‘Wants military not to shield terror groups, conclude Pathankot probe’ | PM’s office calls it speculation

Nawaz Sharif

Islamabad, October 6

Facing international isolation, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in an unprecedented move has warned the powerful military not to shield banned militant groups and directed authorities to conclude the Pathankot terror attack probe and the 2008 Mumbai attack trial, a leading Pakistani daily reported today.Sharif’s orders came after a series of meetings between military and civilian leaders, Dawn newspaper said.Edit: Don’t count chickensThe government delivered a “blunt, orchestrated and unprecedented warning” to the military leadership and sought consensus on several key issues, including action against banned militant groups, the paper quoted unnamed individuals involved in the meetings.However, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office rejected the Dawn report. Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said: “The story is purely speculative and, as the author himself acknowledged, ‘none of the attributed statements were confirmed by the individuals mentioned’.”The report says at least two sets of actions have been agreed upon. ISI Director General Rizwan Akhtar, accompanied by National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua, will travel to all provinces with a message that military-led Intelligence agencies should not interfere if law enforcement agencies act against banned militant groups.Sharif directed that fresh attempts be made to conclude the Pathankot investigation and restart the stalled Mumbai attack trial in a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court.Those decisions, taken after an extraordinary verbal confrontation between Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the ISI DG, appear to indicate a new high-stakes approach by the PML-N government, the paper said.On Monday, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry made a presentation in the Prime Minister’s Office to a small group of civil and military officials. It summarised the results of the diplomatic outreach by Pakistan, the crux being that Pakistan faces diplomatic isolation and that the government’s talking points have been met with indifference in major world capitals, the paper said.On the US, Chaudhry said ties could further deteriorate because of its demand that action be taken against the Haqqani network. — PTI

Opposition blames Sharif for Pak isolation

• Islamabad: A senior Pakistani Opposition leader on Thursday criticised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for giving freedom to “non-state actors” that has led to the country’s diplomatic isolation following the Uri terror attack. “Pakistan’s isolation is Nawaz Sharif’s personal failure. Pakistan is isolated because it gives freedom to non-state actors,” Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Aitzaz Ahsan said during a joint session of parliament.

India may have to widen its options, increase capabilities, add to weapons, equipment and technology needed for a greater scale of operations in scenarios post surgical strikes on Sept 28-29.Air Marshal Kapil Kak (retd) says: “It was a good operation. However, a pre-emptive strike cannot be an option used every time. We have to develop capabilities that allow greater action on targets deep inside Pakistan”. The daring operation conducted on a pitch-dark moonless night in the early hours on September 29 had the hallmark of a textbook execution: stealth, surprise, high attrition among terrorists and no suffering casualty on our side. When the five teams of Para Special Forces of the Army finally strapped on their night vision mounted helmets and entered PoK past midnight on September 29, senior military commanders in J&K and in Delhi were tense. Army phones and the exclusive restricted access (RAX) phones were buzzing through the night. The Military operations (MO) room on the first floor of the South Block was watching over the operations, so were senior commanders in Northern Command at Udhampur and in Army’s Divisional headquarters at Poonch, Baramulla and Kupwara. Cross LoC strikes have been conducted in the past – eight strikes in the past 15 years. But this one was vastly different. There were five teams aiming at six targets and in arc of 250 km. The possibility of them encountering Pakistan Army was very high. The teams were to dodge the Pak Army and aim to hit the terror camps. The terrain in each location was different, the entry and exist routes of each Indian team was different. The weather condition in Poonch is different from the one in north of Kupwara where night temperatures are already in single digits, and approaches are tougher through jungles. The ‘H-hour’   — the specific time at which an operation begins — was met and the strike finally occurred around 3 am on September 29.Backing the troops was high-end technology. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) not only provides real-time imagery to the Northern Army command, it also used very high resolution imagery to create terrain maps of the territory the troops would traverse. The terrain maps are needed to see natural obstacles like rivulets, mountain slopes, gaps and foliage in the jungle. 

Was speaking at Brussels

Brussels, October 5

Asserting that peace is essential to development and terrorism is anathema to it, Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar hit out at Pakistan for becoming an obstacle in the path of trade relations between India and Afghanistan.Speaking at the Regional Integration and Prosperity at the Brussels Conference on Afghanistan, Akbar stated that the scale of terrorism and violence unleashed against Afghanistan is of a magnitude that did not allow easy project implementation, efficient delivery of assistance or the rapid inflow of investments into an economy that had huge resources and obvious potential.

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Talking about Afghanistan’s exports that had traditionally found their most lucrative market in India, up to Kolkata at the other end of the Grand Trunk Road, the Union Minister mentioned that Afghanistan is much loved and respected in India.He said India had offered a special facility at its border at Attari for Afghan products coming to India via Pakistan, but unfortunately this access had been blocked for political reasons by Pakistan.“Nations cannot become walls aborting a trade and culture that is as old as written history, and as powerful as the lore etched in common memory. But, we will continue to work with Afghanistan for assured and reliable access for Afghanistan’s products to India’s markets through land, sea and air,” Akbar said.Asserting that the full utilisation of Afghanistan’s transit rights as a member of WTO will enable greater prosperity, he added that those who denied transit hurt Afghanistan’s economy, with negative resonance for the larger region.Emphasising that India’s commitment to Afghanistan is abiding, as is its desire to work with the people and government, Akbar said India had dedicated its efforts and resources into bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan, with improvements of internal capabilities and provision of year-round regional connectivity.“We have already completed significant development projects, including scientific water management through dams and infrastructure projects, like highways, worth over US$ 2 billion. We have recently committed to US$ 1 billion more. This is the essence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “neighbourhood first” policy,” he said.“An exciting and innovative future is taking shape through the recent trilateral India-Iran-Afghanistan agreement in Tehran in May 2016, which makes Chahbahar into a hub for immense economic opportunity. These steps reflect India’s sharp focus on strengthening Afghanistan’s economy with greater vibrancy,” Akbar added. ANI

HYDERABAD: They might have hung their boots in their service to the nation when they touched 60 but these retired officers of the Indian Air force are still ready to serve their country. The veterans who gathered for the 84th year celebration of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Saturday, were ready to serve the country in case a war breaks out between India and Pakistan.

India had on Wednesday conducted a cross border “surgical strike” across the Line of Control bordering Pakistan attacking terrorists.

“I have asked the Air Marshal to consider taking me back to service if the need arises,” said Krishnavataram, a retired corporal from the IAF. The ex-officer had retired from service two years ago. In the wake of what is happening, we need more young people to join the forces. We old men have the enthusiasm to fight but our age won’t allow it,” said a retired sergeant VV Basu.

The retired personnel who gathered at the College of Air Warfare (CWA) held the offensive stand of the army in positive light. “This is a good response to them, we have always been on the defensive even though we have a better army,”said Krishnavataram.

Air Marshal GP Singh valued the service of the veterans and declined to comment on the situation at the border.

Pilots who were in service too were in agreement with the stand of ‘going on the offensive’ against Pakistan. “We have  better military capabilities than them, we have enough capability to carry out the needed operations. I whole heartedly support the surgical strike,” said an air force pilot who wished not to be named.

The Chinese technical hold was set to lapse on Monday, and had China not raised further objection, the resolution designating Azhar as a terrorist could stand passed automatically. Reuters file photo

Beijing, October 1

China said on Saturday that its technical hold on India’s move to get Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar designated a terrorist by the United Nations had been extended by six months, days before its expiry.

The Chinese technical hold was set to lapse on Monday, and had China not raised further objection, the resolution designating Azhar as a terrorist could stand passed automatically.

“The technical hold on India’s listing application submitted to the 1267 committee in March, 2016 has already been extended,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.

“There are still different views on India’s listing application. The extended technical hold on it will allow more time for the Committee to deliberate on the matter and for relevant parties to have further consultations,” Geng said.

On March 31 this year, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, had blocked India’s move to put a ban on the JeM leader, the person who is suspected to have plotted the attack on a military installation in Pathankot in January, under the Sanctions Committee of the Council.

China was the only member in the 15-nation UN organ to put on hold India’s application while 14 members other members of the Council supported it. India wants Azhar on the 1267 sanctions list, which would mean assets’ freeze and travel ban on the militant.

Geng said the 1267 Committee of the UNSC “organises its work as mandated by relevant resolutions of the Security Council.”

“China always maintains that on the listing matter, the 1267 Committee should stick to the main principles of objectivity, impartiality and professionalism, base its judgments on solid evidence and decide upon consensus among the members of the Security Council,” he said in a written reply to a question.

After the decision, the hold now has been extended in the midst of India-Pakistan tension over the Uri terrorist attack, which was blamed on the JeM group.

China’s technical hold coupled with its move to block India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) cast a shadow on the Sino-India ties. Both the countries have held several rounds of talks on the issues in recent months.

China’s move to extend the technical hold comes ahead of the expected meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Goa during the BRICS Summit on October 15-16.

In June last year, China had blocked India’s demand for taking action under the Council’s anti-terrorism resolutions against Pakistan for releasing Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zaki-ur-Lakhvi – the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Sources have previously said India is not alone in its bid to get Azhar listed as terrorist as the US, the UK and France had “co-sponsored” the resolution seeking Azhar’s listing.

India has repeatedly criticised the UN Sanctions Committee for its failure to designate terrorists for proscribing terrorist groups but not those heading them.

India accused UN sanctions committee for taking a “selective approach” in tackling terrorism when its application was put on hold. — PTI

The attack had led to a public outrage. PTI

Srinagar, October 1

The Army has removed the commander of Uri Brigade, which was the target of the deadly terror attack on September 18 that claimed the lives of 19 soldiers and left several others injured, defence sources said.Brigadier K Somashanker has been shifted out of the sensitive brigade, sources said.

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They said an officer from the 28 Mountain Division of the Army is scheduled to take over as the Uri Brigade commander.Army officials did not respond to calls seeking comment on the development. PTI

Deliberations in progress. PTI

New Delhi, September 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said “blood and water cannot flow together,” as he chaired a review meeting of the 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty during which it was decided that India would “exploit to the maximum” the waters of Pakistan-controlled rivers, including Jhelum, under the water-sharing pact.

Held amidst heightened tension between India and Pakistan, the meeting also decided to set up an inter- ministerial task force to go into the details and working of the treaty with a “sense of urgency”, government sources said.

Attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, the Water Resources Secretary and senior PMO officials, the meeting also noted that the meeting of Indus Water Commission could “only take place in an atmosphere free of terror”. The Commission has held 112 meetings so far.

“Prime Minister Modi’s message at the meeting was that ‘rakt aur paani ek saath nahin beh sakta’ (blood and water cannot flow together),” sources said.

Apart from deciding to exploit to the maximum the capacity of three of the rivers that are under Pakistan’s control— Indus, Chenab and Jhelum—in the areas of hydropower, irrigation and storage, the meeting also agreed to review the “unilateral suspension” of the Tulbul navigation project in 1987.

Sources asserted that the decision to maximise the water resources for irrigation would address the “pre-existing” sentiment of people of Jammu and Kashmir, who had complained in the past about the treaty not being fair to them.

The meeting came as India weighed its options to hit back at Pakistan in the aftermath of the Uri attack that left 18 soldiers dead, triggering demands that the government cancel the water distribution pact to mount pressure on that country.

Under the treaty, which was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan in September 1960, water of six rivers—the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum—were to be shared between the two countries.

Pakistan has been complaining about not receiving enough water and gone for international arbitration in a couple of cases. PTI

PM chairs meeting to review Indus Water Treaty

New Delhi, September 26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired a meeting to review the Indus Water treaty with Pakistan amidst heightened tension between the two countries.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, the Water Resources Secretary, and senior PMO officials are present at the meeting.

The review is being undertaken as India weighs options to give a befitting response to Pakistan in the wake of the Uri attack that left 18 soldiers dead.

There have been consistent calls in India that the government scrap the water distribution pact to mount pressure on Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror attack.

Under the treaty, which was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan in September 1960, water of six river – Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum – were to be shared between the two countries.

Pakistan has been complaining of not receiving enough water and gone for international arbitration in couple of cases.

Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh had said last week that his state will fully support whatever decision is taken by the Union government on the 1960 agreement.

“The treaty has caused huge loss to Jammu and Kashmir” as the people of the state cannot fully utilise the waters of various rivers, particularly Chenab in Jammu, for agricultural and other activities, Singh had said.

“The state government will support whatever decision is taken by the central government on Indus Waters Treaty,” he had said.

India had last week made it clear that “mutual trust and cooperation” was important for such a treaty to work. PTI

Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif  (AP Photo)

The Congress party said on Friday that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is forKashmir rant and glorification of militant Burhan Wani at the UN is a clear sign that he is a puppet in the hands of military establishments and terrorists.

“Whatever the Prime Minister of Pakistan says, he is just a puppet in the hands of the military establishment and terrorists,” Congress leader Tom Vadakkan said.

“It is an established fact globally that terrorism is bread ,spread from Pakistan. Factories are manufacturing terrorists exist in Rawalpindi,” Vadakkan told ANI.

“These(terrorists) are people who infiltrate civil society, both in India and globally, and create not just terrorism but commit huge human rights issues,” he said.

“When we talk about human rights, lets flag terrorism as an important factor,” he added.

Vadakkan said India has taken up the issue internationally and should give fitting reply to Pakistani designs. During his nearly 20-minute speech at the 71st UNGA session on Wednesday, Sharif described the unrest in Kashmir as an “indigenous uprising” and an “intifada” (uprising) and accused India of “brutal suppression” and “gross and systematic violations of human rights”. He also referred to militant commander Burhan Wani, whose killing sparked the unrest, as a “young leader murdered by Indian forces”.

A bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives earlier this week to designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism. If enacted, it would cut off all financial aid and sales of military equipment to Pakistan.