Central News Hub

Month: September 2022

Five-fold spike in India’s exports to UAE

India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry has predicted that Indian exports to the UAE will increase further in the coming months with the growing use of the CEPA by exporters…reports Asian Lite News

India’s non-oil exports to the UAE rose phenomenally by five times in the three months since the implementation of a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) compared to India’s non-petroleum exports to the world during the same period.

The Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry released the findings of a comprehensive study of the UAE-India trade since the implementation of the CEPA on 1st May this year.

“The UAE-India CEPA is already creating a significant positive impact on bilateral trade. Indian exports to the UAE, excluding petroleum products, grew from $5.17 billion during June-August last year to $5.92 billion during June-August 2022, which works out to a year-on-year increase of 14 percent,” the Ministry said.

“India’s global non-petroleum exports during June-August 2022 grew by three percent annually. This implies that the growth rate of India’s non-petroleum exports to the UAE is almost five times as that of India’s non-petroleum exports to the world,” the study revealed.

It is predicted that Indian exports to the UAE will increase further in the coming months with the growing use of the CEPA by exporters. “A series of trade promotion events in the UAE during the current financial year are planned.”

Although the CEPA went into force on 1st May, the Ministry said the first month of its implementation was not included in the study because it was considered a transition period. Hence the analysis is for three months, from June to August.

During the same period, India’s imports from the UAE grew from $5.56 billion to $5.61 billion. The trade increase in both directions is significant “in the context of global macro-economic headwinds, including policy tightening in advanced economies, global growth slowdown and a reduction in international merchandise trade.”

India’s global non-petroleum exports during the same period grew by just 3% on a year-on-year basis, the Ministry said, seeking to emphasise the much higher growth in such exports to the UAE which were at $5.92 billion compared to $5.17 billion a year ago.

“Excluding petroleum related imports, Indian imports from the UAE during the same three-month period grew by 1% to $5.61 billion,” the Ministry noted, adding that oil trade were not considered for this analysis for two reasons.

“…Import increase in oil/petroleum products is largely on account of the rise in global prices and to a certain extent on an increase offtake in volumes. Further, it is pertinent to mention that bulk of the oil imports from the UAE are of Crude Petroleum, the demand for which is inelastic and the customs duty for which is very low,” it explained.

The sharpest jump in Indian exports to UAE over this period was seen in sugar (up 237%), cereals (161%), vegetables (82%), inorganic chemicals (74%) and electrical machinery and equipment (67%).

The Commerce Ministry said it expects Indian exports to increase further in the coming months with increasing use of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by exporters and a series of trade promotion events planned in the UAE during 2022-23.

WTO’s global trade growth forecast for the entire year 2022 was at 3 pc in April 2022. This forecast is expected to be revised downwards as the macroeconomic headwinds had worsened since April 2022.

Indian exports are likely to increase further in the coming months with increasing use of the CEPA by the exporters and with dedicated efforts from the Department of Commerce, in association with the Indian Mission in the UAE, through the organization of a series of trade promotion events in the UAE during the current Financial Year.

The analysis of the India-UAE CEPA was carried out from the period of June-August 2022, excluding statistics on the oil trade. The month of May has not been included for the purpose of the analysis as it is considered a transitory period.

Oil trade has not been considered as the import increase in oil/petroleum products is largely on account of the rise in global prices and to a certain extent on an increased offtake in volumes. Further, it is pertinent to mention that the bulk of the oil imports from the UAE are of Crude Petroleum, the demand for which is inelastic and the customs duty for which is very low.

ALSO READ: India invites UAE as ‘guest Country’ at G-20

26 September 2022
Sterling crumbles to record low

Sterling also tumbled 1.3% against the euro, having hit its lowest since September 2020 at 92.60 pence…reports Asian Lite News

Sterling crashed to a record low on Monday as traders scampered for the exits on mounting concern that the new government’s economic plan will stretch Britain’s finances to the limit.

The British pound’s searing drop helped the safe-haven U.S. dollar to a new two-decade peak against a basket of major peers, while the euro hit a fresh two-decade low against the greenback.

In Japan, authorities reiterated that they stood ready to respond to speculative currency moves, after they intervened last week to bolster the yen for the first time since 1998.

But it was sterling’s precipitous fall that grabbed traders’ attention. It slumped as much as 4.9% to an all-time nadir of $1.0327 , before stabilising around $1.0699 in early London trade — still down 1.5% on the day.

That followed a 3.6% drop on Friday, when new finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled historic tax cuts funded by the biggest increase in borrowing since 1972. Kwarteng on Sunday dismissed the freefall in the pound, saying his strategy was to focus more on longer-term growth and not short-term market reaction.

Sterling also tumbled 1.3% against the euro, having hit its lowest since September 2020 at 92.60 pence .

Kit Juckes, head of currency strategy Societe Generale in London, said markets had a tendency to overshoot but noted two points on sterling’s slide.

“One is the loss of confidence in UK fiscal policy and that won’t help sterling,” he said. “The second is that the mini budget has allowed sterling to be the short of choice against the dollar.”

The euro also touched a fresh 20-year trough at $0.9528 , as the pound’s slide rippled across markets.

Sunday’s election in Italy, in which a rightist bloc looked set for a solid majority, was also in focus.

The dollar built on its recovery against the yen following last week’s currency intervention by Japanese authorities.

It firmed 0.3% to 143.76 yen , heading back toward Thursday’s 24-year peak of 145.90. It tumbled to around 140.31 that same day after Japan conducted yen-buying intervention for the first time since 1998.

The dollar index – whose basket includes sterling, the euro and the yen – reached 114.58 for the first time since May 2002 before easing to 113.16, just a touch firmer on the day.

“The dollar strength was in large part because of the heavy selling of the sterling,” said Saktiandi Supaat, regional head of FX research and strategy at Maybank.

“It’s more of a risk-off sort of thing,” Supaat added. “Global recession fears have actually intensified and widened quite broadly.”

The risk-sensitive Australian dollar briefly slumped to $0.64845, its lowest since May 2020, and the Canadian dollar reached a fresh trough at C$1.3638 per greenback, its weakest since July 2020.

China’s offshore yuan slid to a new low of 7.1728 per dollar, its weakest since May 2020. Onshore, the yuan also touched a 28-month trough of 7.1690.

The fresh lows came even as the central bank said it will reinstate foreign exchange risk reserves for some forwards contracts, a move that would make betting against the yuan more expensive and slow the pace of its recent depreciation.

ALSO READ-Sterling Bags Top Media Award

26 September 2022
‘Zoya is a beautiful, wearable piece of art’

Over the last two years, Zoya has opened two new stores and six new galleries – this is a large footprint for retail, but can you ignore influencer marketing and e-commerce at this stage…reports Tanya Banon

Celebrating the feminine spirit as a force of nature, jewellery brand Zoya, presents its most elevated expression of design, Beyond – A Boundless Journey.

This new offering draws an analogy from the passage of rivers finding inspiration in the glory of the Indus. The narrative, celebrates a woman’s continuous, larger than life journey through genesis, conflict, turbulence and calm. Exceptional gemstones are set in statement pieces by purity of form and graphic lines to create a contemporary collection of timeless classics.

The exquisite diamond boutique from the House of Tata, takes pride in its positioning as one of the most design forward ateliers in the country. Beyond is introduced, by celebrated designer Gauri Khan. Khan shares, “Zoya has always impressed me with jewellery that is timeless, yet has a contemporary expression. With Beyond – A Boundless Journey, the atelier presents a magnificent collection with artistic pieces that are worthy of a connoisseur’s collection and a narrative that will charm every heart.” Ajoy Chawla, CEO Jewellery Division, Titan and Gauri Khan opens up about this new collection:

Zoya redefining the way fine jewellery is experienced in India: Ajoy Chawla, Titan.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Gauri Khan & Ajoy Chawla, CEO Titan jewellery division

Gauri this is your third collection for the brand, what is different about this line compared to the other two and what is the inspiration behind it?

Gauri Khan: Each collection from Zoya has been exceptional. Rooted was colourful and vibrant, inspired by the rainforest. It spoke of a woman’s inner strength. 9122 Hollywood Boulevard, was the collection I wore to the launch of Zoya’s Delhi store. It celebrated the glamour of different eras in Hollywood. But with Beyond – A Boundless Journey, I feel Zoya has really outdone itself… each piece is like wearable art – magnificent and imperial. The collection celebrates the feminine spirit with design inspiration from the River Indus… it is beautiful.

Coloured gemstones are making a comeback, they are more coveted than plain diamond pieces do you agree?

Gauri Khan: I’ve always loved emeralds because they are a symbol of hope and renewal. This collection has exceptional use of stones with lots of big beautiful emeralds and also morganites and tourmalines, sapphires and rubies along with diamonds, set in designs that are timeless.

With Zoya, the Titan brand taps into the luxury sector, tell us your vision for Zoya, the new collection and the target audience.

Ajoy Chawla: The vision for Zoya was to redefine the way fine jewellery is experienced in India; to create a product that was not only exceptional with impeccable craftsmanship but also had a meaningful design story and was supported by a very personalised and warm service experience.

Our new collection Beyond, Her Boundless Journey presents the most elevated expression of design, finding inspiration in the glory of the Indus. The narrative celebrates the feminine spirit as a force of nature drawing an analogy from the passage of the rivers. Statement pieces are set apart by the purity of form and graphic lines to create an imperial look with an exceptional combination of stones to present a contemporary collection of timeless classics.

Zoya has always appealed to a very discerning, aesthetically astute audience. Every creation is imagined as a talisman that enables the woman to celebrate herself. Our boutiques are designed with a view of enhancing the customer’s experience of warm luxury and reminding her she is indeed at the heart of this story, whether that happens over conversations with our jewellery advisors over a cup of hand-brewed filter coffee and fresh hors d’oeuvres or an event we specially curated for her.

Zoya’s Beyond – A Flush of Evergreen Necklace

Going beyond luxury, the brand also focuses on functionality, with most of its pieces while being high end can be worn daily. Women spend a lot of money on jewellery, how important is it for them to be able to wear pieces routinely rather than on special occasions alone?

Ajoy Chawla: The brand has always challenged traditional notions that endorse the view that jewellery was meant to display one’s status and be worn sparingly. Our collections are exquisite and designed to make your daily wear meaningful with pieces that reflect your individuality and celebrate your everyday.

Zoya redefining the way fine jewellery is experienced in India: Ajoy Chawla, Titan.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Do you feel as a brand you encourage women to wear rather than store jewellery?

Ajoy Chawla: Absolutely! Zoya is a beautiful, wearable piece of art, that we would want our customers to wear and enjoy as often as possible. Even our larger pieces are designed keeping versatility in mind, so they can be styled with a variety of clothes for various occasions and worn often. Even with collections like Beyond, ensuring versatility in wearability is a key focus for our designers.

With Zoya’s design ethos being so contemporary, it’s not uncommon to see millennials and Gen Z shopping here. When we look at other brands this doesn’t exist because the pieces are over the top and very Indian in design, do you agree?

Ajoy Chawla: Yes, Zoya has a very modern design language and an Indian soul. While our audience is often 35 years and older, the versatility of the design would certainly find appeal amongst millennials and Gen Z too perhaps – anyone with a sophisticated aesthetic.

Zoya’s Beyond – Sparkling Rapids Rings

Share with us what you feel the reason is for Zoya performing so well in the past couple of years, despite a pandemic where occasions and functions were on the back burner?

Ajoy Chawla: Several factors contributed to this. Firstly the brand’s audience is HNI’s, a group that was possibly not as severely impacted financially by the pandemic and continued to spend on jewellery when they wanted for an occasion such as a birthday or anniversary. Also, the share of wallet shifted somewhat from other segments like travel etc., people did spend more on jewellery, which may have been considered safer as an investment. And finally, we opened new stores and galleries and strengthened our online service all of which helped sales and helped us cross 140 crores last year.

Over the last two years, Zoya has opened two new stores and six new galleries – this is a large footprint for retail, but can you ignore influencer marketing and e-commerce at this stage

Zoya redefining the way fine jewellery is experienced in India: Ajoy Chawla, Titan.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Ajoy Chawla: We are also in the process of setting up an e-commerce site and you should see that soon. However, decision-making with jewellery like Zoya is usually a high involvement purchase and is rarely done purely over digital so we have had a blended strategy.

The initial phase of discovery is done digitally while the conclusion of a sale might happen at a store or in the customer’s home. We do have a strong digital service, that we hope reflects the same personal attention one might get at a store. For instance, we have one of the fastest response time in the industry to enquiries that come over the web. They are answered by a jewellery advisor from a store closest to the enquirer’s location.

We have done several influencer campaigns that build on the core brand theme of the woman as a heroine and Zoya as a talisman that enables her to connect with her most authentic, feminine self. So we are certainly not ignoring the digital space, just integrating it in a way that keeps the customer experience as Zoya optimised.

ALSO READ-Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve reaches India

26 September 2022
Bandaru Wilsonbabu appointed Indian ambassador to Madagascar

India and Madagascar enjoy cordial bilateral relations with cooperation on multiple fronts. Madagascar generally supports India’s candidature in the multinational fora…reports Asian Lite News

Bandaru Wilsonbabu, presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), has been appointed as Indian Ambassador to Madagascar, the MEA said on Monday.

He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

“Bandaru Wilsonbabu (IFS: 2004), presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Madagascar,” the MEA said in a statement.

Wilsonbabu, who has served as the joint Secretary in the Eurasia division, will be replacing ambassador Abhay Kumar.

India and Madagascar enjoy cordial bilateral relations with cooperation on multiple fronts. Madagascar generally supports India’s candidature in the multinational fora.

part from UNSC, in recent past Madagascar has consistently supported India’s candidature for various international organizations such as the UNSC non-permanent seat, India’s entry as an observer at the Indian Ocean Commission, India’s proposal to become an Observer at the Djibouti Code of Conduct among others.

There are about 17 500 persons of Indian origin in Madagascar, including approximately 2500 Indian passport holders. Most of them are in trading but also in manufacturing and other businesses. In recent years a number of Indian professionals have been working in different companies including multi-national companies in Madagascar. The first Indian settlers, mostly from Gujarat, arrived in Madagascar in 1880. Most of them are in trading but some of them are also in manufacturing, real estate and other assorted businesses.

According to African media sources, among the richest businessmen in Africa, four are from Madagascar and among whom three are PIOs.

The role played by the Indian community and diaspora in the economic development of Madagascar is appreciated at all levels. Some of the Indian Diaspora is quite influential and their contribution to the total GDP of Madagascar is substantial.

In recent years a number of Indian professionals have migrated and are working in different companies, including multi-national companies in Madagascar. The Indian Diaspora has been playing a significant role in preserving and promoting Indian culture and traditional values. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Central Asia, India push for terror-free Afghanistan

26 September 2022
US university apologises for arrest of Sikh student

The student uploaded a video of the incident on Twitter and said that the police had handcuffed him for refusing to let the officer remove his Kirpan from the miyaan (scabbard)…reports Asian Lite News

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the US has apologised to the Sikh student who was arrested on the campus for wearing a small kirpan as a part of his religious dress code.

The apology for the arrest from the Chancellor of the University, Sharon Gaber, comes after an uproar over the shocking incident on social media.

“UNC Charlotte dispatch received a 911 call reporting someone with a knife in the building. Police officers responded to the scene and engaged the individual in question. During this interaction, the individual was placed in handcuffs while officers took possession of the object. The handcuffs were removed after the object was retrieved. Further investigation showed the item was a kirpan, an article of faith in Sikhism,” Gaber said in a message to the campus community posted on the university’s website, UNCC.edu.

“State law and University policy prohibit the possession of a knife or other edged instruments on campus, but we will use this as a learning opportunity by engaging in constructive dialogue with Sikh students and employees.

“We want every Niner to feel welcomed, supported and safe. We apologise that is not what this young man felt in our union yesterday. We are committed to ensuring it doesn’t happen again,” the message said.

The student uploaded a video of the incident on Twitter and said that the police had handcuffed him for refusing to let the officer remove his Kirpan from the miyaan (scabbard).

Sikhs from all around the world and other social media users have condemned the incident.

One user said in a country where people go around carrying guns, its sad indeed that a person who meant no harm to anyone has been picked up from a university campus.

ALSO READ-India to toughen stand with UK, Canada over Sikh radicals

26 September 2022
How British crown impacted Indian food in London, Calcutta

Upon Victoria’s death in 1901, her son Edward demanded any correspondence between the empress and her close confidant to be burnt…reports Asian Lite News

As England, and some of the world, has stood riveted by the rituals of mourning around the death of queen Elizabeth II, and questions as to the relevance of the monarchy in the modern world are doing the rounds, it may be on interest to readers of this column to discover how the British monarchy, and Colonialism, impacted India’s vast and deep culinary cultures.

Queen Elizabeth II’s great great grandmother was Queen Victoria who reigned from 1837 to 1901, a period when colonial power in India took deep roots and a chunk of the Subcontinent came directly under the British crown (after the 1857 revolt).

By 1887, Victoria was ready to celebrate the golden jubilee of her rule over not just the UK but an empire on which it was said the sun never set, and which spanned many subjugated people from the West Indies to the east. But on a personal level, the queen was interested enough in India to ask for an Indian servant to help serve at a banquet for heads of states to mark her jubilee.

Abdul Karim was procured as a “gift” for her from Agra, according to the journalist Shrabani Basu, who discovered the deep and intimate relationship between the queen and her brown servant and wrote a book about it, which became the basis for the movie Victoria and Abdul. Once Karim entered the queen’s service, he was able to impress her not just to become her closest confidante but also with his version of the chicken curry and pilau, which were incorporated into the queen’s regular meal rotation according to A N Wilson, a biographer of Victoria.

With the empress herself putting the curry regularly at her dining table, it became a fashion in Victorian England to indulge in weekly “curry” —a practice that would later solidify into curry houses, and the ritualistic weekly indulgence in “curry” by most English families, even though that curry was (and is) unlike anything that Indians eat at home, where even the word “curry” is not used to describe diverse and nuanced regional and seasonal preparations with specific spices.

Upon Victoria’s death in 1901, her son Edward demanded any correspondence between the empress and her close confidant to be burnt. Victoria’s daughter Beatrice erased all references to Abdul in the queen’s journal—though portraits of him commissioned by the queen survived. The reason for this was racial prejudice. Historian Carolly Erickson writes in Her Little Majesty: “For a dark skinned Indian to be very nearly on a level with the queen’s white servants was all but intolerable, for him to eat at the same table with them, to share in their daily lives was viewed as an outrage”.

If this prejudice was part of Europe’s colonial enterprise, a fascination with the exotic “Oriental” was the flip side of the same. Edward Said, of course, has written about “Orientalism” and its construction in his seminal work, but even in food books and references to figures that would play a key role in popularising the exotic east and its “potent” tastes, we can see the exoticising of the east by the west.

Sake Dean Mahomed (1759-1851) was one of the most notable early Indian immigrants to Europe/England, his title “sake” being a corruption of the word “sheikh”. He was a surgeon and an entrepreneur and wrote an account called The Travels of Dean Mahomet (1794) about his travels from Patna, eventually part of the Bengal Presidency to Britain, where he died in Brighton in 1851 (after opening the Brighton Bath house), and where he was alternately known as Dr Brighton too.

Dean Mahomed introduced “shampoo” to the western world—offering therapeutic “champi” massage at his Brighton Bath house to a western clientele; the word shampoo is a corruption of “champi”, the traditional Indian head massage with oil. But among his other lesser known contributions is also the setting up of the first Indian restaurant in the west. In 1810, when Dean Mahomed moved to London, he opened the Hindoostane Coffee House near Portman Square in central London, which offered, among other things, hookah “with real chilm tobacco, and other Indian dishes…allowed by the greatest epicures to be unequalled to any curries ever made in England”. A plaque commemorates the place where the original restaurant once stood.

Dean Mahomed was ahead of his times and curry would take off in England only with Victoria’s patronage, but his business idea of serving “Indianised British food” suitable to English palates—mild spices, a touch of the exotic oriental– would in fact get replicated repeatedly through the centuries till quite recently when Frenchified Indian restaurants in London in the 1990s served up fare that was essentially European but with Indianish flavours to appease western palates who did not seem to understand the true complexity or nuance of regional Indian cooking. Veeraswamy, which is now owned by Camellia and Namita Panjabi (Camellia was the culinary director at the Taj and the key to setting up its iconic restaurants such as the Bombay brasserie that put Mumbai’s street food in a five star setting, and was pathbreaking), is today London’s oldest Indian restaurant. But when it opened in the 1920s, when India was still under the crown, its ownership was white English – Edward Palmer opened it in Piccadilly in 1926, serving the same idea of Dean Mahomed’s food, but by this time thanks to the Victorian and Regency eras, curry was more accepted, and Veeraswamy made Indianish food highly fashionable.

ALSO READ-The British editor who exposed Jallianwala Bagh massacre

26 September 2022
Children unsafe in cyberspace?

The GCF 2022 Edition is returning under the theme ‘Rethinking the Global Cyber Order’, and runs between 9-10 November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia…reports Asian Lite News

A new global report from The Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), has found that 72% of children around the world have experienced at least one type of cyber threat online.

The ‘Why Children Are Unsafe in Cyberspace’ report, developed in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, focuses on raising awareness on the critical issues facing the protection of children in Cyberspace, at a time when over 90% of children aged eight and above are active on the internet.

The report surveyed over 40,000 parents and children, across 24 countries in six regions, with results overwhelmingly showing that protection of today’s youth in cyberspace is falling short, impacting children globally and requiring urgent collective action.

Those surveyed revealed that unwanted ads, inappropriate images and content, and bullying and harassment are the main threats experienced. Globally, children are most active digitally at home or at school however, the report found that only half of children feel safe online, with one in five children expressing that they have faced bullying or harassment. Of the regions surveyed, Latin America and the Middle East reported the highest number of threats experienced by children.

83% of children claimed they would alert their parents for help if they felt threatened online however, of the parents surveyed, only 39% noted that their child or children had ever expressed concerns to them. This raises the question of how children can be protected when parents are not always aware of the dangers they face. ‘’Educating parents on these issues is crucial. Survey results clearly indicated that parents do not monitor the online activities of their children closely enough, nor do they report incidents to authorities often enough’’, report noted.

The report calls on all stakeholders including parents, educators, tech companies and law enforcement agencies to join forces to ensure that robust solutions can be found to meet the threat to children online.’’ Some countries have adapted education programs and curricula to cover digital skills and competencies. But even these programs fail to provide tangible training in, and solutions to, online risks— what they are, where they exist, how to react to them, and how to avoid them. Moreover, education systems are not working with parents to keep them informed and up to date on the latest threats’’, report says.

Ms. Alaa AlFaadhel, Initiatives & Partnerships Lead at the GCF commented on the report: “With 72% of children facing cyber threats, we believe the protection of children is crucial in a rapidly developing Cyberspace. The solution to the pervasive threats that children face is to raise awareness of the issues and ensure united action, from educators to the private sector, can be put in motion. We all bare a responsibility to create a safe place to learn and connect in Cyberspace as it becomes more entrenched in everything we do.”

David Panhans, a BCG Managing Director and Partner commented on the report: “With almost all 12-year-olds now online and virtual learning on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping children safe in Cyberspace is an urgent problem that requires an immediate solution. Everyone involved in the online and child protection ecosystem has a role to play, from international organizations, regulators and law enforcement agencies, parents, caregivers, and education providers to technology companies in the private sector.”

UAE hand in selecting 400 UK mobile phone numbers for spying (File Pic)

The upcoming GCF will bring together key decision-makers and executives from around the globe to discuss the prominent issue of child protection in Cyberspace, amongst other key topics including disruption frontier and geopolitical considerations.

The GCF 2022 Edition is returning under the theme ‘Rethinking the Global Cyber Order’, and runs between 9-10 November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

ALSO READ-Awareness is best defence against cyber crime

26 September 2022
Shehbaz draws flak over failing to name LeT, JeM in UNGA speech

Haneef Atmar rebuked Pak PM for distinguishing between good and bad terrorists while deliberately omitting the name of LeT, which is the largest of all foreign groups operating in the region…reports Asian Lite News

Former Afghan foreign minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar has slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after he raised concern about the terror threat from Afghanistan in his address at the United Nations General Assembly but failed to mention the terrorist groups operating in his home country.

In a series of tweets, Haneef Atmar ripped apart Sharif for failing to name Pakistan-based terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) in his speech that was full of criticism of Afghanistan.

Haneef Atmar rebuked Pak PM for distinguishing between good and bad terrorists while deliberately omitting the name of LeT, which is the largest of all foreign groups operating in the region.

“PM Shehbaz at UNGA warning about the threat posed by major terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan” should be of vital concern to Afghanistan, the region and the international community,” he tweeted.

“First, he makes distinction between good and bad terrorists by omitting the name of LeT and JeM from his list. In terms of fighters’ strength, LeT is only second to the Taliban and the largest of all foreign groups operating in the region,” he added.

Considering the LeT’s growing presence in the region, Atmar said this is a serious warning to the international community given the group’s history and current objectives.

The former Afghan minister said Sharif is already directing the international community’s anger and response to Afghanistan in case of another 9/11. “And yet, he does not take any responsibility for this situation,” he said. He further stressed that Afghanistan, along with the international community, should be clear that enduring counter-terrorism and lasting peace depend on the representativeness, inclusivity and legitimacy of the Afghan government. “Now, the question is whether Pakistan is willing to be genuinely part of an international and regional effort to support intra-Afghan negotiation and a political settlement for such an outcome based on the binding obligations of the parties of the Doha Agreement,” he said.

Earlier on Friday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister raised concern over the threat of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.

During his remarks at the 77th session of UNGA, Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan shares the key concern of the international community regarding the threat posed by the terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.

He named several groups including Islamic State- Khorasan (ISIS-K) and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda, East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).

Sharif’s remarks drew strong reactions from Afghanistan including one from the Taliban, TOLOnews reported.

Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai said that Afghanistan has been the victim of terrorism and that terrorist sanctuaries have been active under the Pakistani government and have been used against Afghanistan for decades. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Central Asia, India push for terror-free Afghanistan

26 September 2022
Ghulam Nabi Azad launches ‘Democratic Azad Party’

Announcing the name of the new party at a press conference here, Azad said that the outfit will be secular, democratic and independent from any influence…reports Asian Lite News

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday announced that his new political outfit will be named as ‘Democratic Azad Party’.

The development comes exactly a month after Azad resigned from the Congress party.

Announcing the name of the new party at a press conference here, Azad said that the outfit will be secular, democratic and independent from any influence.

Azad also unveiled the flag of the Democratic Azad Party. The flag has three colours – mustard, white and blue.

Yesterday, Azad held meetings with his workers and leaders.

Earlier, Azad, in his first public meeting in Jammu after quitting Congress, had announced to launch of his own political outfit that will focus on the restoration of full statehood.

He had said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would decide the party’s name and flag.

“I’ve not decided upon a name for my party yet. The people of J-K will decide the party’s name and flag. I’ll give a Hindustani name to my party that everyone can understand,” he said at the rally after breaking away from his five-decade-long association with the grand old party. “My party will focus on the restoration of full statehood, right to land, and employment to native domicile,” he added then.

Azad said that the first unit of his political outfit would be formed in Jammu and Kashmir in view of impending assembly polls.

“My party will focus on the restoration of full statehood, right to land, and employment to native domicile,” he added.

He lashed out at Congress and said that people are trying to defame us (me and my supporters who left the party) but their reach is limited to computer tweets.

Azad said, “Congress was made by us by our blood, not by computers, not by Twitter. People are trying to defame us but their reach is limited to computers and tweets. That is why Congress is nowhere to be seen on the ground.” The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said in his first public meeting at Sainik Colony in Jammu.

Azad has been Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 to 2008.

In his resignation letter to Sonia Gandhi, he had targeted party leadership, particularly Rahul Gandhi, over the way the party has been run in the past nearly nine years.

In the hard-hitting five-page letter, Azad had claimed that a coterie runs the party while Sonia Gandhi was just “a nominal head” and all the major decisions were taken by “Rahul Gandhi or rather worse his security guards and PAs”.

He was earlier Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha. Recounting his long association with the Congress, Azad had said the situation in the party has reached a point of “no return.”

While Azad took potshots at Sonia Gandhi in the letter, his sharpest attack was on Rahul Gandhi and he described the Wayand MP as a “non-serious individual” and “immature”. (ANI)

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26 September 2022
What’s really going on in China ahead of key CCP meet?

Xi has been absent from the public eye since he returned to China from the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan last weekend. Observers said he is likely to be quarantining…reports Asian Lite News

Purges of senior officials and unfounded rumours of military coups in Beijing have fed into feverish speculation ahead of a key meeting of Chinas ruling party next month, when President Xi Jinping is expected to be granted an unprecedented third term.

The jailing of a clique of senior security officials for corruption, followed by days of strange and quickly dispelled rumours of Xi being under house arrest, have fuelled what one analyst called a “hothouse” environment mired in secrecy and suspicion, The Guardian reported.

Last week, a Chinese court jailed the former vice-minister of public security Sun Lijun, the former justice minister Fu Zhenghua, and former police chiefs of Shanghai, Chongqing and Shanxi on corruption charges.

Fu and the police chiefs had been accused of being part of a political clique surrounding Sun, and being disloyal to Xi.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at a meeting commending role models of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China April 8, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo – RC2RIT993BUJ

Xi is expected to be re-appointed as leader of the party and military commission at the meeting, after he abolished the two-term limit in 2018 and waged a years-long anti-corruption campaign that also targeted many political opponents.

On Sunday, the state media announced the list of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) central committee delegates, numbering almost 2,300, had been finalised.

Xi’s inclusion on the list further refuted social media rumours that had been swirling since September 24 of a military coup.

The unfounded claims, accompanied by unsourced videos of military vehicles and based mostly on mass flight cancellations, were debunked, but not before it began trending on Twitter, The Guardian reported.

There was no specific mention of the coup rumours on China’s social media, but a Weibo hashtag related to “airports across the country cancel flights” was viewed by more than 200,000 people over the weekend.

CCP at 100 (Source twitter@ChinaAmbUN) (5)

Some made fun of the rumours, noting the lack of evidence of a political takeover on the ground in Beijing, The Guardian reported.

Drew Thompson, a scholar with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said a coup in China wasn’t entirely implausible, and Xi had reportedly shown concern about the prospect in the past, but the weekend’s rumours looked more like “wishful thinking”.

They appeared to originate in accounts associated with the Falun Gong movement, which Thompson said was “essentially not credible”.

“The rumour that Xi Jinping has been arrested has legs because it is such a sensitive political moment in China, and the recent trials (and convictions) of long-serving senior officials creates a hothouse atmosphere,” he said on Twitter.

Other analysts like Sinocism author, Bill Bishop, said he thought the rumours were “BS” but the “inherent opacity” of the CCP mechanisms easily fuelled their spread.

The party congress is a secretive process of power distribution, with the most senior positions not announced until the final day.

Government control of the domestic narrative and crushing of dissent has intensified in recent weeks as the meeting approaches.

Xi has been absent from the public eye since he returned to China from the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan last weekend. Observers said he is likely to be quarantining, The Guardian reported.

“I think the fact this rumour spread so far, and was considered plausible enough to analyse is really a reflection of an underlying shortcoming of Chinese governance,” said Thompson.

China’s government has not responded to the rumours, but public security authorities were among those posting under the hashtag “the truth about large-scale cancellation of flights across the country”, disputing the significance of the cancellations which they said was normal for the pandemic.

The party congress begins on October 16, The Guardian reported.

The event, in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, is closed to the public but is the most important date on the CCP’s five-year political cycle.

There is speculation that Xi could further consolidate power with the promotion of stronger allies to senior positions, and that the party will resurrect the ‘people’s leader’ title not used since Mao Zedong.

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26 September 2022