[NATIONAL]

Afghan foreign minister Atmar speaks to Jaishankar, calls for emergency UNSC session

Atmar talked about escalating violence by the Taliban as well as foreign terrorist groups in Afghanistan and described the attacks as a violation of international law.

Sino-India Standoff: India, China plan buffer zone at PP-17A near Gogra post

In an incremental step forward in the overall stalled troop disengagement in eastern Ladakh, India, and China now plan to establish a no-patrolling or buffer zone between the rival soldiers at one of the `friction’ points in the Gogra-Hot Springs-Kongka La sector.

India Sends Warships To South China Sea As Part Of Counter-China Plan

Four ships including a guided-missile destroyer and a missile frigate will be deployed for two months to Southeast Asia, the South China Sea, and the western Pacific, the navy said.

Sea trials of the first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in July, commissioning mid-2022

Though the original plans for the ship were floated in 1989, the design work began fresh in 1999. It was scheduled for commissioning in 2018 but has been delayed.

China tried to use Left to scuttle n-deal: Former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale

In his diplomatic career of 39 years, Gokhale, who is proficient in Mandarin, has spent more than 20 years in China, 7 years on the China desk in MEA, and 7 years in East Asia.

Lok Sabha passes Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021

The Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021 seeks to replace the ordinance promulgated in June 2021 and allows the Central govt to prohibit strikes, lock-outs, and lay-offs in units engaged in essential defense services

India’s peak power demand hits record of 200570 MW in July

India’s peak power demand hit a new record of 200570 MW in July, a 17.6% increase over the same month a year ago. The country witnessed the highest ever demand power at 12:01 hours on July 7, 2021.

29 MLAs to take oath as ministers in the new Karnataka Cabinet

As many as 29 MLAs will take oath as ministers in Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai’s Cabinet which includes 7 Other Backward Class, 3 scheduled Caste, 1 Scheduled Tribe, 7 Vokkaligas, 8 Linagayats, 1 Reddy, and 1 woman will be a part of the new state cabinet.

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

China shares broad consensus with ASEAN, ‘The US unable to disrupt ties’

China and the US will participate in a series of diplomatic activities with ASEAN in the coming days. Washington will keep making efforts to interrupt the development of China-ASEAN ties, but Chinese analysts believe that due to the broad consensus shared by China and Southeast Asian countries, there is nothing significant the US can do to make trouble.

China reports most new Covid-19 cases since Jan amid Delta surge

Since late July, the Delta variant has been detected in at least a dozen Chinese cities, including the capital, Beijing, and Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus emerged in late 2019. China reported 71 new domestically transmitted Covid-19 cases for Aug 3, official data showed, the highest daily tally since Jan. 30.

Pakistan desires peace with India: FM-Pak radio

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said Pakistan desires peace with India but not at the expense of Kashmiris while addressing a seminar in Islamabad on Wed. He also said the world community must exhort India to treat Kashmiris like human beings. He added India should rescind its unilateral steps and all related instruments of oppression and state terrorism in the illegally occupied J&K.

PM Imran nominates Abdul Qayyum Niazi as PTI’s candidate for AJK PM

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry announced on Wed that Prime Minister Imran Khan had nominated Abdul Qayyum Niazi as the next premier of Azad J&K. Khan had on Fri and Sat interviewed no less than 7 candidates for this position.

Pakistan has other options, NSA Yusuf tells the US

“The president of the United States hasn’t spoken to the prime minister of such an important country who the US itself says is make-or-break in some cases, in some ways, in Afghanistan — we struggle to understand the signal, right?” Pak National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf told The Financial Times.

Afghan first VP Saleh slams Pak for backup Taliban:

Afghanistan’s first vice president Amrullah Saleh took to the streets to protest the rising incidents of the Taliban’s offensive against the country’s security.

Afghan foreign minister Atmar speaks to Jaishankar, calls for emergency UNSC session

• Afghan Foreign Min Mohammed Hanif Atmar spoke to his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Tue to explore the possibility of convening an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss ways to stop the Taliban’s violence and human rights abuses in Afghanistan, as India holds the presidency of the UNSC for Aug.
• The Afghan foreign ministry said Atmar talked about the escalating violence by the Taliban and foreign terrorist groups in Afghanistan and called for a meeting of the UNSC to discuss the situation.
• In a statement, the Afghan foreign ministry said Atmar described the Taliban’s attacks in “collusion with foreign fighters and terrorist groups” as a violation of international law and talked about their possible consequences on the region’s stability and security.
• It said Atmar spoke to Jaishankar on the escalating violence and widespread human rights violations by the Taliban and the foreign terrorist groups.
• He proposed that a special UNSC meeting be held with a focus on the immediate cessation of violence in Afghanistan, according to the statement.
• The Afghan foreign ministry said Jaishankar expressed India’s deep concern over the escalation in violence and human rights violations in Afghanistan and called for steps to ensure peace in the country.
• The Taliban has been making rapid advances across Afghanistan by resorting to widespread violence since the United States began withdrawing its troops from the country on May 1. The US has already pulled back the majority of its forces and is looking to complete the drawdown by Aug 31.
• India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan. It has already invested nearly USD 3 billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the war-ravaged country.
• India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled.
• It has also been calling upon all sections of the political spectrum in Afghanistan to work together to meet the aspirations of all people in the country, including those from the minority communities, for a prosperous and safe future.

Taliban officially claims responsibility for attacking the residence of Afghan Defence Minister, General Bismillah Mohammadi last night in Kabul. Taliban calls it the beginning of retaliatory operations against key figures and leaders of the Kabul administration.

Yesterday, (Tue) around 10 pm, a huge blast at the residence of the acting Afghan Defence Minister, and Marshal Dostum. A gunfight with unidentified Terrorists continues. Mohammadi is believed to be safe elsewhere but terrorists might have managed to enter his house.

UN Security Council Calls For Immediate Reduction of Violence

• The members of the UN Security Council in a statement on Tue have expressed their “deep concern” about the high levels of violence in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s offensive attacks and called for an immediate reduction of violence.
• The statement also condemned “in the strongest terms” the “deplorable attack against the ‘United Nations compound’ in Herat province on July 30” that resulted in the death of an Afghan security forces guard and several injured.”  
• The statement also expressed deep concern about the number of “reported serious human rights abuses and violations in communities affected by the ongoing armed conflict across the country.”
• The members also reiterated their support for the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and emphasized the importance of the safety and security of UN personnel.
• The members of the Security Council called on both the Islamic Republic and the Taliban to engage meaningfully in an inclusive, Afghan-led, and Afghan-owned peace process to make urgent progress towards a political settlement and a ceasefire, as well as an inclusive, just, and realistic political settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan, while reaffirmed that there is no military solution to the conflict and declared that they do not support the restoration of the Islamic Emirate.
• They stressed the need for full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in this regard, the statement further said.

Taking to the street, Afghan first VP Saleh slams Pak for supporting Taliban

Afghanistan’s first vice president Amrullah Saleh took to the streets to protest the rising incidents of the Taliban’s offensive against the country’s security forces in a rush to grab power by force. Joining a civilian protest in the streets of Kabul, Saleh chanted ‘Allah-o-Akbar’ and slammed Pakistan for supporting the Taliban. The Afghan vice president said, “God is not Pakistan’s product”

Sino-India Standoff: India, China plan buffer zone at PP-17A near Gogra post

• China and India have agreed to pull back troops from another friction point along their disputed Himalayan border after a weekend meeting of top military commanders from both sides, according to senior Indian officials with knowledge of the matter.
• Soldiers will move away from the vicinity of the area where at least 20 Indian and 5 Chinese soldiers were killed in June 2020 in one of the most violent clashes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in over 40 years, Straits Times reported citing the anonymous officials.
• The development comes a day after New Delhi and Beijing issued an unusual joint statement describing their 12^th round of discussions between their military officials as “constructive,” suggesting the rivals had found some common ground after more than a year of tensions.
• A demilitarized zone will be created after the troops and artillery withdraw and the area will not be patrolled by either side to prevent rival soldiers from coming face to face, the officials said. Similar no-patrol-zones exist in other disputed sections of the border.
• Even as the two sides inch toward some sort of resolution of their conflict, the People’s Liberation Army late Mon released a new video clip of last June’s brutal clash in the Galwan Valley.
• Soldiers from both sides are still in rifle range of each other at several points along their high-altitude frontier.
• Disagreements over the sequence of withdrawing troops, tanks, and artillery pieces from areas of the dispute have slowed progress in talks.

India Sends Warships To South China Sea As Part of Counter-China Plan

Four ships including a guided-missile destroyer and a missile frigate will be deployed for two months to Southeast Asia, the South China Sea, and the western Pacific, this month to expand security ties with friendly countries the navy said on Wed, signaling its intent to play a bigger role in regional efforts to counter China.

• The Indian military has been traditionally wary of antagonizing China but the mood has hardened following the clashes which took place between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh last year. The govt has since drawn closer to the US in efforts to push back against China.
• The South China Sea has become one of many flashpoints in the testy relationship between China and the US, with Washington rejecting what it calls unlawful territorial claims by Beijing in the resource-rich waters.
• In June, a U.S. aircraft carrier group led by the USS Ronald Reagan entered the South China Sea as part of a routine mission and a British carrier group is due to undertake exercises in the Philippine Sea this month.
• As part of their deployment, the Indian ships will take part in annual joint war drills involving the US, Japan, and Australia off the coast of Guam, the navy said.
• The 4 countries make up the Quad, an informal group, that U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is promoting as a way to counter an assertive China. China has in the past criticized multilateral military maneuvers as destabilizing to the region.

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC), the progress of which was reviewed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Fri, will begin its sea trials next month and is set to be commissioned into the Eastern Naval Command as INS Vikrant by mid-2022.

• The nearly Rs 24,000-crore project has been hit by delays. While the originally targeted year of commissioning was 2018, the Covid pandemic contributed to the delay later.
• Navy sources said the ship had completed the ‘basin trial’ in Nov 2020 during which the propulsion and power generation systems of the ship in the harbor were tested.
• Following the trial, the integration of many other navigational, communication, and operational systems were undertaken.
• Though the ship was slated for sea trials earlier this year, it got delayed due to the Covid-induced lockdowns and quarantine process for naval officers and experts coming in from abroad.
• Sources said had the sea trials started earlier this year, the ship would have been commissioned by the end of this year.
• They said the sea trials are expected to commence in July now and the focus would be on the ‘move’ component of the ship to see how the vessel fares in the water.

Combat capabilities of IAC

• The IAC is 262 m long and 62 m wide and has a STOBAR (short takeoff but arrested recovery) configuration with a ski jump capability. If all goes according to plan, the vessel with a displacement of 40,000 tonnes is expected to be commissioned by mid-next year, the sources said.
• Once commissioned, INS Vikrant would be the most potent sea-based asset of the Indian Navy. The carrier would have onboard about 35-40 aircraft — a mix of naval fighters, anti-submarine helicopters, and naval UAVs.
• The aircraft component includes the MiG-29K fighters, Kamov-31 Air Early Warning Helicopters, the soon-to-be-inducted MH-60R multi-role helicopter, and the indigenous advanced light helicopters.
• Besides having four OTO Melara 76mm dual-purpose cannons, INS Vikrant is also equipped with 4 AK-630 close-in weapon systems.
• It also has two 32 cell VLS, capable of firing 64 missiles in total. It is equipped with the Israeli Barak 1 surface-to-air missile for short-range and the Barak 8 for long-range defense against aerial targets including fighters, helicopters, drones, and missiles.

Scrap L1 concept for procurement, need a revolution in bureaucratic affairs, Army chief says

• At a seminar by the US Institution, Army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane speaks out against procedural lacunae in defense procurement, emphasizes the need for more agile processes.
• Army chief General M.M. Naravane Tue called for a “revolution in bureaucratic affairs” and spoke out against procedural lacunae in the defense procurement process because of what he called the ‘Zero Error Syndrome’.

Lok Sabha passes Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021

The Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021 seeks to replace the ordinance promulgated in June 2021 and allows the Central government to prohibit strikes, lock-outs, and lay-offs in units engaged in essential defense services

The essential defense services include:

• Any establishment or undertaking dealing with the production of goods or equipment required for defense-related purposes
• Any establishment of the armed forces or connected with them or defense.
• In addition, the govt may declare any service as an essential defense service if its cessation would affect the:
  • production of defense equipment or goods,
  • operation or maintenance of industrial establishments or units engaged in such production, or
  • repair or maintenance of products connected with defense.

What happens if there are strikes, lock-outs, and lay-offs: The new Bill allows the Central Govt to prohibit strikes, lock-outs, and lay-offs in units engaged in essential defense services as per PRS Legislative Research. The govt may issue such order if necessary in the interest of, Sovereignty and integrity of India, Security of any state, Public, Public order, Decency, and Morality. The Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021 has a direct bearing on around 70,000 employees of the 41 ordnance factories around the country, who are unhappy with the corporatization of OFB, fearing that it will impact their service and retirement conditions.

29 MLAs to take oath as ministers in new Karnataka Cabinet: ANI

• As many as 29 MLAs (7 OBCs, 3 SCs, 1 ST, 7 Vokkaligas, 8 Linagayats, 1 Reddy, and 1 woman) will take oath as ministers in Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai’s Cabinet, but no deputy chief minister.
• Speaking to reporters here on Wed, Bommai said, “I’ve sent names to the Governor. 29 MLAs will take oath today. This time High Command has said that there’ll be no Deputy CM.
• Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister R Ashok stated that he has not demanded any portfolio and shall accept whatever ministry is given to him.

Expressing confidence in the party high command’s decision, Karnataka Minister CC Patil said that Karnataka will have a balanced cabinet.

China tried to use Left to scuttle n-deal: Former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale

• China used its “close connections” with Left parties in India to “build domestic opposition” to the Indo-US nuclear deal between 2007 and 2008. This might have been the “first instance for China to operate politically in Indian domestic politics”.
• This revelation, which could have political and diplomatic ramifications, is part of former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale’s new book, The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India, published by Penguin Random House India, which hit the stands recently.
• As Joint Secretary (East Asia), Gokhale was dealing with China in the Ministry of External Affairs in 2007-09, when the deal was being negotiated and India got a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) after Beijing yielded.

Gokhale’s book covers six topics on which India and China negotiated in the last 75 years — starting from India’s recognition of the People’s Republic China to Tibet, nuclear tests in Pokhran, Sikkim, the Indo-US nuclear deal, and Masood Azhar’s listing as a ‘global terrorist’ at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

China shares broad consensus with ASEAN, ‘The US unable to disrupt ties’- Chinese State Media

China and the US will participate in a series of diplomatic activities with ASEAN in the coming days. Washington will keep making efforts to interrupt the development of China-ASEAN ties, but Chinese analysts believe that due to the broad consensus shared by China and Southeast Asian countries, there is nothing significant the US can do to make trouble.

• Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to attend the ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the ASEAN Regional Forum via videoconference from Tue to Fri, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced Mon.
• At the China-ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting on Tue, Wang said that China has already provided more than 190 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to ASEAN countries, as well as large amounts of medical aids.
• Foreign ministers of the 10 ASEAN countries believe China is a reasonable, wise, and reliable power, which shows no fear to any hegemony when safeguarding international justice and fairness. China’s development will bring new and greater opportunities to all ASEAN members, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

According to the US Department of State, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also participate in 5 virtual ministerial meetings related to ASEAN from Mon to Fri, during these meetings, Blinken will “engage with leaders from across the Indo-Pacific on pressing regional and international issues.”