[ NATIONAL ]

India condemns killings in Ukraine’s Bucha in apparent hardening of stance

India on Tue condemned the killings of civilians in Ukraine’s Bucha and called for an independent investigation, having earlier declined to explicitly criticize the invasion of Ukraine by its long-time partner Russia. A Ukrainian human rights ombudswoman said on Tue that between 150 and 300 bodies may be in a mass grave by a church in the town of Bucha, where Ukraine accuses Russian troops of killing civilians, while Moscow denies the allegations. “Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing,” T.S. Tirumurti, India’s permanent representative to the UN, told a meeting of the Security Council.

Hijab row: Qaeda chief Zawahiri pens poem, praises Karnataka student for ‘Allahu Akbar’ slogan, slams Pakistan

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has appealed to the Muslims residing in India to raise their voice on the hijab controversy that recently rocked Karnataka. In a video message, the global terrorist heaped praise on college student Muskan Khan who had taken on a group of students who had raised objections to her visiting the educational institution in a burqa. The Qaeda leader recited a poem to praise Muskan and attacked countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh for banning the hijab. In the video titled ‘The Noble Woman of India’, Zawahiri said that he decided to write the poem as he was very impressed with “a sister” (Muskan) and by her raising “cries of Takbeer”. Expressing unhappiness over the HC judgment, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board moved the Supreme Court to challenge the order.

Looking forward to India’s Presidency of G-20: Netherlands King

Netherlands is looking forward to India’s Dec Presidency of the G20, King Willem Alexander said on Tue during a State Banquet at Royal Palace hosted in honor of President Ram Nath Kovind.

India: Two terrorists killed in Tral encounter in Kashmir

In India, two terrorists were killed in an encounter in South Kashmir’s Tral area. Jammu and Kashmir police said that the terrorists belonged to Ansar Ul Gazwatul Hind and Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit. The encounter started in the early hours today when security forces received a tip-off about the presence of terrorists in the area. Police also stated that the same terrorists were involved in the killing of a sarpanch recently in the Khonmoh area of Srinagar. Earlier, the J&K Police’s DG Dilbagh Singh had said that 42 terrorists were killed in the last 3 months in the Kashmir Valley. He also said that 32 Foreign terrorists mostly Pakistani’s were killed in the year 2021. The security forces have intensified operations across the valley after a spate of attacks took place in South Kashmir. There has been a four-fold decline in the cross-border infiltration attempts in J&K in the last five years, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. As per the data collated by MHA, 136 infiltration attempts were made in 2017 while only 34 attempts occurred in 2021. Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai shared the information in the Upper House while responding to a written reply.

Army Chief Gen Naravane Meets Singapore’s Top Military Leadership to Enhance Bilateral Ties

India and Singapore on Tue reaffirmed their strong and long-standing defense ties as Indian Army chief Gen MM Naravane held talks with top Singaporean military leadership and discussed the roadmap to further enhance bilateral military cooperation. Gen Naravane, who is on a 3-day visit to the city-state, called on Singapore’s Minister for Defence, Dr. Ng Eng Hen, and discussed regional geopolitical developments. In the meeting, “the strong & long-standing bilateral defense relationship between both Nations was reaffirmed,” the Indian Army’s media wing tweeted. Gen. Naravane also called on Singapore’s Army chief Brig General David Neo and discussed “the roadmap to further enhance defense cooperation between both nations,” it said.

Hindustan Aeronautics signs MoU with Israel Aerospace Industries for multi-mission tanker transport aircraft

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Wed entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to convert civil (passenger) aircraft to multi-mission tanker transport (MMTT) aircraft in India. According to a press release, HAL will convert pre-owned Civil (Passenger) aircraft into air refueling aircraft with cargo and transport capabilities. The move will provide India’s defense ecosystem with new capabilities and cost-effective solutions in the market. This MoU will facilitate HAL and IAI’s decades-long expertise in developing, manufacturing and producing leading defence platforms. The scope of MoU also covers “passenger to freighter aircraft” conversion along with MMTT conversions.

IMF paper lauds ‘Ann Yojna’ for averting extreme poverty during the pandemic

A research paper published in IMF, which does not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management, claimed that the food grain distribution scheme helped India to fight against the pandemic. The paper presents estimates of poverty [extreme poverty PPP$1.9 and PPP$3.2] and consumption inequality in India for each of the years 2004-5 through the pandemic year 2020-21. These estimates include, for the first time, the effect of in-kind food subsidies on poverty and inequality. Extreme poverty was as low as 0.8% in the pre-pandemic year 2019, and food transfers were instrumental in ensuring that it remained at that low level in the pandemic year 2020. Post-food subsidy inequality at 0.294 is now very close to its lowest level of 0.284 observed in 1993/94.

Ex-Amnesty India chief says stopped at Bengaluru airport from flying to the US

Former Amnesty India chief Aakar Patel said on Wed he was stopped at the Bengaluru airport from boarding a flight to the US. “stopped from leaving India at Bangalore airport. am on the exit control list. Got passport back through court order specifically for this trip to the US,” Patel posted on Twitter. Tagging the PM’s Office, Patel then said he was told by the immigration that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has put him on ‘the list.’ In Nov 2019, the agency raided Amnesty India’s office in Bengaluru over accusations of irregularities in foreign funding, due to which, the CBI said, the human rights body violated the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). It then filed a case against Amnesty India and 3 associate organizations. Meanwhile, the latest development comes two days after the Delhi high court granted a conditional nod to journalist Rana Ayyub to travel abroad on the ground of the “small scam” after she was stopped at the Mumbai airport from flying to London, on Mar 29, by the Enforcement Directorate’s request.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar meets PM Modi

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wed met PM Narendra Modi against the backdrop of central agencies intensifying investigation against leaders of the Maharashtra Govt. The meeting comes on a day when the CBI took custody of former state home minister Anil Deshmukh, who is also from NCP.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Sri Lankan Crisis: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa revokes state of Emergency

TheHindu-In a gazette notification no 2274/10 issued late Tue night, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa late Tue, Apr 5, 2022 night said he has withdrawn the Emergency Rule Ordinance which gave security forces sweeping powers to curb any disturbance in the country.

Where are the NSC meeting’s minutes? CJP asks Babar Awan

The CJP inquired as to a 5-member bench, comprising, took up a suo motu case on the events of Apr 3 when National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Shah Suri dismissed the no-confidence motion against the prime minister and President dissolved the NA on the premier’s advice. CJP Umar Ata Bandial on Wed asked the lawyer for the PTI govt, about the minutes of the recent meeting of the National Security Committee which had discussed a letter purportedly showing evidence of a foreign conspiracy to oust the PTI govt.

Water inflow in Pakistan is reduced by 48%

Water inflow in the country is reduced by 48%, endangering Kharif crops. Officials say the deteriorating water situation has forced IRSA to supply 33% less water to Sindh and Punjab. The country has a total inflow of 81,700 cusecs, compared to an average inflow of 156,000 cusecs in the last 10 years. This indicates that the flow of water has decreased to a dangerous level of more than 48%. (Jang)

Torkham Border, between Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been closed for free entry and exit

Torkham border has been closed for free entry and exit and complete travel documents have been made mandatory to cross the border to Afghanistan and enter Pakistan. The ID Card certification office has also been closed at Torkham and the Pakistan Govt is taking more security measures to ensure law and order. No one will be allowed to enter Pakistan illegally from Afghanistan. (Aaj)

Shuttered Shanghai: Another day of record Covid cases, a new round of tests begins

Locked down Shanghai, China’s financial hub, began testing all its 25 million residents again for Covid-19 on Wed, after the city logged a record 17,077 locally transmitted cases including 311 symptomatic cases for Tue. For the mainland, the cases also showed a record surge in the past 24 hours, crossing the 20,000 mark for the first time since the pandemic began. In Shanghai, practically locked down since last Monday, the situation continues to be “grim and complicated’’, Guo Honghui from the Shanghai Municipal Government said on Wed.

EU-China summit was a ‘dialogue of the deaf, says top Brussels diplomat

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell has dismissed last week’s high-profile summit with China as a “dialogue of the deaf”, saying that Chinese leaders “did not want to talk about Ukraine”. In a stronger than usual rebuke of Beijing by Brussels’ top diplomat, Borrell told the European Parliament on Tue evening that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping wanted to “instead focus on the positive things”. “China wanted to set aside our differences on Ukraine, they didn’t want to talk about Ukraine. They didn’t want to talk about human rights and other stuff and instead focus on positive things,” Borrell said during a fiery debate on China in Strasbourg, France.

AUKUS partnership plans to develop hypersonic weapons in apparent response to China’s build-up

The US, Britain, and Australia announced plans on Tue to cooperate on state-of-the-art weaponry – including hypersonic missiles and “counter-hypersonics”, an apparent response to China’s aggressive pursuit of its hypersonic arsenal. It is the latest sign that Washington and many of its closest allies, including those in the new “Aukus” security partnership, remain focused on the growing military threat from Beijing, even as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no obvious end in sight. In a joint statement signed by US President Joe Biden, British PM Boris Johnson, and Australian PM Scott Morrison, the 3 leaders “reaffirmed our commitment to Aukus and a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Indo-Pacific nations see Russian war on neighbor as a ‘cautionary tale’, says US official

Russia’s war against Ukraine is a major if unspoken concern for Indo-Pacific nations living on the periphery of China that are worried something similar could happen in their region, a senior US official said on Tue. “Every country in Asia, in the Indo-Pacific, wants to ensure that Ukraine is a cautionary tale, that no one contemplates again, or in another theatre, some sort of operation that would be so destabilizing and so destructive,” said Kurt Campbell, Indo-Pacific coordinator for the National Security Council, citing this as a critically important dynamic if not always verbalized. “I think that message has come through loud and clear.” Campbell did not mention China by name, or self-governing Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade island that ultimately must be brought under its control.

Chinese, Canadian foreign ministers discuss Ukraine, Xinjiang over phone call

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tue held a phone call with Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly during which they discussed several issues including the ongoing war in Ukraine and human rights issues in Xinjiang. However, in recent years, China-Canada relations have suffered a serious setback due to the Meng Wanzhou case, which is something we do not want to see, Wang said. The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-Canada relations, Wang said, adding that if the Taiwan question is not handled properly, China-Canada relations will suffer fundamental damage. As per the Canadian FM, Minister Joly stated that Canada will continue to defend and promote values it has always stood up for, including, human rights and the rule of law.

India condemns killings in Ukraine’s Bucha in apparent hardening of stance

India on Tue condemned the killings of civilians in Ukraine’s Bucha and called for an independent investigation, having earlier declined to explicitly criticize the invasion of Ukraine by its long-time partner Russia.

A Ukrainian human rights ombudswoman said on Tue that between 150 and 300 bodies may be in a mass grave by a church in the town of Bucha, where Ukraine accuses Russian troops of killing civilians, while Moscow denies the allegations.

• “Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing,” T.S. Tirumurti, India’s permanent representative to the UN, told a meeting of the Security Council.
• The speech came in the backdrop of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken having a phone conversation with India’s foreign minister, S Jaishankar.
• US State Department statement said both agreed to remain closely coordinated on developments and looked forward to meeting again soon.

“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar today to review regional and global priorities, including the situation in Ukraine,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

• The US has repeatedly urged India to condemn Russia’s aggression since the Feb. 24 invasion.
• India heavily relies on Russia for military hardware.

New Delhi has repeatedly called for an end to violence in Ukraine but has abstained from various U.N. resolutions on the war in a tricky attempt at balancing its ties with Moscow and the West.

India and US are scheduled to hold a 2+2 dialogue in Washington on April 11.

• Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will meet their counterparts Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
• Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh will also have other meetings scheduled on the sidelines.

Austin says not in India’s “best interest to continue to invest in Russian equipment” & “they downscale types of equipment they investing it“.

U.S. Representative, Joe Wilson Joe Wilson (R-SC), “our treasured ally India, the world’s largest democracy, is choosing to align itself with Kremlin by choosing Russian weapons equipment over American“

India calls for an independent probe in Bucha killings

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wed condemned the Bucha killings in Ukraine and supported the call for an independent investigation. Replying to India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the lower house of the Parliament, he said, “We strongly condemn the killings which have taken place there. It’s an extremely serious matter and we support the call for an independent investigation.”

• Reports have said that more than 300 people have been killed and the total number of casualties was likely to increase as the whole city is being checked.
• Hundreds of civilian residents were found dead on the streets, beside their homes, and in mass graves.
• Ukraine accused Russia of the Bucha massacre.
• Russia said that it was Ukrainian propaganda.
• The Bucha killings have drawn criticism of Russia and pledges of further sanctions against Moscow from the West.
• He reiterated that India is strongly against the Russia-Ukraine conflict and suggested in the Lok Sabha that the issue can be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
• He urged countries to respect the international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of all States.

China calls for facts on ‘disturbing’ Bucha deaths in Ukraine war

• China has given its first public response to the reports and images of civilian deaths in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, with its UN envoy describing them as “very disturbing”.
• Addressing a Security Council meeting on Tue, Zhang Jun said civilians should not be targeted in armed conflicts while stressing that accusations should be based on facts.
• “Reports and images of civilian deaths in Bucha are very disturbing, and the circumstances and specific causes of the incident must be ascertained,” he said.
• “Any ‘allegations’ should be based on facts, and all parties should exercise restraint and avoid groundless accusations until conclusions are drawn.”

Comment: Undeniably, under the pressure of the west, and 2+2 dialogue in the US ahead, India was bound to condemn the Russian act, which it partially escaped by saying “independent investigation” is required. India’s balanced stand on the Russia Ukraine conflict has its merits, and its swing power status has indeed been visible in recent weeks. But, being a swing power comes with its risks, opportunities, costs, and benefits. Since, China also echoes in a similar voice, making the New Delhi stance against Chinese aggression on LAC, or Indo-Pacific a bit weaker.

Looking forward to India’s Presidency of G-20: Netherlands King

ANI -Netherlands is looking forward to India’s Dec Presidency of the G20, King Willem Alexander said on Tue during a State Banquet at Royal Palace hosted in honor of President Ram Nath Kovind.

• King Alexander in his speech said that the country is honored by President Kovind’s visit to the Netherlands.
• During his speech, King Alexander recalled his 2019 India visit, saying that it’s hard to believe how much has changed since then.
• “…Our ambassador was present in the Indian parliament when Nehru proclaimed independence,” King said in his banquet speech.
• The King further said the Netherlands is proud that the friendship between the two countries has only deepened in the past 75 years.

Willem Alexander said his wife, who supports the UN Secretary-General as Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, has told him about India’s impressive achievements in combating poverty.

• As an economic power, India has a decisive role in global efforts to reach the UN Sustainable development Goals.
• The eyes of the world are on India, and they’re full of expectation,” he added. During his address, King further noted the effects of climate change, which is damaging our living environment.
• He noted how over a third of the electricity in India comes from renewable sources.
• “I’m confident that we can strengthen each other further. For example, with offshore wind energy,” he added.
• Praising India’s cultural riches and diversity, the King of the Netherlands said that diversity deserves to be cherished and protected.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Sri Lankan Crisis: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa revokes state of Emergency

TheHindu-In a gazette notification no 2274/10 issued late Tue night, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa late Tue, Apr 5, 2022 night said he has withdrawn the Emergency Rule Ordinance which gave security forces sweeping powers to curb any disturbance in the country.

• President has declared a public Emergency on Apr 1 amid a spate of protests over the worst economic crisis in the country.
• The Emergency was imposed because of the mass-scale protests planned for Apr 3 against the current economic hardships faced by the people.
• Later, the government imposed an island-wide curfew.
• Protests continued despite the curfew and the state of emergency, who urged the govt for solutions to the economic crisis.
• Several people were injured and vehicles were set on fire as the agitation turned violent.
• A foreign exchange crunch in Sri Lanka has led to a shortage of essential goods such as fuel and cooking gas.
• Power cuts that last up to 13 hours a day.
• The revocation of the gazette assumes significance as the ruling coalition appeared to have lost its majority in Parliament with over 40 MPs declaring independence from the ruling coalition.
• The Emergency approval needs to be ratified in the assembly after 2 weeks of it coming into effect.
• The Opposition demanded in Parliament on Monday to debate the emergency for its approval.
• The second largest group within the ruling Sri Lanka People’s Party (SLPP) coalition had officially conveyed to Rajapaksa that their 14 members would not back the motion.
• If those who declared independence did not vote with the government there was a chance that emergency regulations could not be passed in the assembly.
• With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts the public has been suffering for weeks.

Rajapaksa has defended his government’s actions, saying the foreign exchange crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic-driven where the island’s tourism revenue and inward remittances waned.

Sri Lanka economic crisis: President Gotabaya will not resign despite protests, minister tells Parliament

Sri Lankan President will not resign from his post, minister Johnston Fernando told the Parliament on Wed. “May I remind you that 6.9 million people voted for the president,” said the chief government whip and highways minister in Parliament amid outrage by the opposition in the Sri Lankan Parliament, according to news agency Reuters. “As a government, we are clearly saying the president will not resign under any circumstances. We will face this,” Fernando added.

South Korea to provide more job opportunities to Sri Lankans, says Korean minister

Considering Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, South Korea has said that it will focus on providing more employment opportunities to the nationals of the island country in Korea. The decision was announced after South Korea’s Coordination Minister Koo Yun Cheol’s courtesy call to Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat here. The Korean minister was on an official visit to Sri Lanka from Mar 31 to Apr 2. Cheol assured that he would encourage more Korean entrepreneurs to invest in Sri Lanka and said that they will share Korea’s technological expertise with the locals.

Pak Political Crisis: Pakistan Chief Justice clarifies court only looking at the legality of trust motion rejection

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial on Tue said that the Supreme Court would only look into the legality of Pakistan National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s rejection of the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government.

While hearing the arguments from the Pakistan Muslim League-N’s (PML-N) counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan on the rejection of the no-confidence motion, Bandil said that the court will not interfere in foreign policy and the matter of state policies, Dawn reported.

Pakistan court adjourns hearing on PM’s bid to stay in power

Reuters – Pakistan’s Supreme Court adjourned until Wed a hearing to decide the legality of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s blocking of an opposition bid to oust him, a dispute that has led to political turmoil in the nuclear-armed country.

• Khan lost his parliamentary majority last week and had been facing a no-confidence vote tabled by a united opposition that he was expected to lose on Sun.
• But the deputy speaker of parliament, a member of Khan’s party, threw out the motion, ruling it was part of a foreign conspiracy and unconstitutional.
• Khan then dissolved parliament.
• Opposition lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan said Khan’s actions were a violation of the constitution.
• The hearing was adjourned on Tue after legal arguments against the move were concluded.
• The court could order that parliament be reconstituted, call for a new election, or bar Khan from standing again if he is found to have acted unconstitutionally.
• The court could also decide that it cannot intervene in parliamentary affairs.
• Leader of the opposition Sharif speaks to the media at the Supreme Court of Pakistan in Islamabad
• Lengthy legal proceedings would create a power vacuum with implications for issues such as talks with the IMF to secure funds to support the cash-strapped economy.
• Political chaos would also worry the powerful military, which has stepped in to remove civilian govt and rule on three occasions, citing the need to end political uncertainty.
• The turmoil also threatens to damage ties with long-time ally the United States, after Khan accused it of being behind the plot to overthrow him.

(Source)- Pakistan’s security agencies had not discovered solid proof to back up PM Imran Khan’s claim of a “foreign conspiracy” to destabilize his government. The security agencies had not reached the same conclusion as Imran Khan and had informed him of their position.

India wants ‘soft’ government in Pakistan, alleges ex-Pakistan FM

IANS- Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former Foreign Minister, said on Tue that India wants a soft govt in Pakistan, Express Tribune reported. Qureshi said the neighboring country is “disgusted” with a Pakistani government that defends its interests and adopts an independent foreign policy, the report said. The former FM added that the PTI aims for good relations with India, but it will not tolerate the ‘indiscretion’ against Kashmir.

Comment: After the US refused any interference in destabilizing the prevailing establishment, Russia immediately supported Imran Khan’s claim of the US hands in the whole tragedy. However, no immediate solution is likely in near future, while local experts fear about Pakistan’s economy which is on verge of collapse within months, at the most. This political crisis led Pakistan to a situation where no working head of state is functional. Delaying the judicial process will only accelerate the economic crisis.