India planning military action in next 24-36 hours, will face consequences: Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan on Wednesday claimed it has "credible intelligence" that India is planning military action against it in the next 24-36 hours and warned New Delhi that there would be consequences.
The statement came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told the top defence brass that the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack, government sources said.
Tensions have risen between the two countries after the Pahalgam terror attack last week that killed 26 people. Modi had said that India will "identify, track, and punish" the terrorist and their "backers" attack and pursue the killers to the "ends of the earth", as India stepped up the diplomatic offensive against Pakistan.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the Indian government is preparing to carry out military action against Pakistan on the basis of "baseless and concocted allegations" regarding Pakistan’s involvement in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
According to the statement, the minister said Pakistan had itself been a victim of terrorism and had always condemned it in all its forms and manifestations. He added that Islamabad had offered a “credible, transparent and independent” probe by a neutral commission of experts, and accused India of evading investigation and choosing a confrontational path.
Pakistan urged the international community to remain alive warning that any military adventurism by India would be “responded to assuredly and decisively” and that the “onus of any escalatory spiral and its consequences shall squarely lie with India.”
Earlier, India announced a raft of measures against Pakistan including expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, revokement of all visas issued to Pakistani nationals from April 27 and immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post.
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EC orders repoll in all 285 polling stations of Falta seat in West Bengal on May 21
New Delhi (PTI): In a rare move, the Election Commission (EC) on Saturday ordered a "fresh" election or a repoll in all the 285 polling stations of the Falta Assembly seat in West Bengal on May 21 due to "subversion of democratic process".
A spokesperson for the poll panel said the counting of votes for the constituency will take place on May 24.
It is rare for the poll authority to order a re-election in an entire Assembly seat.
A fresh poll is a repoll, an official explained.
"On consideration of severe electoral offences and subversion of democratic process during the polling in a large number of polling stations on April 29 in Falta Assembly Constituency, EC directs that fresh poll shall be conducted in all the 285 polling stations, including auxiliary polling stations," the spokesperson said.
On Friday, the EC ordered a re-election in 15 polling stations of two Assembly seats in West Bengal -- Diamond Harbour and Magrahat Paschim.
The West Bengal Assembly polls were held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. The counting of votes for the remaining seats is scheduled to be taken up on May 4.
