Bloodshed on border will be avenged: Pakistan Army chief
Rawalpindi, Sep 7 : In sharp contrast to the reconciliatory tone of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan towards India, Army chief General Qamar Jawed Bajwa has vowed to avenge blood of the country's soldiers being shed on the border.
General Bajwa's comments came while addressing the Defence Day ceremony in Rawalpindi on Thursday to mark the 53rd anniversary of the 1965 war with India. He also paid respect to "brothers and sisters in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir who're writing the history of resistance".
"We will avenge the blood flowing on the border," Geo News quoted General Bajwa, as saying in the presence of Prime Minister, who had earlier said that his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government favoured good relations with India and wanted to see leaders of the two countries sitting across the table to resolve all disputes, including Kashmir.
"Our armed forces and the entire nation have learned much during their service to Pakistan. Fear and terrorism were thrust upon us. Our homes, schools, places of worship, recreational sites and national institutions were attacked," General Bajwa said.
"Efforts were made to weaken and divide us from within. But I salute all the citizens of Pakistan and the ones safeguarding our nation who fought remarkably in these difficult times and stood against such elements," the Army chief added.
"We have sacrificed a lot but our job is not done. The war is still ongoing. We have yet to reach the pinnacle of peace. We have to make Pakistan reach a level where no one can look at us with an evil intent."
Former Indian cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu earlier came under severe criticism after he hugged General Bajwa during Khan's oath-taking ceremony last month.
Sidhu's photo of him seated next to President of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) Masood Khan at the ceremony had also created some ripples back home.
Speaking at the same event, Khan said that "Pakistan would no more participate in someone else's war" and insisted that there was no civil-military divide in the country.
He said that he was against the war from the very beginning and his government's foreign policy would be in the best interest of the nation.
"I was against this war from the very beginning. "We will not become part of a war of any other country (in future)... Our foreign policy will be in the best interest of the nation," he said.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
