Death sentence of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya temporarily postponed
Strong opposition from Talal’s family
Sana (Yemen): The death sentence of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, currently imprisoned in Yemen, has been temporarily postponed. However, the family of the murdered Yemeni national Talal Abdul Mahdi has strongly opposed this decision.
In a Facebook post, Talal’s brother Abdul Fattah Mahdi reacted, saying, “The truth cannot be forgotten. Even if the punishment is delayed, it cannot be avoided.”
He has categorically rejected any talk of forgiveness or a reconciliation process.
Nimisha Priya, a native of Kollengode in Palakkad district, went to Yemen in 2012 along with her husband and son. She continued her profession as a nurse, and her husband Tomy secured a job with a private company.
During this period, she met Talal Abdul Mahdi, a Yemeni citizen. With his help, she decided to start a medical clinic under a business partnership. It was nearly impossible to start such a clinic in Yemen without local support.
Once the clinic was launched, Talal allegedly began claiming publicly that Nimisha was his wife. It is said he even fabricated a fake marriage certificate and later threatened her, claiming they were married under local religious customs.
He allegedly took full control of the clinic's income, seized her passport, and sold her gold, leaving Nimisha with nothing. Initially tolerating the abuse, she later reported him to the authorities. The investigation later revealed that in the process of attempting to retrieve her passport, Talal died due to an overdose administered by Nimisha.
The execution, scheduled for July 16, was postponed after intervention by Kantapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, a prominent Muslim scholar, and Sheikh Habib Umar bin Habib, a well-known Sufi scholar from Yemen. The ‘Save Nimisha Priya Action Committee’ also contributed to the postponement.
However, Talal’s family is firm on rejecting any delay or reconciliation. “No amount of compensation can buy a lost life. Justice must be served,” Talal’s brother said in a stern statement.
Abdul Fattah further remarked: “There have been covert efforts and backdoor negotiations going on for years. These are not new. We are not surprised. But our position is unchanged. This is a matter of retribution, not forgiveness.”
He described the postponement of the death sentence as “unfortunate”, stating they did not expect it. He emphasised that once a death sentence is scheduled, halting it is extremely difficult. He also dismissed any diplomatic pressure or settlement talks, asserting their refusal to accept such outcomes.
“We will not yield to pressure. A lost life cannot be bought with blood money. Justice cannot be forgotten. Even if delayed, the sentence must be carried out. With God's help, it will happen,” Abdul Fattah wrote in his Facebook post.
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Cong leader Prithviraj Chavan defiant after facing verbal missiles on Op Sindoor remarks
Mumbai (PTI): Despite facing criticism, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday stood by his controversial comments that India faced a "total defeat" in aerial fight with Pakistan on the first day of Operation Sindoor on May 7.
The former Union minister refused to apologise for his comments on the Indian military operation against terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK in aftermath of massacre of tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in April.
Talking to reporters in Pune on Tuesday, Chavan claimed India faced a "total defeat in the aerial fight (with Pakistan) on May 7 which lasted for half-an-hour".
"One may believe this or not. After that the Indian Air Force got grounded and not a single aircraft took flight that day.... be it Gwalior, Bhatinda or Sirsa, there was a possibility of aircraft being shot down, so our complete Air Force was grounded," the former Maharashtra chief minister had said.
Hitting out at Chavan, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accused the Congress of speaking the language of Pakistan. He said questioning the military action was akin to demoralising the morale of armed forces.
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"The criticism does not stem from the love of the nation, but love for Pakistan," said the chief leader of the Shiv Sena, a key constituent of the BJP-led NDA.
Chavan, however, remained defiant.
"There is no question of apologising. The Constitution has given me the right to ask questions," the Congress veteran asserted.
Chavan also questioned the need of having a 12-lakh strong Army when future wars will be about aerial combats and missiles. "During Operation Sindoor we saw that there was no movement of the Army even for a kilometre," he had said.
BJP Lok Sabha MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra said Chavan's remarks are loaded with sedition.
"He (Chavan) has refused to apologise. The Indian armed forces struck 100 kms inside the Pakistan territory and destroyed 11 air strips (of the Pakistani Air Force). He made remarks that the Indian Army did not even move an inch (during the military operation). This is nothing but a statement full of sedition, a statement of a traitor," Patra said, lashing out at the Congress leader.
The BJP spokesperson maintained the Congress appears to be standing with Chavan and alleged the Opposition party is playing into foreign hands.
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should apologise for it, he added.
Union minister Giriraj Singh of the BJP insisted it was not right to devalue the valour of Indian armed forces.
Samajwadi Party MP Virendra Singh suggested that wherever armed forces are concerned, every Indian should be mindful of statements they make and ensure their comments do not demoralise the military.
Operation Sindoor was a result of "mistakes of politicians", he claimed.
TDP MP Krishna Devraylu said after the poll defeat in Bihar, the Congress is rattled and their leaders have been talking absurdly.
"Chavan's remarks are a prime example of this. This kind of disrespect to our armed forces is not necessary. If the Congress is angry with the NDA, it should show it in a different way and not drag armed forces into it," Devraylu opined.
AAP MP Ashok Mittal said such statements should not be made by any senior politician, especially by someone who has been a former chief minister.
The Indian armed forces registered a strong victory and destroyed terror launchpads in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Mittal added.
