Newsletter 19 July

Important Picks of the Day

NATIONAL

Spyware used to snoop on ministers, opposition, journalists, businessmen: Report (↓)

Spyware Pegasus, which is sold by the NSO Group of Israel, may have been used to conduct surveillance on about 300 Indians, including two serving Cabinet ministers at the Centre, three opposition leaders, a Constitutional authority, government officials, scientists, and about 40 journalists, according to French media nonprofit, Forbidden Stories, and Amnesty International.

ED probes media portal’s funding from businessman ‘linked’ to China regime (↓)

The Enforcement Directorate’s investigation into a money laundering case against media portal Newsclick and its promoters has turned the spotlight on their financial dealings with Neville Roy Singham, a businessman of Sri Lankan-Cuban descent whom the investigators have identified as the key source of Rs 38 crore that PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd received between 2018 and 2021 from abroad.

Opposition creates ruckus in LS, prevents PM from introducing new ministers

The Monsoon session of the Lok Sabha began on a stormy note on Monday with the Opposition creating a ruckus and preventing Prime Minister Narendra Modi from introducing his newly-inducted Union ministers to the House. As the disruptions continued despite Speaker Om Birla’s repeated pleas to maintain decorum, the House was adjourned after nearly 40 minutes till 2 pm.

‘Ask sharpest questions but allow Govt to respond’: PM Modi tells Opposition ahead of Parliament Monsoon Session

“This will boost the democracy, strengthen people’s trust and improve the pace of development,” PM Modi said ahead of the session.

J&K: Top LeT commander among two terrorists killed in Shopian encounter

Two terrorists, including a top commander of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian, an official said on Mon. According to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar, the LeT commander has been identified as Ishfaq Dar alias Abu Akram. He was active in the Valley since 2017. Dar earlier worked as Constable from 2010 in J&K Police but escaped in 2017 to join terror ranks. In the revelations coming out of the interrogation of 5 arrested on Sun in J&K in connection with the KashmirFight blog which made a to kill list of journalists, activists, businessmen. White-collar terrorists are involved in the conspiracy.

NEIGHBORHOOD

China developing new fighter aircraft base near Ladakh (↓)

Seeking to overcome limitations in its fighter aircraft operations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India, China is developing an airbase for fighter aircraft operations close to the Eastern Ladakh area in Shakche town in the Xinjiang province.

Look forward to working closely with Modi to strengthen ties with India, says Nepal PM Deuba (↓)

PM Modi Sun congratulated his Nepalese counterpart for winning the vote of confidence and expressed interest in further enhancing the ‘unique’ partnership between India and Nepal.

India's admission on FATF politicization vindicates Pakistan's stance: FO

The Foreign Office of Pakistan said on Mon that the Indian foreign minister’s statement that the Narendra Modi government had ensured Pakistan remained on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the grey list had vindicated Pakistan’s longstanding stance on “India’s negative role” in the global financial watchdog. Modi govt ‘ensured’ Pakistan remains on the grey list. This came as a response to India’s EAM S Jaishankar said the BJP govt led by Narendra Modi ensured that Pak remained on the ‘grey list’ of FATF.

China senses risk and opportunity in Afghanistan

Hong Kong, July 19: The sudden withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan presents Beijing with both opportunity and challenge. The first is because China can partially fill a power vacuum vacated by the West, and the second is because the Taliban is a militant organization with historical ties to Islamic terrorist groups.

The Dasu hydropower station has suspended on-site construction so that to examine safety measures after a deadly bus blast killed 9 Chinese & 3 Pakistani workings there, said FM spokesperson Zhao Lijian, noting that the contracts with Pakistani employees are not terminated

Afghanistan: Foreign missions issue joint call for Taliban ceasefire

NATO+15 diplomatic missions in Kabul on Mon joined hands to urge the Taliban for a ceasefire and halt to military offensives across Afghanistan. The appeal came just hours after a peace meeting in Doha failed to meet on ceasefire.

"List of countries using Pegasus incorrect, some not even clients", "International conspiracy," says NSO Group in an interview to ANI.

The NSO Group, a private Israeli Cybersecurity firm, responded to questions posed to it by ANI after media reports were published on July 18^th by a consortium of news outlets that alleged a targeted, mass digital intrusion operation apparently for surveillance by several nations on its citizens.
The list of nations includes India and as per media reports journalists, members of the govt, opposition, and other eminent Indian citizens were targets of these ‘spyware’ attacks, using the NSO Group’s software, ‘Pegasus’.
Terming the media reports “an international conspiracy”, authoritative sources within the NSO Group spoke to ANI on the recent revelations in the ‘Pegasus Project’, as termed by the media groups reporting on the alleged leaks.

“I cannot refer to any customer, the list of countries that we sell Pegasus to is confidential information. I cannot speak about specific customers but the list of countries in this story is incorrect some are not even our clients. We only sell to Govt and that to law enforcement and intelligence organizations Government. Due diligence is done, we subscribe to all UN guiding principles before and after selling. There are no abuses of any international systems.”

As per the report, Spyware Pegasus used to snoop on ministers, opposition, journalists, businessmen. Spyware Pegasus, which is sold by the NSO Group of Israel, may have been used to conduct surveillance on about 300 Indians, including two serving Cabinet ministers at the Centre, three opposition leaders, a Constitutional authority, government officials, scientists, and about 40 journalists, according to French media nonprofit, Forbidden Stories, funded by Amnesty International.
However, Amnesty International has halted working in India, citing the reason “The watchdog also accused the govt of pursuing a “witch-hunt” against human rights organizations.
The list also included activists, businessmen, and those from the legal fraternity. A number registered in the name of a sitting Supreme Court judge was also on the database, although it was unclear if the judge was still using it for Whatsapp and other messaging services, The Wire, a web portal which was part of the global media project involving 16 other outlets, reported late Sun evening.
The leaked database of around 50,000 phone numbers globally has the names of several Indian journalists. Names of others suspected to have been targeted will be revealed later in the days ahead.

Massive data leak reveals Israeli NSO Group's spyware used to target activists, journalists, and political leaders globally- Amnesty International

NSO Group’s spyware has been used to facilitate human rights violations around the world on a massive scale, according to a major investigation into the leak of 50,000 phone numbers of potential surveillance targets. These include heads of state, activists, and journalists, including Jamal Khashoggi’s family.

“The Pegasus Project lays bare how NSO’s spyware is a weapon of choice for repressive governments seeking to silence journalists, attack activists, and crush dissent, placing countless lives in peril”, Agnès Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International.

Responding to oppositions’ allegation, Union IT minister, Ashwini Vaishnav stated in the Lok Sabha, “Many over-the-top allegations made around this story. The press reports appeared a day before the monsoon session of Parliament. This can’t be a coincidence.”

ED probes media portal’s funding from businessman ‘linked’ to China regime

Sources in the agency, who have been mapping the flow of funds to the media outlet, alleged that Singham was associated with the propaganda arm of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
They also claimed that the probe has established that part of the money Newsclisck allegedly received from foreign sources went to activists such as Gautam Navlakha, one of the accused in the Elgar Parishad case.
The anti-money laundering agency recently interrogated Navlakha in jail about his association with Newsclick’s founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha.
Most of the money received by the portal has been shown as proceeds from the “export of services”.
When contacted by TOI, Purkayastha denied the allegations about Singham being a front for CPC and his outlet’s links with the Chinese regime. He said Singham is an American citizen who launched and ran a software company in the US before selling it for around $700-800 million.
“All our funds are from legitimate sources and well-known foundations in the US as per RBI guidelines,” Purkayastha said.
ED sources said their investigations have shown the media portal received funds from Justice and Education Fund Inc, US; GSPAN LLC, US; Tricontinental Ltd Inc, USA — all located at the same address — and Centro Popular Demidas, Brazil.
ED sources said the agency’s searches at the premises of shareholders of PPK Newsclick in Feb this year had thrown up regular exchanges of emails in connection with the CPC, a charge denied by Newsclick editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha.
“If they have anything against us, let them file all these facts in the charge sheet before the court. We are ready to face trial and respond to all those charges,” said the Purkayastha, who recently successfully petitioned the court to restrain ED from taking any coercive action against him.
He expressed his inability to comment on ED’s claim that Singham has been working out of China but said that the businessman might have located himself in that country during the pandemic because he found it safer.
ED sources said the payments to Newsclick were linked to “specific jobs” like sprucing up China’s role in Africa, where it has attracted charges of high-handedness and predatory capitalism, and defending the Communist regime’s crackdown on Jack Ma, the promoter of online commerce giant Alibaba They said the agency is also investigating payments of large sums to journalists for any irregularities.
Besides, Purkayastha has been asked about payment of money to one Bappaditya Sinha, a CPM member who maintains Twitter handles of some party leaders.
When asked, Purkayastha acknowledged Newsclick’s links with Sinha but said Sinha was paid for software services he provided. “There is nothing wrong about it,” he said.
In addition to ED, other agencies are looking into the ‘China angle’ in the case, specifically into alleged surrogate funding by the CPC to build a ‘media narrative’ in India that suits Beijing’s interests.
During his questioning by ED officials, Purkayastha was asked to provide details of services exported by his company, for which it had received about Rs 28.5 crore (from 2018 to 2021).
He has also been asked to explain how funds running into crores had started flowing from abroad into Newsclick within a few months of the launch of the company, sources added.
While trailing financial transactions, the agency came across one payment of Rs 1.55 cr to an electrician and Purkayastha has been asked to provide information on the “Nature of work” the latter executed.
He defended the company’s share valued at more than Rs 11,000 each as a “fair assessment” of the company, the valuation for which was conducted professionally, as is the case with any startup.
Fearing arrest, Purkayastha had approached the Delhi high court seeking anticipatory bail. The court has given him protection from any ‘coercive action’ by the ED till July 29 when the case is listed for hearing.

Pakistani fighters, Taliban instructed to target India-built assets in Afghanistan (ANI)

With the Taliban being joined by Pakistanis in Afghanistan in large numbers, their fighters have been instructed by the Inter-Services Intelligence to target the Indian-built assets in the war-torn country, over the last many years.
The Indian government has invested over USD 3 billion in the Afghanistan reconstruction effort in the last two decades and the 218-km road between Delaram and Zaranj Salma dam; and the Afghan Parliament building which was inaugurated in 2015, is the biggest symbols of the Indian contribution to the Afghan people.
As per estimates and inputs, more than 10,000 Pakistanis have entered the war zone in Afghanistan to openly support the Taliban’s offensive against the Ashraf Ghani-led Afghanistan government.
As per inputs, the Pakistani and the Taliban fighters there have been sent in with specific instructions to target the Indian built assets and remove any signs of Indian goodwill work there, government sources monitoring Afghanistan told ANI here.
India had made an immense contribution towards the education sector in Afghanistan and had played a big role in training their teachers and support staff.
The Pakistan-backed Islamic terrorist groups including the Haqqani network have been highly active for years against India there.
The Indian side is also in a fix on the issue of whether they would be allowed to retain its presence in Kabul as so far no assurance or indication has been given by the ultra-radical Islamist group which has been seen as opposed to India.
Indian agencies are also closely monitoring the situation at the Kabul airport which is not going to be under American guard for very long now.
Many airfields under Americans including the Bagram airbase which have been vacated due to the ongoing power tussle with the Taliban. The Indian workers involved in civil works have also been asked to move out.
Indian public sector company WAPCOS had some officials there for dam projects. India had recently also announced works worth around USD 350 million including the Shahtoot dam for providing drinking water to the city of Kabul.

China developing new fighter aircraft base near Ladakh

Seeking to overcome limitations in its fighter aircraft operations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India, China is developing an airbase for fighter aircraft operations close to the Eastern Ladakh area in Shakche town in the Xinjiang province, ANI reported citing Govt sources.
The base is coming up between the existing airbases of Kashgar and Hogan which have been carrying out fighter operations along the Indian borders for a long time.
Shakche town already has an airbase and that is being upgraded for fighter aircraft operations and would be ready for fighter aircraft operations in near future and the work has been expedited on it.
The gap between the existing air bases in China close to the LAC for fighter aircraft operations was around 400 km but this would be bridged with the operationalization of the Shakche airfield.
The Indian agencies are also keeping a close watch on an airfield near the Uttarakhand border in Barahoti with China where the Chinese have brought in a large number of unmanned aerial vehicles which are continuously flying in that region.
Recently, the Chinese Air Force held an exercise in the new inning of the summer near the Indian territories and the sorties were undertaken by them mainly from the Hogan, Kashgar, and Gar Gunsa airfields.
The drills were watched closely by the Indian side and the Indian side was at a high state of readiness during that period.
The Chinese Air Force has traditionally been weak in this part of the LAC with India which has several airfields in the relatively short distance airfields along the LAC and has an adage over the Chinese Air Force in terms of strike capability.
The Chinese side has strengthened its air defense further in the area with the deployment of their S-400 air defense systems imported from Russia even as India has deployed a large number of systems to take care of the Chinese fighter aircraft fleet, in case it is required ever.

Look forward to working closely with Modi to strengthen ties with India, says Nepal PM Deuba

Nepal’s new Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that he looks forward to working closely with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to strengthen the relations between the two neighboring countries as well as the people-to-people contacts.
PM Modi immediately congratulated Deuba after he won a vote of confidence in the reinstated House of Representatives on Sun night.
Deuba, the 75-year-old President of the Nepali Congress won a trust vote in the reinstated lower House of Representatives and comfortably won it, averting a general election in the Himalayan nation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deuba, who was appointed as the prime minister as per Article 76(5) of the Constitution on July 12 following the Supreme Court’s intervention, secured 165 votes in the 275-member House on Sunday.
A total of 136 votes were required for Deuba to win Parliament’s confidence. He had to seek a trust vote within one month after being appointed as prime minister. However, in a surprise move, he sought a vote of confidence on the first day of the reinstatement of the House.
Deuba’s failure to win the trust vote in the House would have led to the dissolution of the House and snap polls within six months in Nepal, which is facing an unprecedented health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sunday’s outcome of the trust vote paves the way for PM Deuba to remain in office for the next one and a half years until a fresh parliamentary election is held, the Nepalese media reported.
Previously, Deuba has served as the prime minister on four occasions; first from 1995 to 1997, then from 2001 to 2002, again from 2004 to 2005, and from 2017 to 2018.