Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !

India-Pakistan

Ensure Safety Of Minorities: India Tells Pakistan After 4th Attack On Sikh minority

2023-06-27

[OneIndia] India on Monday summoned a senior diplomat of the Pakistain High Commission and lodged a strong protest over the recent incidents of attacks on Sikh community members in that country, PTI reported citing sources. The diplomat has been conveyed that Pakistain should ensure the safety and security of its minorities who live in "constant fear of religious persecution". This is the fourth such attack on Sikhs in Pakistain between April and June. In the fourth incident, a Sikh man identified as Manmohan Singh who was rubbed out on Saturday by unidentified gunnies in the Yakatoot area of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire... , the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistain, according to a report in Hindustan Times. It came a day after a Sikh shopkeeper was injured after unidentified gunnies fired at him in the same area of Peshawar. In a statement, the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... took credit for the liquidation of Manmohan Singh, portraying him as a practitioner of the "polytheistic" Sikh faith. The same statement also acknowledged their involvement in the assault on another Sikh individual the day prior.

Link

Europe

Indian couple go on trial in Germany accused of spying

2019-11-23

[DW] They are charged with spying on Sikh opposition and suspected Kashmiri separatist groups and passing on the information to India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing. The trial of two Indian citizens accused of spying on Kashmiri and Sikh groups in Germany and sharing information with Indian intelligence agents began on Thursday at the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt. Manmohan S., 50, and his wife, 51-year-old Kanwal Jit K., were charged with foreign secret service agent activity in Germany. Starting in January 2015, Manmohan is accused of obtaining information on Kashmiri separatist and Sikh groups operating in Germany and passing it on officials of India's external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW ... India's Research and Analysis Wing, Pakistain's equivalent of the Boogie Man... ), posted at the Indian Consulate in Frankfurt. From July 2017, his wife Kanwal Jit is also suspected of taking part in the intelligence gathering. In return for their service, the couple reportedly received a total of €7,200 ($7,974) from RAW. While the trial begins on Thursday, further hearings are scheduled up until December 12. If convicted, the couple may be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. Added per Dron66046’s comment to aid future searches, the miscreants’ full names are Manmohan Singh and Kanwaljit Kaur. In Sikhs, every lady's a 'Kaur'.

Link

India-Pakistan

Those who shelter terrorists can’t be spared: PM

2016-10-12

[Daily Excelsior] Breaking from tradition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today attended the historic Ramlila celebrations here where he launched a veiled attack on Pakistain, saying those who help and provide shelter to forces of Evil cannot be spared, but made no reference to the surgical strikes. Making terrorism the centrepoint of his over 20-minute speech, he said terror was the worst enemy of humanity and called upon the world community to speak in one voice against the menace to put an end to it. "Terrorism does not have any boundaries. It is bound to destroy all...A need has arisen to root out those who spread terrorism. Those who help forces of Evil and provide shelter to them can no longer be spared," he said in an obvious reference to Pakistain without taking its name. "Terrorism is against humanity. The entire world is being destroyed...If you think that we are insulated against terrorism, then we are wrong. It is a virus affecting our societies. All forces across the world have to talk in one voice and end it. It will not be possible to save humanity without eradicating terrorism," the Prime Minister said. "The forces of humanism should unite globally to end the menace," he said. Modi became the first Prime Minister to attend a Ramlila event outside Delhi and his participation at the Aishbagh celebrations assumes significance in the context of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh early next year. The theme of this year’s Dussehra here was ’destruction of terrorism’. In the run up to the event today, there have been many references to the surgical strikes by characters enacting Ramlila. In significant gestures, Modi was presented a Sudarshan Chakra, bow and arrow and a mace at the event, symbolising valour. At the Delhi event at Ramlila Maidan, as usual, President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were present. "No one should have this misunderstanding that they are safe from terrorism as terrorism has no boundary, no morality, it can go anywhere and it is bent upon crushing humanity...It is essential for all to come together against terrorism," Modi said. "The entire world is being harmed. For the last two days we are seeing the picture of a little girl of Syria....And so today, when we are buring Ravana, all human forces as one will have to resolve to fight terrorism as humanity cannot be saved without bringing an end to it," he said. Modi recalled his meeting with a top US official who had then not recognised terrorism as a problem and had instead termed it as a law and order issue. He said the world’s perspective towards terrorism changed after 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He also urged the people to remain vigilant against terrorists, saying their attempts to carry out attacks can be thwarted by alert citizens. While celebrating Dussehra, which signifies victory of good over evil, the Prime Minister said Lord Rama represented humanity and its rich values and traditions. He said the first person to fight terror was neither a soldier nor a politician, but the mythological bird Jatayu who fought against Ravana to protect a helpless Sita, whom he was trying to kidnap. Noting that war at times becomes inevitable due to prevailing circumstances, he said India is a country which follows the principles of peace as taught by Lord Buddha. "We balance between the Mohan of the Sudarshan Chakra, and the Mohan of the Charkha (Mahatma Gandhi)...We are the people who have seen yudhh (war) and Buddha. We can go from yudh to Buddha. Buddha’s path (of peace) should be our final path," he said. Terming castiesm, communalism and nepotism as the forms of social evils present inside people, he said and there is a need to get rid of these ’Ravanas’. Modi said on one side the country was celebrating Vijay Dashmi and on the other the world was observing the day of the girl child today and called upon people to end the menace of female infanticide and feoticide.

Link

India-Pakistan

Three Police Shot Dead in Indian Kashmir's Capital

2016-05-24

[AnNahar] Suspected Lions of Islam on Monday bumped off three Indian coppers in separate attacks in Srinagar, the main city in the restive state of Kashmire. Deadly attacks on security forces are relatively common in the disputed Indian-controlled Himalayan region, but Srinagar has been largely free from such incidents in recent years. Police said two officers were rubbed out while patrolling in the old part of the city. A third was rubbed out in a business district less than an hour later. "Three cops were killed in two different Lion of Islam attacks," senior officer Ghulam Hassan Bhat told Agence La Belle France Presse in Srinagar. The Lion of Islam group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen claimed the attacks, but there was no official confirmation it was responsible. Authorities said they were tightening security in already heavily militarised Srinagar in the wake of the attacks. The last major assault on security forces in Srinagar was in June 2013, when suspected Lions of Islam attacked an army convoy and killed eight soldiers the day before a visit by then prime minister Manmohan Singh. Last year the city saw a series of grenade attacks on telecom company offices and paramilitary troop installations. Kashmire has been divided between India and Pakistain since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in its entirety. Several Lion of Islam groups have since 1989 been fighting police or troops deployed in the Indian sector, calling for its independence or merger with Pakistain.

Link

India-Pakistan

Terror and diplomacy

2016-01-17

[DAWN] "IN the recent history of relations between India and Pakistain, it has seemed an immutable law: that any apparent political breakthrough will be followed by a terrorist atrocity in India blamed on agents of the Pakistain state." Further, "to call off the dialogue gives the Death Eaters what they want". This is what The Economist said a week after the terrorist attack on the air force base in Pathankot. There was a terrorist attack in Gurdaspur on 27 July last. It is all very reminiscent of the train blasts in Mumbai in July 2006 and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on Nov 26, 2008. The one common feature in all these outrages in the decade from 2006 to 2016 is that they were perpetrated in the phase when détente in the relations between India and Pakistain seemed promising. There is, however, a marked difference between the reaction to the Pathankot incident and the one to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The consensus is in favour of proceeding with that process while seeking redress for the wrongs; by making an end to terrorism the first item on the agenda of the talks. The most significant comment came from the moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. "As we have seen in the past, whenever there is a serious effort made by India and Pakistain to resolve issues, incidents like this have taken place with the aim to derail the dialogue process. The elements who seek to vitiate the atmosphere and derail the dialogue process are working against the interest of the people of South Asia." It urged the prime ministers "to carry forward and work together to try and rid the region of conflict and violence". There are fundamental differences between the reactions to Pathankot and Mumbai. One is India's trust in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... This explains India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement on Jan 12: "The Pak government has said it will take effective action. I think we should wait." He referred to press reports of the government of Pakistain executing the arrest of some persons suspected of complicity in the Jan 2 attack and to the high-level team it had set up to look into the evidence given by the Indian government. He pointedly said, "Since they have given an assurance to the Indian government, we don't have any reason to doubt them. We should wait for some time. There is no reason to distrust them as of now." But this also raises expectations in India. If results are not forthcoming -- as in the Mumbai case -- the trust will be transformed into bitter disappointment. Diplomacy must work its way despite acts of terrorism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi told his host at Lahore, on Dec 25: "Ab yahan aana jaana laga rahega" (Now there will be visits). Those who attacked the Pathankot air force base must be renewing their sordid resolve as doggedly. Is it not time that a durable, effective mechanism against terrorism was devised, simultaneously with action against the culprits in Pakistain, for the countries to set in motion whenever the holy warriors launch an attack? Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and president Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... had devised one at Havana in 2006 but it got nowhere for political reasons. In 2008, the two countries came fairly close to evolving one on an ad hoc basis. Had it succeeded, it would have laid the basis for a permanent accord. Reportedly, when the two prime ministers spoke on the phone soon after the attacks, Manmohan Singh invited the director general of the ISI. This was agreed to but then the ISI objected. The crucial question is the degree of cooperation in the investigation. Sen­ding the intelligence chief was too much to expect of any state. Very soon after the announcement, it was clarified that someone of lower rank would go; the director general following him, if need be.

Link

India-Pakistan

Hurriyat ready for talks

2015-12-28

[Daily Excelsior] The moderate separatist group in Jammu and Kashmire today urged the top political brass of India and Pakistain to ensure that "rabble-rousers" in both countries are not allowed to vitiate the "atmosphere of peace" emerging after the recent thaw in Indo-Pak relations. The Hurriyat Conference headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq hoped that the leadership in both the countries will carry forward the grinding of the peace processor in a "bold way" and resolve all outstanding issues including Kashmire. It also said that it would not shy away from talks with the Government, adding that any dialogue should be "with an open mind and heart". Keenly watching the developments, Mirwaiz Farooq, who is also a Muslim religious head, feels that the Friday meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Pak counterpart Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... in Lahore has given a fresh hope not only to people of the two nations but to the entire South Asian region. "I only hope that the process, which has been initiated after many speed breakers, gains momentum and both nations sit together and find solutions to all the outstanding issues including Kashmire by involving the Kashmiri people," the Mirwaiz said here. He, however, expressed apprehension that radical elements, who are inimical to peace in the region, would try and make desperate attempts to sabotage the grinding of the peace processor. "Both the Prime Ministers are democratically elected and have a strong mandate in their respective countries. If they are to carry forward a grinding of the peace processor and take historical steps, it is important that the process has broad support from the political opposition and general public in both countries. "Any party or group that stands in the way of attempts to achieve peace are enemies of the people of South Asia. The leadership in India and Pakistain should invite and involve all the stakeholders -- especially the people of Kashmire -- to contribute and be a part of this process. "The rabble-rousers should be reined in so that issues can be addressed and peace becomes the order of the day in the South Asian region," he said. When asked that certain separatists groups including his one time ally Syed Ali Shah Geelani were considered as hawks, the Mirwaiz said, "Everyone in Kashmire supports meaningful dialogue and engagement. My point is simple that we in the Hurriyat Conference believe that Kashmire is a political issue which needs to be resolved through dialogue " "We in Hurriyat Conference would like to walk an extra mile for ensuring that grinding of the peace processor can succeed. I have said it many times that we wish to see Kashmire as a bridge of friendship between India and Pakistain rather than a bone of contention," the Mirwaiz said. To a question whether the Hurriyat Conference was willing to talk to the central leadership, he said, "We have never shied away from dialogue aimed at addressing the Kashmire issue be it with India or Pakistain. "We held talks with the then Prime Ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh as well as Pervez Musharaf and even gave some suggestions in order to move forward. Hurriyat would not shy away from any serious process aimed at resolving the Kashmire issue involving all stakeholders" To a question about statements from Union Ministers that talks with Hurriyat would be held within Indian Constitution, the Mirwaiz claimed it was Vajpayee who spoke of holding unconditional talks under the ambit of 'insaniyat' and vowed that India "shall not traverse solely on the beaten track of the past". "Talks need to be held with an open mind and heart," the Mirwaiz said. (PTI)

Link

India-Pakistan

Countering Pakistan's Asymmetric Warfare

2015-09-29

While reading the referenced document, I was struck by the following: Therefore, India should consider asserting her strategic autonomy on issues having a direct bearing on her strategic and security interests and not be seen as being overly cautious to the sensitivities of the US. In doing so, India must strengthen her ties with Iran so as to maintain her influence in the region. Just as the US continues to have its relationship with Pakistan, which is separate from India's own relationship with it, India's relationship with Iran should not come in the way of India's continuing good relations with the US. The recent statement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding opposition to further rounds of sanctions against Iran and India's participation in the nuclear conference hosted by Iran could be viewed as a step in the right direction. Why is India's strategic thinking always to unalign with the US? Does India see a nuclear Iran as a counterweight to Pakistan? How would that affect India's relationship with Israel? If China aligns with Iran (and why wouldn't it) wouldn't that put an even bigger squeeze back on India?

Link

India-Pakistan

Beyond the Nehruvian consensus

2014-06-21

Through the long era of the "Nehruvian consensus", Indian policymakers enjoyed a favourite occupation: introspection. Every problem needed introspection. Every setback called for introspection. Every initiative required introspection. After over 60 years of introspection, we have policymakers who still advise — yes — further introspection. The new Indian government has laid the Nehruvian consensus to rest. Action and outcomes count. Introspection is fine. But too much of it can lead to sclerotic inertia. Can an outcome-focused government lose sight of first principles? The Nehruvian consensus had three guiding dictums: socialism, secularism and non-alignment. Socialism fell apart under Narasimha Rao, Manmohan Singh (when he was finance minister) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was revived by Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh (when he was Prime Minister). Instead of growing the economy and then distributing its benefits inclusively, the Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan Singh government did the exact opposite. The fiscal crisis is the result of failed economic socialism. The Nehruvian consensus on secularism (introduced into the Constitution along with socialism by Indira Gandhi during the Emergency in 1976) descended into farce under Rajiv Gandhi following the Shah Bano case in 1985-86. Muslims have since become poorer than even Dalits. Communal polarization began not with LK Advani's rath yatra in 1990 but with Rajiv's terrible blunder over Shah Bano five years earlier. The third pillar of the Nehruvian consensus, non-alignment, fell with the Berlin wall 25 years ago. In a unipolar world dominated by the United States, strategic policy requires India to be a regional leader, not part of an amorphous non-aligned bloc. Jairam Ramesh recently compared Narendra Modi to Richard Nixon — the US President who opened up China to American blandishments at the height of the Cold War. Weaning China away from the Soviet Union into a position of equidistance with the US was achieved by both Nixon and Henry Kissinger. Can Modi do the same with China over Pakistan? Modi's visit to Bhutan was calibrated to achieve several key ends. Bhutan has conducted over 25 rounds of border talks with China since 1986. The next round of talks between the two countries is scheduled in July/August. India sought and got an assurance in Thimpu that vulnerable border areas in the north and the east will not be compromised during the China-Bhutan talks. India's own border dispute with China in Arunachal and Ladakh can then progress without unnecessary impediments. China's growing concern over Islamist militancy in its northwestern Xinjiang province is a lever India will use to focus Chinese minds on restraining terrorism bred in Pakistan's fertile jihadi soil. As events in Karachi have shown terrorism, like water, is fungible. It can drown its creators and damage its neighbours. China has no wish to allow further Islamist radicalization of Xinjiang, where Muslim Uighars speak a Turkic dialect. China earlier this week executed 13 terrorists for a series of attacks by Uighars in Xinjiang. The emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) has further underscored the dangers Sunni jihadism poses to the world. ISIS was initially funded by wealthy individual donors in Sunni Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states to weaken Shia-majority Iran and Iraq (which is 60% Shia, 20% Sunni and 20% Kurd). Like all Frankensteins — including Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Taliban — ISIS has now become a menace to its sponsors. It could in future threaten the Saudi Wahhabi princelings and spread its brand of unspeakable brutality from the Middle-East to north-west India. ISIS will eventually be defeated by moderate Sunni rebel factions in Syria and Iraq once Iraq's blundering Shia prime minister Nouri al-Maliki gives minority Sunnis a role in his government. ISIS's lightning advance towards Baghdad has warned the world against allowing the culture of jihadism free rein. A rattlesnake has to be defanged before it spreads its poison. India has long punched below its geopolitical weight. A colonial inferiority complex, corrupt governments and chronic misgovernance since, especially, 2004 have eroded India's ability to influence events outside its own sphere. The new government must change that. How? The three Abrahamic religions — Christianity, Islam and Judaism — have been the fount of global conflict for centuries. India's post-Nehruvian consensus must deal with the embers of that conflict by evolving a robust strategic doctrine. A future article will expand on that and more.

Link

India-Pakistan

Narendra Modi's new NSA, Ajit Kumar Doval starts big, has bigger goals

2014-05-29

NEW DELHI: Ajit Kumar Doval (69), Narendra Modi's national security advisor-designate, started big on his new job -- before the PM met his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif for a one-on-one meeting, he went through a background note prepared by Doval. People familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition they not be identified told ET that Doval, a former Intelligence Bureau chief, had worked closely with Modi's Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra over the weekend. Doval and Misra had worked out talking points to be taken up with various SAARC leaders. Talks with Pakistan were especially crucial and emphasis was on improving bilateral ties and delivering a firm message on terrorism. Getting the message right was the first major task for Doval, known for having a tough approach to terror. Doval's appointment was the first file Modi's principal secretary took to the PM. The PM signed the file in the morning. People familiar with the matter said Prime Minister Modi had met Doval three times before the government formation exercise was complete."They get along really well...and have same views on many critical security issues," one person said. "Modi expects Doval to give concrete shape to India's anti-terror and anti-Maoist strategy and streamline anti-terror and anti-Maoist operations," this person added. Doval will only be the second NSA after MK Narayanan to have a professional career in intelligence. Most NSAs such as Brajesh Mishra for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and JN Dixit, Shyam Saran and SS Menon for Manmohan Singh, had foreign service backgrounds. And the foreign service is never used as cover for intelligence.~ In fact, Narayanan started as Singh's internal security advisor, and only took over NSA duties when Dixit passed away. An official in the PMO who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Modi may appoint a deputy NSA with a foreign service background. Among the names being considered should the post of deputy NSA be created is Hardeep Puri, retired IFS, who was India's man in the United Nations. Close observers of India's security apparatus and its talent level say Doval's career as a spymaster has been among the more successful in recent past. A 1968 batch IPS officer who spent virtually all his career in IB, Doval is credited by security experts with intelligence successes like infiltrating the Mizo National Army and planning key Myanmar- and China-related missions. His intelligence work was also crucial in Operation Black Thunder, the mop-up operation that followed Operation Blue Star, the first big action against Punjab militants in Golden Temple. Undercover work in Pakistan and the tough job of being one of the negotiators in the 1C-814 hijacking episode added sufficiently to his CV so that when BJP lost power in 2004, the Congress government appointed him as IB chief, despite Doval's perceived closeness to BJP leaders. Doval retired in 2005 and was considered a certainty for NSA's job had BJP won in 2009 elections. The long wait for Doval between 2005 and 2014 was spent mostly in setting up the Vivekananda International Foundation, a Delhibased think tank with a centreright intellectual perspective.

Link

India-Pakistan

India's mission to Mars crosses half-way mark

2014-04-10

[DAWN] India's first mission to Mars successfully crossed the half-way mark on Wednesday, four months after leaving on an voyage to the Red Planet scheduled to take 11 months, the space agency said. "The spacecraft crossed the half-way mark Wednesday at 9:50 am on its journey to Mars," the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement from the southern city of Bangalore. "The spacecraft and its five scientific instruments are in good health." The gold-coloured probe, the size of a small car, will aim to detect methane in the Martian atmosphere, which could provide evidence of some sort of life form on the fourth planet from the Sun. The country has never before attempted inter-planetary travel, and more than half of all missions to Mars have ended in failure, including China's in 2011 and Japan's in 2003. The low-cost Mars Orbiter Mission, known as "Mangalyaan" in India, was revealed in August 2012 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, shortly after China's attempt flopped. The timing and place of the announcement -- in an Independence Day speech -- led to speculation that India was seeking to make a point to its militarily and economically superior neighbour, despite denials from ISRO. NASA has also launched a spacecraft to Mars, on a mission to study how the air on the planet has changed over time, and is also expected to reach its destination in September. India's mission cost 4.5 billion rupees ($75 million), a fraction of the cost of the US unmanned MAVEN spacecraft at $671 million.

Link

India-Pakistan

India’s top court halts release of Rajiv Gandhi killers

2014-02-21

NEW DELHI: India’s top court on Thursday blocked the release of three of former premier Rajiv Gandhi’s killers after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh denounced their freeing as against all principles of justice. They were among seven Tamil terrorists extremists who had been due to walk free from prison by this weekend after the chief minister of Tamil Nadu state on Wednesday ordered their release, sparking political uproar. Announcing legal action against the move, Singh staunchly rejected any right to freedom, saying Gandhi’s 1991 assassination by a female terrorist suicide bomber was an attack on the nation’s soul. “The assassination of Shri (honorific) Rajiv Gandhi was an attack on the soul of India,” Singh said in a statement on Thursday. “No government or party should be soft in our fight against terrorism,” he added. “The release of the killers of a former Prime Minister of India and our great leader, as well as several other innocent Indians, would be contrary to all principles of justice.” After agreeing to an urgent hearing, a Supreme Court bench ordered the Tamil Nadu government to maintain the “status quo” for three of the seven terrorists until it had a chance to examine the issue thoroughly. The bench headed by Chief Justice P. Sathasivam said although Tamil Nadu in the country’s south had the right to release the prisoners, it was concerned about “procedural lapses.” The court said the Congress-led national government could file a fresh petition for the remaining four terrorists who are serving life sentences, although it was unclear if this could halt their release by the weekend. Government lawyer Ashok Bhan, who was involved in the case, told NDTV that Tamil Nadu was unlikely to go ahead with releasing the four terrorists given the “mood of the court.” In a surprise move, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had ordered the seven’s release one day after the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence handed down on three convicted terrorists over their role in the assassination in her state. Rajiv Gandhi, whose widow Sonia is now president of Singh’s Congress party, was targeted by Tamil Tiger terrorists separatists while he was campaigning in the southern state in May 1991 before an election. His killing was seen as retaliation for a 1987 Indian government pact with Sri Lanka to disarm the Tamil terrorists guerrillas. India later withdraw its troops deployed to the island after losing 1,200 at the hands of the terrorists rebels. Rajiv became India’s youngest-ever leader after his mother, prime minister Indira Gandhi, was assassinated in October 1984. He ruled until losing an election five years later. His son Rahul, who is the Congress vice president and the party’s frontman for the looming general elections, voiced his sadness on Wednesday over Jayalalithaa’s decision. “If some person kills the PM and is released then how will a common man... get justice?” said Rahul. He was only 20 at the time of the suicide bomb attack which killed 16 other people. “In this country even the PM does not get justice. This is my heart’s voice,” Gandhi was quoted as saying by local media. Several newspapers said Thursday Jayalalithaa’s decision was motivated by a desire to woo Tamil voters for her regional party at the elections due by the end of May, with The Times of India declaring in a front-page headline: “Jaya plays politics”. Neelam Deo, director of the Mumbai-based Gateway House think-tank, said Jayalalithaa had been a staunch critic of the Tamil Tigers, but was nevertheless sensitive to the sympathy felt by voters in her state towards the minority Tamil population in neighbouring Sri Lanka. “There is no popular backing for the LTTE (Tigers) in Tamil Nadu. That evaporated after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. What remains is support for the rights and dignity of Sri Lankan Tamils,” said Deo. Amid the growing controversy over the release order, the daughter of two of those who had been due to go free appealed for forgiveness from the Gandhi family, saying she understood the pain felt by Rahul.

Link

Afghanistan

Karzai's BSA-Durand Line Comparison Rebuffed

2014-01-27

[Tolo News] In rsponse to the reason comparison made by President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... of the Kabul-Washington security pact with the much resented Durand Line Treaty made with Great Britannia in the 19th century, a number of international affairs experts looked to clarify the major differences between the two. The experts principled objection to Karzai's statement, which added greater tension to a already tense situation over the delay in the Bilateral Security Agreement's (BSA) finalization, was that the pact had been judged to be in Afghanistan's interests and was overwhelmingly supported by the Afghan people. Back in November, a 2,500-member Loya Jirga voted in approval of the BSA, and since Karzai has demanded the U.S. meet new preconditions before the deal is signed, a bevy of Afghan politicians and civil society activists have come out in public support of it. In contrast, the experts said, the Durand Line Treaty was imposed by the British Empire and entailed the loss of territory. "I think instead of comparing this agreement to the Durand Line Treaty, President Karzai should have compared it to the U.S. Security agreement with Germany, the U.S. Security Agreement with Japan, or U.S. Security Agreement with Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and South Korea," international affairs expert Malek Setiz said. Political analyst Daud Moradian said Karzai should consider what kind of leader he wants to be, and how he wants to be remembered. "Today, India has changed into a strategic partner with the U.S. and is an emerging power in the region, so we hope that Mr. Karzai will learn from Ahmadi Nejad's experiences and will act in accordance with the national interests of Afghanistan like Manmohan Singh," Moradian said, juxtaposing the anti-U.S. legacy of the former Iranian leader with the more engaged leadership of India's current Prime Minister. Recent statements made by Karzai casting doubt over whether or not he will ever sign the BSA have received harsh criticism from Afghan leaders, including Presidential candidates. "I think that if the Bilateral Security Agreement between Kabul and Washington is not signed, the elections will not be held as well," Presidential candidate Gul Agha Sherzai ...former governor of Kandahar province. the Taliban got their start protecting people against him... said. "The Afghan people's hope is in the hands of a foreign country, but up to the efforts of the President of Afghanistan, the government of Afghanistan, the future government of Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan," Presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... said.

Link

Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More