Firstpost Editor's Picks: Mayank Agarwal's arrival, Apna Dal's discontent, Trump's Afghan pullout; today's must-read stories

After years of domestic toil, Mayank Agarwal announces his arrival in grand fashion Mayank Agarwal first hit the headlines for his scintillating 160 in Hobart for India Under-19. Nine years later, Agarwal walked to the middle of the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of a crowd of 70,000 to face his first ball in Test cricket. It seems he was destined to succeed in Australia. Apna Dal's discontent with the BJP reveals worrying trend ahead of 2019; party must reach out to allies With 80 parliamentary seats — the highest among all Indian states  — Uttar Pradesh is crucial for the Lok Sabha elections for all parties, more so for the saffron party. As  is famously said: The road to Delhi passes through Lucknow.  The BJP holds 71 of these seats and the Congress and Apna Dal, two each. The Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) became an NDA ally only before the 2017 Assembly polls. Donald Trump's threatened Afghan pullout opens door for Taliban, endangers India's security India could face a serious challenge to its consulates in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat, long suspected by Pakistan of activities against its interests; especially the first two. It will need to read the security situation closely to comprehend just how safe these missions remain. PDP's prospects in Jammu and Kashmir damaged by 'thoughtless' alliance with BJP and Burhan Wani's death After 4 April, 2016, when Mehbooba was sworn in as the first woman chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP began falling apart. Her real strength, her workers, felt ignored. Mehbooba was now chief minister and not party president. It soon dawned on Mehbooba that the alliance with the BJP was on the fast lane to nowhere. Cause of Aarey Colony blaze inconclusive, finds Mumbai fire department; 29 such incidents since 2007 With the Mumbai fire department having submitted its report into the Aarey Colony blaze, questions of foul play linger. Some activists have termed the fire a deliberate act. The report noted that since 2007, there were 29 such instances where fire broke out at the same plot of land; albeit minor ones which were classified as Level-I blazes. The fire which occurred on 3 December was a relatively major one, and was classified as a Level-III blaze.