Mehbooba's uncle quits as PDP Vice President
Srinagar, July 23 : Sartaj Madni, uncle of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, on Monday resigned as the Vice President of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking to the media, Madni said he was stepping down from the post in the larger interests of the party.
He said he has already submitted his resignation to PDP President Mehbooba Mufti.
Madni is Mehbooba's maternal uncle. He was defeated in the 2014 elections from Devsar Assembly constituency in south Kashmir's Kulgam district.
Madni and some other leaders have come under scathing attack by party dissidents who allege that the "coterie of close relations have brought the PDP to the present crisis and also cost it power in the state".
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345 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran return home via Armenia
New Delhi (PTI): A group of 345 Indian fishermen, who were stranded in Iran amid escalating regional tensions, returned to India via Armenia on Saturday, officials said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan for assistance in return of the Indian nationals.
The Indian nationals arrived in Chennai this evening, the officials cited above said.
The circumstances that led to them being stranded in Iran were not immediately known.
"Thank FM @AraratMirzoyan and the Government of Armenia for facilitating the evacuation of Indian fishermen today from Iran, through Armenia to India," Jaishankar said on social media.
Over 1,500 Indian nationals have left Iran through land border crossings in Armenia and Azerbaijan since the start of the West Asia conflict over a month ago.
"A group of Indian fishermen, stranded in Iran, are returning home via Armenia today; their flight is expected to reach India this evening," a government statement said.
It said the Ministry of External Affairs continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the West Asian region, with the safety, security and welfare of the Indian community being accorded the highest priority.
It also made a mention of five Indians being injured in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
According to Abu Dhabi authorities, the Indian nationals were among the 12 people injured by debris from an intercepted missile.
"In an attack in Abu Dhabi, five Indian nationals were injured; four have been discharged, one remains under treatment," the Indian government's statement said.
It said the Indian mission in Abu Dhabi is extending "full" assistance and coordinating with local authorities, adding that their flight is expected to reach India this evening.
