India Cannot Stop Other Countries From Backing OBOR, Says Chinese Media and 5 Other Updates

1. India Cannot Stop Other Countries From Backing OBOR, Says Chinese Media

Referring to India’s opposition to China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative, a Chinese state-run daily, Global Times said, “India cannot stop its neighboring countries from backing and cooperating with China in infrastructure development”. The article read, “It is strange that the onlooker (India) is more anxious than the players and while India cares a lot about its neighbors’ debt burden, the neighbors appear willing to take on more”. The article further added, “If India does not want to participate, then it should just remain as a part of the audience. If India changes its mind, the role is still available, but it may be a small one if it is left too late. It is regrettable but not a problem that India still stands against B&R, even though China has said its stand on the Kashmir issue would not change because of the CPEC.”

The article is said to be a response to India’s statement on the OBOR, in which the nation said that the project that includes the 3,000-km-long China-Pakistan Economic Corridor does not respect India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. The corridor will connect Pakistan and China countries through railway tracks, roads, optical cable fibers and pipelines. India has also highlighted the fact that CPEC runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir which can leave India’s security at risk.

2. Pakistani Intruder Shot Dead In Punjab

A Pakistani intruder was shot dead by Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday morning at Bharial post in Gurdaspur, Punjab. The intruder was identified as a 60-year-old woman who tried to cross the border at around 4:30 am but was shot dead by the 120 BSF battalion as she kept on marching towards the Indian side despite warnings from the officials. This is the second such incident in the area in the last two months as on 27th March, another intruder was shot dead by the BSF along the International Border (IB). The incident comes just days after Inter-State Intelligence (ISI) was said to be trying the infiltrate teenage boys for collecting information about the Indian Security Forces.

3. Gurgaon: 26-Year Old Sikkimese Woman Gang raped in a Moving Car

A 26-year old Sikkimese woman was gang-raped by three men in a moving car before being dumped at a secluded spot in Delhi. The woman told police that she was returning from Delhi to Gurgaon Sector-17, where she lives in a paying guest accommodation, when these three men kidnapped her. In her complaint, she said, “They took turns to rape me in the car. After that, they threatened to kill me and warned me to not talk to anyone about the incident. After I pleaded with them, they dumped me at a secluded spot in Delhi” while adding that she heard one of the three accused being referred as Deepak. Sumit Kuhar, Deputy Commissioner Of Police said, “A case has been lodged against the three men and we’ve scanned CCTV footage from various locations where the woman was kidnapped, and have also shortlisted the cars in which the victim could have been abducted and raped. The accused will be arrested soon”.

4. International Court of Justice To Hold Public Hearing on Kulbhushan Jadhav Case Today

The International Court of Justice, UN’s principal judicial organization, will begin hearing India’s plea of immediate suspension of the death penalty awarded by a Pakistani Military court to former Indian Naval Officer Kulbhushan Jadhav. The hearing will be held at the ‘Great Hall of Justice’ situated in the Peace Palace at The Hague in Netherlands at 1:30 pm IST. Indian authorities, in their petition, have also accused Pakistan of denying Visas to Jadhav’s family and the right to consular access to the former Indian Navy Officer, who is accused of ‘espionage and subversive activities’. This is a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by Pakistan despite India applying 16 times for access. The two nations last fought at the ICJ nearly 18 years ago when Pakistan sought its intervention over the shooting down of a naval aircraft.

5. Special Task Force Jawan Dies After an Operation Against Naxals in Chhattisgarh

A special task force jawan succumbed to his injuries on Monday after getting shot during a counter-insurgency operation against Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Sundarraj P said, “Constable Shalabh Upadhyay died in the wee hours while he was being air-lifted from Basaguda for treatment”. Upadhyay had sustained bullet shots on his head during the gun-battle which took place in a restive forest of Bijapur’s Basaguda late last evening, he added. Joint teams of Special Task Force (STF), CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and district police are still out in an operation in the area.

6. Market Rebounds on Inflation Numbers, Rupee Gets A Lift Against US Dollar

BSE’s Benchmark Sensex gained 165.90 points on Monday morning due to positive economic data including inflation rate and the hope of sustained foreign capital inflows. The 30-share barometer was trading above the 30,000-mark at 30,354.05. NSE’s Nifty too gained 38.90 points and remained above the 9400-mark at 9,439.80. Indian Rupee, on the other hand, strengthened by 23 paise against the US Dollar as the greenback was trading at Rs 64.08 during the early trade on Monday.