Newsletter 15 July

July 15, 2021
 Team

Important Picks of the Day

NATIONAL​

SCO must stop terror financing, combating terrorism its key purpose, says Jaishankar (↓)

In his address at an SCO meeting in Dushanbe, Jaishankar described the situation in Afghanistan as well as public health and economic recovery as pressing issues facing the region.

India to make best of 2-year term & establish the right to be a permanent member in UNSC: Shringla (↓)

Foreign Secretary Shringla arrived in the US Wed and will participate in events in UNSC. He will also meet UN Secretary-General Guterres & address the Council briefing on Libya.

Varanasi gets ₹1,583-cr worth projects, PM Modi said city becoming a medical hub (↓)

PM Modi inaugurated several projects for the development of his parliamentary constituency Varanasi. He also said that Varanasi faced the Covid-19 crisis with courage and resilience.

6th Drone Spotted In Jammu In 15 Days, Forces Open Fire (↓)

A senior official told NDTV that UAVs are Pakistan’s new “watchtowers”, and this particular one was flying at a height of 200 m and was well within Indian territory around 1.43 am.

Govt proposes radical changes under new drone rules

One may soon not need to fill 25 forms or get a plethora of approvals to use drones and the fees for using this technology will also be cut sharply. What’s more, no pilot license is required for small drones (up to 2 kg) being used for non-commercial use and security clearance will no longer be required before any registration or license issuance.

SC: Sedition law 'colonial', does govt want to retain it?

“Sedition provision Section 124A of IPC is a colonial-era which was used to silence dissent or protests against British and was used against Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Does the govt want to retain it after 75 years of independence,” an SC bench led by CJI N V Ramana said.

'Silencing dissent through use of power': Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi hits out at Centre over Twitter report

According to the transparency report, published by Twitter, a total of 14,561 Govt requests were received globally, which includes 12,109 routine and 2,452 emergency requests in the second half of 2020. India accounted for 3,615 requests (3,463 routine requests and 152 emergency requests) in the same time frame, it said.

Capt Amarinder to remain Punjab CM, Sidhu to head state

Congress has finally achieved a truce between Sidhu and Amarinder Singh. While Navjot Singh Sidhu will be appointed the PCC chief, Amarinder Singh will continue as Punjab CM.

NEIGHBORHOOD

China building concrete camps a few km from Naku La in Sikkim, Eastern Ladakh

Amid the ongoing military standoff with India, the Chinese Army is building permanent concrete structures near the Line of Actual Control, which will allow its troops to access the disputed areas with India in a very short time.

Kohistan bus tragedy an accident, not a terror attack: Qureshi to Chinese FM (↓)

Foreign Minister SM Qureshi told his Chinese counterpart that preliminary investigation into the bus tragedy near the Dasu hydropower project in the Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not a consequence of a terrorist attack, according to a statement on China’s foreign ministry website.

Pak Army officer, soldier martyred in a terrorist attack near Pasni: ISPR

According to the military’s media affairs wing, terrorists targeted security forces using an improvised explosive device. Pakistan, China’s top BRI client, deploys a special 15,000-strong military force and thousands of police to protect Chinese nationals and BRI projects. Its security costs will rise further, with China demanding more protection after a bus explosion killed nine of its dam workers.

Taliban claim control over the key border crossing with Pakistan: Taliban continues to make major headway across the country even as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani traveled to the northern province of Balkh to review the situation

Taliban offer 3-month ceasefire in exchange for prisoner release

As the Taliban continues its offensive against the Afghanistan Govt, the militant group has offered a 3-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of 7000 insurgent prisoners. A negotiator of the Afghan govt said this on Thu. “It is a big demand,” said Nader Nadery, a key member of the Govt team involved in peace talks with the Taliban, adding the insurgents also demanded the removal of their leaders’ names from a UN blacklist. It was not immediately clear how the Govt would react to the ceasefire offer.

Why are Indians being targeted in South Africa? (↓)

India called on South Africa on Wed to inquire about the safety of Indian ex-pats amid reports of widespread rioting.

PM Modi inaugurates International Cooperation & Convention Centre–Rudraksha in Varanasi

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi today and inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 1,500 crore. The PM is addressing a public gathering at BHU.
  • Be it a strategic area or an economic area, Japan is one of the most trusted friends of India today. Our friendship is considered to be one of the most natural partnerships in the entire region, PM said in his address. He also underlined the contribution of former PM of Japan Shizo Abe in building the Rudraksha.
  • Japan PM Yoshihide Suga in his video message: The city of Varanasi is the center of India’s long history and rich culture. I am very pleased to see that the convention center is built in such a special city.
  • Indian PM Modi inaugurates International Cooperation and Convention Centre – Rudrakash constructed with Japanese assistance, said Japan Envoy, Satoshi Suzuki.

    PM Modi praises Yogi for the ‘unparalleled’ handling of the Covid crisis: PM termed the handling of the second wave of Covid by the Yogi Adityanath govt as ‘unparalleled’ and said that the state had stood up and battled the pandemic efficiently.

    Varanasi gets ₹1,583-cr worth projects, PM Modi said city becoming a medical hub: PM Modi inaugurated several projects for the development of his parliamentary constituency Varanasi. He also said that Varanasi faced the Covid-19 crisis with courage and resilience.

    UP’s handling of the second wave of Covid unprecedented: PM Modi “The way the state government has prevented the virus from spreading during the second wave is unprecedented,” said PM Modi during his address from BHU in Varanasi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thu visited Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi and inaugurated and laid foundation stones of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 1,500 crore at the IIT-BHU ground.

In his address at an SCO meeting in Dushanbe, Jaishankar described the situation in Afghanistan as well as public health and economic recovery as pressing issues facing the region.

Top news from Dushanbe

  • SCO must stop terror financing, combating terrorism its key purpose, says Jaishankar
  • Jaishankar met his Afghan counterpart in Dushanbe amid India’s security concerns in Afghanistan
  • Yesterday, he also met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, Agreed on convening an early meeting of the Senior Military Commanders
  • On Thu, he also met with Tajik FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin to underscore that the strategic partnership between India and Tajikistan is even more relevant

SCO must stop terror financing, combating terrorism its key purpose, says Jaishankar

Combating terrorism and extremism is the key purpose of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and it must stop terror financing, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a key meeting of the grouping that was attended by his counterparts from Pakistan and China.

  • In his address at the meeting in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Jaishankar described the situation in Afghanistan as well as public health and economic recovery as pressing issues facing the region.
  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were amongst the participants at the meeting.
  • In his remarks, the external affairs minister also highlighted the “One Earth One Health” message and urged early universal vaccination to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Jaishankar said he also spoke on reformed multilateralism and underlined the need to rejuvenate this domain.
  • Earlier, in a separate tweet, Jaishankar said the 20th year of establishment of the SCO is an opportune time for the grouping to reflect on achievements and deliberate on challenges.

“Afghanistan and post-Covid recovery are pressing concerns,” Jaishankar said. Afghanistan witnessed a series of terror attacks in the last few weeks as the US looked to complete the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan by August-end, ending a nearly two-decade of its military presence in the war-ravaged country.

  • The volatile situation in Afghanistan has triggered global concerns.
  • The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is an eight-member economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organizations.
  • India and Pakistan became their permanent members in 2017.
  • The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
  • India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defense.
  • India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

Unilateral change of LAC status quo ‘not acceptable’, Jaishankar tells Wang Yi in Dushanbe

EAM met his Chinese counterpart and State Councilor Wang Yi Wed on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Tajikistan, and told him that any unilateral change in status quo in the India-China border areas is “not acceptable”.

During ‘an hour-long’ in-person meeting between the ministers, both sides discussed the ongoing border standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. 

Meeting after ‘Moscow agreement’

Jaishankar and Wang are currently in Tajikistan capital Dushanbe for the SCO foreign ministers’ meeting and the conference on SCO Contact Group on Afghanistan. This was their first in-person meeting after Sept 2020 when they had gathered in Moscow for a similar SCO session.

During that meeting, India and China had come up with a so-called ‘Moscow Agreement’ under which a five-point agenda was agreed on easing tensions along the border that have now lasted for over a year. 

The meeting had taken place in the aftermath of the clash in Ladakh’s Galwan valley on 15 June 2020, in which India lost 20 of its soldiers.

The US expected to announce the start of evacuation of Afghan visa applicants: TOI

The Biden administration is expected to announce soon the start of “Operation Allies Refuge,” a plan to evacuate Afghan translators seeking US visas after working alongside the US military for years, five sources said. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the announcement likely would be made on Wednesday and that the operation would involve chartered civilian aircraft.

India to make best of 2-year term & establish the right to be a permanent member in UNSC: Shringla

  • India will make the best of its two-year term in the UN Security Council and underscore that it establishes the right to be a permanent member of the 15-nation body, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said, as the country prepares to assume Presidency of the Council with focus on maritime security, counter-terrorism, and peacekeeping.
  • Next month, we have one of the most landmark events in our engagement in the UN. We will be president of the UN Security Council in Aug, Shringla said.
  • We will make the best of our two-year term in the Security Council. We will leave our mark in the Council and our point is to say that India, by its contribution, establishes the right to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, he said.
  • Shringla arrived in New York on Wed and will participate in two high-level events in the Security Council to be held under the current French Presidency. He will also meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Thursday and address the Council briefing on Libya.
  • India is Chair of the Libyan Sanctions Committee. Shringla’s visit comes as India prepares to assume the Presidency of the powerful 15-nation UN body next month.

Speaking at a welcome event organized for him in the city by Jaipur Foot USA and Gracious Givers Foundation USA, Shringla said India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti has arranged new and very significant initiatives in the areas of maritime security, counter-terrorism, and UN peacekeeping during India’s upcoming presidency. These are all subjects that are important to us and very unique initiatives are being organized, during India’s presidency of the Council, he said, adding that the president will have “very high-level participation” from the country.

Sixth Drone Spotted In Jammu In 15 Days, Forces Open Fire, Drive It Away

A drone was spotted 100-150 m inside Indian territory, at a height of 200 m in the Arnia sector of Jammu and Kashmir late on Tuesday night. The UAV, or unmanned aerial vehicle, was spotted by alert BSF personnel who opened fire, after which the drone disappeared for a while before returning. The BSF believes the drone, seen near the village of Sai that lies along the international border in this area, was either tasked with spying or dropping arms and ammunition.

  • This is the 6th sighting of a UAV, or unmanned aerial vehicle, in this area in the past 15 days.
  • Last month a drone strike on a military facility at Jammu Airport caused damage to the roof of a building in the technical section and minor injuries to two Air Force personnel.
  • The terror attack on Jammu Airport – which is a dual-use facility under IAF control – has led to alerts being sounded across J&K and Ladakh, the official further told NDTV.
  • Tue night’s drone spotting comes as the NIA, or National Investigation Agency, which is probing the Jammu Airport attack, is leaning towards state actors being involved. Forensic reports indicate that RDX – an explosive – was used for bombing the area, an official linked with the NIA’s probe, told NDTV.
  • According to him, the drones returned to a neighboring country after dropping their payload.
  • Last month Lt General DP Pandey, Corps Commander of the 15 Corps in Srinagar, told NDTV the tech used in that attack indicated “state-support” and involvement of Pak-based Jaish and Lashkar.

Chief of Defense Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat visited Rajouri-Poonch Sector along the Line of Control and reviewed the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness.

  • General Rawat reached Jammu on Wed evening. The visit comes weeks after terrorists used drones to attack the Jammu airbase. General Rawat has also expressed concerns over terrorists using drones to smuggle weapons into India to fuel terrorist activities here.
  • Meanwhile, Army chief Gen MM Naravane will be visiting Pokhran in Rajasthan on Thu to review the operational preparedness of the Corps of Artillery. He would witness the firing drills of howitzers, including the Bofors and the indigenous Dhanush.

China building concrete camps a few km from Naku La in Sikkim, Eastern Ladakh

  • Amid the ongoing military standoff with India, the Chinese Army is building permanent concrete structures near the Line of Actual Control, which will allow its troops to access the disputed areas with India in a very short time.
  • ANI reported citing Senior Govt sources that one such camp is coming up a few km inside the Chinese territory opposite the Naku La area in north Sikkim area, which is barely a few minutes distance from the area where Indian and Chinese troops had clashed last year when the confrontation started and also in Jan this year.
  • “The Chinese are building permanent concrete structures which will allow them to deploy troops near the frontline areas. The road infrastructure is also very good which will allow them to reach the border areas with India much more swiftly than before,” the sources said.
  • The building of these warm modern buildings has also been observed near the areas in eastern Ladakh as well as the Arunachal sector, the sources said. Adding that the buildings will also help the PLA address the issue of its soldiers feeling uncomfortable during winters in forwarding areas, the sources said.

Why are Indians being targeted in South Africa?

India called on South Africa on Wed to inquire about the safety of Indian ex-pats amid reports of widespread rioting. Multiple Indian businessmen in South African cities complained of financial ruin, as their stores were targeted by rioters. Is Jacob Zuma’s relationship with the Gupta family making Indians a target?

  • This is economic sabotage promoted through cyberspace: South African minister Zizi Kodwa.
  • The criminal element has hijacked this situation: Premier David Makhura of South Africa’s Gauteng province.
  • South African Foreign Minister assured her government doing utmost to enforce law and order: EAM Jaishankar.

Kohistan bus tragedy an accident, not a terror attack: Qureshi to Chinese FM-Dawn

  • The statement, issued on Thu, said SM Qureshi met Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation-Council of Foreign Ministers in Dushanbe on Wed.
  • In the meeting, the statement added, Yi stressed the immediate arrest of and severe punishment for perpetrators in case the incident was a terrorist attack.
  • Qureshi, however, said the initial probe showed that the incident was not a terrorist attack.
  • According to the statement, Yi urged for a probe into the incident and told Qureshi that “the Chinese side is shocked by the serious Chinese casualties in Pakistan today (Wed), hoping that the Pakistani side could quickly find out its cause, conduct rescue and treatment work at all costs, deal with the aftermath in time, and prevent similar incidents from happening again“.
  • The statement further quoted the Yi as saying that if the incident was “a terrorist attack, the criminals must be immediately arrested and severely punished”.
  • Qureshi said China was Pakistan’s “most important friend and most reliable partner, and China’s loss is Pakistan’s loss,” according to the statement.

The incident: 13 people, including 9 Chinese nationals, 2 personnel of the Frontier Constabulary (FC), and 2 locals, were killed and 28 others sustained injuries when a coach carrying them to an under-construction tunnel site of the 4,300-megawatt Dasu hydropower project fell into a ravine in the Upper Kohistan area after an explosion on Wed.

According to eyewitnesses, 3 vehicles were on their way to the Dasu dam site in a convoy after picking up Chinese laborers in the morning from Barseen camp — some 8 km from Dasu district headquarters of Upper Kohistan — via the Karakoram Highway when the blast occurred.

Sources privy to the investigation said a Chinese national was missing and a search for his whereabouts was underway.

“After the explosion, the coach fell into the riverside but the two other vehicles, a coaster, and a jeep, remained safe in the incident,” one of the eyewitnesses said.

Conflicting reports: There were conflicting reports about the cause of the tragic incident.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said, “leakage of gas” caused by a “mechanical failure” resulted in the blast in the bus after which it plunged into the ravine, while Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian had termed the incident a “bombing“.

The statement did not elaborate on the cause of the blast, but it advised the Chinese living in Pakistan to “stay on alert, pay close attention to the local security situation, strengthen security protection, take strict precautions, and stop going out unless necessary”.

Team
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