Latest news with #Aslam
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘I was in jail with RSS leaders… People tried to hear each other out then': Jamaat leader
Fifty years after he was jailed during the Emergency, Ejaz Ahmed Aslam, 82, says he has clear memories of the 19 months he spent in prison. He met his third daughter for the first time at Madras Central Jail, where his wife brought their newborn child just 40 days after her birth. A resident of Tamil Nadu then, Aslam headed the North Arcot district unit of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a socio-religious organisation he had joined when he was 15. Maulana Muhammad Jafar, a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind's Central Advisory Council, says the organisation was 'misunderstood' by the Indira Gandhi government, 'which is why its workers were arrested'. While eight Jamaat members were arrested in Tamil Nadu, around 3,000 of its members were imprisoned across India during the Emergency. Sitting at the Jamaat office in Delhi, wearing a crisp white kurta-pyjama, a grey Nehru jacket and a fur cap, Aslam says, 'Once the Emergency was announced, I was put in Madras Central Jail along with other political workers and leaders of the Jamaat, CPI, CPI(M) and DMK. It was a difficult time for my wife, who was nearly eight months pregnant when I was sent to jail. She had had to take care of two young children — a four-year-old and a two-year-old — alone at home. Three months later, I saw my newborn daughter in jail. I can never forget that day. Aslam is the editor-in-chief of Radiance Views Weekly, a 61-year-old magazine supported by the Jamaat. Of the 19 months he spent in jail, Aslam says he was fortunate that his family was very supportive since many others didn't have that liberty and struggled. However, an incident haunts him to this day. 'As I was being taken away by the police to the local station, my eldest daughter Ayesha (then four years old) started running after me. The policeman who arrested me told me later that she was crying.' Born in Karnataka's Hassan district in 1943, Aslam grew up in Bihar's Muzaffarpur after his father shifted there in 1954 to work at a sugar mill. In 1969, Aslam got his master's degree in English literature from L S College in Muzaffarpur. Later, he went on to become a lecturer at C Abdul Hakeem College in Tamil Nadu's Melvisharam. After teaching there for two years, Aslam, then 28, got married and shifted to Tamil Nadu's Vaniyambadi, where his father-in-law had a leather business. Aslam started working with his father-in-law and also became more active within the Jamaat, which, he says, influenced his way of life since he was a teen. During his initial days in jail, Aslam says the political prisoners were sure that they would all be 'released soon'. However, three to four months passed without any signs of their imminent release. 'That's when the fear and anxiety in jail started going up. People started fearing that their incarceration would become permanent. Psychological issues started impacting political prisoners. There was a shift in thinking among the prisoners,' he says. Calling Madras Central jail a 'notorious site of brutality' during the Emergency, he recalls one particular case. 'I was in prison with C Chittibabu, the former Mayor of Chennai. He had sustained injuries during a brutal lathi-charge. At the time of the attack, Chittibabu had been trying to protect a young M K Stalin from an attack inside a prison cell. He would succumb to his injuries later.' Maulana Muhammad Jafar says the Emergency 'proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Jamaat' because its imprisoned office-bearers had the opportunity to interact with people in jails. Jafar adds, 'These very people became leaders and a part of the government later. They came to know the Jamaat much better (during their jail term), and all their doubts and misunderstandings were cleared.' On why the Jamaat workers were arrested during the Emergency, Aslam says, 'We did nothing illegal and our accounts were open to the government. We were working on education, Hindu-Muslim harmony and other social issues.' Aslam says his prison barracks had several RSS workers, including Rangasamy Thevar, then Tamil Nadu chief for the outfit. 'It was a different time. People tried to understand each other's ideology and engage with one another. I remember having long discussions with Thevar,' he says. One statement made by Thevar has stayed with him. He says, 'Thevar said, 'India is such a country that any unscrupulous person can rule India for any period of time'. I liked this quote very much, and I have used it in my writings too.'
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh police bust inter-state gang of vehicle lifters, kingpin among 4 held
The operation cell of UT police have busted an interstate autolifters' gang, known as 'Munna Gang', which is allegedly involved in a series of auto thefts across Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Police arrested three key gang members, including the kingpin, and one receiver of stolen property, cracking 11 vehicle theft cases in the process. The accused in police custody in Chandigarh on Friday. (Keshav Singh/HT) On June 26, a police naka was set up near the National Institute of Technical Teacher Training and Research (NITTTR), Sector 26. The team stopped a Splendor motorcycle and the rider, Aslam, failed to produce valid documents. Its theft had been reported in an e-FIR on June 15, 2025, at the IT Park police station. During questioning, Aslam disclosed the whereabouts of his accomplices, who were roaming in Manimajra with a stolen Bullet motorcycle. Police promptly acted on the input, deployed a team, and arrested Manoj Thakur alias Munna and Navneet Pratap Singh near the Sports Complex, Manimajra. The Bullet motorcycle was found to have been stolen. Based on further disclosures, police recovered three Honda City cars, three Honda Activa scooters, four Hero Splendor motorcycles, a Royal Enfield bullet, eight vehicle batteries and stolen vehicle documents. The gang operated by parking stolen vehicles in various areas in Chandigarh and later transporting them to Ludhiana for resale, often dismantling parts like batteries to sell separately. During the police remand, the team raided a location in Ludhiana and arrested Jaiparkash alias Betia, the property receiver. Eight batteries and several stolen vehicle documents were seized from his possession. The arrested individuals include: Manoj Thakur alias Munna, 40, a resident of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and a history-sheeter who faces over 33 FIRs in the region. He is also a proclaimed offender in several cases. Aslam, 57, is a resident of Ludhiana, who is involved in multiple cases including theft, kidnapping, and assault across Punjab, Panchkula, Mohali, and Chandigarh. Navneet Pratap Singh, 33, is from Kanpur, with a prior Excise Act violation. Jaiparkash alias Betia, 36, is a scrap dealer from Ludhiana with no prior criminal record. All accused have been sent to two-day police custody.
Express Tribune
15 hours ago
- Health
- Express Tribune
Call to improve female hygiene, reproductive health
More than 60 male and female students attended an awareness session on female hygiene and reproductive health Thursday at the KIOCA Seminar Hall of PMAS Arid Agriculture University. Organised by the Programme on Development Alternatives (PODA) in collaboration with the District Population Office, the event formed part of the youth-led "Her Health, Her Rights" campaign. Nabeela Aslam of PODA outlined the organisation's work promoting the rights of women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups — especially rural women. She previewed PODA's 18th Annual Rural Women Leadership Training Conference and described activities under the three-year "Reduce Early Marriages to Enhance Gender Equality" project, funded by the Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad, which delivers sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) awareness from schools to district-level government departments. Aslam related the case of an eighth-grade girl facing kidney failure after an early marriage and warned of widespread menstrual-hygiene risks — improper pad use, avoidance of bathing and drinking water during periods — that can trigger infections and urinary tract complications.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Chandigarh Police busts gang involved in more than 11 vehicle thefts, arrests ‘kingpin', three others
The Chandigarh Police's Operation Cell has claimed to have busted a notorious interstate gang allegedly involved in vehicle thefts across Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. The police have arrested three vehicle lifters and one receiver of stolen property, reportedly solving 11 vehicle theft cases related to the group known as Munna gang. A police team conducted a series of raids and naka operations. On June 26, the police arrested accused Aslam, a Ludhiana resident, from Sector 26 during a naka operation near the National Institute of Technical Teacher Training Research. He was found riding a stolen motorcycle (Splendor). According to the police, during the interrogation, Aslam revealed the whereabouts of his two gang members — Navneet Pratap Singh of Kanpur and Manoj Thakur, alias Munna, of Moradabad, who were later arrested from near the Sports Complex, Manimajra. A stolen bike (Royal Enfield Bullet) reported missing from Sector 22, was also recovered. Thakur, the alleged kingpin of the gang, is a proclaimed offender and is involved in over 33 criminal cases across the northern states, police said. His accomplice, Aslam, has a record of over a dozen vehicle theft cases. The gang confessed to stealing vehicles in Chandigarh and later transporting them to Ludhiana for dismantling, resale, or disposal of parts like batteries. On the basis of their disclosures, police recovered three Honda City vehicles, three Honda Activa, three Hero Splendor and three Royal Enfield motorcycles, and eight batteries. Further investigations led to the arrest of Jaiparkash alias Betia from New Smart Colony, Ludhiana — a known receiver of stolen property. Documents of stolen vehicles and batteries were recovered from his possession. All accused were presented before the court and have been remanded in two days of police custody to aid further investigation and recovery efforts.
Express Tribune
18-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
K-P eyes NEPRA-style power authority
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Adviser to Chief Minister on Finance, Muzammil Aslam, said during the budget session of the provincial assembly that real electricity relief for the province will only be possible if it generates its own electricity and supplies it directly to the public. He announced that the provincial government plans to establish its own regulatory authority, similar to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), to set power tariffs independently. Responding to lawmakers' queries during the ongoing budget debate, Aslam revealed several key initiatives. Among them is a Rs13 billion solar power project for the merged tribal districts. For the first time, oil and gas-producing districts will receive 15 per cent royalty. He emphasized that the budget discussion was a productive experience and appreciated the active participation of assembly members, noting that he attentively listened to all questions for three hours without interruption. Reflecting on Pakistan's economic trajectory, Aslam criticized the performance of mainstream political parties, stating, "Pakistan has been around for 75 years, with just two parties in power for 72 of those. Members have raised issues like poverty, lack of hospitals, and schools — but these same parties were responsible for governance for decades." He also claimed extensive expertise in national budgets, saying, "I've been analyzing federal budgets for 22 years. No budget in the world is based entirely on facts — they're all built on projections." He expressed concern that the federal government allocated only Rs550 million for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa out of a national development budget of Rs1 trillion. Aslam criticized the PPP for not pushing for the 8th and 9th NFC Awards after the 7th, and defended PTI leader Barrister Saif, saying, "Questions were raised in the House about Barrister Saif, but I want to clarify that he is a trusted ally of PTI." Speaking on counter-terrorism funding, he stated that the 1 per cent share from the federal government is not a favor, but a right earned through the sacrifices of the province. Aslam added that K-P receives Rs3 billion monthly from the federal government under the net hydel profit formula. Projects under the Provincial Energy Development Organization (PEDO) are expected to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity. "The only sustainable way to provide relief in electricity costs is for the province to produce its own power and supply it directly to its people," he reiterated.
