A walk through Wednesday

[ NATIONAL ]

Jaishankar’s Afghan agenda in Doha, Indo-Pacific in Manila

India will engage Qatar in Afghanistan as its position is different from Pakistan with close ties with the Kandahari faction rather than the Haqqani Network supported by ISI. Cementing ties with the Philippines post-sale of BrahMos is top of EAM Jaishankar’s agenda.

Quad to be operationalized at Canberra Ministerial. No scope for expansion now.

The Quad foreign ministers meet on Feb 11 with the agenda to translate its discussions and objectives on the ground, be it vaccine delivery, critical and emerging technologies. Of course, belligerent China will be the elephant in the room.

CSTO ready to consider India’s partner status appeal: Russian Diplomat

ANI – The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is ready to consider India’s appeal for the status of a CSTO observer or partner, Russian Permanent Representative to the CSTO Mikael Agasandyan has said. Notably, on Jan 31, the new Russian envoy to New Delhi, Denis Alipov, said that Moscow was interested in strengthening India-CSTO ties and stated that contacts had already been established, according to Sputnik. “…… We are not going to impose ourselves on anyone, but we are ready to constructively and promptly consider relevant requests from third countries and organizations as they are received,” Agasandyan said when asked whether the CSTO plans to strengthen ties with India. Meanwhile, CSTO Secy-Gen Stanislav Zas has said that the member states of the CSTO currently are not facing a direct threat of military expansion by the Taliban despite Afghanistan remaining the source of regional instability, reported Sputnik.

NIA arrests Al-Qaeda operative from J-K’s Budgam

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested an Al-Qaeda operative Tawheed Ahmad Shah on Mon from Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district. The arrested terrorist was allegedly behind an Al-Qaeda conspiracy to do an IED blast in Lucknow, informed the official NIA release. The ATS Uttar Pradesh had registered an FIR on Jun 11, 2021, in the Gomtinagar police station against the accused Tawheed Ahmad Shah who was part of a conspiracy for recruiting members for Al-Qaeda affiliate AGH (Ansaar Gajwatul Hind) and for committing terrorist acts in Lucknow, said ATS on Tue. Earlier, NIA had arrested 5 accused persons in the case against whom a charge sheet was filed on Jan 5 this year. Further investigation is on.

BSF foils smuggling bid by Pakistan drone in Punjab’s Amritsar

The Border Security Force on Wed has foiled an attempt of smuggling contraband by drone coming from Pakistan in the Gurdaspur Sector of Punjab’s Amritsar district and recovered two packets containing suspected contraband of yellow color. The area is at a distance of approximately 2700 meters from the International Border (IB) and the search is still in progress. Further details are awaited.

ISRO to launch all-weather radar imaging satellite, two small satellites on Feb 14

After a hiatus of 6 months, the Indian Space Research Organization has announced its 1st launch of this year – a PSLV Rocket. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, regarded as ISRO’s most reliable and proven rocket is scheduled to launch 3 satellites at 5:59 am on Mon, Feb 14th, subject to weather conditions. This mission PSLV-C52 will be launching an earth observation satellite (EOS-04), weighing 1710 kg into a sun-synchronous polar orbit of 529 km. EOS-04 is a Radar Imaging Satellite designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as Agriculture, Forestry & Plantations, Soil Moisture and Hydrology, and Flood mapping. According to ISRO, the rocket will also carry two small satellites as co-passengers. They include one student satellite (INSPIREsat-1) from Indian Institute of Space Science & Tech in association with the Laboratory of Atmospheric & Space Physics at the University of Colorado, and a technology demonstrator satellite (INS-2TD) from ISRO, which is a precursor to India-Bhutan Joint Satellite (INS-2B). 2022 is a busy year for ISRO, with up to 19 missions being planned in this calendar year.

Instagram account of Chinar Corps activated after being suspended for over a week

After being suspended for “vague” reasons for more than a week, the Instagram account of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps has been activated on Wed. Facebook and Instagram accounts of the Corps had been suspended around Jan end by the social media companies citing “vague reasons”. Facebook and Instagram accounts of the Corps had been suspended more than a week ago, Army officials told ANI. The Chinar Corps created the pages to counter fake news and lies being circulated on social media and to present the real ground situation in J&K. The FB account is also expected to activate soon, they said adding that they are in touch with FB. The Srinagar-based Chinar corps is the Indian Army’s main arm to fight hai at terrorism sponsored by Pakistan and its propaganda against Indian security forces. The suspension of social media accounts of the corps happened around the time when Pakistan had launched global propaganda against India on the Kashmir issue.

5,800 NGOs failed to renew FCRA registration on time: MoS Nityanad Rai

Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs stated in Lok Sabha in a written reply on Tue told that they have not denied the renewal of licenses to around 5,800 organizations under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), but the registration ceased as they have failed to apply within a stipulated time. This came in a reply to the question of whether the govt has canceled licenses of NGOs which failed to comply with revised guidelines. He was further asked about whether the Centre has restored licenses of NGOs under FCRA. Rai stated that the Centre had renewed the FCRA registration of two NGOs since Nov 2021 claiming that 5,800 of them did not apply for it. Replying to a question about the number of NGOs whose licenses were canceled during the last 3 years, he stated that a total of 1811 FCRA registration certificates of NGOs or associations were canceled during the last three years 2019 to 2021.

China considers the return of foreign students amid Covid concerns, no word on Indians

The Chinese foreign ministry has declined to commit to the issue of allowing stranded Indian students back in China, days after offering to arrange for Pakistani students to return to resume on-campus learning. It was issued after Prime Minister Imran Khan met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing recently. The FM said on Tue it was considering the return of thousands of international students stranded abroad to China in a “coordinated manner” but declined to elaborate when it was planning to do so. China is said to be making similar arrangements for the return of students from Singapore, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka. When asked whether Beijing had similar plans for Indian students to return, Chinese FM spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said, “I can tell you that the Chinese govt attaches great importance to the issue of foreign students returning to China for their studies.” The Indian embassy in Beijing has repeatedly brought up the problem with Chinese foreign and education ministries but has so far been rebuffed by the Chinese govt. More than 23,000 Indian students study in China, the most in medical universities.

Russian Embassy in Delhi distances itself from redfish

Redfish (@redfishstream), a documentary on Kashmir; said it has misleading. Twitter is labeled as “Russia state-affiliated media” and it functions independently; reiterates Moscow’s stance on J&K. Redfish announces that it won’t telecast controversial Kashmir video (and have postponed the release). While it is said, including by the twitter label that the digital platform is linked to the Russian govt, the Russian embassy over the weekend distanced itself from that. while denying the level of Twitter and added that it is hoped the complexity and historical background of J&K and regional issues will be given due understanding and balanced approach, retreated the county position and termed it as a bilateral issue.

Karnataka hijab row: High schools, colleges closed for three days; Union min Pralhad Joshi says dress code must be followed

Amid the hijab row engulfing more and more colleges in Karnataka, CM Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday ordered the closure of all high schools and colleges for the next 3 days in the state. Karnataka high court has transferred the matter to a larger bench which is yet to be constituted. Students staged demonstrations outside Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College on Tue as a mark of protest against Muslim students wearing hijab. The students say they want equality and will wear this till Hijab is banned.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

TTP bombs police vehicle in north-west Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has bombed a police vehicle in the Kot Azam region of District Tank in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. South Asia Media Research Institute (SAMRI) on its Twitter handle on Tue. Since it was founded in 2007, the TTP has been responsible for deadly violence in Pakistan, attacking both security forces and civilians. Pakistan is witnessing a surge of attacks in recent days and these are not limited to one area or province of the country. In the last 15 days, Lahore, Islamabad, Balochistan’s Panjgur, and Naushki areas have witnessed attacks that have claimed several lives.

Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench) has adjourned the hearing of 4 different cases of missing persons for 3 weeks and directed that the missing persons should be recovered and produced in the court. Instructing the Home Secretary, that the court orders are not being followed/ implemented, is the last warning to help in finding the missing persons. (Pak Local)

IMF wants Pakistan to ‘do more’ than just levying taxes

Pakistan should not be limited to taking measures related to tax alone, but it should also find other ways to enhance the competitiveness of the economy, said IMF’s Resident Representative Esther Perez Ruiz. Speaking to the office-bearers of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tue, she said the purpose of the IMF program is to promote macroeconomic stability and the country’s fiscal and monetary policies must promote the former’s vision in this regard. She said the IMF program aims to bring a set of policies that could promote sustainable and inclusive growth.

Armed clash breaks out between Taliban, residents in Afghanistan’s Panjshir

ANI – The Taliban has surrounded the Parandeh valley in Afghan’s Panjshir province and arrested residents, (sources). This armed clash between residents and the Taliban in Panjshir province broke out after a Taliban vehicle was hit by a mine explosion. (sources)- the armed clash has been going on in the area as of Feb 7 in the province. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated drastically since the Taliban took control of Kabul last year in mid-Aug. This new conflict comes at a time when a combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan govt assets, international sanctions on the Taliban have plunged the country, already suffering from high poverty levels, into a full-blown economic crisis.

Jaishankar’s Afghan agenda in Doha, Indo-Pacific in Manila

HT-Before heading to Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Australia on Fri, external affairs minister (EAM), S Jaishankar today will be engaging with his Qatar counterpart on Afghanistan, bilateral investments, and comprehensive energy partnership. Post-Quad, the EAM will be visiting Manila on Feb 13, to meet his counterpart Teodoro Locsin for the first time in 9 years to consolidate bilateral ties after the Philippines signed a US$ 375 mn contract to buy a BrahMos anti-ship missile system.

  • The BrahMos supersonic missile, with a range short of 300 km, will act as a deterrent to China, which has been belligerent in the Indo-Pacific with the territorial dispute with Manila.
  • (diplomats)- EAM will be meeting with his Qatar Deputy PM and FM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani to discuss stability in Afghanistan.
  • Qatar’s objectives in Kabul are based on stability and renewed role of the Taliban’s Kandahari faction, which has been sidelined by the Pak-supported Haqqani Network.
  • Qatar has close links with traditional Taliban leadership like Mullah Baradar and Sher Mohammed Stanekzai, who were part of the Taliban’s political office in Doha.
  • Not only has Qatar been sending humanitarian aid to Taliban-occupied Kabul, with a position like the West, and unlike Pakistan, does not require aid in the name of Kabul.
  • India has also been sending humanitarian aid to Kabul despite the machinations of the Pakistani deep state.
  • Besides the Afghanistan agenda, EAM will also be reviewing energy ties with his Qatar counterpart with Doha supplying nearly 40% of India’s gas needs.
  • The two countries have decided to upgrade their energy related to a comprehensive long-term partnership, way beyond the buyer and seller relationship.
  • Already, a task force set up in 2020 is looking into structuring the comprehensive partnership with forwarding movement recorded during the 3 meetings held in 2021.
  • As Qatar FM, Al Thani is also the chair of Qatar Investment Authority, New Delhi is looking at Doha to invest in gas supply in India through a dedicated network.
  • India wants to move to the natural gas-based economy rather than get stuck with the volatile crude oil-based network.

Rather than wait for general elections to be held in the Philippines, EAM Jaishankar has decided to land in Manila on Sun to maintain continuity in ties with Indo-Pacific foremost on the agenda.

  • While Vietnam has been discussing the possible acquisition of the BrahMos for the past decade, it was the Philippines, which became the 1st East Asia power to purchase it.
  • Unlike Vietnam, the Philippines has no ambiguity over Chinese hostility in the South China Sea with Beijing disputing Manila’s claims to the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal.
  • The Philippines wants China to follow the Laws of Seas and allow freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.

Quad to be operationalized at Canberra Ministerial. No scope for expansion now.

In the run-up to the Quad summit in April-May this year, the foreign ministers of powerful security grouping are meeting in Australia on Fri (Feb 13) to operationalize the arrangement on Indo-Pacific, vaccine delivery, critical and emerging technologies, and global security environment.

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar left for the Quad ministerial with India clear that the security grouping should consolidate its gains and reflect policies on the ground before even talking about the expansion of the arrangement.

  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Ann Payne will be meeting.
  • It becomes significant when China is belligerent towards Quad partners over Taiwan and is dragging its feet to fully resolve the May 2020 Ladakh stand-off with India.
  • Later, EAM will be holding a bilateral meeting with Payne and may also be meeting with PM Scott Morrison as both the countries have rapidly cemented ties post-2014.

Today, Australia is one of the key partners of India with PM Modi personally invested in improving the bilateral relationship with Canberra as both the middle-powers have convergence on a host of issues.

  • While the Quad has raised its level from Foreign Sec in 2017 to FMs in 2019 and Summit level in 2021, the grouping will be linked through a diplomatic blockchain.
  • The meeting is extremely significant as the FMs will translate the QUAD policies on the ground rather than reduce it to a talk shop.
  • The four leaders will sit together to translate vaccine delivery on the ground by giving specific tasks like manufacturing and funding of Covid vaccines to leader countries.

As the Quad ministers will deliberate on the Ukraine crisis and Chinese emerging proximity to Russia and its belligerence over Taiwan, the leaders will also discuss building trusted supply chains for emerging and critical technologies like 5G, 6G, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.

“…The time for symbolism is over, Quad needs to be actionable,” said a former foreign secretary.

The FMs are expected to work out a policy to mesh the diplomatic bureaucracies of the partners as the latter poses the biggest hurdle to forward movement.

Cold War mentality’: China says Quad is a ‘bloc’ for confrontation

  • China on Wed lashed out at the Quad FM’s meeting, accusing the members including India, of driving wedges in the region and having a “Cold War mentality”.
  • Opposing the Quad in strong words, the Chinese foreign ministry said as a “bloc”, it was trying to trigger confrontation unlike China, which stands for peace and development.

Asked to comment, Chinese foreign ministry Zhao Lijian launched a lengthy attack on the Quad, especially the US. “The US has long lost its reputation as a democracy. However, it is still trying to force other countries to accept US-style democratic standards. The US is drawing a line along democratic values, and putting together small blocs. This is a complete betrayal of democratic values”.

We oppose exclusive blocs to create bloc confrontation,” he said.

Karnataka hijab row: High schools, colleges closed for three days; Union min says dress code must be followed

PTI- Calm prevailed on Wed in the educational institutions which witnessed tense moments over the Hijab row earlier, as the Karnataka government had ordered the closure of all high schools and colleges in the state for three days. Most of them returned to the online mode of teaching, sources said. Primary schools functioned as usual across the state without any interruption. Protests for and against the ‘hijab’ had intensified in different parts of Karnataka and turned violent in some places on Tue.

  • Amid the hijab row engulfing more and more colleges in Karnataka, CM Basavaraj Bommai on Tue ordered the closure of all high schools and colleges for the next 3 days in the state.
  • The judge has passed an order for placing the matter before the high court CJ to consider constituting a larger bench.
  • During the hearing, the judge said that in matters of personal laws, it is the practice to a constitute larger bench to decide the matters.

State Police ordered-Gatherings, agitations, or protests of any type within the area of a 200-m radius from the gate(s) of schools, PU colleges, degree colleges, or other similar educational institutions in Bengaluru city, prohibited for 2 weeks with immediate effect.

  • No one can take law and order into their hands. Govt will not spare any miscreant: BC Nagesh, Karnataka primary & secondary education minister on hijab controversy.
  • Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, on Wed, said that the state govt should resolve the hijab row and parties should not use the controversy for political gains.
  • Action will be taken wherever unpleasant things have happened. Police have registered cases.
  • We have arrested a few people, they are outsiders, not students, after inquiry, we will let you know: Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra on hijab row (1).
  • Politics, as expected started from yesterday, while 5 important states are going for assembly polls from tomorrow.

Besides, Pakistan political leaders, Malala (@Malala), UN Messenger of Peace, and Nobel laureate (2014), also jumped in the matter and tweeted which read as below.

“College is forcing us to choose between studies and the hijab”.

Refusing to let girls go to school in their hijabs is horrifying. Objectification of women persists — for wearing less or more. Indian leaders must stop the marginalization of Muslim women.

  1. https://static.toiimg.com/thumb/imgsize-173164,msid-89443160,width-700,resizemode-4/89443160.jpg

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