Modi targets Pak rights abuse in Balochistan, PoK on I-Day

NEW DELHI, Aug 15: In his 94-minute speech to mark India's Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked Pakistan over alleged human rights abuses in Balochistan, Gilgit and “occupied” Kashmir.

“I want to specially thank some special people from the Red Fort. In the last few days, people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pak-occupied Kashmir had conveyed good wishes and gratitude to me,” Modi said in his address from the ramparts of the 17th century Red Fort.

“I have never seen these lands or met them. But when they congratulate (the) Indian Prime Minister, they congratulate our 1.25 crore people. And this is why I am grateful from the bottom of my heart to the people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pak-occupied Kashmir.”

In a sharp retort, Pakistan’s foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz said Modi was “only trying to divert world attention from the grim tragedy that has been unfolding in the Indian-occupied Kashmir over the past five weeks”.

The Congress also said that by raking up Balochistan, Modi was “ruining” India’s case on PoK.

“PoK is our...entitlement. We will support it. But by bringing in Balochistan…we are going to ruin our own case on PoK,” former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said.

Modi did not mention Kashmir where many areas are still under curfew. India has accused the western neighbour of stoking unrest in the Valley.

During an all-party meeting on Kashmir last week Modi said the time has come to expose Islamabad’s brutalities on its own people in the three restive areas where Pakistan’s security forces are accused of carrying out extra-judicial killings in crackdowns on dissidents.

“What kind of life is this, inspired by terrorism? What kind of government set-up is it that is inspired by terrorism?” asked Modi.

“The world will know about it and that’s sufficient for me,” said Modi, the first Indian PM to raise in an Independence Day speech rights abuses by Pakistani security forces in these areas.

He mentioned how India was “devastated” to hear about the killing of students in an army school in Peshawar.

“It brought tears in Parliament and every corner of India. This is our culture of humanity. On the other side, killing of innocents by terrorists are celebrated by a government inspired by terrorism,” said Modi who sported a red, pink and yellow turban.

India bags deals to launch 68 foreign satellites, 12 of them from US

BANGALORE, Aug 30: India secured deals to launch 68 overseas satellites, including a dozen from the US, a top official said on Tuesday.

“We got fresh orders to launch 68 satellites from various countries, including 12 from PlanetiQ, a US-based weather forecasting satellite firm,” said Rakesh Sasibhushan, Chairman and Managing Director of Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the Indian space agency.

Through Antrix, the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched 74 foreign satellites, including many from advanced countries like Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Israel and the US over the 15 years, using its most reliable workhorse - the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

“We also got an order to launch a heavier earth observation satellite from an overseas customer”, said Sasibhushan without naming the customer.

The new orders include launching smaller and nano-satellites with different payloads (instruments) for experiments, data generation, image-capturing and transmitting signals for communications, broadcasting, remote-sensing, earth observation and weather conditions.

PSLV-C34 set a record in July by launching 20 satellites, with a combined weight of 1,288 kg including ISRO’s 728 kg Cartosat-2 from its rocketport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 80 km north-east of Chennai.

“We plan to carry more satellites in a single launch at a time for optimal utilisation of the rocket space and other resources for achieving economies of scale,” hinted Sasibhushan.

“We estimate that about 2,500 satellites will be built in the next decade to meet the needs of countries and private customers for navigation, maritime, surveillance and other space-based applications,” Sasibhushan told reporters ahead of the fifth biennial Space Expo from Thursday in Bengaluru.

OneWeb, a global consortium of British multinational Virgin Group, Indian telecom major Bharti Enterprises and US-based chip maker Qualcomm, is planning to put a record 648 smaller satellites as a constellation to beam high-speed internet to local terminals.

ISRO also is bracing up for commercial launch of two-tonne and above satellites using its heavier rocket -- Geosynchrnous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to place them in geo-stationary orbits, about 36,000 km from the earth.

ISRO also is bracing up for commercial launch of two-tonne and above satellites using its heavier rocket -- Geosynchrnous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) to place them in geo-stationary orbits, about 36,000 km from the earth.

The operational GSLV Mk-II rocket with an indigenous cryogenic upper stage is set for launch in September with a weather satellite onboard.

“We are looking for commercial operations of GSLV for which the indigenous cryogenic engines are getting ready to launch more satellites to the geo-orbits,” noted Sasibhushan.

With more nations and private customers keen on having their own satellites for various applications, India is pitching in the multi-billion dollar launch market due to shortage of rockets and launchers worldwide and owing its cost advantage.

ISRO, however, will face competition from global players such as BlueOrigin, Firefly Systems, Rocket Lab and SpaceX, which are bracing up to offer satellite launch services from 2017.

Kashmir does not need Wazwan policies

By Sanjay Kaul

BOSTON, Aug 15: Today India is celebrating its independence with a vision for a better future, kashmir would do well to ride the wave. The death of Burhan Wani has become a daily source of contested discussion on news channels through out India. With the moniker of "holy martyr" given by some leaders and media anchors, Burhan Wani's existence has become little more than a persona presiding over the limited imagination of those who view him.

Wani was a potent symbol of the terrorist threat to peace. He was not only motivated by his own nefarious ideals, but by a genuine hate for peace and progress in a multicultural society. The narratives he propagated, with the help of deceit, fear, and a complicit elite class, helped incite masses towards anger and violence. Enjoying the benefits of a modern India with one hand, and passing stones to the poor, disenchanted worker with the other, the monied and powerful of Kashmir continue to gain from the Burhan Wanis' of the separatist movements.

The messages of divisiveness, violence, and terror, misguide the valley's most desperate into thinking that throwing stones is the solution to their problem. These ideas impede a modern vision for those poor people who need to teach their children to read and write and take charge of their own future.

Instead of calling on others, leaders and stakeholders in Kashmir should assert the tolerance of their ancestors and encourage a vision for the future that says more than "azadi".

The way things are looking, the politicians seem to have poverty for the poor as their "Mission Kashmir". Instead of creating jihadists and useless religious conflicts for their own profits, they should work to make Kashmir a technology hub with bright optimism for multicultural for next generation.... Even, if azadi is the goal, Kashmir has more of an ally in India, who is generously supporting the efforts of freedom in Baluchistan.

Transform your relationship with yourself, each other and the world ....The art of possibility (Zander).

In the mean time , Kashmir does not need more Wazwan policies!

Attacks on weaker sections should be dealt with firmly: Pranab Mukherjee

NEW DELHI, Aug 14: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday evening denounced the recent communal attacks in the country and said that these attacks on weaker sections need to be dealt with firmly.

"Attacks on weaker sections that militate against our national ethos are aberrations that need to be dealt with firmly," President Mukherjee said in his address to the nation on the eve of India's 70th Independence Day--his fifth since assuming office.

President said the collective wisdom of our society and our polity gave him the confidence that such forces will remain marginalised and India's growth will continue uninterrupted.
"The collective wisdom of our society and our polity gives me the confidence that such forces will remain marginalized," he said.

Coming down heavily on forces of intolerance, Mukherjee cautioned against "unmindful pursuit" of a divisive political agenda and polarising debates by groups and individuals, saying they lead to institutional "travesty" and constitutional "subversion".

He also called for upliftment of the weaker sections of our society so that they can be included in the country's path of progress and development. "India will grow, only when all of India grows; the excluded ones have to be included in the development process," he said.

In wake of rising terrorism across countries, the President called for a unanimous global voice against the perpetrators of such violence in the name of religion. "World has witnessed a spate of terror activities having their roots in radicalization of people on basis of religion. These forces pose a danger to entire comity of nations; world will have to fight them unconditionally & in one voice.

Hailing India's democracy, he reminded the nation that democracy is not a periodic exercise. He also talked about the passage of the historic GST Bill and how it reflects the political maturity of our country. "Passage of GST bill is reason enough to celebrate our democratic maturity," he said.

Rajnath says govt will ‘talk to all’ about Kashmir, all-party meet on Aug 12

NEW DELHI, Aug 10: The Centre agreed to an all-party meeting on Friday to discuss how to end weeks of violent unrest in Kashmir, as pressure mounted on the government to open a broad dialogue to resolve the crisis triggered by the killing of a militant leader.

Home minister Rajnath Singh also said a decision could be taken on sending an all-party delegation to Kashmir after discussions with the state chief minister on the terms and modalities of engagement.

He said the government will “talk to all no doubt”, responding to opposition queries on whether “moderates, political parties and others” will be included in the dialogue. He, however, ruled out discussing Kashmir with Pakistan.

“Kashmir is an inseparable part of India. No power on earth can separate it from India,” Singh said while replying to the debate in the upper house.

“Talks would not be held with Pakistan regarding Kashmir but on the issue of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir,” he added, saying pro-Pakistani slogans “won’t be tolerated” on Indian territory.

At least 55 people have been killed – most of them in police firing – following street unrest in Kashmir to protest against the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani by security forces last month. The region has been under curfew for 33 days.

Wednesday’s announcements came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s moderate vision to outline his government’s stand on dealing with the protests in Kashmir. In 2003, Vajpayee paved the way for the Centre’s first-ever talks with Kashmiri separatists and laid down three principles to deal with the region’s political crisis -- Insaaniyat (humanism), Jamhooriyat (democracy) and Kashmiriyat (Kashmir’s legacy of amity).

The government’s decision to hold an all-party meeting is seen aimed at blunting opposition criticism in Rajya Sabha that Modi’s outreach to Kashmir was not genuine and that the government was reluctant to talk to all stakeholders in the region.

On Wednesday, Rajya Sabha saw an impassioned debate over Kashmir and the house unanimously adopted a resolution, appealing “to all sections of the society in Jammu and Kashmir to work for the early restoration of normalcy and harmony and… restore the confidence among the people in general and youth in particular”.

Later, RS deputy chairperson PJ Kurien clarified the resolution would include a suggestion from CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury that confidence building measures will come through a “process of dialogue” in Delhi and Kashmir. It wasn’t clear if that would include the separatist Hurriyat leaders to whom Vajpayee had reached out.

Past efforts at finding political solutions in Kashmir, including the initiatives by Vajpayee, yielded little results. In 2010, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent a three-member team of interlocutors to the region but their recommendations were largely ignored.

Political experts see Modi’s outreach to Kashmir – after a long silence -- and the Centre’s latest stand as a sign of nervousness in the government that the region might have reached a tipping point.

“Like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he (Modi) should admit that there is a problem and address that,” Professor Gull Mohammad Wani of Kashmir University said.

“Dialogue with separatists will definitely help. They have a separate constituency and can influence people. Nobody can ignore that.”

Noor Ahmad Baba, political science professor of Kashmir University, agrees.
“It requires more than symbolism and mere expressions to address the current unrest as past experiences have shown. Dialogue at various levels is imperative,” he said.
“Stopping the use of pellet guns will be a good beginning.”

But others feel the intensity of the ongoing protests, by and large spontaneous, will not sustain.

“Fatigue will eventually set in but that doesn’t mean the issue will go. If not addressed, it will keep recurring in different forms and manifestations,” said another political analyst, requesting anonymity.

Arrested terrorist Bahadur Ali was guided by Pak military: NIA

NEW DELHI, Aug 10: The NIA said on Wednesday that Pakistani terror suspect Bahadur Ali, who was recently captured in Kashmir, was regularly guided by the control room of terrorist groups in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) with the help of neighbouring country’s forces.

During a press conference on Wednesday, the National Investigation Agency added that the arms and ammunitions training given to Ali show the involvement of military experts.

Ali, a resident of Jia Bagga village in Pakistani Punjab, was captured with weapons, communication equipment and material of Pakistani and international origin in Jammu and Kashmir’s on July 25 following an encounter with security forces in Kupwara district. Four other terrorists were gunned down in the shootout.

Counter-terror officials said Ali, who was described by the government as a “big terror catch”, had crossed over to India to attack security forces and fuel more unrest in the valley. He was on a fidayeen or suicide mission in Kashmir.

The agency also told reporters that the LeT has instructed its cadre to stay behind Kashmiris during protests in the valley that has witnessed a wave of violence after security forces gunned down Burhan Wani, a poster boy of the militant Hizbul Mujahideen.

“Bahadur Ali lays bare the Lashkar conspiracy to throw grenades amidst protesters in Kashmir,” said NIA DG Sharad Kumar.

Kumar added that Ali tried throwing grenades from behind protesters twice.

According to the agency, Ali is the son of a former police constable in Pakistan’s Punjab province and has six brother and two sisters. They said his family owns 12 canals or over 5,000 square feet of land in Jia Bagga near Lahore.

He dropped out of the government primary school in his village after Class 8 and also attended a local madrassa Jamia Qasmia affiliated to Tablighi Jamaat.

In 2008-09 when Ali was 13 or 14, he met an imam of Ahle-Hadith mosque and his son who motivated him to join the sect. At the same time, he also met Mohammad Yusuf and Hafiz Shehzad, who worked for LeT’s parent outfit Jamaat Ud Dawa.

In 2013-14, he started working with Falah-e-Insaniat, the charity long suspected of a front of the LeT. A JuD donation collector by the name of Abdullah asked Ali to join the Lashkar.

Officials also said Indian national called Deen Mohammad is related to Ali.

He is the fourth Pakistan terror suspect to be captured alive in Kashmir since the arrest of Mohammad Naveed Yakub, a 22-year-old from Pakistan’s Faisalabad city who joined LeT at a young age after getting indoctrinated at a local mosque.

Naveed was arrested on August 5 last year after he, along with another suicide attacker, tried to attack a BSF bus in Udhampur area of Jammu and Kashmir.

India on Tuesday called in the Pakistani envoy to lodge a strong protest over Islamabad’s “continuing cross-border terrorism” amid a sharp downturn in bilateral ties.

A “strong demarche” on Pakistan’s use of terrorism against India and the recent arrest of Ali was handed over to Pakistani high commissioner Abdul Basit by foreign secretary S Jaishankar. The demarche made “specific reference to LeT terrorist and (Pakistani) national Bahadur Ali”, external affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson “strongly rejected Indian claim of any cross-LOC infiltration”.

“Pakistan remains committed to the policy of not allowing its territory for any terrorist activity against anyone. However, it is necessary to establish the veracity of the Indian claim. Details in this regard will be gathered,” the spokesperson added.

Ties between India and Pakistan dipped to a new low in January after the terror attack on Pathankot airbase, which was blamed on Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed. The unrest in Jammu and Kashmir triggered by the death of militant commander Burhan Wani has added to tensions.

Pakistan has made renewed efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue and Indian home minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Islamabad last week to attend a Saarc meet ended in rancour after a tense encounter with his Pakistani counterpart.