Pak Railway Minister receives electric shock while speaking against PM Modi
video goes viral
Islamabad, Aug 30: Pakistan Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed suffered an electric shock on Friday while speaking against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally during the "Kashmir Hour".
Pakistan on Friday observed the "Kashmir Hour" to express "solidarity" with the Kashmiri people after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a video, Rashid, a known motormouth, says while addressing the rally, "Hum tumhari Modi niyaton se waqif hain (we are aware of your intentions, Narendra Modi)".
The video, which has gone viral on social media, shows that the moment Rashid utters the sentence, he gets an electric shock in his hand, forcing him to discontinue his speech momentarily.
"Current lag gaya. Khair, koi baat nahi. Mera khayal hai, current aa gaya. Yeh Modi is jalse ko nakam nahi kr sakta (I think it was electric current. Never mind. Modi cannot ruin this rally)," he said while resuming his speech.
Rashid claimed on Thursday that US President Donald Trump was "deceiving" both India and Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir.
Talking to reporters in Rawalpindi, he said the Kashmir issue would be resolved during the tenures of Prime Minister Khan and Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Rashid said both Samjhauta Express and Thar Express trains were shut down to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated after New Delhi on August 5 revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two union territories.
Reacting to India's move on Kashmir, Pakistan downgraded its diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian High Commissioner.
India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.
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Shivakumar urges centre to intervene on Alamatti dam height issue
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday urged the Centre to intervene and allow Karnataka to raise the height of the Almatti dam across the Krishna river.
He also said that he will lead an all-party delegation to Delhi in this regard.
Noting that all three states -- Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra -- have opposed the project, he said the Andhra Pradesh government has asked the Centre not to allow Karnataka acquire land for the proposed project to increase the dam's height from 519 meters to 524 meters.
"Andhra Pradesh government has written to the Centre asking it to refrain from giving any approval or gazette notification that allows Karnataka to carry out land acquisition for the proposed project stating the matter is pending before the Supreme Court," Shivakumar, who is also the state's water resources minister said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, the Union Water Resources Secretary has sought Karnataka's response. "We will reply to it after consulting legal experts."
"I did not expect Andhra Pradesh to react this way. (Andhra Pradesh CM) Chandrababu Naidu is an experienced politician; he is aware of everything, but they are now putting such pressure on the centre. I'm unable to understand this," he said.
Noting that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award permitted Karnataka to raise the dam to 524 metres and that there was no stay from the Supreme Court, the Deputy CM said and appealed to the Centre to act in accordance with earlier orders.
He also appealed to all the parliament members of Karnataka to put pressure on the central government in this regard, in the interest of the state.
"I will be sending all the details and records to our MPs; we need to build pressure on the centre, Prime Minister and the Union Jal Shakti minister on the issue when the Parliament session begins on March 10," he said, adding that he also plans to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi in this regard.
Pointing out that the Karnataka cabinet, on September 16, 2025, decided to acquire 1.33 lakh acres of land for this project in one go, through consent acquisition, and planned to allocate Rs 70,000 crore for land acquisition in three phases, Shivakumar said, adding, "Now obstacles are being caused to it."
Further delays would escalate costs, he said, as land compensation has become a major burden, with courts awarding higher payouts after farmers rejected earlier offers of Rs 8-9 lakh per acre during the previous BJP government.
"After deliberations, compensation is fixed in the range of Rs 35-40 lakh per acre, with some awards reaching Rs 10 crore because of litigations," he said, adding that around Rs 20,000 crore has already been spent on the project.
Asserting that it is "our water, our land", Shivakumar said, "I appeal to Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra not to interfere in this project; it is not good for you."
