Relationship with China not normal: MEA
New Delhi, Jan 4: India on Thursday once again said that its relationship with China is “not normal” and that both sides are engaged in diplomatic and military talks to resolve the pending issues in eastern Ladakh. The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-and-half-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks. “Our position on China is very well known. It is a relationship which is not normal but we have had dialogues both on the military side as well as on the diplomatic side,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. His comments at a media briefing came in response to a question on the situation in eastern Ladakh. Jaiswal also referred to the last rounds of military and diplomatic talks between the two sides in October and November respectively. (PTI)
NIA files charge sheet against aide of KTF terrorist
New Delhi, Jan 4: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday charge-sheeted Manpreet Singh, a close aide of designated individual terrorist Arshdeep Singh alias “Arsh Dala”, in the terror-gangster network case, an official said. Manpreet Singh alias “Peeta” was arrested last year following his deportation from the Philippines. The charge-sheet was filed against Peeta in the multi-state terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler network case registered in 2022 before the Special NIA Court in Delhi, a spokesperson of the federal agency said. The official said this was the third charge-sheet in the case, in which 21 accused have so far been charge-sheeted. “Peeta was operating as a full-fledged crime-terror-extortion node from the Philippines as per the directions of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) operative, Canada-based, Dala. He was actively involved in collection of weapons from the India-Pakistan border and making extortion calls to raise funds for Dala and the KTF,” the spokesperson said. The central government had in February 2023 banned the KTF and declared it as a terrorist organisation. Peeta was also engaged in recruiting members for the terrorist group to execute terror crimes and conspiracies, the spokesperson said. (PTI)