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UNGA Chief ‘Saddened’ By Delhi’s Reaction To His Kashmir Remarks

Deputy Spokesperson to the General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir said the remarks on Jammu and Kashmir were taken out of context, reports Arul Louis

General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir is “saddened” by India’s reaction to his statements on Kashmir, according to his Deputy Spokesperson Amy Quantrill, who has asserted that they were taken out of context.

She said at a news briefing on Tuesday, “The President was saddened to see a press statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, which portrays his remarks on Jammu and Kashmir from a selective perspective, while they are consistent with the longstanding UN position regarding this issue.”

She added, “It is regrettable that the President’s remarks were taken out of context.”

Referring to Kashmir at a news conference in Islamabad last week, Bozkir said, “I think it is the duty, especially Pakistan’s, to bring this to the United Nation platform more strongly.”

Speaking with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at his side, Bozkir also endorsed Islamabad’s attempts — so far unsuccessful — to link the Kashmir issue to the Palestine problem.

Dr S. Jaishankar (WAM)

“As the minister mentioned, and also compared to two important things, I think the two problems are of the same age, Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, and I fully agree that this is the case,” he said.

He also said that the Kashmir issue does not have the “same enlarged political wind behind it” like the Palestine cause.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of only two leaders — other than Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan — to have raised the Kashmir issue in recent years in the 193-member UN General Assembly where Islamabad’s attempts to bring it up have been rebuffed.

Bozkir, who is a former European Affairs Minister of Turkey, is by tradition expected to act independent of his country while the General Assembly president.

ALSO READ: ‘Quad fills the gap in contemporary times’: Jaishankar

Reacting to Bozkir’s statements, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said in a strongly worded statement, “When an incumbent President of the UN General Assembly makes misleading and prejudiced remarks, he does great disservice to the office he occupies. The President of the UN General Assembly’s behaviour is truly regrettable and surely diminishes his standing on the global platform.”

“We express our strong opposition to the unwarranted references made with respect to the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir by the President of the United Nations General Assembly Volkan Bozkir during his recent visit to Pakistan,” he said.

President of the United Nations General Assembly Volkan Bozkir (L) speaks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ahead of an informal plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly

Explaining Bozkir’s position, Quantrill said, “During his joint press engagement with the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, the President also replied to questions from the press members regarding the procedural aspects of a possible consideration of this (Kashmir) issue in the UN General Assembly, while reiterating the UN position, which is governed by the UN Charter and applicable Security Council resolutions.”

One of the Security Council Resolution, No. 47 adopted on April 21, 1948, called for Pakistan’s complete withdrawal from Kashmir.

Quantrill added, “President also recalled India and Pakistan’s Simla Agreement of 1972, which states that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means, in accordance with the UN Charter.”

Under the Simla Agreement signed by Indira Gandhi, who was India’s prime minister, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was Pakistan’s president at that time, the two countries agreed to deal with their differences bilaterally, thus excluding any third-party involvement.

Quantrill said that Bozkir had “recalled that throughout his term, and consistent with the UN policy, and applicable UN Security Council resolutions, he encouraged all parties to refrain from changing the status of the disputed territory”.

That was a reference to India abrogating Article 370 of its Constitution which gave a special status to Kashmir.

“The President continues to support dialogue and diplomacy and encourage both Pakistan and India to resolve this dispute through peaceful means,” she added.

Bozkir also visited Bangladesh during last month’s South Asia trip but skipped India because of the virulent second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While announcing the trip, his spokesperson Brenden Varma said that he would travel to India later.

Bozkir was awarded the Crescent of Pakistan, the nation’s second-highest civilian honour, during his visit.

ALSO READ: ‘Quad fills the gap in contemporary times’: Jaishankar

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Another Uyghur mosque disappeared at Xinjiang

Chinese authorities built a wall around Jiaman mosque at Qira in Xinjiang province. They broke all its four minarets and the central dome and installed Chinese national flag, thus removing all impressions that it was a mosque. Beijing faces accusation of destroying mosques and Islamic culture in Xinjiang… a special report by Kaliph Anaz

There have been allegations against China of demolishing mosques in Xinjiang province as a part of suppression of religious rights of minority Uyghur Muslims. One such is Jiaman mosque that was located in Xinjiang’s city of Qira. Chinese authorities built a wall around the mosque, broke all its four minarets and the central dome and installed Chinese national flag, thus removing all impressions that it was a mosque.   There are hundreds of such cases. While the government denied the charges of forcibly tearing down mosques, satellite images taken a few years ago showed Muslim religious sites disappearing fast.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping

Since 2017, Communist Party-led Beijing government demolished or damaged about 16,000 mosques in Xinjiang, which account for 65 percent of the total number, revealed a report by Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). The institute used satellite imagery to study destruction of mosques visited by minority Uyghur Muslim population.   It found estimated 8,500 mosques were demolished outright. Moreover, 30 percent of Islamic sacred sites such as shrines, cemeteries and pilgrimage routes too were torn down while 28 percent of them were damaged or altered.

ASPI located 533 mosques and carried out analysis using satellite imagery. Of those mosques, 170 were destroyed (31.9 percent), 175 were damaged (32.8 percent) and 188 remained undamaged (35.3 percent). “The Chinese Government’s destruction of cultural heritage aims to erase, replace and rewrite what it means to be Uyghur and to live in the XUAR (Xinjiang). The state is intentionally recasting its Turkic and Muslim minorities in the image of the Han centre for the purposes of control, domination and profit,” the ASPI said in its report.  It questioned silence maintained by global bodies– such as UNESCO which are assigned with preservation of heritage structures — for being silent on cultural and religious destruction in Xinjiang. China however rejected the claims in the ASPI report and justified its acts as “restructuring mosques for safety of Muslims”.

Domination or interference in affairs of ethnic minority cultures and communities has surged since Xi Jinping took over reigns of China in 2013. On the similar lines of education camps in Xinjiang, Beijing government started a mass labour programme in Tibet region, which saw authorities forcing Tibetans to handover their lands to the government.  Also, attempts were made to replace Mongolian language with Mandarin in Inner Mongolia to assimilate ethnic minorities into Chinese Han culture.   A Muslim man named Huang Shike was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison for creating a group on social media app WeChat to hold discussion about Islam. According to Chinese judicial document, the group “disturbed normal religious activity” and violated laws regarding use of internet to discuss religion.  

Now, China is again accused of targeting imams or Muslim religious leaders in Xinjiang. As many as 630 imams and other Islamic leaders in the province were detained since 2014 in the crackdowns to assimilate Uyghur culture with the China’s national ideology.   These leaders were found to be charged with propagating extremism””, “inciting separatism”, “gathering crowd to disturb social order” among others. And 304 of them were sent to prison, finds the Uyghur Human Rights Project.

Uyghur

Mosques in Xinjiang have been fitted with surveillance cameras as Beijing government goes into hyperpolicing to keep a watch and target people perceived as threats. Investigations by rights group showed Chinese authorities have set a goal of reducing footfall in the mosques, and decreasing attendance is seen as success.   Darren Byler, a researcher at the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado, said “The system is set up in a way that’s producing hyperpolicing where any strange or any kind of aberrant behavior is reported.” And ethnic minorities like Uyghurs and Kazaks are very susceptible to this kind of hyperpolicing as they monitored on a micro level- – both by human policing and by the application of the technology, Byler added.

Bill Drexel, who researched Chinese state surveillance, said China has installed surveillance tech in Xinjiang especially in Kashgar city to support more comprehensive urban surveillance, vast economic exploitation, and bring changes in Uyghur culture which pleases Beijing.  “The power of surveillance technology to work against minorities is considerable. Total surveillance-control of a minority has already been achieved, with sobering efficacy,” Drexel added.

READ MORE: Pakistan and Turkey’s selective support to Muslim causes

READ MORE: China transformed into a full-fledged Surveillance State during Covid

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Japan rushes hundreds of ventilators to India

Japan handed over these ventilators and oxygen concentrators to India on May 28, 30 and 31….reports Ateet Sharma

Over the last four days, Japan has rushed 800 ventilators and 500 oxygen concentrators to India, showcasing Tokyo and New Delhis special ties as Indo-Pacific partners.

Japan handed over these ventilators and oxygen concentrators to India on May 28, 30 and 31.

The Japanese government has already announced that it would hand over 1,800 ventilators and 2,800 oxygen concentrators to India. The latest handover completes the first phase of medical assistance to India that began on May 14.

“We plan to hand over the remaining ventilators and oxygen concentrators in the near future,” the Japanese foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

“Japan stands with India, our friend and partner, in her efforts to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic through this emergency assistance, and hopes that Japan’s assistance will contribute to alleviating and containing the Covid-19 situation in India,” the ministry added.

Japanese assistance to India follows two top meetings e one between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Suga Yoshihide. This meeting on April 26 was followed up by another nuts-and-bolts interaction between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and foreign minister Motegi Toshimitsu on the sidelines of G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting in London, earlier this month.

Both meetings spotlighted that India and Japan’s special role in the Indo-Pacific provided the strategic impulse for intensive collaboration. “The two leaders confirmed the importance of Japan-India bilateral cooperation and multilateral cooperation, including Japan-Australia-India-U.S. quadrilateral cooperation, towards realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. They also shared the view to continue their effort on building a rules-based free and open international order,” a readout of the statement after Modi-Yoshihide telephone talk said.

ALSO READ: Japan to impose tougher measures on Indian travellers

Besides the duo, going beyond health, listed the areas for joint forays, including 5G, laying of submarine cables, establishing new supply chains and development of India’s North Eastern Region.

On May 5 in London, Motegi told Jaishankar that Tokyo is ready to provide grant assistance of up to 50 million US dollars to India, based on the latter’s needs, in addition to the assistance pledged earlier. Significantly, Motegi prefaced his remarks by recalling that the two countries shared special bonds on account of the Indo-pacific partnership.

Japan rushes hundreds of ventilators to India(Twitter)

Referring to the Covid-19’s impact on India, Motegi said that “towards deepening the eJapan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership’ and realising a eFree and Open Indo-Pacific,’ he looks forward to continue working with Minister Jaishankar.”

On May 14, Japan announced the Emergency Grant Aid of approximately 18.5 million US dollars to transport the 300 ventilators announced on April 30 through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), as well as to provide additional 500 ventilators and 500 oxygen concentrators to India through UNOPS as a part of the assistance of up to 50 million dollars announced on May 5.

The 500 ventilators were handed over to India on May 30 and the 500 oxygen concentrators were handed over to India on May 31.

On May 28, the government of Japan announced the Emergency Grant Aid of approximately 14.8 million US dollars. Through this assistance, 1,000 ventilators and 2,000 oxygen concentrators will be provided to India through UNOPS as a part of the assistance of up to 50 million dollars announced on May 5.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

ALSO READ: Myanmar students can stay in Japan even after visas expire

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Malala features as British Vogue’s July cover star

Malala Yousafzai(Twitter)

Yousafzai, who was pictured on the British Vogue cover in a red headscarf, also discussed the importance of the garment for her culturally….reports Asian Lite News

Activist and youngest Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, an advocate for girls’ education and women’s equality became the cover star for British magazineVogue in its 2021 July edition.

The information was shared through the Twitter handle of Arab News Pakistan on early Wednesday.

“Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient @Malala Yousafzai is @BritishVogue magazine’s July cover star,” tweeted Arab News Pakistan.

Malala in an interview with the British magazine said that she enjoyed ‘each and every moment’ at Oxford University including visiting McDonald’s and playing poker. She completed her philosophy, politics and economics degree at Oxford University last year, reported Daily Mail.

Discussing her time at university, she told the publication: “I was excited about literally anything. Going to McDonald’s or playing poker with my friends or going to a talk or an event.”

“I was enjoying each and every moment because I had not seen that much before.”

She said, she had “never really been in the company of people my own age because I was recovering from the incident, and travelling around the world, publishing a book and doing a documentary, and so many things were happening. At university I finally got some time for myself.”Yousafzai said her fame affected her schooling in Birmingham, where she was educated after leaving Pakistan, reported Daily Mail.

ALSO READ: Malala portrays the ‘real’ refugee girls

‘People would ask me things like, “What was it like when you met Emma Watson, or Angelina Jolie or Obama?” she said.

“And I wouldn’t know what to say. It’s awkward, because you want to leave that Malala outside the school building, you want to just be a student and a friend,” she said.

Yousafzai, who was pictured on the British Vogue cover in a red headscarf, also discussed the importance of the garment for her culturally.

‘It’s a cultural symbol for us Pashtuns, so it represents where I come from,’ she said.

“And Muslim girls or Pashtun girls or Pakistani girls, when we follow our traditional dress, we’re considered to be oppressed, or voiceless, or living under patriarchy. I want to tell everyone that you can have your own voice within your culture, and you can have equality in your culture”, said Yousafzai in an interview with Vogue, reported Daily Mail.

Born in Pakistan in 1997, Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman at the age of 15 on her way back to home from school in the Swat District.

She was targeted for speaking out about the plight of girls in her region, who were banned from going to school by the Taliban. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Malala joins multi year show with Apple
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Russia vows response to EU hostility yet ready for dialogue


He said that while the bloc is mulling anti-Russian moves, initiators of such hostile policies should consider whether they are in line with the EU’s interests, reports Xinhua news agency…reports Asian Lite News.

 Russia will retaliate against any “unfriendly” moves and hostility from the European Union (EU) but remains ready for an open dialogue based on equality, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“We will not leave unfriendly moves, including attempts to talk from a position of strength and interference in internal affairs, without a response,” Lavrov said at the opening of a conference on Russian-EU relations here on Monday.

He said that while the bloc is mulling anti-Russian moves, initiators of such hostile policies should consider whether they are in line with the EU’s interests, reports Xinhua news agency.

Lavrov criticised the EU for preferring “ungrounded accusations” to “fact-based dialogue”.

Nevertheless, the Minister said that Russia is interested in conversations with the EU.

“We have repeatedly said that we are open for constructive cooperation with the EU that would be based on the principles of equality and mutual respect,” he added.

According to Lavrov, the two sides could work together to counter international terrorism, combat drug trafficking, curb cybercrimes, preserve strategic stability, address climate change, and fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that the country’s national security strategy is being renewed aimed at addressing new threats.

“Political and economic pressure is being used to contain Russia, and attempts are being made to destabilise our socio-political situation, incite and radicalize protests, and erode traditional Russian spiritual and moral values,” Patrushev was quoted as saying to the government’s official newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Monday.

On May 28, President Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of permanent members of the Security Council to discuss the draft of the new national security strategy.

The current version was adopted in 2015 and should be modified every six years in accordance with law.

According to Patrushev, the updated strategy will be aimed at significantly improving the well-being of the population, strengthening Russia’s defence capabilities, cementing internal unity, and achieving national development goals.

Particular attention is paid to preserving Russia’s nuclear deterrence at a sufficient level, maintaining the combat readiness of the armed forces, and keeping a leading position in the development and production of advanced weapons, he said.

The senior official stressed the importance of including cyber threats in the new version of the strategy.

He said it is necessary to protect Russia’s sovereignty in the cyberspace given foreign attempts to interfere in Russia’s internal affairs through cyber attacks and large-scale disinformation campaigns.

ALSO READ-‘Economic cooperation with Russia increasingly difficult’

READ MORE-Russia to release $500m loan to Belarus

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Pak journo taken off air for speaking against media curbs

Hamid Mir

This comes after Hamid Mir, the host of the flagship news program “Capital Talk”, raised concern about the safety of his colleagues…reports Asian Lite News

A popular news anchor in Pakistan has been taken off the air for three days after he spoke against the rising curbs on freedom of expression in the country.

This comes after Hamid Mir, the host of the flagship news program “Capital Talk”, raised concern about the safety of his colleagues, following the recent attack on reporter Asad Ali Toor.

Mir, who himself has survived assassination attempts said that he ready to go to any extent because “they” are threatening his family. “Nothing new for me. I was banned twice in the past. Lost jobs twice. Survived assassination attempts but cannot stop raising voice for the rights given in the constitution,” he tweeted.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists strongly condemned pressure applied to ban Hamid Mir from his show. “First journalists are attacked and when media persons protest against such attacks, the government employs fascist tactics to silence them.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also condemned the decision to take journalist Hamid Mir off the air. “That Mr Mir has been promptly silenced and his family allegedly threatened is now a tipping point for press freedom – and one that will not be resolved through the optics of law-making in the shape of the long-touted and heavily criticised journalists’ protection bill,” HRCP tweeted.

Meanwhile, the management of the channel where Hamid was employed, has confirmed to the media that Hamid Mir will not be able to host “Capital Talk” indefinitely.

According to Geo Administration sources cited by Daily News, Mir has been sent on leave for a few days.

Several Pakistani journalists have stepped forward to show solidarity with Mir. Pakistani journalist and political commentator Asma Sherazi said the channel management must clarify their position.

“If @HamidMirPAK is taken off air or banned from doing program on Geo News, more fingers will point towards the powerful establishment and the government while resounding the ‘words that he said’. Journalists of Pak stand with Hamid Mir. Geo management must clarify its position,” Shirazi, Winner of 2014 Peter Mackler Award of Courage and Ethical Journalism said in a tweet.

Recently, Pakistani journalist Asad Ali Toor, who is known for criticising the country’s establishment, was attacked at his apartment in Islamabad. He had said members of the country’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), could be behind the brutal attack on him.

In December last year, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in a ‘White Paper on Global Journalism’ listed five countries, including Pakistan as the ‘Most Dangerous Countries for Practice of Journalism in the World’. As many as 138 journalists have been killed in Pakistan since 1990. (ANI)

ALSO READ: China Provides No Debt Relief To Pakistan

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Setback for Pakistan in Reko Diq case

TCC has filed an appeal against the High Court of Justice order in the BVI Court of Appeal, as per the latest updates….reports Asian Lite News

The strength of Pakistan’s claim of success in the Reko Diq mines case might just be fading out as the Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) has challenged the ruling of a British Virgin Islands (BVI) court, which had allowed Pakistan to retain its assets, which were attached in connection to the case for the settlement of a $6 billion award.

TCC has filed an appeal against the High Court of Justice order in the BVI Court of Appeal, as per the latest updates.

Earlier, TCC had sought attachment of Pakistan’s assets for the enforcement of the $6 billion award that was given by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on July 12, 2019. The award was slapped on Pakistan for revoking a contract for mining at Reko Diq in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

On December 10, 2020, the BVI High Court had attached the Roosevelt Hotel in New York and the Scribe Hotel in Paris to enforce the award. Both the hotels were owned by Pakistan’s flag carrier airline Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

However, the same court later changed its order and ruled that PIA could retain its two assets, a news that was celebrated in Pakistan as a victory in the case.

As per the BVI ruling, TCC’s plea was not only rejected, but a fine of $5 million along with a $50,000 penalty was also imposed on the company.

“The BVI Court ruled that it has no jurisdiction, and the all ex-parte orders obtained by the TCC were based on an incorrect reading of law,” said a senior member of Pakistan’s Ministry of Law.

The rejection of the TCC plea also came because Pakistan has already initiated the process for the annulment of the $6 billion award in the Reko Diq case, a decision on which is awaited.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s legal experts say that the probability to have the $6 billion penalty annulled has certainly come as a booster for the country, which is already suffering from an economic crisis.

The international arbitration tribunal of the ICSID had slapped a $6 billion penalty on Pakistan on July 12, 2019, for a decision taken in 2011 to deny a mining lease for the Reko Diq project to the TCC.

Pakistan was ordered to pay over $4 billion in damages and $1.7 billion in pre-award interest to TCC, after it was found that Pakistan reportedly took an unlawful decision to deny TCC a lease to mine copper and gold deposits at the Reko Diq mine.

While Pakistan’s leverage given by the court and chances of annulment of the $6 billion award will be a great booster for the country’s economy, TCC’s latest appeal may just ruin Islamabad’s success claims and further hurt its crippling and worsening economic crisis.

ALSO READ: KSA lifts ban from 11 countries excluding Pakistan

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A Third Israeli-Hamas War — What’s Next?

Now that a third Israeli-Hamas war has ended as inconclusively as the two previous wars, will both sides prepare for the next one, or let sanity sink in and chart a dramatically new course that will end the vicious cycle from which neither side can ever escape?…writes Dr Alon Ben-Meir

No keen observer of the brutal Israel-Hamas conflict can draw any conclusion other than that both sides have and continue to be delusional about their presumptive goal of destroying the other entirely. If past experiences offer any lesson, Israel can inflict massive destruction and casualties and even decapitate Hamas’ leadership, but Hamas will still survive, regroup, rebuild their arsenals, and emerge even stronger. And while Hamas can launch thousands of rockets, Israel can absorb such an onslaught and rise to exact an even greater price. To be sure, neither side can ever change the equation, but only set the stage for the next round.

What contributes to this impasse is that Israel assesses the result of the war in terms of how much destruction it has inflicted, how many militants it killed, and the extent to which it has degraded Hamas’ offensive ability. And since Israel considers Hamas as an irredeemable terrorist foe, it must therefore be contained by “mowing the lawn” every few years.

Conversely, Hamas measures the outcome in political and psychological terms and its impact on the Palestinian public. In that sense, Hamas can rightfully claim victory in this last war because they successfully usurped the mantle of the defender of the Palestinian cause and the “true guardian of East Jerusalem.” In addition, they inflicted a significant political blow on their rival—the Palestinian Authority—for its lame reaction to the disturbances in East Jerusalem.

That said, Israel and Hamas cannot ignore the plain reality that neither can make the other disappear. They have to decide where to go from here, and recognize that the status quo is not sustainable, as has been demonstrated time and again.

Increasing public pressure

In Gaza, the Palestinians are despairing. They suffer from poverty, 50 percent unemployment, a broken healthcare system, and shortages of medicine, food, gas, and electricity, along with casualties and destruction they have sustained during devastating wars. They want an end to the conflict with Israel, and although this sentiment is not freely expressed, Hamas’ leadership is fully aware that blaming Israel for the public’s plight resonates only up to a point. They must meet their public’s demands if they want to prevent widespread unrest.

Likewise, the Israelis are becoming increasingly frustrated with how Netanyahu has been handling the conflict with Hamas (this is the second inconclusive war with Hamas under his watch). The communities adjacent to Gaza have had more than their share of anxiety, fear, and disruptions in their daily lives. Most Israelis resent that they must rush to shelters for days to seek protection from rockets, all while the economy is badly affected and the cost of waging these wars is ever-escalating with no end in sight to the bloody cycle.

In light of the last war and its indeterminate result, Israel and Hamas may well be compelled to reconsider their relations and chart a new path to change the dynamic of the conflict, from which both can benefit.

First, a long-term ceasefire: The Israeli military establishment’s decision to instantly retaliate (disproportionately) to any Hamas provocation, as has been the case in every war, is not the answer any more. Israel, which helped created Hamas in the first place to counter-balance the PLO and has witnessed its evolution over the past three decades, must admit it simply cannot wish it away. It is time for Israel to agree on a long-term ceasefire (hudna) for 15-20 years, which Hamas has been seeking for several years. Israel has legitimate concerns that during such a long respite, Hamas will amass more rockets, build more tunnels, and substantially improve their offensive and defensive capability.

ALSO READ: Israel FM in Egypt for Gaza ‘permanent ceasefire’ talks

These concerns can be mitigated through deterrence or rewards. One is to entice Hamas that full compliance would lead to gradual lifting of the blockade and rebuilding of the infrastructure; two, the violation of the agreement will prompt Israel to inflict such a massive blow from which Hamas may not recover. In this regard, Hamas’ arsenal of rockets and other weaponry has been a major point of contention for Israelis. Under a long-term ceasefire, their current arsenal should be kept under lock and key, with the direct supervision of Egypt, which has long mediated between Israel and Hamas.

Two, rebuilding Gaza’s infrastructure: President Biden’s announcement that the US and other donors will provide billions of dollars to rebuild what was destroyed during the last conflagration and further expand infrastructure is crucial. The building of schools, hospitals, housing, roads, and electrical grids are critical for every Palestinian in Gaza and also for Hamas’ leadership. Although Hamas challenged Israel in the past, knowing that they were inviting massive Israeli retaliation, given how dire the conditions have become in Gaza they will be increasingly less inclined to challenge Israel again, especially if they want to preserve their political gains from this latest war.

Obviously, the US with the support of other nations will establish an unfettered monitoring system to prevent Hamas from diverting any of the aid received for military purposes, especially building tunnels, manufacturing rockets, and training. That said, it will be wise to involve Hamas to participate in the reconstruction efforts to make it increasingly vested in the process.

Three, gradual lifting of the blockade: In conjunction with a long-term ceasefire, Egypt, with the strong support of the US, should work with Israel and Hamas on a plan that will gradually lift the blockade over a period of five years. The complete lifting of the blockade should be directly linked to Hamas’ renunciation of violence against Israel, and it must demonstrate that by preventing any hostile act against Israel by any group from inside Gaza. Moreover, Hamas must commit to distance itself from the Muslim Brotherhood, because Cairo plays a central role in any ceasefire and its implementation and considers the MB as a terrorist organization.

This is the moment when Hamas’ leaders must realize that it is not enough to boast about the psychological and political victory they harvested from the war; they must translate that into practical gains. They have now a crucial opportunity to change the entire dynamic of the conflict by demonstrating moderation, and it will most prudent on the part of Israel to seize the moment and move beyond the old and tired notion that Hamas is simply incorrigible.

The above may seem too logical of an approach to solve such an endemic conflict between hardnosed adversaries where emotions run high, hatred runs deep, and distrust is all but self-consuming. However, I invite any Israeli or Hamas leader to show me if there is any other viable alternative that stands any chance of being mutually accepted.

(Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.)

ALSO READ: Egypt, Israel FMs hold talks on Gaza truce

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Is Taliban Supremo Haibatullah Akhundzada alive?

Taliban Supremo Haibatullah Akhundzada (Photo IndiaNarrative)

Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib said that Taliban leaders had not been in contact with their supreme leader for one year, reports Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha

The Taliban’s top leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada has been absent from important meetings and has not been seen in public for the last one year, triggering speculation about his physical status.

Citing the intelligence reports, Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib said during a press conference on Saturday that Taliban leaders had not been in contact with their supreme leader for one year.

“Taliban have had no contact with Mullah Haibatullah for the last 12 months. There is no information available whether he is alive or dead? No one had heard his voice and no one had met him. Intelligence information proves it,” the Pajhwok news quoted him saying.

According to senior Afghan intelligence, army and NATO officials, most decisions of the Taliban regarding peace and security are being taken by the group’s deputy leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the infamous Haqqani network, known for working hand-in-glove with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

But the Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid told Pajhwok Afghan News that Mullah Haibatullah was alive and was doing his job. Mujahid said that all their leaders and officials are in contact with the supreme leader. They take his advice on all important issues and share their reports with him.

Taliban

He added that Akhundzada is in a safe and secure place, and his absence in public was driven by security reasons.

There have been several reports that senior leaders of the Taliban are in a safe hideout near Quetta under the protection of the Pakistani army. Few weeks ago, members of the Taliban negotiating team had travelled to some undisclosed locations near Quetta for further consultations with their senior leaders, but the absence of the top leader’s name stood out.

Three months ago, there were media reports that Akhundzada had been killed in a bomb blast in a mosque in Quetta. His brother and a number of people of his seminary had apparently also suffered casualties in the incident, which is said to have taken place in April 2020.

The Taliban had rejected the report. Taliban leader Ahmadullah Wasiq said on Twitter: “This is false news and baseless rumours have no truth. Spreading such rumours and false news is a failed propaganda attempt by the enemy’s intelligence services. The enemy wants to hide its defeats in such rumours and distract the people’s minds.”

However, it is not unknown for the Taliban to hide the death of its leaders.



Mullah Omar’s death in Pakistan in 2013 was kept hidden from the public by the Taliban for about two years. The group confirmed the death in July 2015 only after Afghanistan’s spy agency went public with the development.

Mullah Omar’s successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, was killed in a US drone strike in Balochistan, in May 2016. Akhundzada was named the new head of the Taliban days later. He was previously the Taliban’s chief justice and most of the decisions and fatwas were made by him.

It is no secret that scores of top Afghan Taliban leaders are based in Pakistan. The top leadership council is called the “Quetta Shura” because most of its members are based in Quetta.

This year, Salaam Times raised the issue about the whereabouts of the Taliban supremo. It said that no voice clip of the Taliban’s leader had been released since a year and his Eid messages were all in written form.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

ALSO READ: Taliban is taking over rural areas from Afghan military

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India needs to step up game to counter China in S.Asia

While the outbreak of Covid 19 has somewhat derailed economic growth in the region, which is home to about one fourth of the world’s population, it has the advantage of a robust domestic demand, a report by Mahua Venkatesh

Amid an increasingly belligerent China, which has set its focus on the South Asian region, India must ensure early or at least timely completion and implementation of all pending initiatives pertaining to economic, infrastructure and trade framework.

One of the biggest problems that India faces is the failure in real execution of proposed plans and framework in a timebound manner�whether international or domestic, two analysts India Narrative spoke to said on condition of anonymity.

“There is an urgent need to focus on timely execution of projects and framework. Delay in implementation gives rise to uncertainty. Contrast this to China’s strategy. It has been very quick and steady in implementation,” one of them said, adding that these critical gaps leave a window for Beijing to turn them into opportunities.

Foreign policy observers in India said that New Delhi must also start preparing to play a much larger role in the new regional order, especially as an alternative to China as several countries including the US are now looking for newer allies.

Chinese President Xi Jinping
Covid 19 and its implications

The outbreak of Covid 19 has further dented progress.

“Though the outbreak of Covid 19 has thrown up huge challenges and derailed progress and implementation of several initiatives in the region, the region has the ability to bounce back. For that countries must enhance co-operation, focus on commonalities, keep aside thorny issues which would take time to resolve. In fact, Covid 19 has also provided a common thread to the countries of the region for increased information exchange and co-operation,” Nazneen Ahmed, senior research fellow at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) told India Narrative.

Economic prospects of South Asia

While the outbreak of Covid 19 has somewhat derailed economic growth in the region, which is home to about one fourth of the world’s population, it has the advantage of a robust domestic demand. A World Bank report published in March said that seamless transport connectivity between India and Bangladesh has the potential to increase national income by as much as 17 per cent in Bangladesh and 8 per cent in India.

“Countries in the Bay of Bengal region have not yet managed to achieve their true growth potential because of multiple reasons, which are often political. But now, we need to focus on the common goals based on the shared culture, history and heritage so that implementation of all projects can be expedited,” Bipul Chatterjee, Executive Director, CUTS International said. Chatterjee too said that it is critical now to ensure timely early closure. completion and execution of all pending and proposed projects and protocols.

China-ship
Rise of a budding Indo-Pacific community

The Covid 19 pandemic, which continues to be a cause for concern for South Asian as well as Southeastern countries, is set to provide a common thread for a Bay of Bengal ( BIMSTEC) bloc to move ahead even as several contentious issues remain. Besides, the importance of BIMSTEC, set up in 1997, will increase in the coming years as the grouping can get geopolitically enmeshed in the growing Indo-Pacific community which is coming into its own following a security threat from an expansionist China, experts said.

Amid the pandemic and the rapidly changing regional China-driven geopolitical contours, the importance of smaller regional blocs which until now remained dormant has come to the fore, analysts said.

Establishing BIMSTEC’s linkages with a broader Indo-Pacific region could be a game-changer.

“The rekindling of BIMSTEC, somewhat, had started around 2018 before the outbreak of Covid 19 but with the pandemic is likely to give it a further push. Covid 19 induced issues such as health, education besides social factors must be taken up by the BIMSTEC bloc,” Nazneen Ahmed, Senior Research Fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) told India Narrative.

“Instead of one step backward, we can now take one step forward by focusing on the commonalities among the countries. Taking up the softer issues and enhancing exchange of knowledge and know-how on various health related issues would help in reviving BIMSTEC,” Ahmed said, adding that complex issues relating to trade could be kept aside for the time-being.

A study by the East West Center underlined that the pandemic has brought up the need to strengthen regional cooperation in the public health sector and related services in the region while enhancing trade facilitation to augment supply chain resilience, and restoring economic growth. “The key message is that measures to mitigate Covid-19-related challenges must serve to reduce the costs of the pandemic in the region,” the study noted.

BIMSTEC, which started as an economic bloc between Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation was later rechristened Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation after the entry of Nepal and Bhutan in 2004.

According to the Observer Research Foundation, despite many concerns that plague the BIMSTEC, there are grounds for optimism with the resurgence of strategic and economic interests besides the thrust on Indo Pacific, the bloc has gained salience as a promising sub-regional grouping.

The recent resurgence of strategic and economic interests in the Bay, as part of a larger maritime strategic space, namely, the Indo Pacific, has helped BIMSTEC gain salience as a promising sub-regional grouping. the bloc can become an important relay for the development of new supply chains that exclude China. Already India, Japan and Australia–comprising the Indo-Pacific core–have started a dialogue of building new post-Covid supply chains, which could leverage the strengths of BIMSTEC members along the way forward.

An analyst said that the post Covid world will present a different picture with the thrust on regional factors. “Many had written obituaries of BIMSTEC but the region has suddenly become the focus with geopolitical contours changing,” he said.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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