1. Karnataka Elections 2023: what opinion polls predicted so far
2. US President Biden to host India’s PM Modi on June 22: White House
3. China objects to proposal by India to blacklist Pak-based JeM leader Abdul Rauf Azhar at UN
4. “It could be an explosion…”: Punjab Police after loud sound heard in vicinity of Golden Temple
5. NIA attaches properties of three Jaish and Hizb men

What Else

6. Interpol issues blue notice in Khalistan-linked probe
7. India and Canada likely to sign interim free trade deal this year
8. Xiaomi’s India challenges mount with plunging sales and frozen assets amid rising geopolitical tensions with China
9. Pakistan: Eight killed in clashes as Imran lands in NAB custody
10. Pakistan -Imran arrest: Army declares May 9 as ‘black chapter’ amid countrywide riots
11. Pakistan should surrender on the Kashmir Issue, Yousuf Chugtai
12. Nepal: Court extends former home minister Khand’s judicial custody by four days

Karnataka Elections 2023: what opinion polls predicted so far

• Karnataka voting for the 224 assembly seats began on Wed and ended with 65.69% of voters turning out for 2,615 candidates.
• Politicians like Union Fin Min N Sitharaman, and Sudha Murthy urged people to cast their votes.
• The majority mark to form the govt in Karnataka is 113 seats.
• As cited by Mint, the majority of opinion polls have predicted a “major win” for Congress, while BJP could face a big loss, and JD might perform below par. (here)
• Over 94,000 senior citizens and PwDs cast their vote from Home for the 1^st time.
• Largely peaceful voting in all 224 ACs in Karnataka; no repoll was indicated in any of the 58,545 Polling stations.
• Advance planning, use of technology, exhaustive reviews, and strict monitoring ensure smooth conduct of elections to Karnataka Assembly Election: Election Commission

US President Biden to host India’s PM Modi on June 22: White House

• US President Joe Biden is set to host PM Modi on Jun 22 when the latter will be on an official state visit to Washington, announced the White House on Wed.
• “The visit will strengthen …shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space.” WH Press Secy. (here)
• Modi and Biden will also see each other in Australia this month for a summit with the leaders of Australia and Japan.
• France is preparing for a big visit by Modi, as well, after Macron invited him to be the guest of honor at France’s Bastille Day parade on July 14.
• The invitations reflect India’s importance as the world’s most populated country and current leader of the Group of 20 nations. (here)

China objects to proposal by India to blacklist Pak-based JeM leader Abdul Rauf Azhar at UN

• China has objected to a proposal by India to blacklist senior Pakistan-based Jaish-e Mohammed terrorist Abdul Rauf Azhar, brother of JeM chief Masood Azhar at UNSC.
• Rauf has been involved in planning and executing many terror strikes including the hijacking of Indian IC814 in 1999, the attack on the Parliament in 2001, and the targeting of the IAF base in Pathankot in 2016.
• Rauf Azhar was sanctioned by the US in December 2010.
• Last Aug, China put a hold on the proposal by India and the US to designate Rauf Azhar as a global terrorist and subject him to an assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo.
• Beijing, an all-weather friend of Islamabad, had last year put holds on proposals to blacklist Pakistan-based terrorists Hafiz Talah Saeed, LeT. (here)

“It could be an explosion…”: Punjab Police after loud sound heard in vicinity of Golden Temple

• The Punjab Police said that the loud sound which was heard in the vicinity of the Golden Temple in Amritsar in the wee hours on Thu was the result of an explosion.
• The suspects are being rounded up, police said.
• The sound was heard around 12.15-12.30 am, the police added following which five people were arrested. No fatalities were reported.
• “The suspects are being rounded up and the probe is on,” he added. Sri Guru Ram Dass Niwas is the oldest ‘sarai’ (lodge).
• Police personnel and forensic team members rushed to the site of the incident and the probe is underway. (here) [It would be 3^rd within a week]

NIA attaches properties of three Jaish and Hizb men

• The National Investigation Agency on Wed attached properties of 3 persons, accused in 2 cases, linked to militant organizations HM and JeM.
• The properties include land and shops in the frontier district of Kupwara in northern Kashmir and the Shopian and Pulwama districts of southern Kashmir.
• NIA has intensified its crackdown in Kashmir by attaching the properties of the accused related to militant organizations and stepping up its vigil against these groups, their affiliates, agents, and overground workers. (here)

Interpol issues blue notice in Khalistan-linked probe

• A “blue notice” has been issued by the Interpol and LOCs by the National Investigation Agency against several people in the US, Greece, and the Philippines on an alleged nexus of gangsters and Khalistani outfits operating from foreign soil.
• The “blue notice” was issued against US-based Harjot Singh last month based on a request by NIA, the people said.
• Such a notice is issued to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location, or activities to a crime.
• LOCs were also issued by NIA against Satnam Singh, currently in Greece, and Amrik Singh and Mandeep Singh – both reportedly from the Philippines – last month. (here)
• A Delhi court had also issued non-bailable warrants against the 4 people on Apr 24.

India and Canada likely to sign interim free trade deal this year

• India and Canada may sign an interim FTA (the precursor to a CEPA), Commerce Min Piyush Goyal and his Canadian counterpart Mary Ng reviewed the progress of dialogs on Tue.
• The two are negotiating a 2-step FTA

1. An interim deal covering goods, services, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, and dispute settlement
2. The India-Canada CEPA to cover other bilateral issues of strategic importance.

• The interim negotiation is “progressing fast” and the two may sign a deal in the 2^nd half of this year.
• EPTA may also cover areas such as small and medium enterprises and it will eventually take the shape of a comprehensive FTA (here)

Xiaomi’s India challenges mount with plunging sales and frozen assets amid rising geopolitical tensions with China

• After a 41% plunge in its smartphone shipments in India last quarter, Xiaomi continues to face hurdles outside China amid geopolitical tensions- resulting in keen scrutiny of Chinese technology firms.
• Once the top smartphone brand in India for 5 straight years, Xiaomi ranked 4^th in the 1^st quarter with shipments of 5 mn handsets, making up 16.4% of the market.
• That was down from 8.5 million units in the same period last year when the Beijing-based smartphone giant was still the No 1 player in the market.
• However, Xiaomi has been hit especially hard by deteriorating relations between the world’s two most populous countries.
• An Indian High Court last month rejected a plea from Xiaomi to return funds worth more than US$676 million, which were seized in Apr 2022 after ED. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Pakistan: Eight killed in clashes as Imran lands in NAB custody

• At least 8 people were killed, as many as 290 were injured, and over 1,900 enraged protesters were rounded up in running battles with law enforcers on Wed
• An accountability court in Islamabad handed over the custody of their leader Imran Khan to NAB for eight days in connection with the Al Qadir Trust case.
• The violent protests provoked by the PTI chairman’s arrest entered the 2^nd day on Wed, as police and PTI supporters engaged in bloody clashes throughout the day.
• In the night, PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry was arrested hours after Secy Gen Asad Umar was taken into custody, along with 1,900 supporters held; 52 were sent to Adiala.
• In a bid to control the worsening situation, the govt called in the military in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad.
• The deployment came a day after protesters stormed the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and tore down a gate of GHQ in Rawalpindi.
• Radio Pakistan building torched in Peshawar; railways track damaged in Tarnol
• Police property in Lahore, Islamabad destroyed; FC fort in Lower Dir ransacked (here)

Pakistan -Imran arrest: Army declares May 9 as ‘black chapter’ amid countrywide riots

• The media wing of the Pakistan Army has labeled the events that unfolded on May 9 as a “black chapter” in the country’s history.
• According to a statement on Wed, the ISPR referred to the protests asserting that the demonstrations specifically targeted army property and installations.
• In a strongly-worded statement, the military’s media wing emphasized that no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
• The arrest of Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court was justified by the ISPR, citing the National Accountability Bureau statement and the law.
• The ISPR highlighted that the outcome of the arrest witnessed a wave of attacks on the army’s properties and installations, accompanied by anti-army slogans being raised.
• The ISPR condemned these actions and expressed its concerns regarding the tactics employed by certain elements within the protesting groups. (here)
• Al-Qadir Trust case: NAB gets 8-day remand of PTI chief Imran Khan
• Meanwhile, COAS, Asim is on a holiday visit to Qatar.
• Pakistan’s Claim- ‘Sweets Distributed In India’: RSS And BJP Responsible for Violence
• Pakistan blamed the RSS and BJP for the violence across several cities.
• The statement was made by Atta Tarar, the special assistant of the PM, during a presser.
• While addressing the media on the violence in Pakistan Tarar said, “Those who are doing vandalism and arson are people sent by the RSS and the BJP from India.”
• “These handfuls of people are related to the BJP and the RSS. There were celebrations in India after yesterday’s incident (the protests),” he claimed. (here)

Pakistan should surrender on the Kashmir Issue, Yousuf Chugtai

• JKLF senior leader Yousuf Chugtai while talking to a nationalist youth delegation from Poonch, demanded that the Karachi Pact should be revoked and GB should be made a part of Azad Jammu Kashmir.
• The Federal AJK Ministry should be dissolved and an independent and autonomous govt should be formed consisting of GB and AJK where people of occupied JK should be given full representation.
• Royalties of Mangla Dam, Diamer Bhasha Dam, and all other dams should be given to the new Kashmir Govt besides Kashmir Property Tax in Pakistan and foreign exchange from Kashmiris living in other nations should be handed over to the new govt.
• It was also demanded that India, Pakistan, and China should withdraw their armies at one single time from occupied Jammu Kashmir.
• Chughtai said that the new composite independent Kashmir govt will be able to deal with Kashmir Cause more effectively at the international level to get constitutional, legal, national, and self-determination rights for 2.5 crores Kashmiris. (Siasat)

Nepal: Court extends former home minister Khand’s judicial custody by four days

• The District Court has extended the judicial custody of former home minister, Bal Krishna Khand for 4 days to investigate his involvement in the Bhutanese refugee scam.
• The minister was arrested from his residence on Wed by a team of Kathmandu Police for his alleged involvement in the scam where many Nepalis were cheated of millions of rupees for sending them to the US as Bhutanese refugees.
• Likewise, Police also arrested his aide Narendra KC in connection to the case.
• This came after TN Pandey, currently a secretary at the Office of the Vice President and former home secretary, allegedly implicated the duo in the refugee scam.
• Police have so far arrested 12 people, including Pandey, who was appointed by Khand when he was leading the Home Ministry. (here)
• Pressure is growing on the govt from all sides to take action against all those involved in the scam.