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China, Pak Are One Now, If There’s War It Will Be Against Both: Rahul

By LokMarg 25th December 2022

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that China and Pakistan are preparing together and if there is a war, then it will be against both countries.

In a YouTube video on Rahul Gandhi’s channel, while interacting with Armed Forces veterans during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress MP said, “China and Pakistan have come together, if there will be any war then it will happen with both, so there will be a major loss for the country. India is now extremely vulnerable. I don’t just have respect for you (Army) but also love and affection for you. You defend this nation. This nation would not exist without you.”

The Congress leader explained, “Earlier we had two enemies China and Pakistan and our policy was to keep them separate. First, it was said that two front war should not happen then people say there is two and a half-front war going on, that is, Pakistan, China, and terrorism. Today there is one front that is China and Pakistan which are together. If the war happens it will happen with both. They are working together not only militarily but also economically.”

Criticizing the Central government over its policies, Rahul Gandhi said, “Our economic system has slowed down after 2014. In our country, there is disturbance, fighting, confusion, and hatred. Our mindset is still that of two and a half-front war. Our mindset is not of joint operability and of cyber warfare. India is now extremely vulnerable. China and Pakistan are both preparing a surprise for us, which is why I keep repeating that the government cannot keep quiet. What happened at the border the government should tell people of the country. What action do we have to take we have to start today? Actually, we had to act five years ago but we did not do it. If we don’t act fast, then there will be a big loss. I am extremely concerned with what is happening at the border in Arunachal and Ladakh,” he added.

On December 13, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Rajya Sabha that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops tried to transgress the Line of Actual Control in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo but they went back to their locations due to timely intervention of Indian military commanders.

Giving a statement in the Rajya Sabha, the Defence Minister assured the Upper House that “our forces are committed to protecting our territorial integrity and will continue to thwart any attempt made on it”.

Singh also displayed confidence that “this entire House will stand united in supporting our soldiers in the brave effort.”

Explaining the incident, the Minister said: “I would like to brief this august House about an incident on our border in the Tawang Sector of Arunachal Pradesh on December 9, 2022.”

“On December 9, 2022, PLA troops tried to transgress the LAC in the Yangtse area of Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo. The Chinese attempt was contested by our troops in a firm and resolute manner. The ensuing face-off led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts,” said Singh.

He further said “the scuffle led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides”, and clarified that “there are no fatalities or serious casualties on our side”.

“Due to the timely intervention of Indian military commanders, PLA soldiers went back to their locations,” Singh said.

As a follow-up of the incident, the Minister further said, the local commander in the area held a “flag meeting with his counterpart on December 11, 2022, to discuss the issue in accordance with established mechanisms”.

“The Chinese side was asked to refrain from such actions and maintain peace and tranquillity along the border. The issue has also been taken up with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels,” Singh said.

The Minister also assured the House that “our forces are committed to protecting our territorial integrity and will continue to thwart any attempt made on it”.

“I am confident that this entire House will stand united in supporting our soldiers in their brave effort,” the Minister added.

The clash near Yangtse along the LAC in the sensitive sector took place last Friday amid the over 30-month border standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh. (ANI)

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US Embassy In Pakistan Fears Possible Attack On Marriott Hotel

By LokMarg 25th December 2022

The United States embassy in Islamabad on Sunday prohibited its staff from visiting the federal capital’s Marriott Hotel, citing concerns of a “possible attack”.

“Event: U.S. government staff prohibited from visiting Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel du a security alert issued today, the US embassy asked its government staff to exercise vigilance at places of worship, and avoid locations with large crowds. It also asked them to monitor local media for updates. to possible attack,” the US embassy in Islamabad said in an alert posted on its website.

This security alert comes two days after a suicide bombing in the capital killed a policeman and wounded six others, the Dawn newspaper reported. In its security alert, the US embassy said it was “aware of information that unknown individuals are possibly plotting to attack Americans at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad sometime during the holidays”.

“Effective immediately, the Embassy in Islamabad is prohibiting all American staff from visiting Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel,” the alert said.

As Islamabad was placed on red alert citing security concerns while banning all public gatherings, the embassy urged all Mission personnel to refrain from non-essential, unofficial travel to Islamabad throughout the holiday season.

On Friday, the administration in the Capital banned all types of gatherings, especially activities related to the upcoming local government elections, and declared high alert in the city.

“In light of recent advisories/threat alerts issued by the law enforcement agencies and today’s attack on police, the security of Islamabad has been beefed up to obviate the threats within the jurisdiction of the capital which can disrupt peace and tranquility causing damage to public life and property,” read a notification issued by the office of Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, as quoted by Dawn.

Police imposed a ban on all kinds of corner meetings, public gatherings, and congregations, especially in the wake of the upcoming local government elections, the report added.

The Pakistani publication said the order immediately came into force and shall remain in force for two weeks. (ANI)

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Canadian Min Responds To World Sindhi Cong Petition On Human Rights In Pak

By LokMarg 18th December 2022

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly has responded to the World Sindhi Congress parliamentary petition regarding Notan Lal case and other human rights issues in Pakistan. Her response comes after the World Sindhi Congress (WSC) submitted a parliamentary petition in Canada on September 21.

Canada’s MP Garnett Genuis presented the petition in the parliament about the Notan Lal case, misuse of blasphemy law against minorities, abduction, and forced conversion of young girls to Islam, World Sindhi Congress said in a Facebook post.
In response to the petition, Melanie Joly in a statement said, “We recognize that these cases of child, early, and forced marriages continue to be an issue in Pakistan. The promotion and protection of human rights, including the rights of the child, freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression, is an integral part of Canada’s foreign policy.”

She further said, “It is also a priority in Canada’s engagement with Pakistan. The High Commission of Canada to Pakistan is aware of and following the Notan Lal case in collaboration with like-minded countries.” World Sindhi Congress expressed gratitude to Genuis and Joly for their support,” according to World Sindhi Congress.

The World Sindhi Congress in a Facebook post stated that they will continue to raise their voice against human rights violations in Sindh, including systematic discrimination of Hindus in Sindh in all international forms.

While presenting the petition in the parliament, Garnett Genuis said, “The petition is about a very serious issue. It’s on the situation in Pakistan, particularly on Pakistan’s blasphemy law. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom notes that the blasphemy law has contributed egregiously human rights abuses…and overall atmosphere of intolerance for religious minorities often leading to violence and discrimination.”

He further said, “Petitioners particularly highlighting the case of Notan Lal, the owner, and principal of a private school in Ghotki Pakistan who was detained and charged under the blasphemy law after a student falsely accused him. Petitioners note that a very high percentage of blasphemy targets minorities such as Ahmadiyya Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. The arrest of Notan Lal was followed by riots and violent attacks on local Hindu temples.”

Garnett Genuis said, “Petitioners also note that abduction and forced marriage of women and girls of minority communities, in particular, Hindu girls from the Sindh region of Pakistan as being an element of human rights abuses that were seen. Petitioners, therefore, call upon the government of Pakistan to combat the abduction and forced marriage of women and girls from minority communities, to condemn the imprisonment of Notan Lal and the blasphemy law.” (ANI)

India Slams Bilawal Bhutto’s ‘Uncivilised’ Remarks Against Modi

By LokMarg 16th December 2022

India on Friday slammed Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for his “uncivilized outburst” at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In response to media queries on Bilawal’s ‘uncivilized’ remarks, the official spokesperson for the MEA, Arindam Bagchi, said, “These comments are a new low, even for Pakistan. Pakistan’s foreign minister’s frustration would be better directed towards the masterminds of terrorist enterprises in his own country, who have made terrorism a part of their state policy. Pakistan needs to change its own mindset or remain a pariah.”

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday ripped into Pakistan over its role in sponsoring and spreading terrorism and advised Islamabad to clean up its act and try to be a good neighbor.

In reply to a question from a Pakistani journalist, who accused India of spreading terror, Jaishankar replied,” You are asking the wrong minister when you say how long will we do this. It is the ministers of Pakistan who will tell how long Pakistan intends to practice terrorism.”

Responding to the EAM’s remark, Bilawal unleashed a personal attack on PM Modi and also hit out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“We wish that Pak FM would have listened more sincerely yesterday at the UNSC to the testimony of Anjali Kulthe, a Mumbai nurse who saved the lives of 20 pregnant women from the bullets of the Pak terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Clearly, their FM was more interested in whitewashing Pakistan’s role,” said Bagchi.

He further said that the foreign minister of Pakistan has “obviously forgotten this day in 1971, which was a direct result of the genocide unleashed by Pakistani rulers against ethnic Bengalis and Hindus”.

“Unfortunately, Pakistan does not seem to have changed much in the treatment of its minorities. It certainly lacks credentials to cast aspersions at the Mother of Democracy,” added the MEA spokesperson.

As recent conferences and events have demonstrated, counter-terrorism remains high on Pakistan’s global agenda, he said, adding that its indisputable role in sponsoring, harboring, and actively financing terrorist and terrorist organizations remains under the scanner.

“Pakistan FM’s uncivilized outburst seems to be a result of Pakistan’s increasing inability to use terrorists and their proxies,” Bagchi said.

“Cities like New York, Mumbai, Pulwama, Pathankot and London are among the many that bear the scars of Pakistan-sponsored, supported and instigated terrorism. This violence has emanated from their Special Terrorist Zones and exported to all parts of the world. ‘Make in Pakistan’ terrorism has to stop,” he added.

He also stated that Pakistan is a country that glorifies Osama bin Laden as a martyr and shelters terrorists like Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, Sajid Mir and Dawood Ibrahim.

“No other country can boast having 126 UN-designated terrorists and 27 UN-designated terrorist entities!” Bagchi added.

A flurry of other politicians, too, objected to Bilawal’s uncivilised bursts on PM Modi. “As far as the leadership of PM Modi is concerned, the world has recognised that leadership,” said Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi.

“PM Modi has helped not only India but also other countries, including Pakistan, during Covid. If a foreign minister of a country is making such statement, it doesn’t hold him well,” added Lekhi.

Incidentally, Pakistan was included in the grey list of FATF several times for incubating terrorism.

“The statement of the foreign minister of Pakistan is very shameful and it is an attempt to replicate the way in which the Pakistan Army was defeated by the Indian Army on this day in 1971. Maybe he is still in pain. The world has seen Pakistan’s actions and intentions. They have been giving shelter to terrorists for a long time. PM Modi has taken strict actions against terrorism. The US killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan and India did a surgical strike in Pakistan,” said Union Minister Anurag Thakur. (ANI)

Delhi Sikhs Protest Sealing Of Lahore Gurudwara In Pakistan

By LokMarg 13th December 2022

A large number of people from the Sikh community in New Delhi staged a protest on Tuesday over the act of sealing Gurudwara Shaheed Bhai Taru situated at Naulakha in Lahore in Pakistan.

Members of the main organizer group, Jag Aasra Guru Ott (JAGO) party along with several other angered Sikhs marched towards the Pakistan High Commission and submitted their memorandum to the officials.

Leading the protest at Teen Murti Chowk, Manjit Singh GK, President of Jag Aasra Guru Ott (JAGO) said, “The JAGO party and Sikhs of Delhi have come here to protest against the Pakistan government who have put the lock on the historical gurudwara of Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh. The land and property of Gurudwara have already been taken by the land mafia. The Pakistan government should remove that lock and hand over the keys to Sikh communities or the Pakistan Gurudwara Prabandhak committee.”

The debate regarding the existence of the Gurudwara in Naulakha, Lahore, has raged for a long time.

Previously the Sikh community were not allowed to observe the anniversary of Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh at his Samadhi under the pressure of a local hardline Muslim group who claimed ownership rights of the land of the Samadhi.

Once again, land sharks in Lahore attempted to seize the Gurudwara’s property, causing unrest between the local Sikh and Muslim communities.

It is ironic that on one hand, Pakistan tries to portray itself as a tolerant state by opening the Gurudwara at Kartarpur, while on the other, the ruling dispensation under the pressure of mafias is sealing several religious places of minorities, escalating the tension between the majority Muslim community and other religious groups.

As per the Nehru-Liaquat agreement of 1950, both the governments of India and Pakistan solemnly agreed to the safety and security of the minorities living in the respective countries, their places of worship, and other properties.

However, the minorities living in the Islamic Republic continue to suffer as Pakistan has completely failed to honour the decisions both sides had agreed upon. (ANI)

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India Slams OIC Delegation Visit To Pak Occupied Kashmir

By LokMarg 13th December 2022

India on Tuesday condemned the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha’s visit to Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and his comment during the visit to Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

“We strongly condemn the visit of the OIC Secretary General to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and his comments on Jammu and Kashmir during his visit to Pakistan,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi replied to the media queries regarding Taha’s visit.

He further said, “Let me reiterate that OIC has no locus standing in matters related to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India. Any attempt of interference and meddling in India’s internal affairs by OIC and its Secretary General is entirely unacceptable.”

Regarding OIC, Bagchi said that the organization had lost its credibility by taking a blatantly communal, partisan, and factually incorrect approach to issues. He also said that OIC’s Secretary-General has become a mouthpiece of Pakistan, according to the statement.

India hoped that Taha would refrain from becoming a partner in carrying out the ‘nefarious’ agenda of Pakistan of promoting cross-border terrorism in India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, Bagchi said.

Earlier, on Monday, OIC General-Secretary met Pakistan’s Prime Minister during his three-day visit starting from December 10 to 12, OIC said in a statement.

Both sides exchanged views on the question of Palestine, humanitarian challenges faced by the people of Afghanistan, and efforts towards countering rising anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia across the globe.

The meeting also reviewed aspects of cooperation between OIC and Pakistan, in particular, on the implementation of the resolutions of the Council of Foreign Ministers during ongoing Pakistan’s chairmanship of the Council, according to the statement.

Earlier, on Saturday, Taha held a working session with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Both sides discussed relations between the OIC and Pakistan as well as issues related to Jammu and Kashmir dispute, Islamophobia, and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. (ANI)

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India Bans Pakistan-Based OTT App Vidly TV

By LokMarg 12th December 2022

The Government on Monday issued an order to ban Pakistan-based OTT Platform Vidly TV after the streaming of the web series “Sevak: The Confessions”, said senior Adviser, of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Kanchan Gupta.

“Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, using emergency powers under IT Rules 2021, has issued directions on December 12, 2022, for the immediate blocking of the website, two mobile apps, four social media accounts, and one smart TV app of Pakistan-based OTT Platform Vidly TV,” Gupta said in a Twitter post.

He said Government’s action against Pakistan-based Vidly TV follows the web series “Sevak: The Confessions” which was “determined to be detrimental to national security, sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, and public order in the country.”

“Action against Pakistan-based Vidly TV follows the assessment that the provocative and wholly untrue web series “Sevak” was sponsored by Pakistan’s info ops apparatus. The first of the three episodes was released on November 26, 2022, the anniversary of Pakistani terror attacks on Mumbai in 2008,” Gupta said.

In June last year, India banned 59 Chinese mobile applications including the widely-used social media platforms such as TikTok, WeChat, and Helo keeping in view the threat to the nation’s sovereignty and security.

The majority of the apps banned in the June 29 order were red-flagged by intelligence agencies over concerns that they were collecting user data and possibly also sending them “outside”. (ANI)

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The Leisurely Lives Of Pakistan’s Army Generals

By LokMarg 8th December 2022

An army’s role around the world is to protect its country from perceived and actual threats and to ensure national security. But in Pakistan, where extortion and corruption are rife, the army takes on the role of the mafia.

With a dubious record of toppling elected governments, installing puppet dictators, and plundering the country’s resources to fund the lavish lifestyles of its generals, the Pakistani army is truly unique in its functioning.

Most recently, General Qamar Jawed Bajwa has come under fire for what many are calling a questionable accumulation of wealth while he was head of the Pakistani Army.

A recent investigative report by the website, Fact Focus, out of Pakistan, revealed Pakistani Army General Qamar Jawed Bajwa and his family’s suspected financial and tax information.

The report raises many questions as to the Bajwa family’s disproportionate accumulation of wealth during the General’s tenure as Army Chief, and to the Army’s financial transactions in general.

In an ironic twist, Pakistan, instead of vowing to investigate the Bajwas’ financial situation, has ordered an investigation into what they call the “illegal” and “unwarranted leakage” of the family’s tax information.

Bajwa’s blue-eyed boy, Munir is appointed as Pakistan army chief; it will be business as usual with no heads rolling for the rampant corruption plaguing the Pakistani army. Financial mishandling, corruption, and influence peddling by generals for personal gain have been the subject of several scandals in Pakistan.

At the beginning of this year, data leaked from Credit Suisse, an investment banking firm registered in Switzerland, revealed information about 600 accounts linked to 1400 Pakistani citizens. Account-holders included several key politicians and generals, including the ex-ISI chief, General Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan.

“Expose like this coming out is nothing new. It has been well-known for a long. We also know the case of a Pakistani General who fled from Pakistan and opened a chain of pizza huts in the US. So it’s nothing new”, says, Defence Expert Lt Col JS Sodhi (Retd)

One of the Pakistani Army’s biggest scandals remains its appropriation and sale of land in the name of welfare and providing housing for its officer cadre.

On 27 August 2016, an article titled ‘Lust for Land’ was published in the Pakistani newspaper ‘Dawn’. In the article, Pakistani freelance columnist and former civil servant, Irfan Husain, exposed the reality of multiplying defence societies and the Pakistani Army’s insatiable hunger for land.

Several other reports from Pakistan have claimed that the Pakistani Army is using government land to fulfill commercial interests.

The Army has built shopping malls, cinema halls, and marriage halls on government land.

The military appears interested in many lands and commercial entities, ranging from petrol pumps to huge industrial plants.

Money earned by rentals of these properties is being given to the families of Army officers.

In Pakistan, many petitions have also been filed over the failure to implement laws to protect lands from the military mafia.

Though the Supreme Court of Pakistan has criticized the military establishment in the past for their involvement in commercial pursuits, the practice continues.

While Pakistan has descended into a deep economic crisis, military officers have been given taxpayer-funded land allocations worth millions.

J S Sodhi further added, “Well the fact that today Pakistan is on the brink of being declared a bankrupt nation. They have no money with them. We have seen the recent floods in which one-third of Pakistan was under water.”

Pakistan recently ranked 140th out of 180 countries on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2021 by Transparency International, dropping 16 spots from the previous year.

In Pakistan, corruption is so ingrained within the military that it seems unlikely that the appointment of a new General, or even of new political leadership will be able to change the functioning of the country’s most powerful institution.

As Pakistan descends deeper into economic and political instability, the Army’s top leaders continue to enjoy an enrichment of power and finances. (ANI)

Imran Khan’s Politics Weakens Pakistan: PM Shehbaz Sharif

By LokMarg 5th December 2022

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif criticised his predecessor and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan for his comments on the retired chief of army staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, The Dawn reported.

“PTI leader’s politics is aimed at making his way to power, even if it meant undermining foundations this country stood on,” Prime Minister Sharif said on his Twitter handle, according to The Dawn.

According to the tweet by Sharif, quoted by The Dawn, Imran’s recent diatribe against parliamentary democracy is the latest in a series of attacks that fly in the face of how democracy functions in modern nation-states.

His politics is aimed at making his way to power even if it means undermining the foundations this country stands on, it added.

Khan in an interview had previously told that giving a 3-year tenure extension in 2019 to the retired CAOS Bajwa was his biggest mistake, similar statements were given by the former speaker of Pakistan National Assembly Asad Qaiser, The Dawn reported.

The Special Assistant to Prime Minister Atta Tarar said Pakistan Muslim League Quaid e Azam leader Moonis Elahi had defamed Khan and General Bajwa in his statements. Although, at the time of the no-confidence vote against Imran, he was urged by Moonis Elahi to support Khan.

Meanwhile, a leader of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Hafiz Hamdullah in a statement said that the election would be taking place as scheduled in October next year. And if the country’s economic condition does not allow then the elections can be delayed for a year.

Previously, Khan also announced that his party has decided not to remain part of the current political system and will instead resign from all the assemblies. (ANI)

Amritsar: BSF Shoots Down Drone From Pak

By LokMarg 5th December 2022

The Border Security Force (BSF) seized 2 kg heroin and 100 gm opium on Monday after it shot down a Pakistani drone in Amritsar.

The BSF soldiers were deployed on the international border and observed one drone entering India from Pakistan. After that, the soldiers shot three bullets at the drone and put it down, informed Jasbir Singh, Commandant BSF.
Two packets of heroin with 1 kg heroin in each, and 100 gm of opium were recovered, the BSF informed. (ANI)