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Pakistan denies reports of torture on Imran during arrest

He said, “The Rangers did not break the windows, they were broken during the chaotic situation.”…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, while denying reports of Rangers personnel torturing Imran Khan during his arrest, said that “no sort of torture was inflicted on him,” reported Geo News.

The senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, took to Twitter, and said, “Imran Khan did not ensure his appearance despite several notices. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested him for causing damage to the natural treasury.”

“No sort of torture was inflicted on him (Khan),” Sanaullah wrote on his Twitter.

While speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Sanaullah said that no person was subjected to torture at the time of the deposed PM Khan’s arrest, adding that the PTI chief’s security personnel had inflicted violence, according to Geo News.

He said, “The Rangers did not break the windows, they were broken during the chaotic situation.”

Sanaullah, while speaking on the arrest, said that Khan was taken into custody as per the law. “NAB is an independent institution and the government has neither its control over it nor did it try to.”

He claimed that the NAB was conducting an inquiry against the former prime minister. Imran “It was necessary to investigate Imran Khan on NAB’s notice and that it was not a political victimisation against him.” The PTI Chairman attempted to resist arrest, according to the security czar, and the party lawyers impeded the judicial process.

Sanaullah claimed that Khan was prosecuting his political rivals for corruption while also engaging in wrongdoing himself, as per Geo News. After the arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, his barrister Ali Gohar alleged that Khan was beaten and sustained injuries and he (Gohar) too was tortured. Gohar also said that the former PM was kicked by the Rangers on his leg which was injured by a bullet earlier and he was even pepper-sprayed.

“Imran Khan’s lawyer badly injured inside the premises of IHC. Black day for our democracy and country,” tweeted PTI.

He further said, “Rangers broke through the glass and entered the diary branch,” adding that the Rangers personnel broke IHC’s main gate before ransacking the IHC office.

Meanwhile, the PTI has denounced the arrest of the party chairman calling it an “abduction” by the law enforcement agency, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and appealed to the supporters and workers to stage protests across the country.

The former PM’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has also released several videos on Twitter claiming that Khan was manhandled, pushed and detained in a fascist move.

The PTI chief was arrested as part of NAB’s investigation in the Al-Qadir Trust case before his appearance before the Islamabad High Court to seek bail in multiple FIRs registered against him, Geo News reported.

Rangers took Imran Khan away to NAB Rawalpindi in a black Toyota Hilux Vigo.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who Rangers arrested from outside Islamabad High Court, had said earlier in the day that the Shehbaz Sharif government wants to put him in jail and he is ready for it. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Imran Khan arrested by baton-wielding security forces

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-Top News PAKISTAN

Pakistan rescues 9 Indian crew members after ship capsize

The body was recovered and handed over to Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) authorities for further proceedings…reports Asian Lite News

The Pakistan Navy saved nine Indian crew members whose ship drowned in the Arabian Sea near Gwadar, the Director-General Public Relations (Navy) said in a statement on Thursday, as per media reports.

The incident took place on August 9 (Tuesday) when an Indian sailing vessel — ‘Jamna Sagar’ — sank with 10 crew members onboard, according to the statement, Geo News reported.

As the ship was sinking, the navy responded to a distress call and the Pakistan Maritime Information Centre requested a nearby merchant ship, MT Kruibeke, to provide necessary assistance to the stranded crew of the drowning sailing vessel.

“The merchant ship eventually recovered nine crew members and continued the voyage to its next port in Dubai and onward disembarked the crew,” the statement said.

At the same time, one Pakistan Navy ship, along with two helicopters, also reached the area and located the body of one crew member who was earlier missing at the time of the drowning of the sailing vessel, Geo News reported.

The body was recovered and handed over to Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) authorities for further proceedings.

India-Pak talks

Backchannel talks between Pakistan and India have met a dead end as both sides have struggled to agree on the moves that may pave the way for slow but gradual improvement in the relationship, a media report said citing an informed source.

“Talks have been going on but have reached a point where things aren’t moving anywhere,” The Express Tribune report quoted the source as saying.

There has been a desire from both sides to break the impasse but the issue is how to move forward from this point onwards, the source explained.

What has slowed down the process was the political uncertainty in Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported.

There was a glimmer of hope for a possible thaw in the relationship following the change of government in Pakistan in April.

What spurred the optimism was that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first leaders to congratulate his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif when the latter assumed office in April.

The source said backchannel contacts that began during the PTI government’s tenure picked up pace in April after the change of government.

But despite “intense” backchannel diplomacy, the two sides were not willing to concede an inch on their respective issues.

Pakistan is keen that India must take steps with regards to Kashmir before any process of normalisation of ties begins. New Delhi, however, is more interested in Islamabad first exploring the option of resuming bilateral trade, The Express Tribune quoted the source as saying further.

The friction in the relationship prevented Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers from interacting with each other at the recent meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tashkent.

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-Top News Asia News India News

Pak plot to fuel Agnipath ‘fire’ in India

The deeper analysis of these Twitter profiles found that most of these accounts used anti Indian hashtags and found that these handles are members of the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) Social media team….reports Asian Lite News

The Central government on June 14 rolled out its ‘Agnipath’ scheme for short-term recruitment of other ranks in the armed forces, and the aspirants literally set the nation on fire.

According to News9 report, a parallel campaign is being run on social media platforms by the digital media team of Pakistan to fuel the Agnipath protest in India.

Starting with Bihar on June 16, protests raged across the country demanding the scheme’s withdrawal and by June 17, 12 trains were set ablaze, movement of about 300 trains were hampered, 214 trains were cancelled, 11 were diverted, and 90 were terminated before their destination.

Most of the protests on the ground initially were spontaneous outbursts triggered by anxieties of unemployed youth and genuine concern among a large number of aspirants.

There are five Twitter accounts were most active when it comes to tweeting on the Agnipath protest – @Foxia7sky, @iamkamranhaider, @MKJ_PK, @SajjadAMallick and @SyedUmarShah1, the News9 quoted report as saying.

The deeper analysis of these Twitter profiles found  that most of these accounts used hashtags like Imported_Government_Disapproved and this indicates that these handles are members of the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) Social media team. Some of these handles also mentioned Imran Khan, the news nine reported.

The report also suggests that most of the time they were retweeting or quoting tweets that were critical of the Indian government.

 “PM Modi’s own supporters vandalize & burn train stations in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in protest of the Agnipath Recruitment Scheme. Over 12 trains were set on fire and several protestors were killed. Take a look at the chaos” reads one of the retweets by these accounts, the News9 report said.

Meanwhile, India has banned the official Twitter accounts of several Pakistani diplomatic missions, journalists and some prominent personalities under the’s Information Technology Act, 2000, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad has claimed.

“Deeply concerning that #India has blocked the flow of information to Indian Twitter by withholding access to the following official accounts,” Geo News quoted the Ministry as saying in a tweet on Monday night, while listing down the banned accounts.

The banned accounts include accounts of the Pakistani Embassy in UN, Turkey, Iran and Egypt.

“Diminishing space for plurality of voices & access to info in India is extremely alarming,” the tweet added.

The Ministry called out Twitter, saying that social media platforms should abide by the applicable international norms.

It said that the government of Pakistan is urging the tech company to restore access to the restricted accounts immediately and ensure adherence to democratic freedoms of speech and expression.

Meanwhile, the Twitter handles of journalists, including The News and Geo News reporter in London, Murtaza Ali Shah and CJ Werleman have also been withheld by the company under India’s Information Technology Act, 2000, Geo News reported.

Murtaza Ali Shah has around 550,000 followers on his verified Twitter @MurtazaViews account.

He has been associated with The News and Geo for more than 17 years.

Shah confirmed he received an email notice from Twitter about India’s legal action against his account

ALSO READ: Pakistan objects G20 linked events in J&K

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-Top News PAKISTAN

Pakistan to revive TV projects with Turkey, Malaysia

The Minister said issues of extremism need to be tackled in Pakistan, Malaysia and other Muslim countries…reports Asian Lite News.

Pakistan Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain says a joint television channel would be set up to promote media links between Islamabad, Turkey and Malaysia, Radio Pakistan reported.

Talking to the media in Islamabad, he said focal persons have been named for media sharing, and the joint media network will be formed.

The Minister said issues of extremism need to be tackled in Pakistan, Malaysia and other Muslim countries.

He suggested that under the OIC platform, a unit of scholars should be named to provide guidance on religious issues.

Earlier this year, Pakistan and Turkey had announced that the two they are collectively bringing a period drama on the life of Salahuddin Ayyubi, Geo News reported.

A warrior and founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty, Salahuddin, also known as Saladin, is one of the most celebrated Muslim rules around the world.

The series will jointly be produced by Pakistan’s Ansari & Shah Films and Emre Konuk, owner of Turkey’s Akli Films.

After the official announcement, Turkish producer Emre Konuk turned to his Twitter dubbed the agreement prolific on a ‘blessed Friday night’.

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EXPO 2020 India News PAKISTAN

Pakistan’s Punjab govt launches two new initiatives to promote investment at EXPO 2020

Pakistan’s Punjab govt launches two new initiatives to promote investment at EXPO 2020

As part of its participation in the Expo 2020 Dubai, Pakistan’s Punjab government has launched two new initiatives in the UAE to promote and facilitate investments and growth of start-ups…reports Asian Lite News

The first initiative is the Investment Portal, an online resource centre to aid investors and businesspeople in Pakistan and abroad. This is being launched in parallel with the start-up moot and project exhibitions being displayed at the Pakistan Pavilion.

Pakistan’s Punjab govt launches two new initiatives to promote investment at EXPO 2020

The second initiative is the UAE Help Desk, an office space being set up in the Emirates, by the Government of Punjab that aims to attract investment to Punjab from the UAE business community.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Industries, Commerce, Investment, and Skill Development Department of Punjab, Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal at a ceremony in Dubai. The Ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE, Afzaal Mahmood was also present.

ALSO READ: Pakistan Pavilion, a reflection of coexistence, says Alvi

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-Top News Afghanistan PAKISTAN

Pakistan turns its back on Afghan refugees

Afghan refugees

Pakistani National Security Advisor said that if a civil war erupts in Afghanistan, the asylum seekers should not be pushed towards Pakistan…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistani National Security Advisor (NSA) Moeed Yusuf has said that the country cannot accept additional Afghan refugees and the international community is obliged to make arrangements for them inside Afghanistan.

Yusuf said that if a civil war erupts in Afghanistan, the asylum seekers should not be pushed towards Pakistan, according to media reports.

The NSA and Faiz Hameed, head of Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had embarked on a visit to the US for discussions over Afghanistan and bilateral issues.

While Hameed has left Washington, Yusuf is still in the US.

When asked about Pakistan’s relations and influence over the Taliban, Yusuf said that they have minimum leverage.

Afghanistan kids

He said that if Pakistan had influence over the group they would have prevented them from destroying the Buddha idols in Bamyan province in the 1990s.

Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had said the country is already hosting nearly three million Afghan refugees and it does not have the capacity to accept more.

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Reports said Tajikistan, a northern neighbour of Afghanistan, has announced to accept up to 100,000 Afghan refugees but also acknowledged to remain cautious while allowing the people in and will not give refuge to those who have worked with the US.

Pakistani officials are demanding that the world make arrangements for the refugees inside Afghanistan, amid fears that millions of Afghans may be forced to flee into neighbouring countries if fighting between Taliban and government forces intensify or deteriorate into a civil war.

“As a matter of fact, we are not in position to accept any more refugees,” Yusuf said during an earlier VOA interview.

Almost 3 million Afghan refugees, half of them unregistered, have been living in Pakistan since the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and subsequent waves of violence and later a civil war, according to the UN.

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India slams Pakistan for holding polls in PoK

The MEA Spokesperson said India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistani authorities on this cosmetic exercise which has been protested and rejected by the local people…reports Asian Lite News

India on Thursday condemned Pakistan for holding assembly elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and said it was nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation. India has lodged a strong protest against Islamabad over the issue.

“The so-called elections in Indian territory under the illegal occupation of Pakistan are nothing but an attempt by Pakistan to camouflage its illegal occupation and the material changes undertaken by it in these territories,” MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing.

The MEA Spokesperson said India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistani authorities on this cosmetic exercise which has been protested and rejected by the local people.

“Such an exercise can neither hide the illegal occupation by Pakistan nor the grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom to the people in these occupied territories,” he added.

In Sunday’s polls in PoK, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 25 seats in the 45-seat assembly.

With regard to reference of Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement of China and Pakistan after their foreign ministers’ meeting, the MEA Spokesperson said, “India categorically rejects any reference to Jammu and Kashmir in such joint statement the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh have been and will remain integral and inalienable parts of India.”

“The joint press release has also made a reference to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,” he added.

“We have consistently conveyed to China and Pakistan that the so called CPEC is in India’s territory, that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan and that we resolutely oppose any attempts by other countries to change the status quo in areas illegally occupied by Pakistan as also to Pakistan bringing up any material change in Indian territories under its occupation,” Bagchi added.

“We call upon parties concerned to cease such actions,” he stated further.

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-Top News China PAKISTAN

CPEC: Gilgit-Baltistan Pays the price for China’s Greed

In a way, China-driven by its greed for power and resources has taken a calculated risk to establish its own ‘sphere of influence’ in the Gilgit Baltistan region. Sadly, however, this is being done at the cost of the environment, impacting local livelihoods and changing demographic structures while Pakistan, the country it calls its iron brother, acting as a vassal state, surrenders its much fought sovereign character to a culturally alien neighbour…reports Asian Lite News

China’s Belt and Road Initiative, aimed at renewing the country’s historic trade routes in the coastal countries of south-east Asia, Eurasian mainland and big sweeps of the Indian Ocean if it is finished as intended could have lasting consequences for China’s geopolitical and economic interests in the region, according to an analysis.

Experts and officials expect that the vast transport infrastructure of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and especially its Gwadar port will play a crucial role in the country’s pursuit of its goal particularly at a time when it has started enhancing trade ties with landlocked Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries, opines Fabien Baussart, President of CPFA (Center of Political and Foreign Affairs), writing in the Times of Israel.

CPEC says Baussart since it was launched in the year 2015 is the ‘prize plan’ of the BRI, which links China’s northeastern province of Xinjiang (Kashgar) with the Gwadar Port region of Balochistan in southwestern Pakistan.

ALSO READ: China forced to change strategy amid CPEC delay

The BRI corridors are projected to link China with more than 150 countries through a web of roads, railways and sea routes. In total, the estimated amount of the BRI projects could be up to USD 1.3 trillion.
The analyst points out that several existential issues pose a serious challenge to the way CPEC is unravelled and executed in the region. These include factors such as internal strife and sectarian conflicts within Pakistan, particularly in the insurgency-prone areas in Balochistan, where CPEC has made significant amount of investments.

Also, China faces restraints within its own borders. The Xinjiang Province plays a strategic role geographically for the CPEC has already been suffering from ethnic turbulence due to clashes between the indigenous Muslim Uyghur population the mainstream Han Chinese. The consequent harsh measures being taken by the Chinese authorities against the Uyghur population has globally become a matter of concern.
The Times of Israel article notes that the CPEC is central to the hegemonic quests of China in the Indian subcontinent. The CPEC when complete will not only give China access to the Arabian Sea and develop an alternative route for its critical energy imports and other resources but also provide another gateway to mineral-rich and politically vulnerable Afghanistan.

A major challenge for Pakistan in the context of CPEC is to negotiate better terms with the Chinese companies so as to derive reasonable profits from the investments made in the country’s infrastructure.
Baussart writes that the Pakistani leadership seems apprehensive on the nature and scope of implementation of the CPEC program so that structural imbalances are removed and the economy attains sustainable growth. This, says the analyst, is an important cause of concern since the CPEC is heavily tilted in China’s favour and driven by its own vested interests.

In a way, China-driven by its greed for power and resources has taken a calculated risk to establish its own ‘sphere of influence’ in the Gilgit Baltistan region. Sadly, however, this is being done at the cost of the environment, impacting local livelihoods and changing demographic structures while Pakistan, the country it calls its iron brother, acting as a vassal state, surrenders its much fought sovereign character to a culturally alien neighbour. (ANI)

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Pak’s role in sustaining Hamas remains off the radar

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh delivers a speech in Gaza City, on Jan. 23, 2018. The Islamic Hamas movement called on Tuesday for Palestinian national conference to discuss a new Palestinian strategy. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stressed in a televised speech the need for a new strategy that addresses the U.S. and Israeli declaration aimed at striking the Palestinian issue. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar/IANS)

Geopolitical expert Fabien Baussart says the ideological fount from which Hamas has sprung is organically linked to Pakistan and its jihadist orientation, reports Asian Lite News

A recent revelation by an ex-Pakistani minister of how Islamabad has been helping Palestinian militants by providing training to them, has made geopolitical observers take notice of how Pakistan is confusing the already obfuscate matters in Middle East.

In an op-ed for the Times of Israel, geopolitical expert Fabien Baussart has argued that the role of countries like Iran, Qatar and Turkey in sustaining Hamas has been well documented, however, the role of Pakistan has remained off the radar.

This comes amid the recent outbreak of clashes between Hamas and Israel and the subsequent ceasefire, which no one really expects to endure.

Baussart, who is the President of the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs (CPFA), said the ideological fount from which Hamas has sprung is organically linked to Pakistan and its jihadist orientation.

“The Muslim Brotherhood from which Hamas has remerged and the Jamaat Islami which is the mother organisation of jihadism in Pakistan, are two sides of the same coin. This ideological link and affinity is one of the basis of the burgeoning relationship between the Pakistani state and the Hamas para-state.”

Aside from the ideological connection, Baussart said Hamas makes a great fit for Pakistan’s ambitions to exercise influence beyond its borders. “Since these constraints prevent Pakistan from doing things that normal states do to expand their influence, Islamabad (or more appropriately Rawalpindi, the city where all strategic policy is framed and implemented) prefers to use asymmetric methods to expand its footprint without leaving behind its fingerprints,” he added.

Accusing Pakistan of muddying the waters in the Middle East, Baussart said Hamas is of course not the only terrorist organisation in the Middle East that Pakistan has flirted with. The expert even pointed to the reports of Pakistani terrorists moving into Syria to fight on the side of Daesh.

He further said of late Pakistan has been doubling down in its advocacy of the Palestinian cause. Although the Pakistanis are very vocal about Israeli actions in Gaza but avoid openly endorsing Hamas.

“The ideological, sectarian and religious dimension of this nexus is only one part of the story. The other even more important aspect of this nexus is that it neatly dovetails with Pakistan’s larger strategic play in the region where it is trying to forge new alliances with countries like Turkey, Qatar and Iran, all of which are not only backing Hamas but are also arraigned against the Saudi-led bloc or Arab countries,” Baussart said.

According to the writer, Pakistan’s efforts to amplify the Palestinian issue at the UNHRC suggests a diplomatic power play against countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE. The development is taking place as these Arab nations are moving towards normalizing relations with Israel.

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-Top News India News

‘Pak and transnational terror links matter of concern’

The report titled ‘Pakistani Jihadis and Global Jihad’ released on June 18 focuses on the historical and recent links of Pakistani terror groups with transnational terror groups…reports Asian Lite News

The synergies between regional terrorist groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and the international groups is a matter of concern as per a report by Centre d’analyse du terrorisme (CAT).

The report titled ‘Pakistani Jihadis and Global Jihad’ released on June 18 focuses on the historical and recent links of Pakistani terror groups with transnational terror groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The expanding global focus of the regional groups whether Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is visible from their public statements on international developments, said the report.

There is increasing radicalisation in Pakistan that would provide these groups a ready ground for recruiting youth.

Al-Qaeda militant(WIKIPEDIA)

Moreover, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is likely to witness a resurgence of the Taliban and greater coordination between Pakistan-supported groups like the LeT, JeM and the Taliban.

The report also notes that breaking the political and financial links between Pakistan and local jihadi organisations, some working under the guise of providing social and educational services to the people, is the key to weakening the reach and threat of these organisations.

Meanwhile, Counterterror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has criticized Pakistan’s inaction against proscribed terror outfits that continue to function under different names.

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Pakistan’s prosecution of designated terror groups has remained the primary stumbling block since the country’s return to the grey list in 2018.

Earlier, a United Nations report revealed that significant part of the Al-Qaeda leadership resides in the Afghanistan and Pakistan region, including the group’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is “probably alive but too frail to be featured in propaganda.”

The findings on the status of Taliban-controlled and contested districts were presented last week by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team.

The 18 member states report said that large numbers of Al-Qaeda fighters and other foreign extremist elements aligned with the Taliban are located in various parts of Afghanistan.

This comes as foreign troops withdraw from Afghanistan and plan to leave completely by September 11.

According to the UN report, ties between the two groups remain close, based on ideological alignment, relationships forged through common struggle and intermarriage. The Taliban has begun to tighten its control over Al-Qaeda by gathering information on foreign terrorist fighters and registering and restricting them.

The group’s leader, Aiman Muhammed Rabi al-Zawahiri, is believed to be located somewhere in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Previous reports of his death due to ill health have not been confirmed. “One Member State reports that he is probably alive but too frail to be featured in propaganda.”

According to the UN report, Al-Qaeda, including Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, is reported to number in the range of several dozen to 500 persons. Al-Qaeda core’s membership is of non-Afghan origin, consisting mainly of nationals from North Africa and the Middle East.

Although the member states assess that formal communication between senior Al-Qaeda and Taliban officials is currently infrequent, one member state reported that there is regular communication between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda on issues related to the peace process.

Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent operates under the Taliban umbrella from Kandahar, Helmand (notably Baramcha) and Nimruz Provinces. The group reportedly consists of primarily Afghan and Pakistani nationals, but also individuals from Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, the report added. (ANI)

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