A United States-based advocacy group, Voice of Karachi, has held important meetings in Washington DC&nbsp;with the Congressmen and members of powerful House committees over the latest situation in Pakistan and South Asia region.

Nadeem Nusrat, Chairman of the Voice of Karachi, met influential US Congressmen and members of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ted Yoho and Tom Garrett, and held another important meeting with House Majority leader Tim McCarthy in Washington DC&nbsp;Representative McCarthy is the front-runner to become the Chairman of the House following the current speaker's decision to not seek the reelection this year.

Nusrat apprised the US lawmakers of the victimisation and persecution of Mohajirs, Balochs, Pashtuns, Gilgitis and Hazaras by the state of Pakistan. He briefed them about the role of Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in providing safe havens to terror outfits in the port city of Karachi. He said that the ISI was fueling extremism and terrorism as a tool to advance its own agenda in the region, which was destabilising South Asia.

He also told the US legislators that Pakistan's oppressed ethnic and religious communities were looking towards the United States and the international community to play their role in stopping state atrocities being committed by the Pakistani security forces, ISI in particular. He emphasised that the world needed to act to stop human rights abuses in Karachi, Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Gilgit Baltistan in order to save innocent human lives.

In these meetings, Nusrat extended his support to the US administration in its efforts to curb terrorism and bring peace, harmony, and stability in South Asia.

The Voice of Karachi has been working to raise global awareness about injustices and human rights violations that Urdu-speaking Mohajirs and other ethnic and religious minorities have been facing in Pakistan. This group has also been running the Free Karachi campaign in the US since January 15 this year.

More than 22,000 Mohajirs have been brutally killed in military actions in Karachi since 1992. Enforced disappearances are a routine urban Sindh where hundreds of MQM workers and supporters are missing in the latest phase of security operation launched in 2013.

A United States-based advocacy group, Voice of Karachi, has held important meetings in Washington DC with the Congressmen and members of powerful House committees over the latest situation in Pakistan and South Asia region

A United States-based advocacy group, Voice of Karachi, has held important meetings in Washington DC with the Congressmen and members of powerful House committees over the latest situation in Pakistan and South Asia region. Nadeem Nusrat, Chairman of the Voice of Karachi, met influential US Congressmen and members of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ted Yoho and Tom Garrett, and held another important meeting with House Majority leader Tim McCarthy in Washington DC Representative McCarthy is the front-runner to become the Chairman of the House following the current speaker's decision to not seek the reelection this year. Nusrat apprised the US lawmakers of the victimisation and persecution of Mohajirs, Balochs, Pashtuns, Gilgitis and Hazaras by the state of Pakistan. He briefed them about the role of Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in providing safe havens to terror outfits in the port city of Karachi. He said that the ISI was fueling extremism and terrorism as a tool to advance its own agenda in the region, which was destabilising South Asia. He also told the US legislators that Pakistan's oppressed ethnic and religious communities were looking towards the United States and the international community to play their role in stopping state atrocities being committed by the Pakistani security forces, ISI in particular. He emphasised that the world needed to act to stop human rights abuses in Karachi, Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Gilgit Baltistan in order to save innocent human lives. In these meetings, Nusrat extended his support to the US administration in its efforts to curb terrorism and bring peace, harmony, and stability in South Asia. The Voice of Karachi has been working to raise global awareness about injustices and human rights violations that Urdu-speaking Mohajirs and other ethnic and religious minorities have been facing in Pakistan. This group has also been running the Free Karachi campaign in the US since January 15 this year. More than 22,000 Mohajirs have been brutally killed in military actions in Karachi since 1992. Enforced disappearances are a routine urban Sindh where hundreds of MQM workers and supporters are missing in the latest phase of security operation launched in 2013.

Mohajir activists apprise US lawmakers of human rights violations in Pakistan

An editorial published in a Pakistani daily has cautioned Pakistan to avoid an overtly sympathetic approach to extremism and groups espousing such causes, as not doing so, could germinate new forms of terror on its soil, and lead to more critical finger pointing by the international community.

The editorial, which has been published in the Express Tribune, says, " An ambivalent or equivocal attitude to extremism, in some instances a barely concealed sympathy for extremist groups, makes fertile ground for terror to germinate in and subsequently for entities such as the UNSC to point the finger so convincingly. The rest of the world reads these lists as well - and Pakistan makes its choices."

While it describes as unfortunate Pakistan's appearance and description on several global lists indirectly as a problematic nation without specifically acknowledging that terror flourishes from its soil, the editorial further states, "Some of those listed have been arrested but many are not, and as time passes and terrorist and extremist groups continue to recruit many without let or hindrance, and the pool of future terrorist grows, so does the problem. Their names are not yet on any list but they may be in future. Therein lies the root of the problem for Pakistan."

On the latest list issued by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) of 139 individuals as terrorists and entities, it says, "There will be those that disagree with the presence of some individuals and organisations on the list, but in a majority of cases the evidence is clear and growing."

"Such lists rarely shrink over time unless the state in question is successfully and longitudinally countering terrorism. Using this list as a basis for argument there will be those that say that Pakistan has failed in that respect, and failed consistently and over time," the Express Tribune editorial concludes.&nbsp;

The editorial describes as unfortunate Pakistan's appearance and description on several global lists indirectly as a problematic nation

An editorial published in a Pakistani daily has cautioned Pakistan to avoid an overtly sympathetic approach to extremism and groups espousing such causes, as not doing so, could germinate new forms of terror on its soil, and lead to more critical finger pointing by the international community. The editorial, which has been published in the Express Tribune, says, " An ambivalent or equivocal attitude to extremism, in some instances a barely concealed sympathy for extremist groups, makes fertile ground for terror to germinate in and subsequently for entities such as the UNSC to point the finger so convincingly. The rest of the world reads these lists as well - and Pakistan makes its choices." While it describes as unfortunate Pakistan's appearance and description on several global lists indirectly as a problematic nation without specifically acknowledging that terror flourishes from its soil, the editorial further states, "Some of those listed have been arrested but many are not, and as time passes and terrorist and extremist groups continue to recruit many without let or hindrance, and the pool of future terrorist grows, so does the problem. Their names are not yet on any list but they may be in future. Therein lies the root of the problem for Pakistan." On the latest list issued by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) of 139 individuals as terrorists and entities, it says, "There will be those that disagree with the presence of some individuals and organisations on the list, but in a majority of cases the evidence is clear and growing." "Such lists rarely shrink over time unless the state in question is successfully and longitudinally countering terrorism. Using this list as a basis for argument there will be those that say that Pakistan has failed in that respect, and failed consistently and over time," the Express Tribune editorial concludes.

Pakistan could germinate new forms of terror: Pakistani daily

In a major move ahead of the general elections in Pakistan, the US today designated Milli Muslim League (MML), the political front of Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud Dawa, as a foreign terrorist organization.

In a simultaneous move, seven members of MML central leadership body have been designated as foreign terrorist. The US also added Tehreek-e-Azadi-e-Kashmir (TAJK) to the list of terrorist groups. TAJK is said to be a front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which according to the

Trump administration, continues to operate freely inside Pakistan.

The move comes a day after the Election Commission of Pakistan asked the MML to produce a clearance certificate by the interior ministry for its registration as a political party.

The election commission had earlier rejected the MML's application for registration as a political party after the interior ministry objected to its ties to banned militant outfits.

The State Department said the move was aimed at denying the LeT the resources it needs to plan and carry out further terrorist attacks.

"Both MML and TAJK are LeT fronts created to circumvent the sanctions against it (LeT)...Today's amendments take aim at LeT's efforts to circumvent sanctions and deceive the public about its true character," said Nathan A Sales, Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State.

"Make no mistake: whatever LeT chooses to call itself, it remains a violent terrorist group. The US supports all efforts to ensure that LeT does not have a political voice until it gives up violence as a tool of influence," Sales said.

Among other consequences of the designations, LeT's property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group.

"LeT continues to operate freely within Pakistan, holding public rallies, raising funds, and plotting and training for terrorist attacks," the State Department said.

The LeT was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group on December 26, 2001. Its leader, Saeed, is also designated as an SDGT.

To avoid sanctions, LeT has repeatedly changed its name over the years, the State Department alleged.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p4HR4fiZsSE" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

In January 2017, LeT began operating under the name TAJK. Under this name, the LeT has engaged in inciting terrorism, as well as recruiting and fundraising.

In August 2017, Saeed created the MML to serve as a political front for the group.

"LeT members make up MML's leadership and the so-called party openly displays Saeed's likeness in its election banners and literature," the State Department said.

Concurrently with today's State Department actions, the US Department of the Treasury designated seven members of the MML central leadership body for acting for on behalf of the LeT: Saifullah Khalid (president), Muzammil Iqbal Hashimi (vice president), Muhammad Harris Dar (Joint Secretary), Tabish Qayyuum (Information Secretary), Fayyaz Ahmad (General Secretary), Faisal Nadeem (Broadcast and Publications Secretary), and Muhammad Ehsan (Finance Secretary).

Today's actions notify the US public and the international community that TAJK and MML are aliases of the LeT. Terrorism designations expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and deny them access to the US financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of US agencies and other governments.

"Treasury is targeting the MML and a group of seven global terrorists who are complicit in LeT's attempts to undermine Pakistan's political process," said Treasury Under Secretary Sigal Mandelker, adding that the MML is not a recognized political party and it relies on the leadership of the LeT for guidance and direction.

"We will continue to target terrorist organizations like LeT, even when they attempt to cloak themselves as political parties or hide their extremism behind other facades," Mandelker said. He also cautioned people against working with the MML, including providing financial donations, saying they should "think twice" about doing so or risk exposure to US sanctions.

President of the MML, Khalid is also the head of LeT's Peshawar headquarters and served on Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD)'s Coordination Committee for Central Punjab Province. The JuD was designated by the Department of State as an alias of LeT pursuant April 2016 and was added to the United Nations Sanctions list as an alias of the LeT in December 2008.

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans. It was declared as an FTO by the US in June 2014.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

President of the MML, Khalid is also the head of LeT's Peshawar headquarters and served on Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD)'s Coordination Committee for Central Punjab Province

In a major move ahead of the general elections in Pakistan, the US today designated Milli Muslim League (MML), the political front of Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud Dawa, as a foreign terrorist organization. In a simultaneous move, seven members of MML central leadership body have been designated as foreign terrorist. The US also added Tehreek-e-Azadi-e-Kashmir (TAJK) to the list of terrorist groups. TAJK is said to be a front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which according to the Trump administration, continues to operate freely inside Pakistan. The move comes a day after the Election Commission of Pakistan asked the MML to produce a clearance certificate by the interior ministry for its registration as a political party. The election commission had earlier rejected the MML's application for registration as a political party after the interior ministry objected to its ties to banned militant outfits. The State Department said the move was aimed at denying the LeT the resources it needs to plan and carry out further terrorist attacks. "Both MML and TAJK are LeT fronts created to circumvent the sanctions against it (LeT)...Today's amendments take aim at LeT's efforts to circumvent sanctions and deceive the public about its true character," said Nathan A Sales, Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State. "Make no mistake: whatever LeT chooses to call itself, it remains a violent terrorist group. The US supports all efforts to ensure that LeT does not have a political voice until it gives up violence as a tool of influence," Sales said. Among other consequences of the designations, LeT's property and interests in property subject to US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the group. "LeT continues to operate freely within Pakistan, holding public rallies, raising funds, and plotting and training for terrorist attacks," the State Department said. The LeT was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group on December 26, 2001. Its leader, Saeed, is also designated as an SDGT. To avoid sanctions, LeT has repeatedly changed its name over the years, the State Department alleged. In January 2017, LeT began operating under the name TAJK. Under this name, the LeT has engaged in inciting terrorism, as well as recruiting and fundraising. In August 2017, Saeed created the MML to serve as a political front for the group. "LeT members make up MML's leadership and the so-called party openly displays Saeed's likeness in its election banners and literature," the State Department said. Concurrently with today's State Department actions, the US Department of the Treasury designated seven members of the MML central leadership body for acting for on behalf of the LeT: Saifullah Khalid (president), Muzammil Iqbal Hashimi (vice president), Muhammad Harris Dar (Joint Secretary), Tabish Qayyuum (Information Secretary), Fayyaz Ahmad (General Secretary), Faisal Nadeem (Broadcast and Publications Secretary), and Muhammad Ehsan (Finance Secretary). Today's actions notify the US public and the international community that TAJK and MML are aliases of the LeT. Terrorism designations expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and deny them access to the US financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement activities of US agencies and other governments. "Treasury is targeting the MML and a group of seven global terrorists who are complicit in LeT's attempts to undermine Pakistan's political process," said Treasury Under Secretary Sigal Mandelker, adding that the MML is not a recognized political party and it relies on the leadership of the LeT for guidance and direction. "We will continue to target terrorist organizations like LeT, even when they attempt to cloak themselves as political parties or hide their extremism behind other facades," Mandelker said. He also cautioned people against working with the MML, including providing financial donations, saying they should "think twice" about doing so or risk exposure to US sanctions. President of the MML, Khalid is also the head of LeT's Peshawar headquarters and served on Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD)'s Coordination Committee for Central Punjab Province. The JuD was designated by the Department of State as an alias of LeT pursuant April 2016 and was added to the United Nations Sanctions list as an alias of the LeT in December 2008. The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the LeT which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans. It was declared as an FTO by the US in June 2014.

US designates Hafiz Saeed's Milli Muslim League as terrorist outfit

Pakistan Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said that Pakistan was committed to eliminating 'any signs' of terrorism from the country.&nbsp;

Addressing a three-day International Counter-Terrorism Forum, Iqbal said, "It is our national resolve to cleanse any sign of terrorism to achieve the objective of peace and development."

Iqbal underlined that the military forces had put in efforts and made sacrifices while flushing out terror outfits from Pakistan, adding that terrorists had targeted everyone in the country, Geo News reported.

"We carried out Zarb-e-Azb like operations from our own resources to flush out terror outfits. Terrorists have targeted all sections of Pakistan. Terrorists have attacked mosques, churches, temples and shrines," the interior minister asserted.&nbsp;

Iqbal added that around 60,000 lives were lost in the country during the war against terrorism, but it did not deter the nation's resolve of combating terrorism. He also called for peace and development of Pakistan.&nbsp;

Stressing on the decades-old conflict in Afghanistan, Iqbal said, "Afghanistan was left at the mercy of terrorist networks. Due to this, Pakistan is still suffering from the consequences of the Afghan war."

The interior minister further said that the war on terror was not over yet and collaborative efforts were being taken to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan.&nbsp;

Iqbal underscored that Pakistan was considered one of the most dangerous places in the world back several years ago, but according to world publications, the country was being declared as one of the most emerging economies in the world.

Pakistan Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said that Pakistan was committed to eliminating 'any signs' of terrorism from the country

Pakistan Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said that Pakistan was committed to eliminating 'any signs' of terrorism from the country. Addressing a three-day International Counter-Terrorism Forum, Iqbal said, "It is our national resolve to cleanse any sign of terrorism to achieve the objective of peace and development." Iqbal underlined that the military forces had put in efforts and made sacrifices while flushing out terror outfits from Pakistan, adding that terrorists had targeted everyone in the country, Geo News reported. "We carried out Zarb-e-Azb like operations from our own resources to flush out terror outfits. Terrorists have targeted all sections of Pakistan. Terrorists have attacked mosques, churches, temples and shrines," the interior minister asserted. Iqbal added that around 60,000 lives were lost in the country during the war against terrorism, but it did not deter the nation's resolve of combating terrorism. He also called for peace and development of Pakistan. Stressing on the decades-old conflict in Afghanistan, Iqbal said, "Afghanistan was left at the mercy of terrorist networks. Due to this, Pakistan is still suffering from the consequences of the Afghan war." The interior minister further said that the war on terror was not over yet and collaborative efforts were being taken to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan. Iqbal underscored that Pakistan was considered one of the most dangerous places in the world back several years ago, but according to world publications, the country was being declared as one of the most emerging economies in the world.

Pakistan committed to combating terrorism: Pakistan Interior Minister

India, today strongly condemned renewed missile attacks targeting civilian areas in Riyadh and other cities of Saudi Arabia and reiterated its resolve to fight terrorism and violence in all its forms.

According to Saudi authorities, one person was killed after seven missiles were fired from Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday.

"We strongly condemn the renewed missile attacks targeting civilian areas in the direction of Riyadh and other cities of Saudi Arabia. We are deeply concerned about the escalating situation threatening the lives of innocent civilians. We reiterate our resolve to fight terrorism and violence in all its forms," the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said.

The missiles were fired at four targets, including the capital city of Riyadh, and all were intercepted and destroyed, said spokesman of the Saudi coalition forces for supporting the legitimacy in Yemen Colonel Turki Al-Malki in a statement yesterday.

Fragments from the intercepted missiles killed an Egyptian resident, the statement added.&nbsp

India reiterated its resolve to fight terrorism and violence in all its forms

India, today strongly condemned renewed missile attacks targeting civilian areas in Riyadh and other cities of Saudi Arabia and reiterated its resolve to fight terrorism and violence in all its forms. According to Saudi authorities, one person was killed after seven missiles were fired from Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday. "We strongly condemn the renewed missile attacks targeting civilian areas in the direction of Riyadh and other cities of Saudi Arabia. We are deeply concerned about the escalating situation threatening the lives of innocent civilians. We reiterate our resolve to fight terrorism and violence in all its forms," the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said. The missiles were fired at four targets, including the capital city of Riyadh, and all were intercepted and destroyed, said spokesman of the Saudi coalition forces for supporting the legitimacy in Yemen Colonel Turki Al-Malki in a statement yesterday. Fragments from the intercepted missiles killed an Egyptian resident, the statement added.

India condemns missile attacks on Saudi Arabia

Four terrorists have been gunned down by security forces in Sunderbani area of Rajouri district in J&K.

The fidayeen, or suicide attackers, had infiltrated into the Indian territory from across the Line of Control (LoC) about four-five days ago, prompting security forces to launch a search operation in the area.

Authorities had ordered the closure of educational institutions in the Sunderbani tehsil in view of the search operation.

This is the second major terror incident in the Jammu region this year.

"Security forces today eliminated a group of four fidayeen in the Sunderbani area in a well-coordinated day-long operation," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Rajouri, Yougal Manhas told PTI.

"Four terrorists have been killed in the encounter," J&K's Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid confirmed.

No injury was reported to anyone in the gunfight with the terrorists, he said.

The encounter broke out in the Nowshera-Sunderbani belt after the group of infiltrating terrorists was intercepted by the security forces early today, the DGP said.

The SSP said the search operation in the villages of Sunderbani had been going on for four days. Last night, a joint column of police, Army and BSF launched a search in the Rawariya Talla area near a security establishment on the basis of a strong input.?

"Today morning, the terrorists, who were hiding in the bushes, fired at a search party, following which the police, Army and BSF cordoned off the entire area. Reinforcements were rushed to the spot and a fierce gunfight started," Manhas said.

In the day-long operation, four terrorists of a fidayeen group were gunned down. Their identities are yet to be ascertained, the officer said.

Four terrorists have been gunned down by security forces in Sunderbani area of Rajouri district in J&K. The fidayeen, or suicide attackers, had infiltrated into the Indian territory from across the Line of Control (LoC) about four-five days ago, prompting security forces to launch a search operation in the area. Authorities had ordered the closure of educational institutions in the Sunderbani tehsil in view of the search operation. This is the second major terror incident in the Jammu region this year. "Security forces today eliminated a group of four fidayeen in the Sunderbani area in a well-coordinated day-long operation," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Rajouri, Yougal Manhas told PTI. "Four terrorists have been killed in the encounter," J&K's Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid confirmed. No injury was reported to anyone in the gunfight with the terrorists, he said. The encounter broke out in the Nowshera-Sunderbani belt after the group of infiltrating terrorists was intercepted by the security forces early today, the DGP said. The SSP said the search operation in the villages of Sunderbani had been going on for four days. Last night, a joint column of police, Army and BSF launched a search in the Rawariya Talla area near a security establishment on the basis of a strong input.? "Today morning, the terrorists, who were hiding in the bushes, fired at a search party, following which the police, Army and BSF cordoned off the entire area. Reinforcements were rushed to the spot and a fierce gunfight started," Manhas said. In the day-long operation, four terrorists of a fidayeen group were gunned down. Their identities are yet to be ascertained, the officer said.

J&K: 4 terrorists killed in Rajouri encounter

Pakistan today strongly condemned a suicide attack near a Shia shrine in the Afghan capital that killed 29 people and wounded 52 others.

&quot;We are grieved at the loss of precious and innocent lives in this brutal attack of terrorism.We express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,&quot; the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Pakistan reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations and expresses solidarity with the government and people of Afghanistan in their fight against the menace of terrorism, it further said.

An Islamic State suicide bomber struck on the road to a Shia shrine in Kabul today, killing at least 29 people.

The Afghan Public Health Ministry said another 52 people were wounded in the attack.&nbsp;

Pakistan today strongly condemned a suicide attack near a Shia shrine in the Afghan capital that killed 29 people and wounded 52 others

Pakistan today strongly condemned a suicide attack near a Shia shrine in the Afghan capital that killed 29 people and wounded 52 others. "We are grieved at the loss of precious and innocent lives in this brutal attack of terrorism.We express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," the Foreign Office said in a statement. Pakistan reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations and expresses solidarity with the government and people of Afghanistan in their fight against the menace of terrorism, it further said. An Islamic State suicide bomber struck on the road to a Shia shrine in Kabul today, killing at least 29 people. The Afghan Public Health Ministry said another 52 people were wounded in the attack.

Pakistan condemns suicide attack in Kabul

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that radicalisation of the populace, particularly youths, is one of the most challenging problems the world is facing currently.

Addressing the fourth counter-terrorism conference - &#39;Changing Contours of Global Terror&#39; - here yesterday, Singh, without taking Pakistan&#39;s name, said that some countries are providing sponsorship and safe havens to terrorists and this has further played a major role in the phenomenal growth of terrorism globally.

&quot;Radicalisation of populace, particularly youths, is another trend and one of the most challenging problems being faced over the world.&quot;

&quot;Several countries in the world have identified the problem and have taken measures to check and control the process of radicalisation and I am happy to state that India has timely busted some modules that were planning to orchestrate terrorist attacks on her soil,&quot; he said.

The home minister said that providing sponsorship and safe havens have further played a major role in the phenomenal growth of global terrorism.

In addition, state support has granted terrorist groups access to resources, guidance and logistics, which would normally be beyond their capabilities, Singh said.

&quot;Any effort to counter the activities of terrorist groups carries the danger of placing the victim nation in direct confrontation with the host nation and its resources,&quot; he said.

Singh said in the recent years, the perception of global terrorism has undergone a massive makeover with the rise of armed terror groups especially in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

&quot;This phenomenon could be attributed to the diminishing control in the terror space of the Al-Qaeda leadership, which just a decade ago was the face of terrorism. The shift of AQ Network from the Middle East to South Asia is a phenomenon, which is of serious concern to India,&quot; he said.

The home minister said a new dimension of terrorism is the networking of terrorist groups with the criminal underworld including organised crime gangs, gunrunners, smugglers, drug peddlers, with hawala and parallel banking channels being used for global flows of finance.

&quot;It has enabled global terrorist groups to use the infrastructure and terrain knowledge of local outfits for launching attacks in countries, despite having no presence in the area,&quot; he said.

The home minister said the government has kept a keen watch on the growth of ISIS and their ways of using social media as a key tool for ideological indoctrination, recruitment and networking by targeting young generation and intellectual Muslims.

&quot;The potential threat posed by the ISIS are a large-scale radicalisation of Muslim youths throughout the world, the rise in &#39;lone-wolf&#39; and terror attacks by returnee foreign fighters to their home countries. The terror attacks in Australia and France are telling examples of such threat,&quot; he said.

Singh said ISIS propaganda has significantly altered jihadi discourse in India, which, so far, was rooted in grievances against the Indian state and society.

&quot;I am, however, happy that Indian social fabric has not been affected by the emergence of the Islamic State and I am sure this will not have any further impact in our country,&quot; he said.

The home minister said India has consistently taken steps to intensify and strengthen international cooperation through various means.

Terrorism, in all forms, including, Left Wing Extremism and Insurgency, poses a challenge on the sovereignty of India and the country already faces a serious challenge due to relentless efforts of Pakistan-sponsored anti-India Islamist groups like the LeT, JeM, HUJI and Hizbul Mujahideen, he said.

Singh said the emergence of India at the global level is also being challenged by the terrorist groups, due to its vibrant economy and plural character.

The home minister said that providing sponsorship and safe havens have further played a major role in the phenomenal growth of global terrorism

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that radicalisation of the populace, particularly youths, is one of the most challenging problems the world is facing currently. Addressing the fourth counter-terrorism conference - 'Changing Contours of Global Terror' - here yesterday, Singh, without taking Pakistan's name, said that some countries are providing sponsorship and safe havens to terrorists and this has further played a major role in the phenomenal growth of terrorism globally. "Radicalisation of populace, particularly youths, is another trend and one of the most challenging problems being faced over the world." "Several countries in the world have identified the problem and have taken measures to check and control the process of radicalisation and I am happy to state that India has timely busted some modules that were planning to orchestrate terrorist attacks on her soil," he said. The home minister said that providing sponsorship and safe havens have further played a major role in the phenomenal growth of global terrorism. In addition, state support has granted terrorist groups access to resources, guidance and logistics, which would normally be beyond their capabilities, Singh said. "Any effort to counter the activities of terrorist groups carries the danger of placing the victim nation in direct confrontation with the host nation and its resources," he said. Singh said in the recent years, the perception of global terrorism has undergone a massive makeover with the rise of armed terror groups especially in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. "This phenomenon could be attributed to the diminishing control in the terror space of the Al-Qaeda leadership, which just a decade ago was the face of terrorism. The shift of AQ Network from the Middle East to South Asia is a phenomenon, which is of serious concern to India," he said. The home minister said a new dimension of terrorism is the networking of terrorist groups with the criminal underworld including organised crime gangs, gunrunners, smugglers, drug peddlers, with hawala and parallel banking channels being used for global flows of finance. "It has enabled global terrorist groups to use the infrastructure and terrain knowledge of local outfits for launching attacks in countries, despite having no presence in the area," he said. The home minister said the government has kept a keen watch on the growth of ISIS and their ways of using social media as a key tool for ideological indoctrination, recruitment and networking by targeting young generation and intellectual Muslims. "The potential threat posed by the ISIS are a large-scale radicalisation of Muslim youths throughout the world, the rise in 'lone-wolf' and terror attacks by returnee foreign fighters to their home countries. The terror attacks in Australia and France are telling examples of such threat," he said. Singh said ISIS propaganda has significantly altered jihadi discourse in India, which, so far, was rooted in grievances against the Indian state and society. "I am, however, happy that Indian social fabric has not been affected by the emergence of the Islamic State and I am sure this will not have any further impact in our country," he said. The home minister said India has consistently taken steps to intensify and strengthen international cooperation through various means. Terrorism, in all forms, including, Left Wing Extremism and Insurgency, poses a challenge on the sovereignty of India and the country already faces a serious challenge due to relentless efforts of Pakistan-sponsored anti-India Islamist groups like the LeT, JeM, HUJI and Hizbul Mujahideen, he said. Singh said the emergence of India at the global level is also being challenged by the terrorist groups, due to its vibrant economy and plural character.

Radicalisation of youth most challenging problem for world: Rajnath

Moscow said on Thursday that it was committed to helping Syria&#39;s regime &quot;finish off&quot; rebels in Eastern Ghouta, confirming its military is playing a role in the assault on the rebel enclave.&nbsp;

Russia has provided few details of its involvement in the offensive on Ghouta but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday left no doubt Moscow&#39;s forces were taking an active part.&nbsp;

&quot;We will continue fighting terrorists, we will finish them off, we will help finish them off in Eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army is now conducting operations with our support,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria late last year, the military has released little information about its involvement.&nbsp;

Moscow has been overseeing efforts to evacuate civilians out of the Eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus through a humanitarian corridor.

It has labelled rebel groups from that area &quot;terrorists&quot; who are not protected under the current ceasefire.

Eastern Ghouta has been the target of a blistering government assault for the past month, causing a humanitarian emergency. The offensive, backed by bombing, has split the enclave into three sections.

The Syrian Observatory monitor has blamed both Damascus and Moscow for massive civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, though Russia has never admitted to participating in the bombing.

'We will continue fighting terrorists, we will finish them off, we will help finish them off in Eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army is now conducting operations with our support,' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said

Moscow said on Thursday that it was committed to helping Syria's regime "finish off" rebels in Eastern Ghouta, confirming its military is playing a role in the assault on the rebel enclave. Russia has provided few details of its involvement in the offensive on Ghouta but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday left no doubt Moscow's forces were taking an active part. "We will continue fighting terrorists, we will finish them off, we will help finish them off in Eastern Ghouta, where the Syrian army is now conducting operations with our support," he said. Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria late last year, the military has released little information about its involvement. Moscow has been overseeing efforts to evacuate civilians out of the Eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus through a humanitarian corridor. It has labelled rebel groups from that area "terrorists" who are not protected under the current ceasefire. Eastern Ghouta has been the target of a blistering government assault for the past month, causing a humanitarian emergency. The offensive, backed by bombing, has split the enclave into three sections. The Syrian Observatory monitor has blamed both Damascus and Moscow for massive civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta, though Russia has never admitted to participating in the bombing.

Moscow confirms role in Eastern Ghouta offensive

French President France Emmanuel Macron to&nbsp;arrive in New Delhi on Friday on a four-day state visit.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/macron-heads-to-india-seeking-to-avoid-trudeau-errors-35033">Macron heads to India, seeking to avoid Trudeau errors</a>

Travelling with his wife Brigitte and delegation of businessmen and ministry officials, Macron will tour India from March 9 to March 12

Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that &quot;the visit of President Macron is aimed at strengthening the bilateral economic, political and strategic dimension of our engagement&quot;.

Macron will also hold bilateral talks with Narendra Modi on Saturday in order to enhance and cooperate defence. maritime, security and energy-related sectors.

The&nbsp;issues like terrorism, climate change, sustainable growth and development, infrastructure, smart urbanization, science and technology cooperation will take centre stage during the discussions.

Macron will also chair the International Solar Alliance (ISA) summit on Sunday.

Macron is also expected to make a visit to Taj Mahal and on Monday he will be heading to Varanasi with Narendra Modi.

Macron last visited India in 2016 when he was invited to be the chief guest of Republic Day celebrations. 
&nbsp;

Travelling with his wife Brigitte and delegation of businessmen and ministry officials, Macron will stay in India from March 9 to March 12

French President France Emmanuel Macron to arrive in New Delhi on Friday on a four-day state visit. Also read: Macron heads to India, seeking to avoid Trudeau errors Travelling with his wife Brigitte and delegation of businessmen and ministry officials, Macron will tour India from March 9 to March 12 Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that "the visit of President Macron is aimed at strengthening the bilateral economic, political and strategic dimension of our engagement". Macron will also hold bilateral talks with Narendra Modi on Saturday in order to enhance and cooperate defence. maritime, security and energy-related sectors. The issues like terrorism, climate change, sustainable growth and development, infrastructure, smart urbanization, science and technology cooperation will take centre stage during the discussions. Macron will also chair the International Solar Alliance (ISA) summit on Sunday. Macron is also expected to make a visit to Taj Mahal and on Monday he will be heading to Varanasi with Narendra Modi. Macron last visited India in 2016 when he was invited to be the chief guest of Republic Day celebrations.

French President Emmanuel Macron to arrive in Delhi today on four-day visit

Israeli lawmakers have passed a controversial bill allowing police to hold the corpses of alleged Palestinian assailants indefinitely, parliament said on Thursday.&nbsp;

The act was passed late Wednesday by 48 votes to 10, a Knesset statement said, hours after another measure permitting the interior minister to strip Palestinians in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem of their permanent residency permits &quot;if they are involved in terrorism.&quot;

The government announced in 2016 that it would not release for burial the bodies of Palestinian assailants killed during attacks unless Palestinians in Gaza released the remains of two Israeli soldiers believed to have been killed in a 2014 war in Gaza.

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In November 2017, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled that Israel would not repatriate the bodies of five Islamic Jihad militants killed when the army blew up a tunnel stretching from the Gaza Strip into its territory.

The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in December that the policy was illegal under current law, but it gave the government six months to enact new legislation.

The revised act gives authority to police district commanders &quot;to set conditions for returning the body of a terrorist for family burial,&quot; the Knesset statement said.

If the commander decides that a funeral may spark another attack or turn into a political rally in support of violence he can impose limits on the time, location and number of mourners and &quot;a body could be held until the family agrees to the terms,&quot; the statement adds.

The bill was sponsored by two MPs from Netanyahu&#39;s right-wing Likud party and the religious-nationalist Jewish Home.

Arab MP Yousef Jabareen, of the opposition Joint List party, said it was &quot;a delusional and draconian law of a delusional government.&quot;

It applies only to Israel and east Jerusalem, where the police have authority, and not to the occupied West Bank, which is under army rule.

The legislation on revoking permanent residency permits, proposed by a Likud MP, passed by 48 votes to 18, the Knesset said.

Israel seized control of Arab east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war.

It later annexed the territory, in a move never recognised by the international community, and today it is home to about 300,000 Palestinians.&nbsp;

Although they have the right to apply for Israeli citizenship few take up the offer and of those many are refused, often on unspecified &quot;security grounds.&quot;

The vast majority opt for permanent residency status, which gives them free movement throughout Israel, access to health and welfare services and a vote in Jerusalem municipal elections.

They cannot vote in parliamentary elections and they do not hold Israeli passports.

The act was passed late Wednesday by 48 votes to 10, a Knesset statement said

Israeli lawmakers have passed a controversial bill allowing police to hold the corpses of alleged Palestinian assailants indefinitely, parliament said on Thursday. The act was passed late Wednesday by 48 votes to 10, a Knesset statement said, hours after another measure permitting the interior minister to strip Palestinians in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem of their permanent residency permits "if they are involved in terrorism." The government announced in 2016 that it would not release for burial the bodies of Palestinian assailants killed during attacks unless Palestinians in Gaza released the remains of two Israeli soldiers believed to have been killed in a 2014 war in Gaza. The law was passed hours after another measure permitting the interior minister to strip Palestinians in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem of their permanent residency permits 'if they are involved in terrorism' × In November 2017, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signalled that Israel would not repatriate the bodies of five Islamic Jihad militants killed when the army blew up a tunnel stretching from the Gaza Strip into its territory. The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in December that the policy was illegal under current law, but it gave the government six months to enact new legislation. The revised act gives authority to police district commanders "to set conditions for returning the body of a terrorist for family burial," the Knesset statement said. If the commander decides that a funeral may spark another attack or turn into a political rally in support of violence he can impose limits on the time, location and number of mourners and "a body could be held until the family agrees to the terms," the statement adds. The bill was sponsored by two MPs from Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and the religious-nationalist Jewish Home. Arab MP Yousef Jabareen, of the opposition Joint List party, said it was "a delusional and draconian law of a delusional government." It applies only to Israel and east Jerusalem, where the police have authority, and not to the occupied West Bank, which is under army rule. The legislation on revoking permanent residency permits, proposed by a Likud MP, passed by 48 votes to 18, the Knesset said. Israel seized control of Arab east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed the territory, in a move never recognised by the international community, and today it is home to about 300,000 Palestinians. Although they have the right to apply for Israeli citizenship few take up the offer and of those many are refused, often on unspecified "security grounds." The vast majority opt for permanent residency status, which gives them free movement throughout Israel, access to health and welfare services and a vote in Jerusalem municipal elections. They cannot vote in parliamentary elections and they do not hold Israeli passports.

Israeli police get right to hold Palestinian assailants' bodies

Now that the brouhaha is over, and we have seen the back of three quick-succession foreign dignitaries &ndash; Justin Trudeau&rsquo;s seven-day jaunt through India, King Abdullah&rsquo;s three-day sojourn, followed by a low key &ldquo;India&rsquo;s look East visit&rdquo; by the Vietnamese Premier. Delhi definitely seems to be the flavour of the day!

A new dimension has been added to diplomatic greetings &ndash; effusiveness and tightness of the jhappi-pappi (hugs and greetings) dictates the importance of the dignitary, rather than the level of courtesy extended during arrival dignitary. Jhappi-pappi, even when clearly the other person is cringing (in western culture such familiarity borders on transgression of personal space) is the order of the day. An arm&#39;s length handshake and a hello will do &ndash; thank you! Trudeau&rsquo;s reception did not even merit a junior minister of state, leave aside the EAM &ndash; nor, to my knowledge was there any jhappi-pappi; so, there you have it. King Abdullah was given a major bear hug, indicating his importance, while the diminutive Vietnamese Premier merited only a handshake.

So, what exactly do we read out of the visit of the Jordanian King? Visits by the heads of state and premiers of countries are not trifling matters and are meant to promote national interests, with an exchange of far-ranging and important treaties. But once in a while such visits could land up promoting personal interests of a powerful leader, under the dictum &quot;L&#39;&Eacute;tat, c&#39;est moi&quot; (I am the State, and State is I) &ndash; a distinct possibility in a one-man state, like what we are witnessing in China, and certainly a dangerous trend. Is India on the same path?

One is confused as to what importance to accord to the Kings visit &ndash; while a well-meaning person, he is a lightweight in Middle East affairs, holds limited influence to support India in the OIC, and has little say over the Palestine-Israeli equation. Indeed the territorial and jurisdictional influence of the Hashemite is perhaps the lowest in history; West Bank was ceded to the Palestinians, and Jerusalem and its holy sites of the Jews, Christians and Muslims, were usurped by Israel. Thus, Jordan&rsquo;s support hardly furthers India&rsquo;s national interests. Perhaps, visits by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, President Sisi of Egypt, or President Erdogan of Turkey, would have been more meaningful. The only other major player we managed to pull in, was President Rouhani of Iran. On the contrary, Canada is a permanent member of the NSG and could have helped us in nuclear fuel supply situation; besides, India has a number of issues relating to Khalistani separatists, and issues of visas to Indian retired official etc. These were far more important.&nbsp;

So why sign eleven agreements with Jordan, that too insignificant ones on defence cooperation, cultural, economic and miscellaneous matters. None of these will have a major impact either way, for India or for Jordan. Jordan hardly has a standing Defence Force (just 111,000 personnel, the equivalent of one corps of our army), with a total budget of some USD 2.5 billion dollars. The &#39;Defence Agreement&#39; is meaningless, and all the other ten would ordinarily be concluded at the foreign secretary level, or at the most with the EAM. So what exactly was the purpose of the visit?&nbsp;

It was interesting, therefore, to see acrobatic somersaults and chameleonic deftness on the issue of Islam and terrorism. Prime Minister Modi who was hesitant to even don the Muslim skull cap (Taqiyah) when felicitated by a Maulana in 2011, was now pontificating on values of Islam and that fight against terror is not against Muslims. Be that as it may, it becomes clear that politicians can adopt any strategy and go to any length for garnering political mileage. One good thing is, that he has now committed publicly, that India&rsquo;s progress cannot and must not exclude a major element of the population. King Abdullah&rsquo;s visit, his speech (and of the PM) at the Islamic centre to members of the Muslim community, was (to my mind) meant to establish a bridge with the community through a Muslim plenipotentiary; a bridge the PM needs to desperately establish before the 2019 general elections.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The invitation was obviously not for India to get a foothold in Palestinian-Israeli affairs since far too many leaders have burnt their fingers trying to resolve this vexed question. So, other probabilities were; one, to garner support for India&rsquo;s bid for a UN seat; and two, buttress the PM&#39;s bid for a Noble Prize as a statesman of repute. Latter may seem outlandish, but not long ago, while meeting some diplomats, I asked how the outside world viewed NaMo, despite our internal travails, and his silence on these grave matters. The diplomats&rsquo; view was revealing; &ldquo;Modi has an agenda, and a focus on being recognized in history as a modern-day Gandhi and maker of the new India &ndash; he is ambitious and clever and will go to any ends to achieve his aims&rdquo;.

This seems to fit since King Abdullah is known to be leading voice on modernisation and de-radicalisation in Islam. It coincides with NaMo&rsquo;s often-repeated theme of terrorism and radicalism being the biggest challenges faced by the world today. It sort of helped by media announcing that King Abdullah II was a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) &ndash; which he is not &ndash; and that he is also custodian of the holy sites in Mecca-Medina and Jerusalem - which again he is not, since 1925 and 1967 respectively, except perhaps in name for the Jerusalem sites.

Amusing to see our media&rsquo;s skewed interpretation of history, in averring the direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This is far from the truth and seems to be for domestic Muslim consumption. From my knowledge of Islamic history, while both Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and King Abdulah II were from the Bannu Hashem clan of the Quraysh tribe, like our gotra system under a Khap (tribe), that is the limit of the association. The King is a Sunni, whereas lineal descendant is claimed by the Shia&rsquo;s, followers of Imam Hussein (the Prophets grandson). Abdullah II rightly traces his lineage as a Sharif (caretaker of the holy sites) through unbroken succession from 1101 to 1925 but is technically not a descendant.&nbsp;

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had three sons, but all died in childhood. His lineage passed on through his daughter, Fatima, married to Ali-bin Abu Talib (Prophets first cousin and son-in-law by marriage). Ali and Fatima&rsquo;s two sons, Hassan (the elder child) and Hussein (the younger child) were martyred along with his entire family at the battle of Karbala. What is historically known as the lineal descendants of the Prophet, if existing, are only through this lineage.

What the future holds for India&rsquo;s diplomatic foray into the Mid-East, through this subtle entry, remains to be seen. But, one thing is certain, PM Modi is casting his net wide. Now whether this is in pursuit of national interests or his own, only time will tell.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

King Abdullah of Jordan is known to be leading voice on modernisation and de-radicalisation in Islam, which coincides with NaMo’s often-repeated theme of terrorism and radicalism being the biggest challenges faced by the world today.

Now that the brouhaha is over, and we have seen the back of three quick-succession foreign dignitaries – Justin Trudeau’s seven-day jaunt through India, King Abdullah’s three-day sojourn, followed by a low key “India’s look East visit” by the Vietnamese Premier. Delhi definitely seems to be the flavour of the day! A new dimension has been added to diplomatic greetings – effusiveness and tightness of the jhappi-pappi (hugs and greetings) dictates the importance of the dignitary, rather than the level of courtesy extended during arrival dignitary. Jhappi-pappi, even when clearly the other person is cringing (in western culture such familiarity borders on transgression of personal space) is the order of the day. An arm's length handshake and a hello will do – thank you! Trudeau’s reception did not even merit a junior minister of state, leave aside the EAM – nor, to my knowledge was there any jhappi-pappi; so, there you have it. King Abdullah was given a major bear hug, indicating his importance, while the diminutive Vietnamese Premier merited only a handshake. So, what exactly do we read out of the visit of the Jordanian King? Visits by the heads of state and premiers of countries are not trifling matters and are meant to promote national interests, with an exchange of far-ranging and important treaties. But once in a while such visits could land up promoting personal interests of a powerful leader, under the dictum "L'État, c'est moi" (I am the State, and State is I) – a distinct possibility in a one-man state, like what we are witnessing in China, and certainly a dangerous trend. Is India on the same path? One is confused as to what importance to accord to the Kings visit – while a well-meaning person, he is a lightweight in Middle East affairs, holds limited influence to support India in the OIC, and has little say over the Palestine-Israeli equation. Indeed the territorial and jurisdictional influence of the Hashemite is perhaps the lowest in history; West Bank was ceded to the Palestinians, and Jerusalem and its holy sites of the Jews, Christians and Muslims, were usurped by Israel. Thus, Jordan’s support hardly furthers India’s national interests. Perhaps, visits by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, President Sisi of Egypt, or President Erdogan of Turkey, would have been more meaningful. The only other major player we managed to pull in, was President Rouhani of Iran. On the contrary, Canada is a permanent member of the NSG and could have helped us in nuclear fuel supply situation; besides, India has a number of issues relating to Khalistani separatists, and issues of visas to Indian retired official etc. These were far more important. So why sign eleven agreements with Jordan, that too insignificant ones on defence cooperation, cultural, economic and miscellaneous matters. None of these will have a major impact either way, for India or for Jordan. Jordan hardly has a standing Defence Force (just 111,000 personnel, the equivalent of one corps of our army), with a total budget of some USD 2.5 billion dollars. The 'Defence Agreement' is meaningless, and all the other ten would ordinarily be concluded at the foreign secretary level, or at the most with the EAM. So what exactly was the purpose of the visit? It was interesting, therefore, to see acrobatic somersaults and chameleonic deftness on the issue of Islam and terrorism. Prime Minister Modi who was hesitant to even don the Muslim skull cap (Taqiyah) when felicitated by a Maulana in 2011, was now pontificating on values of Islam and that fight against terror is not against Muslims. Be that as it may, it becomes clear that politicians can adopt any strategy and go to any length for garnering political mileage. One good thing is, that he has now committed publicly, that India’s progress cannot and must not exclude a major element of the population. King Abdullah’s visit, his speech (and of the PM) at the Islamic centre to members of the Muslim community, was (to my mind) meant to establish a bridge with the community through a Muslim plenipotentiary; a bridge the PM needs to desperately establish before the 2019 general elections. The invitation was obviously not for India to get a foothold in Palestinian-Israeli affairs since far too many leaders have burnt their fingers trying to resolve this vexed question. So, other probabilities were; one, to garner support for India’s bid for a UN seat; and two, buttress the PM's bid for a Noble Prize as a statesman of repute. Latter may seem outlandish, but not long ago, while meeting some diplomats, I asked how the outside world viewed NaMo, despite our internal travails, and his silence on these grave matters. The diplomats’ view was revealing; “Modi has an agenda, and a focus on being recognized in history as a modern-day Gandhi and maker of the new India – he is ambitious and clever and will go to any ends to achieve his aims”. This seems to fit since King Abdullah is known to be leading voice on modernisation and de-radicalisation in Islam. It coincides with NaMo’s often-repeated theme of terrorism and radicalism being the biggest challenges faced by the world today. It sort of helped by media announcing that King Abdullah II was a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) – which he is not – and that he is also custodian of the holy sites in Mecca-Medina and Jerusalem - which again he is not, since 1925 and 1967 respectively, except perhaps in name for the Jerusalem sites. Amusing to see our media’s skewed interpretation of history, in averring the direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This is far from the truth and seems to be for domestic Muslim consumption. From my knowledge of Islamic history, while both Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and King Abdulah II were from the Bannu Hashem clan of the Quraysh tribe, like our gotra system under a Khap (tribe), that is the limit of the association. The King is a Sunni, whereas lineal descendant is claimed by the Shia’s, followers of Imam Hussein (the Prophets grandson). Abdullah II rightly traces his lineage as a Sharif (caretaker of the holy sites) through unbroken succession from 1101 to 1925 but is technically not a descendant. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had three sons, but all died in childhood. His lineage passed on through his daughter, Fatima, married to Ali-bin Abu Talib (Prophets first cousin and son-in-law by marriage). Ali and Fatima’s two sons, Hassan (the elder child) and Hussein (the younger child) were martyred along with his entire family at the battle of Karbala. What is historically known as the lineal descendants of the Prophet, if existing, are only through this lineage. What the future holds for India’s diplomatic foray into the Mid-East, through this subtle entry, remains to be seen. But, one thing is certain, PM Modi is casting his net wide. Now whether this is in pursuit of national interests or his own, only time will tell. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why Narendra Modi embraced King Abdullah and ignored PM Trudeau

The Pentagon on Sunday reminded Pakistan that the war on terrorism in the South Asian region reached an &quot;inflection point&quot; and that the country should take the opportunity to tackle and defeat terrorists, as the United States and Pakistan aim&nbsp;to improve their souring ties.

&quot;With respect to Pakistan, we believe that Pakistan can do more to combat terrorism,&quot; Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White said at a weekend news briefing in Washington D.C.

&quot;This is an inflection point and this is an opportunity and Pakistan has an opportunity to do more. They&#39;ve been victims of terrorism. So, we&#39;ll look forward to continuing to work with them to see where there are opportunities,&quot; she added.

The Pentagon chief spokesperson also welcomed Pakistan&#39;s support of Afghanistan&#39;s latest peace offer to the Taliban in the Kabul Process Conference in Kabul last week.

Giving a stern warning to the Taliban, White said that the militant group had to abandon the path of terrorism and violence and support the Afghan peace offer.

She also noted that the United States continues to consult New Delhi, not only about &quot;India&#39;s very important role&quot; in Afghanistan but also on other issues that go beyond the South Asian region, The Dawn reported.

The briefing comes after Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua&#39;s will start her two-day visit to Washington D.C. from Tuesday, which is aimed at defusing the tensions between the US and Pakistan and finding a &quot;common ground&quot;.

On Sunday, official sources confirmed that Janjua will have a series of meetings at the White House and the US State Department and will also address think-tank experts at the US Institute of Peace during her visit.

At the White House, Janjua is likely to meet with Lisa Curtis, the US National Security Council&#39;s senior director for South and Central Asia.

Curtis arrived in Islamabad last week and held talks with Janjua and Pakistan Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on overall ties between the two countries.

Both sides called for the developing of sustainable peace in Afghanistan and stressed on measures needed to stop human trafficking in the region.

Curtis also visited Islamabad in October last year and met with various Pakistani officials. Both sides had agreed to the common objective of eliminating terrorism.

She held meetings with Janjua and Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.&nbsp;

The statement came as the US and Pakistan aim to improve their souring ties

The Pentagon on Sunday reminded Pakistan that the war on terrorism in the South Asian region reached an "inflection point" and that the country should take the opportunity to tackle and defeat terrorists, as the United States and Pakistan aim to improve their souring ties. "With respect to Pakistan, we believe that Pakistan can do more to combat terrorism," Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White said at a weekend news briefing in Washington D.C. "This is an inflection point and this is an opportunity and Pakistan has an opportunity to do more. They've been victims of terrorism. So, we'll look forward to continuing to work with them to see where there are opportunities," she added. The Pentagon chief spokesperson also welcomed Pakistan's support of Afghanistan's latest peace offer to the Taliban in the Kabul Process Conference in Kabul last week. Giving a stern warning to the Taliban, White said that the militant group had to abandon the path of terrorism and violence and support the Afghan peace offer. She also noted that the United States continues to consult New Delhi, not only about "India's very important role" in Afghanistan but also on other issues that go beyond the South Asian region, The Dawn reported. The briefing comes after Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua's will start her two-day visit to Washington D.C. from Tuesday, which is aimed at defusing the tensions between the US and Pakistan and finding a "common ground". On Sunday, official sources confirmed that Janjua will have a series of meetings at the White House and the US State Department and will also address think-tank experts at the US Institute of Peace during her visit. At the White House, Janjua is likely to meet with Lisa Curtis, the US National Security Council's senior director for South and Central Asia. Curtis arrived in Islamabad last week and held talks with Janjua and Pakistan Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal on overall ties between the two countries. Both sides called for the developing of sustainable peace in Afghanistan and stressed on measures needed to stop human trafficking in the region. Curtis also visited Islamabad in October last year and met with various Pakistani officials. Both sides had agreed to the common objective of eliminating terrorism. She held meetings with Janjua and Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Pentagon reminds Pak on terrorism, urges to tackle it

Four people were killed in an explosion and fire at a three-storey building in the central English city of Leicester, police said on Monday.

&quot;At this stage, there are four confirmed fatalities and four people remain in hospital, one with serious injuries,&quot; Leicestershire police said in a statement about the blast on Sunday evening.

Officers said there was no indication the explosion was related to terrorism but the cause had yet to be determined.&nbsp;

Firefighters worked through the night to control the blaze, which tore through the building in a residential area west of Leicester&#39;s city centre.

Police Superintendent Shane O&#39;Neill warned that the toll may yet rise further.

&quot;We believe there may be people who have not yet been accounted for and rescue efforts continue in order to locate any further casualties,&quot; he said.

Pictures and videos posted on social media showed a property engulfed in flames, with rubble and debris scattered around.

&quot;It was very scary,&quot; local resident Graeme Hudson said.

&quot;I live five minutes away... but my house shook. I went out and saw massive smoke and big flames.&quot;

Firefighters worked through the night to control the blaze, which tore through the building in a residential area west of Leicester's city centre

Four people were killed in an explosion and fire at a three-storey building in the central English city of Leicester, police said on Monday. "At this stage, there are four confirmed fatalities and four people remain in hospital, one with serious injuries," Leicestershire police said in a statement about the blast on Sunday evening. Officers said there was no indication the explosion was related to terrorism but the cause had yet to be determined. Firefighters worked through the night to control the blaze, which tore through the building in a residential area west of Leicester's city centre. Police Superintendent Shane O'Neill warned that the toll may yet rise further. "We believe there may be people who have not yet been accounted for and rescue efforts continue in order to locate any further casualties," he said. Pictures and videos posted on social media showed a property engulfed in flames, with rubble and debris scattered around. "It was very scary," local resident Graeme Hudson said. "I live five minutes away... but my house shook. I went out and saw massive smoke and big flames."

Four killed in Leicester shop explosion, cause yet to be determined: British Police

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'

An explosion destroyed a convenience store and a home in the central English city of Leicester on Sunday, injuring at least six people, officials said.

British police said there was no immediate indication that the explosion was linked to terrorism.

Pictures and videos posted on Twitter showed flames leaping into the sky from the site which was reduced to rubble.

&quot;All emergency services are currently dealing with this,&quot; the police force said in a statement. &quot;Please avoid the area.&quot;

Later it said the blast was being investigated by the fire service. &quot;At this stage, there is no indication this is terrorist-related,&quot; Leicestershire police said.

A local hospital said two patients were in a critical condition and four people had less severe injuries.

A photograph published by the Leicester Mercury newspaper showed a blaze and the rubble of a destroyed building which the newspaper said housed a convenience store and a flat above it.

&quot;We heard an absolutely massive explosion. It was pretty frightening,&quot; the Mercury quoted an unidentified resident, who lives a few streets away, as saying.

&quot;We went to look out of the upstairs windows and saw loads of smoke, and then a few seconds later massive orange flames.&quot;

The city&#39;s fire department said it sent six fire engines after the reports of a large explosion and a building collapse.

The Leicester Mercury said debris had been blown across the road in front of the site.

Police said a number of other buildings were damaged and homes and businesses in the area had been evacuated.

British police said there was no immediate indication that the explosion was linked to terrorism

An explosion destroyed a convenience store and a home in the central English city of Leicester on Sunday, injuring at least six people, officials said. British police said there was no immediate indication that the explosion was linked to terrorism. Pictures and videos posted on Twitter showed flames leaping into the sky from the site which was reduced to rubble. "All emergency services are currently dealing with this," the police force said in a statement. "Please avoid the area." Later it said the blast was being investigated by the fire service. "At this stage, there is no indication this is terrorist-related," Leicestershire police said. A local hospital said two patients were in a critical condition and four people had less severe injuries. A photograph published by the Leicester Mercury newspaper showed a blaze and the rubble of a destroyed building which the newspaper said housed a convenience store and a flat above it. "We heard an absolutely massive explosion. It was pretty frightening," the Mercury quoted an unidentified resident, who lives a few streets away, as saying. "We went to look out of the upstairs windows and saw loads of smoke, and then a few seconds later massive orange flames." The city's fire department said it sent six fire engines after the reports of a large explosion and a building collapse. The Leicester Mercury said debris had been blown across the road in front of the site. Police said a number of other buildings were damaged and homes and businesses in the area had been evacuated.

Blast destroys shop and home in English city, six taken to hospital

British police said on Sunday there was no indication a reported explosion and building collapse that critically injured at least four people in Leicester, a central English city, was linked to terrorism.

&quot;The cause of the explosion will be the subject of a joint investigation by the police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service,&quot; local police said in a statement.

&quot;We would ask that the media and public do not speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident, but at this stage, there is no indication this is terrorist related.&quot;

The reported explosion and building collapse occurred Sunday evening on a stretch of road containing commercial and residential properties close to the city centre.

Businesses and homes in the immediate vicinity were evacuated and those impacted were taken to a local police station as a temporary measure, police said.

Meanwhile, the electricity supply to a number of properties in the area has been cut while emergency services deal with the incident, it added.

The Fire and Rescue Service said it received calls shortly after 7:00 pm (1900 GMT) from the public reporting an explosion and a building fire.

It immediately dispatched six fire engines, a spokeswoman said.

&quot;We were en route when the police called to say a building had collapsed,&quot; she added.

Additional specialist search and rescue units were then dispatched, including a search and rescue dog, according to the spokeswoman.

&quot;We&#39;ve got no indication of what the cause is at this moment,&quot; the spokeswoman said.

Four people have been taken to hospital following the incident, the ambulance service said.

City hospital the Leicester Royal Infirmary said it was treating the four patients, who were &quot;in a critical condition&quot;.

It advised people to only attend its accident and emergency department &quot;if absolutely necessary&quot;.

The fire service spokeswoman also said representatives from gas and electric provider companies were in attendance at the scene, under routine procedures.

Pictures and videos posted on social media showed a property engulfed in flames visible from a distance, with rubble and debris scattered around.

Graeme Hudson told AFP he lives close to the scene and felt the blast.

&quot;It was very scary,&quot; he said. &quot;I live five minutes away... but my house shook. I went out and saw massive smoke and big flames.

&quot;I quickly went out to see what&#39;s happened,&quot; he added. &quot;(I) didn&#39;t stay for long there because (I felt) unsafe for my 11-year-old son.&quot; 
&nbsp;

The reported explosion and building collapse occurred Sunday evening on a stretch of road containing commercial and residential properties close to the city centre

British police said on Sunday there was no indication a reported explosion and building collapse that critically injured at least four people in Leicester, a central English city, was linked to terrorism. "The cause of the explosion will be the subject of a joint investigation by the police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service," local police said in a statement. "We would ask that the media and public do not speculate about the circumstances surrounding the incident, but at this stage, there is no indication this is terrorist related." The reported explosion and building collapse occurred Sunday evening on a stretch of road containing commercial and residential properties close to the city centre. Businesses and homes in the immediate vicinity were evacuated and those impacted were taken to a local police station as a temporary measure, police said. Meanwhile, the electricity supply to a number of properties in the area has been cut while emergency services deal with the incident, it added. The Fire and Rescue Service said it received calls shortly after 7:00 pm (1900 GMT) from the public reporting an explosion and a building fire. It immediately dispatched six fire engines, a spokeswoman said. "We were en route when the police called to say a building had collapsed," she added. Additional specialist search and rescue units were then dispatched, including a search and rescue dog, according to the spokeswoman. "We've got no indication of what the cause is at this moment," the spokeswoman said. Four people have been taken to hospital following the incident, the ambulance service said. City hospital the Leicester Royal Infirmary said it was treating the four patients, who were "in a critical condition". It advised people to only attend its accident and emergency department "if absolutely necessary". The fire service spokeswoman also said representatives from gas and electric provider companies were in attendance at the scene, under routine procedures. Pictures and videos posted on social media showed a property engulfed in flames visible from a distance, with rubble and debris scattered around. Graeme Hudson told AFP he lives close to the scene and felt the blast. "It was very scary," he said. "I live five minutes away... but my house shook. I went out and saw massive smoke and big flames. "I quickly went out to see what's happened," he added. "(I) didn't stay for long there because (I felt) unsafe for my 11-year-old son."

UK Police see no terror link in Leicester blast

Pakistan need not kill or capture militants such as members of the Haqqani network that use its territory to launch attacks in Afghanistan but could push them across the border instead, a senior US&nbsp;official said on Friday.

Evicting the militants would put them at risk of attack from Afghan and US&nbsp;forces trying to keep Afghanistan from becoming a launching pad for strikes on the West more than 16 years after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

The United States is pressuring Pakistan to cease providing sanctuary - which it denies giving - to Islamist militants unleashing chaos in neighboring Afghanistan.

On January 4, Washington said it would suspend some security aid to Islamabad to get it to end support for the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network whose attacks in Afghanistan have killed US, Afghan, and other forces.

The senior US&nbsp;official said in an interview that since the aid suspension - which US&nbsp;officials later said could affect as much as about $2 billion - the United States has not seen any sustained Pakistani effort against the militants.

In the latest US-led push to spur Pakistani action, a global money-laundering watchdog decided to put the country back on its terrorist financing watch list, a Pakistani government official and a diplomat told Reuters in Islamabad.

The US&nbsp;official dismissed suggestions pressure from Washington may backfire and suggested that Pakistan might start by taking smaller, tactical steps, including forcing such groups into Afghanistan before the spring fighting season begins.

&quot;I don&rsquo;t think Pakistan is feeling its oats. I think it`s feeling pressure,&quot; said the US&nbsp;official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. &quot;We have their attention.&quot;

The official said the United States did not have a specific timeline to assess Pakistani cooperation and would be looking to see if Islamabad would take &quot;tactical steps&quot; such as &quot;actions against ... (the) Haqqanis, pushing them across the border.

&quot;They don&rsquo;t have to arrest them or kill them ... just get them into Afghanistan, disrupt some of the infrastructure that exists, make it harder for them,&quot; the official added. &quot;We are about two months away from the fighting season, so now is the time to do some of this.&quot;

Some in the US&nbsp;government doubt Pakistan will comply.

In a February 13 statement to Congress, US&nbsp;Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said Pakistan would maintain &quot;its ties with militant groups, restricting counter-terrorism cooperation&quot; with the United States.

Pakistan need not kill or capture militants such as members of the Haqqani network that use its territory to launch attacks in Afghanistan but could push them across the border instead, a senior US official said on Friday

Pakistan need not kill or capture militants such as members of the Haqqani network that use its territory to launch attacks in Afghanistan but could push them across the border instead, a senior US official said on Friday. Evicting the militants would put them at risk of attack from Afghan and US forces trying to keep Afghanistan from becoming a launching pad for strikes on the West more than 16 years after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. The United States is pressuring Pakistan to cease providing sanctuary - which it denies giving - to Islamist militants unleashing chaos in neighboring Afghanistan. On January 4, Washington said it would suspend some security aid to Islamabad to get it to end support for the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network whose attacks in Afghanistan have killed US, Afghan, and other forces. The senior US official said in an interview that since the aid suspension - which US officials later said could affect as much as about $2 billion - the United States has not seen any sustained Pakistani effort against the militants. In the latest US-led push to spur Pakistani action, a global money-laundering watchdog decided to put the country back on its terrorist financing watch list, a Pakistani government official and a diplomat told Reuters in Islamabad. The US official dismissed suggestions pressure from Washington may backfire and suggested that Pakistan might start by taking smaller, tactical steps, including forcing such groups into Afghanistan before the spring fighting season begins. "I don’t think Pakistan is feeling its oats. I think it`s feeling pressure," said the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We have their attention." The official said the United States did not have a specific timeline to assess Pakistani cooperation and would be looking to see if Islamabad would take "tactical steps" such as "actions against ... (the) Haqqanis, pushing them across the border. "They don’t have to arrest them or kill them ... just get them into Afghanistan, disrupt some of the infrastructure that exists, make it harder for them," the official added. "We are about two months away from the fighting season, so now is the time to do some of this." Some in the US government doubt Pakistan will comply. In a February 13 statement to Congress, US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said Pakistan would maintain "its ties with militant groups, restricting counter-terrorism cooperation" with the United States.

Pakistan could evict, rather than kill, militants: US official

Rattan Singh Kalsi kept photos of all his grown children in his room at the seniors&rsquo; home, but one of them towered over the rest.

The photo anchored a kind of shrine to his daughter, Indira, who had died more than 30 years earlier, just as she was entering adulthood.

Indira had grown up in Canada and Rattan had bought her a plane ticket so she could see India, the country their family had come from, and spend time with the relatives she might not get to see once the responsibilities of work and adult life set in.

Naturally, Rattan, who had been middle-aged at the time of Indira&rsquo;s death, was heartbroken when she was killed in the bombing of the plane. He never recovered. He was not responsible for what had happened, but he blamed himself and lived in quiet anguish for the rest of his life.

Not long before he died, he shared his story. I was there to record it, and it was unbearably sad for both of us.

Rattan had left behind a request to scatter his and his wife&rsquo;s ashes (she had died some years earlier) over the same patch of ocean where the remains of the plane carrying their daughter had splashed down.

Bomb planted in Canada

All 329 people on board Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985, were killed, including 280 citizens or permanent residents of Canada.

They were lost to a bomb that exploded while their plane was in Irish airspace, en route from Canada to India. The bomb had been planted in Canada in an act of terror planned by extremists allegedly advocating for a separate Sikh state in the Punjab.

It was Canada&rsquo;s worst mass murder, yet it is barely remembered in this country.

Today, Canadians commonly regard the bombing as an Indian tragedy, or at most an Indo-Canadian tragedy. They typically dwell on the terrorism, but rarely on the grief and hardship of fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, children, friends and neighbours left behind.

Why hasn&rsquo;t this tragedy claimed a prominent place in Canadian history and public memory? Some now call it Canada&rsquo;s 9/11, but until the attack in New York City some 16 years later, they didn&rsquo;t call it much at all.

The Canadian families of the dead wonder year after year why no one but them seems to care, or why their grief is seen as less worthy than that of others who are more openly taken into the nation&rsquo;s heart.

Yes, there was a long criminal trial, a public inquiry and an apology from the federal government for failing to prevent the bombing and for the mistreatment of the families thereafter.

The bombing was belatedly declared &ldquo;a Canadian tragedy,&rdquo; so Air India is part of the official record, but it does not appear to be part of the Canadian family album.

&lsquo;Broad indifference&rsquo;

I have no personal connection to the tragedy, but our country&rsquo;s broad indifference to it came to me as a surprise. A course I was teaching at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., 25 years or more after the bombing, called for a section on Air India Flight 182, but when I went to look up the scholarly research, I was astonished by how little there was.

The absence of research was consistent with the broader and more troubling fact that the bombing has never resonated as deeply with Canadians as the scale of the tragedy would suggest.

The mismatch between the tragedy itself and its significance in the public memory may have many explanations, including racism.

It could be that the bombing is regarded as an Indian issue, since it was apparently motivated by political conflicts rooted there, or as an Irish event, since the plane that had taken off in Canada exploded in Irish airspace. It may be that since most of the Canadian victims were of Indian ancestry, that their fellow Canadians discounted them as outsiders or minorities.

Whatever the reason, a great wound had been left to the families to tend to on their own, and history had closed it over, leaving barely a scar for the public to see. The wound represented not only the grief of losing one&rsquo;s loved one, but the heartache of not being recognized as Canadians, and the loss not being viewed by the Canadian government and fellow citizens as a loss worthy of public mourning.

Since then, I have made it a personal and academic mission to haul this tragic event into the Canadian living room for a broader discussion, partly for the sake of the memory of those who died, and partly for the sake of those who have had to carry on without them.

Memorializing Air India

In 2016, toward the end of the 30th anniversary of the tragedy, my colleagues and I organized a two-day conference at McMaster featuring family members, scholars and artists in the hope of bringing the bombing closer to its rightful place in the Canadian consciousness.

Last year, we published an anthology, Remembering Air India: The Art of Public Mourning that creates a different sort of public record of the bombing than official responses.

In the course of my research, I have had the difficult honour of interviewing dozens of relatives of those who perished on Air India Flight 182. They have taken me inside their pain, and I find their grief substantial, complex and palpable even after three decades.

My work has led me to understand what our country lost in the bombing, and also what we have lost by failing to include the tragedy and its living victims in our collective memory.

At the annual commemoration of the bombing in Toronto every year, Air India families come up to me and ask who I lost. To me, it&rsquo;s distressing that they have come to expect that only other family members would care enough to come to a memorial service.

Slowly, I am assembling an Air India Flight 182 archive, the first of its kind, featuring families&rsquo; scrapbooks, poems, dance, kids&rsquo; paintings and recordings and transcripts of interviews with family members, to be housed at the McMaster University library and made available online for users around the world.

My hope is that it will preserve the memory of those who passed away, document the pain of their families and create resources for research that may finally connect this &ldquo;Canadian tragedy&rdquo; to Canada itself.

It&rsquo;s high time.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

There's an alarming lack of knowledge among Canadians about Air India Bombing of 1985 which killed 280 Indo-Canadians.

Rattan Singh Kalsi kept photos of all his grown children in his room at the seniors’ home, but one of them towered over the rest. The photo anchored a kind of shrine to his daughter, Indira, who had died more than 30 years earlier, just as she was entering adulthood. Indira had grown up in Canada and Rattan had bought her a plane ticket so she could see India, the country their family had come from, and spend time with the relatives she might not get to see once the responsibilities of work and adult life set in. Naturally, Rattan, who had been middle-aged at the time of Indira’s death, was heartbroken when she was killed in the bombing of the plane. He never recovered. He was not responsible for what had happened, but he blamed himself and lived in quiet anguish for the rest of his life. Not long before he died, he shared his story. I was there to record it, and it was unbearably sad for both of us. Rattan had left behind a request to scatter his and his wife’s ashes (she had died some years earlier) over the same patch of ocean where the remains of the plane carrying their daughter had splashed down. Bomb planted in Canada All 329 people on board Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985, were killed, including 280 citizens or permanent residents of Canada. They were lost to a bomb that exploded while their plane was in Irish airspace, en route from Canada to India. The bomb had been planted in Canada in an act of terror planned by extremists allegedly advocating for a separate Sikh state in the Punjab. It was Canada’s worst mass murder, yet it is barely remembered in this country. Today, Canadians commonly regard the bombing as an Indian tragedy, or at most an Indo-Canadian tragedy. They typically dwell on the terrorism, but rarely on the grief and hardship of fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, children, friends and neighbours left behind. Why hasn’t this tragedy claimed a prominent place in Canadian history and public memory? Some now call it Canada’s 9/11, but until the attack in New York City some 16 years later, they didn’t call it much at all. The Canadian families of the dead wonder year after year why no one but them seems to care, or why their grief is seen as less worthy than that of others who are more openly taken into the nation’s heart. Yes, there was a long criminal trial, a public inquiry and an apology from the federal government for failing to prevent the bombing and for the mistreatment of the families thereafter. The bombing was belatedly declared “a Canadian tragedy,” so Air India is part of the official record, but it does not appear to be part of the Canadian family album. ‘Broad indifference’ I have no personal connection to the tragedy, but our country’s broad indifference to it came to me as a surprise. A course I was teaching at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., 25 years or more after the bombing, called for a section on Air India Flight 182, but when I went to look up the scholarly research, I was astonished by how little there was. The absence of research was consistent with the broader and more troubling fact that the bombing has never resonated as deeply with Canadians as the scale of the tragedy would suggest. The mismatch between the tragedy itself and its significance in the public memory may have many explanations, including racism. It could be that the bombing is regarded as an Indian issue, since it was apparently motivated by political conflicts rooted there, or as an Irish event, since the plane that had taken off in Canada exploded in Irish airspace. It may be that since most of the Canadian victims were of Indian ancestry, that their fellow Canadians discounted them as outsiders or minorities. Whatever the reason, a great wound had been left to the families to tend to on their own, and history had closed it over, leaving barely a scar for the public to see. The wound represented not only the grief of losing one’s loved one, but the heartache of not being recognized as Canadians, and the loss not being viewed by the Canadian government and fellow citizens as a loss worthy of public mourning. Since then, I have made it a personal and academic mission to haul this tragic event into the Canadian living room for a broader discussion, partly for the sake of the memory of those who died, and partly for the sake of those who have had to carry on without them. Memorializing Air India In 2016, toward the end of the 30th anniversary of the tragedy, my colleagues and I organized a two-day conference at McMaster featuring family members, scholars and artists in the hope of bringing the bombing closer to its rightful place in the Canadian consciousness. Last year, we published an anthology, Remembering Air India: The Art of Public Mourning that creates a different sort of public record of the bombing than official responses. In the course of my research, I have had the difficult honour of interviewing dozens of relatives of those who perished on Air India Flight 182. They have taken me inside their pain, and I find their grief substantial, complex and palpable even after three decades. My work has led me to understand what our country lost in the bombing, and also what we have lost by failing to include the tragedy and its living victims in our collective memory. At the annual commemoration of the bombing in Toronto every year, Air India families come up to me and ask who I lost. To me, it’s distressing that they have come to expect that only other family members would care enough to come to a memorial service. Slowly, I am assembling an Air India Flight 182 archive, the first of its kind, featuring families’ scrapbooks, poems, dance, kids’ paintings and recordings and transcripts of interviews with family members, to be housed at the McMaster University library and made available online for users around the world. My hope is that it will preserve the memory of those who passed away, document the pain of their families and create resources for research that may finally connect this “Canadian tragedy” to Canada itself. It’s high time. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Startling indifference from Canadians about Air India bombing

&nbsp;India has said that it did not impose any restrictions on pilgrims travelling to Pakistan amid heightened tensions between the two nations following a string of terror attacks in the Kashmir Valley.

&quot;Of course not,&quot; External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Friday when asked if India had imposed any restriction on pilgrims.

The clarification comes after Pakistan reportedly blamed India for withdrawing visa applications of pilgrims from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

'Of course not,' External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Friday when asked if India had imposed any restriction on pilgrims

India has said that it did not impose any restrictions on pilgrims travelling to Pakistan amid heightened tensions between the two nations following a string of terror attacks in the Kashmir Valley. "Of course not," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Friday when asked if India had imposed any restriction on pilgrims. The clarification comes after Pakistan reportedly blamed India for withdrawing visa applications of pilgrims from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

Not imposed any restriction on pilgrims traveling to Pakistan: Ministry of External Affairs

Since the NDA government came to power in the centre, we have noticed two major things related to terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The first is an all-out integrated approach to target terrorists and neutralise them under &quot;Operation All Out&rdquo; and second is the reaction of the terrorist outfits in the form of increased frequency of attacks on the camps of the security forces.&nbsp;

Under &quot;Operation All Out&rdquo; all the stakeholders, including Special Forces, Army, Rashtriya Rifles, Paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police are acting as a joint team not only to neutralise the terrorists, they had also been successfully handling stone pelters in the valley. The joint operation yielded very good results and, in 2017 alone, more than 213 terrorists were killed by the security forces which gave a big blow to the aspirations of people across the border.

This was a matter of serious concern for Pakistan ISI as well as the terrorist organisations like Lashkar-E- Taiyaba, Jaish-e- Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. &ldquo;Operation All Out&rdquo; not only gave a major blow to the Pak sponsored terrorism but also lowered the morale of the terror outfits. There was a time when no one was ready to take over the top position in the terror group as many of the newly joined recruits from Kashmir were killed by the security forces.

Pak Army was also worried over the Indian Army and the BSF&#39;s response to retaliatory firing at border posts and growing casualties of its men. They were finding it difficult to carry out the old strategy of BAT and sniper attacks on Indian personnel as forces were giving befitting responses. More than 138 Pakistani soldiers were killed when Indian forces strongly retaliated at the ceasefire violation caused by them. ISI too had a serious concern and that&rsquo;s why the Pakistani authorities called for a meeting of the ISI and leaders of various terror outfits at Rawalpindi in the last week of December 2017. Members of the ISI, Pak Army, Hafiz Sayeed, Massoud Azhar and other representatives of Hizbul Mujahideen participated in the same.&nbsp;

Their prime worry was low morale of their cadres and difficulties in recruitment of fresh terrorists from Kashmir. During the meeting, they worked out a two-pronged strategy. Firstly, to infiltrate militants under heavy cover of LoC firing to support Kashmiri militants and, secondly, to weaken the morale and operation capacity of SF by attacking their convoys and camps.&nbsp;

Indian agencies which had the knowledge of the meeting have begun their counter preparations to tackle fresh designs of attacks from the ISI in the coming months. Indian intelligence agencies confirmed the news of this meeting and the same was further confirmed on 5th January 2018 when IGP of CRPF, Ravideep Singh Sahi revealed that in near future terrorists are going to resort to a new kind of tactics which will include standoff attacks on security forces, hit and run as well as grenade lobbying.

This new tactic was aimed to address some of the concern of the Pakistan Army and the ISI.&nbsp;

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; The very first aspect was to compel security forces to adopt a defensive strategy in separation from the existing offensive one, thus, saving their cadres from being killed mercilessly.

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; Secondly, because these attacks will be carried on in areas full of sympathisers, it would have helped in ushering the morale of their cadres.

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; They thought that this hit and run tactics will save their cadres from getting killed easily and there will be more chances of damage to the security forces.

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; Putting IEDs on the routes frequented by security forces will slow their movements and they will now be more cautious. This will affect the speed and agility of the forces by which they were attacking the terrorists by now.

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; Praising and popularising such attacks through Islamic radicals and their recruiters in the valley to facilitate new recruitments.

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; Attacking military installations will affect the morale of the security forces too.&nbsp;

The terror outfits soon started to perform as per the new tactics of their masters as is evident from the number of attacks carried out in 2018 itself. There has been a total of 22 attacks in just 44 days which means one attack every alternate day. Most of the attacks are hit and run type and were targeted to lower the speed of the security forces. The suicide (Fidayeen) attack on the camps were majorly targeted to lower the morale and cause a panic in the families of the soldiers.

Since the taking over of NDA Government in the centre we have seen two major things related to terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The first is an all-out integrated approach to target terrorists and neutralise them under :Operation All Out&rdquo; and second is the reaction of the terrorist outfits in the form of increased frequency of attacks on the camps of the security forces. The first one is known very well as to how all the stakeholders including Special Forces, Army, Rashtriya Rifles, Paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police are acting as a joint team to not only neutralise the terrorists but also successfully handling stone pelters in the valley. The joint operation yielded very good results and in 2017 alone, more than 213 terrorists were killed by the security forces which gave a big blow to the aspirations of people across the border.

This was a matter of serious concern for Pakistan ISI as well as the terrorist organisations like Lashkar-E- Taiyaba, Jaish-e- Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. &ldquo;Operation All Out&rdquo; not only gave a major blow to the Pak sponsored terrorism but also lowered the morale of the terror outfits. There was a time when no one was ready to take over the top position in the terror group as many of the newly joined recruits from Kashmir were killed by the security forces in a brutal manner.

Pak Army was also worried over the Indian Army and the BSF&#39;s response during retaliatory firing at border posts and growing casualties of its men. They were finding it difficult to carry out old strategy of BAT and sniper attacks on Indian personnel as forces were giving befitting responses. More than 138 Pakistani Soldiers were killed when Indian forces strongly retaliated the cease fire violation caused by them. ISI too had a serious concern and that&rsquo;s why the Pakistani authorities called for a meeting of ISI, Leaders of various terror outfits at Rawalpindi in the last week of Dec 2017. ISI, Pak Army, Hafiz Sayeed, Massoud Azhar and representatives of Hizbul Mujahideen participated in the same.

Their prime worry was low morale of their cadres and difficulties in recruitment of fresh terrorists from Kashmir. During the meeting, they worked out a two-pronged strategy. Firstly, to infiltrate militants under heavy cover of LoC firing to support Kashmiri militants and secondly to weaken the morale and operation capacity of SF by attacking their convoys and camps.

Indian agencies which were in the know of the meeting have begun their counter preparations to tackle fresh designs that the ISI will use to unleash in coming months. Indian intelligence agencies confirmed this news of this meeting and the same was further confirmed on 05th Jan 2018 when IGP of CRPF, Ravideep Singh Sahi revealed that in near future terrorists are going to resort to a new kind of tactics which will have standoff attacks on Security forces, Hit and Run or Grenade lobbying.

This new tactic was aimed to address some of the concern of Pakistan Army and ISI.

<ul>
	<li>The very first aspect was to compel security forces to adopt a defensive strategy from the existing offensive one thus, saving their cadres from being killed mercilessly.</li>
	<li>Secondly, due to these attacks in areas full of sympathisers would have helped in ushering the morale of their cadres.</li>
	<li>They thought that this Hit and run tactics will save their cadres from getting killed easily and there will be more chances of damage to the security forces.</li>
	<li>Putting IEDs on the routes frequented by Security forces will slow their movements and they will now be more cautious. This will affect the speed and agility of the forces by which they were attacking the terrorists by now.</li>
	<li>Praising and popularising such attacks through Islamic radicals and their recruiters in the valley to facilitate new recruitments.</li>
	<li>Attacking military installations will affect the morale of the security forces too.</li>
</ul>

The terror outfits soon started to perform as per the new tactics of their masters and the timelines of year 2018 speaks out the same. There has been a total of 22 attacks in just 44 days which means one attack every alternate day. Most of the attacks are hit and run type and were targeted to lower the speed of the security forces. The Suicide (Fidayeen) attack on the camps were majorly targeted to lower the morale and cause a panic in the families of the soldiers.

<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 614px;" width="460">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			Date
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Type of Attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Location
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			Casualties
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			01 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Suicide Attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Letpora, Pampore
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			05 policemen Martyred
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			02 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Firing at police station
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Pulwama
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			06 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			IED Blast
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Sopore, Baramula
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			04 Policeman Martyred
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			08 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Fire at Police Patrol
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Tahab, Pulwama
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			10 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			IED Blast
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Kamalkote, Uri
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			01 Soldier injured
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			12 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Attack on Police post
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Keegam, Shopian
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			13 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Recovery of IED
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Srinagar City
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			15 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Infiltration Bid Foiled
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Uri, Baramula
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			05 JeM Terrorists killed
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			18 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Recovery of IED
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Pounda, Doda
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			19 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Grenade attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Police Station- Pulwama
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			08 Policemen injured
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			22 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Grenade attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Azad Jung- Baramula
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			One Policemen injured
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			22 Jan 2019
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Grenade attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Khrew Chowk, Pampore
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			One Policeman Injured
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			24 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Recovery of IED
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Tangpora, Pampore
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			26 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Grenade Attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Police Station- Pulwama
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			27 Jan 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Grenade Attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Warpora, Sopore
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			02 Policemen injured
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			01Feb 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Firing at Police Station
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Banura, Pulwama
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			03 Feb 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Grenade Attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Tral, Pulwama
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			05 Policemen injured
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			05 Feb 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Grenade Attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			RR Camp, Kakarpora
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			06 Feb 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Terrorist attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			SMHS Hospital, Srinagar
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			02 Policemen Martyred
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			10 Feb 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Suicide Attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Sunjuwan, Jammu
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			06 Soldiers Martyred
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			12 Feb 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Terrorist attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			CRPF HQ, Srinagar
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			02 Policemen Martyred
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="width:104px;">
			13 Feb 2018
			</td>
			<td style="width:161px;">
			Terrorist attack
			</td>
			<td style="width:180px;">
			Damana, Jammu
			</td>
			<td style="width:170px;">
			NIL
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

&nbsp;

So, with the changing strategy of the terror outfits, the security forces have also changed their tactics and started acting accordingly. The recent attacks on CRPF Headquarters in Srinagar and Damana in Jammu were successfully thwarted.

As far as the attack on Sunjuwan camp is concerned, my personal take is the security forces did a wonderful job. I had seen several suicide (Fidayeen) attacks in the past and know about their planning and intensity. The way this attack was immediately detected and repulsed with minimal casualties, the security forces deserve an applause. While we salute our martyrs, who laid down their lives in this attack, the overall operation will definitely be called a success. We must keep the fact in mind that the terrorists were supported by locals and were holed up in a built-up area full of the families of soldiers and all of them were unarmed.

With all these sequence of events, one thing is absolutely clear that the morale of terrorists as well as their masters sitting across is breaking down. They are looking for ways and means to keep this movement going but finding it difficult. The cracking down on separatists, their financial network as well as over ground workers (OGWs) is making the task furthermore complicated.

The need of the day is now a final blow to the terror camps across the Line of Control. India must break the so-called sanctity of the Line of Control because the area across LoC belongs to us and we have full rights to thwart any unlawful activity from that area. &nbsp;This is the right time and right momentum and just need a strong political will. A perfectly planned and executed action now will certainly give lot of tactical and strategic mileage to the Indian security forces.

So, with the changing strategy of the terror outfits, the security forces have also changed their tactics and started acting accordingly. The recent attacks on CRPF Headquarters in Srinagar and Damana in Jammu were successfully thwarted.&nbsp;

As far as the attack on Sunjuwan camp is concerned, my personal take is the security forces did a wonderful job. I had seen number of suicide (Fidayeen) attacks in the past and know about their planning and intensity. The way this attack was immediately detected and repulsed with minimal casualties, the security forces deserve an applause. While we salute our martyrs, who laid down their lives in this attack, the overall operation will definitely be called a success. We must keep the fact in mind that the terrorists were supported by locals and were holed up in a built-up area full of the families of soldiers and all of them were unarmed.&nbsp;

With all these sequences of events, one thing is absolutely clear that the morale of terrorists as well as their masters sitting across the border is breaking down. They are looking for ways and means to keep this movement going but finding it difficult. The cracking down on separatists, their financial network, as well as overground workers (OGWs), is making the task more complicated.&nbsp;

The need of the day is now to deal a final blow to the terror camps across the Line of Control. This is the right time and right momentum and just need a strong political will. A perfectly planned and executed action now will certainly give a lot of tactical and strategic mileage to the Indian security forces.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The suicide attacks on the camps were majorly targeted to lower the morale and cause a panic in the families of the soldiers.

Since the NDA government came to power in the centre, we have noticed two major things related to terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The first is an all-out integrated approach to target terrorists and neutralise them under "Operation All Out” and second is the reaction of the terrorist outfits in the form of increased frequency of attacks on the camps of the security forces. Under "Operation All Out” all the stakeholders, including Special Forces, Army, Rashtriya Rifles, Paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police are acting as a joint team not only to neutralise the terrorists, they had also been successfully handling stone pelters in the valley. The joint operation yielded very good results and, in 2017 alone, more than 213 terrorists were killed by the security forces which gave a big blow to the aspirations of people across the border. This was a matter of serious concern for Pakistan ISI as well as the terrorist organisations like Lashkar-E- Taiyaba, Jaish-e- Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. “Operation All Out” not only gave a major blow to the Pak sponsored terrorism but also lowered the morale of the terror outfits. There was a time when no one was ready to take over the top position in the terror group as many of the newly joined recruits from Kashmir were killed by the security forces. Pak Army was also worried over the Indian Army and the BSF's response to retaliatory firing at border posts and growing casualties of its men. They were finding it difficult to carry out the old strategy of BAT and sniper attacks on Indian personnel as forces were giving befitting responses. More than 138 Pakistani soldiers were killed when Indian forces strongly retaliated at the ceasefire violation caused by them. ISI too had a serious concern and that’s why the Pakistani authorities called for a meeting of the ISI and leaders of various terror outfits at Rawalpindi in the last week of December 2017. Members of the ISI, Pak Army, Hafiz Sayeed, Massoud Azhar and other representatives of Hizbul Mujahideen participated in the same. Their prime worry was low morale of their cadres and difficulties in recruitment of fresh terrorists from Kashmir. During the meeting, they worked out a two-pronged strategy. Firstly, to infiltrate militants under heavy cover of LoC firing to support Kashmiri militants and, secondly, to weaken the morale and operation capacity of SF by attacking their convoys and camps. Indian agencies which had the knowledge of the meeting have begun their counter preparations to tackle fresh designs of attacks from the ISI in the coming months. Indian intelligence agencies confirmed the news of this meeting and the same was further confirmed on 5th January 2018 when IGP of CRPF, Ravideep Singh Sahi revealed that in near future terrorists are going to resort to a new kind of tactics which will include standoff attacks on security forces, hit and run as well as grenade lobbying. This new tactic was aimed to address some of the concern of the Pakistan Army and the ISI. • The very first aspect was to compel security forces to adopt a defensive strategy in separation from the existing offensive one, thus, saving their cadres from being killed mercilessly. • Secondly, because these attacks will be carried on in areas full of sympathisers, it would have helped in ushering the morale of their cadres. • They thought that this hit and run tactics will save their cadres from getting killed easily and there will be more chances of damage to the security forces. • Putting IEDs on the routes frequented by security forces will slow their movements and they will now be more cautious. This will affect the speed and agility of the forces by which they were attacking the terrorists by now. • Praising and popularising such attacks through Islamic radicals and their recruiters in the valley to facilitate new recruitments. • Attacking military installations will affect the morale of the security forces too. The terror outfits soon started to perform as per the new tactics of their masters as is evident from the number of attacks carried out in 2018 itself. There has been a total of 22 attacks in just 44 days which means one attack every alternate day. Most of the attacks are hit and run type and were targeted to lower the speed of the security forces. The suicide (Fidayeen) attack on the camps were majorly targeted to lower the morale and cause a panic in the families of the soldiers. Since the taking over of NDA Government in the centre we have seen two major things related to terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The first is an all-out integrated approach to target terrorists and neutralise them under :Operation All Out” and second is the reaction of the terrorist outfits in the form of increased frequency of attacks on the camps of the security forces. The first one is known very well as to how all the stakeholders including Special Forces, Army, Rashtriya Rifles, Paramilitary forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police are acting as a joint team to not only neutralise the terrorists but also successfully handling stone pelters in the valley. The joint operation yielded very good results and in 2017 alone, more than 213 terrorists were killed by the security forces which gave a big blow to the aspirations of people across the border. This was a matter of serious concern for Pakistan ISI as well as the terrorist organisations like Lashkar-E- Taiyaba, Jaish-e- Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen. “Operation All Out” not only gave a major blow to the Pak sponsored terrorism but also lowered the morale of the terror outfits. There was a time when no one was ready to take over the top position in the terror group as many of the newly joined recruits from Kashmir were killed by the security forces in a brutal manner. Pak Army was also worried over the Indian Army and the BSF's response during retaliatory firing at border posts and growing casualties of its men. They were finding it difficult to carry out old strategy of BAT and sniper attacks on Indian personnel as forces were giving befitting responses. More than 138 Pakistani Soldiers were killed when Indian forces strongly retaliated the cease fire violation caused by them. ISI too had a serious concern and that’s why the Pakistani authorities called for a meeting of ISI, Leaders of various terror outfits at Rawalpindi in the last week of Dec 2017. ISI, Pak Army, Hafiz Sayeed, Massoud Azhar and representatives of Hizbul Mujahideen participated in the same. Their prime worry was low morale of their cadres and difficulties in recruitment of fresh terrorists from Kashmir. During the meeting, they worked out a two-pronged strategy. Firstly, to infiltrate militants under heavy cover of LoC firing to support Kashmiri militants and secondly to weaken the morale and operation capacity of SF by attacking their convoys and camps. Indian agencies which were in the know of the meeting have begun their counter preparations to tackle fresh designs that the ISI will use to unleash in coming months. Indian intelligence agencies confirmed this news of this meeting and the same was further confirmed on 05th Jan 2018 when IGP of CRPF, Ravideep Singh Sahi revealed that in near future terrorists are going to resort to a new kind of tactics which will have standoff attacks on Security forces, Hit and Run or Grenade lobbying. This new tactic was aimed to address some of the concern of Pakistan Army and ISI. The very first aspect was to compel security forces to adopt a defensive strategy from the existing offensive one thus, saving their cadres from being killed mercilessly. Secondly, due to these attacks in areas full of sympathisers would have helped in ushering the morale of their cadres. They thought that this Hit and run tactics will save their cadres from getting killed easily and there will be more chances of damage to the security forces. Putting IEDs on the routes frequented by Security forces will slow their movements and they will now be more cautious. This will affect the speed and agility of the forces by which they were attacking the terrorists by now. Praising and popularising such attacks through Islamic radicals and their recruiters in the valley to facilitate new recruitments. Attacking military installations will affect the morale of the security forces too. The terror outfits soon started to perform as per the new tactics of their masters and the timelines of year 2018 speaks out the same. There has been a total of 22 attacks in just 44 days which means one attack every alternate day. Most of the attacks are hit and run type and were targeted to lower the speed of the security forces. The Suicide (Fidayeen) attack on the camps were majorly targeted to lower the morale and cause a panic in the families of the soldiers. Date Type of Attack Location Casualties 01 Jan 2018 Suicide Attack Letpora, Pampore 05 policemen Martyred 02 Jan 2018 Firing at police station Pulwama NIL 06 Jan 2018 IED Blast Sopore, Baramula 04 Policeman Martyred 08 Jan 2018 Fire at Police Patrol Tahab, Pulwama NIL 10 Jan 2018 IED Blast Kamalkote, Uri 01 Soldier injured 12 Jan 2018 Attack on Police post Keegam, Shopian NIL 13 Jan 2018 Recovery of IED Srinagar City NIL 15 Jan 2018 Infiltration Bid Foiled Uri, Baramula 05 JeM Terrorists killed 18 Jan 2018 Recovery of IED Pounda, Doda NIL 19 Jan 2018 Grenade attack Police Station- Pulwama 08 Policemen injured 22 Jan 2018 Grenade attack Azad Jung- Baramula One Policemen injured 22 Jan 2019 Grenade attack Khrew Chowk, Pampore One Policeman Injured 24 Jan 2018 Recovery of IED Tangpora, Pampore NIL 26 Jan 2018 Grenade Attack Police Station- Pulwama NIL 27 Jan 2018 Grenade Attack Warpora, Sopore 02 Policemen injured 01Feb 2018 Firing at Police Station Banura, Pulwama NIL 03 Feb 2018 Grenade Attack Tral, Pulwama 05 Policemen injured 05 Feb 2018 Grenade Attack RR Camp, Kakarpora NIL 06 Feb 2018 Terrorist attack SMHS Hospital, Srinagar 02 Policemen Martyred 10 Feb 2018 Suicide Attack Sunjuwan, Jammu 06 Soldiers Martyred 12 Feb 2018 Terrorist attack CRPF HQ, Srinagar 02 Policemen Martyred 13 Feb 2018 Terrorist attack Damana, Jammu NIL So, with the changing strategy of the terror outfits, the security forces have also changed their tactics and started acting accordingly. The recent attacks on CRPF Headquarters in Srinagar and Damana in Jammu were successfully thwarted. As far as the attack on Sunjuwan camp is concerned, my personal take is the security forces did a wonderful job. I had seen several suicide (Fidayeen) attacks in the past and know about their planning and intensity. The way this attack was immediately detected and repulsed with minimal casualties, the security forces deserve an applause. While we salute our martyrs, who laid down their lives in this attack, the overall operation will definitely be called a success. We must keep the fact in mind that the terrorists were supported by locals and were holed up in a built-up area full of the families of soldiers and all of them were unarmed. With all these sequence of events, one thing is absolutely clear that the morale of terrorists as well as their masters sitting across is breaking down. They are looking for ways and means to keep this movement going but finding it difficult. The cracking down on separatists, their financial network as well as over ground workers (OGWs) is making the task furthermore complicated. The need of the day is now a final blow to the terror camps across the Line of Control. India must break the so-called sanctity of the Line of Control because the area across LoC belongs to us and we have full rights to thwart any unlawful activity from that area. This is the right time and right momentum and just need a strong political will. A perfectly planned and executed action now will certainly give lot of tactical and strategic mileage to the Indian security forces. So, with the changing strategy of the terror outfits, the security forces have also changed their tactics and started acting accordingly. The recent attacks on CRPF Headquarters in Srinagar and Damana in Jammu were successfully thwarted. As far as the attack on Sunjuwan camp is concerned, my personal take is the security forces did a wonderful job. I had seen number of suicide (Fidayeen) attacks in the past and know about their planning and intensity. The way this attack was immediately detected and repulsed with minimal casualties, the security forces deserve an applause. While we salute our martyrs, who laid down their lives in this attack, the overall operation will definitely be called a success. We must keep the fact in mind that the terrorists were supported by locals and were holed up in a built-up area full of the families of soldiers and all of them were unarmed. With all these sequences of events, one thing is absolutely clear that the morale of terrorists as well as their masters sitting across the border is breaking down. They are looking for ways and means to keep this movement going but finding it difficult. The cracking down on separatists, their financial network, as well as overground workers (OGWs), is making the task more complicated. The need of the day is now to deal a final blow to the terror camps across the Line of Control. This is the right time and right momentum and just need a strong political will. A perfectly planned and executed action now will certainly give a lot of tactical and strategic mileage to the Indian security forces. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why terrorists specifically attack Indian army camps

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned the world against growing protectionism and rise in tariff and non-tariff barriers that are impeding global trade, while pitching for India as a global destination for investment.

The prime minister, however, said that climate change, terrorism and self centrism are the biggest challenges faced by the world.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Terrorism is a big threat but an even bigger threat is when you give definitions like good terrorism and bad terrorism: PM Modi at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldEconomicForum?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldEconomicForum</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Davos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Davos</a> <a href="https://t.co/xvDRiN3JN3">pic.twitter.com/xvDRiN3JN3</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/955755669017133056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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While addressing the plenary session of the World Economic Forum, PM Modi said there was a need for reform of the international institutions for economic and political security in keeping with the ground realities.

Modi emphasised on the reforms, including GST and demonetisation, &nbsp;brought by his government in the last three years saying his government had replaced red tape with red carpet.&nbsp;

&quot;Today investing in India, travel to India, work in India, manufacture in India, production and exports from India to the rest of the world is easier than before as we have decided to eliminate the `licence-permit raj` and finish the red tape.&quot;&nbsp;

The Prime Minister that said in the last three and a half years, his government has abolished 1,400 outdated laws.

He said the decision has now made foreign direct investment in the country possible in more than 90 per cent of the sectors through the automatic route.&nbsp;

Modi is the first Prime Minister from India to participate in a forum meeting in two decades after H.D. Deve Gowda in 1997.

This is Modi`s second visit to Switzerland in nearly two years. He will interact with 120 members of the International Business Council, which is a part of the WEF.

Modi, in the course of his 24-hour visit to Davos, is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

PM Modi pitched for India as a global destination for investment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned the world against growing protectionism and rise in tariff and non-tariff barriers that are impeding global trade, while pitching for India as a global destination for investment. The prime minister, however, said that climate change, terrorism and self centrism are the biggest challenges faced by the world. Terrorism is a big threat but an even bigger threat is when you give definitions like good terrorism and bad terrorism: PM Modi at #WorldEconomicForum in #Davos pic.twitter.com/xvDRiN3JN3 — ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2018 × While addressing the plenary session of the World Economic Forum, PM Modi said there was a need for reform of the international institutions for economic and political security in keeping with the ground realities. Modi emphasised on the reforms, including GST and demonetisation, brought by his government in the last three years saying his government had replaced red tape with red carpet. "Today investing in India, travel to India, work in India, manufacture in India, production and exports from India to the rest of the world is easier than before as we have decided to eliminate the `licence-permit raj` and finish the red tape." The Prime Minister that said in the last three and a half years, his government has abolished 1,400 outdated laws. He said the decision has now made foreign direct investment in the country possible in more than 90 per cent of the sectors through the automatic route. Modi is the first Prime Minister from India to participate in a forum meeting in two decades after H.D. Deve Gowda in 1997. This is Modi`s second visit to Switzerland in nearly two years. He will interact with 120 members of the International Business Council, which is a part of the WEF. Modi, in the course of his 24-hour visit to Davos, is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

Rise in tariff, non-tariff barriers impeding global trade: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday talked about the menace of terrorism spreading in the world, during the plenary session of the World Economic Forum.&nbsp;

While addressing the world leaders, the prime minister said that terrorism is a grave concern and what is more dangerous is the artificial distinction made between &#39;good terrorist&#39; and &#39;bad terrorist&#39;.

He also said India&#39;s position on the terrorism is well known and he would not like to elaborate on that.

&ldquo;Terrorism is dangerous. Worse is when people say there is a difference between &#39;good&#39; and &#39;bad&#39; terror. It is painful to see some youngsters getting radicalised,&rdquo; the Prime Minister said before global business and political leaders.

Last year, PM Modi had called on nations to take responsibility to ensure that the digital space does not become a playground for the dark forces of terrorism.&nbsp;

PM Modi had stated that for over four decades, India had been raising the issue of terrorism.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Initially the world did not take us seriously, but now the world is realising the destructive aspects of terrorism. The world will have to join hands to eliminate terrorism.&quot;

Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister in two decades to address the World Economic Forum (WEF) here today during which he talked about serious challenges and grave concerns facing the world.&nbsp;

The prime minister said that India's position on the menace of terrorism is well known

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday talked about the menace of terrorism spreading in the world, during the plenary session of the World Economic Forum. While addressing the world leaders, the prime minister said that terrorism is a grave concern and what is more dangerous is the artificial distinction made between 'good terrorist' and 'bad terrorist'. He also said India's position on the terrorism is well known and he would not like to elaborate on that. “Terrorism is dangerous. Worse is when people say there is a difference between 'good' and 'bad' terror. It is painful to see some youngsters getting radicalised,” the Prime Minister said before global business and political leaders. Last year, PM Modi had called on nations to take responsibility to ensure that the digital space does not become a playground for the dark forces of terrorism. PM Modi had stated that for over four decades, India had been raising the issue of terrorism. “Initially the world did not take us seriously, but now the world is realising the destructive aspects of terrorism. The world will have to join hands to eliminate terrorism." Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister in two decades to address the World Economic Forum (WEF) here today during which he talked about serious challenges and grave concerns facing the world.

Nothing more dangerous than differentiating between terrorism as 'good' and 'bad': PM Modi

Pakistan today strongly condemned a terror attack in Kabul that claimed at least 95 lives and called for cooperation among countries for effectively combating and eliminating the scourge of terrorism.

An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul today, killing at least 95 people and wounding 158 others, officials said, in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years.

Condemning the terror attack, Pakistan emphasised on the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states to eradicate the scourge of terrorism.

&quot;No cause or ends justify acts of terrorism against innocent people. We emphasise the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states to eradicate the scourge of terrorism,&quot; the Foreign Office said.

&quot;We convey our deepest sympathies for those who have lost their loved ones and our sincere prayers and wishes are for early recovery of those who have sustained injuries in this dreadful terror attack,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Condemning the terror attack, Pakistan emphasised on the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states

Pakistan today strongly condemned a terror attack in Kabul that claimed at least 95 lives and called for cooperation among countries for effectively combating and eliminating the scourge of terrorism. An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul today, killing at least 95 people and wounding 158 others, officials said, in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years. Condemning the terror attack, Pakistan emphasised on the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states to eradicate the scourge of terrorism. "No cause or ends justify acts of terrorism against innocent people. We emphasise the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among the states to eradicate the scourge of terrorism," the Foreign Office said. "We convey our deepest sympathies for those who have lost their loved ones and our sincere prayers and wishes are for early recovery of those who have sustained injuries in this dreadful terror attack," he said.

Pakistan calls for cooperation for combating terrorism

Local media of Afghanistan has reported the arrest of five persons in connection with the January 21 <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/at-least-five-dead-in-kabul-hotel-attack-afghan-spy-agency-30204">attack on the Intercontinental hotel in&nbsp;Kabul.</a>

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Breaking : Five persons arrested in connection with attack on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/intercontinentalhotel?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#intercontinentalhotel</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kabul?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kabul</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghanistan</a>
&mdash; Pajhwok Afghan News (@pajhwok) <a href="https://twitter.com/pajhwok/status/957555713584390145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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At least four <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/kabuls-intercontinental-hotel-under-attack-by-at-least-four-gunmen-30184">Taliban gunmen attacked Kabul&#39;s landmark Intercontinental Hotel </a>on Saturday and started shooting at guests, which went on for 12 hours.

The overnight attack killed at least 22 people, the majority of them were foreigners including citizens from Venezuela, the Ukraine, Germany and Kazakhstan and America.

About 100 people were kept hostage who later were released after the attack.

During the investigation after the attack, many<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/kabul-hotel-guests-describe-lax-security-before-deadly-attack-30537"> issues relating to security </a>came to the light.

A witness and a security source said that at least two of the gunmen were armed and inside the hotel before the attack began, and questions have been raised &mdash; including by the country&#39;s interior minister &mdash; over whether the militants had inside help.

Constantly under threat, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/kabul-explosion-death-toll-increases-to-103-30982">Kabul also faced another deadly attack </a>on Saturday, in which 103 were killed and 235 were wounded.

An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years.

The<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/kabul-explosion-the-perpetrators-of-these-dastardly-attacks-should-be-brought-to-justice-says-ministry-of-external-affairs-30922"> Ministry of External Affairs&nbsp;strongly condemned t</a>he&nbsp;suicide-bomb explosion on Saturday.&nbsp;

At least four Taliban gunmen attacked Kabul's landmark Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday and started shooting at guests, which went on for 12-hours

Local media of Afghanistan has reported the arrest of five persons in connection with the January 21 attack on the Intercontinental hotel in Kabul. Breaking : Five persons arrested in connection with attack on #intercontinentalhotel in #Kabul.#Afghanistan — Pajhwok Afghan News (@pajhwok) January 28, 2018 × At least four Taliban gunmen attacked Kabul's landmark Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday and started shooting at guests, which went on for 12 hours. The overnight attack killed at least 22 people, the majority of them were foreigners including citizens from Venezuela, the Ukraine, Germany and Kazakhstan and America. About 100 people were kept hostage who later were released after the attack. During the investigation after the attack, many issues relating to security came to the light. A witness and a security source said that at least two of the gunmen were armed and inside the hotel before the attack began, and questions have been raised — including by the country's interior minister — over whether the militants had inside help. Constantly under threat, Kabul also faced another deadly attack on Saturday, in which 103 were killed and 235 were wounded. An explosives-packed ambulance blew up in a crowded area of Kabul in one of the biggest blasts to rock the war-torn city in recent years. The Ministry of External Affairs strongly condemned the suicide-bomb explosion on Saturday.

Five arrested over Kabul Intercontinental hotel shooting

In 1948, when Pakistan attacked the northern part of India, our forces successfully repulsed their attack and were in the process of re-acquiring the lost territory lost when the national leadership announced not only a cease-fire but a UN intervention too. Arguably, this formed the base of the Kashmir conflict. Over the next decades, India had to fight five wars with Pakistan in 1965, 1971, 1984,1999 and the proxy war in Kashmir had been relentless.

&nbsp;

In 1965, India captured about 2000 sq. km of Pakistan&#39;s territory in the sensitive Sialkot and Kashmir sectors but returned it with the hope that this would end eruptions of violence in the future. Despite the wars, the country was forced to fight, like in 1971, India has never dithered from the code of conduct of a winning side.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

After the conclusive victory of 1971, India did hand over 93000 Prisoners of War and 5500 sq km of captured territory. We returned all of these and did not bargain for Kashmir at all.

&nbsp;

In the last decade of the last century, Pakistan started its proxy war in Kashmir, we kept on losing precious lives but did not do anything except strongly condemning all kind of terrorist attacks. Over 30 years of proxy war resulted in establishing the image of our country as a soft-willed one. Anyone can do anything to us and we have only one solution- strongly condemning the terrorist action and wait for another action to condemn again.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

We have lost more soldiers in Kashmir than in 1965 and 1971 wars put together.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Having fought in Kashmir for so many years in the peak of insurgency and seeing the valiant soldiers fall to the political aspirations, I ponder at times as to what should be the role of our government, civil society members and the individuals?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What concerns me deeply is whether Pakistan sees India after all as a soft-willed state and, therefore, goes on to carry these attacks with impunity. Why do we experience the same cycle of events: an incident happens, politicians condemn it, citizens burn few candles and express grief on social media, Forces kept on making plans for revenge which never get a nod from the political leadership and blood continues to flow. After a week or so, everyone falls silent and wait for another incident to happen.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There have been numerous terror incidents, for so many years, Pakistani Army personnel has been coming to this side of the border, decapacitating our boys and taking their severed heads as a trophy and every time we are successful in orally condemning it and that too not strongly. They come to our territory, fire the American missiles on our soldiers, kill them and our political leadership is, once again, successful only in strongly condemning it.

This political weakness of our country is open to the world for last 70 years and the patience of a common citizen is perhaps breaking down. It is high time that the leadership of the nation should do something which can help it to regain the faith of common citizen and prove that India is able to protect ourselves.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

So what should our leaders do now? It is a million-dollar question. Question is not the capability of the armed forces. The question is of a strong political will. The question is of acting, not just verbally condemning, and the most important question is when will it happen.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Last week I was on a panel with one of the national news channels and had a retired Lt General of Pakistan Army as a co-panelist from Pakistan. To my surprise, he was constantly vomiting venom and was very much confident that India will never be able to do any offensive action against Pakistan. Our weak political will has been proving that time and again.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

After so many incidents now, this is the right time to take a hard decision and prove the worthiness of the leadership. I am sure that the government will listen and react instead of just strongly condemning it.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;

Question is not the capability of the armed forces. The question is of a strong political will.

In 1948, when Pakistan attacked the northern part of India, our forces successfully repulsed their attack and were in the process of re-acquiring the lost territory lost when the national leadership announced not only a cease-fire but a UN intervention too. Arguably, this formed the base of the Kashmir conflict. Over the next decades, India had to fight five wars with Pakistan in 1965, 1971, 1984,1999 and the proxy war in Kashmir had been relentless. In 1965, India captured about 2000 sq. km of Pakistan's territory in the sensitive Sialkot and Kashmir sectors but returned it with the hope that this would end eruptions of violence in the future. Despite the wars, the country was forced to fight, like in 1971, India has never dithered from the code of conduct of a winning side. After the conclusive victory of 1971, India did hand over 93000 Prisoners of War and 5500 sq km of captured territory. We returned all of these and did not bargain for Kashmir at all. In the last decade of the last century, Pakistan started its proxy war in Kashmir, we kept on losing precious lives but did not do anything except strongly condemning all kind of terrorist attacks. Over 30 years of proxy war resulted in establishing the image of our country as a soft-willed one. Anyone can do anything to us and we have only one solution- strongly condemning the terrorist action and wait for another action to condemn again. We have lost more soldiers in Kashmir than in 1965 and 1971 wars put together. Having fought in Kashmir for so many years in the peak of insurgency and seeing the valiant soldiers fall to the political aspirations, I ponder at times as to what should be the role of our government, civil society members and the individuals? What concerns me deeply is whether Pakistan sees India after all as a soft-willed state and, therefore, goes on to carry these attacks with impunity. Why do we experience the same cycle of events: an incident happens, politicians condemn it, citizens burn few candles and express grief on social media, Forces kept on making plans for revenge which never get a nod from the political leadership and blood continues to flow. After a week or so, everyone falls silent and wait for another incident to happen. There have been numerous terror incidents, for so many years, Pakistani Army personnel has been coming to this side of the border, decapacitating our boys and taking their severed heads as a trophy and every time we are successful in orally condemning it and that too not strongly. They come to our territory, fire the American missiles on our soldiers, kill them and our political leadership is, once again, successful only in strongly condemning it. This political weakness of our country is open to the world for last 70 years and the patience of a common citizen is perhaps breaking down. It is high time that the leadership of the nation should do something which can help it to regain the faith of common citizen and prove that India is able to protect ourselves. So what should our leaders do now? It is a million-dollar question. Question is not the capability of the armed forces. The question is of a strong political will. The question is of acting, not just verbally condemning, and the most important question is when will it happen. Last week I was on a panel with one of the national news channels and had a retired Lt General of Pakistan Army as a co-panelist from Pakistan. To my surprise, he was constantly vomiting venom and was very much confident that India will never be able to do any offensive action against Pakistan. Our weak political will has been proving that time and again. After so many incidents now, this is the right time to take a hard decision and prove the worthiness of the leadership. I am sure that the government will listen and react instead of just strongly condemning it. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Terrorist attacks continue, what will India's leaders do?

The act of registering an FIR against Major Aditya Kumar in connection with last month&#39;s Shopian firing case shows the appeasing attitude of political hierarchy of Jammu and Kashmir. It shows them in poor light, more importantly, such an act actually lowers the morale of Armed Forces operating in Kashmir. It also shows the unawareness of the officials responsible for the FIR about the provisions of the AFSPA.

&nbsp;

The incident has been covered widely by the media. Let me highlight some important issues which the nation must think in the national interest.

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; FIR registered against Army Major Aditya Kumar in connection with last month&#39;s Shopian firing case does not stand as the military personnel was there not by choice. They were there because the country wanted them to be there; it was their duty to protect the country in a disturbed region.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; The column was attacked by stone pelters with an intent to hurt the forces, hence, criminal force was applied against them. Why the authorities did not register FIR against the stone pelters.

&nbsp;

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; Major Aditya Kumar and his troops had no enmity with the persons who were killed in the incident.

&nbsp;

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; The Army personnel have the right of self-defence too

&nbsp;

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; As per the law in vogue, in a &lsquo;Disturbed Area&rsquo;, the officer is duty bound to protect his subordinates and the government property and can use force. The minimum force is to be used but the decision as to how much force is the minimum force is a decision to be taken by the commander on the spot, based on his judgement. &nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; Army after the due warning is expected to fire for effect and not in the air, unlike police, which can use measures like tear gas or firing in air.

&nbsp;

Under the circumstances in which Maj Aditya and his troops were placed, had they not taken any action, they would have been either lynched or burnt. The officer and men, in my opinion, have acted in self-defence as per powers conferred to them by law.

&nbsp;

It needs to be understood that the Army is the instrument of last resort and if they are scarred by legal actions, then the morale of young officers and men will be affected adversely. If they get overcautious, we have to blame our political hierarchy of pushing them into fortress mentality, wherein they will not come out and protect people due to fear of litigation which is exactly desired by Pakistan and militants. If we are soft towards the militants, no corner of the country will be safe. I do not understand why politicians of Kashmir for their petty gains do not understand this, despite an attack on our Parliament.

&nbsp;

It also needs to be understood that under the AFSPA, the state has to take permission of the Central Government to proceed against the officer, which the Central Government can refuse, which has happened in many such cases earlier. Even if the permission is to be given a set procedure is to be followed.

&nbsp;

I must salute the honourable Supreme Court of India which has put a stay on the FIR registered against Army Major Aditya Kumar in connection with this&nbsp; Shopian firing case. The apex court also directed that no coercive action be taken against Major Aditya in connection with the incident in which three civilians were killed and nine others were injured.

&nbsp;

It should also be a matter of concern that Indian Army unlike most armies in the world is known to use minimum force and does not use even high calibre weapons. Nowhere in the world, you can see an example of an armed soldier being beaten by a lady, and the soldier is showing resilience to tolerate it, and taking such ill treatment from people, whom the soldiers have saved in floods a year earlier. Let us not push our soldiers to wall, the consequences can be disastrous, definitely not in the nation&#39;s interest. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The column was attacked by stone pelters with an intent to hurt the forces, hence, a criminal force was applied against them. Why the authorities did not register FIR against the stone pelters?

The act of registering an FIR against Major Aditya Kumar in connection with last month's Shopian firing case shows the appeasing attitude of political hierarchy of Jammu and Kashmir. It shows them in poor light, more importantly, such an act actually lowers the morale of Armed Forces operating in Kashmir. It also shows the unawareness of the officials responsible for the FIR about the provisions of the AFSPA. The incident has been covered widely by the media. Let me highlight some important issues which the nation must think in the national interest. • FIR registered against Army Major Aditya Kumar in connection with last month's Shopian firing case does not stand as the military personnel was there not by choice. They were there because the country wanted them to be there; it was their duty to protect the country in a disturbed region. • The column was attacked by stone pelters with an intent to hurt the forces, hence, criminal force was applied against them. Why the authorities did not register FIR against the stone pelters. • Major Aditya Kumar and his troops had no enmity with the persons who were killed in the incident. • The Army personnel have the right of self-defence too • As per the law in vogue, in a ‘Disturbed Area’, the officer is duty bound to protect his subordinates and the government property and can use force. The minimum force is to be used but the decision as to how much force is the minimum force is a decision to be taken by the commander on the spot, based on his judgement. • Army after the due warning is expected to fire for effect and not in the air, unlike police, which can use measures like tear gas or firing in air. Under the circumstances in which Maj Aditya and his troops were placed, had they not taken any action, they would have been either lynched or burnt. The officer and men, in my opinion, have acted in self-defence as per powers conferred to them by law. It needs to be understood that the Army is the instrument of last resort and if they are scarred by legal actions, then the morale of young officers and men will be affected adversely. If they get overcautious, we have to blame our political hierarchy of pushing them into fortress mentality, wherein they will not come out and protect people due to fear of litigation which is exactly desired by Pakistan and militants. If we are soft towards the militants, no corner of the country will be safe. I do not understand why politicians of Kashmir for their petty gains do not understand this, despite an attack on our Parliament. It also needs to be understood that under the AFSPA, the state has to take permission of the Central Government to proceed against the officer, which the Central Government can refuse, which has happened in many such cases earlier. Even if the permission is to be given a set procedure is to be followed. I must salute the honourable Supreme Court of India which has put a stay on the FIR registered against Army Major Aditya Kumar in connection with this Shopian firing case. The apex court also directed that no coercive action be taken against Major Aditya in connection with the incident in which three civilians were killed and nine others were injured. It should also be a matter of concern that Indian Army unlike most armies in the world is known to use minimum force and does not use even high calibre weapons. Nowhere in the world, you can see an example of an armed soldier being beaten by a lady, and the soldier is showing resilience to tolerate it, and taking such ill treatment from people, whom the soldiers have saved in floods a year earlier. Let us not push our soldiers to wall, the consequences can be disastrous, definitely not in the nation's interest. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Thank God, we had Supreme Court to protect Major Aditya

Pakistan and Afghanistan concluded their bilateral talks on Saturday and had &quot;good discussions&quot;, an official noted.

The dialogue took place in Islamabad&nbsp;under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS).&nbsp;

The plan aims to boost cooperation between the two countries and address issues related to counter-terrorism, reduction of violence, peace and reconciliation, refugees&#39; repatriation and joint economic development.

Afghanistan&#39;s Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai led a high-level delegation to Islamabad. The Pakistani delegation was headed by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua.

This dialogue took place in the second round of APAPPS and reflected determination on both sides to pursue policy formulation.

The first round of APAPPS took place on February 3 in Kabul.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-buys-weapons-from-international-companies-sells-to-taliban-through-its-domestic-markets-afghan-envoy-to-us-tells-wion-31297">Pakistan buys weapons from international companies, sells to Taliban through domestic markets: Afghan envoy to </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-buys-weapons-from-international-companies-sells-to-taliban-through-its-domestic-markets-afghan-envoy-to-us-tells-wion-31297">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-buys-weapons-from-international-companies-sells-to-taliban-through-its-domestic-markets-afghan-envoy-to-us-tells-wion-31297"> tells WION</a>

Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal took to Twitter and stated that although the meeting witnessed &quot;good discussions&quot; some agreements would require further work.

On the other hand, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said no progress was made on counter-terrorism issues.

In an exclusive interview with WION <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/attack-on-kabuls-intercontinental-hotel-was-planned-in-pakistan-afghan-envoy-to-us-31193">Afghanistan&#39;s envoy to the United States</a>, Majeed Qarar alleged Pakistan&#39;s involvement in the terrorist attack on Kabul&#39;s Intercontinental Hotel.&nbsp;

&quot;The country has been supplying military-grade equipment to terror forces. Instead of solving the matter they meddle with our internal issues. We admit that we have issues, we faced wars for years,&quot; noted Qarar.

Taliban-claimed attacks in Kabul on January 20 and January 27 killed nearly 125 people and injured over 250. Pakistan had offered a joint investigation into the attacks, Kabul had blamed the Haqqani Network for the same.

 
&nbsp;

This dialogue took place in the second round of APAPPS and reflected determination on both sides to pursue policy formulation

Pakistan and Afghanistan concluded their bilateral talks on Saturday and had "good discussions", an official noted. The dialogue took place in Islamabad under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS). The plan aims to boost cooperation between the two countries and address issues related to counter-terrorism, reduction of violence, peace and reconciliation, refugees' repatriation and joint economic development. Afghanistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai led a high-level delegation to Islamabad. The Pakistani delegation was headed by Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua. This dialogue took place in the second round of APAPPS and reflected determination on both sides to pursue policy formulation. The first round of APAPPS took place on February 3 in Kabul. Also read: Pakistan buys weapons from international companies, sells to Taliban through domestic markets: Afghan envoy to US tells WION Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal took to Twitter and stated that although the meeting witnessed "good discussions" some agreements would require further work. On the other hand, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said no progress was made on counter-terrorism issues. In an exclusive interview with WION Afghanistan's envoy to the United States, Majeed Qarar alleged Pakistan's involvement in the terrorist attack on Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel. "The country has been supplying military-grade equipment to terror forces. Instead of solving the matter they meddle with our internal issues. We admit that we have issues, we faced wars for years," noted Qarar. Taliban-claimed attacks in Kabul on January 20 and January 27 killed nearly 125 people and injured over 250. Pakistan had offered a joint investigation into the attacks, Kabul had blamed the Haqqani Network for the same.

No progress made on counter-terrorism issues: Afghanistan on talks with Pakistan

Pitching for greater interoperability of forces with India as major defence partners in the Indo-Pacific region, US Ambassador Kenneth I Juster today said his country had always had zero tolerance towards cross-border terrorism.

&quot;We seek to assist in India&#39;s efforts to build up its indigenous defence capabilities and also to enhance the interoperability of the two countries&#39; forces as major defence partners in the Into-Pacific region,&quot; he said at the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCI) here.

The export of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan was a concern for the US also, Juster said, adding, &quot;We have zero tolerance towards cross-border terrorism and it depends on the two countries (India and Pakistan) to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner.&quot;

The US ambassador welcomed India&#39;s leadership in the Indo-Pacific region and said his country was committed to maintaining stability and the economic rise of the nations in the region.

Stressing the importance of the economic relationship between India and the US, Juster said there was ample scope for increasing the bilateral trade.

The bilateral trade between the two countries increased from USD 20 billion to USD 115 billion in 2016, he said, adding that the flow of goods and services both ways could help bring in a balance.

Juster also exhorted India to seize the strategic opportunity to become a major hub for American businesses in the Indo-Pacific region.

He sought an increased purchase by India of US military equipment, including some of the advanced ones.

The US, Juster said, was also eyeing India&#39;s growing digital economy, healthcare services, environmental technology, energy, travel, tourism and education.

To a question, he said India was a multi-ethnic and pluralistic society and this posed certain challenges.

&quot;The US does not make any investment decisions based on these issues, but on the sector, the regulatory environment and government policies,&quot; he added.

On the prospects of more American companies investing in the eastern region of the country, particularly in West Bengal, the US ambassador said there was a need to create a right environment, infrastructure and connectivity.&nbsp;

US Ambassador Kenneth I Juster said 'we have zero tolerance towards cross-border terrorism and it depends on the two countries (India and Pakistan) to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner'

Pitching for greater interoperability of forces with India as major defence partners in the Indo-Pacific region, US Ambassador Kenneth I Juster today said his country had always had zero tolerance towards cross-border terrorism. "We seek to assist in India's efforts to build up its indigenous defence capabilities and also to enhance the interoperability of the two countries' forces as major defence partners in the Into-Pacific region," he said at the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCI) here. The export of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan was a concern for the US also, Juster said, adding, "We have zero tolerance towards cross-border terrorism and it depends on the two countries (India and Pakistan) to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner." The US ambassador welcomed India's leadership in the Indo-Pacific region and said his country was committed to maintaining stability and the economic rise of the nations in the region. Stressing the importance of the economic relationship between India and the US, Juster said there was ample scope for increasing the bilateral trade. The bilateral trade between the two countries increased from USD 20 billion to USD 115 billion in 2016, he said, adding that the flow of goods and services both ways could help bring in a balance. Juster also exhorted India to seize the strategic opportunity to become a major hub for American businesses in the Indo-Pacific region. He sought an increased purchase by India of US military equipment, including some of the advanced ones. The US, Juster said, was also eyeing India's growing digital economy, healthcare services, environmental technology, energy, travel, tourism and education. To a question, he said India was a multi-ethnic and pluralistic society and this posed certain challenges. "The US does not make any investment decisions based on these issues, but on the sector, the regulatory environment and government policies," he added. On the prospects of more American companies investing in the eastern region of the country, particularly in West Bengal, the US ambassador said there was a need to create a right environment, infrastructure and connectivity.

US for greater inter-operability of forces with India

The Taliban are openly active in 70 per cent of Afghanistan&#39;s districts, fully controlling 4 percent of the country and demonstrating an open physical presence in another 66 per cent, according to a BBC study published on Tuesday.

The BBC estimate, which it said was based on conversations with more than 1,200 individual local sources in all districts of the South Asian country, was significantly higher than the most recent assessment by the NATO-led coalition of the Taliban&#39;s presence.

The coalition said on Tuesday that the Taliban contested or controlled only 44 percent of Afghan districts as of October 2017.

Afghanistan has been reeling over the past nine days from a renewed spate of violence that is adding scrutiny to the latest, more aggressive US backed strategy to bolster Afghan forces battling the Taliban in a 16-year-old war.

A bomb hidden in an ambulance struck the city centre and killed more than 100 people, just over a week after an attack on the Hotel Intercontinental, also in Kabul, which left more than 20 people dead, including four US citizens.

Although the BBC counted 399 districts in Afghanistan, the NATO-led force counted 407 districts. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

The BBC study said the Afghan government controlled 122 districts or about 30 percent of the country. Still, it noted that did not mean that they were free from Taliban attacks.

&quot;Kabul and other major cities, for example, suffered major attacks - launched from adjacent areas, or by sleeper cells - during the research period, as well as before and after,&quot; the report said.

Asked about the BBC&#39;s study, the Pentagon did not comment directly but pointed to the latest figures by the NATO-led coalition asserting that about 56 percent of Afghanistan&#39;s territory was under Afghan government control or influence.

The study by Britain&#39;s public broadcaster quoted a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani playing down the findings.

The BBC study also said ISIS had a presence in 30 districts, but noted it did not fully control any of them.

The BBC study said the Afghan government controlled 122 districts, or about 30 percent of the country. Still, it noted that did not mean that they were free from Taliban attacks.

The Taliban are openly active in 70 per cent of Afghanistan's districts, fully controlling 4 percent of the country and demonstrating an open physical presence in another 66 per cent, according to a BBC study published on Tuesday. The BBC estimate, which it said was based on conversations with more than 1,200 individual local sources in all districts of the South Asian country, was significantly higher than the most recent assessment by the NATO-led coalition of the Taliban's presence. The coalition said on Tuesday that the Taliban contested or controlled only 44 percent of Afghan districts as of October 2017. Afghanistan has been reeling over the past nine days from a renewed spate of violence that is adding scrutiny to the latest, more aggressive US backed strategy to bolster Afghan forces battling the Taliban in a 16-year-old war. A bomb hidden in an ambulance struck the city centre and killed more than 100 people, just over a week after an attack on the Hotel Intercontinental, also in Kabul, which left more than 20 people dead, including four US citizens. Although the BBC counted 399 districts in Afghanistan, the NATO-led force counted 407 districts. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear. The BBC study said the Afghan government controlled 122 districts or about 30 percent of the country. Still, it noted that did not mean that they were free from Taliban attacks. "Kabul and other major cities, for example, suffered major attacks - launched from adjacent areas, or by sleeper cells - during the research period, as well as before and after," the report said. Asked about the BBC's study, the Pentagon did not comment directly but pointed to the latest figures by the NATO-led coalition asserting that about 56 percent of Afghanistan's territory was under Afghan government control or influence. The study by Britain's public broadcaster quoted a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani playing down the findings. The BBC study also said ISIS had a presence in 30 districts, but noted it did not fully control any of them.

Taliban active in 70 per cent of Afghanistan, BBC study finds

Since the early eighties, Afghanistan has been witnessing the worst crimes against the humanity. The country had been the battleground of the superpowers of the world and now facing extreme forms of violence and, as a result, the country is at the rock bottom of all the developmental indexes in the world. The human life is subjected to worst tortures, killings are common, and terror activities are a daily news in the mountain country.

&nbsp;

The US-backed and Pakistan-trained Mujahedeen groups fought with the Soviet forces and forced them to retreat. As a result, a large number of Afghan refugees moved into the areas across Durand Line and established themselves. Various Islamic sects of Pakistan, including Jamaat-e-Islami, took this opportunity to establish their madrasas or religious schools in these areas.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

When Afghanistan was going through a process of destabilisation after the withdrawal of Soviet Troops, Pakistan needed to gain its influence over Afghanistan. For this purpose, it needed a force loyal to it and brutal enough to fight the mighty Northern Alliance of Afghanistan. The Madrasas proved to be an ideal recruiting ground for the Pakistan ISI and a new breed of terror was created -the Taliban.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Over next few years, these seminaries were converted into arms and bomb-making factories and terrorist training centres with the help of Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

&nbsp;

The only one responsible for these crimes was the Pakistan government which turned these religious seminaries into terror factories. Later, these madrasas provided numerous cadres of Al-Qaeda and more than 1 lakh fighters to the Afghan Taliban. Not only this, they continued to provide terrorists and suicide bombers for the ongoing terror activities in Afghanistan, India and the Middle East.&nbsp; Many ISIS cadres also came out from some of these madrasas. These madrasas soon became an easy and effective training centre of Pakistan&#39;s ISI.

&nbsp;

The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is extremely porous and facilitates easy movement of even a large force across as there is no surveillance. Hence, this was a major advantage for Pakistan ISI to run madrasas in these areas.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

These terror factories are not run on mere donations of the public but receive massive funds from the Pakistan government as well as the Middle Eastern countries. A Times of India news report said, in 2016, Pakistan&#39;s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government gave Rs 300 million to one of the prominent madrasa, also known as the &#39;University of Jihad&#39;. The madrasa is known to have many Taliban leader among its alumni.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Not only this, it has been alleged that the agents of the Pakistan government often compel and even kidnap Afghan children to study in these madrasas so that they can be taught the most violent form of Islam and turned into a deadly fighter. As per a report published in the Deccan Chronicle (dated 31 Jul 2017), Afghan police caught an organised syndicate which used to traffic young boys to the madrasas across the border in Pakistan from interiors of Afghanistan. They recovered a large number of Afghan boys who were being taken to Pakistan to study in these madrasas against their own will. This proves that Pak support to these madrasas is not only limited to indoctrination but also providing them with manpower, military training, funds and other forms of logistical support.

&nbsp;

Today, there are over 15000 madrasas being run on Pak- Afghan border out of which more than 60% are in Baluchistan alone. The reason is obvious, the most important aspect of Taliban or their ideological hub which is called as Quetta Shura is located in the Baluchistan province itself. This is the group which is managing a large number of madrasas in the area. Surprisingly, nearly all of them are teaching either the Deobandi Philosophy of Islam or Salafi ideology, both are extremely violent and most radical forms of Islam.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

As of now, nearly all attacks or violence in Afghanistan is traced back to one or the other madrasas in Pakistan. As per the statement made by the Afghan Ambassador in the US, Mr Majeed Qarar, the attack on Kabul&rsquo;s Intercontinental Hotel was also planned in one such madrasa in Pakistan. He quoted the video of the father of one of the suicide attackers who visited the madrasa many times to bring their son back but he was so badly brain-washed that he refused to come back with them.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There have been allegations substantiated by evidences that Pakistan had been providing equipment and weapons to terrorists in Afghanistan. During the recent attack on Maiwand Army Base of Afghanistan, the night vision goggles recovered from terrorists reveal the entire story. They were made by a company in Britain and procured by Pak Army for their military operations. Now, how they reached these terrorists, the question reveals the answer itself.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;In March 2016, Pak PM&rsquo;s advisor Mr Sartaz Ajeez himself accepted that &ldquo;These madrasas had well-oiled terror infrastructure, beyond imagination, running bomb-making factories, terrorists training centres and those to train suicide bombers - all under multi-storeyed basement under the mosque&rdquo; which proves the fact that these madrasas are really operating as terror factories.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He further mentioned that &quot;In one mosque that I visited, I remember, in Miranshah, from outside we did not see anything. But under the mosque, there were a 70-room basement, three stories, in which there were four-five IED factories, four-five suicide training centres, communication network, VIP room, conference rooms, amazing infrastructure,&quot;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This is very horrifying, to say the least. The world is surprised to know how these terror factories are still able to run on Pakistani soil smoothly. Pakistan government may deny their association with them but, at last, they are openly operating on their land and making a mockery of their law. Moreover, the victims of these terror factories are only the poor and innocent Afghan population and not Pakistan.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It is the responsibility of the global leaders now to make an all-out effort&nbsp;and ensure that these terror factories are not only closed but their leaders and perpetrators of terror should be brought to justice.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

Today, there are over 15000 madrasas on Pak- Afghan border out of which more than 60% are in Baluchistan as the ideological hub of Taliban is in the province.

Since the early eighties, Afghanistan has been witnessing the worst crimes against the humanity. The country had been the battleground of the superpowers of the world and now facing extreme forms of violence and, as a result, the country is at the rock bottom of all the developmental indexes in the world. The human life is subjected to worst tortures, killings are common, and terror activities are a daily news in the mountain country. The US-backed and Pakistan-trained Mujahedeen groups fought with the Soviet forces and forced them to retreat. As a result, a large number of Afghan refugees moved into the areas across Durand Line and established themselves. Various Islamic sects of Pakistan, including Jamaat-e-Islami, took this opportunity to establish their madrasas or religious schools in these areas. When Afghanistan was going through a process of destabilisation after the withdrawal of Soviet Troops, Pakistan needed to gain its influence over Afghanistan. For this purpose, it needed a force loyal to it and brutal enough to fight the mighty Northern Alliance of Afghanistan. The Madrasas proved to be an ideal recruiting ground for the Pakistan ISI and a new breed of terror was created -the Taliban. Over next few years, these seminaries were converted into arms and bomb-making factories and terrorist training centres with the help of Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The only one responsible for these crimes was the Pakistan government which turned these religious seminaries into terror factories. Later, these madrasas provided numerous cadres of Al-Qaeda and more than 1 lakh fighters to the Afghan Taliban. Not only this, they continued to provide terrorists and suicide bombers for the ongoing terror activities in Afghanistan, India and the Middle East. Many ISIS cadres also came out from some of these madrasas. These madrasas soon became an easy and effective training centre of Pakistan's ISI. The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is extremely porous and facilitates easy movement of even a large force across as there is no surveillance. Hence, this was a major advantage for Pakistan ISI to run madrasas in these areas. These terror factories are not run on mere donations of the public but receive massive funds from the Pakistan government as well as the Middle Eastern countries. A Times of India news report said, in 2016, Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government gave Rs 300 million to one of the prominent madrasa, also known as the 'University of Jihad'. The madrasa is known to have many Taliban leader among its alumni. Not only this, it has been alleged that the agents of the Pakistan government often compel and even kidnap Afghan children to study in these madrasas so that they can be taught the most violent form of Islam and turned into a deadly fighter. As per a report published in the Deccan Chronicle (dated 31 Jul 2017), Afghan police caught an organised syndicate which used to traffic young boys to the madrasas across the border in Pakistan from interiors of Afghanistan. They recovered a large number of Afghan boys who were being taken to Pakistan to study in these madrasas against their own will. This proves that Pak support to these madrasas is not only limited to indoctrination but also providing them with manpower, military training, funds and other forms of logistical support. Today, there are over 15000 madrasas being run on Pak- Afghan border out of which more than 60% are in Baluchistan alone. The reason is obvious, the most important aspect of Taliban or their ideological hub which is called as Quetta Shura is located in the Baluchistan province itself. This is the group which is managing a large number of madrasas in the area. Surprisingly, nearly all of them are teaching either the Deobandi Philosophy of Islam or Salafi ideology, both are extremely violent and most radical forms of Islam. As of now, nearly all attacks or violence in Afghanistan is traced back to one or the other madrasas in Pakistan. As per the statement made by the Afghan Ambassador in the US, Mr Majeed Qarar, the attack on Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel was also planned in one such madrasa in Pakistan. He quoted the video of the father of one of the suicide attackers who visited the madrasa many times to bring their son back but he was so badly brain-washed that he refused to come back with them. There have been allegations substantiated by evidences that Pakistan had been providing equipment and weapons to terrorists in Afghanistan. During the recent attack on Maiwand Army Base of Afghanistan, the night vision goggles recovered from terrorists reveal the entire story. They were made by a company in Britain and procured by Pak Army for their military operations. Now, how they reached these terrorists, the question reveals the answer itself. In March 2016, Pak PM’s advisor Mr Sartaz Ajeez himself accepted that “These madrasas had well-oiled terror infrastructure, beyond imagination, running bomb-making factories, terrorists training centres and those to train suicide bombers - all under multi-storeyed basement under the mosque” which proves the fact that these madrasas are really operating as terror factories. He further mentioned that "In one mosque that I visited, I remember, in Miranshah, from outside we did not see anything. But under the mosque, there were a 70-room basement, three stories, in which there were four-five IED factories, four-five suicide training centres, communication network, VIP room, conference rooms, amazing infrastructure," This is very horrifying, to say the least. The world is surprised to know how these terror factories are still able to run on Pakistani soil smoothly. Pakistan government may deny their association with them but, at last, they are openly operating on their land and making a mockery of their law. Moreover, the victims of these terror factories are only the poor and innocent Afghan population and not Pakistan. It is the responsibility of the global leaders now to make an all-out effort and ensure that these terror factories are not only closed but their leaders and perpetrators of terror should be brought to justice. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Madrasas in Pakistan are serving as terror factories of Afghanistan

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