Tag: Kashmir

  • Kashmir crisis: Modi govt to open 50,000 temples in held valley

    In another attempt to turn majority-Muslim Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) into majority-Hindu, the Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi-led government has decided to re-open around 50,000 temples in the held valley, Samaa TV reported.

    According to the details, Indian Minister for Home Affairs Kishan Reddy has announced opening the temples and said that a survey has been ordered to reopen or rebuild all the temples closed or destroyed over the years.

    The move comes amid fears that the Hindu nationalist government in India abrogated Article 370 of its constitution to pave way for a Muslim genocide in the disputed territory.

    The Supreme Court of India (SCI) had earlier ordered the government to restore normalcy in IoK “as soon as possible while keeping in mind national safety and security”.

    The court had further ordered the government to submit a report mentioning the actual situation in the region that has been lockdown with communication blackout.

    People of the Muslim-majority troubled valley have been held hostage by Indian occupying forces since August 5 when New Delhi abrogated the article to rob the disputed territory of its autonomy.

  • VIDEO: ‘Troops ready to make Azad Kashmir part of India,’ army chief says

    VIDEO: ‘Troops ready to make Azad Kashmir part of India,’ army chief says

    Amid heightened tensions and Narendra Modi-led Indian government’s threats of “invading” Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) region of the country, Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat has said his “troops are ready to make the territory a part of India”.

    “Indian troops are ready to retrieve Pakistan occupied Kashmir and make it a part of India, but it is the government which takes decisions in such matters,” Gen Rawat said while speaking to an Indian news agency.

    He said that the institutions of the country will work as per the orders of the government, but the army is always ready.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Earlier, a similar statement was made by Indian Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who had said that after the abrogation of Article 370 in India Held Kashmir (IHK), the next agenda of the government was to “retrieve Pakistan-administered Kashmir”.

    Singh, however, was brutally trolled by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor, who suggested him “to consult Indian Air Force (IAF) before taking any such steps”.

    https://twitter.com/peaceforchange/status/1171493626024587270

    He had ridiculed the Indian minister while mentioning failed Indian airstrikes from February 2019, which resulted in two IAF jets being shot down by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and capture of pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

  • ‘The world believes India, not us,’ says interior minister

    ‘The world believes India, not us,’ says interior minister

    Federal Minister for Interior Brigadier (r) Ijaz Ahmed Shah has said that the world believes India, not Pakistan.

    “Who is responsible for earning this name, that people don’t believe us [Pakistan] in the international community?” the former spy asked in an interview to a private media outlet.

    “We say India has enforced a curfew in Kashmir, it is not providing medicines, is killing people, there is nothing to eat. People don’t believe us. They believe India, even though we are right.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    When asked by the interviewer about who was responsible for it, Ijaz blamed the ruling elite of the country. “This is not the work of a single day,” he said. “Over a period of time, the ruling elite destroyed the country. The people thought we are not a responsible nation. That is what we are facing.”

    “It is very unfortunate that we worked hard, and we made the most sacrifices in the war on terror,” he said further.

    “We became a frontline state. Around 80,000 of our people were martyred. Are we getting the same response from the world community? No. We must have a soul-searching. You [the media] should also think about it.”

  • While Kashmir burns, a Delhi restaurant is offering ‘Article 370 Thali’

    While Kashmiris in the occupied valley are suffering from Indian atrocities and the world is trying to sort out the political chaos that broke out following abrogation of Indian Constitution’s Article 370, a Delhi-based restaurant is offering an “Article 370 Thali” to its customers.

    According to Times of India, the India-shaped “Article 370 Thali (United India Thali)” — with occupied Kashmir included — has been introduced by Ardor 2.1 that is also offering a discount of INR (Indian rupees) 370 if the customer is a resident of the troubled valley.

    “Kashmir has always been a vital part of India and now that the same has been officially announced, the eatery wants to welcome the decision with open arms,” the restaurant has said.

    New Delhi on August 5 stripped held Kashmir of its special status by repealing Article 370 of the country’s constitution and robbing the region of its autonomy.

    Indian occupying forces have converted the valley into a garrison by deploying hundreds of thousands of troops and paramilitary personnel in every street, line and by-lane to stop people from staging demonstrations against the development.

  • Kashmir ‘Curfew Clock’ facing UN building set up in New York

    Kashmir ‘Curfew Clock’ facing UN building set up in New York

    After Islamabad, a digital “Curfew Clock” has been installed in front of the United Nations (UN) building in New York, showing the number of days, hours and minutes since India has kept occupied Kashmir under curfew.

    Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi on Thursday night tweeted the pictures of a truck with the curfew clock screen, facing the UN building.

    People of the Muslim-majority troubled valley have been held hostage by Indian occupying forces since August 5 when New Delhi abrogated Article 370 of its constitution to rob the disputed territory of its autonomy.

    Last week on Saturday, Pakistan had installed a similar curfew clock in the federal capital as the country observed “Kashmir Hour” to express solidarity with the people of held Kashmir.

  • Porn actor trolls ex-Pakistani diplomat for mistaking him as injured Kashmiri

    Porn actor trolls ex-Pakistani diplomat for mistaking him as injured Kashmiri

    Pornographic actor, director and internet personality Johnny Sins has trolled former high commissioner of Pakistan to India Abdul Basit for mistaking him as a Kashmiri, who lost his sight due to pellet injury in the occupied valley.

    Thanking the ex-Pakistani diplomat “for all the new Twitter followers”, Sins took to the microblogging website and wrote:

    “Shout out to @abasitpak1 for all the new twitter followers! Thanks but my vision is fine [sic],” Sins tweeted.

    In an embarrassing goof-up, Basit on Monday had retweeted a photograph of the adult star, claiming that he was “a Kashmiri man who had lost his eyesight” due to the use of pellet guns by Indian occupying forces in held Kashmir.

    The tweet was deleted after it went viral. Journalist Naila Inayat had later shared a screenshot of Basit retweeting a troll.

    “Yousuf from Ananthnag… lost vision from pellet… pls raise your voice [sic],” the original tweet read.

  • Amid tensions with India, Pak to acquire 36 Dassault Mirage-V jets from Egypt

    Amid tensions with India, Pak to acquire 36 Dassault Mirage-V jets from Egypt

    Amid tensions with India over the Kashmir crisis, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is expected to soon sign a deal with Egypt for the purchase of 36 upgraded Dassault Mirage-V combat aircraft, The News International has reported.

    According to reports, the two countries have been negotiating the contract for years and now the final one may see the light of day as PAF wants these fighter jets to strengthen its existing squadron of jets.

    The 36 Mirage-V resemble India’s Mirage 2000 in terms of delta wing design and have the ability to perform night strikes with mission pods and helmet-mounted display.

    The Mirage V is a dedicated ground-attack variant of the Mirage-III, with greater space for fuel in place of avionics.

    Pakistan has been acquiring retired Mirage-III and Mirage-V from Egypt and Australia and presses the aircraft into service after upgrading them with modern Italian radars and other electronics.

  • India to offer Russia $1 billion loan for development of Far East

    India to offer Russia $1 billion loan for development of Far East

    Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Thursday said India will “walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia in its development of the Far East” and announced a $1 billion line of credit for the development of the resource-rich region.

    Addressing the plenary session of the 5th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok city of Russia, Modi said the friendship between India and Russia was not restricted to governmental interactions in capital cities, but was about people and close business relations.

    “India’s connection to the Russian Far East goes back a long way. India was the first country to open a Consulate in Vladivostok,” Indian media reports quoted Modi as saying. “For its development, India will give a line of credit worth $1 billion.”

    “My government has actively engaged East Asia as part of its ‘Act East’ policy. I firmly believe that today’s announcement will add a new dimension to the economic diplomacy of the two countries,” he added.

    The Indian premier, in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also unveiled the “Act Far East” policy to boost India’s engagement with Russia’s Far East region. “Let us deepen the bond between India and Russia even further.”

    The development comes a day after media reports claimed that India was trying to garner Russia’s support as Pakistan attempts to challenge the Modi-led government for robbing occupied Kashmir of its autonomy.

    New Delhi had in August abrogated Article 370 of its constitution to snatch away the held valley’s special status — a move which Pakistan fears can pave way for a Muslim genocide in the disputed territory.

  • What’s the importance of the leaf behind D.G. ISPR?

    What’s the importance of the leaf behind D.G. ISPR?

    Military Spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor did a briefing yesterday, updating the press of Pakistan’s fight for Kashmir’s rights. He spoke about how Kashmir was Pakistan’s “jugular vein” and how Pakistan would protect it at all costs. He also warned India of any “misadventure” and said that “nuclear countries do not go to war”. During his briefing, the background was of a green leaf.

    D.G. ISPR Asif Ghafoor’s press briefing

    The leaf is a chinar tree leaf and symbolizes Kashmir. The chinar tree is largely found in Kashmir or European countries and it is largely believed that the Mughal Emperor Akbar planted chinars in the Kashmir valley.

    A large chinar tree

    1,200 saplings of chinar were planted at the same time in a ‘Char Chinar’ pattern, which is four chinar trees planted in four corners of a piece of land.

    Chinar leaf in autumn

    The Char Chinar pattern creates overarching shade so a person standing in any part of the area would have shade during the whole day.

    Chinar trees in autumn in Srinagar

    For Indians, visiting Srinagar in autumn, is an attractive holiday since the chinar leaves turn golden before they fall.

  • India irked by Pakistani writer of Bernie Sanders’ fiery Kashmir speech

    A Pakistani-American speechwriter Faiz Shakir, is said to be the author of Bernie Sanders’ fiery speech on Sunday, The Print has reported.

    Democratic presidential candidate for the US Elections 2020 Bernie Sanders in his speech expressed deep concerns over India’s “unacceptable” seizure of Kashmir and called the United States (US) to intervene for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.

    According to the reports, many believe that Bernie’s campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, is the one who actually wrote Sanders’ Kashmir speech.

    Born to Pakistani immigrants in the US, Shakir has been deeply immersed in the world of activism and has managed to cultivate several important connections in the Democratic Party.

    He went on to study at Harvard and Georgetown Universities, and over the past decade, Shakir has developed a stellar resume by working with some of the biggest Democratic legislators and top-notch think tanks and civil liberties advocacy groups.

    After completing his education at prolific institutions, Shakir began working as a legislative aide to former Florida governor, Bob Graham. He then went to work as a junior staffer in the 2004 John Kerry presidential campaign.

    Following Kerry’s campaign, Shakir joined the liberal think-tank and advocacy group Centre for American Progress (CAP) in 2005 and worked there as a policy advisor.

    Later that year, Shakir helped CAP launch a news website called ThinkProgress, and worked there as the website’s editor-in-chief between 2007 and 2012. He helped turn it into a platform that garnered a lot of acclaim for its reporting on climate change.

    After his stint at CAP and ThinkProgress, Shakir joined prominent Democratic legislator Nancy Pelosi’s team as the “director, new media”. Pelosi is currently the majority leader of the US House of Representatives (lower chamber).

    After his stint with Pelosi, Shakir went on to work with esteemed Democratic Senator Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader between 2007 and 2015.

    In 2016 when Shakir joined Sanders’ presidential campaign team, he drew a lot of anger from his former boss Podesta, who was then managing Clinton’s campaign.

    After Sanders failed to win the Democratic primaries, Shakir joined civil rights advocacy group American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as its political director.

    Over the past two years, ACLU has been at the helm of legal and political resistance against the United States President Donald Trump’s policies, especially the “Muslim immigration ban”. ACLU is a major advocacy group and has over 12,00,000 members and more than $100 million at its disposal.

    Following Trump’s immigration ban, ACLU helped raise $24 million and Shakir played a big part in it. ACLU had also filed a lawsuit against Trump’s executive order, which led to a temporary stay on Trump’s immigration ban.