ( '4( '4'39 3-/- ? $ %'( $) %&' # O O ! O $ ,$%%! O fter telephonic invite to Aattend an all-party meet O ,$- convened by Prime Minister ../# Narendra Modi in the nation- al Capital on June 24, the # '()*(+*(,,- mainstream Kashmiri leaders, on Saturday claimed they are !" ./-0()*-1 not in a position to confirm !"# their participation in the $ "-./-01 2(*+(+'2 ./3(-0+1 absence of any formal invita- % '(*,(--(**, tion and receipt of a clear t a time when India is still agenda from the Centre. on board all the stakeholders invitation from New Delhi. L Arecovering from the hor- ./,2()221 Majority of leaders, who from the region to explore the Former Chief Minister and M rors of the second wave of publicly opposed the Centre’s possibility of holding Assembly PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti in %O Covid-19 pandemic, AIIMS ,('0(03' move to Abrogate Article 370 polls after the completion of the Srinagar said, “There is no Chief Randeep Guleria has 40)(+2(-'4 ./*()3'1 that stripped Jammu & Delimitation process. clear-cut agenda about the warned that third wave is Kashmir of its special status in Apart from the Prime talks with New Delhi. However, inevitable in the next 6-8 weeks $P$ '*(43()2+ ./0(*301 August 2019 and were detained Minister, the Union Home I have asked my party’s Political if people do not adhere to for several months, have Minister and some of the senior Affairs Committee (PAC) for a Covid-appropriate behaviour. $ # ',(),(,-, ./3'(--21 reportedly received an invita- Cabinet Ministers are sched- meeting to discuss the same.” # However, the AIIMS must strictly follow Covid- ing behaviour being followed, tion to join the parleys at the uled to attend the meeting. Chief spokesman of the # #$ Director was not in favour of “a appropriate behaviour such as all ideal conditions for the '-(3-(+*4 ./*(3*21 highest level. Reports also revealed the party Syed Suhail Bukhari in a & $ national-level lockdown, saying wearing of masks and social coronavirus to spread like a fire. Cautiously responding to Centre was preparing ground recorded message confirmed, ( that it “cannot be a solution” as distancing,” he said. Advising “As we have started unlock- # 3-(2'(3+* ./3201 the first such dialogue offer, for the said meeting for a long “PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti ( ) *+ it adversely affected the econ- the authorities that the moment ing, there is again a lack of some of the Kashmir-based time and had discussed the had received a call from the # omy which is still reeling under the positivity rate goes beyond Covid-appropriate behaviour. leaders claimed that at present contours of the political process Centre to attend the all party’s restrictions imposed in the 5 per cent, area-specific lock- We don’t seem to have learnt there was no clear-cut agenda with some of the like-minded meet in New Delhi next week”. past few months during various down and containment mea- from what happened between for talks with New Delhi. leaders in advance before invit- He said the party chief had phases of lockdown. sures should be implemented. the first and the second wave. “Once we will receive a formal ing them for the talks. convened a meeting of the “Until a sizeable number of His caution comes amid Again crowds are building up... invitation along with the agen- Responding to the offer of Political Affairs Committee of , * people are vaccinated, everyone easing of lockdown restric- people are gathering. It will take ! da of the talks then only we can talks by the Centre several to take a final call on whether tions in various parts of the some time for the number of take a call to join the parleys,” Kashmir-based leaders claimed to attend the same or not. country with people moving cases to start rising at the New Delhi: In an attempt to he said. they have so far received only Meanwhile, hours after out on streets and roads in national level. Third wave is counter bigoted disinforma- The J&K units of the BJP a verbal invite and were still Mehbooba received an invita- hoards ignoring all Covid inevitable and it could hit the tion against Covid19 vaccina- and the Congress are also like- looking forward to a formal tion from the Centre for talks "#$ appropriate norms. There have country within the next six to tion, the Minority Affairs ly to be part of these discus- invitation to join the parleys in with State’s regional political been photographs and videos eight weeks,” Dr Guleria said. Ministry will lauch “jaan hai to sions, which are being seen as New Delhi. parties, her uncle and senior on various media showing “It all depends on how we go jahan hai” awareness campaign part of efforts to strengthen National Conference pres- leader of the party, Sartaj crowds thronging the markets ahead in terms of Covid-appro- on June 21 in the rural areas normal political processes in ident Dr Farooq Abdullah on Madni, was on Saturday and public places with no priate behaviour and prevent- with the help of Muslim, Sikh, the Union Territory. Saturday said they will sit and released from six-month-long masks or casually tied on ing crowds,” he added. Jain, Christian, Parsi and The much-awaited meet- discuss the strategy to be fol- detention. mouth with no social distanc- Continued on Page 9 Budhist community leaders. ing is being convened to bring lowed if they get the formal Continued on Page 9 ! "-./-01 " # rom spreading its tentacles Fto gaining ground in just a # few weeks, Delta variant of Covid-19, first detected in strain if it is not contained. ! India, has now made deep So far, over 44 per cent of inroads into the UK, Germany the US population (146 million ! and the US besides a few other people) are fully vaccinated. developed countries. The US Government has a $ $ "-./-01 These countries had goal of vaccinating at least 70 recently claimed to “curb” the per cent of its adult population n the run up to the US original virus. They are now with at least one dose by July 4. Itroops withdrawal from again on the edge as the Delta But with several studies show- Afghanistan, Pakistan’s covert variant cases have started spi- ing that a second dose of vac- agency — the Inter-Services ralling, keeping the authorities cine effectively shutting the Intelligence (ISI) — is report- on their toes. door on the variant, public ed to be helping the Taliban to “The Delta variant is well health officials are urging peo- forge an alliance with terror them in further onslaught. on its way to becoming the ple not to delay the second groups Jaish-e-Mohammad The Taliban has reported- dominant variant globally shot. and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba for a ly developed an understanding because of its increased trans- According to health violent takeover of provinces in with the JeM and LeT for such missibility,” Soumya experts, the variant is 50 per the war-torn country. attacks in Helmand and Swaminathan, Chief Scientist cent more transmissible than The Taliban, along with the Kandahar provinces. While the of World Health Organisation the original strain, engenders Pakistani terror groups, is cap- LeT is assisting the Taliban in (WHO), said recently. Just last four times more hospitalisation ( ) * + turing weapons stores of the US Helmand, the JeM is operating month, the WHO had termed risk, and can evade the first Army and opening its offices in in Kandahar. the Delta variant as a “variant dose of vaccine. Government infrastructure like Recently, the LeT con- of concern”. The UK too is grappling )1$"/#$1 Sector 25 cremation ground in was fondly called, died on Minister Manpreet Singh school and hospital buildings ducted a mine blast in The US too has classified with the vicious Delta variant. Chandigarh on Saturday. Friday night due to COVID-19 Badal, Haryana’’s Sports reconstructed by India. Helmand in which three per- the Delta variant of the coron- According to reports, for the egendary “Flying Sikh” Milkha, who was 91, was related complications. Minister Sandeep Singh were The Pakistan Army is sons were killed and the avirus as a “variant of concern” first time in four months, the LMilkha Singh, who died at bid a tearful adieu in the pres- His son and ace golfer Jeev among the other dignitaries trained in operating the Pakistani terror group had saying that it now accounts for UK recorded 11,007 Covid-19 the PGIMER late on Friday ence of his family members and Milkha Singh lit the funeral who attended the last rites. American weapons, and the claimed responsibility for the 10 per cent of Covid-19 infec- cases in 24 hours, driven main- night after a month-long bat- several dignitaries, including pyre. Punjab Governor and Prof Jagat Ram, Director of Taliban has found the role of attack which was later also tions in America, fearing that ly by the Delta variant. tle with Covid, was cremated Union Sports Minister Kiren Chandigarh Administrator V P PGIMER where Milkha was JeM and LeT handy in both endorsed by the Taliban. it may become the dominant Continued on Page 9 with full State honours at the Rijiju. “The Flying Sikh’’, as he Singh Badnore, Punjab Finance admitted, was also present. capturing such stores and using Continued on Page 9 $% % % & #, R $ Dhyan Chand. simple man, a sparse eater A statue of Dhyan Chand who enjoyed “just a small drink "./%.