Tag: India

  • Pakistan summons Indian embassy official over targeting of Muslims

    Pakistan summons Indian embassy official over targeting of Muslims

    The Foreign Office (FO) summoned the Indian Charge d’ Affaires on Friday and conveyed the government’s concern over the recent target killing of Muslims in the Indian state of Assam.

    In the incident, two people were reported dead. It took place in the Sipajhar area of Assam’s Darrang district, where most of the residents are Muslims, reports Dawn.

    In the video, several cops can be seen beating a man with sticks even as he lay motionless on the ground. It went viral on Twitter after which Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi came under fire.

    Earlier, Pakistan’s federal minister Fawad Chaudhry condemned the incident, and said, “Today, Prime Minister Imran Khan will once again draw the attention of the United Nations to the atrocities taking place in India. #ModiFascism.”

  • ‘Strengthen and stabilise the Taliban govt, incentivise them’: PM Khan at UNGA

    ‘Strengthen and stabilise the Taliban govt, incentivise them’: PM Khan at UNGA

    Prime Minister Imran Khan delivered his address to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) earlier today. He said, “There is only one way to go. We must strengthen and stabilise the current government, for the sake of the people of Afghanistan.”

    “Right now the whole international community should think what is the way ahead. There are two paths that we can take. If we neglect Afghanistan right now, according to the UN half the people of Afghanistan are already vulnerable, and by next year almost 90 per cent of the people in Afghanistan will go below the poverty line.”

    “If the world community incentivises them, and encourages them to walk this talk, it will be a win-win situation for everyone. Because these are the four conditions that the US-Taliban dialogue in Doha was all about,” PM Imran Khan said.

    “You cannot waste time. Help is needed there. Humanitarian assistance has to be given there immediately. The Secretary-General of the United Nations has taken bold steps. I urge you to mobilise the international community, and move in this direction,” he said.

    ON ISLAMAPHOBIA

    The premier also discussed Islamophobia and said that the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy has recognised as an emerging threat, as it increases the tendency of right-wing, xenophobic, and violent nationalists, extremists, and terrorist groups to target Muslims.

    “We hope the Secretary-General’s report will focus on these new threats of terrorism posed by Islamophobes and right-wing extremists,” the prime minister said.

    “I call on the Secretary-General to convene a global dialogue on countering the rise of Islamophobia. Our parallel efforts, at the same time, should be to promote interfaith harmony, and they should continue,” he added.

    The prime minister went on to underscore how New Delhi has also embarked “on what it ominously calls the ‘final solution’ for the Jammu and Kashmir dispute”.

    “Indian actions violate the resolutions of the UN Security Council on Jammu and Kashmir. The resolutions clearly prescribe that the ‘final disposition’ of the disputed territory should be decided by its people, through a free and impartial plebiscite held under the UN auspices,” the premier added.

    PM Imran Khan stated for the record that last February, both countries reaffirmed the 2003 ceasefire understanding along the Line of Control.

    “The hope was that it would lead to a rethink of the strategy in New Delhi. Sadly, the BJP government has intensified repression in Kashmir and continues to vitiate the environment by these barbaric acts,” the premier said.

    He said the onus remains on India to create a conducive environment for meaningful and result-oriented engagement with Pakistan.

    ON KASHMIR

    PM Imran Khan highlighted the forcible snatching of the mortal remains of the great Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, from his family, denying him a proper Islamic funeral and burial, in accordance with his wishes and Muslim traditions, as the most recent example of Indian barbarity.

    “Devoid of any legal or moral sanction, this action was even against the basic norms of human decency,” he said, adding: “I call on this General Assembly to demand that Syed Geelani’s mortal remains be allowed to be buried in the Cemetery of Martyrs with the appropriate Islamic rites.”

    The prime minister also warned of another conflict between Pakistan in India, which he said is essential to prevent. “India’s military build-up, development of advanced nuclear weapons, and acquisition of destabilising conventional capabilities can erode mutual deterrence between the two countries,” he said.

    ON CLIMATE CHANGE

    Turning his focus to climate change, he termed it one of the “primary existential threats” that the world faces today.

    ON COVID-19

    “The world is facing the triple challenge of Covid-19, the accompanying economic crisis and the threats posed by climate change.”

  • ‘Taliban will legally qualify for recognition once they take over the entire country,’ PM Khan

    ‘Taliban will legally qualify for recognition once they take over the entire country,’ PM Khan

    American Magazine ‘Newsweek’ has published an exclusive interview with Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, conducted by its Senior Foreign Policy Writer Tom O’Connor.

    PM Khan talked about the troubles occurring in Afghanistan, China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the US emerging close relations with Pakistan’s top rival India and shed some light on Sino-US rivalry.

    In reply to a question by Tom about recognising the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, PM Khan said, “Pakistan is obliged to engage with the de-facto authorities in Afghanistan to prevent an economic and humanitarian collapse.”

    “Once a government in Kabul establishes control over the entire country, it would legally qualify for recognition. However, Pakistan would prefer to reach a decision regarding recognition of the new government together with other neighbors of Afghanistan,” he added.

    He stressed that the authorities in Kabul [Taliban] need to neutralise terrorist groups present in Afghanistan, particularly the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and said, “Pakistan will work with the authorities in Afghanistan to halt TTP and other terrorism from there.”

    While answering the question about the US and China’s influence in South Asia after Washington’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, Khan stated, “The US can work with a new government in Afghanistan to promote common interests and regional stability and can play an important and positive role in Afghanistan by providing humanitarian assistance.”

    “But if China offers economic support to Afghanistan, it’s natural that the Afghans will accept it. The Taliban have welcomed the prospects of being incorporated in the CPEC and establishing close relations with China,” he added.

    Talking about the close ties between the US and India, PM Khan stated, “We understand that the U.S. military support to India is designed to contain China. However India will never confront China, especially not to serve U.S. strategic objectives. India’s purpose in arming itself so massively is to establish its hegemony in South Asia and especially to threaten and coerce Pakistan.”

    “We believe that the current US-China rivalry is unnecessary and contrary to the interests of both these global powers,” he said while hoping that both countries will reach the same conclusion in the near future.

    He concluded by saying that Afghanistan will only be stabilized through help and that the U.S., China and Russia and all other countries must “contribute” to reconstructing the country.

  • Video: ‘I feel abandoned and used,’ RAW agent who spied on Pakistan reveals India’s true face

    Video: ‘I feel abandoned and used,’ RAW agent who spied on Pakistan reveals India’s true face

    Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent, Daniel, who spied on Pakistan for India now lives a miserable life, as he has to drive a rickshaw while his wife works as a maid washing dishes, to earn some livelihood, an Indian news channel Pro Punjab reported.

    Daniel, who served a four-year sentence in Pakistan, was smuggled into the country in 1992 to carry out India’s dirty work.

    “We used to feel very proud while working for RAW. However, I am disheartened, my agency has abandoned me,” said Daniel.

    “I feel abandoned and used,” he said and hoped that if he gets some money, at least he could build a home and live a decent life, or get a job for his elder son.

    Speaking to the Indian news channel, he admitted that Pakistan does not send spies in India to carry out subversive activities. Rather, India frequently sends spies over into Pakistani territory.

    Daniel said that another Indian spy, Raju, is currently in Pakistan. The former RAW operative said that when he returned to India after getting caught in Pakistan, he was issued a meager Rs15,000 and fired from service. Praising the people of Pakistan, Daniel admitted that the Indian government keeps sending spies to its neighbouring country.

  • ‘Decision of England board is cowardly, was made out of fear of the players and India’: British author

    ‘Decision of England board is cowardly, was made out of fear of the players and India’: British author

    British author and journalist Peter Oborne termed the decision of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as cowardly, saying that the decision to cancel the tour of Pakistan was taken out of fear of English players and India.

    The author slammed the English board, saying the grounds on which the visit to Pakistan was canceled were a matter of “grave concern”.

    Peter said: “The England board’s decision to cancel the tour was cowardly and out of fear of the players and India, especially the IPL. The security arrangements in Pakistan were the same as those made for Prince William and Kate Middleton. The British High Commission in Pakistan was satisfied with the security arrangements.”

    While talking to Sky News, the author said: “Not for Pakistan’s cricket, this decision is a blow to the whole world. Pakistan team is one of the best teams in the world, England apparently did not make this decision on security grounds.”

    He also criticised “invisible” Chairman ECB Ian Watmore to come on television and defend this decision.

    “We are kicking one of our closest cricketing allies on teeth because of India,” he stated.

    Oborne said that there was no change in the English board’s security advice, adding that the press release did not mention security but the players’ stress.

    He further said that Pakistan came and played in the UK even in the dangerous time of Covid-19. Pakistan did good to Britain by coming in the pandemic.

    Earlier, veteran cricket journalist George Dobell had taken the ECB to the cleaners for cancelling its tour to Pakistan and had called it out on its “hypocrisy”.

  • Indian extremists trend #BoycottShahRukhKhan for viral picture with PM Imran Khan and film ‘Pathan’

    Indian extremists trend #BoycottShahRukhKhan for viral picture with PM Imran Khan and film ‘Pathan’

    Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has landed himself in a huge controversy as #BoycottShahRukhKhan trended on Twitter over the last weekend.

    Twitter was flooded with netizens claiming that the Don 2 star has ‘seriously hurt some religious and patriotic emotions over and over again’.

    Twitterati shared the actor’s old pictures and clips from the past where Shah Rukh Khan was seen with Prime Minister Imran or speaking of intolerance in India.

    Ahead of SRK’s movie release ‘Pathan‘, netizens started questioning “Why praise Pathan in India?”

    A Twitter user wrote, “He [SRK] is making [a] movie on Pathan…I mean it’s [a] spy action movie so why don’t they give him [a] Hindu name, Why praising Pathan in India?”

    Another Twitter user sharing a video tweeted, “This guy @iamsrk is pro-Pakistani and he has proved it many times.”

    A man shared an interview of the king of Bollywood and wrote, “Time to show Pakistan lover @iamsrk some intolerance by boycotting him and continuing his streak of Consecutive Flops on Box office. Soon he will settle down in Pakistan.”

    https://twitter.com/imaatmanirbhar/status/1438373109896126467
  • New Zealand to tour India for T20, Test series after abandoning Pakistan tour

    New Zealand to tour India for T20, Test series after abandoning Pakistan tour

    New Zealand will be visiting India in November to play three Twenty20 Internationals and two Test matches, two months after abandoning their tour of Pakistan over “safety concerns”.

    The series against New Zealand will kickstart India’s 2021-22 home season, which includes four Tests, three one-days and 14 T20Is, the Indian cricket board said in a statement on Monday.

    In a move that disappointed cricket analysts and enthusiasts, New Zealand called off their limited-overs tour of Pakistan minutes before the opening fixture in Rawalpindi on Friday following a security alert from their government.

    India could not host the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) or the T20World Cup because of the Covid-19 surge in the country this year.

    Both tournaments have been shifted to the United Arab Emirates, with Oman also hosting some T20 World Cup matches.

    West Indies will arrive in India in February to play six limited-overs matches, followed by Sri Lanka who will face their hosts in two Tests and three T20 matches.

    South Africa will tour India in June to play six T20 matches.

    Meanwhile, after New Zealand, England also cancelled their men and women teams’ tour to Pakistan.

  • India spied on Pakistan and China, says US-based intelligence company

    India spied on Pakistan and China, says US-based intelligence company

    Texas-based Exodus Intelligence believes India used its “zero-day” security vulnerabilities, which hackers can use to attack systems, to spy on Pakistan and China, according to a report published in Forbes.

    Exodus Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder Logan Brown said that after an investigation, he believes India handpicked one of the Windows vulnerabilities from the feed—allowing deep access to Microsoft’s operating system—and Indian government personnel or a contractor adapted it for malicious means.

    The Exodus CEO maintained that India was subsequently cut off from buying new zero-day research from his company in April and it has worked with Microsoft to patch the vulnerabilities.

    Earlier this year, researchers at Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky witnessed a cyberespionage campaign targeting Microsoft Windows PCs at government and telecom entities in China and Pakistan.

    Aspects of the code looked like some the Moscow antivirus provider had previously seen and attributed to a company it gave the cryptonym “Moses”.

    Beyond the two zero-days already abused, according to Kaspersky, “at least six vulnerabilities” made by Moses have made it out “into the wild” in the last two years. Also according to Kaspersky, another hacking crew known as DarkHotel — believed by some cybersecurity researchers to be sponsored by South Korea — has used Moses’ zero days. South Korea is not a customer of Exodus.

    “We are pretty sure India leaked some of our research,” Brown said. “We cut them off and haven’t heard anything since then . . . so the assumption is that we were correct.”

  • India world’s top source of misinformation on Covid-19: Study

    India world’s top source of misinformation on Covid-19: Study

    India disseminated the largest amount of Coronavirus misinformation on social media due to the country’s higher internet penetration rate, increasing social media usage and users’ lack of internet literacy, according to a new study.

    The study titled ‘Prevalence and Source Analysis of COVID-19 Misinformation in 138 Countries’ was published in Sage’s International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions journal.

    As per details, the study examined 9,657 pieces of misinformation made in 138 countries. They were fact-checked by 94 organisations to understand the prevalence and sources of misinformation in different countries.

    “Of all the countries, India (18.07 per cent) produced the largest amount of social media misinformation, perhaps thanks to the country’s higher internet penetration rate, increasing social media consumption and users’ lack of internet literacy,” the study stated.
    The results also showed that India (15.94 per cent), the US (9.74 per cent), Brazil (8.57 per cent) and Spain (8.03 per cent) are the four most misinformation-affected countries.

    Read More: Study reveals Pakistanis prayed for India during Covid-19 crisis

    Based on these results, the study stated that it is presumed that the prevalence of Covid-19 misinformation can have a positive association with the pandemic situation.

    “Social media (84.94 per cent) produces the largest amount of misinformation, and the internet (90.5 per cent) as a whole is responsible for most of the Covid-19 misinformation. Moreover, Facebook alone produces 66.87 per cent of the misinformation among all social media platforms,” it added.

    Earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had also cautioned that false information on the virus is spreading and putting people in danger. WHO had advised people to make sure to double-check everything they hear with trusted sources before believing or sharing them with others.

  • Newly-wed bride asks groom to bring water, runs away with cash, jewellery

    Newly-wed bride asks groom to bring water, runs away with cash, jewellery

    A bride robbed her husband while going to her in-laws’ in India’s Uttar Pradesh after she sent him to bring water for her.

    As per reports, the groom’s marriage was fixed through a mediator and the latter had mentioned a condition that made the groom’s family pay INR80,000 to the bride.

    The groom named Raju agreed to the condition and gave the money along with jewellery, gifts and clothes.

    Read More: Bride slaps groom for chewing ‘gutka’ during wedding ceremony

    The newly-married couple went to a bus station to leave for home.

    The bride asked her husband to fetch her a glass of water at the bus station, as she was thirsty. After he returned, the bride was not there. She disappeared depriving him of money, gifts and clothes that were given to her, as they were also not there.

    Later, the husband reported the case to the police.