DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Two missiles fired from a U.S. drone hit a militant facility in neighboring Afghanistan killing 21 insurgents including the son of the head of the Pakistani Taliban two Pakistani intelligence officials and local Taliban commanders said on Thursday. The strike which according to the officials took place on Wednesday targeted a compound frequented by Mullah Fazlullah the leader of the Pakistani Taliban who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. The intelligence officials said that Fazlullah was apparently not there but his son was killed in the strike in Afghanistan s Kunar province miles away from Pakistani border. Three Pakistani Taliban commanders also confirmed the strike and militant casualties. Pakistani officials and the Taliban commanders spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media. The United States made no comment on the strike. There was also no immediate comment from NATO Afghan authorities or the Pakistani government. It was unclear whether the bodies of those killed in Wednesday s drone strike would be brought to Pakistan for burial. Islamabad has for years has asked Washington and Kabul to take action against Fazlullah and other Pakistani Taliban who are believed to be hiding in neighboring Afghanistan and who cross the porous Afghan-Pakistan border to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul for its part has long complained that Islamabad is not taking enough action against militants who use Pakistani soil to launch attacks against U.S. NATO and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. In recent months President Donald Trump s cranked up pressure on Pakistan to act against militants by suspending key security assistance to the country. Pakistan denies providing sanctuary to militants and says it has carried out several military operations in the country s tribal regions and elsewhere to kill or arrest militants. Fazlullah s is the son-in-law of a Sufi Mohammad a radical anti-U.S. cleric who was recently freed by Pakistan. The cleric imprisoned in Pakistan in 2009 was released in January from a prison in the northwestern city of Peshawar following a court order for his release on health grounds earlier that month.
NEW DELHI: Pakistan appears to have adopted a strategy to turn heat on India by blaming it for sponsoring terror after Delhi was successful in cornering Islamabad at the successive Financial Action Task Force meets besides various bilateral fora including in Gulf. After making Khulbhushan Jadhav a symbol of India s interference in Pakistan Islamabad recently arrested India trained terrorist Muzafar Nagraj and his accomplices. Police in Pakistan s Hyderabad city has described the arrest as big catch . The Hyderabad police claimed on Friday to have busted a group of terrorists trained in India to carry out armed struggle for the independence of Sindh. Hyderabad DIG Javed Alam Odho informed the media about the arrest of five alleged terrorists in the outskirts of Hyderabad reported leading Pakistani English daily The Express Tribune. The suspects were identified as Muzaffar Nagraj Murtaza Abro Shakeel Ghangro Rafaqat Jarwar and Aarib Soomro according to the Tribune. While Pakistan is yet to raise the issue of these arrests with India persons familiar with the Indo-Pak ties labelled charges as baseless and described development as a diversionary tactic. Islamabad reportedly desperate for a formal dialogue with Delhi have sent several feelers to the Modi government over last few months only to be cold shouldered in the wake of terror attacks in J & K and repeated ceasefire violation along the Line of Control. The drama created during the visit of Khulbhushan Jadhav s family members did not help the cause. Besides FATF decision what has impacted Pakistan Army has been India s success since 2015 to get support from key Gulf nations on cross border terror. The recent visit by PM Narendra Modi to both UAE and Oman bears testimony to the fact as both Abu Dhabi and Muscat issued joint statements deploring terror as an instrument of state policy. India and UAE deplored efforts by countries to give religious and sectarian colour to political issues and pointed out the responsibility of all states to control the activities of the so-called non-state actors and to cut all support to terrorists operating and perpetrating terrorism from their territories against other states. Similarly India and Oman agreed to isolate the sponsors and supporters of terrorism and agreed that the international community should take urgent action against all such entities which support terrorism and use it as an instrument of policy. Both UAE and Oman are also emerging as key regional security and defence partners for India to the discomfort of Pakistan. Saudi Arabia too has expanded its counter-terror partnership and even accorded India honour of guest country at their recent cultural festival. And recently Jordan a traditional ally of Pakistan during its King s visit made it clear that it stands Delhi in its fight against terror. The King went a step further and stated that fight against terror is not fight between religions In SE Asia Indonesia home to world s biggest Muslim population have also distanced itself from taking a position on Kashmir at OIC and at bilateral meetings and recently refused to agree to reference to Kashmir at a joint statement with Pakistan. Many of these traditional allies of Pakistan have also felt need to develop wide-ranging partnership with India in backdrop of India s growing political and economic stature. The Express Tribune quoting DIG Odho reported that Nagraj was the commander of the group that had received training in India . The police also claimed Nagraj was part of the Sindh Revolutionary Army was headed by a man named Asghar Shah.
NEW DELHI: India today condemned Pakistan s statement made at UN Human Rights Council where it had accused the former of human rights violation in Kashmir saying that terrorism is the grossest violation of human rights . In a Right of Reply filed at the 37 Session of the UN Human Rights Council New Delhi reminded Islamabad about the state of human rights within its own borders and said that Pakistan has been using the argument of human rights as a shield to mask its territorial ambitions. This council should be mindful that the dubious concern for human rights is coming from a country which has systematically abused and violated the human rights of the people in Balochistan Sindh Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir it said in a response to Pakistan s statement. It also urged the Council to direct Pakistan to end its support to terrorism and cease cross-border infiltration. We urge the Council to call on Pakistan to end cross-border infiltration; to dismantle special terrorist zones safe havens and sanctuaries to take verifiable actions including terror financing; to provide freedom to the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir... the statement said.
Geneva: India on Thursday strongly protested UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra ad Al Hussein s comments on the Kashmir situation in his annual report and an oral update on human rights developments at the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Stating that Hussein s update does not reflect the situation in India adequately Indian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN offices and other international organisations in Geneva Raj Kumar Chander said: There is also a reference to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. There is none to cross-border terrorism. Terrorism is the most fundamental violation of human rights and we overlook its egregiousness at our own peril. Kumar said that selective and tendentious statements on human rights issues only serve to undermine the credibility of this approach . In his address on Wednesday Hussein said: With respect to Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control regrettably unconditional access continues to be refused to my office and I will report on this issue at greater length in June. Representational image. Getty Images The UNHRC chief also said that he was increasingly disturbed by discrimination and violence directed at minorities including Dalits and other Scheduled Castes and religious minorities such as Muslims in India. In some cases this injustice appears actively endorsed by local or religious officials Hussein said. I am concerned that criticism of government policies is frequently met by claims that it constitutes sedition or a threat to national security. I am deeply concerned by efforts to limit critical voices through the cancellation or suspension of registration of thousands of NGOs including groups advocating human rights and even public health groups. In his response on Thursday Ambassador Chander said that the Indian Constitution prohibited the state from discrimination against any citizen on grounds of religion race caste sex and place of birth . Along with being the world s largest democracy Indian polity also weaves in immense diversity with respect for tolerance and mutual understanding he said. An independent judiciary free and vibrant media and a vocal civil society are all active in this regard within the legal framework of the State. National and state level commissions are monitoring compliance with human rights. Chander said that the Indian government has been pursuing welfare of all its citizens with schematic interventions in a systemic approach . The motto of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas that is all together and development for all is a commitment to our people he said. Therefore any assessment of India should factor in its unique national circumstances and be based on the objective realities that point to a comprehensive effort to substantially raise the level of standard of living of all its citizens.
Written by Sushant Singh | Published: March 9 2018 12:20 am The danger of an escalation of conflict with Pakistan can never be fully ruled out. (Representational photo) In August 1962 barely a couple of months before China humiliated India in a border war Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Rajeshwar Dayal was in New Delhi. He was summoned for an urgent meeting in then defence minister V K Krishna Menon s office where the three service chiefs and the foreign secretary were also present. Menon opened the meeting saying that he was glad the High Commissioner was present to give a first-hand account of the vast preparations being made to launch a professedly non-violent massive infiltration of so-called volunteers across the ceasefire line in Kashmir . Bemused like other participants Dayal protested that he was not aware of any such plan. But Menon insisted on the vague second-hand rumour in Dayal s words and directed that all leave be cancelled and the armed forces put on alert . Y K Gundevia the Commonwealth Secretary in the external affairs ministry who was present in the meeting was not able to fathom why this nonsense about Pakistan troop movements in Murree was fabricated in that crucial week . It was not only in that crucial week but throughout the year that Indian attention remained focused on possible Pakistani actions than the Chinese ones. In August 1959 itself Army Chief General K S Thimayya had complained to Jawaharlal Nehru about Menon s war psychosis against Pakistan as compared to his apathy towards Chinese moves. Nearly six decades on India is in the danger of repeating those mistakes as it focuses too much on Pakistan while the real challenge could come from its bigger Himalayan neighbour China. This is not to say that the situation with Pakistan is peaceful. The ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) is marked only by its absence with January having seen more ceasefire violations than ever. With J&K having experienced low snowfall this winter infiltration by militants from the Pakistani side is expected to start early this year. More local youth are taking to the gun in Kashmir while security forces camps in the state continue to be targeted by militants from Pakistan. The danger of an escalation of conflict with Pakistan can never be fully ruled out. Notwithstanding the rhetoric of our nightly news television warriors the probability of things getting out of hand on the Pakistan border remain rather low. In fact barring a dozen years of ceasefire on the LoC after 2003 India has long been accustomed to a state of no war no peace with Pakistan particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. The surgical strikes of 2016 and the recent proactive stance on the LoC more than two-thirds of the ceasefire violations are now initiated by the Indian Army actually demonstrate the limits of Indian options. In a scenario devoid of strategic options these are but tactical byplays which lead to the loss of lives of soldiers and innocent civilians on both sides. Despite the inherent strategic stability under a nuclear shadow of a paradoxically tactically unstable state of no war no peace the lens of public attention is obsessively focused on Pakistani action and the Indian response to them. More than any great strategic thought this is due to an intricate linkage of Pakistan with domestic Indian politics in recent years. From union ministers asking people criticising them to go to Pakistan to cow vigilantes calling their victims Pakistanis the tag of enemy country is permissively being used to tarnish not just Indian Muslims but also those opposed to Hindutva ideology. Keeping the attention focused on Pakistan thus becomes imperative for a certain kind of political ideology to succeed: Any action on the LoC or in Kashmir is a god-sent opportunity for these ideologues to further their political goals. There is however a grave danger in Pakistan garnering a disproportionately high share of attention in our strategic mind space including from the government and the military. It shifts the focus away from the strategic challenge posed by China whether on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) or in the Indian Ocean region. The number of transgressions across the LAC by Chinese military patrols and face-offs between soldiers of the two armies were the highest last year. The two armies were in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation for 73 days in the Doklam area on the Sikkim border last summer. After the disengagement the Chinese continue to remain deployed in the area with recent reports indicating yet another upsurge in their activity. Poor state of infrastructure on the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh leaves India highly vulnerable to Chinese military action in a state it claims as South Tibet. Beyond the contentious land borders Chinese submarines and vessels have been spotted in the waters of the Indian Ocean forcing the Indian Navy to stretch itself by the continued deployment of its ships and submarines. As our political and military leaders remind us 2018 is not 1962 and India won t be a pushover against any Chinese military action. In the past few months the challenge of a two-front war fighting China and Pakistan simultaneously has also been spoken of by our senior military commanders. One of Z A Bhutto s biggest complaints against the then Pakistani military dictator Ayub Khan was that he didn t use the opportunity provided by the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict for if Pakistan had attacked India at that time we could have gone up to Delhi . That is a scenario New Delhi has to watch out for: Pakistan by itself is not a potent strategic threat but when combined with China it is likely to pose a major military challenge for India. New Delhi will benefit in the long-run by paying due attention to China and moving away from its current unhealthy obsession with Pakistan. Focusing singularly on Pakistan may be electorally profitable for a few but India can t afford to sacrifice its strategic interests at the altar of its domestic politics. sushant.singh@expressindia.com. For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App More From Sushant Singh US blames Indian ammo for gun snag test today The tests will be conducted in Pokhran by a joint investigation committee (JIC) comprising US and Indian officials... Don t compare Rafale deal with Bofors no scam here https://www.tripline.net/d4int/ says Defence Minister The BJP government had signed a deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets from France in 2016 and cancelled the process for buying 126 of the No request made to US for F-35 fighter jet says IAF chief B S Dhanoa Sources also said that as the IAF is already down to 31 squadrons of fighter aircraft against an authorisation of 42 it is imperative to rakesh katyalMar 9 2018 at 8:58 amRaGa is taking good care of China with Vadra in toe. We needn t worry.(0)(0) Reply Shyam SunderMar 9 2018 at 8:52 amThe writer should not teach lessons to CHANAKYAS of today and not compare their NEETIS with follies of duds like Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru during 1959-1962.(0)(0) Reply S KMar 9 2018 at 8:41 amThe writer does not have much of a point because (1) Pakistan is actively aiding and abetting terrorism in India on a daily basis and India has to remain vigilant on a 24x7 basis against Pakistan. (2) India is looking out for security threats from China and thus opposed OBOR. What India needs to immediately tackle with China is the issue of huge trade imbalance and hurdles put up against India doing business in China.(0)(0) Reply Ajat ShaMar 9 2018 at 8:38 amFirstly India does not pay adequate attention to the Pakistan itself. Already clamor for peace talk is more in India than Pakistan and that too only by media. Secondly if you were to take two front war forward then you would need even more radical measures on mobilizations budgetary and people commitments. Thus Pakistan is immediate and continuing threat that needs to be handled daily tactically and strategically.(0)(0) Reply Sankaran KrishnanMar 9 2018 at 8:30 amTo be precise we can say that it is China who is making the Pakistanis and its Military establishment and uses them against us which we failed to read not only by the Rulers of this Country (Irrespective of the Party that rules) but also by the so called Bureaucrats who are claiming to be Experts of Administrative Excellence. What we need is out of box thinking both at the Govt. level and that of its Bureaucrats or else India will suffer at the hands of both Pakistan and China which use the Terror Nation to trigger through them !!!(0)(0) Reply Load More Comments
ISLAMABAD: The IMF has expressed concern over Pakistan s weakening macroeconomic situation including widening external and fiscal imbalances reduction in foreign exchange reserves and emerging risks to economic and financial outlook a media report said today. The IMF executive board asked the government to immediately refocus on near-term policies to preserve macroeconomic stability and get back to fiscal discipline shown under the three-year USD 6.64 billion multi-tranche Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to minimise risks and economic distortions. In its first post-programme monitoring (PPM) after the completion of fund programme in September last year the IMF board also raised questions over the medium-term debt sustainability and called for additional revenue measures and containing expenditures the Dawn newspaper reported. The board expressed its anxiety over the deteriorating assessment that the country s fiscal deficit was set to hit 5.5 per cent of GDP almost Rs 505 billion higher than 4.1 per cent budgeted by the government and current account deficit to touch 4.8 per cent of GDP with the economic growth rate staying conservative at 5.6 per cent instead of budgeted 6 per cent. The IMF said the near-term economic growth outlook was broadly favourable but continued erosion of macroeconomic resilience could put this outlook at risk . Directors also emphasised the need for prudent debt management and caution in phasing in new external liabilities and the urgency of tackling rising fiscal risks stemming from continued losses in public sector enterprises the IMF said in a statement issued two days after the executive board meeting that took place on March 5 in Washington. The IMF said that real GDP was estimated to grow by 5.6 per cent during the fiscal year in 2017-18 due to improved power supply investment related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) strong consumption growth and ongoing recovery in agriculture. Inflation has remained contained and is estimated at 5.4 per cent. Following significant fiscal slippages last year and current year deficit estimated at 5.5 per cent of GDP with risks towards a higher deficit ahead of the upcoming general elections surging imports have led to a widening current account deficit and a significant decline in international reserves despite higher external financing. The IMF noted gross international reserves further declining in a context of limited exchange rate flexibility. Against the backdrop of rising external and fiscal financing needs and declining reserves risks to Pakistan s medium-term capacity to repay the Fund have increased since completion of the EFF arrangement in September 2016 . The board directors welcomed move to allow some exchange rate adjustment last December but stressed the importance of greater exchange rate flexibility on a more permanent basis to preserve external buffers and improve competitiveness the report said. They also encouraged the authorities to phase out administrative measures aimed at supporting the balance of payments as soon as conditions allow them to minimise potential economic distortions it said. The executive board noted that the external sector pressures were in part linked to the fiscal deterioration during the last fiscal year and an accommodative monetary policy stance as well as high imports related to the CPEC projects.
Sushma Swaraj is one of the four women politicians who dominate the Indian politics currently. Apart from Swaraj the other three women in this quartet are: Ex-President Pratibha Patil UPA chief Sonia Gandhi and Ex-Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. Swaraj BJP MP from Vidisha is the leader of the opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha. Swaraj is one of the few Indian politicians who are on social networking site Twitter. Recently Swaraj s tweet of accepting PM Manmohan Singh s explanation on the CVC fiasco created a kind of flutter in BJP. Born in Haryana Sushma began her political career as a student leader and became a member of the Haryana assembly for the first time in 1977. In 1980 Swaraj joined the BJP and during the Ram temple movement along with Uma Bharti became the face of women power in the BJP. In 1990 she was elected to the Rajya Sabha and in 1996 she became a Lok Sabha member from South Delhi. In 1998 Swaraj quit the Union Cabinet of AB Vajpayee and became the first woman chief minister of Delhi. After the defeat of BJP at the hands of Sheila Dikshit in the Delhi assembly elections Swaraj returned to national politics. Swaraj along with other BJP leaders like Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh is considered the future of the party in the post AB Vajpayee and LK Advani era.Swaraj has been serving as the Indian External Affairs Minister under Prime Minister Narendra Modi since May 2014 and has been actively responsible in implementing the foreign policy of Narendra Modi. She is only the second woman to hold this position after Indira Gandhi.
