The Evening Wrap: India advocating diplomacy and dialogue to resolve conflict in Ukraine, says MEA

Days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyiv, India on August 19 said it is willing to contribute in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. Modi will visit the Ukrainian capital on August 23 to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. India has always been advocating diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said at a media briefing. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine will form a part of discussions, he said. India has independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine, Lal said replying to a question. Modi will travel to Poland before visiting Ukraine. Centre defends law against triple talaq, says it legitimised ‘abandonment’ of Muslim women The Union government in the Supreme Court has justified the Central law criminalising triple talaq, saying the “practice legitimised and institutionalised abandonment of wives by their husbands” and was “neither Islamic nor legal”. A 433-page counter affidavit filed by the Centre in the Court reminded the Court of its own Constitution Bench judgment of 2017 in the Shayara Bano case, which had held triple or instant talaq (talaq-e-biddat) manifestly arbitrary. The government said all it did with the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 was make a practice called “manifestly arbitrary” by the Supreme Court a non-bailable criminal offence punishable with three years’ imprisonment. “Triple talaq was not a private wrong done to one woman. It was a public wrong which militates against the rights of women and the social institution of marriage itself,” the government said. The Centre said the concept of crime keeps on changing with change in the political, economic and social set up the of the country. The 2019 law seeks to criminalise a practice which had neither legal nor religious sanction and discriminatory towards married Muslim women. The Court said the state could resort to criminal law to preserve the sanctity of the institution of marriage. “There is no basis to the claim that marriages come under the personal law, and are exempt from the application of the general criminal law… Marriages are a social institution which the state has a special interest in protecting. It is beyond doubt that the state can protect the stability of marriages by resort to the devices of criminal law. Examples are Domestic Violence Act 2005 and Dowry Prohibition Act 1961,” the Centre argued. The government said criminal sanction was necessary though the act of pronouncing triple talaq by a man to his wife was declared void by the Supreme Court in 2017. Triple talaq had ceased to exist from August 22, 2017 — the date of the Supreme Court verdict. “But if the sanctions of the 2019 Act do not exist, the prohibition on criminal conduct [triple talaq] itself would become a dead letter to be freely disregarded,” the affidavit reasoned. The government said the 2019 Act was required as Muslim men continued the practice of triple talaq despite the Supreme Court judgment of 2017. The counter by the government was in response to petitions filed in the Supreme Court by organisations, including Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which have challenged the 2019 Act. They argued that while a Muslim would suffer imprisonment for pronouncing triple talaq, a man from another faith could desert his wife without fearing punishment. Desertion was at best a ground for divorce. The organisation said the law has made the declaration of triple talaq an offence graver than other crimes like rioting, kidnapping, death by negligence, concealment of birth by secret disposal of body, bigamy, bribery, food adulteration, etc. Another petition by Samastha Kerala Jamiathul, one of the biggest religious organisation of the Sunni Muslim scholars and clerics in Kerala, claimed the sole objective of the new law was “to punish Muslim husbands”. CRPF inspector killed in terror attack in J&K’s Udhampur A CRPF inspector was killed when the terrorists opened fire on a patrol party in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on August 19, officials said. The CRPF along with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police was fired upon by the terrorists around 3:30 p.m. in the remote Chill area under Dudu Police Station jurisdiction of Basantgarh, the officials said. CRPF Inspector Kuldip, belonging to the G company of the 187th battalion, was hit by a bullet and later succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital, they said. The Udhampur Police posted information about this incident on its official X handle. “During area domination patrol at Chill, Dudu, exchange of fire took place between terrorists and joint parties of JKP and CRPF. In the encounter, one Inspector of CRPF suffered bullet injuries & has attained martyrdom.Operation continues,” it said. The terrorists fled the scene in the face of strong retaliation by the joint patrolling party, the officials said, adding reinforcements have been rushed to the scene and a search operation has been launched to track down and neutralise the militants. The security apparatus in Jammu and Kashmir is preparing for a ‘high alert’ mode in view of the forthcoming three-phase assembly polls that have been announced by the Election Commission last week. The Election Commission earlier on Friday announced the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1, and the votes will be counted on October 4. Kolkata rape and murder case: No Central law needed for doctors’ protection, says Union government The Union government has ruled out the need to bring in a Central protection Act, enabling a uniform framework across the country for providing protection to healthcare workers, stating that almost all States have laws in place catering to this demand. Considering the recent Kolkata rape and murder case and the continued agitation by doctors demanding a safe workplace, the Centre on August 19 issued an order to increase security by 25% in all hospitals of the Union government. Deployment of marshals would also be increased depending on the need in hospitals. Health Ministry officials said deployment of marshals, besides the standard security protocol, would be approved based on individual demands from Central government hospitals after they conduct an assessment of security there. “Several States and union territories [total 26] have passed legislation to protect healthcare service personnel. These States include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu etc. In all these States, the offence is cognisable and non-bailable. Most State Acts define healthcare service personnel to include doctors, nurses, medical and nursing students, and paramedical staff. Also they define violence as activities causing harm, injury, endangering life, intimidation, obstruction to the ability of a healthcare service person to discharge duty and loss or damage to property in a healthcare institute,’’ said a senior Health Ministry official. Speaking about the Kolkata case, the official said the nature of the crime was covered under other provisions of laws which were common for all. “We have accepted all the demands of the doctors on strike and also a committee is being formed to strengthen security at workplace after extensive consultation with all stakeholders. We appeal to the doctors to come back to work and ensure that patients are not put to further trouble,’’ said a Health Ministry official. The Ministry is set to call for a meeting of all heads of Central government hospitals soon to take stock of security measures for their employees in the light of the Kolkata incident. “Institutional FIR in case of violence, additional infrastructural security, including CCTV, extra lighting are part of the advisory issued to hospitals to ensure that employees are safe while on duty. A Central Act is not needed when provisions already exist. Their proper implementation is the need of the hour,’’ added the official. BJP accuses Mamata of destroying evidence in R.G. Kar case, demands her resignation The BJP on August 19 demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that crucial evidence in the rape and murder of a doctor at the State-run R.G. Kar hospital was destroyed at her behest in an alleged attempt to provide cover for the culprits in the case. The demand was articulated by BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, at a presser held at the party’s national headquarters in New Delhi. “Mamata Banerjee has shown nirmamata (ruthlessness). By her misdeeds, she destroyed the dignity of a woman, a doctor who was serving the society. Mamata Banerjee is the destroyer of the rule of law and the Constitution,” he said. Bhatia also strongly criticised leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc, including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, and called them “political vultures”, alleging that they “generalised” the trainee doctor’s rape and murder by expressing a general concern over such cases reported in different parts of the country, including those in BJP-ruled States. While the Chief Minister did not take concrete steps to ensure a swift investigation into the “possibility” of gang rape and murder of the medic, she got crucial evidence of the heinous crime destroyed, he charged. “And see the brazenness of shameless Mamata, the destroyer. She took out a march in Kolkata while the entire country was embarrassed by the gruesome incident of rape and murder… She should immediately resign (as Chief Minister),” Bhatia said. The postgraduate trainee doctor’s body was found on the premises of the State-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. A civic volunteer of the Kolkata Police was arrested and the case was taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after a Calcutta High Court order. Unidentified goons entered the hospital premises shortly after Wednesday midnight and vandalised portions of the facility, where the woman’s body was found. The vandalism occurred amid midnight protests by women against the incident. Karnataka High Court orders pausing further proceedings on complaints against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah before special court In a temporary relief to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the High Court of Karnataka ordered deferring of further proceedings pending before a special court in Bengaluru on private complaints seeking investigation against the CM and others in alleged illegalities in allocation of sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). On August 19, the High Court also directed the special court not to precipitate the matters that are connected with the sanction granted by the Governor against Siddaramaiah. Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the interim order on a petition filed by Siddaramaiah. The Chief Minister has questioned the legality of the sanction granted by Governor permitting investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granted sanction on August 17 on the applications filed by two Bengaluru-based social activists Pradeep Kumar S.P. and T.J. Abraham, and Mysuru-based Snehamayi Krishna. The High Court passed the interim order after it was pointed that the Special Court of Sessions for criminal cases against former and present MPs and MLAs is scheduled to pass an order on August 20 on whether to entertain one of the two complaints filed against Siddaramaiah. The High Court stated that the interim order is necessary during the pendency of consideration of Siddaramaiah’s petition. Chirag opposes lateral entry, Manjhi says will raise it in Cabinet The controversy over the Union government advertising to fill 45 posts at joint secretary and other levels in the government via lateral entries on a contract basis became bigger on August 19 with NDA ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan opposing the move. “Reservation provisions must be there in any government appointment. There are no ifs and buts in this. No reservation exists in the private sector and if it is not implemented in government positions as well... The information came up before me on Sunday and it is a matter of concern for me,” said Paswan. Paswan added that as a member of the government, he “has the platform to raise the issue and he would”, declaring that his party was incontrovertibly opposed to lateral entry. His Cabinet colleague and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha, said that while he does not see any “grand design” in this move snatching away reservations for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, “if there is any talk of taking away reservations, then I am in the Cabinet and we can talk to them [BJP ministers] in the Cabinet too...”. The Union Public Service Commission last Saturday advertised 45 posts — 10 of joint secretaries and 35 of directors/deputy secretaries — to be filled through the lateral entry mode on a contract basis. It is the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment being undertaken by the Centre, an official said. Opposition parties slammed the move, claiming it would snatch reservations from SCs, STs and OBCs. The BJP hit back, saying the NDA government was bringing transparency to this mode of recruitment started by the Congress-led UPA. While the Opposition and the BJP have been going head-to-head on the issue, the complication that has arisen with allies of the government openly opposing the move is significant. During the recently concluded Lok Sabha session, the allies pushed for the referring of the Waqf Amendment Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee following which, it was resolved that NDA constituents will be meeting at least once a month to resolve contentious issues. In Brief: Udaipur violence: Teenage stabbing victim succumbs to injuries After battling for life for four days, a 15-year-old boy, whose stabbing by a fellow student sparked communal violence in Udaipur, succumbed to injuries on August 19. Sometime before the boy breathed his last, his sister tied rakhi on his wrist in the hospital on Raksha Bandhan, Udaipur Collector Arvind Poswal said. Elaborate security arrangements are in place in the city and mobile internet services are suspended in the wake of the communal violence on Friday, police said. Inspector General of Police (Udaipur) Ajaypal Lamba said that the boy died during treatment on Monday and the body has been shifted to mortuary for postmortem. Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls: Restoration of Statehood, Article 370, among 12 guarantees in NC manifesto Restoration of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s Statehood as well as implementation of the autonomy resolution passed by the erstwhile Assembly in 2000 are among the National Conference’s 12 guarantees announced in its manifesto for the upcoming polls. Releasing the manifesto at a press conference here, NC Vice President Omar Abdullah said the party is making only those promises it can deliver. He described the manifesto as the NC’s vision document and a roadmap for governance. The manifesto makes 12 broad promises, including striving for the full implementation of the Autonomy Resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in 2000. [logo] The Evening Wrap 19 August 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( India advocating diplomacy and dialogue to resolve conflict in Ukraine, says MEA Days ahead of Prime Minister [Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyiv]( India on August 19 said it is willing to contribute in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. Modi will visit the Ukrainian capital on August 23 to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. India has always been advocating diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said at a media briefing. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine will form a part of discussions, he said. India has independent ties with both Russia and Ukraine, Lal said replying to a question. Modi will travel to Poland before visiting Ukraine. Centre defends law against triple talaq, says it legitimised ‘abandonment’ of Muslim women The [Union government in the Supreme Court has justified the Central law criminalising triple talaq]( saying the “practice legitimised and institutionalised abandonment of wives by their husbands” and was “neither Islamic nor legal”. A 433-page counter affidavit filed by the Centre in the Court reminded the Court of its own Constitution Bench judgment of 2017 in the Shayara Bano case, which had held triple or instant talaq (talaq-e-biddat) manifestly arbitrary. The government said all it did with the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 was make a practice called “manifestly arbitrary” by the Supreme Court a non-bailable criminal offence punishable with three years’ imprisonment. “Triple talaq was not a private wrong done to one woman. It was a public wrong which militates against the rights of women and the social institution of marriage itself,” the government said. The Centre said the concept of crime keeps on changing with change in the political, economic and social set up the of the country. The 2019 law seeks to criminalise a practice which had neither legal nor religious sanction and discriminatory towards married Muslim women. The Court said the state could resort to criminal law to preserve the sanctity of the institution of marriage. “There is no basis to the claim that marriages come under the personal law, and are exempt from the application of the general criminal law… Marriages are a social institution which the state has a special interest in protecting. It is beyond doubt that the state can protect the stability of marriages by resort to the devices of criminal law. Examples are Domestic Violence Act 2005 and Dowry Prohibition Act 1961,” the Centre argued. The government said criminal sanction was necessary though the act of pronouncing triple talaq by a man to his wife was declared void by the Supreme Court in 2017. Triple talaq had ceased to exist from August 22, 2017 — the date of the Supreme Court verdict. “But if the sanctions of the 2019 Act do not exist, the prohibition on criminal conduct [triple talaq] itself would become a dead letter to be freely disregarded,” the affidavit reasoned. The government said the 2019 Act was required as Muslim men continued the practice of triple talaq despite the Supreme Court judgment of 2017. The counter by the government was in response to petitions filed in the Supreme Court by organisations, including Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which have challenged the 2019 Act. They argued that while a Muslim would suffer imprisonment for pronouncing triple talaq, a man from another faith could desert his wife without fearing punishment. Desertion was at best a ground for divorce. The organisation said the law has made the declaration of triple talaq an offence graver than other crimes like rioting, kidnapping, death by negligence, concealment of birth by secret disposal of body, bigamy, bribery, food adulteration, etc. Another petition by Samastha Kerala Jamiathul, one of the biggest religious organisation of the Sunni Muslim scholars and clerics in Kerala, claimed the sole objective of the new law was “to punish Muslim husbands”. CRPF inspector killed in terror attack in J&K’s Udhampur A [CRPF inspector was killed when the terrorists opened fire]( on a patrol party in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on August 19, officials said. The CRPF along with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police was fired upon by the terrorists around 3:30 p.m. in the remote Chill area under Dudu Police Station jurisdiction of Basantgarh, the officials said. CRPF Inspector Kuldip, belonging to the G company of the 187th battalion, was hit by a bullet and later succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital, they said. The Udhampur Police posted information about this incident on its official X handle. “During area domination patrol at Chill, Dudu, exchange of fire took place between terrorists and joint parties of JKP and CRPF. In the encounter, one Inspector of CRPF suffered bullet injuries & has attained martyrdom.Operation continues,” it said. The terrorists fled the scene in the face of strong retaliation by the joint patrolling party, the officials said, adding reinforcements have been rushed to the scene and a search operation has been launched to track down and neutralise the militants. The security apparatus in Jammu and Kashmir is preparing for a ‘high alert’ mode in view of the forthcoming three-phase assembly polls that have been announced by the Election Commission last week. The Election Commission earlier on Friday announced the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1, and the votes will be counted on October 4. Kolkata rape and murder case: No Central law needed for doctors’ protection, says Union government The [Union government has ruled out the need to bring in a Central protection Act]( enabling a uniform framework across the country for providing protection to healthcare workers, stating that almost all States have laws in place catering to this demand. Considering the recent Kolkata rape and murder case and the continued agitation by doctors demanding a safe workplace, the Centre on August 19 issued an order to increase security by 25% in all hospitals of the Union government. Deployment of marshals would also be increased depending on the need in hospitals. Health Ministry officials said deployment of marshals, besides the standard security protocol, would be approved based on individual demands from Central government hospitals after they conduct an assessment of security there. “Several States and union territories [total 26] have passed legislation to protect healthcare service personnel. These States include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu etc. In all these States, the offence is cognisable and non-bailable. Most State Acts define healthcare service personnel to include doctors, nurses, medical and nursing students, and paramedical staff. Also they define violence as activities causing harm, injury, endangering life, intimidation, obstruction to the ability of a healthcare service person to discharge duty and loss or damage to property in a healthcare institute,’’ said a senior Health Ministry official. Speaking about the Kolkata case, the official said the nature of the crime was covered under other provisions of laws which were common for all. “We have accepted all the demands of the doctors on strike and also a committee is being formed to strengthen security at workplace after extensive consultation with all stakeholders. We appeal to the doctors to come back to work and ensure that patients are not put to further trouble,’’ said a Health Ministry official. The Ministry is set to call for a meeting of all heads of Central government hospitals soon to take stock of security measures for their employees in the light of the Kolkata incident. “Institutional FIR in case of violence, additional infrastructural security, including CCTV, extra lighting are part of the advisory issued to hospitals to ensure that employees are safe while on duty. A Central Act is not needed when provisions already exist. Their proper implementation is the need of the hour,’’ added the official. BJP accuses Mamata of destroying evidence in R.G. Kar case, demands her resignation The [BJP on August 19 demanded the resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee]( alleging that crucial evidence in the rape and murder of a doctor at the State-run R.G. Kar hospital was destroyed at her behest in an alleged attempt to provide cover for the culprits in the case. The demand was articulated by BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia, at a presser held at the party’s national headquarters in New Delhi. “Mamata Banerjee has shown nirmamata (ruthlessness). By her misdeeds, she destroyed the dignity of a woman, a doctor who was serving the society. Mamata Banerjee is the destroyer of the rule of law and the Constitution,” he said. Bhatia also strongly criticised leaders of the Opposition INDIA bloc, including Congress’s Rahul Gandhi, and called them “political vultures”, alleging that they “generalised” the trainee doctor’s rape and murder by expressing a general concern over such cases reported in different parts of the country, including those in BJP-ruled States. While the Chief Minister did not take concrete steps to ensure a swift investigation into the “possibility” of gang rape and murder of the medic, she got crucial evidence of the heinous crime destroyed, he charged. “And see the brazenness of shameless Mamata, the destroyer. She took out a march in Kolkata while the entire country was embarrassed by the gruesome incident of rape and murder… She should immediately resign (as Chief Minister),” Bhatia said. The postgraduate trainee doctor’s body was found on the premises of the State-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. A civic volunteer of the Kolkata Police was arrested and the case was taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after a Calcutta High Court order. Unidentified goons entered the hospital premises shortly after Wednesday midnight and vandalised portions of the facility, where the woman’s body was found. The vandalism occurred amid midnight protests by women against the incident. Karnataka High Court orders pausing further proceedings on complaints against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah before special court In a [temporary relief to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah]( the High Court of Karnataka ordered deferring of further proceedings pending before a special court in Bengaluru on private complaints seeking investigation against the CM and others in alleged illegalities in allocation of sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). On August 19, the High Court also directed the special court not to precipitate the matters that are connected with the sanction granted by the Governor against Siddaramaiah. Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the interim order on a petition filed by Siddaramaiah. The Chief Minister has questioned the legality of the sanction granted by Governor permitting investigation under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and prosecution under Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita, 2023. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granted sanction on August 17 on the applications filed by two Bengaluru-based social activists Pradeep Kumar S.P. and T.J. Abraham, and Mysuru-based Snehamayi Krishna. The High Court passed the interim order after it was pointed that the Special Court of Sessions for criminal cases against former and present MPs and MLAs is scheduled to pass an order on August 20 on whether to entertain one of the two complaints filed against Siddaramaiah. The High Court stated that the interim order is necessary during the pendency of consideration of Siddaramaiah’s petition. Chirag opposes lateral entry, Manjhi says will raise it in Cabinet The controversy over the Union government advertising to fill 45 posts at joint secretary and other levels in the government via lateral entries on a contract basis became bigger on August 19 with [NDA ally and Union Minister Chirag Paswan opposing the move](. “Reservation provisions must be there in any government appointment. There are no ifs and buts in this. No reservation exists in the private sector and if it is not implemented in government positions as well... The information came up before me on Sunday and it is a matter of concern for me,” said Paswan. Paswan added that as a member of the government, he “has the platform to raise the issue and he would”, declaring that his party was incontrovertibly opposed to lateral entry. His Cabinet colleague and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha, said that while he does not see any “grand design” in this move snatching away reservations for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, “if there is any talk of taking away reservations, then I am in the Cabinet and we can talk to them [BJP ministers] in the Cabinet too...”. The Union Public Service Commission last Saturday advertised 45 posts — 10 of joint secretaries and 35 of directors/deputy secretaries — to be filled through the lateral entry mode on a contract basis. It is the biggest tranche of lateral recruitment being undertaken by the Centre, an official said. Opposition parties slammed the move, claiming it would snatch reservations from SCs, STs and OBCs. The BJP hit back, saying the NDA government was bringing transparency to this mode of recruitment started by the Congress-led UPA. While the Opposition and the BJP have been going head-to-head on the issue, the complication that has arisen with allies of the government openly opposing the move is significant. During the recently concluded Lok Sabha session, the allies pushed for the referring of the Waqf Amendment Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee following which, it was resolved that NDA constituents will be meeting at least once a month to resolve contentious issues. In Brief: Udaipur violence: Teenage stabbing victim succumbs to injuries After battling for life for four days, a 15-year-old boy, whose [stabbing by a fellow student sparked communal violence in Udaipur]( succumbed to injuries on August 19. Sometime before the boy breathed his last, his sister tied rakhi on his wrist in the hospital on Raksha Bandhan, Udaipur Collector Arvind Poswal said. Elaborate security arrangements are in place in the city and mobile internet services are suspended in the wake of the communal violence on Friday, police said. Inspector General of Police (Udaipur) Ajaypal Lamba said that the boy died during treatment on Monday and the body has been shifted to mortuary for postmortem. Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls: Restoration of Statehood, Article 370, among 12 guarantees in NC manifesto Restoration of Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir’s Statehood as well as implementation of the autonomy resolution passed by the erstwhile Assembly in 2000 are among the [National Conference’s 12 guarantees announced in its manifesto]( for the upcoming polls. Releasing the manifesto at a press conference here, NC Vice President Omar Abdullah said the party is making only those promises it can deliver. He described the manifesto as the NC’s vision document and a roadmap for governance. 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