Newsletter 23 March

March 23, 2021
 Team

National

India, Afghanistan discuss expansion of ties, Doha peace process ANI

  • Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar on Mon held talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on various issues, including the expansion of bilateral relations and strengthening of regional and international consensus on Afghan peace talks, economic cooperation, and regional connectivity.
  • Atmar arrived in New Delhi on Mon for a 3-day working visit to discuss a wide range of issues with the Indian Govt, including the international efforts to unblock the Afghan peace process in Doha and briefed Jaishankar on the results of last week’s Moscow conference on Afghanistan.
  • The two sides reviewed the Troika Peace Meeting in Moscow and assessed the final declaration of the meeting as positive for strengthening and advancing the peace process.
  • India stated, its readiness to participate in regional conferences on peace and development in Afghanistan, including the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process in Tajikistan and Peace Talks in Turkey, read the statement.
  • The two sides also discussed regional connectivity projects, including the development of railways from Central Asia to South Asia via Afghanistan, read the statement.
  • They also discussed the expansion of the Chabahar port and enhancing trade between the two countries.
  • The two sides agreed to form specialized working groups in various fields to strengthen economic and development cooperation and to follow up on the planned projects at technical levels.
  • India has provided USD 3 billion for economic and development assistance in the past two decades.
  • India also delivered 500,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine, along with 75,000 tonnes of wheat.
  • Talking about the Shatoot Dam, Atmar lauded India’s commitment and cooperation for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for its construction.

India’s Role in Afgan Peace Process

  • The event of 9/11 provided a chance for India to enter Afghanistan.
  • Afghanistan attracts the world powers due to its strategic importance as Kabul is a gateway to the energy-rich Central Asian Republics.
  • India’s involvement in Afghanistan is quite realistic mainly because India had never established cordial relations with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
  • India participated in the Bonn Conference and announced its support for the people of Afghanistan in the reconstruction of the country.
  • India enjoyed its best relations with the Govt of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani in Kabul and enhanced its ties with Iran to secure its interest in Afghanistan and to counter Pakistan.
  • India and Iran have some common interests in Afghanistan, therefore the former has invested a big amount in various sectors in Afghanistan to enhance its influence in Afghan society.
  • India has worked hard to facilitate Afghan Nationals to boost its soft power, to the extent of influencing the internal politics of Afghanistan.
  • India’s presence in Afghanistan has always been a source of worry for Pakistan, as later considers India’s presence in Afghanistan a threat to its National Security.
  • Pakistan has already suffered a lot due to the disturbance in Afghanistan. Peaceful Afghanistan is in the favor of South Asia and the Global Powers.
  • This paper focuses on the Indian presence in Afghanistan and India’s role to bring peace to Afghanistan.

South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook to visit India this week ANI

  • South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook is likely to visit India this week to hold high-level talks with defense Minister Rajnath Singh to talk about working together on military technologies, sources told ANI.
  • South Korean media reported on Mon that Suh Wook is visiting the UAE and India (from Thu to Sat) this week to expand exchanges.
  • Suh will take part in the opening ceremony of the Korea-India Friendship Park, which the two countries agreed to build in 2019,” the media outlet reported.

Background

  • Interesting to note that the coming Suh’s visit to India within less than a week after US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin concluded his visit to New Delhi.
  • Also, the Indian Chief of Army staff concluded his 3 days visit to S. Korea just last week.
  • India and South Korea had in Dec last year held consultations on issues related to bilateral cooperation and international issues of mutual interest including defense and security cooperation.
  • Indo-Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.
  • China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its efforts to advance into the Indian Ocean are seen to have challenged the established rules-based system.

India Abstains on the vote on a resolution against Sri Lanka, as widely expected

Pressure from Chennai & Colombo but India likely to abstain from UN vote on Sri Lanka today

India believes voting against Sri Lanka will not be conducive to the growth of bilateral ties as New Delhi considers it a ‘friendly’ neighboring country. India thus does not want to be seen as taking any action that could prove to be detrimental to bilateral ties as the possibility of Sri Lanka further tilting towards China looms large.

  • India is likely to abstain from voting at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva Tue, which will take up a resolution against Sri Lanka for war crimes against Tamils, ThePrint has learned.
  • Nevertheless, New Delhi will also continue to push the Rajapaksa Govt to implement the 13th Amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution, which is aimed at giving equal rights to the minority Tamils there.
  • The resolution that was tabled by the Core Group on Sri Lanka at the UNHCR — which includes the UK, Germany, and Canada — comprises proposals of imposing sanctions on Colombo and certain strict action points for the Sri Lankan to follow: The Print.

Background

  • This comes at a time when, on the one hand, New Delhi is pushing the Sri Lankan Govt to handover the East Container Terminal project, which was scrapped in Feb, while on the other, it is facing domestic pressure from election-bound Tamil Nadu to favor the UNHRC resolution.
  • On 13 Mar, this year, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had called up PM Modi during which Modi “reiterated the importance of Sri Lanka to India’s Neighbourhood First policy”.
  • The UNHRC has been bringing up resolutions on Sri Lanka for almost a decade now. Last time, on 27 Mar 2014, India abstained from voting in favor of a similar resolution, which received support from 23 countries out of 47 UNHRC members. India had voted in favor of a similar resolution in 2012.

NIA files charge-sheet against 3 in suspended J-K cop Davinder Singh's case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Mon filed a charge-sheet against People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Para,  Shaheen Ahmad Lone, and Tafazul Hussain Parimoo has been filed under section 120B of the IPC, sections 17, 18, 38, 39 & 40 of the UA (P) Act, and section 25 (1AA) of Arms Act and section 6 of the Explosive Substances Act in NIA Special Court Jammu, in connection with a terror case in which Singh was arrested last year.

Background

  • The conspiracy case involves terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. Singh, then serving DSP, was arrested by the agency in Jan 2020. He was granted bail by a Delhi court on June 19 last year.
  • The NIA claimed that Lone and Parimoo were part of gun-running from across the Line of Control (LoC) for terrorists of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar e Taiba (LeT).
  • As per NIA, Para was a part of a conspiracy that also raised and transferred funds to Hizbul terrorists for procuring terrorist hardware.
  • NIA also claimed that the PDP leader played an important role in ‘sustaining political-separatist-terrorist nexus’ in the JnK.
  • Para was arrested by the agency on Nov 25 last year and was granted bail by the NIA court on Jan 9 this year.
  • However, two days later, he was again held by the JnK Police on Jan 11 and continues to remain in custody.
  • His party chief, Mehbooba Mufti alleged the rearrest of Para in Feb that Para was being kept under inhuman conditions and tortured to admit false allegations.

Maritime, air defense theatre commands to be announced by June 2021

  • The Indian military is finally shedding its imperial past, paving a way for tri-services theatre commands.
  • When PM Narendra Modi addressed, which not only charged up the commanders but also has speeded up the process of creation of theatre commands with the announcement of key maritime theatre command and air defense command expected by June this year, (75th years of Independence) during the Combined Commanders Conference in Gujarat on Mar 6th.
  • Moreover, the Indian Air Force commanders were in the Indian Army’s combat disruptive camouflage uniform to signal joint spirit and Indian Navy commanders were in their dark grey disruptive camouflage gear.

background

  • The tri-services led by the Chief of Defence Staff meant business as if spurred by the 100-day eyeball to eyeball stand-off in east Ladakh.
  • The fact is that the PLA’s aggression against India in east Ladakh has made the Indian military much more responsive and ready for battle than ever before.
  • When the Indian Army was standing up to PLA in Galwan, Gogra-Hot Springs, and Pangong Tso, the air force was aggressively patrolling the skies and the navy was harassing Chinese warships with submarines as far as the Gulf of Aden.
  • This posture continues with the navy now questioning each Chinese survey ship, trying to map the Indian Ocean in the name of the mineral and heavy metals survey.
  • While the IAF is awaiting its next installment of Rafale fighters from France, the navy is preparing to receive its first of the 24 MH-60R Seahawk multi-role helicopters from the US this year.
  • Called a “ship on a ship” the Seahawk helicopter is a command and control machine proficient in anti-submarine warfare with torpedoes, anti-surface warfare with Hell-Fire missiles, and functions as an attack helicopter at sea in a special operations role.
  • The navy will also get 6 more Boeing P8I, known for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and ship interdiction, from the US.
  • The new-found attitude of the Indian Army is exemplified by its XIV Corps Commander Lt General PGK Menon, who meets his Chinese counterparts on equal footing if not more.
  • With all the aggressive attitude of a Sikh Regiment soldier, Lt Gen Menon has asked his troops to patrol up to designated points on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and be prepared for the worst-case scenario, which prevails all along the LAC.
  • Another attribute of the fundamental changes taking place within the Indian military establishment is accountability from the Military Engineer Services and looking at the Indian private sector and not only the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the completion of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission.
  • In this context, DRDO is being questioned on delays in the development of weapon systems as well as indigenous content in the proven systems like Brahmos missile, Arjun tank, and Tejas fighter.
  • The Indian armed forces finally have decided to shrug off their imperial baggage and are prepared for a more professional tri-service future.

Army to take strict action against serving officers, under training cadets who bribed their way into the force

Taking a strong view against the recruitment scam in the induction of both officers and men, the Indian Army has decided that it would throw out individuals who have bribed their way into the force including those who have already become officers or are undergoing training at different academies.

Senior Army sources told ANI that in the case related to officer recruitment scam being probed by the CBI, Indian Army officers are actively involved in the investigations to dig out more details of the corruption case. More details are coming out and strict action would be taken against all those found involved in corruption of any kind to get into the force, top Army sources told ANI.

Anybody who is found to have paid money to join the force irrespective of whether he or she has already been commissioned or is undergoing training would be kicked out.

In Short: it is well written by Jyoti Malhotra, National & Strategic Affairs Editor,

“From Afghanistan to Pakistan to Bangladesh, the most interesting thing about India’s foreign policy establishment this week is that it has put on hold its reservations, apprehensions, and misplaced loyalties and decided to talk to all the players in the region, to match China’s expanding influence. Modi hopes that with this visit and the talks with neighbors, he will send Beijing the appropriate message – that India and South Asia belong to each other and there’s no room for three.”

International

Pakistan wants good relations with its neighbors: Pak's chargé d’affaires amid tensions with India

Aftab Hasan Khan, Charge’d Affaires, Pakistan High Commission said on Mon that Pakistan wants to have good relations with its neighbors. It’s imp that instead of war we work towards eliminating poverty and illiteracy. It’d only be possible if there is peace.

  • For peace to prevail, issues must be resolved through dialogue. especially J&K that has been going on for 70 years.
  • The envoy’s remarks hold significance as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be attending the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference in Tajikistan capital Dushanbe later this month.
  • Today, India and Pakistan also began the annual meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC).

Chinese military to get Loyalty Lessons as party gears up for 100th Birthday

Loyalty lessons to the Communist Party and its leader President Xi Jinping for the party’s 100 birthday this year as a part of a campaign. Since Xi took over as party chief in late 2012 he has taken out enemies in the name of fighting corruption and firmly pushed the notion that the “the party leads everything”, extending its controls into all walks of life, business, and Govt.

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