Over 75 people were killed in ethnic clashes in Manipur after the Meitei community organized a 'Tribal Solidarity March' in the hill districts on May 3 to protest their demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
5 people were killed and 12 others injured in separate incidents
New Delhi : Violence has once again flared up in Manipur. At least five people, including a policeman, were killed and 12 others injured after fresh violence broke out in Manipur on Sunday. At the same time, at least 70 people had died in caste violence last month. Five people were killed and 12 others injured in separate incidents of firing on people and clashes between militants and security forces in different areas of Manipur. Police officials gave this information on Sunday.
One person was killed and another injured in firing by suspected Kuki militants at Phayeng in Imphal West district, they said. Officials said that a policeman was killed in the firing in Suganu, while another was injured. Six others were injured in Sugnu and four in Serau.
Officials said the latest clashes began after the army launched a search operation to disarm communities in order to restore peace. Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said around 40 armed militants involved in arson of houses and firing on people have been killed since the security forces launched the operation to restore peace in the state.
Talking to media persons at the state secretariat, the chief minister claimed that the recent round of "clashes were not between communities but between Kuki militants and security forces". 16 and sniper rifles have been reported. He said that the security forces targeted these militants in retaliation.
The chief minister appealed to the people not to obstruct the movement of security personnel and urged them to "have faith in the government and support the security forces". "We have experienced hardships for so long and we will never let the state disintegrate," Singh said, adding that several Kuki militants involved in killings of civilians and damage to property and arson of houses have been arrested. The Jat Regiment has caught it.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Khwairakpam Raghumani Singh's residence at Uripok in Imphal West was ransacked and two of his vehicles were torched, a top security official told PTI. He said clashes between rival ethnic militant groups as well as militants and security forces broke out at several places in the early hours. "As per our information, firing has been reported from Sugnu in Kakching, Kangvi in Churachandpur, Kangchup in Imphal West, Sagolmang in Imphal East, Nungoipokpi in Bishenpur, Khurkhul in Imphal West and YKPI in Kangpokpi," the official said.
The officer said that unconfirmed information has also been received from Kakching police station about the Meitei group looting weapons. In Kakching district's Napat, Serau and nearby Sugnu, militants torched around 80 houses of the Meitei community, forcing the villagers to flee past midnight, he said.
Officials said state police personnel deployed in the area retaliated, following which heavy firing took place. In the eastern part of the Manipur Valley, armed militants stormed Yayangangpokpi in Imphal East district, torched two houses and fired at villagers. The local villagers retaliated to the firing by the Kuki militants. There have also been reports of people getting injured.
At Sekmai in Imphal West district, armed militants attacked, leading to firing from both sides. In Bishnupur district, armed Kuki militants attacked Phougkachao Ikhai, Torbang and Kangwai areas on Saturday night, torching over thirty houses belonging to the Meitei community. Due to the violence in the last few hours, the district authorities reduced the 11-hour relaxation in curfew to only six-and-a-half hours in Imphal East and West districts.
Over 75 people were killed in ethnic clashes in Manipur after the Meitei community organized a 'Tribal Solidarity March' in the hill districts on May 3 to protest their demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The eviction of the Kuki villagers from the reserved forest land had already deepened the tension. The Meiteis constitute about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and mostly live in the Imphal Valley. About 140 companies of Army and Assam Rifles, comprising more than 10,000 personnel, had to be deployed, apart from paramilitary forces, to restore normalcy in the state.
Pakistan to share budget details with IMF : Finance Minister Ishaq Dar
According to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, details of the upcoming budget will be shared with the IMF to revive the stalled fund delivery programme.
Pakistani Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan will share details of its upcoming budget with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revive the stalled fund delivery program.
While talking to the private news channel Geo TV's program 'Jirga', Ishaq Dar said that they ( IMF ) have again asked for some other things. We are ready to give that too. They say give us the budget details. We will give them.'
The finance minister said that if the IMF bailout gets the 9th and 10th reviews together, then there will be no benefit to Pakistan. "We will not do that," he added. (We) see that it is unfair.'
The IMF's $1.1 billion installment to Pakistan, which is part of the $6.5 billion Extended Fund Facility scheduled for 2019, has been on hold since November.
Pakistan hosted an IMF mission in February to discuss monetary policy measures to clear the ninth review.
Pakistan had to take the steps outlined by the IMF, including ending subsidies, increasing energy and fuel prices and interest rates, market-based exchange rates, managing external financial assistance and 170 billion in taxes. It involved adding more than Rs.
According to the news agency Reuters, the inflation rate in Pakistan has reached the highest level due to financial changes. The rate rose to 36.5 percent year-on-year in April.
On the other hand, the central bank's foreign exchange reserves have dwindled to such an extent that it will barely be enough for one month of controlled imports. During the fiscal year 2022-23, the growth rate of gross national product was 0.29 percent and Pakistan's economy has slowed down.
With the bailout program set to expire on June 30 at the end of the 2022-23 fiscal year, hopes for a revival of the program scheduled for 2019 are fading, analysts say.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, on the other hand, has said that he would like the IMF to clear its ninth review before the budget, which is due in early June, as all conditions have already been met. are
IMF funding is critical to Pakistan's $350 billion economy. The country is facing a severe balance of payments crisis and fears of bankruptcy have arisen, but the finance minister has been dismissive of these fears.
On May 11 this month, while addressing an event, Ishaq Dar said that all the analysts will be proved wrong, whether there is an International Monetary Fund (IMF) or not, Pakistan will not default.
The finance minister had further said that the international organizations should not talk about default regarding Pakistan. "The promises made by friendly countries regarding financing will be fulfilled soon."
At the same time, he had said: 'World politics should end with Pakistan, analysts from any corner of the world are trying to make Pakistan default.'
According to Ishaq Dar: 'Analysts who make statements about this every day will eat their mouths, these analysts have been trying to connect Pakistan with Sri Lanka for many months. These analysts will be proved wrong and Pakistan will not default.'