Asia

Kashmiri activists express concern over proposed amendments in Interim Constitution of PoK
22Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Kashmiri activists express concern over proposed amendments in Interim Constitution of PoK

Kashmiri political activists have raised concerns over the proposed amendments in the Interim Constitution of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by the Pakistani establishment saying that the 'unjust' law will give all authorities to directly-appointed officers from Pakistan, instead of the elected representatives in the illegally-occupied region.The provisions of the proposed 14th Amendment Bill in the Interim Constitution of PoK include laws which restrict any person to participate in political activity which does not believe accession with Pakistan.Activists have described it as a violation of the rights of “self-determination and fundamental human rights” of people of PoK."Pakistan has always imposed such laws through its facilitators on the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which comp
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Gilgit-Baltistan Agriculture Minister among 118 new COVID-19 deaths in Pakistan
21Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Gilgit-Baltistan Agriculture Minister among 118 new COVID-19 deaths in Pakistan

Minister for Agriculture in Gilgit-Baltistan Janbaz Khan has become the latest political figure in Pakistan to succumb to the deadly coronavirus disease.Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Janbaz Khan had been on a ventilator for four days, a doctor at Gilgit's city hospital - where the 64-year-old minister was admitted - was quoted as saying."He had a heart related disease, besides diabetes,” said the doctor. The minister is survived by two wives, five sons and four daughters.A total of 118 new COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Pakistan in the last 24 hours.As many as 5,358 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the tally of COVID-19 cases in the country to 162,973.So far five lawmakers, including two provincial ministers, have died in Pakistan due to the
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Social media lashes out at ‘One China Policy’ with #JunkOneChina
21Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Social media lashes out at ‘One China Policy’ with #JunkOneChina

Raising their voice against dubious One China policy, social media came together using the hashtag #JunkOneChina and called out China for its expansionist policies and creating uncertainty in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang."There is and there can never be One China. It is a dubious policy drafted by the biggest conglomerate of human right oppressors in living history called the CCP. The Uyghurs, the Tibetians, the Taiwanese, the Manchurians and the Hongkongers will all fight and break out from the cages of the oppressive CCP regime," wrote a Twitter user.Another Twitter user said, "The world must break its silence against China. Why is the West repeating its blunder that it did before the Second World War -- Stop appeasing the Chinese regime and Xi the dictator! The myth of One Chin...
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China feels threatened by India’s infra building in Ladakh, says Gilgit Baltistan activist
21Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

China feels threatened by India’s infra building in Ladakh, says Gilgit Baltistan activist

Political activist Senge H Sering from Gilgit Baltistan has condemned Chinese aggression in Ladakh which recently led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers saying Beijing is feeling threatened by India's infrastructure projects in the Union Territory.Sering, the director of Institute of Gilgit Baltistan Studies said, "India is improving its infrastructure and making its access to Karakoram Pass much easier. That means India will be able to access G219 (China National Highway 219) from Galwan Valley, because it is very close to the watershed of the Galwan River. Then you will be able to cut Tibet from Xinjiang, in case India tries to move forward towards East and North. And you will also be able to cut the Eastern route, the second route of CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor)."His remarks ...
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Gwadar port contract is ‘confidential’, Pakistani federal secretary informs Senate panel
20Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Gwadar port contract is ‘confidential’, Pakistani federal secretary informs Senate panel

Pakistan’s Senate standing committee on finance led by Senator Farooq Hamid Naek on Thursday was left shocked when a federal secretary declared that the contract governing affairs of the Gwadar port was “confidential” and its particulars couldn’t be disclosed publicly.The Senate panel on Wednesday had requested federal Secretary of Maritime Affairs Rizwan Ahmed to share copies of contracts and associated paperwork on award of contracts and sub-contracts concerning Gwadar free zone.In response, Ahmed said that the paperwork couldn’t be shared with the Senate committee chairman and skim out one paragraph from the settlement which says the contents of the settlement might be stored confidential.Senators Dr Musadik Malik, Ayesha Raza, Talha Mehmood and Ateeq Shaikh expressed their anger and di
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“An honorable army doesn’t fight with stones, batons, spikes”
20Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

“An honorable army doesn’t fight with stones, batons, spikes”

As India continues its fight against China over a contested boundary, Former Ladakh Corps Commander Lieutenant General Rakesh Sharma (retd) has said that he is ashamed that India has to deal with an army which fights with sticks, batons and spikes.“Mature nations with professional armies do not act this way,” he said.Lt. General Rakesh Sharma said that over the years, there have been incidents of fist-cuffs and fights and it has been gradually rising.“The level has escalated several notches higher in the past month. What happened on June 15 is one more escalation in the new normal,” he said.“There is lot of anguish in the Indian Army about the loss of lives of the commanding officer and men. The position of a commanding officer is sacrosanct. He is the most important person in the entire m
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Indian Foreign Minister talks tough with his Chinese counterpart on Galwan skirmish
20Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Indian Foreign Minister talks tough with his Chinese counterpart on Galwan skirmish

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday conveyed a clear message to Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi that what happened in Galwan was a "pre-mediated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties."This was the first time Jaishankar spoke to Wang since the stand-off began in early May and marked the highest political contact to address the tensions after talks between military commanders failed to break the impasse.In a strong tone, Dr Jaishankar's told Wang Yi that this "unprecedented development will have a serious impact on the bilateral relationship." The Indian Foreign Minister further told his counterpart "the need of the hour was for the Chinese side to reassess its actions and take corrective steps."India wants resto...
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Pained by academic loss, J&K teachers start community classes for poor students in remote areas
20Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Pained by academic loss, J&K teachers start community classes for poor students in remote areas

Ever since the Coronavirus struck India, all institutions and schools were closed shut. While other states managed to continue educating students online, Jammu and Kashmir with 2G internet networks faced a hard time to educate its children.But in Katainwali village of Baramulla district of Srinagar, some government school teachers have taken it upon themselves to continue schooling through COVID community classes - a unique initiative by local teachers to impart education to the poor students in far-flung areas.At exactly 10 am children in Katainwali village put their school bags on their shoulders and walk to a nearby grassland where a group of government school teachers welcomes them as they sit down to scribble the notes.“We were pained to see the plight of the children, who were missin
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Why conventional wisdom giving China the military edge over India may not be true
20Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Why conventional wisdom giving China the military edge over India may not be true

It was decades ago when India and China went to war in 1962 over the same Himalayan region where at least 20 soldiers were killed on June 15 in a bloody confrontation between the two sides. One month of combat resulted in a Chinese military victory, with Beijing declaring a cease-fire after securing de facto control of Aksai Chin, an area claimed by both countries.The battle claimed the lives of around 700 Chinese troops and double that on the Indian side. But the militaries that face off in the Himalayas in 2020 are far different from those that fought 58 years ago.Conventional wisdom has it that China holds a significant military advantage over India, but recent studies from the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Boston and the Center for a New American Security...
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Decoding the real reasons behind Chinese aggression in South Asia
19Jun By Stuart WhiteNo Comments

Decoding the real reasons behind Chinese aggression in South Asia

The Chinese diplomacy and military strategy are largely subservient to its idea of “Century of Humiliation”- the period between 1839 and 1939, when China lost a huge territory to Western colonial powers, Russia and Japan. Although, in the last three decades it has seen unprecedented growth and development, the insecurities in the Chinese assertions are more than evident.The ‘Xi Jingping era’ saw towering Chinese territorial and economic aspirations. The ambitious Belt Road Initiative (BRI), believed to be China’s attempt to assert its strategic footprints across the world, has also revealed the true nature of Chinese hegemonistic goals. The BRI is considered to be Xi’s personal indulgence in taking China and his leadership to the status of a global power never thought of before. This, howe
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