India releases two Pakistani nationals
Amritsar, Dec 26 : India sent home Wednesday two Pakistani nationals, including a 21-year-old who said he had crossed over to meet actor Shah Rukh Khan.
Abdullah and Mohammed Imran Qureshi Warsi were repatriated through the Attari-Wagah border on the basis of an Emergency Travel Certificate issued by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, officials said.
Abdullah was detained from Attari in 2017 and charged with crossing over without any documents while Warsi spent around a decade in Bhopal jail on charges of "forgery and spying" after coming to India in 2004.
Abdullah said he had come to witness the Retreat ceremony at the border, when he jumped over and crossed the Zero Line after the ceremony, telling BSF officials that he wanted to meet Shah Rukh Khan.
"It was my childhood dream to come to India and meet Shah Rukh Khan," he said before repatriation.
He said since his dream was not fulfilled this time, he will come back again to meet the actor.
The other Pakistani national, Warsi, had come to India on proper documentation to meet his relatives in Kolkata. He stayed on in the country for four years despite the expiry of his visa.
He had also allegedly obtained a ration card and some other documents during his stay.
In 2008, he was on his way to Bhopal to get a passport when he was arrested by police, an official at Attari border said.
Warsi said he was very happy as he will be able to meet his parents and siblings who all live in Karachi's Gulshan Iqbal area.
He has an Indian wife who belongs to Kolkata and has two children from the marriage which was solemnised in 2003. He plans to take his family to Pakistan through proper legal recourse, the official here said.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
