The talks of extension of Chinese president Xi Jinping&rsquo;s tenure beyond the stipulated limit of two terms as per their 1982 constitution is generating reasonable interest in the diplomatic circles. We Indians, from an open democracy with no such restrictions, have no case to comment on the political philosophies, structures and processes that China wants to adopt. It is purely their call, albeit it has exposed an inherent flaw in their constitutional design.

The sensibility of this proposed change is under scrutiny as President Xi is currently the head of all three apex level decision making bodies, including the communist party, national people&rsquo;s congress and the military commission. In absence of political opposition in the one-party political system, a division of power amongst these three institutions has some modicum of conceptual debate on national issues, if not an elbow space for a &nbsp;dissent in a communist structure. With the proposed changes, however, the possibility of prompting by the all-powerful president himself cannot be ruled out. The change is symbolic of giving higher credence to a perceived successful personality over the proven institutional strength of existing governance structures.

What concerns the international community most are the political connotations; China is seen as transitioning to quasi-dictatorial political structures. There are fair chances of enhanced political hubris of China in the absence of internal political opposition. This can get worse with President Xi&rsquo;s penchant for the conduct of aggressive diplomacy as observed so far.&nbsp;

Closer home, one cannot forget the Chinese duplicity and high handedness in orchestrating a major incursion across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) into Indian territory while President Xi was on a state visit to India, conveying a coercive politico- military message. Soon, thereafter, the Doklam happened as a sequel. The timings of the Doklam face-off was apparently linked to the domestic political compulsion of President Xi who intended to showcase his firm handling of territorial issues with an aim of enhancing his central position in Chinese polity in the forthcoming 19th Congress meet and the 90th anniversary of PLA.&nbsp;

However, the Chinese bluff was exposed with firm political handling and Indian military resolve. A repeat of such military incursions cannot be ruled out in the future once Xi is firmly in the saddle for a longer tenure. Open threats of using military force and anti-India rhetoric from their foreign office on trivial issues are part of Chinese psychological warfare to keep India on the back foot.&nbsp;

Looking at the pattern of political aggressiveness during his tenure so far, Xi seems to have used anti-India quotient in a deft manner, thereby, rallying national sentiments in his favour besides similar other international politically significant initiatives with military signatures.&nbsp;

It also appears that China is getting worried due to the refusal of India to join CPEC bandwagon which is the key to its success, their biggest political investment in recent times. Fearing an adverse impact on their politico-economic ambitions, they seem to be desperate to tame India through a show of force, a sure shot recipe in their medieval mindset. &nbsp;Whereas, with the increased political clout and strategic pull of India as well as with the help from the US has put the Chinese under pressure to introspect their conduct. &nbsp;

Chinese stand down from supporting Pakistan in FAFT and their reported outreach to the ASEAN countries in working out a code of conduct in the South China Sea are indicative of scaling down of their obstinate political posturing. These changes are due to their political compulsions to push through their national agenda as of now. However, their underlying confrontationist tendencies are likely to continue under Xi in order to retain Chinese political position of strength.

Xi happens to be the tallest Chinese leader in the current strategically transitory situation. Moreover, he has developed a working equation and personal rapport with the current world political leaders who are going to be around for some time. From the Chinese perspective, it certainly is a sensible idea to perpetuate the vision of president Xi instead of bringing in a new incumbent in order to ensure political stability. Hence, a case for his continuation as an exception in the Chinese national interests.

While the Chinese proposal has its merits, it is also fraught with negatives that are detrimental not only to China but also to the world in general. Given the current Chinese politico-economic outreach and subtle military signatures beyond their borders. Since human mind has limited cognitive capabilities, depending on one individual as an ultimate arbitrator becomes counterproductive in the longer run.&nbsp;

Moreover, anti-incumbency is a known phenomenon in any political system which would have no room for catharsis in a single point closed Chinese system, unlike a democracy where there is an option for change. One man show at times may fail to keep pace with the contemporary geopolitical changes due to a rigidity of perceptions, thereby, losing out on political flexibility to adapt to requisite environmental synergies. In the proposed system perception of an individual would have the power to overrule the institutional decision-making mechanism which may manifest into inappropriate synergies.

Now that President Xi is likely to continue in the office beyond the stipulated two terms, he would serve the Chinese interests better if he accords priority to cooperation instead of confrontation. It is &nbsp;President Xi, who has to take a call with added faith and concomitant responsibilities bestowed upon him by the Chinese people.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Xi Jinping would serve the Chinese interests better if he accords priority to Cooperation instead of confrontation.

The talks of extension of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s tenure beyond the stipulated limit of two terms as per their 1982 constitution is generating reasonable interest in the diplomatic circles. We Indians, from an open democracy with no such restrictions, have no case to comment on the political philosophies, structures and processes that China wants to adopt. It is purely their call, albeit it has exposed an inherent flaw in their constitutional design. The sensibility of this proposed change is under scrutiny as President Xi is currently the head of all three apex level decision making bodies, including the communist party, national people’s congress and the military commission. In absence of political opposition in the one-party political system, a division of power amongst these three institutions has some modicum of conceptual debate on national issues, if not an elbow space for a dissent in a communist structure. With the proposed changes, however, the possibility of prompting by the all-powerful president himself cannot be ruled out. The change is symbolic of giving higher credence to a perceived successful personality over the proven institutional strength of existing governance structures. What concerns the international community most are the political connotations; China is seen as transitioning to quasi-dictatorial political structures. There are fair chances of enhanced political hubris of China in the absence of internal political opposition. This can get worse with President Xi’s penchant for the conduct of aggressive diplomacy as observed so far. Closer home, one cannot forget the Chinese duplicity and high handedness in orchestrating a major incursion across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) into Indian territory while President Xi was on a state visit to India, conveying a coercive politico- military message. Soon, thereafter, the Doklam happened as a sequel. The timings of the Doklam face-off was apparently linked to the domestic political compulsion of President Xi who intended to showcase his firm handling of territorial issues with an aim of enhancing his central position in Chinese polity in the forthcoming 19th Congress meet and the 90th anniversary of PLA. However, the Chinese bluff was exposed with firm political handling and Indian military resolve. A repeat of such military incursions cannot be ruled out in the future once Xi is firmly in the saddle for a longer tenure. Open threats of using military force and anti-India rhetoric from their foreign office on trivial issues are part of Chinese psychological warfare to keep India on the back foot. Looking at the pattern of political aggressiveness during his tenure so far, Xi seems to have used anti-India quotient in a deft manner, thereby, rallying national sentiments in his favour besides similar other international politically significant initiatives with military signatures. It also appears that China is getting worried due to the refusal of India to join CPEC bandwagon which is the key to its success, their biggest political investment in recent times. Fearing an adverse impact on their politico-economic ambitions, they seem to be desperate to tame India through a show of force, a sure shot recipe in their medieval mindset. Whereas, with the increased political clout and strategic pull of India as well as with the help from the US has put the Chinese under pressure to introspect their conduct. Chinese stand down from supporting Pakistan in FAFT and their reported outreach to the ASEAN countries in working out a code of conduct in the South China Sea are indicative of scaling down of their obstinate political posturing. These changes are due to their political compulsions to push through their national agenda as of now. However, their underlying confrontationist tendencies are likely to continue under Xi in order to retain Chinese political position of strength. Xi happens to be the tallest Chinese leader in the current strategically transitory situation. Moreover, he has developed a working equation and personal rapport with the current world political leaders who are going to be around for some time. From the Chinese perspective, it certainly is a sensible idea to perpetuate the vision of president Xi instead of bringing in a new incumbent in order to ensure political stability. Hence, a case for his continuation as an exception in the Chinese national interests. While the Chinese proposal has its merits, it is also fraught with negatives that are detrimental not only to China but also to the world in general. Given the current Chinese politico-economic outreach and subtle military signatures beyond their borders. Since human mind has limited cognitive capabilities, depending on one individual as an ultimate arbitrator becomes counterproductive in the longer run. Moreover, anti-incumbency is a known phenomenon in any political system which would have no room for catharsis in a single point closed Chinese system, unlike a democracy where there is an option for change. One man show at times may fail to keep pace with the contemporary geopolitical changes due to a rigidity of perceptions, thereby, losing out on political flexibility to adapt to requisite environmental synergies. In the proposed system perception of an individual would have the power to overrule the institutional decision-making mechanism which may manifest into inappropriate synergies. Now that President Xi is likely to continue in the office beyond the stipulated two terms, he would serve the Chinese interests better if he accords priority to cooperation instead of confrontation. It is President Xi, who has to take a call with added faith and concomitant responsibilities bestowed upon him by the Chinese people. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: China is giving Xi Jinping unprecedented power

&nbsp;A Hindu lawmaker in Pakistan has moved the court after he was prevented from taking oath in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for his alleged role in the murder of a Sikh legislator in 2016.

 
Member of the Provincial Assembly-elect Baldev Kumar, who is in jail in the murder case of Sikh lawmaker Sardar Soran Singh, moved the Peshawar High Court against the Speaker, treasury and opposition members of the provincial assembly for contempt of court.

 
In his petition, Kumar prayed that Senate elections which are due on March 3 should be stopped until his swearing-in ceremony.

 
The petitioner further claimed that he was deliberately maltreated in the Assembly Hall on February 27.

 
Arbab Jehandad Khan, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Member of the Provincial Assembly, threw his shoe at Kumar which landed close to him while some other members of Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf threw copies of the assembly agenda towards Kumar.

 
Singh, a lawmaker from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was shot dead in April 2016 in Buner district of the province.

 
Singh was elected to the provincial assembly on a minority seat.

 
His son Ajay on Sunday appealed the provincial government not to bring the &quot;killer&quot; of his father in the provincial assembly for obtaining his vote for Imran Khan&#39;s Tehreek-e-Insaf Senate candidate in the upcoming Senate elections due for March 3.

 
Kumar is the second in the list of Tehreek-e-Insaf party&#39;s candidates for a reserved seat for minorities.

In his petition, Kumar prayed that Senate elections which are due on March 3 should be stopped until his swearing-in ceremony.

A Hindu lawmaker in Pakistan has moved the court after he was prevented from taking oath in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for his alleged role in the murder of a Sikh legislator in 2016. Member of the Provincial Assembly-elect Baldev Kumar, who is in jail in the murder case of Sikh lawmaker Sardar Soran Singh, moved the Peshawar High Court against the Speaker, treasury and opposition members of the provincial assembly for contempt of court. In his petition, Kumar prayed that Senate elections which are due on March 3 should be stopped until his swearing-in ceremony. The petitioner further claimed that he was deliberately maltreated in the Assembly Hall on February 27. Arbab Jehandad Khan, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Member of the Provincial Assembly, threw his shoe at Kumar which landed close to him while some other members of Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf threw copies of the assembly agenda towards Kumar. Singh, a lawmaker from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, was shot dead in April 2016 in Buner district of the province. Singh was elected to the provincial assembly on a minority seat. His son Ajay on Sunday appealed the provincial government not to bring the "killer" of his father in the provincial assembly for obtaining his vote for Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf Senate candidate in the upcoming Senate elections due for March 3. Kumar is the second in the list of Tehreek-e-Insaf party's candidates for a reserved seat for minorities.

Pak Hindu lawmaker moves court after prevented from taking oath

After weeks of speculation, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-move-to-embarrass-us-on-fatf-says-paks-paris-negotiator-34120">the Pakistan foreign office spokesman </a>said today the country will be placed in Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in June.

The Dawn newspaper quoted <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/some-countries-proposed-to-put-pakistan-in-fatf-grey-list-india-33126">foreign ministry official </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/some-countries-proposed-to-put-pakistan-in-fatf-grey-list-india-33126">Dr</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/some-countries-proposed-to-put-pakistan-in-fatf-grey-list-india-33126"> Muhammad</a> Faisal saying: &quot;Pakistan will be assigned to the &quot;grey list&quot; in June, once an action plan has been mutually negotiated.&quot;

The spokesman added that Pakistan will cooperate with the international body in every way.

The spokesman denied that Pakistan will be transferred from the &quot;grey list&quot; to the &quot;blacklist&quot; in June. The FATF guidelines state those countries who do not cooperate to be put on the blacklist.

The Pakistan daily said that foreign ministry highlighted &quot;certain&quot; deficiencies in Pakistan&#39;s anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing effort.

&quot;We will take further actions for addressing any remaining deficiencies,&quot; Faisal said.

There was largescale speculation over Pakistan&#39;s inclusion in the terror financing watchlist after Pak officials had earlier said FATF had given the country a reprieve and reports said China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia had helped thwart pressure by the US to put Pak on the list.

In the end, however, China which is an all-weather ally of Pakistan decided to remain neutral after it was made the vice chair of the global body.

The spokesman added that Pakistan will cooperate with the international body in every way.

After weeks of speculation, the Pakistan foreign office spokesman said today the country will be placed in Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in June. The Dawn newspaper quoted foreign ministry official Dr Muhammad Faisal saying: "Pakistan will be assigned to the "grey list" in June, once an action plan has been mutually negotiated." The spokesman added that Pakistan will cooperate with the international body in every way. The spokesman denied that Pakistan will be transferred from the "grey list" to the "blacklist" in June. The FATF guidelines state those countries who do not cooperate to be put on the blacklist. The Pakistan daily said that foreign ministry highlighted "certain" deficiencies in Pakistan's anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing effort. "We will take further actions for addressing any remaining deficiencies," Faisal said. There was largescale speculation over Pakistan's inclusion in the terror financing watchlist after Pak officials had earlier said FATF had given the country a reprieve and reports said China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia had helped thwart pressure by the US to put Pak on the list. In the end, however, China which is an all-weather ally of Pakistan decided to remain neutral after it was made the vice chair of the global body.

Pakistan to be placed on FATF terror financing watchlist, confirms foreign ministry

A Pakistani parliamentarian has revealed that Chinese prisoners are working on development projects of the over USD 60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the country.

Member of the National Assembly Nawab Mohammad Yousuf Talpur of the Pakistan Peoples` Party (PPP) raised security concerns on this issue, and demanded better security arrangements.&quot;I have learnt that prisoners have been brought from Chinese jails and they are constructing roads.

They can be involved in crimes, so, there should be proper security arrangements,&quot; the Dawn quoted Yousuf, as saying.When Yousuf contacted the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to share his concerns, the ministry indirectly rejected his contention.

&quot;I contacted a concerned official, who confirmed that prisoners had been working in Pakistan. My doubt was strengthened by an ambiguous response from the Ministry of Interior which rather than rejecting my claim just said it was not in the knowledge of the ministry,&quot; he said.

However, Special Secretary (Interior) Rizwan Malik said Chinese workers were being given three-layer-level security.&quot;There is a separate security for Chinese nationals who have been working on CPEC projects. Separate arrangements have been made for those who have come for electricity projects.&quot; Malik said.

MNA Yousuf asserted that prisoners were engaged in development work across the globe, however, they found it strange that prisoners had been brought from China to Pakistan.

&quot;I assume that a secret or unannounced agreement has been made between the two countries because prisoners cannot be sent from one country to another without taking the host nation into confidence. Chinese constriction companies are using prisoners as labourers,&quot; he said.

Recently, several Chinese nationals have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the ATM skimming frauds in Pakistan.

Earlier in January, Pakistan police had arrested the Chinese nationals in two separate raids in Defence Housing Authority and Bahadurabad after they were caught red-handed withdrawing cash from the ATMs with forged cards.

Several blank ATM cards and millions of cash were also seized during the raids.Another Chinese national was also arrested by the police in Bahadurabad for ATM skimming fraud. The ATM hacking through installed skimmers, devices that steal ATM card data has been reported in the country.

According to an estimate, there are nearly 400,000 Chinese people living in Pakistan, with a large number of professionals involved in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

MNA Yousuf asserted that prisoners were engaged in development work across the globe, however, they found it strange that prisoners had been brought from China to Pakistan

A Pakistani parliamentarian has revealed that Chinese prisoners are working on development projects of the over USD 60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the country. Member of the National Assembly Nawab Mohammad Yousuf Talpur of the Pakistan Peoples` Party (PPP) raised security concerns on this issue, and demanded better security arrangements."I have learnt that prisoners have been brought from Chinese jails and they are constructing roads. They can be involved in crimes, so, there should be proper security arrangements," the Dawn quoted Yousuf, as saying.When Yousuf contacted the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to share his concerns, the ministry indirectly rejected his contention. "I contacted a concerned official, who confirmed that prisoners had been working in Pakistan. My doubt was strengthened by an ambiguous response from the Ministry of Interior which rather than rejecting my claim just said it was not in the knowledge of the ministry," he said. However, Special Secretary (Interior) Rizwan Malik said Chinese workers were being given three-layer-level security."There is a separate security for Chinese nationals who have been working on CPEC projects. Separate arrangements have been made for those who have come for electricity projects." Malik said. MNA Yousuf asserted that prisoners were engaged in development work across the globe, however, they found it strange that prisoners had been brought from China to Pakistan. "I assume that a secret or unannounced agreement has been made between the two countries because prisoners cannot be sent from one country to another without taking the host nation into confidence. Chinese constriction companies are using prisoners as labourers," he said. Recently, several Chinese nationals have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the ATM skimming frauds in Pakistan. Earlier in January, Pakistan police had arrested the Chinese nationals in two separate raids in Defence Housing Authority and Bahadurabad after they were caught red-handed withdrawing cash from the ATMs with forged cards. Several blank ATM cards and millions of cash were also seized during the raids.Another Chinese national was also arrested by the police in Bahadurabad for ATM skimming fraud. The ATM hacking through installed skimmers, devices that steal ATM card data has been reported in the country. According to an estimate, there are nearly 400,000 Chinese people living in Pakistan, with a large number of professionals involved in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Chinese prisoners working on CPEC in Pakistan

Pakistan`s Supreme Court was informed today that Interpol had not issued any warrant against former ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani in response to a request by the Pakistan government and had raised certain queries instead.

Pakistan`s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) may now register a case against Haqqani, acknowledging that six years after the former ambassador to US was accused in a scandal termed `Memogate`.The FIA requires some time to fulfil Interpol`s requirements which include providing details of the alleged crime, Assistant Attorney General Waqar Rana told the Supreme Court today according to Pakistani media reports.

Rana also requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar to hear the matter in his chamber.The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) accepted the plea and asked AAG and petitioner to appear in his chamber making it clear that he would not be influenced by any lobby.On February 15, Pakistan `s apex court issued an arrest warrant against Haqqani and directed him to appear in the Memogate case.However, Haqqani failed to comply with the court orders.

The FIA had asked Interpol to issue a red warrant for Haqqani, Additional Attorney General Rana Waqar told the top court but Interpol asked what, if any, criminal case had been filed against Haqqani.The Memogate scandal erupted in 2011 when Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz claimed to have received an `anti-army` memo from Haqqani for the then-US joint chiefs chairman Admiral Mike Mullen.

Cases have recently been registered against Haqqani under Sections 120b (hatching a criminal conspiracy) and 121a (waging a war against Pakistan) of the Pakistan Penal Code.In this regard, a court notice has already been issued to Haqqani and other respondents of the case - including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

The scandal, taken to the Supreme Court by then opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, led to Haqqani`s resignation.

As per the international criminal police organization, Interpol`s charter prohibits it from intervening into a political, military, religious, or racial dispute.

Interpol mainly focuses on public safety and combating transnational crimes against humanity, child pornography, computer crime and cybercrime, drug trafficking, environmental crime, genocide, human trafficking.

Besides this, it also deals with cases related to illicit drug production, copyright infringement, illicit traffic in works of art, intellectual property crime, money laundering, organized crime, corruption, terrorism, war crimes, weapons smuggling, and white-collar crime.

The scandal, taken to the Supreme Court by then opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, led to Haqqani`s resignation.

Pakistan`s Supreme Court was informed today that Interpol had not issued any warrant against former ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani in response to a request by the Pakistan government and had raised certain queries instead. Pakistan`s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) may now register a case against Haqqani, acknowledging that six years after the former ambassador to US was accused in a scandal termed `Memogate`.The FIA requires some time to fulfil Interpol`s requirements which include providing details of the alleged crime, Assistant Attorney General Waqar Rana told the Supreme Court today according to Pakistani media reports. Rana also requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar to hear the matter in his chamber.The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) accepted the plea and asked AAG and petitioner to appear in his chamber making it clear that he would not be influenced by any lobby.On February 15, Pakistan `s apex court issued an arrest warrant against Haqqani and directed him to appear in the Memogate case.However, Haqqani failed to comply with the court orders. The FIA had asked Interpol to issue a red warrant for Haqqani, Additional Attorney General Rana Waqar told the top court but Interpol asked what, if any, criminal case had been filed against Haqqani.The Memogate scandal erupted in 2011 when Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz claimed to have received an `anti-army` memo from Haqqani for the then-US joint chiefs chairman Admiral Mike Mullen. Cases have recently been registered against Haqqani under Sections 120b (hatching a criminal conspiracy) and 121a (waging a war against Pakistan) of the Pakistan Penal Code.In this regard, a court notice has already been issued to Haqqani and other respondents of the case - including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The scandal, taken to the Supreme Court by then opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, led to Haqqani`s resignation. As per the international criminal police organization, Interpol`s charter prohibits it from intervening into a political, military, religious, or racial dispute. Interpol mainly focuses on public safety and combating transnational crimes against humanity, child pornography, computer crime and cybercrime, drug trafficking, environmental crime, genocide, human trafficking. Besides this, it also deals with cases related to illicit drug production, copyright infringement, illicit traffic in works of art, intellectual property crime, money laundering, organized crime, corruption, terrorism, war crimes, weapons smuggling, and white-collar crime.

Interpol refuses to act against former Pak ambassador to US Husain Haqqani

Shahbaz Sharif was unanimously elected as interim president of Pakistan&#39;s ruling PML-N today while his elder brother and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif was made the beleaguered party&#39;s &#39;Quaid&#39; (top leader) for life time.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) elected its new head days after the Supreme Court disqualified 68-year-old Nawaz as the chief of his party and struck down all decisions taken by him as the party head.

Shahbaz, the 66-year-old chief minister of Punjab province, has been elected as the party&#39;s president for 45 days by its central working committee (CWC) in a meeting held in Sharif&#39;s Model Town Lahore residence today.

In the meeting, Nawaz proposed the name of Shahbaz for the party&#39;s interim president which was unanimously approved by the CWC.

The meeting also approved making Nawaz PML-N &quot;Quaid&quot; (top leader) for life time and also paid tributes to his service for the party, country and democracy.

&quot;PML-N elects Nawaz as its Quaid for life. Raja Zafarul Haq, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif&#39;s proposal elicited a resounding approval from the CWC,&quot; Nawaz&#39;s daughter Maryam tweeted.

PML-N&#39;s information secretary Senator Mushahidullah Khan told PTI there was no candidate for the slot of interim president of PML-N other than Shahbaz Sharif.

&quot;Nawaz proposed Shahbaz&#39;s name for the party&#39;s interim president and all more than 100 CWC members approved his name unanimously. Shahbaz will continue as the party&#39;s full-time president after the general council elects him in a meeting in Islamabad next month,&quot; he said.

Under the party&#39;s rules, the PML-N&#39;s CWC is supposed to elect an acting party head within a week of its chief&#39;s removal. Then the party&#39;s general council is required to elect a president within 45 days. Nawaz was removed from the post of PML-N president by the apex court on February 22.

After becoming the party president, Shahbaz praised his elder brother for making the PML-N the country&#39;s most popular political force. &quot;I will try my best to come up to the expectations of my party after assuming this responsibility,&quot; he said.

Nawaz has already nominated Shahbaz for the prime minister candidate if PML-N wins this year&#39;s general elections.

He had finalised his younger brother&#39;s nomination for the slot of party president after consulting his wife Kulsoom, daughter Maryam, defunct finance minister Ishaq Dar, former information minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid and a few others.

&quot;Begum Kulsoom would have been the best choice to succeed Nawaz Sharif but since she is not well and is recovering from throat cancer (lymphoma) in London, Shahbaz Sharif has become the ultimate choice although some close to Nawaz have reservations (about him). Maryam&#39;s name was not considered for the slot as she is too young to handle the party at this stage,&quot; a PML-N leader said.

Nawaz was disqualified as the prime minister by the apex court in the Panama Papers case in July last year under Article 62 for failing to declare a receivable salary as an asset.

After his disqualification as prime minister, the ruling PML-N amended the Constitution to allow him to retain his chairmanship of the party.

However, the apex court last week ruled that it is mandatory for a party chief to fulfil the requirements of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution as a party head is powerful and political parties control the government.

It also said that a person who is disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution is not eligible to sign on any document needed to nominate someone to the National Assembly or Senate.

The apex court&#39;s verdict was in response to 17 petitions challenging the controversial Elections Act 2017, which had been bulldozed through parliament last year to pave the way for Nawaz&#39;s return to the PML-N&#39;s helm as party president.&nbsp;

He was unanimously elected as party's interim president

Shahbaz Sharif was unanimously elected as interim president of Pakistan's ruling PML-N today while his elder brother and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif was made the beleaguered party's 'Quaid' (top leader) for life time. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) elected its new head days after the Supreme Court disqualified 68-year-old Nawaz as the chief of his party and struck down all decisions taken by him as the party head. Shahbaz, the 66-year-old chief minister of Punjab province, has been elected as the party's president for 45 days by its central working committee (CWC) in a meeting held in Sharif's Model Town Lahore residence today. In the meeting, Nawaz proposed the name of Shahbaz for the party's interim president which was unanimously approved by the CWC. The meeting also approved making Nawaz PML-N "Quaid" (top leader) for life time and also paid tributes to his service for the party, country and democracy. "PML-N elects Nawaz as its Quaid for life. Raja Zafarul Haq, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif's proposal elicited a resounding approval from the CWC," Nawaz's daughter Maryam tweeted. PML-N's information secretary Senator Mushahidullah Khan told PTI there was no candidate for the slot of interim president of PML-N other than Shahbaz Sharif. "Nawaz proposed Shahbaz's name for the party's interim president and all more than 100 CWC members approved his name unanimously. Shahbaz will continue as the party's full-time president after the general council elects him in a meeting in Islamabad next month," he said. Under the party's rules, the PML-N's CWC is supposed to elect an acting party head within a week of its chief's removal. Then the party's general council is required to elect a president within 45 days. Nawaz was removed from the post of PML-N president by the apex court on February 22. After becoming the party president, Shahbaz praised his elder brother for making the PML-N the country's most popular political force. "I will try my best to come up to the expectations of my party after assuming this responsibility," he said. Nawaz has already nominated Shahbaz for the prime minister candidate if PML-N wins this year's general elections. He had finalised his younger brother's nomination for the slot of party president after consulting his wife Kulsoom, daughter Maryam, defunct finance minister Ishaq Dar, former information minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid and a few others. "Begum Kulsoom would have been the best choice to succeed Nawaz Sharif but since she is not well and is recovering from throat cancer (lymphoma) in London, Shahbaz Sharif has become the ultimate choice although some close to Nawaz have reservations (about him). Maryam's name was not considered for the slot as she is too young to handle the party at this stage," a PML-N leader said. Nawaz was disqualified as the prime minister by the apex court in the Panama Papers case in July last year under Article 62 for failing to declare a receivable salary as an asset. After his disqualification as prime minister, the ruling PML-N amended the Constitution to allow him to retain his chairmanship of the party. However, the apex court last week ruled that it is mandatory for a party chief to fulfil the requirements of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution as a party head is powerful and political parties control the government. It also said that a person who is disqualified under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution is not eligible to sign on any document needed to nominate someone to the National Assembly or Senate. The apex court's verdict was in response to 17 petitions challenging the controversial Elections Act 2017, which had been bulldozed through parliament last year to pave the way for Nawaz's return to the PML-N's helm as party president.

Shahbaz Sharif becomes interim chief of ruling PML-N

Pakistan&#39;s ruling party on Tuesday chose Shahbaz Sharif as its president, officials said, replacing his brother and veteran leader Nawaz Sharif following his latest disqualification by the Supreme Court.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party also elected Nawaz as &quot;leader for life&quot;, in what will be seen as a provocative move and could anger the judiciary after last week&#39;s Supreme Court verdict that removed Sharif as party leader.&nbsp;

In July, Pakistan&#39;s top court had ended Sharif&#39;s third stint in power for not declaring a small source of income, and the former leader could end up in jail if he is convicted in a separate corruption trial expected to wind up soon.

Shahbaz&#39;s elevation as party president will further fuel suggestions that he will replace Sharif loyalist Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as prime minister if the party sweeps back to power at general elections due in the summer.

&quot;A meeting of the party&#39;s General Council will be held on March 6, which would elect Shahbaz as the permanent president,&quot; said senior party official Mushahidullah Khan.

&quot;Nawaz Sharif will work as a life leader of the party.&quot;

Despite Nawaz Sharif&#39;s legal woes, the 68-year-old has maintained a tight grip on the party.

Shahbaz, 66, chief minister of the vast province of Punjab, has built a reputation as a competent administrator who gets things done, especially infrastructure mega projects that are the cornerstone of the party&#39;s electoral appeal.

Relations between the ruling party and the judiciary have plummeted since Sharif&#39;s ouster in July, with several party officials facing contempt of court notices.

Sharif and party officials have painted the Supreme Court verdicts as judicial overreach and a political conspiracy, insinuating that elements of Pakistan&#39;s powerful military establishment are working against the party because Sharif challenged their power. The military denies playing a role.&nbsp;

When the Supreme Court ruled against Sharif and ordered his removal from the post of party leader, the verdict also barred Sharif&#39;s chosen candidates from contesting next week&#39;s senate elections under the party banner.

The court order overturned a legal amendment by party lawmakers allowing Sharif to stay party president despite being disqualified from public office by the Supreme Court for failing to declare monthly income of 10,000 Emirati dirham ($2,723) from a company owned by his son.&nbsp;

Sharif had served as prime minister twice before and each time was removed from office - in 1993 by a presidential order, and in 1999, by a military coup that saw him jailed and later exiled before he returned when General Pervez Musharraf stepped down. 
&nbsp;

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party also elected Nawaz as 'leader for life'

Pakistan's ruling party on Tuesday chose Shahbaz Sharif as its president, officials said, replacing his brother and veteran leader Nawaz Sharif following his latest disqualification by the Supreme Court. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party also elected Nawaz as "leader for life", in what will be seen as a provocative move and could anger the judiciary after last week's Supreme Court verdict that removed Sharif as party leader. In July, Pakistan's top court had ended Sharif's third stint in power for not declaring a small source of income, and the former leader could end up in jail if he is convicted in a separate corruption trial expected to wind up soon. Shahbaz's elevation as party president will further fuel suggestions that he will replace Sharif loyalist Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as prime minister if the party sweeps back to power at general elections due in the summer. "A meeting of the party's General Council will be held on March 6, which would elect Shahbaz as the permanent president," said senior party official Mushahidullah Khan. "Nawaz Sharif will work as a life leader of the party." Despite Nawaz Sharif's legal woes, the 68-year-old has maintained a tight grip on the party. Shahbaz, 66, chief minister of the vast province of Punjab, has built a reputation as a competent administrator who gets things done, especially infrastructure mega projects that are the cornerstone of the party's electoral appeal. Relations between the ruling party and the judiciary have plummeted since Sharif's ouster in July, with several party officials facing contempt of court notices. Sharif and party officials have painted the Supreme Court verdicts as judicial overreach and a political conspiracy, insinuating that elements of Pakistan's powerful military establishment are working against the party because Sharif challenged their power. The military denies playing a role. When the Supreme Court ruled against Sharif and ordered his removal from the post of party leader, the verdict also barred Sharif's chosen candidates from contesting next week's senate elections under the party banner. The court order overturned a legal amendment by party lawmakers allowing Sharif to stay party president despite being disqualified from public office by the Supreme Court for failing to declare monthly income of 10,000 Emirati dirham ($2,723) from a company owned by his son. Sharif had served as prime minister twice before and each time was removed from office - in 1993 by a presidential order, and in 1999, by a military coup that saw him jailed and later exiled before he returned when General Pervez Musharraf stepped down.

Pakistan's ruling party picks ousted PM's brother Shahbaz Sharif as president

India`s foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale will participate in Kabul Process Conference in Afghanistan this week.

About 23 nations including Pakistan and the European Union, United Nations and NATO are also participating in Kabul Process Conference which begins tomorrow in Afghanistan.

Earlier on February 26, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had said that their government will propose an inclusive proposal to Pakistan and the Taliban during the Kabul Process conference.

Ghani will highlight the strong commitment of the Afghan government for ensuring peace in Afghanistan at the conference.

The Kabul government will call on countries in the region to reach a consensus to accept Afghan stability and work on achieving it.

About 23 nations including Pakistan and the European Union, United Nations and NATO are also participating in Kabul Process Conference which begins tomorrow in Afghanistan

India`s foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale will participate in Kabul Process Conference in Afghanistan this week. About 23 nations including Pakistan and the European Union, United Nations and NATO are also participating in Kabul Process Conference which begins tomorrow in Afghanistan. Earlier on February 26, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had said that their government will propose an inclusive proposal to Pakistan and the Taliban during the Kabul Process conference. Ghani will highlight the strong commitment of the Afghan government for ensuring peace in Afghanistan at the conference. The Kabul government will call on countries in the region to reach a consensus to accept Afghan stability and work on achieving it.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale to participate in Kabul Process Conference

The ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir was violated again Tuesday morning. The violation took place in the Manjakote sector of Rajouri district.

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Jammu &amp; Kashmir: Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Manjakote sector of Rajouri district <a href="https://t.co/PyzLmisBE0">pic.twitter.com/PyzLmisBE0</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/968320074523308032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Jammu &amp; Kashmir: School children stranded at school due to ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Manjakote sector of Rajouri district. Headmaster says there has been heavy shelling so we have asked the students to wait, we will leave them only when firing stops. <a href="https://t.co/EfyYfpXbyJ">pic.twitter.com/EfyYfpXbyJ</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/968381412117278721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The ceasefire&nbsp;in Jammu and Kashmir has been violated over 400 times already this year, with 23 Pakistani and 16 Indian soldiers losing their lives in the cross-border firing.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The violations have also killed civilians from both sides.&nbsp;

The ceasefire along the International border and the Line Of Control between India and Pakistan came into force as a confidence-building measure between the two countries on November 26, 2003.

A recent media report quoted Army Chief General Bipin Rawat as saying the Pakistani Army suffers three to four times more casualties in the exchange of fire.&nbsp;

The media report added that in 2017, India lost about 32 soldiers along the LoC whereas Pakistan estimated lost between 130-140 soldiers.&nbsp;

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Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0845 hours in Bhimber Gali sector along the Line of Control. Indian Army is retaliating. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JammuAndKashmir</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/968338782608031750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir has been violated over 400 times in the first two months of the year

The ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir was violated again Tuesday morning. The violation took place in the Manjakote sector of Rajouri district. Jammu & Kashmir: Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Manjakote sector of Rajouri district pic.twitter.com/PyzLmisBE0 — ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2018 × Jammu & Kashmir: School children stranded at school due to ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Manjakote sector of Rajouri district. Headmaster says there has been heavy shelling so we have asked the students to wait, we will leave them only when firing stops. pic.twitter.com/EfyYfpXbyJ — ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2018 × The ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir has been violated over 400 times already this year, with 23 Pakistani and 16 Indian soldiers losing their lives in the cross-border firing. The violations have also killed civilians from both sides. The ceasefire along the International border and the Line Of Control between India and Pakistan came into force as a confidence-building measure between the two countries on November 26, 2003. A recent media report quoted Army Chief General Bipin Rawat as saying the Pakistani Army suffers three to four times more casualties in the exchange of fire. The media report added that in 2017, India lost about 32 soldiers along the LoC whereas Pakistan estimated lost between 130-140 soldiers. Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0845 hours in Bhimber Gali sector along the Line of Control. Indian Army is retaliating. #JammuAndKashmir — ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2018 ×

J&K: Ceasefire violated in Rajouri's Manjakote sector

Amid worsening ties between the United Nations and Pakistan, the US embassy on Tuesday that Washington wants to estlabish a new relationship with Islamabad.

The statement was given by a senior aide to Trump during his visit to Pakistan.&nbsp;

Lisa Curtis, deputy assistant to the U.S. president, also voiced U.S. concerns about Pakistan&#39;s deficiencies in preventing terrorist-financing during her two-day trip to the nuclear-armed South Asian nation.

Last week, Washington persuaded member states of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to put Pakistan back on the watchlist of nations with inadequate terrorist financing or money laundering controls.

The U.S. move infuriated Islamabad amid fears it could hurt the fragile economy of Pakistan, whose de facto finance minister accused Washington of trying to embarrass his country.

&quot;Ms. Curtis said that the United States seeks to move toward a new relationship with Pakistan, based on a shared commitment to defeat all terrorist groups that threaten regional stability,&quot; the U.S. embassy said in a statement.

The embassy informed that this new relationship between the two nations would also be based on a shared vision of a peaceful future for Afghanistan

Tensions with historically Washington have pushed Pakistan further into the arms of China. Closer diplomatic and military ties between Beijing and Islamabad have come at a time when China is helping Pakistan&#39;s economy grow by investing billions in infrastructure projects.&nbsp;

In January, &nbsp;the Trump administration suspended about $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan, days after Trump tweeted that Pakistan has given nothing but lies and deceit in return for generous aid.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The statement was given by a senior aide to Trump during his visit to Pakistan

Amid worsening ties between the United Nations and Pakistan, the US embassy on Tuesday that Washington wants to estlabish a new relationship with Islamabad. The statement was given by a senior aide to Trump during his visit to Pakistan. Lisa Curtis, deputy assistant to the U.S. president, also voiced U.S. concerns about Pakistan's deficiencies in preventing terrorist-financing during her two-day trip to the nuclear-armed South Asian nation. Last week, Washington persuaded member states of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to put Pakistan back on the watchlist of nations with inadequate terrorist financing or money laundering controls. The U.S. move infuriated Islamabad amid fears it could hurt the fragile economy of Pakistan, whose de facto finance minister accused Washington of trying to embarrass his country. "Ms. Curtis said that the United States seeks to move toward a new relationship with Pakistan, based on a shared commitment to defeat all terrorist groups that threaten regional stability," the U.S. embassy said in a statement. The embassy informed that this new relationship between the two nations would also be based on a shared vision of a peaceful future for Afghanistan Tensions with historically Washington have pushed Pakistan further into the arms of China. Closer diplomatic and military ties between Beijing and Islamabad have come at a time when China is helping Pakistan's economy grow by investing billions in infrastructure projects. In January, the Trump administration suspended about $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan, days after Trump tweeted that Pakistan has given nothing but lies and deceit in return for generous aid.

US seeking new relationship with Pakistan, says President Trump's aide

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today said that the exchange of firing and shelling between India and Pakistan will continue unless the two nations start thinking of peace.

Abdullah spoke on the issue of the ongoing ceasefire violations and heavy shelling by Pakistani troops along the LoC.

&quot;If they (both the nations) don&#39;t think of peace, the firing will not stop, neither from our side nor from their side,&quot; the National Conference chief told reporters at a function.&nbsp;

The National Conference chief, last month, lauded J&amp;K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti after she asked the governments of India and Pakistan to resume talks and resolve their mutual issues.&nbsp;

&quot;I would like to congratulate Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Ji for realising that until we have talks with Pakistan, militancy will not end. I feel Modi Ji has the courage to initiate this and take it to a logical end,&quot; Abdullah noted.

Mufti recently noted that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/guns-cannot-solve-any-problems-only-talks-can-jk-cm-mehbooba-mufti-33268">dialogue can solve problems</a> and not &quot;guns&quot;.

&quot;Conditions at the border are not good, both the countries should talk and there should be a ceasefire. Peace should be given an opportunity,&quot; Mufti noted at Kulgam, J&amp;K earlier this month.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The National Conference chief, last month, lauded J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti after she asked the governments of India and Pakistan to resume talks and resolve their mutual issues

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah today said that the exchange of firing and shelling between India and Pakistan will continue unless the two nations start thinking of peace. Abdullah spoke on the issue of the ongoing ceasefire violations and heavy shelling by Pakistani troops along the LoC. "If they (both the nations) don't think of peace, the firing will not stop, neither from our side nor from their side," the National Conference chief told reporters at a function. The National Conference chief, last month, lauded J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti after she asked the governments of India and Pakistan to resume talks and resolve their mutual issues. "I would like to congratulate Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti Ji for realising that until we have talks with Pakistan, militancy will not end. I feel Modi Ji has the courage to initiate this and take it to a logical end," Abdullah noted. Mufti recently noted that dialogue can solve problems and not "guns". "Conditions at the border are not good, both the countries should talk and there should be a ceasefire. Peace should be given an opportunity," Mufti noted at Kulgam, J&K earlier this month. (With inputs from agencies)

Indo-Pak shelling will stop only when two nations think of peace: Farooq Abdullah

The 16th of December, 2014 will forever remain etched into the national sensibility of Pakistan, for on that wretched day, Pakistan lost more than 150 of its people, mostly schoolchildren in a senseless massacre at an army school in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa&rsquo;s capital of Peshawar. Comparisons were instantly drawn and 16/12 was touted Pakistan&rsquo;s 9/11. Prior to the attack, the national narrative on how to deal with the Taliban was a mixture of varied opinions. The Imran Khan led Tehreek-e-Insaf wanted negotiations whilst others wanted an indiscriminate operation, targeting groups that posed a threat to Pakistan&rsquo;s interests.&nbsp;

However, the Peshawar attack was enough to jolt all political forces into doing and not just proposing. In a rare show of unity an, All Parties Conference was quickly convened and a National Action Plan was presented in its aftermath. With 20 salient points, the plan introduced military courts, lifted the moratorium on capital punishment and promised unwavering action against all forms of terrorists. One would imagine that the wholesale slaughter of more than 130 children would be enough to push the Pakistani state and more specifically the military to abandon its policy of harbouring certain terror groups. But alas, as conniving statecraft would have it, four years on Pakistan is still blamed for following her &ldquo;good Taliban, bad Taliban&rdquo; policy.&nbsp;

The ISPR will have us know that terrorists are being acted against without any discrimination being made but there is one breed of terror groups which perhaps holds the sympathies of not just those in the military establishment but the Pakistani populace at large. These are the Afghan groups and the anti-India groups such as the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Muhammad which specifically target the Indian state in Kashmir and in places such as Pathankot and Uri, as they did in 2016. The continued support for the Afghan Taliban such as the Haqqani network is somewhat understandable. Fearing the fact that an unstable Afghanistan might become a haven for anti-Pakistan groups, the Pakistani state wants to safeguard its interests in Kabul in the case of an American pullout.

Au contraire, the Pakistani military continues its complicit support for anti-India entities despite the National Action Plan and the reasons for this are manifold but boil down to one simple factor; anti-Indian sentiment is central to Pakistani nationalism. It is what French political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot calls &ldquo;the essence of Pakistan&rsquo;s identity&rdquo;. Parts of the military establishment, as well as the nation, suffer from a collective schizophrenia of sorts when it comes to India. Opposing India is at the crux of Pakistan&rsquo;s military and foreign policies and the presence of a much larger enemy to the East is the justification the military uses to justify its disproportionate share of resources in the country&rsquo;s budget amongst other perceived threats.&nbsp;

However, of late, these groups have begun rebranding themselves as political parties. In an act of sheer irony on the anniversary of the Peshawar attacks, Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, scion of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jahngvi was elected as a member of provincial parliament from his native Jhang as an independent candidate. He later joined the Jamiat-Ulema-Islam (Fazal) which is allied with the government in the centre. Also, the by-polls held after Nawaz Sharif&rsquo;s ouster from a power saw the political wing (Milli Muslim League) of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and the sectarian group Tehreek-e-Labaik-Ya-Rasool-Allah secure 11% of the vote in the constituency. All of this was done despite the fact that these groups are on the UN terror watch lists. Apparently, that was not enough for the Election Commission of Pakistan to rule their nomination papers null and void.

But is action against the anti-India lot inevitable? This notion might well be a folly. For any action to be taken by the Pakistani army there needs to be a public consensus against the enemy first. Unfortunately, that consensus only exists against India, not the anti-India lot. The armed forces will not take any step without that consensus and certainly not when India asks for it because that would make them look bad. Moving with the impression of those moves being a response to Indian pressure would be anathema to the Pakistani military. With the long-term presence of a right winger in Delhi pressure will always be on Islamabad to take action against these groups.&nbsp;

Something will have to give, but will it? The army may well give up on the anti-India lot if they turn against the state but what they&rsquo;ll never give up on is India is the eternal enemy. As now notorious DAWN staffer Cyril Almeida calls it, &ldquo;India being Enemy No 1 is an unalterable truth, an inalienable position that the boys (army) will never give up.&rdquo; As Cyril puts it, for the army to take action against these groups, it has to look like it was their idea and without them looking bad.&nbsp;

Recently, keeping in tradition with the sporadic unsustainable action taken against these groups, the state moved to ban charities headed by Hafiz Saeed. Whilst this may seem like a step in the right direction the past has shown us that the military often does not follow up on these actions. The landmark elections due in July this year will be a momentous occasion for democracy in a country that has seen military rule for more than half her existence. But with successive democracies, the impenetrable and Machiavellian hold of the military on security policy will inevitably weaken. One can only hope that Pakistan&rsquo;s civilian leaders will have the guts and foresight, it will take to defang the anti-India lot.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Even after four years of massive mishap, Pakistan and its obstinate military are to be blamed for the slaughter of more than 130 children on 16th of December,2014.

The 16th of December, 2014 will forever remain etched into the national sensibility of Pakistan, for on that wretched day, Pakistan lost more than 150 of its people, mostly schoolchildren in a senseless massacre at an army school in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s capital of Peshawar. Comparisons were instantly drawn and 16/12 was touted Pakistan’s 9/11. Prior to the attack, the national narrative on how to deal with the Taliban was a mixture of varied opinions. The Imran Khan led Tehreek-e-Insaf wanted negotiations whilst others wanted an indiscriminate operation, targeting groups that posed a threat to Pakistan’s interests. However, the Peshawar attack was enough to jolt all political forces into doing and not just proposing. In a rare show of unity an, All Parties Conference was quickly convened and a National Action Plan was presented in its aftermath. With 20 salient points, the plan introduced military courts, lifted the moratorium on capital punishment and promised unwavering action against all forms of terrorists. One would imagine that the wholesale slaughter of more than 130 children would be enough to push the Pakistani state and more specifically the military to abandon its policy of harbouring certain terror groups. But alas, as conniving statecraft would have it, four years on Pakistan is still blamed for following her “good Taliban, bad Taliban” policy. The ISPR will have us know that terrorists are being acted against without any discrimination being made but there is one breed of terror groups which perhaps holds the sympathies of not just those in the military establishment but the Pakistani populace at large. These are the Afghan groups and the anti-India groups such as the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Muhammad which specifically target the Indian state in Kashmir and in places such as Pathankot and Uri, as they did in 2016. The continued support for the Afghan Taliban such as the Haqqani network is somewhat understandable. Fearing the fact that an unstable Afghanistan might become a haven for anti-Pakistan groups, the Pakistani state wants to safeguard its interests in Kabul in the case of an American pullout. Au contraire, the Pakistani military continues its complicit support for anti-India entities despite the National Action Plan and the reasons for this are manifold but boil down to one simple factor; anti-Indian sentiment is central to Pakistani nationalism. It is what French political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot calls “the essence of Pakistan’s identity”. Parts of the military establishment, as well as the nation, suffer from a collective schizophrenia of sorts when it comes to India. Opposing India is at the crux of Pakistan’s military and foreign policies and the presence of a much larger enemy to the East is the justification the military uses to justify its disproportionate share of resources in the country’s budget amongst other perceived threats. However, of late, these groups have begun rebranding themselves as political parties. In an act of sheer irony on the anniversary of the Peshawar attacks, Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, scion of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jahngvi was elected as a member of provincial parliament from his native Jhang as an independent candidate. He later joined the Jamiat-Ulema-Islam (Fazal) which is allied with the government in the centre. Also, the by-polls held after Nawaz Sharif’s ouster from a power saw the political wing (Milli Muslim League) of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and the sectarian group Tehreek-e-Labaik-Ya-Rasool-Allah secure 11% of the vote in the constituency. All of this was done despite the fact that these groups are on the UN terror watch lists. Apparently, that was not enough for the Election Commission of Pakistan to rule their nomination papers null and void. But is action against the anti-India lot inevitable? This notion might well be a folly. For any action to be taken by the Pakistani army there needs to be a public consensus against the enemy first. Unfortunately, that consensus only exists against India, not the anti-India lot. The armed forces will not take any step without that consensus and certainly not when India asks for it because that would make them look bad. Moving with the impression of those moves being a response to Indian pressure would be anathema to the Pakistani military. With the long-term presence of a right winger in Delhi pressure will always be on Islamabad to take action against these groups. Something will have to give, but will it? The army may well give up on the anti-India lot if they turn against the state but what they’ll never give up on is India is the eternal enemy. As now notorious DAWN staffer Cyril Almeida calls it, “India being Enemy No 1 is an unalterable truth, an inalienable position that the boys (army) will never give up.” As Cyril puts it, for the army to take action against these groups, it has to look like it was their idea and without them looking bad. Recently, keeping in tradition with the sporadic unsustainable action taken against these groups, the state moved to ban charities headed by Hafiz Saeed. Whilst this may seem like a step in the right direction the past has shown us that the military often does not follow up on these actions. The landmark elections due in July this year will be a momentous occasion for democracy in a country that has seen military rule for more than half her existence. But with successive democracies, the impenetrable and Machiavellian hold of the military on security policy will inevitably weaken. One can only hope that Pakistan’s civilian leaders will have the guts and foresight, it will take to defang the anti-India lot. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Will Pakistan ever give up its 'India is the eternal enemy' policy?

There seems a euphoria amongst Indians on the reported indications of Pakistan being put on the watch list on terror financing by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) at Paris on February 23. The Pakistani establishment in their typical deceit and denial mode has rubbished the report with a caveat that let it come officially. The significance of this report does not lie in what India or Pakistan are saying, but it distinctly reflects the hard geopolitics of external players in the South Asian region and signs of shifting strategic paradigms. &nbsp;What happened in Paris was waiting to come sooner or later as Pakistan refuses to see reason in the futility of their policies to use terrorism as a strategic weapon.

China, for the first time, has not supported Pakistan which is the biggest strategic take in the entire episode.&nbsp;Assertive prompting by the Trump administration has probably done the trick as they obviously are not happy with the double game being played by Pakistan when it comes to affairs in Afghanistan. Currently, China&nbsp;is primarily concerned about the success of their CPEC scheme, their biggest political investment in recent times. If Pakistan is not bailed out of the situation, then the&nbsp;politico-economic dreams of China would be doomed forever. Hence, Chinese were compelled to review the consistent support it has given to Pakistan all these years despite Pakistani political irrationalities.&nbsp;

The US needs Pakistan for sustaining their forces in Afghanistan. Accordingly, substantial financial grants have been given to Pakistan since the 1980s when Afghanistan came under US strategic radar to push out Russians and, now, for control of the Central Asian Region. Pakistan has been indulging in duplicity; on the one hand, giving support to the US in their GWOT and, at the same time, continuing with their complicity in propping up Taliban affiliates in Afghanistan and ferment insurgency in Kashmir. Trump administration has seen through the Pakistani bluff and suspended financial aid till Pakistan shows improvement. US warning to Pakistan is, No More- Do More.

Improvement in the security situation in Afghanistan is a common compulsion both for the US as well as China, &nbsp;albeit for different reasons. The US is looking at bringing about national reconciliation to evolve a political dispensation which would be loyal to them and take care of their strategic interests. While it has not happened despite their 15 years of politico-military investment and financial incentives to proponents of violence in Afghanistan, hence, there is a need for tougher alternate measures. As regards to China, they are looking at the safe passage of goods and services of Central Asian and landlocked Eurasian countries who want to be part of CPEC bandwagon. Unless Afghanistan is politically stable there would be no economies of scale for Chinese plans. Therefore, it is a strategic call for China.

Besides above, the US and China are the biggest trade partners and their prosperity and national powers are dependent on their mutual support. The Chinese economy is also dependent on outsourcing the manufacturings of the western world which they, obviously, cannot afford to ignore. Hence, US and China seem to be on the same page in FATF confabulations and an apparent shift in Chinese stance in their strategic interests.

One can understand the compulsion of China in adopting a neutral stance instead of voting against Pakistan in FATF. This policy deviation is symbiotic of Chinese concern as regards to Pakistani complicity in terrorism in the areas of their geopolitical interests. China also realises that Pakistan has nuisance value to jeopardise the CPEC scheme with their jihadi mechanism at their time and place of choosing. It may well include the start point of CPEC at Xinjiang itself, &nbsp;or anywhere else astride the envisaged economic corridor. Therefore, they have chosen to be neutral, a diplomatic stance with elbow space to revert, thereby, retaining their political flexibility.

China, with their surplus funds, is also aspiring to play a dominant role in global financial institutions and control mechanisms. FATF is one such body which has influence over fund allocations by IMF, World Bank and other such international financial institutions.The US and India are reported to have assured support to China for the higher slot in FATF in return for showing their neutrality to Pakistan on the issue of terrorism. China obviously has taken the bait, signalling their intentions to contribute towards neutralising terrorism.

The other traditional supporters of Pakistan from the Islamic world also seem to be changing their political tracks with emerging threat to West Asian economies in the face of changing the geopolitics of oil and gas world over. Saudi Arabia, GCC members and Turkey were persuaded to stand down on the issue of continuation of their support to Pakistani dispensation. They have seen the reason lest they are isolated in emerging opportunities with the economic centre of gravity shifting to Asia.

The writing on the walls is quite clear, the world is concerned over Pakistani involvement in the spread of terrorism. In that, even the longtime confidants of Pakistan seem to be prompting Pakistan to mend their ways and review political priorities. These are signs of changing strategic paradigms probably a step towards an emerging world order in which China is trying to be a significant contributor. Politics of strategic compulsions is in play which is projecting new possibilities of political synergies in the region. A positive beginning has been made which needs to be encouraged and nurtured.&nbsp;

 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The writing on the walls is quite clear, the world is concerned over Pakistani involvement in the spread of terrorism.

There seems a euphoria amongst Indians on the reported indications of Pakistan being put on the watch list on terror financing by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) at Paris on February 23. The Pakistani establishment in their typical deceit and denial mode has rubbished the report with a caveat that let it come officially. The significance of this report does not lie in what India or Pakistan are saying, but it distinctly reflects the hard geopolitics of external players in the South Asian region and signs of shifting strategic paradigms. What happened in Paris was waiting to come sooner or later as Pakistan refuses to see reason in the futility of their policies to use terrorism as a strategic weapon. China, for the first time, has not supported Pakistan which is the biggest strategic take in the entire episode. Assertive prompting by the Trump administration has probably done the trick as they obviously are not happy with the double game being played by Pakistan when it comes to affairs in Afghanistan. Currently, China is primarily concerned about the success of their CPEC scheme, their biggest political investment in recent times. If Pakistan is not bailed out of the situation, then the politico-economic dreams of China would be doomed forever. Hence, Chinese were compelled to review the consistent support it has given to Pakistan all these years despite Pakistani political irrationalities. The US needs Pakistan for sustaining their forces in Afghanistan. Accordingly, substantial financial grants have been given to Pakistan since the 1980s when Afghanistan came under US strategic radar to push out Russians and, now, for control of the Central Asian Region. Pakistan has been indulging in duplicity; on the one hand, giving support to the US in their GWOT and, at the same time, continuing with their complicity in propping up Taliban affiliates in Afghanistan and ferment insurgency in Kashmir. Trump administration has seen through the Pakistani bluff and suspended financial aid till Pakistan shows improvement. US warning to Pakistan is, No More- Do More. Improvement in the security situation in Afghanistan is a common compulsion both for the US as well as China, albeit for different reasons. The US is looking at bringing about national reconciliation to evolve a political dispensation which would be loyal to them and take care of their strategic interests. While it has not happened despite their 15 years of politico-military investment and financial incentives to proponents of violence in Afghanistan, hence, there is a need for tougher alternate measures. As regards to China, they are looking at the safe passage of goods and services of Central Asian and landlocked Eurasian countries who want to be part of CPEC bandwagon. Unless Afghanistan is politically stable there would be no economies of scale for Chinese plans. Therefore, it is a strategic call for China. Besides above, the US and China are the biggest trade partners and their prosperity and national powers are dependent on their mutual support. The Chinese economy is also dependent on outsourcing the manufacturings of the western world which they, obviously, cannot afford to ignore. Hence, US and China seem to be on the same page in FATF confabulations and an apparent shift in Chinese stance in their strategic interests. One can understand the compulsion of China in adopting a neutral stance instead of voting against Pakistan in FATF. This policy deviation is symbiotic of Chinese concern as regards to Pakistani complicity in terrorism in the areas of their geopolitical interests. China also realises that Pakistan has nuisance value to jeopardise the CPEC scheme with their jihadi mechanism at their time and place of choosing. It may well include the start point of CPEC at Xinjiang itself, or anywhere else astride the envisaged economic corridor. Therefore, they have chosen to be neutral, a diplomatic stance with elbow space to revert, thereby, retaining their political flexibility. China, with their surplus funds, is also aspiring to play a dominant role in global financial institutions and control mechanisms. FATF is one such body which has influence over fund allocations by IMF, World Bank and other such international financial institutions.The US and India are reported to have assured support to China for the higher slot in FATF in return for showing their neutrality to Pakistan on the issue of terrorism. China obviously has taken the bait, signalling their intentions to contribute towards neutralising terrorism. The other traditional supporters of Pakistan from the Islamic world also seem to be changing their political tracks with emerging threat to West Asian economies in the face of changing the geopolitics of oil and gas world over. Saudi Arabia, GCC members and Turkey were persuaded to stand down on the issue of continuation of their support to Pakistani dispensation. They have seen the reason lest they are isolated in emerging opportunities with the economic centre of gravity shifting to Asia. The writing on the walls is quite clear, the world is concerned over Pakistani involvement in the spread of terrorism. In that, even the longtime confidants of Pakistan seem to be prompting Pakistan to mend their ways and review political priorities. These are signs of changing strategic paradigms probably a step towards an emerging world order in which China is trying to be a significant contributor. Politics of strategic compulsions is in play which is projecting new possibilities of political synergies in the region. A positive beginning has been made which needs to be encouraged and nurtured. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why China did not support Pakistan on terror financing list

After years of tension and exclusion, it seems Pakistan&rsquo;s Pashtuns &ndash; the country&rsquo;s second-largest ethnic group &ndash; have had enough. In January, a large crowd began protesting after 27-year-old shopkeeper Naqibullah Mehsud was shot dead by a police officer in Karachi.

The protesters marched from Khyber Patunkhwa province to Islamabad, where they staged a sit-in protest in front of the National Press Club. Although the sit-in has ended, protests have erupted elsewhere in Pakistan, and the movement has variously become known as the Pashtun Long March and the Pashtun Spring.

The protesters are demanding the arrest and punishment of Rao Anwar, the police officer who killed Naqibullah. They are further demanding an end to what they call state-imposed terrorism and militarism justified by War on Terror rhetoric. Other demands include the clearing of landmines in the tribal areas, and the return of missing people who have been taken into custody by Pakistani security forces.

These demands are expressed in the language of human rights, and have received the support of leading Pakistani politicians, including opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto.

Pakistani authorities claimed that Naqibullah was a member of the Pakistani Taliban. The claim was later dropped. According to Human Rights Watch, extrajudicial killings by Pakistani police are widespread, especially among marginalised groups. These include Pashtuns, more than 1m of whom are Afghan refugees.

Across the border

Pakistan&rsquo;s prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has reportedly promised to use all available means to secure Rao Anwar&rsquo;s arrest. He also vowed to build a college to be named after Naqibullah Mehsud, and clear South Waziristan of landmines.

The size and public visibility of the protest is unprecedented, but calls for Pashtun rights are not new. One protest leader, Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen from South Waziristan, is a co-founder of the Mehsud Tahafuz Movement (Mehsud Protection Movement). This movement has fought for the rights of the Pashtun Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan since 2013.

Around 25m Pashtuns live in Pakistan and around 11m in Afghanistan. In 1893, British India imposed the Durand Line, a 2,640km border between Afghanistan and today&rsquo;s Pakistan. The line bolstered British territorial control on its side of the line, which divides historical Pashtun areas. Afghanistan has never officially acknowledged this border.

Whereas Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, they are economically and politically marginalised in Pakistan. The tribal area they inhabit there borders Afghanistan to the west, and it has become a major front in the War on Terror. Pakistan routinely associates Pashtuns and Afghan refugees with the Taliban and Islamist terrorism.

Us and them

The protests have come along just as Pakistan and Afghanistan&rsquo;s relationship is deteriorating. In 2016, chafing at Afghanistan&rsquo;s deepening relationship with India, Pakistan deported more than 500,000 Afghans. Conversely, when Afghan officials discuss the Pashtun protest, they often resort to nationalist language.

Ahmad Shah Katawazai, defence liaison at the Afghan embassy in the US, has called for Pakistani Pashtun areas to be incorporated wholesale into Afghanistan. As he writes in American newspaper The Hill:

The government and people of Afghanistan have consistently asked for the territory to be re-incorporated into Afghanistan. People who live along the Durand Line don&rsquo;t consider it to be a border.

Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have tried to frame their respective approaches to the protest as beneficial for the War on Terror. Afghanistan&rsquo;s president, Ashraf Ghani, has supported the protest as a citizen struggle against terrorism and fundamentalism.&nbsp;

The protesters have a tough road ahead. They have to navigate between human rights demands, Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, and the politics of the War on Terror. Yet it is undeniable that the protests are in themselves a victory of sorts for this marginalised group. As the columnist Raza Rumi writes in Pakistan&rsquo;s Daily Times:

The Pashtun long march and its ten-day long protest in Pakistan&rsquo;s capital Islamabad testifies to how the marginalised are negotiating the contradictions of today&rsquo;s Pakistan. The people of [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] continue to be treated as second-class citizens and all talk of &lsquo;reform&rsquo; founders at expediency of the civil-military elites. Youngsters from tribal areas are less willing to engage with the state structures as their elders have done in the past. Ethnicity-based politics will remain a reality and it needs to be accepted by powers-that-be. Democratisation, howsoever flawed it might be, enables reconciliation of multiple political and social identities.

It seems that for Pakistan&rsquo;s Pashtuns, the odds of change for the better could finally be shifting in their favour.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Pakistans's Pashtun protesters are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Yet they have to navigate between human rights demands, Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, and the politics of the War on Terror

After years of tension and exclusion, it seems Pakistan’s Pashtuns – the country’s second-largest ethnic group – have had enough. In January, a large crowd began protesting after 27-year-old shopkeeper Naqibullah Mehsud was shot dead by a police officer in Karachi. The protesters marched from Khyber Patunkhwa province to Islamabad, where they staged a sit-in protest in front of the National Press Club. Although the sit-in has ended, protests have erupted elsewhere in Pakistan, and the movement has variously become known as the Pashtun Long March and the Pashtun Spring. The protesters are demanding the arrest and punishment of Rao Anwar, the police officer who killed Naqibullah. They are further demanding an end to what they call state-imposed terrorism and militarism justified by War on Terror rhetoric. Other demands include the clearing of landmines in the tribal areas, and the return of missing people who have been taken into custody by Pakistani security forces. These demands are expressed in the language of human rights, and have received the support of leading Pakistani politicians, including opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto. Pakistani authorities claimed that Naqibullah was a member of the Pakistani Taliban. The claim was later dropped. According to Human Rights Watch, extrajudicial killings by Pakistani police are widespread, especially among marginalised groups. These include Pashtuns, more than 1m of whom are Afghan refugees. Across the border Pakistan’s prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has reportedly promised to use all available means to secure Rao Anwar’s arrest. He also vowed to build a college to be named after Naqibullah Mehsud, and clear South Waziristan of landmines. The size and public visibility of the protest is unprecedented, but calls for Pashtun rights are not new. One protest leader, Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen from South Waziristan, is a co-founder of the Mehsud Tahafuz Movement (Mehsud Protection Movement). This movement has fought for the rights of the Pashtun Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan since 2013. Around 25m Pashtuns live in Pakistan and around 11m in Afghanistan. In 1893, British India imposed the Durand Line, a 2,640km border between Afghanistan and today’s Pakistan. The line bolstered British territorial control on its side of the line, which divides historical Pashtun areas. Afghanistan has never officially acknowledged this border. Whereas Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, they are economically and politically marginalised in Pakistan. The tribal area they inhabit there borders Afghanistan to the west, and it has become a major front in the War on Terror. Pakistan routinely associates Pashtuns and Afghan refugees with the Taliban and Islamist terrorism. Us and them The protests have come along just as Pakistan and Afghanistan’s relationship is deteriorating. In 2016, chafing at Afghanistan’s deepening relationship with India, Pakistan deported more than 500,000 Afghans. Conversely, when Afghan officials discuss the Pashtun protest, they often resort to nationalist language. Ahmad Shah Katawazai, defence liaison at the Afghan embassy in the US, has called for Pakistani Pashtun areas to be incorporated wholesale into Afghanistan. As he writes in American newspaper The Hill: The government and people of Afghanistan have consistently asked for the territory to be re-incorporated into Afghanistan. People who live along the Durand Line don’t consider it to be a border. Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have tried to frame their respective approaches to the protest as beneficial for the War on Terror. Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, has supported the protest as a citizen struggle against terrorism and fundamentalism. The protesters have a tough road ahead. They have to navigate between human rights demands, Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, and the politics of the War on Terror. Yet it is undeniable that the protests are in themselves a victory of sorts for this marginalised group. As the columnist Raza Rumi writes in Pakistan’s Daily Times: The Pashtun long march and its ten-day long protest in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad testifies to how the marginalised are negotiating the contradictions of today’s Pakistan. The people of [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] continue to be treated as second-class citizens and all talk of ‘reform’ founders at expediency of the civil-military elites. Youngsters from tribal areas are less willing to engage with the state structures as their elders have done in the past. Ethnicity-based politics will remain a reality and it needs to be accepted by powers-that-be. Democratisation, howsoever flawed it might be, enables reconciliation of multiple political and social identities. It seems that for Pakistan’s Pashtuns, the odds of change for the better could finally be shifting in their favour. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Pakistan's Pashtuns protest oppression in the name of 'War on Terror'

Pakistan yet again violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir&#39;s Nowshera and Rajouri.&nbsp;

Also, a suspicious movement was seen on the Pakistan side along the International Border(IB) in Ramgarh sector of Samba. The Border Security Force was also targetted.&nbsp;

However, later the security forces did not observe any movement.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> Pakistan violated ceasefire in Jammu &amp; Kashmir&#39;s Rajouri <a href="https://t.co/fBpoIat1gv">pic.twitter.com/fBpoIat1gv</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/967978798930112518?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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More than 100 ceasefire violations are carried out in the International Border, since the beginning of 2018, along Jammu and Kashmir killing over 20 people.&nbsp;

A suspicious movement was seen on the Pakistan side along the International Border(IB) in Ramgarh sector of Samba. The Border Security Force was also targetted

Pakistan yet again violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera and Rajouri. Also, a suspicious movement was seen on the Pakistan side along the International Border(IB) in Ramgarh sector of Samba. The Border Security Force was also targetted. However, later the security forces did not observe any movement. #WATCH Pakistan violated ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir's Rajouri pic.twitter.com/fBpoIat1gv — ANI (@ANI) February 26, 2018 × More than 100 ceasefire violations are carried out in the International Border, since the beginning of 2018, along Jammu and Kashmir killing over 20 people.

J&K: Ceasefire violated in Nowshera and Rajouri, suspicious movement seen along IB

When the Plenary meeting of Financial Action Task Force started in Paris on 18th February 2018, they had an important matter to discuss. In 2012, it had put Pakistan, the &#39;nuclear-powered&#39; nation, in its Terror Financing Watchdog list as grey. The effect caused a significant damage to their economy and after three years in 2015, it was finally bailed out because of country&rsquo;s repeated assurances and influence of some of the world leaders.&nbsp;

As a cautionary advice, Pakistan was told to crack down on Terror Financing or else face the threat to be put on the list again. One of the main agenda for the February 2018 Plenary sitting was to discuss this as Pakistan failed to act drastically. Jamat-Ud-Dawah, Taliban, and Haqqani network took advantages of Pakistan&rsquo;s poor anti-money laundering laws to promote terrorism globally.

Unlike other international organisations, Financial Action Task Force for Money Laundering (FATF) was formed by G-7 Countries in 1989 to primarily target money laundering and since a significant portion of money laundering goes to fund terror activities, terror financing became an integral part of FATF discussions. Immediately after 9/11, FATF drafted 8 recommendations to stop terror financing and since then its Financial Intelligence Unit had been monitoring the financial network of various terrorist organisations worldwide.&nbsp;

As on date, it has 35 permanent members and two regional organisations named European Union and Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) which are being represented by Saudi Arabia. As per the rules of FATF, any motion brought by a country can only be opposed by a minimum of three members.&nbsp;

Pakistan was threatened by the bill proposed by the United States to put the country back on Grey list of FATF. Their economy was going through the worst phase since 2012. The government is unstable and their debt is rising sharply. The external debt which was close to $66 Billion is now going to touch $100 Billion anytime and Current Account Deficit (CAD) which was less than a $ Billion in 2012 is now eager to cross the mark of $5 Billion. The economy is supported by some of the international Banks and financial organisations which are expected to have a negative effect in case of passing of this bill. Ultimately, foreign transactions are expected to decline which may result in widening the CAD significantly.&nbsp;

It was a do or die situation and, hence, Pakistan started campaigning among countries friendly to it in order to turn down the motion. Its ministers and diplomats made trips to China, Turkey, Malaysia, Russian Federation and members of GCC to garner support. Some of them assured the support too and as a result when on 18th February 2018, at the first meeting, when the United States of America proposed the bill for putting Pakistan in the grey list of terror financing countries, it received a strong opposition from China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia who was representing GCC. Since the opposition of this bill required three countries, it was destined to be rejected.&nbsp;

One of the representatives of these countries even informed Pakistan that the country will be bailed out this time and, in rejoice, one of their ministers tweeted too but the outcome had not been announced yet. The international diplomacy hasn&rsquo;t started yet. India is a permanent member of FATF and, on seeing this, partnered with the US and pursued hard to turn down the opposition. Soon the first talks were held with Saudi Arabia to convince it. It was reportedly said that United States offered Saudi Arabia a permanent seat in FATF in case it supports the move and the carrot diplomacy paid up. Saudi Arabia assured to back the bill.&nbsp;

The only two countries left were China and Turkey and it was a tricky situation for China now. In the absence of Saudi Arabian support, the bill was expected to be passed and in such case both the opposing countries would have been labelled&nbsp;as supporters of terrorism. So, for the sheer face-saving, China also agreed to support the move. However, it did try to negotiate with US and India to justify its stand.

As soon as the US was sure of getting the bill passed, it called another meeting on 22nd February 2018 and arranged for voting. The motion passed by 36-1 and only Turkey opposed it. FATF decided to put Pakistan on the FATF Grey list of terror financing countries with effect from June 2018 as the process and formal announcement takes time.&nbsp;

While this move is welcomed and will be helpful in cracking down on terror financing, it is highly detrimental to the economy of Pakistan too. On one hand it will discourage new potential investors to come to Pakistan and on the other hand, the existing investors will wary of transacting with Pakistani Banks. Assessing funds from International Agencies like IMF will be much tougher as they will put more conditions to be fulfilled before releasing the funds. International financial institutions which form a major part of Pakistan economy might decide to pull out in due course of time and even if they don&rsquo;t pull out immediately, their due diligence in disbursement will become much stricter.&nbsp;

International rating agencies are going to downgrade Pakistan for sure which may affect international transactions and foreign-exchange inflow and ultimately the CAD and Pakistan economy.&nbsp;

In case, it does not show visible signs of improvement after June 2018, Pakistan may further go into the Blacklist of Countries financing terrorism which will call for worldwide sanctions and act as a doomsday for Pakistan. The country is going to polls this year and there is no stable government to take strong financial decisions. With the disqualification of former PM over the corruption and money laundering charges and absence of any other strong leader, it is likely that the new government may be a puppet in the hands of Pakistan Army or the radical elements. If any such situation arises, it will be impossible for Pakistan to recover. 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

After Pakistan has been dragged back to FATF grey list of terror financing, International rating agencies are going to downgrade Pakistan which will affect international transactions, foreign-exchange inflow, CAD, and Pakistan economy as a whole.

When the Plenary meeting of Financial Action Task Force started in Paris on 18th February 2018, they had an important matter to discuss. In 2012, it had put Pakistan, the 'nuclear-powered' nation, in its Terror Financing Watchdog list as grey. The effect caused a significant damage to their economy and after three years in 2015, it was finally bailed out because of country’s repeated assurances and influence of some of the world leaders. As a cautionary advice, Pakistan was told to crack down on Terror Financing or else face the threat to be put on the list again. One of the main agenda for the February 2018 Plenary sitting was to discuss this as Pakistan failed to act drastically. Jamat-Ud-Dawah, Taliban, and Haqqani network took advantages of Pakistan’s poor anti-money laundering laws to promote terrorism globally. Unlike other international organisations, Financial Action Task Force for Money Laundering (FATF) was formed by G-7 Countries in 1989 to primarily target money laundering and since a significant portion of money laundering goes to fund terror activities, terror financing became an integral part of FATF discussions. Immediately after 9/11, FATF drafted 8 recommendations to stop terror financing and since then its Financial Intelligence Unit had been monitoring the financial network of various terrorist organisations worldwide. As on date, it has 35 permanent members and two regional organisations named European Union and Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) which are being represented by Saudi Arabia. As per the rules of FATF, any motion brought by a country can only be opposed by a minimum of three members. Pakistan was threatened by the bill proposed by the United States to put the country back on Grey list of FATF. Their economy was going through the worst phase since 2012. The government is unstable and their debt is rising sharply. The external debt which was close to $66 Billion is now going to touch $100 Billion anytime and Current Account Deficit (CAD) which was less than a $ Billion in 2012 is now eager to cross the mark of $5 Billion. The economy is supported by some of the international Banks and financial organisations which are expected to have a negative effect in case of passing of this bill. Ultimately, foreign transactions are expected to decline which may result in widening the CAD significantly. It was a do or die situation and, hence, Pakistan started campaigning among countries friendly to it in order to turn down the motion. Its ministers and diplomats made trips to China, Turkey, Malaysia, Russian Federation and members of GCC to garner support. Some of them assured the support too and as a result when on 18th February 2018, at the first meeting, when the United States of America proposed the bill for putting Pakistan in the grey list of terror financing countries, it received a strong opposition from China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia who was representing GCC. Since the opposition of this bill required three countries, it was destined to be rejected. One of the representatives of these countries even informed Pakistan that the country will be bailed out this time and, in rejoice, one of their ministers tweeted too but the outcome had not been announced yet. The international diplomacy hasn’t started yet. India is a permanent member of FATF and, on seeing this, partnered with the US and pursued hard to turn down the opposition. Soon the first talks were held with Saudi Arabia to convince it. It was reportedly said that United States offered Saudi Arabia a permanent seat in FATF in case it supports the move and the carrot diplomacy paid up. Saudi Arabia assured to back the bill. The only two countries left were China and Turkey and it was a tricky situation for China now. In the absence of Saudi Arabian support, the bill was expected to be passed and in such case both the opposing countries would have been labelled as supporters of terrorism. So, for the sheer face-saving, China also agreed to support the move. However, it did try to negotiate with US and India to justify its stand. As soon as the US was sure of getting the bill passed, it called another meeting on 22nd February 2018 and arranged for voting. The motion passed by 36-1 and only Turkey opposed it. FATF decided to put Pakistan on the FATF Grey list of terror financing countries with effect from June 2018 as the process and formal announcement takes time. While this move is welcomed and will be helpful in cracking down on terror financing, it is highly detrimental to the economy of Pakistan too. On one hand it will discourage new potential investors to come to Pakistan and on the other hand, the existing investors will wary of transacting with Pakistani Banks. Assessing funds from International Agencies like IMF will be much tougher as they will put more conditions to be fulfilled before releasing the funds. International financial institutions which form a major part of Pakistan economy might decide to pull out in due course of time and even if they don’t pull out immediately, their due diligence in disbursement will become much stricter. International rating agencies are going to downgrade Pakistan for sure which may affect international transactions and foreign-exchange inflow and ultimately the CAD and Pakistan economy. In case, it does not show visible signs of improvement after June 2018, Pakistan may further go into the Blacklist of Countries financing terrorism which will call for worldwide sanctions and act as a doomsday for Pakistan. The country is going to polls this year and there is no stable government to take strong financial decisions. With the disqualification of former PM over the corruption and money laundering charges and absence of any other strong leader, it is likely that the new government may be a puppet in the hands of Pakistan Army or the radical elements. If any such situation arises, it will be impossible for Pakistan to recover. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Pakistan will face major economic loss after FATF puts it on grey list of terror financing

The news of the untimely demise of Sridevi did not just send shock waves in India but across the border as well. Pakistan, where Hindi films are quite popular, expressed shock at the news of legendary actress&rsquo; demise.

From actors Mahira Khan, Imran Abbas to singer like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, all mourned Sridevi&rsquo;s demise on social media.

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So grateful to have grown up and lived in the times of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sridevi</a> . Thank you for the movies, thank you for the magic. You shall live on forever.. <a href="https://t.co/jS2YJU1zoq">pic.twitter.com/jS2YJU1zoq</a>
&mdash; Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMahiraKhan/status/967566568216547328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Great artists.. we cry for them without ever really knowing them, we mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.. <a href="https://t.co/9dwnDC8qjb">pic.twitter.com/9dwnDC8qjb</a>
&mdash; Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMahiraKhan/status/967715805617147904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Ye Lamhe Ye Pal Hum Barron Yaad Karain Ge. <a href="https://t.co/iqLR5nypx8">pic.twitter.com/iqLR5nypx8</a>
&mdash; Imran Abbas (@ImranAbbas) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranAbbas/status/967539075132592128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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My condolences to <a href="https://twitter.com/BoneyKapoor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BoneyKapoor</a> Ji and the Kapoor family. Deeply saddened to loose an icon like <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sridevi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Sridevi</a> Ji.
&mdash; Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (@RFAKWorld) <a href="https://twitter.com/RFAKWorld/status/967529083516092416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The actress breathed her last in Dubai where she had gone just last week to attend her nephew Mohit Marwa&#39;s wedding. She is survived by her husband Boney Kapoor and two daughters Janhvi and Khushi.

News of Sridevi's death sent shockwaves across the borders as well.

The news of the untimely demise of Sridevi did not just send shock waves in India but across the border as well. Pakistan, where Hindi films are quite popular, expressed shock at the news of legendary actress’ demise. From actors Mahira Khan, Imran Abbas to singer like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, all mourned Sridevi’s demise on social media. So grateful to have grown up and lived in the times of #sridevi . Thank you for the movies, thank you for the magic. You shall live on forever.. pic.twitter.com/jS2YJU1zoq — Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) February 25, 2018 × Great artists.. we cry for them without ever really knowing them, we mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.. pic.twitter.com/9dwnDC8qjb — Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) February 25, 2018 × Ye Lamhe Ye Pal Hum Barron Yaad Karain Ge. pic.twitter.com/iqLR5nypx8 — Imran Abbas (@ImranAbbas) February 24, 2018 × My condolences to @BoneyKapoor Ji and the Kapoor family. Deeply saddened to loose an icon like #Sridevi Ji. — Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (@RFAKWorld) February 24, 2018 × Bachapan ki pari dillon ki rani. #sridevi A post shared by Sanam Mody Saeed (@sanammody) on Feb 25, 2018 at 1:00am PST × Mien khawabon ki shehzadi.. Mien hun har Dil pe Chayee.. Indeed!!!! #RIPSRIDEVI you’ll always have our hearts, grateful to have met the legend that you’ll always be.. A post shared by MAWRA ???? (@mawrellous) on Feb 25, 2018 at 12:06am PST × R.I.P legend We’ll miss you ???????? @sridevi.kapoor #sabaqamar #sridevi A post shared by Saba Qamar (@sabaqamarzaman) on Feb 24, 2018 at 1:22pm PST × The actress breathed her last in Dubai where she had gone just last week to attend her nephew Mohit Marwa's wedding. She is survived by her husband Boney Kapoor and two daughters Janhvi and Khushi.

Mahira Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and other Pakistani celebrities mourn Sridevi's demise

India and Pakistan have exchanged artillery fire in the disputed Kashmir region forcing hundreds of people to flee, police in Jammu and Kashmir said, raising fresh doubts about a 15-year-old ceasefire between the nuclear-armed rivals in the area.

It was not clear what triggered the latest fighting on Saturday in the Uri sector on the so-called Line of Control (LoC) that divides the mostly Muslim Himalayan region.

But tension has been running high since an attack on an Indian army camp in Kashmir this month in which six soldiers were killed.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack and said it would make its rival pay for the &quot;misadventure&quot;.

Police superintendent Imtiaz Hussain said artillery shells fired by the Pakistan army fell in the Uri area and hundreds of villagers had fled from their homes.

Indian forces returned artillery fire, an Indian officer said, the first time the heavy guns had been used since a 2003 ceasefire along the disputed frontier.

The two armies have been exchanging intermittent small-arms and mortar fire over the past couple of years as ties deteriorated.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan.

Hussain said Pakistani authorities made announcements from a mosque advising villagers living close to the LoC on the Indian side to flee, saying the situation was bad.

About 700 people were sheltering at school in Uri, he said.

India and Pakistan have twice gone to war over Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947.

The neighbours both claim the region in full but rule it in part.

India accuses Pakistan of orchestrating a separatist revolt in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Muslim Pakistan denies giving material support to the fighters and calls for talks to resolve what it regards as the core disagreement between it and India.

But tension has been running high since an attack on an Indian army camp in Kashmir this month in which six soldiers were killed.

India and Pakistan have exchanged artillery fire in the disputed Kashmir region forcing hundreds of people to flee, police in Jammu and Kashmir said, raising fresh doubts about a 15-year-old ceasefire between the nuclear-armed rivals in the area. It was not clear what triggered the latest fighting on Saturday in the Uri sector on the so-called Line of Control (LoC) that divides the mostly Muslim Himalayan region. But tension has been running high since an attack on an Indian army camp in Kashmir this month in which six soldiers were killed. India blamed Pakistan for the attack and said it would make its rival pay for the "misadventure". Police superintendent Imtiaz Hussain said artillery shells fired by the Pakistan army fell in the Uri area and hundreds of villagers had fled from their homes. Indian forces returned artillery fire, an Indian officer said, the first time the heavy guns had been used since a 2003 ceasefire along the disputed frontier. The two armies have been exchanging intermittent small-arms and mortar fire over the past couple of years as ties deteriorated. There was no immediate comment from Pakistan. Hussain said Pakistani authorities made announcements from a mosque advising villagers living close to the LoC on the Indian side to flee, saying the situation was bad. About 700 people were sheltering at school in Uri, he said. India and Pakistan have twice gone to war over Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947. The neighbours both claim the region in full but rule it in part. India accuses Pakistan of orchestrating a separatist revolt in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Muslim Pakistan denies giving material support to the fighters and calls for talks to resolve what it regards as the core disagreement between it and India.

Villagers flee Kashmir front line as India, Pakistan trade artillery fire

A Christian man accused of blasphemy in Pakistan reportedly jumped off the fourth floor of the building of an investigation agency here, according to officials.

Sajjad Masih, 28, who has been in critical condition at Mayo Hospital, said the FIA had called him to their headquarters at Regal Chowk to record statement. He said the officials allegedly tortured him and snatched his mobile phone.

They asked me to abuse myself, but I refused to do so. Later, they asked me to sexually assault my cousin, but I remained silent and jumped from the building,&nbsp;he said.

An FIA spokesman, however, rejected the allegation, saying the suspect was called for inquiry because he was a member of the Facebook group allegedly involved in sharing blasphemous material.

&quot;The suspect was asked to unlock his mobile phone. He got panicky and jumped from the building. No one even had touched him (suspect),&quot; the spokesperson added.

According to doctors, Masih had life changing injuries. &quot;He has multiple fractures on his legs, ribs and jaw. However, his condition is out of danger,&quot; the doctors said.

Police had arrested Masih a few days ago after the activists of Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) and other religious parties gathered in Shahdara area and surrounded the Christian families living over there demanding to produce him before them.

Police stopped them from entering the Christian colony and arrested Masih and shifted him at an undisclosed location.

Later police handed Masih over to FIA. Maish is accused of posting blasphemous content about Muslim&#39;s holy places on his Facebook account.

A senior FIA official told PTI that the agency had suspended two officials for their negligence in the matter.

&quot;A inquiry has been initiated against four officials. If found guilty punitive action will be taken against them,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

A Christian man accused of blasphemy in Pakistan reportedly jumped off the fourth floor of the building of an investigation agency here, according to officials. Sajjad Masih, 28, who has been in critical condition at Mayo Hospital, said the FIA had called him to their headquarters at Regal Chowk to record statement. He said the officials allegedly tortured him and snatched his mobile phone. They asked me to abuse myself, but I refused to do so. Later, they asked me to sexually assault my cousin, but I remained silent and jumped from the building, he said. An FIA spokesman, however, rejected the allegation, saying the suspect was called for inquiry because he was a member of the Facebook group allegedly involved in sharing blasphemous material. "The suspect was asked to unlock his mobile phone. He got panicky and jumped from the building. No one even had touched him (suspect)," the spokesperson added. According to doctors, Masih had life changing injuries. "He has multiple fractures on his legs, ribs and jaw. However, his condition is out of danger," the doctors said. Police had arrested Masih a few days ago after the activists of Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) and other religious parties gathered in Shahdara area and surrounded the Christian families living over there demanding to produce him before them. Police stopped them from entering the Christian colony and arrested Masih and shifted him at an undisclosed location. Later police handed Masih over to FIA. Maish is accused of posting blasphemous content about Muslim's holy places on his Facebook account. A senior FIA official told PTI that the agency had suspended two officials for their negligence in the matter. "A inquiry has been initiated against four officials. If found guilty punitive action will be taken against them," he said.

Christian man jumps off FIA building in Pakistan

The Pakistan government&#39;s claim of having banned the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and the Falah-e-Insaniat (FIF) and of having seized all offices and charities run by these organisations has proven to be false, as video evidence reveals that these charities are very much active.

The charities of the JuD and the FIF, which the United States claims are terrorist fronts, including over 300 seminaries, schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services all across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

These charities are headed by Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who has been designated a terrorist by the United Nations and had a USD 10 million bounty on him by the U.S. in 2012.

The video evidence shows that these offices of the JuD and the FIF are running in Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Multan, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Muzaffarabad.

Abu Hurraira, a senior JuD functionary based in Bahawalpur, has strongly criticized the government for banning charitable activities and deeni (religious) activities of the JuD and FIF as well as replacing signboards of these organisations with those of Auqaf boards.

He said, &quot;The government has banned on the charitable activities and religious activities of JuD and FIF and replaced signboards with those of Auqaf boards over madrassas, hospitals and schools. Punjab Government officials were saying that as the JuD has been banned by the UN, so they were obliged to obey the instructions of their seniors. The JuD and FIF have been doing relief work in Kashmir and Tharparkar. They are doing service to the humanity and to provide help to common people. The JuD and FIF under its relief activities have recovered ten dead bodies from rivers and also saved several people from drowning&quot;.

He added, &quot;FIF people are performing relief activities in such areas where no one dares to go and reaches out first at the place of incident to provide relief and rescue to the affected people. We don&#39;t know under whose pressure the government is doing such things against the JuD and FIF. Thousands of people are attached with the JuD, so, there is an apprehension that several people will lose their jobs. They (JuD/FIF) have been told not to conduct their programs and also not to collect funds. As a result, people will remain hungry and start dying due to hunger&quot;.

Hurraira blamed the Pakistan government for targeting JuD and FIF and raised questions over its failure to run its own institutions properly. He said, &quot;We were standing behind the downtrodden community. The Government in itself is unable to run its own institutions and wondered how it would manage their (JuD and FIF) schools, hospitals and madrassas&quot;.

The boards of the JuD and the FIF have been removed from several places. Masjid Aqsa in Bhawalpur has been taken over by the Auqaf department, the Government of Punjab, whereas FIF&#39;s free dispensary at Chakra Road in Rawalpindi has been taken over by the health department of the Punjab government.

In reality, these facilities in Punjab province have been taken over by the government only from outside, as JuD personnel continue to function from inside albeit with a reduced presence.

However, in Sindh and Balochistan, the Pakistan government seems to have taken firm action against the JuD due to local compulsions.

In Sheikhupura, Al Aziz Hospital has been renamed as the Government Al Aziz Hospital and College of Paramedical Sciences, Shaikhupura. The Al Daawa Islamic University has been renamed as Government Islamic University.

The Government of Pakistan has intelligently removed the names of JuD and FIF from these establishments, but they continue to function unharmed.

The JuD has been advised to reduce its activities on the ground, hand over ambulances to government authorities and remove name boards from its premises.

On Friday, Pakistan faced another embarrassment after the global money-laundering watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) put Islamabad back on its terrorist financing watch list after an interval of nearly three years.

The move could seriously hurt Pakistan&#39;s economy.&nbsp;

A video evidence revealed that Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniyat is running offices and charities openly in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

The Pakistan government's claim of having banned the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and the Falah-e-Insaniat (FIF) and of having seized all offices and charities run by these organisations has proven to be false, as video evidence reveals that these charities are very much active. The charities of the JuD and the FIF, which the United States claims are terrorist fronts, including over 300 seminaries, schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services all across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These charities are headed by Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who has been designated a terrorist by the United Nations and had a USD 10 million bounty on him by the U.S. in 2012. The video evidence shows that these offices of the JuD and the FIF are running in Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Multan, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Muzaffarabad. Abu Hurraira, a senior JuD functionary based in Bahawalpur, has strongly criticized the government for banning charitable activities and deeni (religious) activities of the JuD and FIF as well as replacing signboards of these organisations with those of Auqaf boards. He said, "The government has banned on the charitable activities and religious activities of JuD and FIF and replaced signboards with those of Auqaf boards over madrassas, hospitals and schools. Punjab Government officials were saying that as the JuD has been banned by the UN, so they were obliged to obey the instructions of their seniors. The JuD and FIF have been doing relief work in Kashmir and Tharparkar. They are doing service to the humanity and to provide help to common people. The JuD and FIF under its relief activities have recovered ten dead bodies from rivers and also saved several people from drowning". He added, "FIF people are performing relief activities in such areas where no one dares to go and reaches out first at the place of incident to provide relief and rescue to the affected people. We don't know under whose pressure the government is doing such things against the JuD and FIF. Thousands of people are attached with the JuD, so, there is an apprehension that several people will lose their jobs. They (JuD/FIF) have been told not to conduct their programs and also not to collect funds. As a result, people will remain hungry and start dying due to hunger". Hurraira blamed the Pakistan government for targeting JuD and FIF and raised questions over its failure to run its own institutions properly. He said, "We were standing behind the downtrodden community. The Government in itself is unable to run its own institutions and wondered how it would manage their (JuD and FIF) schools, hospitals and madrassas". The boards of the JuD and the FIF have been removed from several places. Masjid Aqsa in Bhawalpur has been taken over by the Auqaf department, the Government of Punjab, whereas FIF's free dispensary at Chakra Road in Rawalpindi has been taken over by the health department of the Punjab government. In reality, these facilities in Punjab province have been taken over by the government only from outside, as JuD personnel continue to function from inside albeit with a reduced presence. However, in Sindh and Balochistan, the Pakistan government seems to have taken firm action against the JuD due to local compulsions. In Sheikhupura, Al Aziz Hospital has been renamed as the Government Al Aziz Hospital and College of Paramedical Sciences, Shaikhupura. The Al Daawa Islamic University has been renamed as Government Islamic University. The Government of Pakistan has intelligently removed the names of JuD and FIF from these establishments, but they continue to function unharmed. The JuD has been advised to reduce its activities on the ground, hand over ambulances to government authorities and remove name boards from its premises. On Friday, Pakistan faced another embarrassment after the global money-laundering watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) put Islamabad back on its terrorist financing watch list after an interval of nearly three years. The move could seriously hurt Pakistan's economy.

Despite ban, terrorist organisation JuD's offices functioning openly in Pakistan

The Pakistan army violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector and has now carried on to Anwas Bhandar, Lam in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.&nbsp;

Some livestock has been&nbsp;killed during the firing, however, no loss of life has yet been reported.&nbsp;

The Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian posts along the LoC in the Baramulla district of north Kashmir around 11.50 am, an Army official said.

Heavy firings are still underway. No casualties have been reported so far. More details are awaited.&nbsp;

On February 22, the Border Security Force (BSF) said that Pakistan restores to incessant firing across the border because they don&#39;t want India to have a peaceful atmosphere.

&quot;Pakistan doesn&#39;t want India to have a peaceful atmosphere. This is why they do such violations. There was a ceasefire violation yesterday too,&quot; Sonali Mishra, Inspector General of BSF said.

&nbsp;

The firing started around noon and the Indian army soon retaliated

The Pakistan army violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector and has now carried on to Anwas Bhandar, Lam in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. Some livestock has been killed during the firing, however, no loss of life has yet been reported. The Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian posts along the LoC in the Baramulla district of north Kashmir around 11.50 am, an Army official said. Heavy firings are still underway. No casualties have been reported so far. More details are awaited. On February 22, the Border Security Force (BSF) said that Pakistan restores to incessant firing across the border because they don't want India to have a peaceful atmosphere. "Pakistan doesn't want India to have a peaceful atmosphere. This is why they do such violations. There was a ceasefire violation yesterday too," Sonali Mishra, Inspector General of BSF said.

J&K: Pakistan violates ceasefire in Uri, no casualties so far

From 2012-15, the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) kept Pakistan on Global Terror Financing Watchdog List. Though they dropped Pakistan from the list for a couple of years, they kept threatening them to put their house in order. The action of FATF shows that, at last, the global community has realised the role of Pakistan in terror financing, and is ready to take stern action against it. The country will be at the receiving end of the FATF Plenary and Working Group meeting on 18-23 February 2018 in Paris.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pakistan, since its very inception, had been relying on non-state elements for spreading unrest in India. During the 1947 annexation of Kashmir, they used paid mercenaries and tribesman, in Operation Gibraltar of 1965 there was the Kashmiri Militia, in 1971, they operated as Razakars in East Pakistan. In the late seventies, Pakistan raised large armies of Mujahedeen&rsquo;s to fight against the Soviet forces, in eighties they started sending terrorists in India and in the 21st century they were supporting Taliban, Al- Qaeda and ISIS, globally.

&nbsp;

So, sadly for Pakistan, be it the military or the political establishment, more often than not, there is an inseparable amalgamation of ultra-radical religious preachers and terror outfits. This support for religious radicalism has made the country a hub terror financing for very long. Then there is virtually any stringent money laundering law in the country.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Several of the money laundering activities are directly connected with terror financing. The government, however, pretends that they are acting against terrorism by launching various military operations but their actions against financing of terror are never prioritised and pursued structurally.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The fact of the matter is, Pakistan continues to lack the adequate resources required to map, track or stop terror financing of organisations, such as Taliban, Al-Qaeda, ISIS and other similar terror organisations operating worldwide. Hence, these outfits are using this opportunity to make Pakistan a hub for their financial transaction.&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

A major source of terror financing in Pakistan comes from proceeds of crime, hawala, illegal remittance, kidnapping for ransom, smuggling, extortion and proceeds of drug sales. The second most significant source is the siphoning off charities given by the Gulf countries to the NGOs.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Since the Ultra-radical religious groups are strong in Pakistan, the government had always avoided taking any action against them. Some immediate actions are taken under the pressure of international community but they are relaxed immediately after the matter is cooled down. Also, since it does not have the resource or legal provisions to do this and terror organisations know this, it becomes much easier for them to play the dirty game.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Ironically, over last so many decades, not only terrorist organisations but the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had been using these sources of terror finance to fuel terror activities in India. Imagine a situation where the government itself is involved in terror financing, it is impossible that they will act against such elements themselves.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

If we study this financial mechanism, there are various terror financing channels operating between Pakistan and Afghanistan.&nbsp; These work openly in the disguise of charitable organisations and are protected by tribal laws. The primary responsibility of investigating them lies with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan which is not free from political rivalry and, hence, the onus ultimately comes on the local provincial police to plug these channels. However, the limited capabilities of local police in Pakistan to act against these very powerful and ruthless terror financing bodies have failed to bring an end to the practise.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

We have several examples where even after major terror attacks, Pakistani authorities failed to track the terror financing related to the incident. Recently, on 23rd June 2017, a strong car bomb went off in a busy street in Quetta Pakistan, killing 14 people on the spot. Investigations reveal that cash payment was made for the car, bomb and logistics involved in the blast. Though the FIA conducted investigations to find out the perpetrators of this attack and blamed some terror organisations, no investigation was conducted to examine the source of funding by the concerned terrorist group.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Pakistan has established its first Financial Intelligence Unit (FMU) recently in 2007 but it has not been given adequate attention. As a result, the unit is still in its nascent stage and not able to perform to the expectations of the world. They lack staff, resources and, most importantly, a mandate to freely investigate the financial frauds.

&nbsp;

Not only this, the first Anti- Money Laundering Ordinance of Pakistan was created in September 2007. Prior to it, there was no legal provision to control these kinds of activities. Surprisingly, the scope and range of offences under this act are still too narrow, which gives an easy escape route to any terror organisation or individual.

&nbsp;

As far as role of Pakistan against Money Laundering and terror financing is concerned, they are bound to follow United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 which prescribes sanctions against Al-Qaeda and Taliban. However, Pakistan government had badly failed to act on the financial front because it has still not ratified the UN convention on the suppression of terrorism financing.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The main loophole in the Pakistani Anti Money Laundering law is that while there is a wide range of Pakistani acts criminalising terror financing, there is no criminalisation of individual terrorists or terrorist organisations other than the ones proscribed in the UNSCR 1267. Hence, the organisations kept changing their names and continue to run their activities.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

We have the live examples how Lashkar-E-Taiba changed the names to Jamat-Ud-Dawa and then to other organisations and continued to run its huge terror financing budget of over 8 Million US $ to cause unrest in India.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

So what does Pakistan needs to do to curb terror financing?

&nbsp;

The first and foremost thing Pakistan must understand is that there is no good or bad terrorism. Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Toiba/ Jaish-e-Mohammad are equally rogue groups and it needs to act against all of them with an iron fist.

The second thing required is establishing a concrete mechanism and empowering its FMU to investigate financial frauds and terror financing trails.

&nbsp;

Furthermore, it needs to strengthen its laws to ensure more stringent examination and enforcement of practice. The cross-border transportation of currencies must be brought to a stop. It must also implement UNSCR 1373 to curb terror financing activities of all groups in addition to the ones prescribed in UNSCR 1267.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Lastly, the most important thing is a nationwide and political will in Pakistan to strictly act against radical Islamic organisations and all kinds of terror groups. If the actions are not taken immediately, the day is not far when our neighbour will figure at the top of the list of states which are seen as sponsoring terrorism, and join the league of North Korea, Iran, Sudan and Syria. It will be the worst nightmare for Pakistan as well as for India. Heaven knows as Pakistan&#39;s neighbour, India bears the worst burns of state-sponsored terrorist activities.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

There are various terror financing channels operating between Pakistan and Afghanistan. These work openly in the disguise of charitable organisations and are protected by tribal laws.

From 2012-15, the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) kept Pakistan on Global Terror Financing Watchdog List. Though they dropped Pakistan from the list for a couple of years, they kept threatening them to put their house in order. The action of FATF shows that, at last, the global community has realised the role of Pakistan in terror financing, and is ready to take stern action against it. The country will be at the receiving end of the FATF Plenary and Working Group meeting on 18-23 February 2018 in Paris. Pakistan, since its very inception, had been relying on non-state elements for spreading unrest in India. During the 1947 annexation of Kashmir, they used paid mercenaries and tribesman, in Operation Gibraltar of 1965 there was the Kashmiri Militia, in 1971, they operated as Razakars in East Pakistan. In the late seventies, Pakistan raised large armies of Mujahedeen’s to fight against the Soviet forces, in eighties they started sending terrorists in India and in the 21st century they were supporting Taliban, Al- Qaeda and ISIS, globally. So, sadly for Pakistan, be it the military or the political establishment, more often than not, there is an inseparable amalgamation of ultra-radical religious preachers and terror outfits. This support for religious radicalism has made the country a hub terror financing for very long. Then there is virtually any stringent money laundering law in the country. Several of the money laundering activities are directly connected with terror financing. The government, however, pretends that they are acting against terrorism by launching various military operations but their actions against financing of terror are never prioritised and pursued structurally. The fact of the matter is, Pakistan continues to lack the adequate resources required to map, track or stop terror financing of organisations, such as Taliban, Al-Qaeda, ISIS and other similar terror organisations operating worldwide. Hence, these outfits are using this opportunity to make Pakistan a hub for their financial transaction. A major source of terror financing in Pakistan comes from proceeds of crime, hawala, illegal remittance, kidnapping for ransom, smuggling, extortion and proceeds of drug sales. The second most significant source is the siphoning off charities given by the Gulf countries to the NGOs. Since the Ultra-radical religious groups are strong in Pakistan, the government had always avoided taking any action against them. Some immediate actions are taken under the pressure of international community but they are relaxed immediately after the matter is cooled down. Also, since it does not have the resource or legal provisions to do this and terror organisations know this, it becomes much easier for them to play the dirty game. Ironically, over last so many decades, not only terrorist organisations but the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had been using these sources of terror finance to fuel terror activities in India. Imagine a situation where the government itself is involved in terror financing, it is impossible that they will act against such elements themselves. If we study this financial mechanism, there are various terror financing channels operating between Pakistan and Afghanistan. These work openly in the disguise of charitable organisations and are protected by tribal laws. The primary responsibility of investigating them lies with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan which is not free from political rivalry and, hence, the onus ultimately comes on the local provincial police to plug these channels. However, the limited capabilities of local police in Pakistan to act against these very powerful and ruthless terror financing bodies have failed to bring an end to the practise. We have several examples where even after major terror attacks, Pakistani authorities failed to track the terror financing related to the incident. Recently, on 23rd June 2017, a strong car bomb went off in a busy street in Quetta Pakistan, killing 14 people on the spot. Investigations reveal that cash payment was made for the car, bomb and logistics involved in the blast. Though the FIA conducted investigations to find out the perpetrators of this attack and blamed some terror organisations, no investigation was conducted to examine the source of funding by the concerned terrorist group. Pakistan has established its first Financial Intelligence Unit (FMU) recently in 2007 but it has not been given adequate attention. As a result, the unit is still in its nascent stage and not able to perform to the expectations of the world. They lack staff, resources and, most importantly, a mandate to freely investigate the financial frauds. Not only this, the first Anti- Money Laundering Ordinance of Pakistan was created in September 2007. Prior to it, there was no legal provision to control these kinds of activities. Surprisingly, the scope and range of offences under this act are still too narrow, which gives an easy escape route to any terror organisation or individual. As far as role of Pakistan against Money Laundering and terror financing is concerned, they are bound to follow United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 which prescribes sanctions against Al-Qaeda and Taliban. However, Pakistan government had badly failed to act on the financial front because it has still not ratified the UN convention on the suppression of terrorism financing. The main loophole in the Pakistani Anti Money Laundering law is that while there is a wide range of Pakistani acts criminalising terror financing, there is no criminalisation of individual terrorists or terrorist organisations other than the ones proscribed in the UNSCR 1267. Hence, the organisations kept changing their names and continue to run their activities. We have the live examples how Lashkar-E-Taiba changed the names to Jamat-Ud-Dawa and then to other organisations and continued to run its huge terror financing budget of over 8 Million US $ to cause unrest in India. So what does Pakistan needs to do to curb terror financing? The first and foremost thing Pakistan must understand is that there is no good or bad terrorism. Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Toiba/ Jaish-e-Mohammad are equally rogue groups and it needs to act against all of them with an iron fist. The second thing required is establishing a concrete mechanism and empowering its FMU to investigate financial frauds and terror financing trails. Furthermore, it needs to strengthen its laws to ensure more stringent examination and enforcement of practice. The cross-border transportation of currencies must be brought to a stop. It must also implement UNSCR 1373 to curb terror financing activities of all groups in addition to the ones prescribed in UNSCR 1267. Lastly, the most important thing is a nationwide and political will in Pakistan to strictly act against radical Islamic organisations and all kinds of terror groups. If the actions are not taken immediately, the day is not far when our neighbour will figure at the top of the list of states which are seen as sponsoring terrorism, and join the league of North Korea, Iran, Sudan and Syria. It will be the worst nightmare for Pakistan as well as for India. Heaven knows as Pakistan's neighbour, India bears the worst burns of state-sponsored terrorist activities. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: This is why Pakistan needs to be put on global terrorist financing watchlist

The Intergovernmental agency Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has placed Pakistan on its grey list for terror financing on Thursday, sources said on Thursday.

The FATF is an international policy-making and standard-setting body dedicated to combating money laundering and terrorist financing.

At the Financial Action Task Force, a lot of countries have come together and they look at various nations who we believe and those other countries believe are not doing enough to crack down on terror financing.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Financial Action Task Force(FATF) has taken decision to put Pakistan on grey list for terror financing: Sources <a href="https://t.co/KC50KRSXs4">pic.twitter.com/KC50KRSXs4</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/966950568802439168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

In a big blow to Pakistan, even China didn&#39;t support its all-weather-friend as only Turkey voted against the US&#39; motion.

Earlier, Pakistani Foreign Minister had tweeted that the country has been given three-month reprieve over the US-led motion in FATF. &ldquo;Our efforts paid, FATF Paris 20 Feb meeting conclusion on the US-led motion to put Pakistan on a watch list - no consensus for nominating Pakistan, proposing 3months pause &amp; asking APG for another report to be considered in June. Grateful to friends who helped,&rdquo; he said.

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Our efforts paid,FATF Paris 20Feb meeting conclusion on US led motion to put Pakistan on watch list 
-No consensus for nominating Pakistan 
-proposing 3months pause &amp;asking APG for another report to b considered in June الحمداللہ 
Grateful to friends who helped
&mdash; Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) <a href="https://twitter.com/KhawajaMAsif/status/966030847949398016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The FATF is an international policy-making and standard-setting body dedicated to combating money laundering and terrorist financing

The Intergovernmental agency Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has placed Pakistan on its grey list for terror financing on Thursday, sources said on Thursday. The FATF is an international policy-making and standard-setting body dedicated to combating money laundering and terrorist financing. At the Financial Action Task Force, a lot of countries have come together and they look at various nations who we believe and those other countries believe are not doing enough to crack down on terror financing. Financial Action Task Force(FATF) has taken decision to put Pakistan on grey list for terror financing: Sources pic.twitter.com/KC50KRSXs4 — ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2018 × In a big blow to Pakistan, even China didn't support its all-weather-friend as only Turkey voted against the US' motion. Earlier, Pakistani Foreign Minister had tweeted that the country has been given three-month reprieve over the US-led motion in FATF. “Our efforts paid, FATF Paris 20 Feb meeting conclusion on the US-led motion to put Pakistan on a watch list - no consensus for nominating Pakistan, proposing 3months pause & asking APG for another report to be considered in June. Grateful to friends who helped,” he said. Our efforts paid,FATF Paris 20Feb meeting conclusion on US led motion to put Pakistan on watch list -No consensus for nominating Pakistan -proposing 3months pause &asking APG for another report to b considered in June الحمداللہ Grateful to friends who helped — Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) February 20, 2018 ×

Financial action task force puts Pakistan in the terror financing watch list: Sources

US President Donald Trump is &ldquo;not satisfied&rdquo; with the progress made by Pakistan in its fight against terrorism, the White House said on Friday.

The White House also said that for the first time, the US is holding Pakistan accountable for its actions.

&ldquo;I know that we have restored some clarity in our relationship with Pakistan. For the first time we&rsquo;re holding Pakistan accountable for its actions,&rdquo; White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters during a press conference.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen modest progress in terms of Pakistan&rsquo;s actual acknowledgement of these concerns, but the President is not satisfied with progress when it comes to Pakistan,&rdquo; Shah said.

He was responding to a question on the progress made in President&rsquo;s (Trump&rsquo;s) South Asia Policy which was announced in August last year.

&ldquo;The US is working closely with our partners in Afghanistan. We&rsquo;ve made significant progress against ISIS, reducing their presence and eliminating hundreds of fighters. We&rsquo;ve eliminated their top leaders, and we&rsquo;re working relentlessly to target their leadership and bases wherever they emerge,&rdquo; Shah said.

In another news conference, the Pentagon said that the South Asia policy offers an opportunity to Pakistan.

&ldquo;The (Defence) secretary believes that Pakistan has an opportunity to do more with respect to regional security, and that it&rsquo;s in its interests to do more with respect to regional security. It&rsquo;s an opportunity, and we would welcome Pakistan&rsquo;s involvement,&rdquo; Pentagon chief press spokesperson Dana White said.

The White House also said that for the first time, the US is holding Pakistan accountable for its actions

US President Donald Trump is “not satisfied” with the progress made by Pakistan in its fight against terrorism, the White House said on Friday. The White House also said that for the first time, the US is holding Pakistan accountable for its actions. “I know that we have restored some clarity in our relationship with Pakistan. For the first time we’re holding Pakistan accountable for its actions,” White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah told reporters during a press conference. “We’ve seen modest progress in terms of Pakistan’s actual acknowledgement of these concerns, but the President is not satisfied with progress when it comes to Pakistan,” Shah said. He was responding to a question on the progress made in President’s (Trump’s) South Asia Policy which was announced in August last year. “The US is working closely with our partners in Afghanistan. We’ve made significant progress against ISIS, reducing their presence and eliminating hundreds of fighters. We’ve eliminated their top leaders, and we’re working relentlessly to target their leadership and bases wherever they emerge,” Shah said. In another news conference, the Pentagon said that the South Asia policy offers an opportunity to Pakistan. “The (Defence) secretary believes that Pakistan has an opportunity to do more with respect to regional security, and that it’s in its interests to do more with respect to regional security. It’s an opportunity, and we would welcome Pakistan’s involvement,” Pentagon chief press spokesperson Dana White said.

Donald Trump not satisfied with progress in Pakistan: White House

A supplementary charge-sheet has been filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Pakistan Intelligence Officer Amir Zubair Siddiqui.

Siddiqui is alleged to have plotted a conspiracy to carry out attacks at the US Consulate in Chennai, Israeli Consulate in Bengaluru, Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam and ports across India.

The charge-sheet was filed before the Poonamallee special court in Chennai under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and the IPC.

Two Chennai residents, Balasubramanian and Noorudeen, have also been booked for circulating high quality fake Indian counterfeit notes.

Tamil Nadu police had originally registered the case in March 2014 after the arrest of a Sri Lankan national namely Mohd. Sakir Hussain in Chennai. Hussain supposedly arrived in India on Siddiqui&#39;s directive to conduct subversive activities.

The NIA took over the case in June 2014 as directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. A charge-sheet was submitted against accused Hussain, Mohammad Saleem and Sivabalan in October 2014.

Hussain pleaded guilty and was convicted for five years of imprisonment.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

Two Chennai residents, Balasubramanian and Noorudeen, have also been booked for circulating high quality fake Indian counterfeit notes

A supplementary charge-sheet has been filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Pakistan Intelligence Officer Amir Zubair Siddiqui. Siddiqui is alleged to have plotted a conspiracy to carry out attacks at the US Consulate in Chennai, Israeli Consulate in Bengaluru, Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam and ports across India. The charge-sheet was filed before the Poonamallee special court in Chennai under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and the IPC. Two Chennai residents, Balasubramanian and Noorudeen, have also been booked for circulating high quality fake Indian counterfeit notes. Tamil Nadu police had originally registered the case in March 2014 after the arrest of a Sri Lankan national namely Mohd. Sakir Hussain in Chennai. Hussain supposedly arrived in India on Siddiqui's directive to conduct subversive activities. The NIA took over the case in June 2014 as directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. A charge-sheet was submitted against accused Hussain, Mohammad Saleem and Sivabalan in October 2014. Hussain pleaded guilty and was convicted for five years of imprisonment. (With inputs from ANI)

NIA files charge-sheet against Pakistan Intelligence Officer

Pakistan&#39;s ousted premier Nawaz Sharif said on Friday it was slowly becoming clear that the corruption cases filed against him were &quot;baseless&quot; as he appeared before an anti-graft court for 19th time to face trial in the graft cases linked to the Panama Papers scandal.

The 67-year-old Sharif, who was disqualified as PML-N chief by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, appeared before the Accountability Court here along with his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar, who are co-accused in one of the three cases.

The court recorded evidence of two witnesses including forensic expert Robert Radley and Raja Akhtar of the London-based firm Quist law through video-link.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had provided their names in the supplementary evidence which the court accepted by rejecting objections of the defence team.

Radley&#39;s recording of evidence began yesterday and was concluded today after he was cross-examined by Sharif&#39;s counsel Khawaja Harris. Akhtar also recorded his statement.

Talking to reporters after the hearing, Sharif said there was nothing in the case and the statement of Radley had strengthened the argument of defence lawyers.

&quot;You (journalists) must have a fair idea whether our stance has been strengthened or that of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT),&quot; Sharif said.

JIT, whose lengthy probe last year led the Supreme Court to order start of corruption cases against Sharif and his family, was led by Wajid Zia.

&quot;We are getting answers to the JIT&#39;s questions that are slowly coming forward, and people are realising now that the cases are baseless,&quot; Sharif said.

He also lashed out at the courts, saying after removing him as prime minister and president of his party &quot;there will be another decision soon to ban him from taking part in elections for life&quot;.

Sharif&#39;s daughter took to social media and stated that Radley&#39;s statement was a &quot;watershed&quot; moment in the case.

&quot;I was waiting for the day. I knew the witness they were banking on would be their watershed. I knew he could not lie. I had faith in Allah,&quot; she tweeted.

A five-member bench of the Supreme Court on July 28 had disqualified Sharif over his undeclared income. The apex court also directed the NAB to file cases against him, and his children in the Accountability Court and directed the trial court to decide the cases within six months.

The NAB had filed three cases on September 8 against Sharif and his family, and another case against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

The three cases against the Sharifs are related to the Flagship Investment Ltd, the Avenfield (London) properties and Jeddah-based Al-Azizia Company and Hill Metal Establishment.

Maryam and her husband are accused in the Avenfield properties case.

The political future of Sharif, who leads the country&#39;s most powerful political family, has been hanging in balance since his disqualification. If convicted, Sharif could be jailed.

Sharif&#39;s family alleges that the cases are politically motivated.

&nbsp;

The 67-year-old Sharif, who was disqualified as PML-N chief by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, appeared before the Accountability Court here along with his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar, who are co-accused in one of the three cases

Pakistan's ousted premier Nawaz Sharif said on Friday it was slowly becoming clear that the corruption cases filed against him were "baseless" as he appeared before an anti-graft court for 19th time to face trial in the graft cases linked to the Panama Papers scandal. The 67-year-old Sharif, who was disqualified as PML-N chief by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, appeared before the Accountability Court here along with his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar, who are co-accused in one of the three cases. The court recorded evidence of two witnesses including forensic expert Robert Radley and Raja Akhtar of the London-based firm Quist law through video-link. National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had provided their names in the supplementary evidence which the court accepted by rejecting objections of the defence team. Radley's recording of evidence began yesterday and was concluded today after he was cross-examined by Sharif's counsel Khawaja Harris. Akhtar also recorded his statement. Talking to reporters after the hearing, Sharif said there was nothing in the case and the statement of Radley had strengthened the argument of defence lawyers. "You (journalists) must have a fair idea whether our stance has been strengthened or that of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT)," Sharif said. JIT, whose lengthy probe last year led the Supreme Court to order start of corruption cases against Sharif and his family, was led by Wajid Zia. "We are getting answers to the JIT's questions that are slowly coming forward, and people are realising now that the cases are baseless," Sharif said. He also lashed out at the courts, saying after removing him as prime minister and president of his party "there will be another decision soon to ban him from taking part in elections for life". Sharif's daughter took to social media and stated that Radley's statement was a "watershed" moment in the case. "I was waiting for the day. I knew the witness they were banking on would be their watershed. I knew he could not lie. I had faith in Allah," she tweeted. A five-member bench of the Supreme Court on July 28 had disqualified Sharif over his undeclared income. The apex court also directed the NAB to file cases against him, and his children in the Accountability Court and directed the trial court to decide the cases within six months. The NAB had filed three cases on September 8 against Sharif and his family, and another case against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. The three cases against the Sharifs are related to the Flagship Investment Ltd, the Avenfield (London) properties and Jeddah-based Al-Azizia Company and Hill Metal Establishment. Maryam and her husband are accused in the Avenfield properties case. The political future of Sharif, who leads the country's most powerful political family, has been hanging in balance since his disqualification. If convicted, Sharif could be jailed. Sharif's family alleges that the cases are politically motivated.

Corruption cases against me are 'baseless': Sharif

As China should work towards reducing tension in the Indian Ocean Region and put pressure on Pakistan to accept India&#39;s position over Kashmir, an improved Sino-Indian relationship can only be possible if India, in response, should agree to facilitate the unhindered utilisation of Chinese-built road through Aksai Chin. The Chinese built this road to serve some very crucial logistical purposes, particularly, to connect with the Xin Jiang province, the raison de etre for the occupation of Aksai Chin in 1962. Further, India should also agree to transit facilities to China for CPEC infrastructure, passing through the Indian territory in POK.&nbsp;&nbsp;

China needs to persuade Pakistan to see reason in revisiting their political priorities. Pakistan&#39;s Kashmir obsession has catapulted it into a political cauldron of the economic mess, governance deficit and slanderous afflictions associated with terrorism. It has been amply proved in Pakistan&#39;s case that the religion alone is not the binding force to sustain the viability of a nation-state. Pakistan needs to introspect their politico-religious concepts as they have failed to keep East Pakistan based on it and there are dissident movements continuing within Pakistan, indicating flaws in theological overreach which Pakistan propagates in Kashmir.

Moreover, looking at current US strategic interests, Russian assertiveness, and Chinese aggressiveness in the Asian landscape,&nbsp; it has the potential to impact on political autonomy and security of Pakistan itself.&nbsp; Reconciliation with India would bestow higher political buoyancy to absorb the negative influences of extra-regional manipulations which is a bigger threat to them as on date. Pakistani civil society and think tanks are abuzz with such fears and have been vocal in favour of an urgent need of a reality check by the ruling establishment.&nbsp;

Post reconciliation, if it happens, Pakistan would no longer require strategic depth against India which has been the primary motive of their complicity in fostering insurgency in Afghanistan. As a cascading effect, it would pave the way for reconciliation amongst the warring factions of Afghanistan as Pakistan have substantial influence over Taliban and their affiliates. It will help in bringing about political stability in the Af-Pak region, leading to a gradual reduction in terrorism, a matter of grave international concern. It would also deny any excuse for extra-regional powers to meddle in their internal affairs to an extent they do it as of now.&nbsp;&nbsp;

With security situation improving in Afghanistan, the success of CPEC would get a further boost with the participation of Central Asian Republics and Eurasian countries. Besides this, Pakistan would have much needed higher economic synergies with a friendly India and its&nbsp; MFN status for trade and commerce. As a consequence, Pakistan would have fair chances to bring about their economic turnaround. It is time for Pakistan to realise that their political vibrancy is a function of regional cohesiveness and not extra-regional political surrogacy.&nbsp;

The&nbsp; spectre of ten ASEAN heads of states on 69th republic day of India, Quad sponsored mil exercises in Indo- Pacific, suspension&nbsp; of US aid to Pakistan,&nbsp; Indian&nbsp; concern on illegality of CPEC alignment through POK, Chabahar port as an alternate linkage to Afghanistan and Eurasia are all links to a subtle&nbsp; political message to China and Pakistan combine signaling them to revisit their priority matrix . India is central to this diplomatic push being the dominant power in IOR and South Asian landscape, hence need be taken seriously.&nbsp;

Unlike Chinese self-seeking exclusivity, India has aspirations of peaceful growth including everyone as per their ancient philosophy of &ldquo;Vasudeva Kutumbam&rdquo;(the world is one family). The key to Chinese aspirations and Pakistani politico-economic stability lies in recognising the legally correct status of J&amp;K as it existed at the time of accession with India, and restoring forced occupation of its territories to India. Yes, it is difficult to change the subversive political narratives propagated by both China and Pakistan for their vested interests all these years. But, given the current national interests of all parties, reconciliation is the only sensible way forward, and it is bound to happen sooner or later. Therefore, it is time to move away from the designed manipulative discourses by the Chinese as well as Pakistani leaders.&nbsp;

India as an economically vibrant, militarily strong, politically mature nation with strong strategic pull is a beacon to be rallied around to bring in positive political synergies in the South Asian landscape.&nbsp; Marching together with India will bring about higher strategic dividends to both China as well as Pakistan, a win-win situation for all.&nbsp;

To do all these, the Chinese political tango needs a paradigm shift in the orchestration of her steps in sync with contemporary global strategic outlook and keeping in rhythm with regional compatriots to achieve their ambitions of world leadership role. The ball is in China&rsquo;s court. Take it, or leave it.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

China needs to persuade Pakistan to see reason in revisiting their political priorities in Kashmir.

As China should work towards reducing tension in the Indian Ocean Region and put pressure on Pakistan to accept India's position over Kashmir, an improved Sino-Indian relationship can only be possible if India, in response, should agree to facilitate the unhindered utilisation of Chinese-built road through Aksai Chin. The Chinese built this road to serve some very crucial logistical purposes, particularly, to connect with the Xin Jiang province, the raison de etre for the occupation of Aksai Chin in 1962. Further, India should also agree to transit facilities to China for CPEC infrastructure, passing through the Indian territory in POK. China needs to persuade Pakistan to see reason in revisiting their political priorities. Pakistan's Kashmir obsession has catapulted it into a political cauldron of the economic mess, governance deficit and slanderous afflictions associated with terrorism. It has been amply proved in Pakistan's case that the religion alone is not the binding force to sustain the viability of a nation-state. Pakistan needs to introspect their politico-religious concepts as they have failed to keep East Pakistan based on it and there are dissident movements continuing within Pakistan, indicating flaws in theological overreach which Pakistan propagates in Kashmir. Moreover, looking at current US strategic interests, Russian assertiveness, and Chinese aggressiveness in the Asian landscape, it has the potential to impact on political autonomy and security of Pakistan itself. Reconciliation with India would bestow higher political buoyancy to absorb the negative influences of extra-regional manipulations which is a bigger threat to them as on date. Pakistani civil society and think tanks are abuzz with such fears and have been vocal in favour of an urgent need of a reality check by the ruling establishment. Post reconciliation, if it happens, Pakistan would no longer require strategic depth against India which has been the primary motive of their complicity in fostering insurgency in Afghanistan. As a cascading effect, it would pave the way for reconciliation amongst the warring factions of Afghanistan as Pakistan have substantial influence over Taliban and their affiliates. It will help in bringing about political stability in the Af-Pak region, leading to a gradual reduction in terrorism, a matter of grave international concern. It would also deny any excuse for extra-regional powers to meddle in their internal affairs to an extent they do it as of now. With security situation improving in Afghanistan, the success of CPEC would get a further boost with the participation of Central Asian Republics and Eurasian countries. Besides this, Pakistan would have much needed higher economic synergies with a friendly India and its MFN status for trade and commerce. As a consequence, Pakistan would have fair chances to bring about their economic turnaround. It is time for Pakistan to realise that their political vibrancy is a function of regional cohesiveness and not extra-regional political surrogacy. The spectre of ten ASEAN heads of states on 69th republic day of India, Quad sponsored mil exercises in Indo- Pacific, suspension of US aid to Pakistan, Indian concern on illegality of CPEC alignment through POK, Chabahar port as an alternate linkage to Afghanistan and Eurasia are all links to a subtle political message to China and Pakistan combine signaling them to revisit their priority matrix . India is central to this diplomatic push being the dominant power in IOR and South Asian landscape, hence need be taken seriously. Unlike Chinese self-seeking exclusivity, India has aspirations of peaceful growth including everyone as per their ancient philosophy of “Vasudeva Kutumbam”(the world is one family). The key to Chinese aspirations and Pakistani politico-economic stability lies in recognising the legally correct status of J&K as it existed at the time of accession with India, and restoring forced occupation of its territories to India. Yes, it is difficult to change the subversive political narratives propagated by both China and Pakistan for their vested interests all these years. But, given the current national interests of all parties, reconciliation is the only sensible way forward, and it is bound to happen sooner or later. Therefore, it is time to move away from the designed manipulative discourses by the Chinese as well as Pakistani leaders. India as an economically vibrant, militarily strong, politically mature nation with strong strategic pull is a beacon to be rallied around to bring in positive political synergies in the South Asian landscape. Marching together with India will bring about higher strategic dividends to both China as well as Pakistan, a win-win situation for all. To do all these, the Chinese political tango needs a paradigm shift in the orchestration of her steps in sync with contemporary global strategic outlook and keeping in rhythm with regional compatriots to achieve their ambitions of world leadership role. The ball is in China’s court. Take it, or leave it. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Kashmir is key to political reconciliation between India, Pakistan, China

A report in the Wall Street Journal(WSJ) said three countries - <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/us-moves-motion-to-place-pakistan-on-a-global-terrorist-financing-watchlist-at-fatf-32787">China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey</a> blocked the US efforts to place Pakistan on the &nbsp;Financial Action Task Force(FATF) watchlist.

WSJ in its report asserted that it was one of the &quot;rare disagreements&quot; between Saudi Arabia and the Trump administration. Saudi Arabia is America&#39;s principal ally in the Gulf, however, this time the newspaper said it &quot;acted on &nbsp;on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)&quot;.

Pakistan is currently in the process of finalising a&nbsp;free trade agreement(FTA) with GCC nations. The agreement if it goes through will allow Pakistan to find new markets in the Gulf for rice, meat, fruits etc.

The United States had put forward a motion to place Pakistan on the global terrorist financing watchlist at the Financial Action Task Force &nbsp;(FATF) meeting in Paris. FATF is an international inter-governmental body tasked with countering money laundering and terrorist financing.

&quot;The officials said the US effort, which included pressure on the Saudis, raised the possibility of a fresh vote on action against Pakistan as soon as Thursday. The Pakistanis were scrambling to shore up support,&quot; the WSJ report said.

Pakistan&#39;s economy would have been hit badly had it been placed in the terror financing list. The move would have led international lenders to back&nbsp;out of Pakistan.

China has invested heavily in various projects in Pakistan through the One Belt, One Road(OBOR) project and has been keen to protect Pakistan&#39;s interests, Turkey too&nbsp;is a long-time ally of Pakistan helped to tide over the FATF hurdle.

Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said after the meeting that Pakistan has been given a three-month reprieve by the global watchdog.

Pakistan was on the FATF watchlist from 2012 to 2015.&nbsp;

WSJ in its report asserted that it was one of the "rare disagreements" between Saudi Arabia and the Trump administration.

A report in the Wall Street Journal(WSJ) said three countries - China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey blocked the US efforts to place Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force(FATF) watchlist. WSJ in its report asserted that it was one of the "rare disagreements" between Saudi Arabia and the Trump administration. Saudi Arabia is America's principal ally in the Gulf, however, this time the newspaper said it "acted on on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)". Pakistan is currently in the process of finalising a free trade agreement(FTA) with GCC nations. The agreement if it goes through will allow Pakistan to find new markets in the Gulf for rice, meat, fruits etc. The United States had put forward a motion to place Pakistan on the global terrorist financing watchlist at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris. FATF is an international inter-governmental body tasked with countering money laundering and terrorist financing. "The officials said the US effort, which included pressure on the Saudis, raised the possibility of a fresh vote on action against Pakistan as soon as Thursday. The Pakistanis were scrambling to shore up support," the WSJ report said. Pakistan's economy would have been hit badly had it been placed in the terror financing list. The move would have led international lenders to back out of Pakistan. China has invested heavily in various projects in Pakistan through the One Belt, One Road(OBOR) project and has been keen to protect Pakistan's interests, Turkey too is a long-time ally of Pakistan helped to tide over the FATF hurdle. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said after the meeting that Pakistan has been given a three-month reprieve by the global watchdog. Pakistan was on the FATF watchlist from 2012 to 2015.

China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey blocked US move to place Pak on terror-financing watch list: Report

A petition has been filed in a Pakistani court seeking renaming of Lahore&#39;s Shaadman Chowk where freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was hanged 86 years ago and installation of his statue there.

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Bhagat Singh was hanged along with his two comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev by British rulers on March 23, 1931 in the erstwhile Lahore Jail, which stood at the spot where the roundabout was built later.

During the hearing of the plea filed by Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Chairman Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi yesterday, the Lahore High Court was informed that a similar petition was pending with it.

Justice Shahid Jamil Khan ordered clubbing of both petitions and fixed March 5 for hearing.

The petitioner stated that Bhagat Singh was a freedom fighter of the sub-continent and gave his life along with his companions for the cause of freedom.

He pointed out that founder of Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had also paid tribute to him saying, &quot;There had never been any brave person in the subcontinent like Bhagat Singh.&quot;

He pleaded that it would be in the interest of justice to name Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh and also install his statue at the square so as to inspire the people of Pakistan and the world.

In the plea, Qureshi said that in India there were many roads and thoroughfares named after Muslim rulers like Akbar Road, Shah Jahan Road and Bahadar Shah Road.

He said India also published tickets with the image of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of Aligarh University, and his statue was also installed there.

He said an application was filed before the chief secretary and the deputy commissioner of Lahore to this effect but no action had been taken so far.

The foundation last month also demanded that Bhagat Singh should be accorded Pakistan&#39;s highest gallantry award &#39;Nishan-e-Haider&#39;.

Hafiz Saeed&#39;s Jammat-ud-Dawah is strongly opposing the proposal of renaming Shadman Chowk and even had threatened to the civil society members over this matter.

A petition has been filed in a Pakistani court seeking renaming of Lahore's Shaadman Chowk where freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was hanged 86 years ago and installation of his statue there

A petition has been filed in a Pakistani court seeking renaming of Lahore's Shaadman Chowk where freedom fighter Bhagat Singh was hanged 86 years ago and installation of his statue there. × Bhagat Singh was hanged along with his two comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev by British rulers on March 23, 1931 in the erstwhile Lahore Jail, which stood at the spot where the roundabout was built later. During the hearing of the plea filed by Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Chairman Imtiaz Rashid Qureshi yesterday, the Lahore High Court was informed that a similar petition was pending with it. Justice Shahid Jamil Khan ordered clubbing of both petitions and fixed March 5 for hearing. The petitioner stated that Bhagat Singh was a freedom fighter of the sub-continent and gave his life along with his companions for the cause of freedom. He pointed out that founder of Pakistan Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had also paid tribute to him saying, "There had never been any brave person in the subcontinent like Bhagat Singh." He pleaded that it would be in the interest of justice to name Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh and also install his statue at the square so as to inspire the people of Pakistan and the world. In the plea, Qureshi said that in India there were many roads and thoroughfares named after Muslim rulers like Akbar Road, Shah Jahan Road and Bahadar Shah Road. He said India also published tickets with the image of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of Aligarh University, and his statue was also installed there. He said an application was filed before the chief secretary and the deputy commissioner of Lahore to this effect but no action had been taken so far. The foundation last month also demanded that Bhagat Singh should be accorded Pakistan's highest gallantry award 'Nishan-e-Haider'. Hafiz Saeed's Jammat-ud-Dawah is strongly opposing the proposal of renaming Shadman Chowk and even had threatened to the civil society members over this matter.

Petition in Pak court to rename Lahore roundabout after Bhagat Singh

Pakistani troops on Thursday fired at Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting Indian soldiers to retaliate, an Army official said.

The Pakistani troops opened unprovoked firing at Indian posts in the Hajipeer area of the Uri sector in Baramulla district this morning, the official said.

He said Indian soldiers are retaliating the aggression from across the LoC effectively and in equal measure.

No casualties have been reported in the incident so far, &nbsp;he added.

The area had earlier also witnessed ceasefire violation between India and Pakistan. In October 2012, three civilians including a woman were killed in the incident of ceasefire violation. Two months ago, a lady was injured at Kamalkote village in a similar incident of ceasefire violation.

(With inputs PTI)

No casualties have been reported in the incident so far

Pakistani troops on Thursday fired at Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting Indian soldiers to retaliate, an Army official said. The Pakistani troops opened unprovoked firing at Indian posts in the Hajipeer area of the Uri sector in Baramulla district this morning, the official said. He said Indian soldiers are retaliating the aggression from across the LoC effectively and in equal measure. No casualties have been reported in the incident so far, he added. The area had earlier also witnessed ceasefire violation between India and Pakistan. In October 2012, three civilians including a woman were killed in the incident of ceasefire violation. Two months ago, a lady was injured at Kamalkote village in a similar incident of ceasefire violation. (With inputs PTI)

Pakistan violates ceasefire in J&K's Uri district

Migration from Bangladesh into India is &quot;plannned&quot;, Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said on Wednesday. The migration, he added, is part of a proxy war by Pakistan and is supported by China, to keep India&#39;s Northeast region on the boil.&nbsp;

&quot;Other issue is planned immigration taking place because of our western neighbour. They will always try and ensure that this area is taken over. This proxy dimension of warfare is well played by our western neighbour and supported by our northern neighbour,&quot; Rawat said.&nbsp;

Rawat was speaking in Delhi at a conference on securing borders in India&#39;s Northeast region.

To back up his argument, Rawat said the AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) has grown faster in Assam than the BJP over the years. The AIUDF is led by Badruddin Ajmal.&nbsp;

&quot;When we talk of Jan Sangh with two MPs and where they have reached, AIUDF is moving at a faster pace in the state of Assam,&quot; said Rawat.&nbsp;

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AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) have grown in a faster time-frame than the BJP grew over the years. When we talk of Jan Sangh with two MPs &amp; where they have reached, AIUDF is moving at a faster pace in the state of Assam: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat (21.02.18) <a href="https://t.co/XUIlBDhef6">pic.twitter.com/XUIlBDhef6</a>
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Rawat however did concede that migration from Bangladesh also takes place because of the pressure of population.&nbsp;

&quot;Migration from Bangladesh is due to two reasons. One, they are running out of space. Large areas get flooded during the monsoon and they have constricted area to stay,&quot; said Rawat.&nbsp;

Former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon also spoke at the conference.&nbsp;

&quot;One reason why we saw that activity in Doklam last year was not because they (China) had a clear military option or superiority but because they had the political goal of splitting us from the Bhutanese,&quot; Menon said.&nbsp;

&quot;China wanted to show the Bhutanese that India could not defend their security and also to arouse Bhutanese opinion. I am glad we chose to react the way we did,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

Rawat has made a number of comments of late, for some of which he has drawn flak with commentators saying he has <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/wont-allow-anti-india-activities-in-kashmir-army-chief-29627" target="_blank">overstepped his brief</a> as army chief.&nbsp;

 
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'Other issue is planned immigration taking place because of our western neighbour. They will always try and ensure that this area is taken over. This proxy dimension of warfare is well played by our western neighbour and supported by our northern neighbour,' Rawat said

Migration from Bangladesh into India is "plannned", Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said on Wednesday. The migration, he added, is part of a proxy war by Pakistan and is supported by China, to keep India's Northeast region on the boil. "Other issue is planned immigration taking place because of our western neighbour. They will always try and ensure that this area is taken over. This proxy dimension of warfare is well played by our western neighbour and supported by our northern neighbour," Rawat said. Rawat was speaking in Delhi at a conference on securing borders in India's Northeast region. To back up his argument, Rawat said the AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) has grown faster in Assam than the BJP over the years. The AIUDF is led by Badruddin Ajmal. "When we talk of Jan Sangh with two MPs and where they have reached, AIUDF is moving at a faster pace in the state of Assam," said Rawat. AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) have grown in a faster time-frame than the BJP grew over the years. When we talk of Jan Sangh with two MPs & where they have reached, AIUDF is moving at a faster pace in the state of Assam: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat (21.02.18) pic.twitter.com/XUIlBDhef6 — ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2018 × Rawat however did concede that migration from Bangladesh also takes place because of the pressure of population. "Migration from Bangladesh is due to two reasons. One, they are running out of space. Large areas get flooded during the monsoon and they have constricted area to stay," said Rawat. Former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon also spoke at the conference. "One reason why we saw that activity in Doklam last year was not because they (China) had a clear military option or superiority but because they had the political goal of splitting us from the Bhutanese," Menon said. "China wanted to show the Bhutanese that India could not defend their security and also to arouse Bhutanese opinion. I am glad we chose to react the way we did," he added. Rawat has made a number of comments of late, for some of which he has drawn flak with commentators saying he has overstepped his brief as army chief.

Migration from Bangladesh part of proxy war by Pakistan, supported by China: Army Chief

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