New Delhi, Sep 11: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday inaugurated the Fast Track Immigration–Trusted Traveller Programme (FTI-TTP) at Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Trichy, Kozhikode, and Amritsar airports via video conferencing.

With this expansion, the facility is now available at 13 airports across the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.

The initiative, first launched in 2024, allows registered passengers, including Indian citizens and OCI cardholders, to clear immigration in about 30 seconds using biometric-enabled e-Gates. Nearly three lakh travellers have enrolled so far, of whom 2.65 lakh have used the facility.

Shah said the programme combines convenience with security and aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Speed, Scale, and Scope.” He noted that international passenger traffic has risen sharply over the past decade, with outbound Indian travellers increasing from 3.54 crore in 2014 to 6.12 crore in 2024, while foreign tourist arrivals rose from 1.53 crore to 2 crore during the same period. The Ministry of Home Affairs plans to extend the service to upcoming airports at Navi Mumbai and Jewar. Travellers can register online through the portal ftittp.mha.gov.in.

New Delhi, Sep 11: India delivered a sharp Right of Reply at the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) rejecting remarks made by Pakistan and Switzerland during the general debate on the oral update by the High Commissioner.

Speaking on behalf of India, Mr. Kshitij Tyagi, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva, said, “We are compelled, once again, to address provocations from a country whose own leadership recently likened it to a ‘dump truck’, perhaps an inadvertently apt metaphor for a state that continues to deposit recycled falsehoods and stale propaganda before this distinguished Council.”

Calling out Pakistan’s use of international forums, Tyagi said, “Pakistan’s systematic abuse of this forum, coupled with its routine manipulation of the OIC as its mouthpiece, has become a familiar pattern. Its pathological fixation on India appears to provide it with existential validation.”

The Indian diplomat underscored Pakistan’s record on terrorism: “Lest we forget the carnage of Pahalgam, where Pakistan-sponsored terrorists turned a meadow of joy into a killing field in April this year. Lest we forget 9/11, as the world marks its anniversary tomorrow, even as we witness today the hypocrisy of those who sheltered its mastermind and glorified him as a martyr. Lest we forget Pulwama, Uri, Pathankot, Mumbai… The list is endless, Mr. President.”

Criticising Islamabad for its “audacity” to raise human rights issues, he said, “Yet Pakistan demonstrates the audacity to take the floor today, feigning moral outrage while continuing to finance and shelter the very networks that threaten global security. The international community recognizes this charade for what it is. The world will not forget. India will not forget. Our measured and proportionate response to the Pahalgam attack made that sufficiently clear.”

He asserted, “We need no lessons from a terror sponsor; no sermons from a persecutor of minorities; no advice from a state that has squandered its own credibility. India will continue to protect its citizens with unwavering resolve. We will defend our sovereignty without compromise. And we will continue to expose, time and again, the elaborate deception of a failed state whose survival depends upon trafficking in terror and tragedy.”

India also voiced displeasure at Switzerland’s remarks, despite calling it a “close friend and partner.” Tyagi said, “We would also like to respond to the surprising, shallow, and ill-informed remarks made by Switzerland. As it holds the UNHRC Presidency, it is all the more important for Switzerland to avoid wasting the Council’s time with narratives that are blatantly false and do not do justice to the reality of India. Instead, it should focus on its own challenges such as racism, systematic discrimination, and xenophobia. As the world’s largest, most diverse, and vibrant democracy with a civilizational embrace of pluralism, India remains ready to help Switzerland address these concerns.”

The Right of Reply was exercised under Agenda Item 2: General Debate at the ongoing session of the UNHRC (8 September – 8 October 2025).

Srinagar, Sep 11: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has raised concerns after former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was reportedly denied permission to meet AAP MP Sanjay Singh in Srinagar.

Singh, who had travelled to the union territory to protest the arrest of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), was placed under what he described as house arrest by local police authorities. Visuals shared on social media by the AAP leader showed Abdullah arriving at a government guest house to meet Singh, but being stopped from entering the premises.

Kejriwal, sharing the incident on social media platform X, questioned the decision to prevent Abdullah’s entry, stating: “The former Chief Minister, who is the father of the current Chief Minister, is not being allowed to meet Sanjay Singh in his own state?” He referred to the act as one that requires scrutiny in a democratic framework.

Sanjay Singh also issued a statement on social media, saying that Abdullah had come to express solidarity but was not permitted to meet him. Singh questioned the basis of his detention and reiterated that he was in Srinagar to peacefully protest the arrest of Mehraj Malik, the lone AAP legislator in Jammu and Kashmir.

Farooq Abdullah, in a brief statement to the media, confirmed that he was not allowed to meet Singh and said such actions were unnecessary. He also expressed his disapproval of the restrictions placed on Singh and the use of the PSA against Malik.

There has been no official statement yet from the Jammu and Kashmir administration regarding the incident or the reasons for the restrictions. The developments come amid increased political attention to the use of preventive detention laws in the region.

AAP has demanded the immediate release of Mehraj Malik and called for a review of the circumstances under which Singh was restrained in Srinagar. The party has stated it will continue to raise the issue through legal and political channels.