Important Picks of the Day :

[ NATIONAL ]

Sino-Indian Standoff: Chinese Air Force still deployed at three airbases facing Ladakh: Air Chief (↓)

IAF’s Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said China had built aircraft shelters in Tibet while asserting that the Indian Air Force was capable of tackling the “two-front threat” namely with China and Pakistan.

US Deputy Secretary of State arrives in Delhi, to discuss bilateral, regional issues (↓)

US Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman on Tuesday arrived in New Delhi to review India-US bilateral agenda and discuss regional and global issues,” tweeted MEA.

Indian Air Force to take part in exercises in Israel, Egypt (↓)

The Indian Air force will be participating in exercises with Israel and Egypt later this month. It comes as increased engagement has been seen between Indian defense forces and West Asian counterparts.

5^th edition of India – Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise to be held in the Arabian Sea from tomorrow (↓)

Tweeted by @AIRThe 5^th edition of India – Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise between the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime self-defense force will be held in the Arabian Sea.

Over Rs 1.25 Lakh crore 114 multi-role fighter aircraft project to be under making in India: IAF chief (↓)

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tuesday said the mega project to induct 114 multi-role fighter aircraft programs would be carried out under the Make in India project.

Punjab CM Channi urges Amit Shah to seal the international border to curb drugs, weapons supply, on Tuesday

In a bid to prevent the illegal trafficking of drugs and weapons from across the border into Punjab, CM, CS Channi sought the personal intervention of the Union Home Min and urged for the reopening of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

Terrorists killed 3 persons in 2 hrs in the valley on Tuesday night, 6 were arrested. (↓)

Terrorists shot dead 3 persons in the Valley on Tuesday’s night at three different places.

Indian govt to award Rs 5,000 for taking injured to the hospital after a road accident

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on Mon that it has created a system for ‘Good Samaritans” under which people who save the lives of road accident victims by transporting them to a hospital within the ‘golden hour’ after the accident will receive a financial reward of Rs 5,000.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

China can mount ‘full scale’ invasion by 2025, says Taiwan’s defense minister (↓)

China sent a record number of 56 warplanes to Taiwan as the country scrambled jets to thwart the Chinese threat.

Taliban remove Uyghur militants along China’s border: Report (↓)

Afghanistan shares a slender 76-km border with China which runs along with Xinjiang. China fears the border region with Afghanistan could fuel a separatist movement in Xinjiang due to the Taliban’s links with the militant Turkestan Islamic Party. The Taliban broke into the Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul, a place of worship for the Sikh community, and vandalized it

UK officials hold talks with Taliban, discuss ways to prevent ‘Afghanistan from becoming an incubator for terrorism’

UK senior officials on Tue held talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan to prevent the country from becoming “an incubator for terrorism”.

British MP Naz Shah stresses ‘galvanization at grassroots’ to raise Kashmir issue globally (↓)

Member of the UK Parliament, Naz Shah, on Tue said voices against atrocities in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) needed to be galvanized at a grassroots level to make them heard effectively at the international level.

PM Imran urges Bill Gates to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghan people

PM Imran Khan has urged Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates to consider providing humanitarian assistance to poverty-stricken people in Afghanistan.

IHC gives fresh chance to Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to engage a lawyer

The IHC on Tue gave another opportunity to Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to engage a lawyer to file a review against his death sentence ordered by a military court.

US govt orders Google to track people searching specific names: Report

Google has reportedly defended its move asserting that it carries out a “rigorous process” and protects the privacy of users while supporting law enforcement. FBI is issuing “keyword warrants” asking Google to provide data amid fears that innocent users may get caught: Forbes.

Sino-Indian Standoff: Chinese Air Force still deployed at three airbases facing Ladakh: Air Chief

Amid tensions with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), IAF’s Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said the Chinese Air Force has still deployed three airbases facing eastern Ladakh. India and China were involved in a standoff along the LAC last year as clashes between PLA soldiers and Indian troops in Galwan Valley led to casualties on both sides.

• Chaudhari said China had built aircraft shelters in Tibet while asserting that the Indian Air Force was capable of tackling the “two-front threat” namely with China and Pakistan.
• India’s air chief marshal said although disengagement talks are underway with China the PLA’s infrastructure development along the LAC is carrying on “at a very high rate”.
• India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat had said earlier that the disengagement process with China was slow due to “suspicion on both sides”.
• Chinese troops had recently conducted high altitude exercises in Tibet conducting night and day operations with the latest equipment.
• PLA had also conducted operation “Snowfield Duty-2021” military exercise in the Tibet plateau region involved live ammunition drills and used anti-aircraft batteries including Type 15 light tanks.
• Reports had said earlier that China had deployed modular container-based accommodations in the high altitude regions in eastern Ladakh.
• Chinese state media had earlier reported that authorities were building 30 airports in Tibet and Xinjiang provinces.
• China has already started a bullet train connecting Lhasa with Nyingchi which is close to Arunachal Pradesh.

Indian Air Force to take part in exercises in Israel, Egypt

• The Indian Air force (IAF) will be participating in exercises with Israel and Egypt later this month. This comes as increased engagement has been seen between Indian defense forces and West Asian counterparts.
• The new Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari at the annual presser said, ” Air Force is scheduled to participate in Ex-Blue Flag in Israel and Hop Ex in Egypt later this month.”
• When it comes to exercise in Israel, it is not for the first time India is participating but the biennial Ex-Blue Flag saw India’s participation, first in Nov 2017 when the exercise took place at the Uvda Air Force base in Israel.
• Indian Air Force participated with C-130J special operations aircraft along with Garud commandos while the Egyptian exercises will see the participation of fighter jets.
• In Aug, the then Air Chief RKS Bhadauria visited Israel and held talks with his counterpart Major General Amikam Norkin, Commander, Israeli Air Force. He also took part in a sortie in an F15.
• During the visit, he paid homage at the Cemetery for Indian soldiers in Talpioth, Jerusalem.
• Indian Air Force has participated in numerous international exercises in the last year. In Jan this year, IAF hosted the French Air Force during Exercise Desert Knight and has carried out op engagements with US Carrier Strike Groups in March and June.
• The air force participated for the first time in Exercise Desert Flag-6 in UAE in Mar 2021, which saw the participation of air forces of the US, France, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Bahrain, and UAE (as host).

5^th edition of India – Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise to be held in the Arabian Sea from tomorrow

India – Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise (JIMEX) series of exercises commenced in Jan 2012 with a special focus on maritime security cooperation and last one in Sept 2020.

• India: Indigenously built Guided Missile Stealth Destroyer Kochi and Guided Missile Frigate Teg, under the command of Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet Rear Admiral Ajay Kochhar will represent the Indian Navy in the three-day exercise.
• The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force will be represented by JMSDF ships Kaga, an Izumo Class Helicopter Carrier, and Murasame, a Guided Missile Destroyer, led by Commander Escort Flotilla – 3 Rear Admiral IkeuchiIzuru.
• In addition to ships, P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft, integral helicopters, and MiG 29K fighter aircraft will also participate in the exercise.

JIMEX-21 aims to develop a common understanding of operational procedures and enhance inter-operability through the conduct of a multitude of advanced exercises, across the entire spectrum of maritime operations.

Naval cooperation between India and Japan has increased in scope and complexity over years.

Over Rs 1.25 lakh crore 114 multi-role fighter aircraft project to be under Make in India: IAF chief Chaudhari

• Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Tue said the mega project to induct 114 multirole fighter aircraft programs would be carried out under the Make in India project.
• He said the 114 aircraft would be key for the IAF to tackle the fall in the number of fighter aircraft squadrons as they would be used to replace the fleet of Mirages, MiG-29s, and the Jaguars soon.
• “114 MRFA project would be under the Make in India program.. what route will be taken for it would be for the defense acquisition council to decide,” he said in the press conference on Tue.
• Responding to a question on whether the Air Force was going to place orders for 36 more Rafale fighter aircraft, he said Rafale would be one of the contenders for the 114 aircraft tender and the service was very happy with its performance.
• He further said the IAF would meet its requirements for fifth-generation fighters through the DRDO developed Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft project.
• Chaudhari said the force would also want to include fifth and 6^th-generation technologies into the 114 multirole fighter aircraft program.
• When asked about the ISTAR project, the air chief said the aircraft would be developed with the United States of America under the technology cooperation between the two sides.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman arrives in Delhi, to discuss bilateral, regional issues

US Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman on Tue arrived in New Delhi to review India-US bilateral agenda and discuss regional and global issues,” tweeted Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

During her visit from Oct 5-7, She will hold talks with External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval will be a useful opportunity to continue the regular dialogue and further strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, added the release.

• As per the Ministry of External Affairs release, she will meet Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Oct 6^th to review the India-US bilateral agenda and outcomes of PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the US.
• The situation in Afghanistan and India-US cooperation to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific are expected to top the agenda for meetings.
• The Indian side is also expected to raise its security-relations concerns on Afghanistan, including the risk of Afghan soil being used for terror attacks, during the visit.
• In Mumbai, Sherman will engage with business and civil society partners after attending the civil society events, and the India Ideas Summit in Delhi organized by the US India Business Council (USIBC), the MEA informed in a release.
• Sherman’s visit comes ahead of India and the US’ first 2+2 summit under the Biden administration scheduled for Nov 2021.

Sherman meets Uzbekistan FM, to visit Islamabad next

• Before arriving in Delhi, Sherman visited Switzerland and Uzbekistan where she met with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and an interagency delegation in Tashkent.
• Sherman Kamilov and the Uzbek people on Uzbekistan’s for Uzbekistan’s constructive engagement in Afghanistan.
• According to Pakistan’s The Nation newspaper, Sherman’s visit from Oct 7 in Islamabad will be one of the first high-level official visits since Joe Biden assumed Presidency, after CIA chief Bill Burns’ official visit on Sept 9.
• Sherman’s visit comes on the sidelines of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mahmood Shah Qureshi during the 76^th UNGA.
• The strategic stability dialogue was the outcome of a commitment made by US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Geneva in June to have a robust dialogue to lay the groundwork for future arms control and risk reduction measures.

WHO decision on Covaxin nod extended to next week (ANI)

World Health Organisation (WHO) has extended giving the emergency use authorization for Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin to next week.

“WHO and an independent group of experts are scheduled to meet next week to carry out the risk/benefit assessment and come to a final decision whether to grant Emergency Use Listing to Covaxin,” tweeted WHO.

Covaxin has been submitting data to WHO on a rolling basis and submitted additional information at WHO’s request on Sept 27.

“WHO experts are currently reviewing this info and if it addresses all questions raised, WHO assessment will be finalized next week,” tweeted WHO.

Covaxin, India’s first vaccine candidate for Covid-19 was developed by Bharat Biotech (BSL-III) in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology, which isolated the strain of the Virus.

• According to the Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer, Phase-3 clinical trials of Covaxin demonstrated an efficacy rate of 77.8%.
• All the relevant trial data has been submitted to WHO for Emergency Use Listing (EUL) and all clarifications by the UN health agency have been responded to Bharat Biotech.
• The WHO has approved COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech (95%), AstraZeneca (70%), Johnson and Johnson (66%), Moderna (94%), Sinopharm (50.4%), and Sinovac (51%) to date.
• As of date, India is using three vaccines Covaxin, Covishield, and Sputnik V against COVID-19 in its immunization drive.

Total vaccination done so far in India: 92,17,65,405 (59,48,360): 1^st dose-66,72,46,479 2^nd dose, 25,45,18,926 total 92,17,65,405

Terrorists Killed 3 persons in 2 hrs in the valley on Tuesday night, 6 were arrested.

Terrorists on Tue shot dead chemist, Makhan Lal Bindroo, a few Kashmiri Pandits (only 3% of the population) who had stayed back in Kashmir in 1990, at Lal Chowk near the Iqbal park Srinagar city. A snack vendor also was shot dead in the Botakadal, Lal Bazaar area of the city.

• At least 10 people of the Hindu community in Kashmir have been killed by terrorists since nullifying the contentious Article 370 of the Indian constitution.
• Reports say the terrorists killed one more civilian in the Bandipora district. The victim was identified as Muhammad Shafi Lone, a civilian in the Naidkhai area of Bandipora district.
• Kashmiri Pandits who continue to stay in the valley demand security for the community. Seek an appointment with Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, urgently. Pandits say that the Govt has failed to protect the life and property of Kashmiri Hindus in the valley even after Intel inputs of threat.

IHC gives fresh chance to Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to engage a lawyer

The Islam­abad High Court’s larger bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Amer Farooq, and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb took up a petition filed by the law ministry seeking a lawyer for the Indian spy.

• Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan and amicus curiae Advocate Hamid Khan also appeared before the court.
• The attorney general placed before the court correspondence between Pakistan and India for providing counsel to Jadhav to comply with the verdict of the International Court of Justice.
• He said the Indian govt did not respond and argued that the federal government had filed the petition seeking the appointment of a lawyer so that the verdict of the military court could be revisited at an appropriate forum.
• According to the attorney general, such prisoners should be dealt with per the Vienna Convention.
• The attorney general said that Pakis­tan could only comply with international obligations if Kulbhushan Jadhav authorized a lawyer to file a review against his conviction.
• The court, however, asked the attorney general to seek a response from the Indian government and adjourned the hearing till next month.
• However, no progress has been made on the review issue as India refused to appoint a local lawyer while demanding Pakistan to let an Indian lawyer represent Jadhav in the court.
• The ICJ has ruled that Pakistan was in breach of its international obligations because of the failure to provide consular access to Jadhav.
• In 2020, Pakistan presented an ordinance in the National Assembly The ‘International Court of Justice Review and Reconsideration Ordinance 2020’.
• India has said Pakistan must take appropriate steps to address the shortcomings of the bill.

Kulbhushan Jadhav, a former Indian Navy officer, was arrested in Mar 2016 in Balochistan, according to Pakistan’s authority. He was sentenced to death by Pakistan military court in 2017. India has rejected Pakistan’s allegations and said he was kidnapped from the Iranian port of Chabahar. In early 2017, a Pakistani military court sentenced him to death.

Taliban remove Uyghur militants along China’s border: Report

• According to reports, the Taliban has removed Uyghur militants near its border with China.
• The Uyghur militants reportedly belong to the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP).
• Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem had earlier declared that Afghanistan “will not be used against any country’s security”.
• Reports claim the TIP militants were located in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province which runs along China’s border and has reportedly been moved to other areas including those who were in Nangarhar.
• China fears the short border along Xinjiang could become a staging ground for Uyghur militants.
• Taliban had declared earlier that it was ready to enter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as the Xi government promised to ensure aid and vaccine assistance to the new Taliban government.
• China had openly expressed its support for economic development and investment for Afghanistan soon after the Taliban took control of Kabul while expressing its intention to further “friendly and cooperative” relations with the new regime.
• The Taliban reportedly had links with the Uyghur militants in the 1990s during its rule, however, it did not hand the fighters to China at the time, reports claim.
• China has consistently denied it carries out atrocities against Uyghurs even as the reports say there are at least over a million ethnic Uyghurs in Chinese internment camps in Xinjiang.
• According to a UNSC report, TIM also called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) seeks to establish a “Uighur state” in Xinjiang and “facilitates the movement of fighters from Afghanistan to China”.
• The UNSC report claimed TIM in Afghanistan had “focused primarily on actions targeting China”.

British MP Naz Shah stresses ‘galvanization at grassroots’ to raise Kashmir issue globally

In an interview with the Associated Press of Pakistan during her visit to Pakistan, she said that attention raised on human rights violations in IoK such as the incidents of killings, rapes, and pellet gun attacks would have more impact with a global audience than just parliaments.

• She said a “strategic shift” in media was required to inform the world about the infringement of the legitimate rights of Kashmiris.
• Shah called for spreading the word through active social media platforms about the plight of the elderly generation which was a witness to the Indian brutalities in IoK for decades and also the difficulties faced by the youth who continue to suffer “grave inhumanities”.
• The Labour MP for Bradford West — known for her strong support in the House of Commons for the people of Kashmir, women, and minorities — emphasized that the untold stories of the abuse in IoK needed to be delivered to the young people in the world as part of effective lobbying for the Kashmir cause.
• “We have seen that the issue of climate change and Black Lives Matter was all about successful media campaigns.”
• She said the topic of Kashmir was very close to her heart since she had spent her teenage years in Azad Kashmir.
• “Until every daughter in Kashmir is free of rape, people get united with families and do their businesses without having the fear of getting blinded by pellet guns, I will not stop speaking about the reality of Kashmir,” Shah said.
• She said it was “tragic” that the demography of IoK was being changed by those having no historical attachment with the Valley.

Islamophobia in Europe: On July 6, she has defended the honor of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in an impassioned speech in Parliament, highlighting the emotional stress and harm caused to Muslims across the world by the offensive cartoons and caricatures repeatedly published in Europe.

• Pointing to the rise in gendered Islamophobia where women and children bore the brunt, she said: “We need to stop it by talking about it.”
• On the status of parliamentary ties between Pakistan and the UK, Shah said that the relationship needs to be strengthened.
• She suggested that it would be useful to have some briefings on Kashmir prepared beforehand and given to the UK MPs and other countries to empower them to speak effectively for the rights of the Kashmiris.

China has the ability to mount ‘full scale’ invasion by 2025, says Taiwan’s defense minister

Amid the threat of Chinese warplanes repeatedly entering Taiwan’s airspace, the country’s defense minister Chiu Kuo-cheng declared that China can mount a “full scale” invasion by 2025.

“By 2025, China will bring the cost and attrition to its lowest. It has the capacity now, but it will not start a war easily, having to consider many other things,” Taiwan’s defense minister said.

Chiu added that China is capable of mounting a “full scale” invasion by 2025 and already can invade Taiwan, as it already sent a record number of 56 warplanes to Taiwan as the country scrambled jets to thwart the Chinese threat.

Chiu Kuo-cheng said the situation was “the most serious” in more than 40 years since he joined the military, adding there was a risk of a “misfire” across the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

“For me as a military man, the urgency is right in front of me,” he told a parliamentary committee reviewing special military spending of T$240 billion (S$11.7 billion) for homemade weapons including missiles and warships.

• Taiwan has reported 148 Chinese air force planes in the southern and southwestern part of its air defense zone over four days beginning on Fri, the same day China marked a key patriotic holiday, National Day.
• Taiwan’s defense minister told lawmakers that there was a risk of “misfire” across the Taiwan Strait referring to the current tensions with China.
• The Chinese government considers Taiwan a breakaway province which it says it will seize by force if necessary, a development that worries the island nation.
• Cheng told lawmakers that “urgency is right in front of me” as tensions have escalated between China and Taiwan in recent months.
• Last week at least 150 Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan’s air defense zone as China marked its National Day. Taiwan’s defense minister described the situation as “most serious”.

On Tue, President Biden said he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping and had agreed to abide by the Taiwan agreement referring to the One-China policy even as Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warned that there would be “catastrophic consequences” if China decided to invade the country.

Biden appeared to be referring to Washington’s long-standing “one-China policy” under which it officially recognizes Beijing rather than Taipei, and the Taiwan Relations Act, which makes clear that the U.S. decision to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing instead of Taiwan rests upon the expectation that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means.

• “…. We (Biden & Xi) agree, we’ll abide by the Taiwan agreement,” Biden said, adding that he made it clear to President Xi that he shouldn’t be “doing anything other than abiding by the agreement”.
• China claims Taiwan as its ‘own’ territory, which should be taken by force if necessary, while Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend its freedoms and democracy, blaming China for the tensions.
• Reacting to the meeting, Chinese State media, Global Times said, Yang-Sullivan meeting expected to see how to get China-US relations right (see the last letter)
• “held half a month after (an aforementioned telephone) conversation, Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou returned home safely, breaking the ice of the decade-low China-US relations as the world has widely anticipated, or even highly expected”.

Following the symbolic turning point, China and US militaries resumed high-level talks for the first time since Biden took office in Jan, and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai released a “positive” signal with a “frank conversation” with China in different areas.