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Tag: India

  • UAE Royals brokering Pak-India peace: Bloomberg

    About 24 hours after military chiefs from Pakistan and India surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement, the top diplomat of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) popped over to New Delhi for a quick one-day visit.

    The official UAE readout of the Feb 26 meeting gave few clues of what Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed spoke about with Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, noting they “discussed all regional and international issues of common interest and exchanged views on them.”

    Yet behind closed doors, the Pakistan-India ceasefire marked a milestone in secret talks brokered by the UAE that began months earlier, according to officials aware of the situation who asked not to be identified. The cease-fire, one said, is only the beginning of a larger roadmap to forge a lasting peace between the neighbors, both of which have nuclear weapons and spar regularly over a decades-old territory dispute.

    The next step in the process, the official said, involves both sides reinstating envoys in Islamabad and New Delhi, who were pulled in 2019 after Pakistan protested India’s move to revoke seven decades of autonomy for the disputed Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir.

    The article originally appeared on Bloomberg 

  • Army chief cites unresolved disputes as reasons behind regional debt, poverty

    Army chief cites unresolved disputes as reasons behind regional debt, poverty

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday said unresolved disputes in South Asia were dragging the entire region into debt and poverty, in a veiled reference to the Kashmir issue.

    Addressing a gathering on the final day of the Islamabad Security Dialogue, COAS Bajwa said the national security encompassed more than just matters and affairs related to strengthening the country’s security forces.

    “It included development and human security as well,” he said.

    “We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward,” he said, adding that the onus for meaningful dialogue rested with India.

    “Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in occupied Kashmir.”

    “The world has seen the ravages of the world wars and the Cold War, wherein polarisation and neglect of virtues blighted the future and brought catastrophic consequences for humanity,” he said.

    “Today the leading drivers of change in the world are demography, economy and technology. However, one issue that remains central to this concept is economic security and cooperation. Frayed relations between various powers centres of the globe and boomeranging of competing alliances can bring nothing but another stint of Cold War.”

    Congratulating the National Security Division on organising the dialogue, Gen Bajwa stated that the contemporary concept of national security was not just about protecting countries from an external and internal threat.

    It is also about providing a conducive environment for ensuring human security, national progress and development, he said.

    The army chief’s comments come a a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan said that India would have to make the first move to normalise ties with Pakistan.

    “We are trying, but India would have to take the first step and unless it does that we cannot move ahead,” the prime minister had said while inaugurating the Islamabad Security Dialogue.

  • ‘India has to take the first step’: PM Imran at Islamabad Security Dialogue

    ‘India has to take the first step’: PM Imran at Islamabad Security Dialogue

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday launched the first Policy Advisory Portal at the inaugural session of the Islamabad Security Dialogue. The portal has been developed by the National Security Division (NSD) to engage over hundred think tanks and academia in policy making, said the Prime Minister’s Office.

    PM Khan said that when his government came to power, he tried to resolve issues with India.

    “We just have one issue, which is Kashmir,” said the premier, adding that August 5 happened, which “led to a total breakdown between both countries.”

    PM Khan said he hopes that the right of self-determination given to the Kashmiris as per UN Security Council resolution would be given to the Kashmiris.

    “It would benefit India if there is a resolution on the Kashmir issue. If we achieve peace through dialogue, it will change the entire landscape of the region. There is a lot of poverty in India. Our trading and economic ties should be strong, which will increase regional connectivity. It will help India that it can have regional connectivity up to Central Asia. India has to take the first step after August 5, otherwise, we cannot move forward.”

    While inaugurating the Advisory Portal, Prime Imran Khan appreciated the initiative and said that Pakistan has immense young talent in this country.  “This is a step in the right direction”, he said.

    The advisory portal will be a dedicated and integrated platform through which major think tanks and universities working on the subject of comprehensive national security will be able to share policy recommendations directly with the national leadership.

    “The aim of the portal is to bridge the gap between intellectuals and policymakers,” said SAPM on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Dr Moeed Yusuf who conceived the portal. 

    Islamabad Security Dialogue is a two-day international conference. Two sessions of the Islamabad Security Dialogue were held on Wednesday, while three sessions will take place on Thursday. Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa will inaugurate the second day. 

    Being held mostly in a virtual format, the Dialogue is being attended by officials, global and regional experts and media. The main theme of the Islamabad Security Dialogue is Comprehensive Security Framework that will enable the country to unfold its untapped potential in becoming a hub of global and regional development.

    The NSD plans to make the Islamabad Security Dialogue an annual event to parallel the world’s leading security dialogues.

  • Hindu temple’s caretaker beats Muslim boy for drinking water from temple

    Hindu temple’s caretaker beats Muslim boy for drinking water from temple

    A 14-year-old Muslim boy in India was beaten up for drinking water from a temple.

    The incident of the temple caretaker beating a child in India’s Ghaziabad gained public attention after a video of the incident surfaced online.

    As per reports, the 23-year-old temple caretaker, Shringi Nandan Yadav, beat the boy who went in to drink water.

    The video showed the caretaker kicking and punching the boy after he asked the boy’s and his father’s name. On revealing his name and his father’s name, Yadav started beating the boy. The identity of the boy’s father is being withheld as per law to protect the child. The child’s father is daily wage labour.

    “My son stopped to drink water from a tap located inside the temple as he was thirsty. He was beaten up after they asked about his identity. He suffered a head injury. He generally doesn’t venture inside the temple but this time he told me he was just very thirsty. I have asked him not to go there in the future.”

    The temple authorities say they had banned the entry of non-Hindus inside the temple. Another caretaker of the temple, Yati Narsimhanand Saraswati accused that the boy was beaten for spitting inside the temple, implying that the abuse was justified.

    “There are several taps outside the temple from where people drink water. Our caretakers caught the boy spitting inside the temple. They have been arrested and we will seek to legal recourse to get them bail.”

    Ghaziabad police arrested Shringi Nandan Yadav and another caretaker, Shivanand Saraswati, who recorded the incident.

  • 60-year-old man climbs electric pole after children object to second marriage

    60-year-old man climbs electric pole after children object to second marriage

    A 60-year-old man in India climbed up an electric pole to protest against his children who opposed his second marriage.

    As per reports, Sobran Singh, who hails from Rajasthan, India climbed a pole of high-tension wires to convince his children for second marriage. Singh, who has five children and several grandchildren wanted to get married for the second time but his family was against it.

    Villagers gathered near the electric pole and tried to convince Singh to come down but he did not listen to anybody.

    Singh even grabbed a high-tension wire and threatened to commit suicide. Luckily, there was no electricity running in the high tension line at that time.

    Singh’s family called the local sub-station about the incident after which the electricity department cut the power in the area.

    After about an hour, a local youth climbed the pole and convinced the elderly man to come down.

    When he was asked whom he wants to marry, he said, “Get me married to anyone. I just want a companion.”

    Singh’s wife died four years ago and he currently lives with his three sons.

  • After pigeons, India arrests Pakistani balloon

    Indian police in occupied Kashmir have taken into custody a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane-shaped balloon. According to Indian news agency ANI, the balloon landed in Sotra Chak village of Hiranagar on March 9.

    While the detention of balloon with the logo of Pakistan’s national carrier seems silly, the incident was not the first of its kind. Indian security personnel have taken several pigeons and balloons into custody for their alleged links with Pakistan. A Pakistani villager had last year appealed to India to release his pigeon which was being held for spying after it crossed the border between the nuclear rivals.

    Meanwhile, on Twitter:

  • Bride dies due to cardiac arrest after excessive crying

    Bride dies due to cardiac arrest after excessive crying

    Celebrations turned into mourning in Odisha, India after a newlywed bride died of a heart attack during her ‘bidaai‘ while leaving for her in-laws’ house.

    As per details, the cardiac arrest was caused due to excessive crying and emotional stress at the moment.

    The bride, identified as Gupteswari Sahoo aka Rosy, got married to Bisikesan on Friday in a village. As her parents were preparing to send her off to her in-laws after all  the wedding rites, Rosy kept on crying, fainted, and collapsed on the ground. Family members and friends present at the moment tried to regain her consciousness by massaging her hands and spraying water on her face.

    Read more – Locals rush to dig gold after discovering mountain ‘filled with gold’

    When she failed to gain conscious, Rosy was instantly taken to the nearest health centre where doctors declared her brought dead. Her body was handed over to her family after postmortem.

    A resident of Julunda village said Rosy was already depressed as she had lost her father a few months ago. It was her maternal uncle’s family and some social workers who had organised the wedding.

  • Indian politician requests Pakistani comic Akbar Chaudhry to mimic Imran Khan

    Indian politician requests Pakistani comic Akbar Chaudhry to mimic Imran Khan

    India’s Shashi Tharoor has requested Pakistani comedian Akbar Chaudhry to mimic Imran Khan after enjoying Chaudhry’s hilarious take on the politician’s oratory English skills.

    Read more – Shashi Tharoor all praise for PM Imran

    Tharoor, a member of the Indian National Congress, is known for using extensive English vocabulary during his speeches and interviews. Chaudhry had made a fun video on that and shared a few tips on how people can also speak fluent English like Tharoor.

    The video shows the comedian making a drink out of the Oxford Dictionary and then drinking it. The second tip is to get a ‘blood transfusion’ with the Oxford Dictionary on one side and Tharoor’s speech on the other.

    In the third step, Akbar crushes a dictionary and snorts it. According to the comedian, if these steps are followed, anyone can speak like Tharoor.

    Soon after the comedian’s video went viral on social media, the politician responded and requested him to mimic PM Khan. Tharoor shared the video with a laughing emoji and wrote: “Next one on Imran Khan please!?”

    Speaking about the video, Akbar told The News that his friends from India have told him that the video is a hit on Indian WhatsApp groups.

    When asked about the idea behind the video, Akbar said that he had earlier done a video on “How to Speak English Like a Burger” and had received a lot of positive response on it.

    Akbar said that when that video did very well, he thought about doing similar stuff.

    He shared that almost two weeks ago, he had seen a tweet which joked that this year’s English exam for the Civil Superior Services (CSS) was set by Shashi Tharoor given the extensive and difficult vocabulary used in it.

    “[That’s when] the idea came to me that I can do a video on ‘How to speak English like Shashi Tharoor’,” said Akbar.

    He shared that he has been a big fan of Shashi Tharoor’s usage of the words in the English language.

    The comedian from the improvisational comedy group ‘Lol Waalay’, said that he had been hopeful that his effort would reach Tharoor.

    “Obviously, I didn’t believe it would happen, but somehow lots of people tagged him [Tharoor] in it and he replied,” said Akbar, adding he was “very happy” with the response. 

  • Amazon Prime offers rare apology ‘to anyone who felt hurt’ over ‘Tandav’

    In a rare move, Amazon Prime has issued an apology to its Indian viewers over the scenes in its political drama Tandav which sparked outrage and hurt religious sentiments, Reuters has reported.

    In a statement, the streaming said that it deeply regrets that viewers found certain scenes to be objectionable.

    Amazon apologises “unconditionally to anyone who felt hurt,” read the statement, adding that it will continue to “develop content while respecting the diversity of audiences’ culture and beliefs”.

    While Tandav controversy began in January, soon after the series released, it escalated last week when police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) questioned one of Amazon’s top executives for hours in one case filed against the show.

    When asked about the company apology, a senior state police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities would continue to investigate the matter.

    Read more – ‘Tandav’: A weak script saved by brilliant performances

    Featuring Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Gauahar Khan and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in key roles, Tandav has been accused of disrespecting Hindu deities, with several political leaders including Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya demanding legal action against the team. Karni Sena also announced a Rs 1 crore award to the person who will chop of the tongue of Tandav’s makers.

    Earlier, following the backlash and outrage, Tandav creator Ali Abbas Zafar issued an “unconditional apology” on behalf of the team and, clarified that “Tandav is a work of fiction and any resemblance to acts and persons and events is purely coincidental” and that’s how one should also take it. While the series does appear to have been inspired by real-life incidents, it is also imperative to keep in mind that creative liberty has been taken.”

    Later, Ali issued another statement, in which he said that the makers decided to “implement changes” to the web series after concerns were raised. At least two scenes were removed from the show.

  • Malala dreams to see Pakistan and India as ‘good friends’

    Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has expressed her desire to see Pakistan and India as ‘good friends’.

    Read more – Ceasefire, at last

    Talking about her book I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban on the last day of the 14th Jaipur Literature Festival, Malala said: “It is my dream to see India and Pakistan become true good friends and that we can visit each other’s countries. You can continue to watch Pakistani dramas, we can continue to watch Bollywood movies and enjoy cricket matches.”

    “You are Indian and I am Pakistani and we are completely fine, then why is this hatred created between us? This old philosophy of borders, divisions and divide and conquer… they just don’t work anymore. As humans we all want to live in peace,” said Malala.

    The young activist added that the real enemies of both countries are “poverty, discrimination and inequality”.

    She also stressed upon the importance of giving rights to minorities in both countries.

    “Minorities are at risk,” said Malala. “Minorities’ rights are not given to them. Be it Hindus and Christians in Pakistan, Muslims, Dalits and other minorities in India… Palestinians, Rohingya refugees. It is not [just] religion. It is the exploitation of power, it is just elites vs the poor and minorities.”

    Talking about her cause of girls’ education, Malala said that she also dreams of the day when every girl would get to go to school and have access to quality education.

    Malala, who was shot in the head by the Taliban as she was returning home from school in Swat Valley, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her efforts for children’s rights in 2014. The young activist recently also graduated from Oxford University.

    Read more – US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

    She is now internationally known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children.