1. Manipur’s peace, prosperity top priority; strictly deal with any disturbance: Amit Shah
2. Situation in state got nothing to do with counter-insurgency, says CDS
3. PM Modi, Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni review bilateral relations
4. India to host 22nd SCO summit virtually on 4 July, PM Modi to chair meeting
5. India & US close to mega defense deal: Pact for fighter jet engines 1st, ship engines likely next

What Else

6. SIA notifies property worth 30 million in North Kashmir’s Kupwara belonging to banned JeI
7. LeT founding member and Hafiz Saeed deputy Bhuttavi dies in Pakistan jail
8. NCERT removes ‘Khalistan’ references from Class 12 political science text after SGPC objection
9. Wrestlers pause plan to ‘immerse’ medals in Ganga, give govt 5-day ultimatum over WFI chief
10. IMF spells out terms to unlock bailout
11. Imran sees another ‘king’s party’ in the making

Manipur’s peace, prosperity top priority; strictly deal with any disturbance: Amit Shah

• On his 2^nd day of visit to Manipur on Tue Union Home Minister Shah held discussions with civil society orgs, eminent persons, Army officers (r), and civil servants in Imphal.
• Shah also reviewed the security situation with Police officials, Central Armed Police Forces, and the Indian Army.
• In the meeting with security personnel, Shah said, “peace and prosperity of Manipur is our top priority”, and instructed to strictly deal with any disturbance in state”.
• He also met a delegation of Women leaders (Meira Paibis) in Imphal. Reiterating the significance of the role of women in the society of Manipur, the Home Minister said that “together, we are committed to ensuring peace and prosperity in the state”.
• The delegates urged the Union Home Minister for effective intervention to restore peace and normalcy.
• The Minister visited Churachandpur and held a meeting with prominent personalities and a delegation of Civil Society Organisations.
• Later in the evening, Shah held an all-party meeting in Imphal.
• The Home Minister will visit the Moreh and Kangpokpi areas of Manipur on Wed. (here)

Situation in state got nothing to do with counter-insurgency, says CDS

• Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said on Tue that the situation in Manipur has got nothing to do with counter-insurgency and is a clash between 2 ethnicities.
• General Chauhan said the challenges in Manipur have not disappeared and it will take some time.
• At least 80 people have died and thousands have been displaced by the violence, according to a report by the news agency PTI on Tuesday.
• Govt announces compensation of Rs 1 million for those killed in violence
• The decision was taken during a meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday night.
• It was decided to set up dedicated telephone lines which will be used to dispel rumor-mongering which has largely affected the calm in the state.
• “Global geopolitical order in state of flux”: CDS – Highlighting India’s commitment to peace and stability, said the current global security situation is not at its best and the international geopolitical order is in a state of flux.
• Addressing cadets at the passing out parade of NDA in Pune, CDS Chauhan said that the Indian Forces are committed to maintaining the legitimacy of “our claims on the LoC” and playing a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability. (here)
• Leaders of the opposition Congress party met President Droupadi Murmu on Tue and submitted a memorandum over the situation in Manipur. (here)

PM Modi, Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni review bilateral relations

• PM Modi on Tue held a bilateral meeting with Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni and reviewed bilateral relations between the two nations.
• PM Modi said that the visit by the Cambodian King marks a “new chapter in India-Cambodia relations.”
• Both sides discussed ways to advance the India-Cambodia partnership in the domains of capacity building, human resource development, tourism, culture, and defense.
• PM Modi and Cambodia’s King Norodom exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues.
• PM Modi on Tuesday said India and Cambodia share deep historical, and cultural ties and look forward to further strengthening friendship and cooperation.
• The Cambodian King is on his maiden state visit to India from May 29 to 31.
• Earlier on Tuesday, the Cambodian King met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
• Earlier, EAM S Jaishankar called on Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and said the visit reaffirms the strong civilizational bond between the two countries. (here)

India to host 22nd SCO summit virtually on 4 July, PM Modi to chair meeting

• The much-anticipated 22^nd Summit of the SCO will be held in a virtual mode on 4 July, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced Tue but did not specify why.
• Earlier, it was said that the meeting would take place in Delhi, which could have seen Russian President Putin, Chinese President Xi, and Pakistan PM Sharif among others.
• MEA release said that invitations were sent to heads of state of all SCO member countries -China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
• Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia were invited as observers for the upcoming meeting. (here)

India & US close to mega defence deal: Pact for fighter jet engines 1^st, ship engines likely next

• After a wait of a decade, India and the US are on the verge of signing a defense deal to facilitate a state-run HAL partnership with US firm GE for jointly manufacturing indigenous jet engines of fighter aircraft.
• While the partnership initially will be for aviation engines, it will eventually extend to those powering Indian military ships.
• Sources described the proposed deal, which is likely to be announced during PM Modi’s state visit to the US next month, as one of the most definitive defense collaborations.
• Chalking out the broad contours of the deal will be one of the key focus areas for US Secretary of Defense Llyod James Austin during his visit to New Delhi next week.
• Sources said a MoU needs to be finalized between GE and HAL and both sides are “pretty close” to doing it.
• The second step is that the US government needs to notify Congress, which is 30 days.
• Sources said that they don’t expect any issues at Congress. (here)

SIA notifies property worth 30 million in North Kashmir’s Kupwara belonging to banned JeI

• The Special Investigative Agency in Kashmir Valley continues its drive against the banned organization Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI).
• SIA has identified more assets of banned Jamaat-e-Islami in the district Kupwara of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) worth crores.
• In Kupwara, property worth over $363,123 was notified by DM Kupwara on the recommendation of the SIA of J&K Police.
• The property has been barred with restrictions on usage and entry and sealed.
• SIA says that action taken is expected to dent terror funding in J&K besides being another major step in restoring the rule of law and a society without fear.
• Pertinently, SIA has identified 188 JeI properties across the UT, which have either been notified or are under the process of being notified for further legal action. (here)

LeT founding member and Hafiz Saeed deputy Bhuttavi dies in Pakistan jail

• Lashkar-e-Tayyeba founding member Hafiz Abdul Salam Bhuttavi, who has also served as the second-in-command, has reportedly died in a Pakistani prison after heart attack.
• Bhuttavi helped prepare the terrorists who carried out the 2008 Mumbai attack.
• He was sentenced to 16½ years in prison by an anti-terrorism court in Lahore, in a case of terror financing, in August 2020.
• The UNSC listed Bhuttavi as a terrorist in 2012, for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating of acts or activities by, or in support of” or “otherwise supporting acts and activities of” LeT. (here)

NCERT removes ‘Khalistan’ references from Class 12 political science text after SGPC objection

• The National Council for Educational NCERT has dropped references to the “Khalistan” movement from its Class 12 political science textbooks
• A development that comes two months after some other “revisions” in the board’s history syllabus led to a major political row.
• Announcing the latest spate secretary for the Union school education and Literacy, said on Tue that the decision was taken at Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak (SGPC) urging.
• In its representation to the board, the SGPC — Punjab’s apex body for the management of gurdwaras — asked for “objectionable content” against Sikhs to be removed. (here)

Wrestlers pause plan to ‘immerse’ medals in Ganga, give govt 5-day ultimatum over WFI chief

• India’s top wrestlers have given the central government 5 more days to take action against WFI president Brij Bhushan, who they have accused of sexual harassment.
• Athletes Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat – the unified face of the protest — had tweeted in the morning that they would “immerse” their medals in the Ganga at Haridwar as they demanded Singh’s arrest. The grapplers reached Haridwar around 6 pm to follow through on their decision.
• After two hours of sitting on the banks, during which most of them broke down, the wrestlers were dissuaded at the last minute by farmer leader Naresh Tikait. (here)
• United World Wrestling Condemns Detention Of Indian Wrestlers, Threatens Wrestling Federation Of India With Suspension. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

IMF spells out terms to unlock bailout

• The IMF on Mon urged Pakistan to follow the Constitution to resolve its political disputes, as PM Shehbaz Sharif contacted MD Kristalina Georgieva to revive the derailed $6.5 billion bailout package apparently in a last-ditch effort to avoid default.
• The discussion between Shehbaz and Georgieva took place on Sat after the finance ministry could not break the deadlock over the loan talks during the past 4 months.
• Two days after the highest-level contact, IMF Mission Chief to Pakistan Nathan Porter gave an unusual statement, expanding the IMF’s focus to the political arena.
• The statement came on the heels of an ongoing crackdown against the PTI workers, abductions of people, breach of the 90-day constitutional limit to hold elections in the two provinces and trial of civilians in military courts under the Army Act.
• Usually, the IMF does not comment on political matters. (here)

Imran sees another ‘king’s party’ in the making

• PTI Chief Imran Khan has claimed that a “king’s party” is being carved out of the PTI but warned such attempts did not succeed nor will in the future as well.
• In a video address on Tue Khan claimed that seats in the next elections would be divided among the king’s party, the PML-N, and PPP.
• However, he questioned whether a “manufactured” coalition could steer the country out of the current crises.
• PTI chairman alleges party leaders being tortured, terms use of terror tactics ‘untenable’
• Talking about the desertion of PTI leaders, Khan claimed that the second string of leadership was made to buckle under pressure first. (here)