Top of the Week

Sino-Indian Standoff: 12^th Round Core Commander level talk ended without any result. New cameras, sensors deployed by Indian forces to monitor Chinese activities along LAC

Monsoon Session: ended without any significant progress, amid ruckus on Pegasus, with loss of Rs 130 Cr, as Lok Sabha could run only for 7 hrs out of available 54 hrs, while Rajya Sabha could function only 11 hrs out 53hrs. LS passes two bills amid the din. Lok Sabha strength to be increased to 1,000 from 543? PM Modi to BJP MPs: Opposition not letting Parl run, expose them

Pegasus Row: Bengal govt forms panel to probe into Pegasus scandal. SC to hear next week plea seeking an independent probe

India set to assume the Presidency of UN Security Council for August. Time for UNSC to take a holistic approach to maritime security issue, says Ambassador. India has provided much-needed balance to UNSC vis-a-vis P-5: Ambassador

Visit of US Secy of State to India: Antony Blinken met with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, External Affairs Ministers, S Jaishanker, National security Advisor, Ajit Doval, members of civil societies, and Representative of Dalai Lama.

Defence Minister concluded his 3 days visit to Dushanbe, after attending the SCO meet. He also met with Russian and Tajaki counterparts, but no news about met with his Chines counterpart. No consensus yet on the structure of theatre commands, discussions, tweaks to continue. IAF inducts the 2^nd squadron of Rafale aircraft at Hasimara airbase. Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria embarks on UAE visit

India confident Kabul won’t fall to Taliban, is moving on ‘multiple tracks’ on Afghanistan

India, Russia to hold joint military exercise in Volgograd next month

In J&K: President Kovind, visited Kashmir on the eve of Kargil Diwas, said Violence was never part of ‘Kashmiriyat’. J&K to be granted statehood at appropriate time: Govt. China-Pak corridor in Indian territory: MEA

Briefed the UK on India’s Covid situation to review travel ‘red list’, Harsh Shringla says

Karnataka’s new CM, BS Bommai: BS Yeddyurappa resigned.

Assam-Mizoram border clashes: Not a ‘political’ issue: Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Afghanistan crisis: President Ashraf Ghani says no military solution to Afghan issue, govt ready to talk with Taliban

• India would never accept an outcome, which is decided by ‘force’, EAM to RS.
• We are contributing to peace-building efforts in Afghanistan: India at UNGA.
• Taliban offensive forces, Afghan Army chief to postpone India visit.
• The US to continue supporting Afghan troops through airstrikes: Gen McKenzie.
• UN warns of ‘unprecedented’ Afghan civilian deaths due to Taliban offensives.
• UN report says al Qaeda is present in 15 provinces.
• India made Afghanistan a “terrorist sanctuary” in the last 20 years to fuel terrorism in Pakistan’s NSA.
• ‘The US really messed it up’: Pak PM Imran on Afghanistan situation. Pakistan neither responsible for Taliban, nor are we their spokespersons: PM Imran
• Chinese FM, Wang Yi met with the delegation led by Abdul Ghani Baradar. ‘Won’t allow anyone to use Afghanistan soil against China’: Taliban
• Taliban assassinations of Afghan pilots ‘worrisome,’ US Govt watchdog said
• US, Pakistan NSAs meet in Washington to discuss the Afghan security situation

US-China relations: Beijing lays down red lines for the first time in Sherman meeting.

• US House approves bill prohibiting map showing Taiwan as Chinese territory
• The US concerned over ‘harassment, intimidation’ of foreign journalists in China
• China names ‘Wolf Warrior’ diplomat as new ambassador in Washington

In China: Beijing building a new ‘Great Wall’ in the South China Sea as it opens a massive military base on the disputed island fortress.

• China increases its military’s amphibious lift
• 2^nd N-missile base found in China, signals ‘largest’ N-force expansion

Pakistan: PTI clinches most seats to form the next govt in Azad J&K.

• Saudi Arabia to expand the dimension of ties with Pakistan, says FM Prince Faisal
• Nawaz met Afghan NSA on Ashraf Ghani’s request, says Abbasi

Pakistan, Bahrain have a deep brotherly relationship based on historical, religious & cultural values: Pak FM

Sino-Indian Standoff: 12^th Round Core Commander level talk ended without any result. The 12^th round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China concluded at 7.30 pm today. Indian Army sources said during the meeting, which lasts for close to 9 hours, the two sides discussed ways to resolve the ongoing military standoff between India and China in the eastern Ladakh sector. The meeting was held at Moldo on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

New cameras, sensors deployed by Indian forces to monitor Chinese activities along LAC

• Along with the help of satellites and drones, Indian security forces are also creating a network of surveillance cameras and sensors to keep a close watch on the Chinese Army along the Line of Actual Control.
• “A number of these new cameras and sensors have been deployed along the Line of Actual Control from Eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh to keep a track of adversary’s activities”, govt sources told ANI here.
• “The high resolution unattended or remote-controlled cameras help in keeping a close watch on activities in far-flung areas and locations and also give time to ground troops to reach there,” they said.
• The sources said the surveillance network comprising these cameras and sensors is helping the ground commanders respond swiftly to situations there.
• The Indian Army had highlighted the need for creating this surveillance network in a briefing to a parliamentary committee to keep a close watch on the Chinese actions there.
• Meanwhile, India and China are expected to hold the 12^th round of talks any time now to discuss the resolution of issues at the Gogra Heights and Hot Springs friction points.
• The Indian security forces and establishment have been asking China to solve the issue first before taking upon other points like de-escalation.
• The issue of the Charding Nullah area is also expected to be taken up for discussions in future meetings as the Chinese have put up tents there and not vacating the positions despite Indian requests.
• Army sources maintain that a status quo remains in place in the Nullah area the issue which started a couple of years ago. However, sources said the Chinese have increased the number of tents in the Nullah area by around 10 but they have reduced it again.
• The Chinese have been talking to India after their aggressive maneuvers last year, but not much has been achieved other than partial withdrawal along the banks of the Pangong Tso Lake.

India raises pitch against Pakistan, asks it to ‘vacate all areas under illegal occupation’

• Modi govt slams ‘so-called’ China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, says it is in ‘India’s territory that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan’.
• Thursday slammed Pakistan and asked Islamabad to “vacate all areas under illegal occupation”, even as it came down heavily on Beijing over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and said it is inside India’s territory.
• India Thursday also reacted against Taliban leaders visiting China and meeting the country’s leaders there.
• Reacting to the recent elections held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Arindam Bagchi, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs Thursday said it was a “cosmetic exercise”.
• “The so-called elections in Indian territory under the illegal occupation of Pakistan are nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and the material changes undertaken by it in these territories. Pakistan has no locus standi on these Indian territories. We call upon Pakistan to vacate all Indian areas under its illegal occupation,” Bagchi said at a media briefing.
• Bagchi added that India has lodged a strong protest with the Pakistani authorities on this “cosmetic exercise, which has been protested and rejected by the local people.”

‘UT of J&K and UT of Ladakh integral part of India’

• Bagchi also said that the “so-called” China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is in “India’s territory that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan.”
• “The Union Territory of J&K and the Union Territory of Ladakh has been and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India … We resolutely oppose any attempts by other countries to change the status quo in areas illegally occupied by Pakistan as also to Pakistan bringing up any material change in Indian territories under its illegal occupation. We call upon parties concerned to cease such actions,” the MEA said.
• Bagchi’s comment comes in the wake of a meeting between China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on CPEC, held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China last week.

Monsoon Session, ended this week, without any major progress, amid ruckus on Pegasus with a loss of Rs 130 Cr, as Lok Sabha could run only for 7 hrs out of available 54 hrs, while Rajya Sabha could function only 11 hrs out of available 53 hrs.

Govt moves Bills on insurance divestment, NCR pollution in Lok Sabha: Fin min N Sitharaman tabled The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021. The govt also tabled The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Bill, 2021. The govt hopes to achieve its planned divestment target of ₹1.75 lakh crore for 2021-22 despite hurdles posed by the pandemic.

Protests continue in Rajya Sabha, the government passes a bill: The Congress and Trinamool continued their protests in the Rajya Sabha on Fri on the Pegasus issue and the three farm laws, leading to three adjournments.

The Rajya Sabha also passed the Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, on Thu amid protests by TMC and Congress members over the government’s refusal to discuss the Pegasus phone hacking issue and withdraw the farm laws.

Lok Sabha strength to be increased to 1,000 from 543? The Congress party has claimed that the Narendra Modi government has decided to increase the total strength of the Lok Sabha to 1,000. On 25 July, Congress MP Manish Tewari tweeted that the new Parliament Chamber was being constructed with 1,000 seats.

• The current strength of the Lok Sabha is 543 members, out of which 530 represent states while the remaining represent the Union Territories. Can this number be increased? ThePrint takes a look at Constitutional provisions.

How are states represented in Lok Sabha?

• According to Article 81 of the Constitution, the Lok Sabha can have a maximum of 530 members representing the states and 20 members representing the Union Territories.
• In addition to this, Article 331 allowed the President to nominate two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha. However, via a Constitutional amendment notified in January 2020, the provision for the nomination of Anglo-Indians was done away with.
• Equal representation of the states is ensured through a system of “proportional representation” by the formula prescribed in clause 2 of Article 81. It says that every state will be allowed the number of seats in the Lok Sabha in such a manner that the ratio between the number of seats and the population of the state is the same for all states, “so far as practicable”.
• As for smaller states with a population of less than 6 million, this proportion does not apply and they are allotted at least one seat, even if their population-to-seat ratio does not make them eligible for it.
• Article 82 of the Constitution provides readjustment of allocation of Lok Sabha seats to the states as well as state legislative assembly constituencies after completion of every census — essentially to represent the changes in population in the states. The process is called delimitation.

Over- and under-representation: However, it has often been pointed out that by 2031, the population figures based on which parliamentary seats are currently allotted to states will be six decades old.

Experts have also pointed out the over-and under-representation that this leads to. For instance, it was calculated that according to the 2001 census, Uttar Pradesh should have been allotted 7 more seats while Tamil Nadu should have had 7 fewer Lok Sabha seats.

PM Modi to BJP MPs: Opposition parties not letting Parl run, expose them. Addressing the BJP parliamentary party meeting, PM Modi said the 75^th-anniversary celebrations of Independence should not merely be a government program, but it should be a people’s movement with people’s participation, Meghwal told reporters after the meeting.

Denied introduction in parliament by the opposition, BJP plans Jan Ashirwad Yatra for newly-inducted union ministers  PM Narendra Modi may not have been able to introduce the newly inducted members of his council of ministers in the House due to the uproar created by the opposition but BJP is planning to introduce them to the people they represent.

Pegasus row: SC to hear next week plea of journalists N Ram, Sashi Kumar seeking inquiry headed by the top court judge

• The Supreme Court on Fri agreed to hear next week the plea of senior journalists N Ram and Sashi Kumar seeking an inquiry headed by a sitting or retired judge of the apex court to investigate into the reports of the government using Israeli software Pegasus to spy on politicians, activists, and journalists.
• A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said the court will hear the plea next week after senior advocate Kapil Sibal for the petitioners mentioned the matter for urgent hearing.
• Sibal said that civil liberties of citizens, politicians belonging to opposition parties, journalists, etc. have been put under surveillance, and the issue is making waves in India and the world over and requires an urgent hearing.
• The petition filed by the senior journalists seeks a direction to the Centre to disclose if it or any of its agencies have used Pegasus Spyware either directly or indirectly to conduct surveillance in any manner.
• Issue direction of constituting an inquiry to investigate the extent of surveillance on Indian citizens using the Pegasus spyware and other entities responsible for it, headed by sitting or retired judge of this court duly nominated by this court, stated the plea.
• The plea further said that the targeted surveillance using military-grade spyware is an unacceptable violation of the right to privacy which has been held to be a fundamental right under Articles 14, 19, and 21 by the Supreme Court in KS Puttaswamy case.

Bengal govt forms panel to probe into Pegasus scandal

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Mon said her government has formed a two-member inquiry commission to look into allegations of snooping on politicians, officials, and journalists using Israeli spyware Pegasus. Two-member commission to be headed by former Calcutta HC CJ.

India to take Presidency of UNSC for Aug

As we take over UNSC Presidency for August, look forward to working productively with other members. India will always be a voice of moderation, an advocate of dialogue, and a proponent of international law: External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar

Time for UNSC to take a holistic approach to maritime security issue, says Ambassador Tirumurti

• It is time for the UN Security Council to take a holistic approach to the issue of maritime security that safeguards common prosperity and other security interests, India has underlined as it gears up to assume the Presidency of the powerful UN body for Aug 1^st, the country’s first Presidency during its 2021-22 tenure as a non-permanent member. India will again preside over the UNSC in Dec next year, the last month of its 2-year tenure.
• There are 3 major areas, which we will focus on in August: maritime security, peacekeeping, and counter-terrorism.
• We will focus on these three themes through three signature events during our Presidency, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told PTI in an interview as India prepares to preside over the 15-nation Council next month.

Tirumurti said maritime security has always received a very high priority in India’s foreign policy: We have been a net provider of maritime security, particularly in the Indian Ocean region. Consequently, we believe that it is time for the UNSC to take a holistic approach to the issue of maritime security that safeguards common prosperity and other security interests. The focus on the theme of maritime security is significant as this will be the first time that there will be a special discussion on the issue in the top UN body.

• Tirumurti noted that while the UNSC has passed resolutions on different aspects of maritime security and maritime crime, we feel that it is time that these are brought together and discussed holistically.

Counter-terrorism too is a national priority for India, Tirumurti said, underscoring that New Delhi will continue to keep the spotlight on this matter in the Council.

• We are firmly against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and believe that there could be no justification whatsoever for terrorism, he said.
• During its Presidency month, India, among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions, will also focus on the issue of peacekeeping, strongly advocating for proactive measures to protect the protectors’.

Peacekeeping is an issue that is close to our hearts, Tirumurti said, given our own long and pioneering involvement with peacekeeping, including the involvement of women peacekeepers.

• India is among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping with more than 5,500 military and police serving in peace operations in Abyei, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, the Middle East, Somalia, South Sudan, and Western Sahara. More than 170 peacekeepers from India laid down their lives in UN peacekeeping missions over the last seven decades.
• Tirumurti noted that UN peacekeepers function in volatile situations to enforce the mandate of the Security Council. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that their safety and security are given the highest importance.
• Therefore, in the larger context of peacekeeping, we will be focusing on how to ensure the safety of peacekeepers, especially by using better technology, and how to bring perpetrators of crimes against peacekeepers to justice, he said.
• In May this year, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu, who has been appointed by President-elect of the 76^th session of the UNGA, Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid as his Chef de Cabinet, had told the UNSC that India believes that infusion of appropriate technology can play a significant role in improving the safety and security of the peacekeepers.
• The use of field-focused, reliable, and cost-effective new technologies in peacekeeping operations that are driven by the practical needs of end-users on the ground is the need of the hour, he had said.
• India in partnership with the Department of Peace Operations Department of Operational Support has been working towards the development of the mobile tech platform UNITE AWARE that helps increase situational awareness and provides terrain-related information to peacekeepers. India has contributed USD 1.64 million towards this project, Naidu had said.
• The Council will take stock of the situation in the Middle East, including the Israel-Palestine issue, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. There will also be several mandates which will come up for renewal, including the Mali sanctions, Somalia, Central African Republic, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

There is always a possibility that a meeting could be called on issues of conflicts, which escalate during this period. Since the Security Council is the primary organ of the UN to deal with international peace and security, it should be prepared to handle any emerging issues that may crop up, he said.

Hope India will follow international rules, norms during the UNSC presidency: Pakistan

India, US ties critical for delivering stability in Indo-Pacific: Blinken, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who

arrived in India on a 2-day visit to boost bilateral ties

The relationship has transformed in recent years. Meeting Blinken for the 4th time this year, says Jaishankar

US announces USD 25 million aid to support India’s COVID-19 vaccination process

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in India on Tue on a two-day visit aimed at further boosting bilateral ties and deliberate on the rapidly evolving security situation in Afghanistan as well as expanding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region under the framework of Quad.
• On Wed, Blinken will hold extensive talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He is also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving for Kuwait as part of his two-nation tour.
• Just before leaving for India, Blinken said he was looking forward to consultations with partners of the US for further cooperation in support of its shared interests in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East.
• This is Blinken’s first visit to India after assuming charge as the US Secretary of State.
• US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited India in March while US Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry traveled to New Delhi in April.
• Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Dean Thompson said on Fri that the discussions will focus on expanding ties in areas of security, defense, cyber, and counterterrorism cooperation.
• People familiar with the agenda of the visit said both sides will extensively deliberate on the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan with the Taliban increasing its hostilities in an attempt to seize control of new areas in the country.
• Afghanistan witnessed a series of terror attacks in the last few weeks as the US withdrew the majority of its troops and is looking at completing the drawdown by Aug 31^st, ending nearly two-decade of its military presence in the country.
• The two sides are also expected to explore ways to deepen defense collaboration, including exercises, defense transfers, and technologies ahead of the next edition of the 2+2 defense and foreign ministerial dialogue to be held in the US later this year, familiar with the development said. The two sides are also expected to look at implementing the Quad vaccine initiative.
• They are also expected to focus on ways to augment trade and investment ties besides looking at opportunities in healthcare, education, digital domains, the people cited above said.
• In the talks, India will continue to push for ensuring open and consistent supply chains for materials and items required for vaccine production, the people cited above said.

President Biden determines to continue to grow stronger the relationship between India and the US: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Wed

Antony Blinken meets Dalai Lama’s representative in New Delhi: Blinken met a representative of Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in the Indian capital on Wed, a state department spokesperson said. “Secretary Blinken had an opportunity to meet briefly this morning in New Delhi with a representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” the official said, identifying the representative as Ngodup Dongchung. The Two Leaders addressed a joint press briefing

India-US bond over Quad, China, America sheds reticence over Dalai Lama

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to India revealed strong convergence between the oldest and largest democracies on Quad, China, and Indo-Pacific, shifting of American position closer to New Delhi’s viewpoint on Afghanistan over Taliban offensive and Washington’s has shed its reticence over the exiled 14^th Dalai Lama.

• Blinken’s conversations with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wed were largely centered on the Taliban offensive in Afghanistan accompanied with brutality on innocent citizens and increasing Chinese belligerence in its pursuit to become the numero uno in the world.
• While Blinken’s official discussions with Indian leadership were extensive on conflict situations all over the globe, the Secretary of State stated that Afghanistan yet again will be treated as a pariah state if the Taliban seize power by force instead of negotiated political settlement will force the Sunni fundamentalists and their handlers to rethink.
• Just as Jaishankar’s public dismissal of China’s fears over Quad as unreasonable will push Beijing to recalibrate its aggression, which has now reached a point of being overbearing to the democratic world. The fact is that China has virtually encircled India by forging ties with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Nepal through economic leverage, but it accuses India of joining the anti-China camp led by the US.
• It is now 14 months since the PLA transgressed into East Ladakh intending to unilaterally change the status quo on the ground forcing India to respond and deploy an equal number of troops as the adversary along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• India is not the only one at the receiving end of Chinese aggression, but other Quad powers have also been singled out by Beijing activating land, sea, or trade disputes.
• While China has firewalled its citizens from social media, its propaganda machine and information warfare have gone into an overdrive attacking the Quad partners and exploiting the fault-lines within the security grouping.
• Beijing’s all-weather client state Pakistanis again playing the double game by sending a Taliban delegation headed by Mullah Baradar to China and sending the DG (ISI) Lt General Faiz Hameed and Pakistan NSA Moeed Yusuf to Washington perhaps to assure the Biden administration that Taliban will deliver on its commitments and extract leverage for beleaguered PM Imran Khan on economy and FATF.
• Bilaterally both India and the US are on a strong wicket as could be seen from the bonhomie between the two foreign ministers with the Biden administration ready to part with high defense and other technologies to New Delhi as a major defense ally. The openness with which both Indian and US interlocutors exchange notes over matters of concern also show the build-up of trust in the bilateral relationship.
• The joining of hands for vaccine production and building resilient global supply chains, which are not dependent only on one country, are part of India-US growing convergence. These initiatives will only be strengthened when Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes to Washington to attend the Quad summit in Oct.
• Secy Blinken met with Dalai Lama’s representative Ngodup Dongchung separately on Tue at a New Delhi hotel is an indicator that the US is not squeamish about the exiled Tibetan community and their Buddhist leadership.
• Reacting to the meeting, Chinese State Media, Global Times published an op-ed ‘Dangerous path’ for New Delhi to lean on Washington, Blinken’s trip exposes US’ two-faced China policy: expert. “….while playing the ‘Tibet card’ by meeting a representative from the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile”. 
• Reuters reported, describing it as the most significant contact with the Tibetan government-in-exile since the Dalai Lama met then-president Barack Obama in Washington in 2016. 

Briefed the UK on India’s Covid situation to review travel ‘red list’, Harsh Shringla says

• The UK Foreign Office officials have been briefed on the current COVID-19 pandemic situation in India, where many big cities are practically COVID-free, and encouraged to consider a review of the travel ban on visitors from India, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Sat.
• Shringla, who arrived in the UK for a two-day visit on Fri to take stock of the Roadmap 2030 towards closer UK-India ties agreed between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Boris Johnson, also shared plans for a reciprocal vaccine certification system to be unveiled by the Indian govt soon to facilitate international travel.
• During his visit, he held meetings with senior UK govt representatives, including Permanent Under-Secretary in the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, Sir Philip Barton, and FCDO minister for South Asia Lord Tariq Ahmad.
• Mumbai, Delhi, big cities are practically free of COVID. But we can’t rest on that situation because we are constantly vigilant, telling our citizens to take precautions so that we don’t have a third wave, said Shringla.
• It’s an Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured under a transfer of technology in India so there can’t be any difference in product between that produced at the Serum Institute of India (SII) or anywhere else, said Shringla.
• The EU has said they will leave it to individual member states to decide and 14 EU countries have already recognized Covishield, two of them have also recognized Covaxin suo moto. We are now asking all countries that you recognize our vaccine certification on a mutual reciprocal basis, recognizing the integrity of that process, he said.
• Wherever there is need, it is incumbent upon us as a member of the international community to support those needs, he said.

Shringla reviews India-UK Roadmap 2030 with British counterpart during London visit

Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla holds meetings with his counterpart Lord Tariq Ahmad and other officials in London, discusses ties in key areas of trade, defense, climate change, among others.

India confident Kabul won’t fall to Taliban, is moving on ‘multiple tracks’ on Afghanistan

India is “confident” that Kabul “will not fall to the Taliban” even though it believes the security situation in Afghanistan is going to deteriorate further and become “more dangerous” in the next 2-3 months as the insurgents begin to attack urban centers, ThePrint has reported.

• As per New Delhi’s assessment, the Taliban are currently waiting for the “complete withdrawal” of US and other NATO troops by Aug 31^st. Thereafter, the Taliban fighters in Afghanistan are going to escalate their level of violence, and “focus on urban areas”.
• The Taliban, sources said, are eyeing the takeover of some key provinces and cities to strengthen their positions in Kandahar, Helmund, Ghazni, and Jalalabad, among other areas.
• Besides this, the Taliban are looking to take over border checkpoints as they serve the twin purposes of revenue earning as well as control. Sher Khan Bandar, the border crossing with Tajikistan, and Spin Boldak, along the Afghan-Pakistan border, have witnessed massive violence by the Taliban.
• However, the Taliban, sources said, would not “like to be seen” as “taking control by force” in their quest for “legitimacy” from the international community, which is the reason why they are sending delegations to Turkey, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Iran.
• With the Taliban had captured 45% of the country in the churn triggered by the US-NATO withdrawal, their rapid advance has triggered concerns about its potential impact on the subcontinent and beyond.
• Worries about international terrorists fighting alongside the Taliban have been raised as a matter of concern not only by India but also China, Russia, and Uzbekistan, sources said.
• India is convinced that the Taliban is receiving “tactical and logistical support from Pakistan”, so New Delhi is keeping an eye on this aspect too.
• India will discuss all these issues with the US during the visit of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who will be meeting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 July.

‘Multiple tracks’

• In terms of talking to the Taliban as their entry into mainstream politics in Afghanistan becomes imminent, sources said, New Delhi is moving on “multiple tracks” and engaging with “all stakeholders” to the Afghan situation, which includes the Taliban.
• As a democracy itself, India will continue to stand beside the elected government in Afghanistan. However, India sees a power-sharing deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban as the “best-case scenario” for long-term stability in the war-torn country.
• Sources said this will not be achieved easily since the Doha peace process has almost come to a halt, and multiple power centers have emerged within the Taliban, which they added is not a monolith anymore. Differences have cropped up, they said, among leaders like Mullah Baradar, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, and Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob.
• The Taliban are deliberately delaying the peace talks in Doha. Their main demands, they said, are the release of prisoners — about 7,000 of them — from Afghan jails, and getting rid of the global terrorist tag from the United Nations Security Council.
• India began engaging with the Taliban, sources said, when External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated in the intra-Afghan talks in Doha, which began in September 2020.
• India is concerned that terrorists from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) have joined hands with the Taliban, with sources saying that similar worries dog China and Uzbekistan, concerning the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, respectively.

Support to any act of terrorism is a crime against humanity, Rajnath Singh says at SCO meet

• Terrorism is the most serious threat to international peace and security and support to any acts of terror is a crime against humanity, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wed at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe.
• He reaffirmed India’s resolve to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and said peace and prosperity cannot coexist with terrorism, in remarks seen as directed at Pakistan.
• Singh said India accords high priority to the “consolidation of trust” in the security domain within the SCO as well as strengthening ties with partners of the grouping bilaterally based on equality, mutual respect, and understanding.
• He said India is committed in its resolve to work within the SCO framework for helping create and maintain a peaceful, secure, and stable region.
• Singh said the geo-strategic location of India makes it both a “Eurasian land power” as well as a stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific.
• “Our intent and aspirations are therefore focused towards prosperity and development of the entire region. We affirm this intent through our national policy of Security and Growth for All in the Region, commonly known by the acronym ‘SAGAR’,” he said.
• The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is an 8-member economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organizations.
• India and Pakistan became its 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.

Senior US commander meets Army Chief Naravane, holds talks on issues of ’mutual interest’

Army Chief General MM Naravane held talks with Commander of US Special Operations Command General Richard D Clarke on Thu, focussing on various key aspects of bilateral defense and security cooperation. Gen Clarke is on a 3-day visit to India.

• Officials said various dimensions of bilateral defense cooperation, including ways to further deepen it, figured in the talks.
• It is understood that General Naravane and General Clarke also briefly deliberated on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
• Before meeting General Naravane, the US official laid a wreath at the National War Memorial. “The visit will enhance defense cooperation and military ties between the two nations,” the Army said.
• Separately, General Naravane also held a telephonic conversation with Lieutenant General Charalampos Lalousis, Chief of Hellenic Army General Staff, focussing on defense cooperation between India and Greece.

The Indo-US defense ties have been on an upswing in the last few years: In Oct last year, India and the United States sealed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) to further boost the bilateral defense ties. The pact provides for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics, and geospatial maps between the two countries.

• The firming up of the BECA came two years after the two countries signed another pact called COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) that provides for interoperability between the two militaries and the sale of high-end technology by the US to India.
• In June 2016, the US designated India as a “Major Defence Partner”, intending to elevate defense trade and technology sharing with the country to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.
• The two countries had also inked the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies as well as provides for deeper cooperation.

Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria embarks on UAE visit

• Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Saturday embarked on a visit to the United Arab Emirates. His visit comes roughly eight months after Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane visited the Gulf country.
• His visit comes nearly eight months after Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane traveled to the Gulf country.
• In Dec last year, Gen Naravane paid a six-day visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia in a first-ever trip by a head of the Indian Army to the two important Gulf countries.
• An official release said the “goodwill visit” by the IAF Chief to the UAE will further strengthen bilateral defense cooperation.
• It said Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria is visiting the UAE on an invitation from Major General Ibrahim Nasser M Al Alawi, Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence (UAE AF and AD).
• “The IAF and UAE AF and AD have had significant professional interactions in the past few years and this visit will further strengthen the defense cooperation and Air Force level exchanges, as part of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides,” it said, without mentioning the duration of the visit.

With the new CM, BJP tries to reassure the powerful Lingayat community

The announcement that Basavaraj Bommai will be the next Karnataka chief minister, made by his predecessor BS Yediyurappa, is a significant gesture to reassure the influential Lingayat community that their interests are safe with BJP and the party will not lose sight of them.

Nobody pressurized me, resigned on my own: BS Yediyurappa

• BS Yediyurappa to resign today: “I have decided that after lunch I will go to Raj Bhavan and resign – not out of sadness but with happiness and with thanks to all leaders,” the Karnataka CM said today.
• Hours after Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s resignation on Monday, Shikaripura, the assembly constituency in Shivamogga district which he has represented seven times, was shut as a mark of protest by his supporters.
• Expressing sympathy with Yediyurappa, traders voluntarily shut down their business establishments as the BJP supporters staged a demonstration in the town.
• Roads were deserted as Yediyurappa’s supporters hit the streets raising slogans and put up his cut-outs to show their solidarity with him.

The workers also denounced the BJP leaders for compelling the Lingayat strongman to resign without allowing him to complete his term.

‘No neutral probe into Assam-Mizoram border clash’

A ‘neutral’ probe by a central agency into the July 26 Assam-Mizoram border clash is unlikely with the Centre unwilling to escalate the issue any further and chief ministers of either state have made no such request, according to sources in the government.

The idea, rather, is to let things settle on the ground as Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga come together to resolve the issue through talks, in line with the advice by home minister Amit Shah who has been in constant touch with them to de-escalate matters.

“There is strong political will at the Centre to resolve the matter expeditiously through talks and both the chief ministers are fully cooperating,” a Central government functionary said hinting that a virtual meeting between Sarma and Zoramthanga may have already been held even as Sarma revealed in a tweet on Sat that Zoramthanga, who has isolated himself after coming into contact with a Covid-19 positive person, had promised to call him to post his quarantine.

Meanwhile, the situation at the inter-state border is now peaceful, and that there is no scope of any further faceoff between the Assam and Mizoram police personnel with the disputed area now exclusively being patrolled by CRPF.

Assam-Mizoram border clashes: Not a ‘political’ issue: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tue that clashes at its border with Mizoram were “not a political issue” but a long-standing dispute between the two states. “This is a boundary dispute between two states. This is a long-standing border dispute. There was a dispute even at the time when the Congress govt was there on both sides. This is a dispute between two states,” he said.

Sarma added that three battalions of commandos would be deployed in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts bordering Mizoram to quell violence.

Monday’s violence broke out over allegations of encroachment. Mizoram home minister Lalchamliana claimed that Assam police entered Mizoram’s territory and committed arson. In a statement, he added that “upon learning of the arson, residents of Vairengte…proceeded to the site to inquire” when Assam police assaulted these “unarmed civilians” by lathi charging them and firing tear gas canisters.

The state’s deputy inspector general of police (northern range) Lalbiakthanga Khiangte said that eight unoccupied farm huts were set ablaze by unidentified persons on Sun around 11.30 pm.

J&K to be granted statehood at appropriate time: Govt: J&K would be granted statehood at an “appropriate” time after normalcy are restored there, the govt stated in the house on Wed.

President Kovind: Violence was never part of ‘Kashmiriyat’

“Democracy, I firmly believe, has within it the capacity to reconcile all differences and also the capacity to bring out the best of the citizens’ potential. Kashmir, happily, is already realizing this vision,” the President said in his convocation address at the Kashmir University here. Kashmir to acquire its rightful place as India’s ‘crowning glory’, said President Kovind.

Drone-like object spotted in Jammu’s Domana area, third sighting within hours: Two Pakistani drones were spotted again in Samba Sector on Sat evening around 8:05 pm and second around 2015 hrs, while second on 8.15 pm

INTERNATIONAL

Afghanistan crisis: President Ashraf Ghani says no military solution to Afghan issue, govt ready to talk with Taliban

• Underlining that there is no military solution to the Afghan issue, the country’s President Ashraf Ghani on Wed said his govt is ready to “direct talks” with the Taliban.
• Speaking at Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board meeting at Afghan Presidential Palace, Ghani assured the international community that the people of Afghanistan do not want anti-government elements.
• With the Taliban increasing their advances in Afghanistan, the clashes between the terror group and Afghan security forces have escalated in recent weeks.
• “We are ready for direct talks with the Taliban,” Ghani said, adding that the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners has “showed our will for peace.” “I offered a bridge to peace through the holding of early elections.
• The Loya Jirga took the unprecedented step of releasing 5,000 hardened Taliban fighters and some of the largest drug dealers under the assurance of good conduct by the international community,” he added.
• His remarks come as Taliban-led violence has increased in Afghanistan as foreign troops are withdrawing from the war-torn country.
• Taliban has escalated its offensive against security forces and civilians.

India would never accept an outcome which is decided by ‘force’, EAM to Rajya Sabha

• External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar today said that there can’t be a military solution or a takeover by the use of force in Afghanistan.
• Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, he said that the Indian government will work with the international community to ensure that political negotiations for a settlement are pursued seriously.
• We would never accept an outcome that is decided by force, he added.
• He further said that he had a very detailed discussion with Blinken on the situation in the war-torn country.
• On Wed, the US said that there can be no military solution to the Afghan conflict and asserted that India has and will continue to make vital contributions to Afghanistan’s stability and development.
• Calling India, a leader, and a critical American partner in the region, Blinken said that New Delhi and Washington would continue to make a strong push for the intra-Afghan peace process to end violence in Afghanistan and ensure that it does not become home to terrorism.
• “We discussed regional security issues, as the minister noted, including Afghanistan. India and the United States share a strong interest in a peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan,” Blinken said adding that the two sides see “largely” see Afghanistan in the same light.
• While Blinken met EAM Jaishankar in New Delhi, China on Wed feted Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, calling the insurgent group an “important military and political force” in Afghanistan.
• Beijing also asked it to make a “clean break” with all terrorist groups, especially the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) – the Uyghur Muslim militant group from Xinjiang

We are contributing to peace-building efforts in Afghanistan: India at UNGA ANI

• India’s development partnership with Afghanistan includes more than 550 Community Development Projects covering all its 34 provinces and is aimed at strengthening the country, said Counsellor in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Pratik Mathur.
• During a debate on peace-building and sustaining peace on Thu at United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Mathur said: “Our development partnership with Afghanistan includes more than 550 Community Development Projects. It is aimed at strengthening Afghanistan.”
• He also said that India has always played a constructive role in peace-building processes, especially in its neighboring countries.
• “As a democracy, India is conscious of the need to prioritize institution building, in particular, governance structures to strengthen institutional capacity and the rule of law, taking into account the views of the host government,” Mathur said.
• His remarks came after the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that there can’t be a military solution or a takeover by use of force in Afghanistan.
• “I articulated our position at a press conference that was jointly held with the visiting US Secretary of State. We were very clear that there must be a negotiated, political settlement in Afghanistan,” he told the House on Thu.

Buoyed with US airstrikes, Afghan security forces push back Taliban

• The Afghan security forces have cleared several villages along the highway of Taliban insurgents. They also foiled an attack on India-built and funded Salma Dam in Herat, in which several Taliban fighters were killed and five others injured.
• Buoyed by support from the international community and airstrikes by the US, the Afghanistan National Defence Security Forces (ANDSF) have begun the pushback against the Taliban with the latest reports from the ground indicating fierce fighting in 20 provinces including Ghazni, Takhar, Kandahar, Helmand, and Baghlan.
• The Taliban with Pakistan fighters within ranks have suffered heavy casualties in these attacks. The action against the Sunni Pashtun insurgent group also includes keeping the important highways of the country safe.
• The Afghanistan govt has stepped up the security of Maymana-Aqina, Hairatan–Kabul-Torkham, Spin Boldak-Kandahar city-Lashkarga, and Islam Qala-Herat highways to ensure free movement of security forces.
• The ANDSF cleared several villages along the highway of insurgents and defused at least nine improvised explosive devices or IEDs according to intelligence reports from Afghanistan.
• They also foiled an attack on India-built and funded Salma Dam in Herat, in which several Taliban fighters were killed and five others injured.
• The security cover of Kabul and other important cities, including Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kandahar city, and Herat, has also been increased. The local leaders are encouraging the people to raise arms against the Taliban.

Taliban offensive forces, Afghan Army chief to postpone India visit. Gen Wali Mohammad Ahmadzai, who is the Afghan Army chief, has postponed his scheduled visit to India this week due to the intensifying Taliban offensive in the country.

The US to continue supporting Afghan troops through airstrikes: Gen McKenzie. Amid Taliban’s ongoing offensive in Afghanistan, US Central Command Chief, General Kenneth McKenzie on Sun said Washington will continue to support Afghan security forces through airstrikes in combating the terrorist group.

UN warns of ‘unprecedented’ Afghan civilian deaths due to Taliban offensives. The Taliban has gone on the offensive since May and had made a significant gain. United Nations on Mon warned that Taliban offensives may cause ‘unprecedented’ civilian deaths in Afghanistan if the offensive is not halted. Violence in Afgha has surged since May when the insurgents went on the offensive to coincide with the withdrawal of foreign troops.

UN report says al Qaeda is present in 15 provinces. As per the latest United Nations report, al Qaeda is present in at least 15 Afghan provinces. These provinces are primarily in the southern, eastern, and southeastern regions of the country. It has been submitted to the UNSC this week. The 28^th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team shares the latest information on al Qaeda, ISIL (Daesh), and their affiliates.

India made Afghanistan a “terrorist sanctuary” in the last 20 years to fuel terrorism in Pakistan’s NSA. Pak NSA Dr. Moeed Yusuf on Sat said Afghanistan was forced to become a “sanctuary for terrorists” by India in the past 20 years to fuel terrorism in Pakistan, emphasizing that “it must now stop”.

‘The US really messed it up’: Pak PM Imran on Afghanistan situation. Pakistan neither responsible for Taliban, nor are we their spokespersons: PM Imran. PM Imran Khan has said that the United States “really messed it up in Afghanistan” as he questioned the American motive of Afghan invasion in the first place and then their subsequent attempts of seeking a political solution with the Taliban from a position of weakness. He said in an American news program aired on Tue night.

Chinese FM, Wang Yi met with the delegation led by Abdul Ghani Baradar. ‘Won’t allow anyone to use Afghanistan soil against China’: Taliban On July 28, 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Tianjin with Baradal, head of the Afghan Taliban Political Committee who is visiting China. The heads of the Atta Religious Committee and the Propaganda Committee traveled with each other.

China offered a high-profile public stage to the Taliban on Wed, declaring that the group rapidly retaking large parts of Afghanistan would play “an important role in the process of peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction” of the country.

• China told a visiting Taliban delegation on Wed it expected the insurgent group to play an important role in ending Afghanistan’s war and rebuilding the country, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
• Nine Taliban representatives met Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on a two-day visit during which the peace process and security issues were discussed, a Taliban spokesperson said.
• Wang also said that he hoped the Taliban would crackdown on the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as it was a “direct threat to China’s national security,” according to the readout, referring to a group China says is active in the Xinjiang region in China’s far west.
• The visit was likely to further cement the insurgent group’s recognition on the international stage at a sensitive time even as violence increases in Afghanistan.
• The militants have a political office in Qatar where peace talks are taking place and this month sent representatives to Iran where they had meetings with an Afghan government delegation.
• “Politics, economy, and issues related to the security of both countries and the current situation of Afghanistan and the peace process were discussed in the meetings,” Taliban spokesperson Mohammed Naeem tweeted about the China visit.
• Naeem added that the group, led by Taliban negotiator and deputy leader Mullah Baradar Akhund, was also meeting China’s special envoy for Afghanistan and that the trip took place after an invitation from Chinese authorities.
• Security in Afghanistan, with which China shares a border, has been deteriorating fast as the US withdraws its troops by Sept.
• The Taliban has launched a flurry of offensives, taking districts and border crossings around the country while peace talks in Qatar’s capital have not made substantive progress.
• “(The) delegation assured China that they will not allow anyone to use Afghan soil against China,” Naeem said.
• “China also reiterated its commitment of continuation of their assistance with Afghans and said they will not interfere in Afghanistan’s issues but will help to solve the problems and restoration of peace in the country.”

Taliban assassinations of Afghan pilots ‘worrisome,’ US Govt watchdog said. The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, in its quarterly report to Congress covering the 3 months through June, broadly portrayed an Afghan Air Force (AAF) under growing strain from battling the Taliban amid the U.S. withdrawal – and becoming less ready to fight.

US, Pakistan NSAs meet in Washington to discuss the Afghan security situation. The national security advisers of Pakistan and the US met in the US capital on Thu, where they discussed the “urgent need for reduction in violence and a negotiated political settlement in Afghan”. US NSA Jake Sullivan waited till Thu evening to confirm their meeting, posting brief tweets stating that their talks also covered other issues of mutual interest.

CHINA

China increases its military’s amphibious lift:

• China is involved in various disputes with neighbors – including India, Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam – but none approach the degree of danger faced by the democratic nation of Taiwan.
• China militarily threatens Taiwan through means such as ballistic missiles or amphibious invasion, but would it have sufficient shipping to achieve an amphibious lodgment?
• The likes of a D-Day landing are unlikely ever to be repeated when nearly 7,000 Allied vessels (including 1,213 combat ships, 4,126 landing ships, 736 ancillary ships, and 864 merchant vessels) supported landings in Normandy beginning 6 June 1944.
• Indeed, conducting an amphibious assault in this day and age is surrounded by heavy risk, considering the advancement in weapons such as anti-ship missiles.
• The topic of whether China is readying to invade Taiwan has been generating significant heat and light over the past year or so. Of course, for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to invade and conquer Taiwan would involve a major loss of ships, equipment, and lives.
• Nonetheless, China under Chairman Xi Jinping has been ramping up its ability to project power by sea, including its amphibious assault capability.
• Thus, the PLA Navy (PLAN) has already inducted the first of multiple 40,000-ton Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships, with a second due to enter service imminently.
• Type 075 is a flat-top vessel able to carry numerous helicopters, as well as possessing a good deck that can be flooded to allow landing craft, hovercraft, and amphibious assault vehicles to disembark. A fleet of Type 075 LHDs will complement existing Type 071 landing platform dock (LPD) ships, which have a good deck but a reduced capacity to carry helicopters compared to an LHD.
• China has eight LPDs in service. Despite these capital ships plus other smaller Chinese landing ships, they are insufficient to lift the necessary materiel and soldiers to successfully invade Taiwan.

Beijing building new ‘Great Wall’ in the South China Sea as it opens massive military base on the disputed island fortress

CHINA is secretly building a new ‘Great Wall” in the South China Sea it is claimed.

• Beijing has opened a massive military base on a disputed island fortress in the strategic region as the conflict escalates.
• Satellite photos are seen by the Washington Times, show deployments of PLA KJ-500 airborne warning and control aircraft to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in May and in June, while other satellite photos showed the stationing of a Y-9 transport aircraft and Z-8 helicopter to Subi Reef.
• Former naval intelligence officer Michael Dahm, who currently works with Johns Hopkins University says new satellite photos show the deployment appears permanent.
• He told the publication: ”The most significant change in military posture in 2021 is the appearance of Chinese special mission aircraft and helicopters at Subi and Mischief Reefs, indicating the PLA may have commenced routine air operations from those airfields.”
• It comes as last year it was claimed China was using the coronavirus crisis to assert controlof the vital SCS.
• Beijing claims it owns most of the disputed patch of ocean, despite several other countries having seemingly legitimate claims under international law, such as Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei.
• An independent ruling from an UN-backed tribunal disputes this, saying the waters are international.
• The convention states that nations’ claims to the waters around them must be measured from land.
• To thwart this, Beijing has been building man-made islands on top of coral reefs in the middle of the South China Sea for years, before using them as military bases – despite promising not to.
• Back in 2015, China insisted that it was building safe havens and rescue facilities for commercial fishing and shipping on the Paracel and Spratly Island reefs.
• ”Relevant construction activities that China is undertaking in the Nansha (Spratly) Islands do not target or impact any country, and China does not intend to pursue militarization,” Xi said at the time after satellite photos revealed China had turned a string of disputed islands into fortresses.
• The presence of modern combat aircraft will ”fill critical gaps in PLA navy capabilities in the South China Sea, especially in terms of reconnaissance and airpower,” added Dahm.

China Seeks Control: Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) national executive director Dr Bryce Wakefield told news.com.au: ”This shows that China is attempting to increase its control over the region.

• ”These aircraft will allow China to use assets in the region more effectively, its so-called maritime militia, for example, to wage their campaign of harassment in scenarios short of war.”
• ”China has deployed AWACS to Mischief Reef before, but it seems that this is now a more regular, permanent deployment,” he added.
• It comes after China claimed a US warship had illegally entered its territorial watersnear the Paracel Islands without permission in May.
• In a statement, the Chinese military’s Southern Theatre Command said the US action violated China’s sovereignty and undermined regional peace and stability.

2nd N-missile base found in China, signals ‘largest’ N-force expansion-TOI

An American researcher, Matt Korda, a Research Associate for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists has discovered a second new nuclear facility with 110 silos in China that analysts say points to Beijing’s coming of age as an atomic superpower on par with the US and Russia while countering India’s own “rapid” expansion of its arsenal, on Mon.

• He had found through satellite photo analysis China’s second major nuclear silo field near Hami in Eastern Xinjiang.
• Together with the discovery a few weeks ago of another silo field of similar size in Yumen, they suggested “the largest expansion of China’s nuclear force ever.” The discovery was validated by other experts and it invited a lengthy analysis in the New York Times, whose resident nuclear pundits said the simplest explanation for the massive expansion is that “China now views itself as a full-spectrum economic, technological and military superpower — and wants an arsenal to match that status.”
• Experts believe that till recently China operated only about 20 silos for big, liquid-fuel missiles called the DF-5. But the discovery of two new facilities, which will give the country roughly 230 new silos, indicates Beijing is embarking on a new assertive strategy under President Xi Jinping.
• The paper said another possibility for the unprecedented build-up is that “China is concerned about American missile defenses, which are increasingly effective, and India’s nuclear buildup, which has been rapid.”
• Beijing also has to contend with the announcement of new hypersonic and autonomous weapons by Russia, requiring a more effective deterrent.
• “The scale of the current nuclear build-up appears to contradict both of these policies,” FAS Director Hans Kristensen, who co-wrote a paper on the discovery with Korda, said.
• Not all experts see the silo build-up as an expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal.
• Other explanations for it include a long-practiced game of nuclear bluff where countries build more silos than nuclear missiles they possess and move the missiles around to deceive adversaries.
• Still, the uncovering of 230 silos, which some experts say were “meant to be discovered,” comes amid growing assertiveness on the part of Beijing towards a host of nations, including the US.
• After US Deputy Secretary Wendy Sherman flagged Washington’s concerns about abuse of genocide, human rights abuse, oppression, and a range of Chinese excesses in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Tibet, and other places, during a visit to China this week, Beijing asked the US to take a hike.
• In language that has become increasingly blunt and belligerent, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Sherman’s counterpart told her to “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, stop harming China’s interests, stop stepping on the red line, stop playing on the fire, and stop orchestrating group confrontation under the guise of values.”

US-CHINA RELATIONS:

US House approves bill prohibiting map showing Taiwan as Chinese territory

The US House of Representatives passed a bill that calls for the ban of the use of public funds to buy, make or display any map showing Taiwan as part of Chinese territory. The House resolution 4373, introduced by Republican lawmakers Tom Tiffany, Steve Chabot, and 3 others, was adopted on Capitol Hill by a vote of 217 to 212. The motion “prohibits the expenditure of funds to create, procure or display any map that depicts Taiwan as part of the of China,” Newsweek quoted the text of the bill.

The US concerned over ‘harassment, intimidation’ of foreign journalists in China

The United States has expressed “deep concerns” with what it called increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment, and intimidation of US and other foreign journalists in China, after correspondents of several international media outlets were reportedly heckled and booed on the streets of Henan province while covering floods.

Beijing lays down red lines for the first time in Sherman meeting

China has for the first time given the US a list of red lines and remedial action it must take to repair relations, including lifting sanctions and dropping its extradition request for Huawei financial chief Meng Wanzhou.

Chinese foreign vice-minister Xie Feng told US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman on Mon morning that US-China relations had reached a “stalemate” and faced “serious consequences”, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

“The foundational reason is that some people in the US are treating China as an ‘imagined enemy’,” it quoted Xie as saying.

Fauci says the US headed in the ‘wrong direction’ on coronavirus

The US is in an “unnecessary predicament” of soaring Covid-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert said Sun. “We’re going in the wrong direction,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, describing himself as “very frustrated.”

China urges the US to correct its misunderstanding and dangerous China policy on COVID19 origins-tracing, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, South China Sea affairs; stop provoking, stepping on redlines, and forming allies by playing the “values” card. Cooperation is based on mutual trust and reciprocal benefits; the US should establish a mindset of cooperation, it can’t seek cooperation while hurting Chinese interests, said FM spokesperson on Vice Minister Xie Feng and Deputy Secy State’s meeting Mon.

China names ‘Wolf Warrior’ diplomat as new ambassador in Washington

The hawkish Qin Gang, a close confidante of President Xi Jinping, is the new Chinese ambassador to the US. He gained prominence during his 2 stints as foreign ministry spokesman, issuing barbed responses to foreign reporters and pioneering an aggressive style of defending China in the press and on social media dubbed “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy.

PAKISTAN:

Pakistan Taliban will fight for Greater Afghanistan which includes Pak tribal areas after the fall of Kabul

Pakistan’s “joy” over Taliban victories in Afghanistan is maybe short-lived. Pakistani establishment’s situation can easily turn into a nightmare for the Afghan Taliban’s consolidation can unleash the deadly Tehreek e Taliban (TTP), Islamabad’s arch-foe.  The TTP wants to establish Greater Afghanistan, which includes tribal areas of Pakistan. 

“According to the teachings of Islam, the victory of one Muslim is necessarily helpful to another Muslim. How Taliban control of Afghanistan will help Pakistani Taliban, time will tell,” said the most elusive chief of UN-designated terror organization TTP Noor Wali Mehsud to CNN in an interview.

The dreaded militant leader has a plan in place after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul. He told the channel that the TTP is fighting along with the Taliban in Afghanistan,  but the group’s main “goal” is to have its “own”  independent country.

Saudi Arabia to expand the dimension of ties with Pakistan, says FM Prince Faisal

• Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud was speaking at a press conference alongside Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad, where he arrived earlier today for a day-long visit after the two held delegation-level talks at the Foreign Office.
• The SP-SCC, which is co-chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Prime Minister Imran Khan, was established after the two leaders signed an agreement in this regard in May while the latter was on a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia.
• Referring to the visit, the Saudi foreign minister said on Tuesday that he was in Pakistan “to follow up on the important visit of Prime Minister [Imran Khan] to Saudi Arabia in May, during which we established the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council”.
• He said he hoped that the council would turn out to be a “milestone in taking the relationship between [Saudi Arabia and Pakistan] to new levels, institutionalizing it and exploring all the opportunities that it has to offer”.
• Prince Faisal added that while Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had worked in multiple areas in the past as well, he believed that the SP-SCC would be a “more effective tool” to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
• He also stressed expanding bilateral coordination in the areas of technology and the environment.
• The foreign minister added that security and stability were the key to economic prosperity and therefore, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had agreed to work together on ensuring stability in each others’ regions.
• Earlier in the press conference, Qureshi termed the ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia “historic”, saying that both the countries were “very comfortable” with the way things were moving on the bilateral front.