Newsletter 12 January

Sino-Indian Standoff: Pakistan, China together form potent threat: Army Chief

India & China reduce some troops in 'depth areas'

India and China have progressively removed some troops from the “depth areas” along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh due to harsh winter.
China has de-inducted around 10,000 soldiers from their “traditional training areas” around 150 to 200-km from the LAC, with India following suit with “a mirror reduction” from its depth areas, said defense ministry sources on Mon.
However, the deployment in the frontline areas has remained the same and the troops from both sides remain in an eyeball to eyeball situation at several locations in that sector.
But some media claimed that ‘No Reduction in Troops from China, India At Friction Points Near LAC’: Army Chief His statement comes a day after reports claimed that around 10,000 Chinese People’s Liberation Army troops in Eastern Ladakh have pulled back from their positions near India.

Pak, China form potent threat, their collusively can't be wished away: Army Chief

Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tue said that Pakistan and China together form a “potent” threat, and the “threat of collusively” cannot be wished away, during his annual press conference, ahead of the Army Day.
“Pakistan continues to embrace terrorism. We have zero-tolerance for terror. We reserve our right to respond at a time and place of our own choosing and with precision. This is a clear message we have sent across,” he added.
General said that the last year was full of challenges and we had to walk the talk and meet the challenges.
We are hoping for a peaceful solution but are ready to meet any eventuality. All logistics are taken care of.
“A broad roadmap has been prepared to bring in all the new technologies to develop a technology-enabled army to meet challenges of future,” He said.

Trust with China 'profoundly disturbed', US ties on upswing: Jaishankar

Foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Tue that trust with China had been deeply impaired after last summer’s border clash which resulted in the first combat deaths in 45 years.
Ties with the United States, on the other hand, were converging and were likely to expand under the new administration in Washington, he told the Reuters Next conference.
“After 45 years, you’ve actually had bloodshed on the border. And that’s had a huge impact on public opinion and politically. …really the impact of trust and confidence in India where China and their relationship is concerned. That has been profoundly disturbed,” Jaishankar said.
India has built close defense ties with Washington, buying more than $20 bn of weapons over the last 15 years, as it diversifies away from traditional supplier Russia.
Together with U.S. allies Japan and Australia, it has participated in naval exercises in the Indian Ocean which security analysts say is part of attempts to balance China’s assertive actions in the region.

US planned to back India in addressing issues like border dispute with China: Document

The US planned to “offer support to India through diplomatic, military and intelligence channels,” ABC News reported, citing the newly declassified US national security document
Two years before the military standoff on the LAC, the US framed a strategy for the Indo-Pacific that envisaged offering diplomatic and military support to India to address challenges such as the border dispute with China, according to a newly declassified US national security document.
In early 2018, US President Donald Trump endorsed the strategy developed by the National Security Council throughout 2017.
A national security briefing prepared by the White House, which was classified “secret” and “not for foreign nationals”, was declassified last week and will be released on Wednesday. Australia’s public service broadcaster ABC News obtained the document on Tue.
The US planned to “offer support to India through diplomatic, military and intelligence channels — to help address continental challenges such as the border dispute with China”, ABC News reported.
The US objective is to “accelerate India’s rise and capacity to serve as a net provider of security” by building “a stronger foundation for defense cooperation and interoperability; expand our defense trade and ability to transfer defense technology”.
The document also referred to the need to “align our [US] Indo-Pacific strategy with those of Australia, India and Japan”, of deepening the US’s cooperation with Japan and Australia, and a quadrilateral security relationship with India.
Over the past 3 years, the US has signed 3 key defense agreements, one at each of the 2+2 ministerial meetings, to facilitate the real-time sharing of sensitive military information and transfer of sophisticated technology.
These agreements are the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), the Industrial Security Annex to the General Security of Military Information Agreement, and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).
In a recent farewell address, outgoing US ambassador Kenneth Juster had specifically referred to these agreements and said concluding them had elevated the bilateral defense partnership.

China worked to prevent India from chairing key UN committee

Perhaps still smarting under the designation of Masood Azhar as global terrorist, China tried to block India’s leadership of key terrorism-related UNSC subsidiary committees, said sources.
While India will still head the counter-terrorism committee, Taliban and Libya sanctions committees, China seems to have prevented India from heading the all-important Al Qaida sanctions committee.
While India, as announced last week, will still head the counter-terrorism committee and also Taliban and Libya sanctions committees, China’s opposition seems to have prevented India from heading the all-important Al Qaida sanctions committee that has in the past sanctioned international terrorists like Azhar and Hafiz Saeed and also terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
TOI reported from a source of P-5 country, speaking on condition of anonymity, said China was against India’s chairing of the Al Qaida sanctions committee.
Another diplomatic source said China was the only UNSC member to oppose India’s chairing of the sanctions committee for Al Qaida and affiliates.
This meant that for the first time the Taliban sanctions committee and the Al Qaida committee will be chaired by different countries.

Sea Vigil' begins off Mumbai shores: Indian Navy's largest coastal defense drill

A sizeable number of ships of the Indian Navy and other key assets have been deployed to participate in the Sea Vigil exercise.
The two-day Sea Vigil exercise is a buildup towards the major combat exercise TROPEX (Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise) which is an inter-service military exercise involving the participation of the Indian Army, Air Force, Navy and the Coast Guard.
“Sea Vigil and TROPEX will cover the entire spectrum of maritime security challenges, including the transition from peace to conflict,” Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said on Monday.
On Tue, 12^th Jan, the Indian Navy kick-started a 2-day multi-agency military exercise covering India’s 7,516 km-long coastlines, which will involve 13 coastal States & UTs, to further boost maritime security and surveillance.

India could boost military assistance to Afghanistan, as Taliban peace talks resume in Doha

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar speaks to Afghan counterpart M.H. Atmar, is believed to have assured more military help as US troops begin withdrawing.
India could ramp up its military assistance to Afghanistan as US troops began drawing down, and talks between the Asian nation’s administration and the Taliban resume in Doha, Qatar.
During a recent phone-call between Jaishankar and Mohammed Haneef, New Delhi is believed to have assured Kabul of greater military assistance in times to come as the US begins the process to bring down its troop presence to 2,500 by Feb, from about 5,000 troops at present, ThePrint reported.
It continued, as Afghanistan now actively seeks to forge national as well as international consensus on the Taliban peace talks, it wants to reassure itself of the support it can seek from some of its “age-old friends” like India.
As far as Afghanistan is concerned, there are no plans whatsoever to commit boots on the ground and neither do we envisage such a scenario developing in the near future said COAS.

Farmer Protest Row

Supreme Court stayed on the implementation of controversial three farm laws till further orders

‘Khalistanis’ have infiltrated into the ongoing farmers protest at Delhi borders, Centre tells SC. If there is an infiltration by a banned organization, and somebody is making an allegation here on record, you have to confirm it,” said Chief Justice of India SA Bobde. “You file an affidavit by tomorrow.”

“We don’t want to hear an argument that farmers will not go to the committee. We are looking to solve the problem. If you want to agitate indefinitely, you can.” CJI
The bench said those who “genuinely want resolution, will go to the committee” that the court will constitute.
BKU leader, Rakesh Tikait, after SC order putting stay on farm laws “We are not satisfied yet, will not be calling off the protest. Govt will have to roll back the laws.”
Congress stands by its demand to have the contentious farm laws repealed: RS Surjewala, Congress Gen Secy.
The Centre should repeal the 3 farm laws or it will cost the ruling BJP-JJP alliance in Haryana “heavily”, a section of JJP MLAs said on Tue, hours before their party chief and deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala meets Union home minister Amit Shah here.
SC sets up committee to look into farmers’ grievances against new farms laws comprises hall hold its 1^st sitting within 10 days in Delhi,

1. Jitender Singh Maan, President BKU
2. Dr Pramod KumarJoshi, International policy head
3. Ashok Gulati, Agricultural Economist
4. Anil Dhanvat, Shivkeri Sangathna, Maharashtra

Govt files affidavit in Supreme Court: Most farmers happy

With the Supreme Court questioning the consultation process prior to the enactment of the farm laws, the Union govt on Mon evening filed an affidavit hardening its stand against withdrawing the laws and said these took shape after 2 decades of intense deliberations and consultations with stakeholders. The Centre said that the agitation is limited to a part of the country.

"Dynastic Politics is the Biggest Enemy of Democracy": PM Modi

“The biggest enemy of democracy still exists and that is dynastic politics. Dynastic politics is such a challenge before the country and it has to be rooted out and asserted that the fortune of those who have been winning elections on the basis of surnames are now dwindling.” PM Modi said.

Addressing the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival through video conference, PM Modi exhorted young people to join politics and said the “poison of dynastic politics” will continue to weaken democracy unless they enter it.

Shripad Naik might be taken to Delhi for treatment if needed: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh

Union Minister Shripad Naik, who is currently undergoing treatment at ICU of Goa Medical College after being injured in an accident, might be taken to Delhi for treatment if needed, said Def Min Rajnath Singh on Tue.

Maneka Gandhi Flags Rs 3000 Crore Scam To Uttarakhand CM; Sends shocking Details To PM

BJP MP Maneka Gandhi in a letter to Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat has accused state officials of an Rs 3000 crore scam comparing it to the Bofors scandal.
In the latter dated Jan 5, she alleged that Dr Avinash Anand, the CEO of the Uttarakhand Sheep and Wool Development Board, has misappropriated crores of rupees from the loan obtained by the Government of Uttarakhand from the World Bank.
Gandhi alleged that Avinash Anand has taken a large number of officers on deputation in the Sheep Board without creating any posts, thereby causing veterinary hospitals in districts to shut down.
The letter also stated that he has kept a consultant for a salary of Rs 2.5 lakh/ month which is more than the salary of Chief Secretary of the state and has bought old sheep from Australia which are not fit for breeding but only slaughter. She added that none of this would have been possible without the complicity of another official Meenakshi Sundaram.

NEIGHBORHOOD/ WORLD

China says WHO team will fly from Singapore to Wuhan on Jan 14

A World Health Organization team of international experts investigating the origin of the novel coronavirus will arrive in the Chinese city of Wuhan from Singapore on Thu. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said his organization looked forward to working with China on the mission to identify the source of the virus and how it entered the human population.

Mike Pompeo, Secretory, Department of States, USA Tweeted: “What happens when China takes over a UN agency? Let’s talk about the @WHO and the catastrophic failure of that agency to deal with #COVID19, just as they failed to deal with SARS. #ChinaLiedMillionsDied”

He added, Govt like those in China, Iran, and North Korea …they don’t have the respect for the universal human dignity America was founded upon. Those regimes are anathema to everything that our nation stands for. This was responded by Chines Foreign Ministry, “@SecPompeo claimed CPC to be biggest threat to UN, but despite he has spared no efforts in lying, scapegoating China will not justify US bullying. The US is the real threat to global peace and security”

20 million under Covid lockdown in China, infection spreads among farmers

The lockdown of Langfang city was announced Tue with authorities saying that residents have been put under home quarantine for a week and will be subject to mass nucleic acid testing.
Chinese experts fear the new wave of infection could be spreading undetected in villages with nearly 70% of the new 305 new Covid-19 infections in Hebei being farmers, a state media report said on Tue.
The new measures mean that 3 cities in Hebei including capital Shijiazhaung – with 11 million residents – and Xingtai with more than 7 mn population have now been locked down with no residents allowed to leave unless necessary.
The Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, accounted for 40 of the 42 locally transmitted infections, with the capital and northeastern Heilongjiang province reporting one local case each, the NHC said. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases reported in mainland China stood at 87591 while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.

Joe Biden invites Former President Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto, A Pak daily, “Daily Times” reported

Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Former President Asif Ali Zardari have been invited by the US President-elect Joe Biden to attend his inauguration ceremony on Jan 20^th, 2021.
According to sources, Bilawal Bhutto is expected to leave for the US on Jan 19. However, co-chairman PPP Asif Zardari will not accompany him due to illness.

COVID-19

“We will get clarity pretty soon on what our own consumption is going got be, (what) deployments are going to be. And we will keep our global role very much,” foreign minister S Jaishankar said on Tue.
Vaccines for healthcare and frontline workers to be funded from PM Cares. Vaccines for 1 crore healthcare workers and 2 crore frontline workers will be funded from PM Cares: Sources
We’ve given a special price of Rs 200 for the first 100 mn doses only to GoI on their request that we want to support common man, vulnerable, poor, healthcare workers. After that we’ll be selling it at Rs 1000 in pvt markets: Adar Poonawalla, CEO-Owner, Serum Institute of India
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has decided to accept & support the two indigenously developed vaccines (Covishield & Covaxin). I would like to thank them for this: Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog