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China cancels all flights to and from Pakistan as the airspace over the country remains shut for the third day

OpIndia Staff
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China cancels all flights to and from Pakistan as the airspace over the country remains shut for the third day

In a major embarrassment to Pakistan, its all-weather ally China has decided to cancel all flights to and from Pakistan and rerouted its international aircraft flying over the Pakistani airspace following the rising tensions between India and Pakistan.

According to the reports, the closing of Pakistan’s airspace due to the escalating tensions with India has disrupted major routes between Europe and South East Asia and left thousands of air travellers stranded worldwide. Several flights from the Middle East that usually fly over Pakistan and the Pakistan-India border have to be re-routed over Arabian Sea, India, Myanmar or central Asia to enter China.

Reportedly, the Beijing Capital International Airport has cancelled all flights to and from Pakistan, including connecting flights for the last two days. It is still unknown whether flights will fly from the Airport on Friday, reported state-run Global Times.

The report said that 22 flights belonging to Air China and Pakistan International Airlines fly in and out of Pakistan every week. China has now opened part of its airspace for foreign airlines to re-route after Pakistan shut down its airspace. There have been major changes in flight schedule in China last two days and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has suggested passengers check flight information before they make travel plans.

China has allowed foreign airlines to use its airspace as an alternate route. Civilian Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) came out with the contingency plan for both domestic and foreign airlines to use Chinese air space to reroute flights that use the Pakistani airspace.

The CAAC has also made immediate plans to notify domestic flight companies to cooperate with the air force to ensure the safety of flights and approve temporary flight plans. Almost 28 domestic airlines have been affected by the closure of Pakistani airspace and had to make adjustments in their flight plans and 49 foreign flights used Chinese airspace to re-route, the report added.

Pakistan closed its airspace after tensions escalated with India in the wake of the Pulwama attack on February 14 by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). According to flight tracking information observed on Flightradar24, all flights in and out of Pakistan was stopped on Wednesday, and the airspace remains closed. Flights from carriers including Singapore Airlines, Finnair, British Airways, Aeroflot and Air India had to detour to avoid flying over Pakistan. Reportedly, about 800 flights a day use the India-Pakistan air corridor.

Although the reports today had said that airports in the western side of Pakistan have been opened today, while the airports in the eastern side will remain shut till 4th March, no flights could be seen operating over the entire country on Flightradar24.

Yesterday few international flights, which were already in Pakistan when the airspace closure was enforced, were allowed to leave the country without any passengers. Other than those few outbound flights, the Pakistani air space remains completely empty, except the military planes doing the rounds, few of which can be seen on Flightradar24.


India had carried out ‘non-military pre-emptive strikes’ against the biggest training camp of JeM in Balakot. In the operation, a very large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being trained for suicide attacks were eliminated.

Following the airstrikes, Pakistan had attempted to attack Indian military establishments before Indian airforce intercepted to thwart their attacks. India had lost one MiG-21 Bison after it shot down one of Pakistan’s F-16. After the Pakistani aggression, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was taken captive by Pakistan and now, per the Geneva convention, Imran Khan has asserted that the Wing Commander will be returning to India today.

EAM Sushma Swaraj corners Pakistan for its support to terrorism in the inaugural plenary of the OIC

OpIndia Staff
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EAM Sushma Swaraj corners Pakistan for its support to terrorism in the inaugural plenary of the OIC

In an oblique reference to Pakistan, the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj exhorted the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) nations to urge states indulging in Terror activities to dismantle their networks, and stop financing and harboring elements that pose a grave security threat for the region.


Addressing the inaugural plenary at the OIC conclave, Sushma Swaraj expressed her gratitude on being invited as the ‘Guest of Honour’ for the venerable conclave. She drew a similarity between India and the OIC nations by asserting how these countries attained their quest for dignity and freedom around the same time and how they have stood in solidarity with each other during trying times. She further highlighted how India has been a beacon of peace, home to several religions and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Drawing attention to the menace of Terrorism, Swaraj asserted that Terrorism is rapidly spreading its insidious claws, causing irreparable damages to human life and wreaking havoc in society. She further proclaimed that Terrorism in each case is motivated by the distortion of religion. She asserted that all the religions in the world advocate peace. Emphasizing her point, Swaraj cited a Sanskrit saying from Rig Veda-“Ekam sat vipara bahudha vadhanti” which translates into-“God is one but learned men call him in many ways.”

Swaraj lauded Indian Muslims for rejecting the vicious propaganda of extremist and radical ideologies. “The deeply entrenched pluralist culture of harmony and co-existence has ensured that very few Muslims have fallen victim to poisonous propaganda of radical extremists,” she declared.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi who was slated to attend the conclave refused to be part of it because the OIC did not pay attention to Pakistan’s demand of canceling the invitation extended to his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj. Pakistan has been accused by India of supporting and fostering Terror groups inimical to India, which carry out terror attacks in India. Pulwama attack, which claimed 40 lives of CRPF personnel, was carried out by Pak-based Jaish-e-Muhammad.

War isn’t a video game: Let’s not play with the national security

rohitagarwal
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War isn’t a video game: Let’s not play with the national security

Kargil was the first war on the subcontinent beamed live into our living rooms via satellite, bringing in new dimensions to warfare. Near real time dissemination of information from the war zone made people hungry for more details, and faster. This led to a feeding frenzy amongst the video journalists, a rush to be closer to where the action was. War was turned into a voyeur sport. Each reporter also wanted to be the first with ‘breaking news’, even if it meant talking about operations still in progress, or even being planned. The unfortunate  consequence of this was leakage of information to the enemy, putting soldiers’ lives and success of impending operations at risk. The army hierarchy, with very little prior experience in dealing with television crews, and with more important things than ‘media management’ on their minds with a war on, probably didn’t even realise the damage being caused until much later.

Read also: Book reveals that Army was spooked by Barkha Dutt’s reporting in Kargil

Twenty years later, yet another dimension has been added to this milieu. Interactivity. The current situation, if it escalates into a full blown conflict, will be the first time war is streamed from and onto millions of smartphones and laptops. From being passive consumers of news, ordinary people have become active creators of opinion and influencers of sentiments. War has thus become a ‘participative sport’.

But there’s a catch – while pretty much of a long distance sport for the stimulus hungry netizens, it remains a matter of life and death for the soldiers, sailors and airmen who are at the forefront. And no, they aren’t computer generated video game characters who can re-spawn when you restart the game.

Social media has put tremendous power in your hands. The anonymity, coupled with instantaneous and wide reach afforded by social media platforms makes the potential for harm caused by injudicious exercise of this power unlimited. Shooting a video of a military convoy passing by and posting it online may make you feel cool – like you are a part of the country’s war efforts. But the same video can be accessed and analysed by the enemy, giving him valuable intelligence.

Read also: IT ministry asks Youtube to remove 11 videos of IAF wing commander Abhinandan Varthaman who is in Pakistan’s captivity

While most might act out of ignorance but no ill intent, it also enables some people to propagate their own agendas, which may be detrimental to national interests. Political biases, personal hatred and vested interests can be disguised as righteous concern and propagated in an attempt to pressurise the government into taking hasty decisions or the opposition into taking an injudicious stance.

If war does break out, you will be bombarded with ugliness. War has always been an ugly business, but only so for the direct participants. Those sitting in the comfort of their homes were shielded from the gory and exposed only to the glory. All that has changed. Social media will be used as a potent propaganda and psychological warfare tool by the enemy. The images of dead bodies, videos of prisoners of war will be circulated widely. War could be long drawn, with invariable highs and lows. You need to brace yourself for that. Maintain a balance between euphoria and despair – either won’t last long.

And remember, the enemy could be all around you in cyberspace. Misinformation propagated by pseudonymous and anonymous accounts, and even official accounts of the enemy, is par for the course. Rumours will abound. People around you will take pot shots at you. Just because you feel strongly for your country, there may be some who mock you to go and fight at the borders. Taking pot shots at fellow countrymen who’s opinion you may differ with isn’t going to help the war effort. The armed forces has all the people required, and winning the war is more important that winning an argument on social media.

Read also: Caught red-handed, Pakistanis spread fake news that the missile used to target Indian military assets does not belong to them

So if you do join the war as a long distance participant, make sure you’re fighting for the right side. You can do that by following some simple rules. First and foremost – trust your armed forces, and by extension, the government that’s acting on their advice. Now is not the time to make them toe the line YOU think is right. They have far more information than you – and all of it authentic. They also have a far better understanding of the situation and consequences of various decisions. And, at the end of the day, they also have to bear the burden of responsibility for their decisions.

Secondly, don’t make the enemy’s job easier by posting any information about our own forces – however innocuous it may seem to you. Don’t forward or share any information unless you are completely sure it is from an authentic source. Or better still – avoid forwarding anything for the time being. After all, your friends have access to the same sources that you do.

War is tough enough without cyber warriors and keyboard commandos making it tougher for the soldiers and decision makers. Remember that the next time you tweet or forward a Whatsapp message.

For Leftist rag, The Wire, Wing Commander Abhinandan is the same as a petty criminal or terrorist from Kashmir

K Bhattacharjee
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For Leftist rag, The Wire, Wing Commander Abhinandan is the same as a petty criminal or terrorist from Kashmir

The Wire published an article on Thursday where the author, Jawed Naqvi, argued that India’s ‘new love’ for the Geneva Convention should extend to ‘all situations’.

First of all, comparing Wing Commander Abhinandan’s situation with domestic terrorists and criminals is a logical fallacy of epic proportions. Pakistan was bound by international obligations to return him safe and sound because he is an Indian citizen and not a Pakistani. Of course, as a sovereign state, Pakistan could have chosen to ignore international conventions but then, there would have been grave consequences for them which they were ostensibly looking to avoid. The fact remains that Pakistan breached Indian airspace to carry out an act of aggression by attempting to bomb military installations in India. In the process of chasing Pakistani F16s away, Wing Commander Abhinandan was captured, and that makes him a prisoner of war (POW). The action of Pakistan itself satisfies the conditions to qualify for an act of war.

Secondly, international conventions cannot be used as a means to infringe upon the sovereignty of the Indian state. India reserves full right to deal with domestic terrorists and subversions as it deems fit according to its own laws.

The Wire argues, “The involvement with the pilot’s rights in Pakistan should help the ICRC and the international community in pushing for greater access to prisons in Kashmir and other Indian detention centres to observe the state of incarcerated militants and civilians.” It might disappoint the author but it won’t ‘help the ICRC’ in any manner. Should the International Committee of the Red Cross express such a desire, the Indian state will construe it as an effort to meddle in its internal affairs and thwart their designs, as it should.

More importantly, the ICRC has no business ‘pushing for greater access’ in Indian territory. It should instead try and gain access to China’s concentration camps first. Should it succeed, then it has a million other concerns it should be dealing with. Perhaps, after it has successfully negotiated the million and one concern, it can set its eyes on India.

That an Indian media outlet wants international organizations to infringe upon Indian sovereignty ought to concern us all. At a time when passions are running high and there are tensions prevailing with a neighbouring country that harbours terrorists, that The Wire prioritizes the violation of Indian sovereignty is indeed deplorable.

The author has peddled a false narrative about Major Gogoi in his article as well, He wrote, “In 2017, the pictures and video of a Kashmiri civilian, Farooq Ahmad Dar, tied as a human shield to the front of a vehicle driven by Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi, became viral on internet, stirring a major controversy. It was claimed that such action violated the Geneva Conventions.”

Yes, it was ‘claimed’ that it violated Geneva Conventions by people like him and others of the same ideological bent. In reality, it did not. As has been pointed out, Geneva Conventions do not apply to those suspected to be enemies of the State. And it can be stated safely, that the person Major Gogoi tied to his jeep wasn’t a paragon of virtue as leftist propagandists would have us believe.

The Wire is known to propagate utter lies in the name of ‘investigative journalism’. There have been numerous occasions in the past when the media outlet has spread malicious in order to peddle their preferred narrative. It appears even at a time when there are national security concerns, The Wire prioritizes prefers subjecting the Indian state to infringement of its sovereignty by international organizations rather than the welfare of its citizens.

Islamabad High Court rejects petition to stall the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman

OpIndia Staff
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Islamabad High Court rejects petition to stall the release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman

The High Court of Islamabad has dismissed a petition seeking to stall the release of Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, paving the way for handing over the IAF pilot to India as per schedule.

One Pakistani citizen had filed a plea in the court today morning requesting that Abhinandan Varthaman should not be handed over to India. The petitioner had contended that Varthaman has committed a crime against the country and he should be put on trial in Pakistan for the same. Hearing the petition, High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that this is a matter of foreign policy which is a domain of the government, and the court will not interfere in that.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistani military after the MiG-21 he was flying crashed inside Pakistan controlled Kashmir on Wednesday. He had crossed the LoC while chasing the Pakistani fighter jets that had intruded into India and tried to target Indian military bases with bombs and missiles. He had shot down an F-16 jet before his MiG-21 was taken down by ground forces in Pakistan.

Yesterday, Pakistan PM Imran Khan had announced that they will be handing over the pilot to India, following massive international pressure on the country to do so according to Geneva Convention. Abhinandan Varthaman is scheduled to enter India through Wagha border later today, after the formalities are completed in Pakistan.

Airstrikes by India deserve celebration, but the asymmetrical war with Pakistan needs sustained onslaught

Guest Author
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Airstrikes by India deserve celebration, but the asymmetrical war with Pakistan needs sustained onslaught

Not that we are widely bleeding heart peaceniks, in fact, we are far from that…but..what India did in Balakot, Pakistan was inevitable and the Indian Government took a fitting call in the matter. In fact, India should have done this decade back. It is crucial to creating an environment of severe reprisal so that the enemy wouldn’t dare attack us from outside or inside.

What worries me is that a majority of average Indians are deeply pacifist, avoid confrontation and wish for a life of assured outcomes. There are several reasons for that.

We have been wired meticulously by the powers that be, to consciously and subconsciously believe that we are losers. Yes! As harsh it may sound but our history starts from Mughal invasion and ends with a foreign educated Victorian, uttering trysts of destinies in a language, which only handful Indian knew at that time, on their so-called independence day.

There is no era beyond this. For a country older than any known civilization, a country where every possible significant scientific and literary discoveries and creations happened, a country where all the races originated, nuances were written and a country which championed the perfect mix of statesmanship and valour has absolutely zero references in Indian curriculum history. Our children are taught how incompetent their countrymen were.

Muslim invaders, to their credit, knew the Kaliyug warfare. They were brutal and believed in absolute conformity. They used immigration, asylum, guerrilla tactics and direct brutal assaults to establish themselves, but more than that they worked real hard in erasing our history, its symbols, temples, education institutes and anything with a trace of originality and dignity.

Britishers were even more methodological, more mass scale, more systematic, the real 6 sigmas in eradication and annihilation of a culture. Apart from divide and rule, what Britishers did thoroughly was to write volumes of atrocity literature on Indians. Our entire existence was bound in 1000 years. We were marked as illiterate, grisly and unhygienic barbarians who used to burn their widows and knew nothing better than snake charming. Nehru’s ‘Discovery of India’ was simply a fruit of that poisonous tree. To this date, we were ruled on the same metrics by Britishers’ Brown Sepoys. Our leadership post-1947 never made us confident either.

The crux is, we Indians are soul crushed in the past 700 years. Except for a few decades of Marathas and Bhakti movement, we have literally abandoned our glorious past. Today our cries for peace are the only manifestation of that deep fear of losing everything.

To our ancestor’s credit, they somehow managed to survive and in many cases thrive despite such conditions. While countries after countries were totally converted in a short span, we still live to tell our story. But this entire process turned the majority of us into pacifists. We are happy to remain mere survivors. A millennium of insecurity has ingrained the feeling of self-protection so deep that we have forgotten the value of honour and somewhere reworded cowardliness as pragmatism.

We abhor spilling of blood so much so that we start reversing the very shackles we are confined to. We lose appetite to win.‘Ahimsa Parmo Dharam’ and ahimsak ways make Mahatma out us while ‘Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azaadi dunga’ leads to an unsung and mysterious death.

So, rather than rejoicing India’s retaliation and the war on Pakistan, we Indians must ask this harsh question to ourselves, ‘Are we ready to bear the costs and discomforts of war to come’?

…And a quick answer looking at past is No, we aren’t!! And this worries me.

This is not a rant to demonize us, this is an act of knowing our weaknesses. This is an act of knowing where we stand and why.

Pakistan will retaliate. Pakistan’s foundation is hate and self-interest. They are like cancer on the world, profitable cancer for some though. This country profits from the chaos it ensues in the region. It has absolutely zero utility for the US or a Russia or China if they stop being a hub for mercenaries and a constant geopolitical pressure point for a giant and important country like India.

Pakistan will maintain that image.

This war will be asymmetric. To their advantage, Pakistan has a call of clamour for radical ideology. They also have an advantage of many decades to spread their poisonous tentacles, which gives them ready access to thousands of sleeper cells across India. Pakistan’s response will not be to fight a war valiantly. They will attack alongside LOC, they will attack our markets, our offices, our financial hubs, innocent bystanders, children, women and other civilian places. They will plan to assassinate leaders of importance, to hijack planes and blast trains.

And in these times, the resolve of Indian public will be tested. No matter how much we blame Mr Vajpayee for releasing terrorists in lieu of civilians during Kandahar, but anyone with slight remembrance will recall how we cried, protested and literally forced government’s hand in doing the same.

We are now seeing how our IAF pilot Abhinandan’s blood-soaked pics are turning into a chant for peace. We forget that a military man would rather die fighting than getting stoned or bombed by radicals in Kashmir. We would rather lose 6500 warriors in a proxy war, than 6 in the battlefield?

We refuse to understand rules of engagement, much less the war we are fighting from the time of Pakistan’s creation. We still believe that a Bollywood song, a clever hashtag on SM or a track II will save us.

Though there is some hope seeing the reaction of ordinary Indians post-Pulwama, it’s only a start of a war which can go on for a long, long time. Time is the biggest test. While we can celebrate the display of momentary spine, this onslaught needs to be sustained.

Abhinandan coming home, to be received by senior Air Force team at Wagah Border

OpIndia Staff
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Abhinandan coming home, to be received by senior Air Force team at Wagah Border

After yielding to severe international pressure, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday had announced that they will release Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman. However, Pakistan has refused to send Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman by air, reported Hindustan Times.

According to the reports, India had conveyed to Pakistan authorities that it wants Wing Commander Varthaman to be sent back via aerial route and not through the Wagah land border. However, Pakistan has declined to India’s request and last night communicated to India that he will be returned through the Attari-Wagah border.

Abhinandan will be received by a senior team of the Indian Air Force and will be flown to Delhi from Amritsar for debriefing.

The Indian defence establishment had reportedly thought of sending a special aircraft to Pakistan to bring back Wing Commander Varthaman who was captured by Pakistan after he had shot down Pakistan Air Force F-16 jet during aerial combat on Wednesday.

However, reports state that Abhinandan will be brought first to Lahore to the International Committee of Red Cross as per rules laid down under Geneva Conventions.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is all set to receive a grand heroic welcome in India. As per reports, Abhinandan’s parents will be present at the joint check post to receive their son. They traveled from Chennai to Delhi last night. Upon boarding the aircraft from Chennai airport, they were greeted with loud cheers, claps, and greetings by fellow passengers.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had declared on Thursday that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be freed on Friday after New Delhi had put pressure seeking his unconditional and immediate release. India had made it clear that it is not going to hold any talks or negotiations as far as the safe return of Abhinandan Varthaman is concerned.

The BSF has canceled the usual beating the retreat ceremony at the Wagah Attari border today. Hundreds of Indians are waiting with garlands, posters, and drums to welcome the brave pilot at the Wagah border.

Air Marshal C Hari Kumar who led 26 February air strikes in Pakistan retires, Pakistanis propagate as if he’s ‘sacked’

OpIndia Staff
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Air Marshal C Hari Kumar who led 26 February air strikes in Pakistan retires, Pakistanis propagate as if he’s ‘sacked’

The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Western Air Command (WAC) Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar, who led the IAF airstrike in Pakistan in wee hours of February 26 retired yesterday after 39 years of illustrious career. Other than the fact that he was awarded Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vayu Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal and appointed as the Honorary Air Force ADC to President of India, he also is the one who drew up the comprehensive plan of the air strike, which destroyed Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest training camp in Pakistan.

Hari Kumar, who joined the IAF in 1979 retired on 28th February. Kargil hero Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar is now appointed as the WAC Chief. Headquartered in Delhi, the WAC controls the area from north of Bikaner in Rajasthan up to Siachen Glacier and controls almost 40 per cent of the air bases of the IAF. During the Kargil war, he shot down five of the eight Laser Guided Bombs on the Pakistani positions from his plane.

However, no sooner did the news of his retirement came out, Pakistanis were already indulging in psy-ops and claimed that Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Hari Kumar was ‘sacked’ for ‘losing several aircrafts to Pakistan’ in the current situation at the LoC.


Shiraz Hassan is a Pakistan-based journalist, who worked for BBC formerly.

Read also: The BBC research on ‘fake news’ is shoddy, unethical, dishonest, and actually an example of fake news

Chiming in are Pakistan-based journalists who have been associated with NYTimes, Reuters.


Siasat.pk discussing that Air Marshal Chandrashekharan Harikumar was ‘sacked’

Clearly, the psy-ops undertaken by Pakistanis on Twitter is in line with Pakistani government which has been spreading fake news and lies with respect to the current stand-off at the LoC. Earlier this morning we had reported that how after being caught red-handed Pakistanis have resorted to spreading fake news that the missile used to target Indian military assets does not belong to them.

Following the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror attack on CRPF convoy on February 14 which claimed lives of 44 soldiers, Indian Air Force on February 26 carried out airstrikes in Balakot region of Pakistan and destroyed terror camps thriving on Pakistani soil. Pakistan then retaliated by targeting India’s military installations on February 27. Following the aggression by Pakistan, Pakistanis, including the government of Pakistan has proceeded to spread numerous lies about the claims which are being called out by the Indian government and Indian Armed Forces.

After his party indulged in minority appeasement politics post 26/11, Manmohan Singh engages in partisan politics over Indo-Pak tensions

K Bhattacharjee
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After his party indulged in minority appeasement politics post 26/11, Manmohan Singh engages in partisan politics over Indo-Pak tensions

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking at an event at Teen Murti Bhavan in Delhi, offered his sage counsel on the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. The senior Congress leader, who discovered his voice after a decade during Prime Minister Modi’s tenure, appeared to argue that India was equally responsible for the events that have transpired recently.


“On a day when our country is grappling with another crisis of mad rush of mutual self-destruction played between India-Pakistan. Our basic problem is to get rid of chronic poverty, ignorance and disease which still afflicts citizens in our 2 countries”, the former PM said. “I think the events will soon find corrective and I do hope that a saner counsel prevails between the leadership of two countries and we get back to the economic development which is the basic requirement of both India and Pakistan,” he added.

One wonders what Manmohan Singh means by ‘mad rush of mutual self-destruction’. India did not start the fight. India is only responding to a legitimate threat to our security posed by Pakistan’s support to terrorists. The airstrikes conducted by the Indian Air Force to eliminate terrorists on the other side of the border is merely a reflection of that. It’s the Pakistani establishment which chose to escalate matters by attempting to attack our military installations. Under such circumstances, trying to create a false equivalence between the conduct of the two countries is the worst form of partisan politics.

Moreover, Singh believes that ‘economic development’ is the ‘basic requirement’ of both countries. It certainly is with a minor difference. India seeks to develop itself economically for the prosperity of its citizens, Pakistan seeks the same so that it can wage war more effectively against India. Therefore, it will be extremely naive for India not to explore options to scuttle Pakistan’s economy. Singh’s statement only goes on to show that he is in denial of the true nature of the Pakistani establishment and it’s no wonder that his government was utterly incapable of thwarting the Pakistani establishment.

It appears that even more than a decade after his shameful capitulation in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks, Manmohan Singh hasn’t learnt that dialogues with Pakistan do not help. After 26/11, our Armed Forces were prepared to conduct strikes in Pakistan occupied territory to inflict severe costs upon the Pakistani establishment and terrorists, but Singh had decided to play the Game of Dossiers. As a consequence of preventing military action against Pakistan sponsored terrorists, their establishment did not learn any lessons and continued their proxy war against India as they suffered no consequences.

After Prime Minister Modi took the reins of the country, the goal of the Indian government has been to impose significant damage upon Pakistan in order to raise the costs of sheltering and supporting terrorists. After Uri, it was the Surgical Strikes, after Pulwama, air strikes were conducted. As is evident from Narendra Modi’s own words, he realises that Pakistan will not stop harbouring terrorists until and unless the costs of pursuing a proxy war against India exceed the benefits. Every action of the Modi government post the Pulwama attack is geared to that effect.

Instead of playing partisan politics at this moment of national importance, Manmohan Singh ought to remember the disgraceful conduct of his own party after the terror attacks in Mumbai. A cable by the then U.S. Ambassador, leaked by Wikileaks, revealed that the Congress party chose to play minority politics at that critical juncture. It is distressing that their petty identity politics did not escape the eyes of even the U.S. Ambassador. “The party chose to pander to Muslims’ fears,” he had observed.

It is very easy to indulge in the posturing of no real consequences, especially when one has the support of a ‘pliant media’. But it’s entirely different to achieve something substantial of real consequence. History will remember that despite a decade of dialogue and more of it, Manmohan Singh was unable to create an atmosphere of peace between the two countries. History will remember that despite his great efforts towards having a dialogue, Pakistan did not stop sheltering terrorists.

Some may say neither have the Surgical Strikes. The difference is, Narendra Modi never said that one surgical strike or two will force Pakistan to mends its way. The larger goal has always been to keep increasing the costs of indulging in a proxy war against India until they can no longer afford it. Unlike Manmohan Singh’s delusional approach, the current government’s strategy appears to be actually implementable. And is likely to achieve much greater success than the erstwhile government’s utter naivete.

‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, jihad against India to continue irrespective of India-Pakistan relations: Intelligence reports reveal JeM’s deadly plan

OpIndia Staff
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‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, jihad against India to continue irrespective of India-Pakistan relations: Intelligence reports reveal JeM’s deadly plan

Intelligence reports now have revealed that terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed had held a conference meeting in Okara district of Pakistan on 27 November 2017. In the meeting. it was decided that the group will resolve to execute the ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind, a doctrine aimed at the conquest of India.

The concepts of Ghazwa-e-hind root from several works of Islamic literature named Hadiths. The doctrine predicts onslaught upon citizens of India by Islamist forces and its take over by them. The doctrines are widely used by radical organisations to indoctrinate Muslim youth into terrorism by asserting that conquering the lands of ‘non-believers’ is their holy duty.

Around 2000 people had reportedly attended this terror meet, in which participants had raised slogans in praise of JeM and its chief Masood Azar. JeM leaders Abdul Rauf Asghar, in the meeting had made it clear that JeM’s mission of ‘Jihad’ will not cease to exist even if India-Pakistan relations improve. He also had asserted that there are many youths who want to participate in the cause, and are also ready to give up their life for this.

The intelligence report also claims that another-six day meeting of JeM had taken place in February 2018. During this, 13 interaction sessions by ‘Shoba-e-Taaruf’ or Department of Introduction were conducted. In this, 700 people including 65  Islamic Ulemas also attended the event.

The intelligence report further claimed that under the ‘Afzal Guru Shaheed Squad’,  JeM had carried the attack on J&K’s Indian Army’s Sunjwan camp in February 2018. It was cited as a ‘revenge operation’.

The report furthers that during a four-day visit to Sialkot district in Match 2018, the Shoba-e-Taaruf delegation of JeM organized 17 sessions, which was attended by 1500 people and 50 Ulemas. The delegation comprised of  Mujahid Abbas, Rashid Mushtaq, and Abid Mehmood.

It also recruited 22 people for a training course and 91 people for Daura-e Tafseer or Raining on Jihad and Quran. The participants there promised to adhere to the schedule laid down by the group and Ulemas also said that they were happy with the schedule set by chief Massad Azhar. They hailed Azhar’s religious services prayed for JeM’s Mujahideen.

Jaish-e-Mohammed is the same terrorist organisation which executed the horrifying Pulwama attack, last month, which left 40 CRPF jawans dead. Following this Indian government in the wee hours of 26th February, launched air strikes on terror camps of JeM based in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Pakistan. It also killed many operatives of JeM, delivering a big blow.

India is also taking tough diplomatic measures with other countries, to designate Masood Azar an International Terrorist. Pakistan, now even admits that Masood Azhar currently resides in their country.

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