US criticises Pak for crackdown on MQM leaders;PTI

 

A day after Pakistan charged Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain with treason for his inflammatory speech, the US has said in a democracy, critical opinion should be encouraged, not silenced. “I would just say in a democratic society, critical opinion should be encouraged, not silenced. We believe that democracies become stronger by allowing free expression from diverse voices within society and we would certainly emphasise that any expression must be peaceful,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday.
Responding to a question on arrest of MQM leaders, he said the US is always concerned when members of a political party are detained or arrested. “We obviously uphold the importance and believe in the importance of public assembly, freedom of speech, as long as it’s peaceful. We would emphasise that any kind of protest, any kind of demonstrations would need to be conducted peacefully. So I think we’re still assessing, gathering information about what took place. And we’ll reserve further comment until that time,” Toner said. MQM chief Altaf Hussain was on Tuesday charged with treason for his inflammatory speech that incited party workers to attack media outlets.
 He was accused of raising anti-Pakistan slogans at a protest rally that turned violent. The MQM remains the single largest party in Karachi for decades now and have dominated the political landscape for years sweeping provincial and national elections but since the clean-up operation began on the orders of the centre, the party has come under intense pressure.

pti

A day after Pakistan charged Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain with treason for his inflammatory speech, the US has said in a democracy, critical opinion should be encouraged, not silenced. “I would just say in a democratic society, critical opinion should be encouraged, not silenced. We believe that democracies become stronger by allowing free expression from diverse voices within society and we would certainly emphasise that any expression must be peaceful,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday. Responding to a question on arrest of MQM leaders, he said the US is always concerned when members of a political party are detained or arrested. “We obviously uphold the importance and believe in the importance of public assembly, freedom of speech, as long as it’s peaceful. We would emphasise that any kind of protest, any kind of demonstrations would need to be conducted peacefully. So I think we’re still assessing, gathering information about what took place. And we’ll reserve further comment until that time,” Toner said. MQM chief Altaf Hussain was on Tuesday charged with treason for his inflammatory speech that incited party workers to attack media outlets. He was accused of raising anti-Pakistan slogans at a protest rally that turned violent. The MQM remains the single largest party in Karachi for decades now and have dominated the political landscape for years sweeping provincial and national elections but since the clean-up operation began on the orders of the centre, the party has come under intense pressure.

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India warns against terrorists getting nukes, says nations responsible to prevent it

India has warned of the “catastrophic dangers” of terrorists getting weapons of mass destruction and said that nations have a responsibility to prevent nuclear material from falling into their hands. Speaking at the UN Security Councildebate on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) on Tuesday, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative Tanmaya Lalsaid: “We are fully cognizant of the catastrophic dangers that the transfer of Weapons of Mass Destruction to non-State actors and terrorists could entail.” Therefore, he said,
“The primary responsibility for ensuring nuclear security rests at the national level but national responsibility must be accompanied by responsible behaviour as well as sustained and effective international cooperation.” At the same time, the focus on terrorists “should in no way diminish state accountability in combating terrorism and dismantling its support infrastructure and its linkages with Weapons of Mass Destruction,” he said. Without mentioning any country, he said that “clandestine nuclear proliferation networks must be rolled back and their resurgence prevented.” Pakistan ran an underground international nuclear bazaar overseen by the notorious scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan that transferred nuclear know-how and technology to North Korea. Islamabad’s nuclear bases have come under attack from terrorists, who have even managed to enter one of them. For its part, India has enacted several laws and set up mechanisms to ensure that terrorists don’t get access to WMD, Lal said.
“Our recent steps taken to strengthen nuclear security include the setting up of a Counter Nuclear Smuggling Team (CNST).” “India is committed to maintaining the highest international standards with reference to control of nuclear, chemical, biological and toxin weapons and their means of delivery and has strong and law-based national export controls consistent with the highest international standards,” he said. New Delhi was committed to the ideal of the elimination of all nuclear weapons, Lal said. But for this to happen all nuclear-weapon states must hold “a meaningful dialogue to build trust and confidence by reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines,” he said.
“Increasing the restraints on the use of nuclear weapons is not only an essential first step, but it is also necessary in the current complex international environment in enhancing strategic trust globally,” he added. India’s nuclear doctrine is built on a policy of credible minimum deterrence and a commitment to no-first use and to not using using the weapons against non-nuclear weapon states, he said, adding that New Delhi continues its “unilateral and voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing.”
He cited the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) as examples of non-discriminatory treaties for the complete elimination of those types of WMD. Unlike the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), which makes exceptions for certain nuclear powers, those treaties apply to all. Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Maleeha Lodhi asserted during the debate that Islamabad had implemented a comprehensive system to control exports and taken steps to improve nuclear security. She took a swipe at the India-United States civil nuclear deal and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver for New Delhi to allow access to civilian nuclear technology and fuel, but did not name either country. “A challenge to non-proliferation norms was the granting of discriminatory waivers, special arrangements which denoted double standards and opened the possibility of diverting material intended for peaceful use to military purposes,” she said.
While India’s attempts to join the NSG has been stalled mainly because of China’s opposition, Lodhi made a pitch for Pakistan’s membership. She said Islamabad met the criteria for membership and that “it expected that a non-discriminatory and criteria-based approach would be followed for extending such membership.”

economictimes

Praising Modi for raising Baloch issue increases responsibility, says defence expert

 

JAMMU: A defence expert has said that the praise showered on Prime Minister Narendra Modi by activists of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP) and their move to hold up his pictures and wave Indian flags in their territory, increases India’s responsibility towards realising the goal of delivering freedom to the people of Balochistan.
M M Khajuria told ANI that the Baloch people expect Prime Minister Modi and the Indian media to lend them a helping hand and support their cause internationally.
“They have come out into the open to resist and declare that they appreciate what the Prime Minister of India and the Indian media is doing for them, and they expect them to lend them a helping hand and support their cause in the world forum. This, in fact, increases our (India's) responsibility towards the freedom movement in Balochistan, and, I think, India must devise ways and means of coming up to their expectations,” Khajuria added.
While the protests have been going on for the past few days in several locations in Balochistan, protesters in Dera Bugti held up pictures of the Indian Prime Minister, late Baloch leader Akbar Bugti and his grandson Brahumdagh Bugti, and raised slogans against Islamabad. They also burnt Pakistan’s national flag.
Slogans were also raised against Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri for declaring Bugti a traitor and thanking the Indian Prime Minister for highlighting the atrocities meted out to the people in the region by Islamabad.
Stating that the freedom movement in Balochistan seemed to have got a fillip after the Indian Prime Minister’s reference, Khajuria said, “The kind of acceptance of reality that the people of Balochistan are fighting for their freedom, this is the recognition of the support that the people of Balochistan expect from India, the international forum as well, in awakening world opinion about what they are going through and what they have gone through since 2002.”
On the United States State Department’s expression of concern over human rights violation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Khajuria said that Washington has been forced into doing so after India raised the issue.
The Prime Minister, in his concluding remarks at a recently held all-party meeting to discuss the flare-up in Kashmir in the wake of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani, had said “Pakistan forgets that it rains bombs from fighter planes on citizens of its country.”
“Time has now come that Pakistan will have to answer to the world about the atrocities being committed on people in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” he added.
During nation’s 70th Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Modi signalled a distinct hardening of posture against Pakistan, by raising human rights violations in Balochistan and PoK.
Prime Minister Modi said the people of PoK and Balochistan had thanked him for flagging the human rights abuses by Pakistan's security forces.
The Prime Minister's comments were criticised as "crossing a red line" by the Pakistan Government, a charge New Delhi has rejected.

 newindianexpress

Ex-Afghan president Karzai cautions Kashmiris against ‘foreign interference’

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has cautioned the people of Kashmir against letting “other nations” interfere in their affairs and asked them to take a lesson from the people of Afghanistan.“I will tell brothers and sisters in Kashmir to be cautious and not suffer for ulterior motive of others… We should not allow a foreign hand to enter our country,” Karzai said in an interview to Times Now telecast on Sunday. “We want people of Kashmir to live in peace and harmony with rest of the country from the point of view of an Afghan, who suffered because we felt we were being helped (by a foreign nation) for our cause… that became a means of interfering (in our affairs),” he said.
 “I give my opinion to the people of Kashmir — learn from the suffering of Afghan people. Don’t be misled by promise of help; it will be at immense cost,” Karzai said. The Kashmir Valley has been witnessing curfew and separatist shutdown since July 9, a day after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces.

HT

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has cautioned the people of Kashmir against letting “other nations” interfere in their affairs and asked them to take a lesson from the people of Afghanistan.“I will tell brothers and sisters in Kashmir to be cautious and not suffer for ulterior motive of others… We should not allow a foreign hand to enter our country,” Karzai said in an interview to Times Now telecast on Sunday. “We want people of Kashmir to live in peace and harmony with rest of the country from the point of view of an Afghan, who suffered because we felt we were being helped (by a foreign nation) for our cause… that became a means of interfering (in our affairs),” he said. “I give my opinion to the people of Kashmir — learn from the suffering of Afghan people. Don’t be misled by promise of help; it will be at immense cost,” Karzai said. The Kashmir Valley has been witnessing curfew and separatist shutdown since July 9, a day after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight with the security forces.

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Chinese Army’s official mouthpiece warns India against deploying cruise missiles in Arunachal

India’s move to deploy BrahMos cruise missiles in Arunachal as a deterrent against China has provoked a sharp response from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The NDA government had given the final go-ahead for the Army to induct and deploy an advanced version of the BrahMos missile for mountain warfare in the northeast earlier this month. The PLA’s official mouthpiece, the PLA Daily, has warned India that doing so could attract countermeasures from China and bring “a negative influence” to “stability” of border areas. “India deploying supersonic missiles on the border has exceeded its own needs for self-defense and poses a serious threat to China’s Tibet and Yunnan provinces,” said the commentary, published this weekend in the PLA’s influential official newspaper.
 The Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, had cleared this fourth BrahMos regiment at a cost of over Rs 4,300 crore. The regiment consists of around 100 missiles, five mobile autonomous launchers on 12×12 heavy-duty trucks, and a mobile command post. The PLA Daily claimed that India’s views of “counterbalance and confrontation” were behind the move, noting other steps to bolster the border such as deploying Sukhoi Su-30MKIs and drones in border areas as “deterrence to China to create a military advantage in the boundary”. India, however, is still playing catch-up after China set up massive infrastructure in Tibet and Xinjiang, including airports, roads, and a rail network that is set to reach the border.
 The PLA Daily suggested deploying the BrahMos could threaten some of this infrastructure. “The supersonic BrahMos cruise missile has excellent dive attack capabilities, and fits in the Sino-Indian border where it’s mostly mountain topography,” the commentary said, adding that the “low observable” nature and “penetration capabilities” of the 2.5 Mach-speed missile posed a threat to China’s border areas. The commentary, written by an expert from the PLA Navy’s Engineering University, also presented a detailed assessment of the nature of the threat posed by the deployment of an advanced version of BrahMos with “steep div”” capabilities suited to mountain warfare.
 The deployment of the missile “could increase suddenness and effectiveness of attacks” and land “crushing blows on time-sensitive targets like missile launchers and solid targets like command centres”, it said. “Deploying BrahMos missiles is bound to increase competitiveness and confrontation in Sino-Indian relations and bring a negative influence to stability of the region,” the commentary concluded. On the other hand, the newspaper suggested, the missile also had certain “defects”, such as “a relatively short range that cannot threaten China’s deep zones” as well “a heavy weight that makes it difficult for even a Sukhoi Su-30MKI to carry more than one”. The 290-km range BrahMos is a tactical or non-nuclear missile. Jointly developed with Russia, it has become the preferred precision-strike weapon for the Indian armed forces.
 The missile has been tested by the Army, and the last known test in the Eastern sector was done in May, 2015. The steep-dive attack cruise missile can hit enemy targets hidden in the shadows of mountains. The BrahMos can be launched from multiple platforms including submarines, ships, aircraft, and land-based Mobile Autonomous Launchers (MAL). The missile can fly at 2.8 times the speed of sound. It can carry conventional warheads up to 300 kg.

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