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This edition of News Today focusses on the Supreme Court's decision on green crackers for Diwali in Delhi-NCR.
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00:00Good evening, hello and welcome. You're with the news today, your primetime destination news,
00:06newsmakers, talking points, news without the noise. We'll get you all the big stories tonight.
00:11The big stories coming from the Supreme Court. Green crackers will be allowed on Diwali.
00:17Will the pollution fight gains now go up in smoke? Also, the AFPAC war is escalating.
00:26What does it mean for India? Afghanistan's Taliban versus Pakistan's army state.
00:33But first, as always, it's time tonight for the nine headlines at nine.
00:38The Supreme Court allows green crackers in Delhi, but only to be burst at specified time during Diwali.
00:47The crackers can be sold only by certified companies. Delhi to have a cracker of a Diwali this year.
00:53Anti-pollution activists raise an alarm.
01:00Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire after dozens are killed in clashes.
01:08Earlier today, Pakistan said it had killed dozens of Afghan security forces and militants overnight.
01:14Afghanistan claimed it had caused serious damage to Pakistani military installations.
01:19With just two days to go for the nomination deadline in Bihar,
01:26the Mahagadbandan finally inches towards a seat-sharing deal.
01:31Sources say Congress finally likely to get 61 to 63 seats.
01:35IPS officer Pooran's family allowed a post-mortem after court issues a notice to the slain officer's life.
01:49Ajat Khaap Panchayat demands justice for ASI Sandeep Lathar, who also died by suicide on Tuesday.
01:56More twists in the Durgaapur rape case in Bengal.
02:02The male friend of the Bengal rape survivor who is arrested is now seen as the prime suspect.
02:09He was a classmate of the victim and accompanied her to the forest area and allegedly sexually assaulted her there.
02:15Statement of survivor recorded in court.
02:17Violent protests erupt outside Baksa jail in Assam after all five accused in the Zubin Garg death case were brought to jail.
02:29Angry fans sent the police vehicle on fire.
02:31Cops fired tear shells to disperse the crowd.
02:34The number of the most affected Naksal districts reduced to just three claims the government of India targets complete eradication of Naksalism by March 31st, 2026, claims the Home Ministry.
02:51Showdown in the Tamil Nadu Assembly over the Karoor Stampede.
02:55TN's Chief Minister MK Stalin defends the action by the state police.
03:00This AIDMK walks out of the Assembly during the Chief Minister's speech, claims no concrete action taken yet.
03:08And India set to host the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2013.
03:12Commonwealth Board recommends Ahmedabad as the host city for the Games.
03:16Bihar Congress leaders are back in Patna from Delhi and a final move.
03:46The meeting is to take place tonight between the Congress and Tejas Svi Yadav.
03:50The RJD Congress talks are to focus on five to six seats.
03:54The Congress finally likely to get 61 to 63 seats.
03:58I want a quick update from Moshmi Singh who joins us.
04:00Moshmi, it's taken a very long time for the Congress and the RJD to come to an agreement.
04:06That agreement is more and more likely.
04:09Does it mean that the Congress is now slowly ceding space and accepting that the RJD is the dominant partner?
04:15Will they also announce Tejas Svi as their leader?
04:20Really Rajiv, this was a tussle about, you know, getting more elbow room and getting, not getting the leftovers as far as the Congress is concerned.
04:29And with the VIP, you know, now joining the bandwagon, the dynamics have changed because the Congress had put in a demand of 65 seats and that was not agreeable to Tejas Svi Yadav.
04:43And that's why the past 48 hours, we saw an icing of the entire talks.
04:48But we are told that the Bihar Congress leaders will be meeting Tejas Svi Yadav shortly.
04:55Five to six seats which are in contention.
04:58Either sides are ready to give away one or two.
05:01And now the Congress is ready to settle for us for 61 to 63.
05:07I believe it would like to have 63 as its total tally.
05:11But it would perhaps agree with 61.
05:14So what I, what eventually we'll see is that late night today, there will be a settlement of sorts after this mega tussle that we saw in the past few days.
05:26Okay, it appears that finally there will be a, we will have two big alliances in Bihar.
05:31The maha mess is slowly being settled.
05:34Moshmi Singh, thanks very much for joining us.
05:36I want to turn to my top focus tonight.
05:38The Supreme Court today decided to allow green crackers in the Delhi NCR region during the Diwali days.
05:46From time slots to QR codes, many restrictions have been placed.
05:50But environmental activists are questioning, will all this negate the gains made so far in fighting pollution?
05:57Can you really enforce a rule which says green crackers will be allowed at specific times?
06:05What are the public health implications?
06:07All those questions in a moment.
06:09But first, take a look at our top story on the Supreme Court now, stepping in on the cracker ban.
06:20This Diwali, Delhi, will see fireworks without breaking any ban.
06:32The Supreme Court has given a green signal, quite literally, by allowing green crackers in the capital for a limited window.
06:39From October 18th to 20th, sales will be allowed.
06:47Fireworks can only happen on October 19th and 20th.
06:51And that too, from 6 to 7 a.m. and 8 to 10 p.m.
06:56The court has made it clear, no crackers from outside.
07:00Only QR-coded green crackers approved by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, or NEERI.
07:09Police and patrol teams will be out, ensuring these rules aren't just on paper, but on the ground.
07:18The amount of crackers is also only permitted on 19th and 20th, that is, Chhoti Diwali and Diwali,
07:24between the hours of 6 to 7 a.m. and then between 8 to 10 p.m.
07:29That means, just for three hours, on Chhoti Diwali and Diwali, green crackers can be burst in Delhi.
07:35In fact, the Supreme Court noting that the complete ban on firecrackers has been blatantly violated by the citizens of Delhi NCR over the last few years.
07:48Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta welcomed the move, saying it strikes a rare balance between festive emotion and environmental responsibility.
07:56The Delhi government might even consider cloud seeding to help improve post-Diwali air quality.
08:03Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta
08:10Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta
08:15ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ ॐ
08:45The mood today stands in contrast to 2020, when the NGT banned all crackers emit choking air.
09:11The Supreme Court extended that ban last year, calling short term measures ineffective and demanded scientific backing for any exemptions.
09:20But what are green crackers? Green crackers are cleaner, smarter fireworks, made with less barium and aluminium and designed to cut smoke and dust.
09:34The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute says they could cut pollution by up to 35%. They are less harmful but not harmless.
09:43The Supreme Court has asked the Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Board to monitor air quality index in the national capital region from October 14th to 25th and file a report to the court.
10:02With Anisha Mathur in New Delhi, Bureau Report, India Today.
10:09And joining me now is my first guest, Maninjar Singh Sirsa is the Delhi Minister in Charge of Environment.
10:18I appreciate you joining us, Mr. Sirsa. I want to ask you, Sirsa Ji, straight away.
10:23This is the Supreme Court order. It has lifted the ban on crackers.
10:29There is a ban on crackers. Green crackers can be allowed. Is it not going to only worsen pollution levels in national capital?
10:36Already the pollution levels are bad.
10:37Already the pollution levels are bad.
10:39After this, it will also be worse in the next week.
10:44I will tell you that here.
10:45दिल्ली के अंदर इसका pollution का बहुत बदा इंपक्ड का इंपक्त नहीं होगा.
10:48It has been a big reason.
10:49इसका एक बड़ा reason है मैं आपको जो अगर आप समझना चाहें थो.
10:52दिल्ली के अंदर पठांके जब से बेन उ�μα है
10:54तब से और जब्यदे पठांके चल रहे
10:56ڈلی میں کوئی دیوالی ایسی نہیں ڈکلی جسے پٹا کے نہ چلے ہوں
10:59وہ کیوں ہو رہا ہے
11:01کیونکہ لوگوں کو لگتا ہے
11:02کہ ہمارے دھرم کے اوپرے تھوپا جا رہا ہے
11:03باقی پوری دنیا اگر بنا رہی ہے
11:05باقی دھرموں پر کسی طریقہ کی روک ٹوک نہیں ہے
11:07تو ہمارے پر ایک یوں روک ٹوک ہے
11:09اس کا ایک الفیکٹ ہوا مجھے لگتا ہے
11:11لیکن اب جو मانیوک سپریم کورٹ نے کیا ہے
11:13This has been 3 days until this time, and this has been decided to make a decision.
11:20This has been made by Green Crackers, which have been completing, and in the middle of a time,
11:27now people who have been completing compliance, we also have to make a decision.
11:31If you want to make a decision, if you want to make a decision,
11:34if you want to make a decision, if you want to make a decision,
11:37if you want to make a decision, if you want to make a decision,
11:43if you want to make a decision,
11:44if you want to make a decision,
11:47but Sirsah Ji, this is very good to say that Green Crackers are less polluting.
11:53How will you actually enforce this order, please tell us?
11:56Are enforcement agencies, policemen equipped to go from market to market,
12:00to find out if these are Green Crackers or not Green Crackers,
12:05whether the Crackers are being burst in a particular timeline?
12:08I mean, how is this going to be enforced, Sirsah Ji?
12:10How will it enforce?
12:12Look, when we have a machinery to ban,
12:15we don't have a machinery to check it out.
12:18It is not that there is no machinery.
12:20The police, the police, the police, the DM are.
12:22We will ensure that those who have been in the shop,
12:26the green crackers will ensure that we will ensure that.
12:28The DPCC will also do the monitoring,
12:30the CPC will also do the pollution,
12:32the DM will ensure that the police will ensure that the police,
12:34that each other starts,
12:37will ensure the Queen of the Plans.
12:39What will they ensure that the원 is doing in the community?
12:41Yeah, that doesn't Last War will never ensure that so many universities
12:43can not
13:00you know you are using the word compliance
13:15that people will comply with this order are you saying because you know rather than a complete
13:23cracker ban and then also we saw despite that complete cracker ban people were happily bursting
13:29crackers now you want this gradual lifting of the ban by the supreme court kya aapko vishwas hai ki
13:35log comply kareenge something is better than nothing something is better than nothing when
13:43entire city was blasting for crackers in spite of all supreme court orders i believe that this
13:48is a better option for that reason you you you seriously want to believe mr sir saw want me to
13:55believe that people will observe the supreme court guidelines and that sentiments of those who want
14:01to celebrate should be respected are you saying this is about sentiment logo ki bhavnao se juda
14:06hua hai is liye ye aapko lagta hai court order sahih hai definitely definitely we will be in a better
14:12coordination at least we can while speaking to somebody yaa bataye na meinne aapko aake roka
14:16aapke bachy or paribar ko aake roka pitaa ke nye chalayenge hoon mujhe aagis se svaal
14:20puchhna hai yaar kiya dharm mere dharm ke hii lagu hota hai jab baaki dharmo ke loogun ke pro
14:25program manaya jathe to us me pollution hi hota unko kuyo nhi ban kiya jathe to miro
14:28paas kya jawab tha haap mein usko jawab dhe sakta hoon ki supreme court ne aapki bhaavn
14:32hoon ko bhi qadr ki hai 2 ghen tte aapko bhi lagu kiya hai to sabhi dharmo ka
14:35san mahan karna chahiyeh jab eek dharm ko alag se karke us ke uper sari
14:39bandit te dhupi jati hai to phir wo reaction hota hai joh reaction hai pishle kai
14:43salong se dhek rhae hai isliya bhot puitrp tuhaar hai dhuali majority religion ka
14:48majority religion ka eek majority meiri suniyai majority religion ka eek bada tuhaar hai
14:52dhuali or dhpavli puree dhreish or naik puree dhunia mein manai jathe
14:55or pita kech raya jathe hai to keval eek state ko eek city ko ndillii ko alag
14:59se rukki jayai mujhe lakta bada bensafi thi اور میں mantao ki
15:03supreme court nye incaf kiya hai dhli walay ko logon ke satt nha ncr ke
15:06uper incaf kiya hai sir you are saying ki incaf kiya hoa hai justice has been
15:10done but don't you think this will affect the health of the people that's the
15:14central question aap karen ki that this is about religious sentiments what about
15:19the health of the people which will be affected when pollution levels rise
15:22jiya aapne bhot achi baat kai ki health ka sual hai kya dhli ke
15:30ndar hum kal ko ye shiteya kar dhe ki dhli ki sari laboratories bant kar dho
15:36dhli me school bache nye jayenge kyunki wahaan pe toh vaykels ke
15:40ndar jana pardata hai hume health chaayi hai hume bachchon ki
15:43padhai ni chaayi aisa sambhav nye hota sabhi chijjong ki jorurth
15:46hoti hai aap eek jab meinne aapko joh pehle bhi ka aap eek dharm ki
15:50uper agar aap is tari se thoknayi koishish karayenge to uska ill effect ho ta
15:52hai joh ki hamne hər sal dhekha hai ya toh aap uska solution nikaal lietate
15:55eitnay salo me logan ko pata ki chanandse roke lietate
15:57or manio supreme court nye better option dhi hai
15:59toh mujhe lagta hai ki joh health environment system unko bhi
16:03ya samihna chahiye ki aap keval eki dharm ke pichhe padekar
16:05isna se karayenge iska nuxan hota hai sabhi dharm
16:07ab eed aati hai
16:08toh humare muslim bhai unka eek parv hai
16:10eek dhin ke liye woh bakroi bhi kaatate hai
16:13unki bhi bhaawna hai unki bhaawna ho ki qadr
16:15karte hai ndilie ke loge
16:16let's leave it there
16:38maninder singh sirsa
16:39delhi's environment minister telling me
16:43that a partial ban of the kind
16:45that the supreme court has brought is better than a total ban
16:47people's religious sentiments have been respected
16:50appreciate you joining us
16:51let's turn from there to the big questions
16:53can green crackers really check pollution
16:56will the pollution fight gains now go up in smoke
16:59has the supreme court chosen religious sentiments
17:02over public health
17:04vikram singh former dgp up joins me
17:07ronak sutaria is founder and ceo
17:10respirer living sciences
17:12and ashwini dhubay is an advocate supreme court
17:15appreciate all of you joining us on the show there
17:19ronak sutaria to you first you might have heard the minister saying
17:22that people's sentiments have to be respected
17:25even when there was a total ban
17:27people were bursting crackers
17:29now they will be more responsible
17:31because at least the court has respected their sentiments
17:34how do you respond to this argument of religious sentiments being respected
17:38when a partial lift of the ban has been made
17:42yeah hi rajdeep thanks for the session and actually it's a unfortunate
17:48verdict i think i honestly feel you know we've been tracking it since morning
17:52you know when this came out and i think the term green crackers is actually quite misleading
17:58you know it is being used regularly to describe this and as you yourself you all showed right now
18:05that you know the 30 reduction that is being talked about is essentially the barium nitrate the arsenic and the lead
18:12you know which is being eliminated from these so-called green crackers and actually i don't want to use the term green crackers
18:19but essentially just the crackers uh you know which will have but uh you know diwali time
18:25are you saying there's nothing that just a minute are you for our viewers to understand
18:28are you saying there's nothing like a green cracker that any cracker is polluting
18:32i mean our see essentially the crackers which have been certified for sale
18:38uh they are still going to have about 125 to 130 decibels of sound
18:44uh as compared to the 160 decibels which the regular crackers provide uh you know normal
18:50earring is at about 40 decibels 40 to 50 decibels you know it starts becoming an issue
18:55so the noise is one part of it the air quality delhi actually is going to hit about a thousand aqi
19:02you know currently just this small i mean right now it is at 250 aqi the city uh in about three days
19:09it's going to hit a thousand aqi now a 30 reduction in thousand aqi is 700 uh levels uh is that what we
19:17really want to target after you know five years of supreme court debates if we are saying that bringing
19:23them down by 300 aqi is the best we can do for our children i think it's an unfortunate uh decision
19:30uh not getting into the sentiments of it i think uh i i heard the advocates uh you know debate
19:37advocate love virani who basically represented the firecracker traders association and the entire
19:43debate was made around the livelihood of the firecracker industry um i'm given to believe
19:49there are about 8 lakh to 10 lakh uh people who are employed in the shivakasi region uh cumulatively
19:57about 15 lakh people's livelihood is at stake is what this debate was uh at least a good part of this
20:04debate was around the livelihood of 15 uh lakh people uh now 15 lakh people's livelihood a four
20:10day ban i don't know you know really the debate is about can we replace the manufacturing industry
20:17provide livelihood because bursting of crackers for three days uh in in my in my understanding
20:23the folks who are suffering the vulnerable population those who have asthma you know the
20:28children who are less than five it is going to be extremely severe you know and and we have to
20:33stop using the term green crackers because it's extremely misleading you're saying look at it
20:38purely from a public health perspective that should have been the focus of what the supreme court
20:43should have said i want to at this moment turn to the lawyer on the panel ashwini dubai you're an
20:49advocate supreme court i'm told you're a supporter of the idea that people should be allowed to
20:53celebrate diwali with crackers here you're hearing uh an environmental science science activist saying
21:00it's very clear public health should be above religious sentiments how do you respond now see
21:07the supreme court is not only considered the religious aspect mr rajdeep sardisai the niri exercise
21:14was undertaken and there was a classification between the crackers one green cracker and that was
21:21initiated in 2018 so niri this is the one of the agents the top most institution of this country
21:28which has developed compositions of green crackers that can particulate emissions by a minimum of 30
21:34percent by ranking up to 80 percent while maintaining brightness safety and shelf life
21:38number two it is not only the fire crackers which are emitting pollution or responsible for
21:44delhi's air pollution if you've seen past supreme court is hearing this matter since 20
21:49since 2021 and even 2019 when the supreme court was hearing this matter one committee was formulated with
21:56the chief secretaries with the pollution control board activists and also certain other persons of
22:02rajasthan haryana delhi and uttar pradesh they were asked for a composite study to submit to the court
22:09now the supreme court there are factors which are responsible for the pollution was the stable buggy
22:14reduce wind speed effect of the winds and dip in temperature lowers in inversion height
22:21of the pollution and construction activities it is not only the firecracker which was responsible for
22:28delhi's air pollution now two aspects one the religious aspect another is the scientific aspect so eco-friendly
22:35eco-friendly the the firecrackers allowed to be burst for two two hours by the supreme court was undertaken and for that the supreme court has asked clearly to the executive to ensure
22:49that each and every paragraph and the directions given by the supreme court has to be complied in true letter in spirit
22:56you have just heard the environment minister of delhi he has said that he will undertake anything if anybody violates it is the responsibility of the executive if somebody is
23:04is beyond you see that is that is the question you are saying enforce it is the duty of the executive to enforce it
23:11i'll come back to ashwini ji in a moment but i want to ask vikram singh that because you have raised the issue of enforcing you claim that the supreme court has made it clear that the executive can enforce this limited ban on crackers
23:25and therefore allow crackers at certain time zones green crackers as you are calling them
23:30vikram singh is it possible
23:32in a city uh we of the size of the delhi ncr region
23:37uh uh more than two crore people spread right across the delhi ncr
23:43you're telling me that the uh policeman can go moholla to moholla market to market to find out whether there are green crackers or not
23:50you're smiling that tells it all
23:53azdeep sir and gentlemen good evening don't underestimate the prowess and the capabilities of the police where there is a will there is a way
23:59the police don't have to move from moholla to moholla i mean they have an intelligence system they would know where the crackers are hoarded stored
24:07sir the police could not enforce the total ban all these years you are telling me they will enforce a partial ban
24:13when there was a total ban of the supreme court outside my house late till the night i would hear crackers
24:19razdeep ji today we have the advantage of the drone technology ai and right vision devices
24:25things have changed drastically in the last 12 months today i would feel that the police are equal to the task
24:31but let me tell you to be very honest with all the futuristic technologies it is a very uphill task a herculean task
24:37and i think miles to go before the police can sleep and to an honest answer i would say it is a herculean task
24:43and to say there will be a cent person banned on the imported crackers and the smuggle crackers
24:49that will be living in a fool's paradise but yes police can do a preventive action
24:53they can ensure that the faithful compliance of the honorable supreme court's orders
24:58but on the safer side i would say perhaps the enforcement would be something around 60 percent
25:04only 40 percent is that much you are admitting that the enforcement will be 60 percent but uh you know
25:10i want to just one for once and for all let's look at this religious argument because that was one of the
25:16arguments that delhi government certainly made both in its election campaign and even now
25:20the emotions of people have been satisfied with this ashwini dubai you want to uh you want to intervene on that first
25:28do you believe that religious sentiment should have a role in courts on matters like this sir
25:34sir it's not only the religious factor you see the 21 pages judgments of honorable supreme court
25:40which says that there are multiple factors which had been looked into the supreme court
25:46supreme court referred the covid at the time of covid era saying that at that point of time there was
25:52drop drop in aqi emissions this is a particulate of pm 2.5 and pm 210 which was in the air not because of the air
26:00this firecrackers this this and number one number two the niri we cannot doubt upon the study and research
26:08of niri we cannot research scientific studies we cannot doubt number three if there are certain guidelines
26:14given by the supreme court whosoever violate either you or sir you either me or you whosoever violets will be subject
26:21to the law of the land and sale of green crackers as per the formulations and the guidelines given by the
26:28given by the supreme court if violated it is the complete duty of the executor to look into and you
26:34made you made that point you made that point okay you're saying you're saying sentiments is only one
26:41aspect ronak sutariya the point one of the points that ashwini ji makes is important that we are focusing
26:46almost entirely as if crackers are responsible for delhi's pollution the crackers are not even started
26:51already aqi levels in delhi have have worsened significantly in the last 48 to 72 hours there's the
26:57construction issue there are transport issues uh there is stubble burning it's not just crackers
27:04so crackers became the soft target is what many proponents who wanted crackers are saying why
27:10deny people enjoyment which is part of their festivities for just a couple of days is the
27:15argument they make why not focus on a more comprehensive plan on uh to tackle pollution why make crackers the
27:21soft target a quick response i think the toxicity i mean while it is still a green crackers the toxicity
27:28that comes from firecrackers is uh is significant i think it cannot be undermined uh while you know arsenic and
27:37lead you know thankfully are eliminated uh with this kind of crackers but i i would not agree that uh you know i i i believe
27:45i i believe that crackers i mean i'm not going to get into the sentiment part uh the cultural sentiment
27:50part of it but uh crackers i don't believe are the best way to celebrate a festival of lights
27:57and even if they wanted to do it i think instead of the time uh restrictions there should have been
28:02a space restriction there should have been clearly demarcated spaces you know the way any western city does
28:08is that there are demarcated spaces to burst crackers and a city like delhi ncr could have
28:14absolutely uh you know identified areas where where you know crackers can be burst and where then the
28:21police systems would have been more effective but the city-wide uh access to you know and i again don't
28:27want to call them green crackers but city-wide access to lower emissions crackers or uh 70 emitting
28:34polluting crackers you know is a better term because it is still 70 percent pollution that is going to
28:39come uh is is an unfortunate decision you know you're saying it's an unfa i'll give a final word to my
28:45friend vikram singh vikram singh do you believe that the i i asked you one last time do you really believe
28:52the police is equipped to do this or will this only lead to even more corruption someone will take money
28:57from these cracker wallas it's an easy way soft corruption as well to a professional
29:03discretionary pass in the hands of the executive is a recipe for corruption
29:08rajdeep sir to a professional question a professional answer the police are always equal
29:11to the task and 7th percent compliance will be enforced now a practical answer you have moved from 60
29:18percent to send percent i was i hadn't completed there's many slip tricks the cup and the lip i said
29:23the professional answer the practical answer would be they will do their best and i would be very happy if
29:29they're able to execute 60 percent of the task assigned to them again the practical hiccups and
29:35the practical solutions are very different and poles apart okay i'm going to leave it there uh these
29:40are issues of urgent public health uh there are also issues of cultural and religious sentiments i would
29:47have expected public health to be kept above all else but who is to argue when the supreme court gives an
29:54order of the kind it is we hope at least people will comply with the order that at the very least
30:00is what citizens should do i appreciate my guest joining me on the show tonight i want to turn
30:05to the big political story the big international story today and it's coming from the neighborhood
30:10where clashes have erupted once again today between pakistan and afghanistan both countries targeting each
30:17other's border posts on wednesday claiming that they have scored major military gains many people
30:24have died in the clashes a ceasefire is reportedly now being considered but clearly the afghan pakistan war
30:33could have implications for india what are they take a look at this report
30:45fresh fighting along pakistan afghanistan border more than a dozen civilians and troops killed
30:58the face-off started when pakistani forces launched attack in the early hours of wednesday
31:03on taliban post in spin baldak district the taliban claim to have overrun a key pakistani military
31:11post in spin baldak confiscating weapons seizing tanks and parading them as trophies
31:24as you know a state of emergency has been in place since last sunday
31:28last night at around 3 30 a.m afghan forces launched an attack to take revenge in pakistan
31:33the mujahideen are highly motivated and have captured many of their outposts
31:37and their fighting morale is very high
31:44both islamabad and kabul are claiming multiple civilian deaths
31:53eyewitnesses say a few pakistani soldiers surrendered
31:58pakistan should understand that we will never remain silent in defending our sacred values
32:03the islamic system and our national interests if any aggressor attacks us we will respond in a way
32:08that becomes an example for future history this war is not a difficult struggle for afghanistan we have
32:14fought much longer distances and larger enemies and have defeated them this is a relatively easy phase for us
32:19we need to do it asana those disturbing visuals from spin baldak show bodies scattered across the battlefield
32:28this war isn't new it's rooted in a 130 year old dispute over the durand line drawn in 1893 by the british
32:37the line split pashtun tribes across modern-day pakistan and afghanistan now kabul wants it undone reviving calls for a united pashtunistan
32:47pakistan is called upon qatar and saudi arabia to mediate with afghanistan
32:55pakistan asked qatar and saudi arabia to act as mediators and urge the afghan side to stop fighting
33:01about an hour after the fighting began pakistani officials contacted qatar and saudi and requested
33:06mediation for god's sake to stop afghans from fighting this information from reliable sources and accepts full responsibility
33:14for the statement the bombings on venus day come just days after the weekend clashes between the two countries
33:28with history land and identity on the line the war for pashtunistan may have just entered a new chapter
33:36bureau report india today
33:37so how should we see pakistan and afghanistan or taliban controlled afghanistan as frenemies
33:47or as bitter adversaries and what does importantly this afpac war mean for india joining me now is
33:53vivek kadju former envoy to afghanistan appreciate you're joining us uh mr kadju how do you read what's
34:01happening there in the border areas between afghanistan and pakistan is this a clash that could erupt into
34:08a larger war or do you believe this is a fallout of the growing concerns that pakistan has expressed with
34:15the tariqa uh with the ttp the tariqa uh taliban that's the real reason that this war is these clashes are
34:24taking place why now and what does it mean uh rajdeep there's always been great bitterness and rancor
34:34between kabul and islamabad and rawalpindi this is nothing new and this rancor erupts from time to time
34:47into armed clashes as we have seen the pakistanis had hoped that because they had hosted the taliban and
34:59they were responsible in one sense for enabling them to regain control of afghanistan that they will be
35:09able to influence them to exercise control over the ttp now we know that the tariqa taliban pakistan
35:19is essentially they are they're a pashtun force and they were ironically the creation of pakistan the
35:27pakistan army which turned and they later turned their guns on the pakistan army uh the ttp is close
35:36kin with the afghan taliban and therefore the hope that the pakistanis had that they will hand they
35:43will restrain the ttp if not hand them over to the pakistan army was always exaggerated and that hope
35:52was simply wrong and the pakistanis are today reaping the fruit so this is the state this is so this is the
36:00snakes in the backyard uh analogy that you're drawing the words that hillary clinton i think once used
36:08for pakistan nurturing terrorists uh in uh along the park afghan border and they've now come to bite
36:14pakistan but why now is there any particular reason you believe that this is the moment where they've
36:20decided to escalate uh the situation i think the escalation has been from pakistan's side the pakistanis
36:32have been very wary of growing contacts between the taliban and india and i think they've been
36:39particularly unhappy if not enraged at motakki's visit to delhi and the reception he received here
36:50hold on you're saying yeah can i just get that you're saying there's a direct link between this
36:55escalating conflict and the fact that the afghan foreign minister was in india just a few days ago
37:02i think there is a link i would not say that this is the only factor which is responsible for the
37:10eruption of the fighting at this stage but certainly there is a link uh the pakistan army is not known
37:17for its strategic patience it is at the end of the day a tactical force if you see its history of
37:24engagement with india the kind of mistakes it has always made shows that that its thinking is
37:31tactical and uh therefore i think the good field marshal asim munir who of course is being applauded
37:41in the west particularly by trump uh is coming to the end of his patience and he wanted to show the
37:49show that the pakistanis have teeth now there is one thing which ensures that this the afghans cannot
37:58carry on these hostilities for any great length of time and that is because afghanistan is landlocked
38:07its access uh to all kinds of things that they need is essentially via pakistan yes there is the iran
38:16there is there are the central asian republic but the pakistan border or rather the durand line
38:24uh access is very significant either via spin bolder or via torkham and therefore my assessment is that
38:35these these hostilities will continue for some time but they're serious i had not expected that they will
38:43reach this level can i just ask you can i then ask you a final question what does it mean for india
38:50particularly in the short term let's not worry about the long term but in the immediate term what does
38:55it mean for india quick answer i think it means that as we enhance our engagement with the taliban as we
39:05convert our technical mission into an embassy which we must for our strategic reasons we'll have to be very
39:14careful about their security and it also means that we should not bother about these this eruption of
39:24fighting and we should continue with our strategic uh outreach to the taliban and there should be no
39:33lid of this okay i'm going to leave it there uh viveka ju for giving us a a sense of why this conflict
39:41has uh erupted at this moment and what it means for india thank you very much for joining me here on the
39:47news today i want to turn uh from there to another uh global story that has implications for india because
39:54renowned indian uh renowned india renowned american of indian origin foreign policy scholar defense
40:01strategist ashley tellis someone who's been on this show in the past and on many indian channels
40:07was arrested late last night and charged with unlawfully retaining classified national defense
40:13information tellis who was a mumbai mumbaikar studied at saint xavier's college was arrested following
40:19a federal investigation into his handling of restricted government material a probe has also been done
40:25into allegations of tellis removing classified documents and allegedly meeting chinese officials
40:31if convicted tellis who had played an important role in the indo-us civil nuclear deal during the
40:37bush administration could face up to 10 years in prison a fine of 250 000 and forfeiture of materials
40:45involved uh join okay remember ashley tellis is someone who has been widely acknowledged uh as being
40:54one of the faces of the indo-us civil nuclear deal uh during the bush administration and has worked very
41:01closely with republican administrations in particular my colleague geeta mohan our diplomatic affairs editor
41:07joins us how is india looking at this we are seeing politics play out the bjp saying tellis had an
41:13anti-india mindset but i was going through the through through some of the details ashley tellis has had
41:18good relations with most indian governments upa and nda and particularly with the republicans so
41:25how is this being seen by india's foreign policy establishment well uh rajdeep he was in touch with
41:32in close touch with and in conversation with engaged with our foreign policy establishment as well every
41:38time he traveled to india yes uh lately there were pieces uh that he wrote there was scathing and
41:43against india but that had nothing to do with what has happened in washington dc what's happened in
41:49washington dc has to do with us and china it's serious it's scathing and it could get ashley tellis
41:55into a lot of trouble and if if u.s national security stands compromised then it'll be another matter
42:02altogether for india the fact that ashley tellis in the recent past had become highly critical
42:08uh of india and almost uh questioned uh the modi administration is the reason why we see a lot
42:14of them saying he was hardly a uh an analyst more of a sellout uh that aside we've interacted with him
42:21for decades for years uh we've read him for years uh can't take away from the fact that he did have
42:27uh a lot when it comes to a lot to offer when it comes to foreign policy and how countries are moving
42:33uh the geopolitical shifts uh but this is personal this has this has to do with a decision that he's
42:40taken an error in judgment in most probability if if proven correct and a lot of trouble a lot of
42:47lawyers fees as well uh should he be proven guilty okay geeta mohan joining us now the china connection
42:54will be something to look at closely in that case appreciate you joining us let me turn to some
42:59breaking news that's coming in uh where an FIR has now been filed in the suicide case of an assistant
43:06sub-inspector of police that has created such a stir in haryana the FIR filed now also against
43:13puran kumar's wife and three others remember puran kumar is the ips officer uh who's who had alleged
43:22caste harassment and discrimination in his suicide note two officers remember in haryana
43:29have committed suicide one an asi and one was an ips officer on october 14th asi sandeep kumar who
43:38was investing investigating corruption allegations against puran kumar allegedly shot himself leaving
43:44a note in a video accusing kumar and his family of bribery extortion and even sexual harassment of
43:50women officers clearly therefore two suicides less than a week a dalit ips officer now an asi what began
43:58as an allegation of caste bias is now spiraling into explosive charges of corruption and even a
44:05possible cover-up at the highest levels of the haryana police this could turn out to be an explosive
44:12political story take a look over a week after dalit ips officer why puran kumar shot himself dead
44:24allegedly over caste-based discrimination his family on wednesday agreed to post-mortem the last rites
44:32were held in the evening puran kumar's wife ias officer amneet p kumar in a statement said she had agreed
44:40to the autopsy in view of the assurance given by the chandigarh ut police that it will conduct an
44:47impartial investigation she also mentioned the commitment conveyed by the haryana government
44:53to take appropriate action against any erring officials the police had moved the local court
45:01on tuesday for conducting the autopsy as the family refused to hand over the body sources close to
45:08adgp puran kumar have revealed what happened in the days prior to his alleged suicide on september 29th
45:15puran kumar was transferred from his post as ig rotak range to sunaria police training college the
45:22unexpected order is believed to have upset him he relinquished charge as ig on september 30th and
45:29went on leave for a week on october 1st while traveling from rotak to chandigarh in his private
45:35car with his personal security officer sushil kumar a rotak police team stopped his vehicle the team
45:42detained the pso without showing any fir or legal warrant before being taken into custody the pso left his
45:49service revolver in the car which was allegedly used by puran kumar to end his life the ips officer
45:56called then dgp shatrujit kapoor and then rotak sp narendra bijarnia but neither of them responded
46:04on october 6th an fir was filed against pso sushil kumar based on an extortion complaint filed by a liquor
46:12businessman on october 7th puran kumar's body was found assistant sub inspector sandeep kumar lathar
46:20who was part of the team that arrested puran kumar's pso was found dead on tuesday sandeep lathar
46:26who allegedly shot himself also left a note with a similar title to that of puran kumar he also left
46:33a video message lathar accused puran kumar of corruption and called for a probe into the ips
46:41officer's family the two suicides have stoked cast divide in the state
47:11a dalit panchayat held in chandigarh issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the chandigarh and haryana
47:17governments demanding action against the 16 named in kumar's suicide note the chart community to which
47:25asi sandeep lathar belongs also held khab panchayat to decide their action plan
47:31asi lathar's family has not handed over the body for topsy
47:39meanwhile haryana chief minister nayaab singh saini visited lathar's home in jind
48:02leader of opposition rahul gandhi had visited puran kumar's family on tuesday
48:08the death of the two police officers have blown the lid of the systematic rot
48:13within haryana police force with kamal jeet sandhu bureau report india today
48:23twists and turns in the haryana case our tonight's get real india story comes from
48:27jaisal mail what was supposed to be a comfortable sleeper coach was in reality a debt trap hastily
48:34modified from a non-ac bus just days before the tragic fire that killed 20 lives yesterday
48:42with no emergency exits no safety inspection and yes no government oversight behind this horrific
48:50incident in jaisal mail in rajasthan lies a disturbing story of negligence untrained bus drivers and
48:57managers and systemic corruption that allowed such a mobile debt chamber to roam the roads unchecked get
49:04real india a luxury bus that suddenly turned into an inferno over 20 lives just gone like that
49:25many injured their devastated families are now waiting at the hospital
49:31for dna sampling and answers who really is responsible for this deadly lapse this was not
49:53an accident it was a mobile death chamber in jaisal mail a non-ac bus had been modified
50:00into an ac sleeper coach just five days before it caught fire there was no emergency exit no second
50:09door and apparently no safety inspection india today traveled to jaipur delhi road where these so-called
50:19luxury buses are being built from scratch and what we found was shocking at vijay lakshmi bus builders
50:29the wiring for aces tvs and lighting was being done by a man who had studied only up to eighth grade
50:37no certification no supervision no certification no supervision
50:42yeah rajasthan kajwa atio hai what trade safety pekata mara ko dettai gadi banane ke liya prude is
50:48ka noms kei saabse am banate hai aatio amareko iski saiz wagar sabbatata itne percent per cent pe
50:53manegi itna heavy duty materialis me ujoga wo sabo usi kei saabse banate in various parts of jaipur there are
51:00several such bus manufacturing units which are into manufacturing of buses but the main question
51:05is that whether these manufacturing units are actually following norms or flouting them india
51:13today has visited several such manufacturing units where buses were being manufactured but is there
51:20anyone any authority to oversee whether those norms which they are supposed to follow are being
51:26followed whether with its regard to fire extinguishing or whether it's regard to the wiring the cables
51:34the rto is tasked with inspecting every modified vehicle before it hits the road but in rajasthan
51:42it seems collusion and corruption have replaced regulation mbx me kya qaadiya passing or rai karta
51:49passing for proper ruksha apna karnon pranikariya even after 20 plus deaths no one from the rto has visited
51:59the site of the tragedy buses that are supposed to be luxury rides are being turned into death traps
52:09the question is no longer how this happened but how often it's being allowed to happen
52:16and unless the system wakes up jai salmir won't be the last time we burn with regret
52:24with devankur vadhavan euro report india today
52:31okay from tragedy let's turn to something more hopeful our good news today's story where the fatepur
52:36district administration in uttar pradesh has rolled out an ai driven smart vaccination tracking system
52:42in the block of hard gum to improve immunization coverage among newborns the newly developed
52:49application enables real-time monitoring of infants vaccination status it's our good news story of the day
52:56hath gaun in fatepur district is the first block in uttar pradesh to use artificial intelligence to monitor child vaccinations
53:15the system tracks children up to six years old
53:18under the ai powered initiative parents are sent reminders three days before vaccination
53:26through whatsapp and sms messages
53:28the
53:40the
53:41the
53:42the
53:43the
53:43the
53:45the
53:46the
53:46the
53:47the
53:47the
53:48the
53:49the
53:50auxiliary nurse midwives
53:52or A&M's are provided an app to scan and upload vaccination data.
53:58The database helps administration to spot which areas are doing well and which need more attention.
54:04The initiative is aimed at raising awareness among women about child vaccination.
54:27It will be rolled out in all districts of Uttar Pradesh soon.
54:33With Nitesh Srivastava, Bureau Report, India Today.
54:40That good news story is where we say goodbye to you.
54:43Thanks for watching. Stay well, stay safe. Good night. Shubharatari.
54:47Jai Hind. Namaskar.
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