Tag: India

Behind China’s wild claims to Bhutan Sanctuary bordering India, a Doklam link
China

Behind China’s wild claims to Bhutan Sanctuary bordering India, a Doklam link

By introducing a new territory in the border dispute between Bhutan and China, the latter appears to be making a renewed push to make the former cede the strategically located Doklam and its adjoining areas.The freshly minted Chinese claims on the Sakteng sanctuary, close to Bhutan’s eastern border with Arunachal Pradesh were made in June.Doklam can be traced back to a 73-day standoff between Indian and Chinese troops after Indian troops stopped the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from constructing a motorable road close to the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction.The road towards Jampheri Ridge would have enabled the Chinese to overlook the vulnerable Siliguri corridor or the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ area that connects the Indian mainland with its north-eastern states.Since 1984, 24 rounds of boundary
##  Widening chasm between ISI and separatists leaves Kashmiris wounded ##
Asia

## Widening chasm between ISI and separatists leaves Kashmiris wounded ##

The recent developments within Pakistan’s notorious spy agency or Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with regard to Kashmir policy, especially its approach to the Separatist camp, has instilled fear within the leaders. Separatist leaders from both parts of Kashmir are clueless as to why their mentors are taking a different course to the earlier stated policy and have apparently left them in a lurch. This has made them rethink if it was prudent to heavily depend upon Pakistan for some kind of save as they were answerable to the Kashmiris, whom they claim they represent.The results for the past three decades have been dismal as it has led them nowhere except death and destruction. After using them during three decades long militancy, the Pakistan Generals have made them realize that they were
Kashmiri Pandits slam demand for restoration of J&K’s special status
Asia, Opinion

Kashmiri Pandits slam demand for restoration of J&K’s special status

Displaced Kashmiri Pandits of India have slammed the demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and statehood, raised by an organization called Reconciliation, Relief and Rehabilitation of Migrant Kashmiris, saying that the demand gives a false impression that Kashmiri Pandits are against the abrogation of Article 370.The Kashmiri Pandits have claimed that the organization, headed by Satish Mahaldar, did not represent displaced Kashmiri Pandits and was backed by Hurriyat Conference, a group of Kashmiri separatist parties.On July 27, Satish Mahaldar had said that a state has never been downgraded and this is not done in a democracy. Mahaldar had demanded the restoration of the statehood and special status provided to Jammu and Kashmir under the original Article 370.Res...
Kashmir newspaper lauded on social media for giving away free face masks
Asia

Kashmir newspaper lauded on social media for giving away free face masks

A Kashmiri newspaper is being lauded on social media after it distributed free face masks with its newspaper on July 21.  ‘Roshni’, one of the oldest newspapers in Kashmir, encouraged readers to wear a mask due to the Covid-19 pandemic and also attached a disposable mask on its front page.The text on the page said: “Mask ka istemal zaroori hai (using a mask is necessary)”, with an arrow pointing to the attached mask.“With this, not only you, but those around you can be protected from coronavirus,” it read.Editor-in-Chief of the daily newspaper, Zahoor Ahmad Shora said they realized many were still not taking wearing masks seriously and many had been seen out in the streets without masks on. He said that they had to hire more people to pack the masks and get the edition ready.The initiative
Pakistan’s information war campaign against India needs attention
Opinion

Pakistan’s information war campaign against India needs attention

Pakistan’s vicious information war campaign against India has been triggered by three incidents: The Balakot attack of February 2019, the return of the BJP government in the May 2019 elections and the August 2019 revision of Article 370.Pakistan’s longstanding assumption that the nuclear equivalence guaranteed that India would not retaliate against terrorist attacks was demolished by Balakot. The return of the BJP government to Centre signaled that India would continue to follow a muscular policy for the next five years. The abrogation of Article 370 demolished the centerpiece of Pakistan’s nationalism — “Kashmir banega Pakistan” (Kashmir will be Pakistan) — and raised apprehensions about India’s plans for Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK).These developments have forced Pakistan t
India’s ruling party plans mega celebrations to mark first anniversary of Article 370 roll back in J&K
Asia

India’s ruling party plans mega celebrations to mark first anniversary of Article 370 roll back in J&K

The current ruling political party of India, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir has decided to mark the first anniversary of revocation of Article 370 with mega celebrations from August 5 for 15 days.The party leadership believes that the decision taken last year has helped restore peace in the region, however, the coronavirus pandemic has been a spoilsport as far as the development of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) union territory is concerned.BJP General Secretary Ashok Koul has said that a 15-day long program has been chalked out to celebrate one year of 2019’s August 5 decision - scraping the Article 370 and bifurcating the erstwhile J&K State into two Union Territories (UTs)— Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.“As far as the restoration of peace in the J&K UT is c
How people sitting in cozy rooms provoke Kashmiris to pick up guns
Asia

How people sitting in cozy rooms provoke Kashmiris to pick up guns

On August 5 last year, the Central government in India took the decision to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, bifurcating the valley into two Union Territories —Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.While on one side, the decision by the Narendra Modi-led government has paved the way for integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India, on the other side, it is alleged that many people, sitting in the far-off US, are using the abrogation of Article 370 to incite Kashmiris to pick up stones and guns.One such man named Tony Ashai, who describes himself as a “Kashmiri-American dedicated to Kashmir and its people” on Twitter, has been posting tweets to incite violence.“Why do I feel that Kashmiris living in Kashm
Indian Americans protestors urge global powers to economically decouple from Beijing
World

Indian Americans protestors urge global powers to economically decouple from Beijing

Dozens of demonstrators from the Indian American community on July 19 took to the streets in Washington and called out Beijing’s acts of aggression to dominate the region and urged global powers, including the United States as well as India to economically decouple from China.Wearing face masks, demonstrators stood outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington holding placards which read: "China=#Bullying #Debt Trap Diplomacy #Human Rights Violation #Colonialism #Animal Cruelty #Virus".Some of them were also heard shouting "Communist party! Down down! Chinese aggression! Down down".Manoj Srinarayan, one among the protestors and president of local Keralite group, said, "China has been perpetrating these acts of aggression against the Indian troops on the border for a while now. In the short ter
In Imran Khan’s 18-point Kashmir plan for Aug 5, outreach to Turkey, Malaysia and China
World

In Imran Khan’s 18-point Kashmir plan for Aug 5, outreach to Turkey, Malaysia and China

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has roped in his country’s notorious spy agency accused of colluding with terrorist organization - Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) - in his elaborate 18-point plan to commemorate the August 5 anniversary of India scrapping Article 370, sources said.Under the 18-point programme, Imran Khan is scheduled to visit Pakistan occupied Kashmir where he is supposed to address the assembly, a speech that is going to be beamed live. Then, before Khan reaches Muzaffarabad, Pakistan government intends a field trip for foreign journalists to the occupied territory, with the exception of terror training camps funded by the ISI – a behaviour observed in the past.On August 5 last year, India had tabled the law in Rajya Sabha to strip the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kas
Indian education board adds scrapping of Article 370 to class XII syllabus
Asia

Indian education board adds scrapping of Article 370 to class XII syllabus

In the Indian political history, August 05, 2019 will now forever be remembered as the day which changed the fate of Jammu and Kashmir as the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) has now revised a chapter in its Class 12 political science textbook to remove a portion on separatist politics in Jammu and Kashmir and add abrogation of Article 370.On August 5, 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir through an amendment and also scrapped Article 35 A, and the state was bifurcated into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature and Ladakh without a legislature. The bifurcation came into force on October 31, 2019.The NCERT textbook in which these changes have been ...