Newsletter 27 July

July 27, 2021
 Team

Important Picks of the Day

NATIONAL​

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

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said that India will focus on maritime security, peacekeeping, and counter-terrorism during its Presidency month.

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

New Delhi’s assessment of the situation in Afghanistan is that the Taliban are waiting for a complete withdrawal of US and NATO troops before turning focus to urban centers.

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

The 12th edition of the Indo-Russia joint military exercise (INDRA) will be held at Volgograd city in Russia next month. The 13-day exercise will commence on August 1.

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.

PM Modi to BJP MPs: Opposition parties not letting Parl run, expose them

Addressing the BJP parliamentary party meeting, PM Modi said the 75th-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.

LS passes two bills amid din; RS faces washout due to opposition’s protests

Parliament continued to witness pandemonium on Mon, with the opposition raising the Pegasus spyware controversy, even as Lok Sabha passed the Factoring Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2021 amid a din.

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

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also said that commando battalions would be deployed in Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakand districts bordering Mizoram amid clashes that led to the deaths of six police personnel.

NEIGHBORHOOD

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.

US-China relations: 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.

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

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud said on Tue that the kingdom is looking to expand the dimensions of its relationship with Pakistan through the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council (SP-SCC).

Nawaz met Afghan NSA on Ashraf Ghani's request, says Abbasi

The former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said Nawaz Sharif met Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s “request”.

PTI clinches most seats to form the next govt in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was all set to form the next government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on its own, as unofficial and unconfirmed results for 43 of the total 45 general seats of the Legislative Assembly suggested it is far ahead of its competitors.

Hong Kong court convicts man in first national security trial.

A Hong Kong court on Tue found a man guilty in the city’s first-ever trial under the Beijing-imposed national security law.

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 1st, 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 76th 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. –PTI

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 31st. 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.

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.

China increases its military's amphibious lift ANI

  • 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.
  • The 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.

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

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.

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.
  • Qureshi said in talks with his Saudi counterpart, he discussed how the body would be structured and what should be their work plan for the purpose.
  • The foreign minister identified Vision 2030, a national transformation plan introduced by the Saudi government, as an area in which Pakistan could contribute.
  • In this connection, he also highlighted the importance of building cultural ties through cultural diplomacy.
  • He added that he and the Saudi foreign minister had also discussed opportunities for Saudi investors to invest in special economic zones under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
  • Qureshi thanked Prince Faisal and the Saudi government for their “unwavering support” to Pakistan on matters relating to the Financial Action Task Force and on the issue of occupied Kashmir.
  • “They [Saudi Arabia] have shown clarity and consistency in supporting Pakistan [on the Kashmir issue].”
  • Moreover, he said, he discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan with Prince Faisal and their approach on the matter was the same.
  • Prince Faisal, accompanied by a delegation of senior officials of the Saudi government, reached Islamabad today (Tue) morning, according to Radio Pakistan.
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