Feature
India conveys strong concerns over Lakhvi bail to Pakistan
New Delhi: India has conveyed to Pakistan its strong concerns on the granting of bail to Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, a key mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the external affairs ministry said and added that this makes “a mockery of Pakistan’s commitment to fight terror”.
Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin Friday said the bail granted to Lakhvi “will make a mockery of Pakistan’s commitment to fight terror groups without hesitation and without making distinctions”.
Speaking to television reporters, the spokesperson said that the Pakistani trial in the Mumbai attacks case in Pakistan has been moving at a glacial pace and that the move to grant bail to Lakhvi Thursday “has taken this saga to another level”.
“You are aware that despite repeated assurances that have been received, we have seen both the prosecution of the seven accused in the Anti-Terror Court in Islamabad, as also the investigation by the authorities into the larger conspiracy surrounding the Mumbai attack case, proceeding at a glacial pace. The story of repeated postponements, adjournments and unavailability of concerned law officers or witnesses is well documented and does not require repetition,” he said.
“The move to grant bail to Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi yesterday (Thursday) has taken this saga to another level.
“We have, therefore, forthwith communicated to Pakistan through diplomatic channels our strong concerns on this matter and the sentiments across the spectrum of Indian society that that this will make a mockery of Pakistan’s commitment to fight terror groups without hesitation and without making distinctions,” he said.
An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad Thursday granted bail to Lakhvi, who is among the seven persons charged with planning and helping to carry out the Nov 26, 2008, Mumbai terror attacks which left at least 166 people dead.
At the time of the 26/11 attacks, Lakhvi was believed to be the operational head of the banned Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT) that is accused by India of carrying out the attacks in India’s financial capital.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday said: “It is very unfortunate, and believe it should not have happened,” and added that the evidence provided by India to Pakistan on the Mumbai teror case was “more than enough to nail him”.
He said the Pakistan government should appeal in a higher court and get the bail cancelled.
The external affairs ministry, in a strong statement, said the bail granted to Lakhvi would “serve as a reassurance to terrorists who perpetrate heinous crimes” and asked Pakistan to immediately take steps to reverse the decision.
It said: “Given the scale of the tragedy that Pakistan itself has faced in recent days, it is incumbent on it to realise that no compromise can ever be made with terrorists”, and that “There can be no selective approaches to terrorism”.
The bail attracted wide condemnation from India, with politicians and experts terming the decision shocking.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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