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Over 78,000 Indians wave Tricolour, create Guinness world record

News Intervention Bureau
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Over 78,000 Indians wave Tricolour, create Guinness world record

India created a world record by simultaneously waving 78,220 Tricolour on the 23 April 2022. India thus marked its name in the Guinness Book of World Records. In order to create history, thousands of people gathered together and raised the tricolour for five minutes and sang the national anthem Vande Mataram, simultaneously at the “Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayotsav” programme in Dulaur Ground of Jagdishpur in Bhojpur district of Bihar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah was present at the record making historical event. The attempt was witnessed by representatives of the Guinness World Records and attendees were asked to wear bands for tehir physical identification. The complete event is documented in a video and manual form.

“Most people waving flags was achieved by Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Culture, Government of India (India), to celebrate Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav‘ at Jagdishpur, Bhojpur, Bihar, India on 23 April, 2022.” reads the Guinness World Certificate. Earlier, the world record for waving the maximum number of national flags at a time was held by Pakistan. Around 18 years ago 57,000 Pakistanis waved their national flag at Lahore.

Guinness World Record certificate (Photo: News Intervention)
Guinness World Record certificate. (Photo: News Intervention)

In his address at Jagdishpur, Home Minister Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned that by 2047, India should lead globally and this can be “our true tribute to all brave freedom fighters like Babu Veer Kunwar Singh”. Amit Shah said that Babu Veer Kunwar Singh fought his last battle near Jagdishpur on 23 April 1858. In the battle, he defeated the East India Company. Singh took down the British Union Jack from Jagdishpur Fort before sacrificing his life for the motherland.

Amit Shah added, “Babu Kunwar Singh was also a great social reformer and he had placed the idea of ​​welfare of the backward and downtrodden before the nation at that time. History has been unjust to Babu Kunwar Singh as he was not given the place he deserved, based on his valour, merit and sacrifice.”

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mr. Nityanand Rai appreciated the people of Bihar for achieving this feat. “At the programme as many as 78,220 people waved the national flag under the leadership of Home Minister Amit Shah. This is a new world record for waving national flags. Waving such huge number of flags at one place voluntarily by the people of Bihar is commendable.” Union Ministers R.K. Singh, Ashwini Choubey and leaders from Bihar BJP were also present during the programme.

Senator Hawley urges Elon Musk to make Twitter’s censorship tricks public

Sadiksha Waiba
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Senator Hawley urges Elon Musk to make Twitter’s censorship tricks public

Days after Elon Musk’s announcement to acquire Twitter, Josh Hawley the U.S. Senator wrote a letter to Elon Musk on 26 April (Tuesday) urging him to conduct an audit of Twitter and make public its efforts to censor and shadow ban individuals. In his letter to Elon Musk, Hawley said, “Your commitment to free speech is rare in the world of social media and I am hopeful you will indeed help Twitter become a platform that values and protects it.”

Senator Josh Hawley informed Musk that he had written to Twitter in 2019 to conduct a third-party audit and release the details of the report to the public, which was ignored by Twitter. He also asked him to reveal details of past censorship attempts made by Twitter.

Billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk reached an agreement with Twitter to acquire the micro-blogging site for $44 billion. Elon said that he wanted to buy Twitter because the social media platform of late wasn’t living up to its potential as a platform for “free speech”.

Hawley accused Twitter of being ‘partisan’ and pointed out, “Algorithms didn’t make those calls; employees did. And at this point, the American people deserve to know the truth about what went on at Twitter for years behind closed doors.” He proposed 5 important questions for Twitter to probe during the said third-party audit.

  • Who was responsible for deliberately suppressing the New York Post’s now-vindicated reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop and business dealings?
  • How many Twitter users have had their accounts suspended and why?
  • How many Twitter users have been shadow banned and why?
  • Do Twitter’s shadow banning and suspension patterns evince a consistent political bias?
  • Have Twitter employees, since news of your acquisition of the platform became public, made changes to the platform or deleted records of their time at the service?


Josh Hawley concluded that a public audit like this would be important in rebuilding a culture of free speech and open discourse at Twitter, to review where exactly things went wrong on the platform and who is principally accountable.

Following the letter to Musk by the U.S. Senator, on Wednesday (April 27), Twitter’s top notch lawyer Vijaya Gadde was slammed by Musk over the “incredibly inappropriate” censorship of Hunter Biden’s laptop story. Vijaya Gadde who is the chief legal officer and general counsel of Twitter has also played an imperative role in terminating ex-President Donald Trump’s account on Twitter. In a tweet, Musk wrote, “Suspending the Twitter account of a major news organization for publishing a truthful story was obviously incredibly inappropriate.” Elon Musk was talking about the 2020 New York Post’s story on Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Shari Baloch attacks China in Karachi Univ, galvanizes revolutionaries across Balochistan

Vivek Sinha
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Shari Baloch attacks China in Karachi Univ, galvanizes revolutionaries across Balochistan

It’s the mother who takes a nation to greater heights. It’s the mother who leads a revolution. Shari Baloch, alias Bramsh, is one such revolutionary mother who blew herself up at the gates of Karachi University killing three Chinese officials and seriously injuring another.

This wasn’t a suicide attack, mind you. Shari Baloch was a proud mother of two children and a caring wife. A post graduate, Shari was pursuing M.Phil. and could have made a great career for herself. Yet she chose to be a revolutionary, became the first female fidayeen for the Majeed Brigade of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and attacked China in Karachi.

Why? Asks the civilized world.

Yes it’s indeed a tragedy that a well-educated Baloch mother had to blow herself up at Karachi University for the civilized world to take note of inhuman atrocities being committed by Pakistan and China across Balochistan.

Martyr Shari Baloch with her children. On April 26, 2022 Shari Baloch blew herself up at the Karachi University killing 3 Chinese officials and seriously injuring another. (Photo: News Intervention)

Over seventy thousand innocent Baloch men, women and children have been abducted by Pakistani security forces and intelligence agencies across occupied Balochistan. The hapless family members know nothing about the whereabouts of their loved ones who have just ‘disappeared’. More than ten thousand Baloch have been ‘killed and dumped’ by Paki forces during the last decade. And these aren’t blank statistics, rather a humungous tragedy.

Entire indigenous Baloch population is being steadily wiped out and the world doesn’t even know about it. Baloch genocide must have been the top international news every day. Isn’t it? Do we see any debate, discussion and/or op-ed pieces on Baloch massacre? No. None.

In 2020 widespread protests erupted across occupied Balochistan after cold- blooded murder of Hayat Baloch. Hayat was a college student and was returning home after studies when he was shot dead by Pakistani forces. The only ‘weapons’ found in his possession were pen and books! In any part of the world cold-blooded murder of a student by security forces would have raised a furore, but not in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan. Information flow and news emanating from Balochistan is strictly regulated. Hardly anyone in the ‘civilized world’ has heard about Hayat Baloch’s brutal murder. All five-star human rights activists continue to maintain a deafening silence.

Mother and Father of Hayat Baloch crying over the body of their son. Hayat Baloch was a student and was murdered in cold blood by the Pakistani security forces in occupied Balochistan. (Photo: News Intervention)
Mother and Father of Hayat Baloch crying over the body of their son. Hayat Baloch was a student and was murdered in cold blood by the Pakistani security forces in occupied Balochistan. (Photo: News Intervention)

Hayat Baloch was not the only one who was murdered by Pakistanis. Taj Bibi, Naz Baloch, Karima Baloch, Shahid Hussain… the list of Baloch slaughtered by the Pakistanis seems endless. There have been instances when Paki forces have sent mutilated dead bodies to Baloch mothers on Eid, with‘Eid Mubarak’ inscribed on the dead son’s chest.

Ironically the civilized world never dared to question Pakistan or China over Baloch genocide. Worse, it seems they don’t care about Balochistan. Part of this indifference stems from West’s appeasement policy towards Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.

“We have now got used to picking up the dead bodies of our loved ones,” a Baloch mother said poignantly at a discussion forum held recently. When faced with such catastrophe the only option left with Baloch mothers is to retaliate and revolt. And this is precisely what Shari Baloch did on April 26 when she turned herself into a human bomb.

Shari Baloch targeting the Chinese officials of Confucius Institute at Karachi was the result of deep thought.

“Targeting director and officials of Confucius institute, the symbol of Chinese economic, cultural and political expansionism, was to give a clear message to China that its direct or indirect presence in Balochistan will not be tolerated. BLA has warned China several times to refrain from looting Baloch resources and aiding Pakistan militarily and financially in carrying out Baloch genocide. However, China continues to be involved in its expansionist designs in Balochistan,” reads the media statement of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

Martyr Shari Baloch with her family. Shari’s husband Dr Hebatan Baloch applauded his wife’s sacrifice for Balochistan. He said their children would grow up and be proud of their mother’s role in Balochistan’s freedom struggle. (Photo: News Intervention)

Shari Baloch had joined BLA’s Majeed Brigade two years ago and voluntarily signed up for self-sacrificing (fidayeen) mission. As per BLA Majeed Brigade’s established procedure Shari Baloch was given time to revisit her decision. “During these two years, Shari rendered her services in different units of Majeed Brigade. Six months ago she confirmed that she continues to stand by her decision of carrying out a self-sacrificing attack. After that she was actively involved in her mission,” BLA explained in its statement.

And this is just the beginning. Within a span of three months BLA’s Majeed Brigade has carried out three high profile attacks that has dented the morale of Pakistan Army. On Feb 2 this year, sixteen highly motivated BLA fidayeens attacked Pakistan’s military bases at Panjgur and Nushki killing more than 190 Pakistani soldiers, several of which were Pak’s elite SSG commandoes. On April 26, Shari Baloch attacked China, Pakistan’s partner in Baloch genocide, at Karachi.

Balochistan’s first female fidayeen– Martyr Shari Baloch.
(Photo: News Intervention)

It would do good to the civilized world if it makes efforts to understand the underlying reasons that led a Baloch mother to leave her family and lay down her life for the larger good of Balochistan. It’s only when the civilized world acts deaf and dumb that the revolutionaries are forced to shed blood.

A revolutionary’s success is measured by the deep psychological impact created by his/her actions on the masses. And here lies Shari Baloch’s accomplishment. A fatal attack on Chinese officials at Karachi by a Baloch woman has shattered several glass ceilings. Apart from Balochistan, Shari Baloch has galvanized other oppressed people such as the Sindhi, Pashtuns and Hazaras as well, who have been at the receiving end of Pak-China tyranny.

Pak’s sinister gambit of targeted killings and violence in Kashmir

Nilesh Kunwar
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Pak’s sinister gambit of targeted killings and violence in Kashmir

The cold-blooded murder of Manzoor Ahmad Bangroo in Pattan area of South Kashmir is the latest incident of ongoing targeted killings by terrorists in Kashmir. The deceased was a sarpanch [an elected village-level functionary who acts as an interphase between the government and village community], and his killing serves as a grim reminder of how in the garb of waging ‘armed struggle’, Pakistan backed terrorists are hell bent on converting what is otherwise considered paradise on earth, into a living hell.

Both the terrorists and separatists alike, contend that the so called ongoing ‘armed struggle’ is necessary and unavoidable for the well being and brighter future of Kashmiris. However, those who support terrorism have never cared to explain as to how exactly will senseless killing of innocent Kashmiris by Kashmiris achieve this objective? So, it’s time the common Kashmiri who is bearing the brunt of this destructive menace started asking the pro-Pakistan lobby in Kashmir some hard questions. However, as no reply will be forthcoming, let’s try to do so ourselves.

Can killers of innocents be called ‘mujahideen’?The Holy Quran mentions that “Whosoever killed a person … it shall be as if he had killed all mankind [5:32].” Unfortunately, those who indulge in such killings have the impertinence to proudly proclaim themselves ‘mujahideens’ [holy warriors]. I’m not a Muslim, but while speaking on this issue with some of my learned friends who follow Islam, and all of them opined that that a killer of innocents can never be considered a ‘mujahideen’ by any stretch of imagination.

Are vested interests using targeted killings to further their own agendas?Yes. That’s why rather than univocally condemning the unpardonable act of taking innocent human lives, terrorist commanders and separatist leaders either maintain a stoic silence on such murders, or even worse, indirectly ‘legitimise’ such misdeeds by glorifying even those slain terrorists complicit in the killing of innocent people. Sponsors of terrorism and their proxies use targeted killings as propaganda props to project the erroneous impression that people of Kashmir are up in arms against the establishment and killing of elected members like sarpanches is a manifestation of public ire.

Similarly, the response of Kashmir’s political class is most pathetic as they view such tragic incidents solely as golden opportunities for shamefully furthering their own self-serving interests. For example, after offering condolences on Bangroo’s murder in the most perfunctorily manner, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti used this tragic incident to take a swipe at the center by adding, “There seems to be no end in sight to the bloodbath in Kashmir. Yet nothing seems to move GOI [Government of India] enough to change its approach towards J&K”.

What are terrorists achieving by targeted killings? This is the question that every Kashmiri should be asking because killing sarpanches, members of Kashmir’s minority communities and migrants is in no way furthering either the self-determination campaign or the so called ‘armed struggle’. On the contrary, perpetrating such indefensible acts of violence create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty due to which tourism suffers and outsiders are wary of setting up industry or investing in Kashmir. So, separatists and the pro-Pakistan lobby should tell the people of Kashmir as to why terrorists creating a hostile environment and thus dissuading outsiders from undertaking employment generating projects in J&K?  

However, those who support or sympathise with terrorists won’t give a reply as they know that an honest answer would expose Pakistan’s duplicitous Kashmir policy and their own brazen perfidy. The bitter truth behind the ongoing cycle of targeted killings and orchestrated unrest in Kashmir is as clear as day, provided one has the courage to face reality. Everyone knows that Kashmir has tremendous scope for commercial activities and in January this year, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha led a team that visited the Dubai Expo to attract foreign investment. J&K’s Principal Secretary of Industries and Commerce, Ranjan Prakash Thakur, who was part of this team disclosed that though many companies were keen to invest in J&K, but “Most of them had doubt that the situation there [in Kashmir] is not very good, that it is a conflict zone.”

The apprehension in the minds of foreign investors regarding widespread killings and unrest in Kashmir is exactly what those sponsoring terrorism here want!

Doesn’t discouraging foreign investment by targeted killings harm the interests of Kashmiris?It most certainly does. In fact, J&K’s Principal Secretary of Industries and Commerce admits that in order to dispel security related apprehensions expressed during the Dubai Expo by prospective investors, “We invited them so that they see for themselves and understand the situation”. It was only after being convinced that several major UAE business houses like LuLu Group, Al Maya Group, MATU Investments LLC, GL Employment Brokerage as well as LLC & Noon Group signed major investment deals with J&K’s Lieutenant Governor.

Currently, besides members from the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] countries – Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, investors from Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia have also visited J&K to explore investment opportunities. Foreign investors have shown keen interest in real estate, development of the hospitality sector, infrastructure development, food processing and agriculture, which will provide immense employment opportunities. The capital pledged by investors is mind boggling, with Dubai-based financial consultancy firm Century Financial alone planning to invest $100m. Foreign investments in J&K which stood at Rs 15,000 crore last year, is expected to rise to a whopping Rs 70,000 crore this year.

So, if terrorists succeed in frightening away foreign investors through barbaric acts of violence, the employment and marketing opportunities which projects worth Rs. 70,000 crore would have created for the people of J&K will no longer be available to them. Thus, in case foreign investors decide to pull out of J&K due to violence perpetrated by terrorists, the only losers would be the people of Kashmir!

So, why are terrorists and pro-Pakistan lobby against foreign investment in Kashmir?Investment creates employment which in turn brings prosperity, improves the quality-of-life and enables people to achieve their aspirations. Hence, logically speaking, there shouldn’t be any opposition to investment and infrastructural development as it’s a win-win situation for all. However, there’s a perverse flip side to it- once prosperity comes and people start reaping the rich dividends of peace, it would be very difficult to indoctrinate youth to pick up guns and this is what the pro-Pakistan lobby in Kashmir fears the most.

The fact of the matter is that the grand show of filial affection exhibited by the separatist camp for Pakistan isn’t guided by either ideology or religion, because, had this been the case, then Hurriyat leaders and terrorist commanders would have definitely persuaded their own sons to become ‘mujahideens’. However, barring an odd case or two, the children of almost all separatist leaders and terrorist commanders are leading comfortable lives, far removed from the ongoing terrorism in Kashmir. 

What do separatists and terrorist leaders gain by orchestrating unrest in Kashmir Valley?For the pro-Pakistan camp, terrorism is an industry that provides them easy money from its sponsors living across the Line of Control [LoC] and this isn’t just an unsubstantiated inference. All that one who thinks otherwise has to do is follow the fortunes of this group and note how their modest homes have since turned into mansions and of how children of pro-Pakistan lobbyists with meagre income are moving around in high end cars, living it up in metros and even studying abroad.

As mentioned earlier, the pro-Pakistan lobby can only flourish as long as Kashmir is burning, because that’s what those sponsoring terrorism here are paying for. After its dismal failure to garner support of the UNSC and the international community for its puerile anti-Article 370 theatrics, Islamabad is well aware that its Kashmir dream is over and so, it’s taking perverse vicarious delight to see India being bled here.

Islamabad is unlikely to end its proxy war in Kashmir because it’s the most cost-effective way of bleeding India ‘through a thousand cuts’. Since it’s using Kashmiri youth to attack Indian security forces and target innocent civilians, both sides keep killing each other and hence Rawalpindi is achieving its aim without exposing the Pakistan Army to any danger. However, while Pakistan is undoubtedly guilty of ushering terrorism into Kashmir the main culprit responsible for the sorry state of affairs here is the Pro-Pakistan lobby, which for pecuniary gains is ever ready to facilitate and defend violent acts of terrorism and cause death and inflict pain on their own brethren!

Pak: Beware the knuckle duster wearing general who talks peace

Nilesh Kunwar
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Pak: Beware the knuckle duster wearing general who talks peace

Every seminar on global peace and harmonious coexistence invariably has two things in common. One, all speakers wax eloquence in projecting their own countries as unconditional champions of peace, while portraying an unfriendly state as the fountainhead of evil, and responsible for the existing sorry state of affairs. Two, every speaker displays remarkable magnanimity, making reconciliatory offers to mend fences with estranged nations, carefully concealing a host of unilateral and impractical preconditions under a barrage of gibberish.

Hence, the discourse during such seminars tends to become both unimaginative as well as repetitive, as was evident from what Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had to say during the ‘Islamabad Security Dialogue’ seminar 2022 on “Comprehensive Security: Reimagining International Cooperation”. He said that “Pakistan continues to believe in using dialogue and diplomacy to resolve all outstanding issues including the Kashmir dispute and is ready to move forward on this front, if India agrees to do so.” 

Readers may recall that during the inaugural session of ‘Islamabad Security Dialogue’ last year, Gen Bajwa made a very bold announcement, saying, “We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward”. However, rather than “walking his talk” by taking the first step forward, he instead conveniently passed the buck to New Delhi by adding, “Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in occupied Kashmir [sic].” While Gen Bajwa didn’t elaborate on what he actually meant by “creating a conducive environment” in reference to Kashmir, Pakistan’s wish list in this regard is [to put it mildly], a classic example of wanting to have the cake and eat it too!

So, let’s see what an apparently munificent Islamabad wants New Delhi to do to create a “conducive atmosphere” for dialogue. Firstly, it wants New Delhi to allow Kashmiris to exercise their right to self-determination as mentioned in UN Resolution 47, which on the face of it, sounds reasonable. However, Pakistan itself continues to brazenly violate this very UN resolution by its failure “To secure the withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistani nationals not normally resident therein who have entered the State for the purpose of fighting, and to prevent any intrusion into the State of such elements and any furnishing of material aid to those fighting in the State.”

So, even though Pakistan by its brazen disregard for UN resolutions on Kashmir has lost the legal and even moral right to accuse India for not implementing the same, it still keeps blaming New Delhi of inaction and then cries ‘foul’ when the UN and international community doesn’t pay heed to its irrational demand. However, the irony doesn’t end here. Needless to say, New Delhi’s failure to highlight this aspect to expose Pakistan’s duplicity as regards honouring UN resolutions on Kashmir has unfortunately conveyed an erroneous message to the international community that India has skeletons in its cupboard.

Furthermore, while Pakistan wants India to conduct the self-determination exercise in J&K, PoK’s Interim Constitution 1974, specifically denies this opportunity to those living in Pakistan occupied Kashmir [PoK]. Section 7[3] of PoK constitution states “No person or political party in Azad Jammu and Kashmir [PoK] shall be permitted to propagate against, or take part in activities prejudicial or detrimental to, the ideology of the State’s accession to Pakistan.” So, while Islamabad keeps accusing India of not complying with UN resolutions on Kashmir, it is Pakistan’s obduracy which is solely responsible for the J&K logjam- a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black! 

The second precondition laid down by Pakistan is even more hilarious- it wants New Delhi to restore Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. Beleaguered Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is adamant that “Pakistan is ready to maintain friendship with India, but only after it brings justice to Kashmiris. We will resume talks only after they restore the special status of Kashmir, which was illegally revoked on August 5, 2019 [Emphasis added].” Perhaps it’s for the first time in world history that the Prime Minister of a nation has demanded that another sovereign country should undo an amendment in its own Constitution. The fact that Islamabad’s request for intervention by UNSC and the international community on this issue cut no ice with either, just goes to show how ridiculous this demand is!

It may be argued that since it’s Rawalpindi and not Islamabad that calls the shots in Pakistan, Khan’s tirade is of no relevance and so, what Gen Bajwa says ultimately matters. If one goes by this logic and takes what the Pakistan Army Chief says at face value, then there are all the reasons to be optimistic. In fact, his emotional “It is time to extend hand of peace in all directions” statement in February 2021, followed by the LoC ceasefire three weeks later [which is still enduring], made him a poster boy for the Nobel Prize for peace. However, despite all his sweet talk, show of sincerity and avowed commitment towards amity, Gen Bajwa is no peacenik, and just like all members of the Pak armed forces, both past and present, he openly follows an obdurate policy on Kashmir.

While previous Pakistan Army Chiefs were discreet while talking on the issue of ISI sponsoring proxy war in J&K, Gen Bajwa is the one who has unapologetically, come out openly on this issue by declaring that “Pakistan Army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end. We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfil our obligations in this regard.” Coming from the horse’s mouth itself, isn’t this statement a damning indictment of Pakistan Army’s role in fuelling terrorism in J&K? Bajwa apologists would surely contend that he had the self-determination campaign and not ongoing terrorism in J&K in mind when he talked about his army’s “obligations.”

However, this justification isn’t convincing because except for providing military training, supplying arms, other warlike stores as well as combat logistical support, there’s precious little an army can do to help a political movement in a different country. So, Gen Bajwa needs to explain as to what are the other “obligations” towards Kashmiris that the Pakistan Army is honour-bound to fulfil? Sadly, even though Gen Bajwa’s admission that “We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfil our obligations in this regard,” is an undisguised statement of hostile intent, it has unfortunately been overlooked by most analysts.

However, the tragedy is that incurable optimists in India seem to be so enamoured by any peace related offer emanating from across the Radcliffe Line [even if it smacks of insincerity], that they end up ignoring reality. Those enamoured and carried away by the Pakistan Army chief talking peace with India during the ‘Islamabad Dialogues’, have unfortunately failed to notice that the very hand with which Gen Bajwa has extended an olive branch to India is also armed with a knuckle duster!

ISIS Khorasan fires rocket missiles on Uzbekistan

News Intervention Bureau
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ISIS Khorasan fires rocket missiles on Uzbekistan

ISIS-affiliated Islamic extremist group Khorasan has claimed responsibility of the rockets fired at Uzbekistan. This is the first attack of this kind from Afghanistan on an East Asian country. ISIS Khorasan said in a statement that it had fired ten rockets targeting a military base in the Uzbek town of Tirmuz. The area is located near the Afghan border. Uzbek authorities did not immediately respond to ISIS’s claim.

According to reports, the attacks on Uzbekistan were carried out from Hairatan area in the northern Afghan province of Balkh. The group has also released photos and video of rocket missiles as proof of its claim. The ISIS Khurasan group has stepped up its attacks across the country since the withdrawal of the US-led foreign military alliance from Afghanistan in August last year. The group has also carried out a number of attacks in neighboring Pakistan. The latest attack took place last month in the form of a suicide attack on a Shia mosque in Peshawar. In this  attack 60 Shia worshipers were killed and injured several others. Pak officials said the suicide bomber was an Afghan refugee allegedly trained in Afghanistan.

Pak forces abduct 25 Sindhis, they have now ‘disappeared’

News Intervention Bureau
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Pak forces abduct 25 Sindhis, they have now ‘disappeared’

Central Chairperson of Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh Soorath Lohar, General Secretary Sohni Joyo and Sasi Lohar have issued a joint statement saying that the operation of Pakistani forces has intensified in Sindh during the last few days. More than 25 Sindhi nationalist activists from different cities of Sindh have been forcibly disappeared after being arrested while more than fifty workers have already been forcibly disappeared earlier.

The joint statement said that during the last one week, JSQM activists from Jamshoro Javed Shoro, Waqar Panhoor, Muzaffar Qambrani, brother of nationalist leader Mashooq Qambrani, nationalist activists Ashfaq Dal from Kotri, Zahid Channa, Padaidan (Nowshero Feroze), Siatiq Wastaro and Aziz Bhangwar, Amanullah Lashai, Sanaullah Lashari, Noor Muhammad Abro, Muhammad Ali Chandio, brother of nationalist activist Faqir Noor Chandio from Qambar Shahdadkot, Pervez Chandio, cousin of national activist Aqib Chandio, Hamid Chandio Bhatti, Saddam Chandio have all been forcibly picked up and disappeared by Pakistani forces.

The statement further explained that in such a situation, Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh appeals to all international organizations, including the United Nations, Amnesty International and all human rights organizations, to support the ongoing humanitarian assistance by across Sindh and take note of the grave violations of human rights. All political and diplomatic voice in every forum of the world for the liberation of Sindhi and Baloch Missing Persons are being subject to inhuman atrocities.

The Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh reacted strongly, saying that the Pakistan Army and its agencies were now taking Sindh to the situation prevalent in (East Pakistan) Bangladesh. Women and children are being brutally tortured by the vandalization of houses of Sindh political activists and the youth and children are being picked up as well. The Sindhi nation will strongly react to this situation. He said that for the release of all the missing persons who have been forcibly disappeared by the state forces, a call for continuous protest at Karachi Press Club from April 25 to Eid day and across Sindh including Hyderabad, Newoshero Feroze, Larkana Meher and Jamshoro is being announced.

Who is behind Pakistan Army’s plummeting image?

Nilesh Kunwar
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Who is behind Pakistan Army’s plummeting image?

The Pakistan Army had lost its ‘holy cow’ status within the country became more than evident in April last year when despite serious objections by the opposition, Pakistan’s National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior passed the Criminal Law [amendment] Act 2020. Accordingly, Section 500A [Titled-intentional ridiculing of the Armed Forces] was included in Act XLV of Pakistan Penal Code [PPC] 1890. It reads, “Whosoever intentionally ridicules, brings into disrepute or defames the Armed forces or a member, therefore he shall be guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to Rs 500,000”.

While opposition parties rightly held that this law goes against Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantees freedom of speech, the media feared that since what exactly constitutes ridiculing, bringing to disrepute and defaming the armed forces of Pakistan or its members remains undefined, this draconian law could be easily misused to terrorize and muzzle free expression of views. It’s also rumoured that many army officers [both serving and retired], are upset by this development as they perceive the need to enact a law to protect the army’s image as a big embarrassment and something that’s ‘unsoldierly’!

They contend that instead of using a legal ‘shield’, the army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] should have undertaken a comprehensive programme to restore the army’s tottering image. While this viewpoint does have merit, it would be unfair to say that ISPR hasn’t attempted to do so. Readers may recall that ISPR has tried every trick in the book to preserve Rawalpindi’s fading halo — be it pampering the media, openly warning scribes that it had the capability to monitor social media and even abduction and physical abuse of journalists by “unknown miscreants”, ISPR has done it all, but nothing seems to have worked.

Unfortunately, incorporation of Section 500A in PPC doesn’t seem to have helped either. After the conclusion of the 79th Formation Commanders’ Conference, ISPR stated, “The forum took note of the recent propaganda campaign by some quarters to malign the Pakistan Army and create division between the institution and society”.  While the Pakistan Army does deserve sympathy for its unexpected fall from grace, but then, by meddling in the country’s internal affairs, Rawalpindi has itself created the existing sorry state of affairs as far as the image of the Pakistan Army is concerned.

For example, Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s declaration of “neutrality” during the no-confidence motion crisis deserves appreciation as it reflected Rawalpindi’s non-involvement in internal politics. However, the message conveyed through ISPR’s statement [shared by Geo News and The News International reporter Murtaza Ali Shah on twitter which reads, “79th Formation Commanders’ Conference expressed complete confidence in leadership’s well-considered stance to uphold the constitution and rule of law, at all cost”, clearly reveals that Rawalpindi closely oversaw the political developments, which debunks Gen Bajwa’s “neutrality” claim.

Pakistan Army’s cavalier ways coupled with its scant regards for law of the land as well as contempt for independence of institutions is what irks the public. In addition to the media, even the otherwise reticent judiciary has made some rather scathing observations like calling Pakistan Army “the biggest landgrabber” in the country. It also questioned as to “Who is the Army to play the role of mediator? … Where does the law assign this role to a Major General?”. In fact, the Chief Justice of Pakistan even went as far as telling the Attorney General that “They [the army top brass] must be made to understand the law,” adding, “Who will do that?”

Another Supreme Court judge observed that, “The laws governing civil and armed forces personnel do not entitle them to receive residential plots, commercial plots or agricultural land … .Nevertheless, senior members of the armed forces get plots and agricultural lands and continue to be given additional plots and agricultural lands as they rise up the ranks.” Furthermore, in an indirect but obvious reference to Pakistan Army’s congenital habit of meddling in the country’s internal politics, and indulging in rampant corruption, former Prime Minister Imran Khan had recently stated that “I salute India. India’s foreign Policy is better than Pakistan’s, they work for their people, the Indian army is not corrupt and they never interfere in civilian govt”.

Another issue which angers the public to no end is Pakistan Army’s incurable fixation of tilting at windmills and repeatedly making false claims about its achievements. For example, ISPR’s post-79th Formation Commanders Conference press release mentions that “Pakistan Army has always stood by the state institutions to guard it and always will, without any compromise”. While this statement may be intended to reassure the public regarding the army’s neutrality as far as politics is concerned, the use of the word “always” is not only misleading but factually incorrect.

Leave aside long periods of military dictatorships imposed by Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Gen Yahya Khan, Gen Zia ul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf, for Rawalpindi, everyday interference in functioning of the government has been more of a rule than an exception, and some examples mentioned above prove this point. In this regard, even Gen Bajwa who spoke about the Army’s ‘neutrality’ recently, isn’t above suspicion since he did hold a secret meeting with some leaders from opposition political parties. Had this meeting been in national interests, then why was it shrouded in a cloak of secrecy?

The reality is that in Pakistan, the Army is ‘more equal’ than other citizens since it has managed to preserve its extra-constitutional perks and privileges through the craftily contrived narrative of an existential threat from India that made Pakistanis see the armed forces as the sole bulwark that was preventing a hegemonic India from overrunning their country. However, with the availability of the internet and advent of social media, public awareness has multiplied manyfold due to which people have become more discerning and are thus no longer gullible.

So, while it may like to blame “some quarters” for “the recent propaganda campaign to malign Pakistan Army and create division between the institution and society”, thefact of the matter is that it’s Rawalpindi which is the main culprit responsible for denigrating the Pakistan army!

Nokandi & Chagai incidents reveal Pakistan’s psychological defeat: Dr. Allah Nazar

News Intervention Bureau
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Nokandi & Chagai incidents reveal Pakistan’s psychological defeat: Dr. Allah Nazar

Baloch nationalist liberation leader Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch while condemning the Nokandi and Chagai incidents said that it was a continuation of the ongoing genocide and collective punishment in Balochistan. He said, “This is not the first kind of incident and will not be the last. The massacre of Baloch people has been going on for seventy four years of Pak occupation and has turned Balochistan into a military cantonment. There are Nazi-style concentration camps here. For Pakistan’s brutality, the word collective punishment and genocide seem too small”. He added said that the Baloch nation has decided that the only way to seek revenge our innumerable martyrs and their sacrifices is freedom.

The so-called development, mega projects, troop withdrawals or negotiations are the manifesto of the parliamentary parties because protection of Baloch national survival and identity is not possible without independence of Balochistan. Independent Balochistan is the goal of Baloch sacrifices.

Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch said that the guardians of international human rights, the United Nations and the world powers should play their moral role because the Baloch nation is fighting its war as a nation in accordance with the international law. Today it exists as an organized movement.

Addressing the Baloch youth and the Baloch nation, Dr Allah Nazar said that “our enemy is an unnatural state and has completed its natural age. Its economy is declining and the only state structure that’s present in is in the form of army only, while new energy is entering Balochistan’s independence movement everyday. We are right and the occupying state is wrong. We are sure of our victory, but for this we must face the enemy with new determination and courage.”

Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch also explained that incidents like Tezi, Nokandi and Chagai are the result of psychological defeat of the Pakistan Army which is unable to compete with the Baloch rebellion.

Should Imran Khan be demonized?

Prof. K.N. Pandita
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Should Imran Khan be demonized?

Pakistani Prime Ministers, Presidents or Army commanders who usurped political power through a military coup, one and all, have been on the list of our adversaries. As such it has become our culture to demonise them. But there are strong reasons for our estrangement and these can be looked up in history. The very basis on which Pakistan was created is the antithesis of rational and humanistic criteria of coexistence among people of different faith, culture and languages. Pakistan was created on the principle of exclusiveness. Iqbal said that Musalman is a different creation, different from all other human creations. But he could not give a cogent argument to convince us in what respect a Musalman was god’s different creation. Just to say that Islam is god’s choicest religion and that Musalmans are born or created by Allah to dominate all existing religions and rule the world is hardly a convincing argument. At least for the last so many centuries the colonial powers of the West have been ruling almost all the five continents of the globe.

The crux of the Indian freedom movement was that the Muslims of India opposed the freedom from the British colonial yoke unless a separate state for the Muslims of India was carved from Indian territory. Ultimately, with the connivance of the British colonialists, they managed to trifurcate India into India, Pakistan and later on Bangladesh. In recent years, Kashmiri Muslims surrendering to the Pakistani proxies have extirpated the small Hindu community from their homeland and Islamised the Kashmir Valley. Short of declaring it a Muslim State (within the secular Indian Union), it is an Islamic State for all intents. Kerala is fully under the sway of Islamists and in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee is fulfilling the agenda that Nehru had set forth for corroding India’s secular denomination.

These are hard facts. Some nationalists will not be happy to put them as a record. But unless we accept the ground reality we will not be able to come to the roots of the problem. Many commentators have criticised India for not agreeing to talk to the military Generals of Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. After all the world knows that the real power in Pakistan rests with the Army and Kashmir and foreign affairs are handled by the Pakistan Army alone. If that reality is understood by India then why does she dither from talking to the Pakistan Army? Have not the democracies in other countries of the world been talking to autocrats or autocratic regimes?

When Mehbooba Mufti and  Farooq Abdullah, the ex-Chief Ministers of Kashmir implore India to talk to Pakistan — considering her a stakeholder —- they mean that the Indian leadership should talk to Pakistan Army. We do not know whether Indian authorities understand that or go by the advice of the intelligence sleuths which is misleading in most cases owing to their lack of understanding of the Kashmir psyche. India’s top decision-making circles are, therefore, convinced that as long as the Pakistan Army remains in control of the Kashmir issue, there will be no solution to the tangle. The interest of the Pakistan Army lies in the simmering Kashmir conflict. If this is the steel-frame conclusion drawn by the Indian policy planners, then we need to remind them that for the first time an opportunity has surfaced in which the masses of people have started challenging the Pakistan Army’s hegemonic behaviour and its greed to outstrip it’s legal jurisdiction.

Imran Khan Niyazi deserves kudos for awakening his people against the hegemony and authoritarian disposition of the Pakistan Army. He is performing a great role in delivering his nation from the yoke of authoritarianism of the Pakistan Army. India may not directly interfere in the internal matters of Pakistan but on a moral and humanitarian basis what ensures peace and tranquillity in the subcontinent should be forcefully supported. It is for the first time in the history of Pakistan that a massive public cry has been raised against the hegemony of its Army and it is for the first time that the large masses of Pakistan have come out on the streets to decry American interference in the internal matters of Pakistan. American repudiation of Imran Khan’s allegations is weak knowing the entire gamut of US-Pak relations ever since the creation of Pakistan. A wide section of thinkers in Pakistan asks the question what benefit did Pakistan derive by joining the American initiated military pacts like Baghdad Pact, CENTO or SEATO ?

In the course of the unusual political and legal fracas in Pakistan ending up in the ouster of Imran Khan, the Pakistan Army got not only exposed but even humiliated. Misbehaving with the elected Prime Minister, challenging his authority and powers and finally playing a subtle role in the overthrow of a duly elected government has convinced Pakistan and the world that as long as the army holds sway over the domestic and foreign policy of Pakistan, this nation cannot find its way out of the morass. The division within the Pak army is no more a secret. The officers of the younger generation are receiving revulsive stories of how the senior officers have looted the country’s treasury and have built a luxurious life for themselves and their progeny in the US.

Only a few days back Pakistan Army ordered the bombardment of certain locales in the provinces of Kunar and Khost saying the TTP had assembled there. If that is true and Pakistan finds justification in the airstrikes, then India’s action in Balakot is equally justified. Afghan Taliban have resorted to gunfights when Pakistan Rangers tried to set up barbed wire to demarcate the Durand border with Afghanistan. Kabul regime issued a stern warning that it never accepted the Durand Line and would never allow artificial division of Pashtuns as Pakistan wished. We can predict with confidence that the Durand Line issue is going to become a huge flashpoint between the Taliban and Islamabad. These are all symptoms of the Pakistan Army losing its grip on the internal and external affairs of Pakistan and political parties eyeing the ultimate return of the Pak Army units to their barracks to run their unending mutual dissensions.

The U.S will change its policy and perception of Pakistan once it understands how fragile the Army’s position has become. The Baloch nationalist forces have declared installation of their government.

In the final analysis, Imran Khan has embarked on playing a historic role in Pakistan. The only power that can decimate Pakistan Army’s hegemony and domination in Pakistan is the power of the masses. Fortunately, the quirk of destiny has, at long last, instilled the masses of people with a sense of pride and the will to live the life of a free, independent and honourable people and shape their destiny with their hands. This is a moment for India to play a constructive role in helping the people of Pakistan stabilise democracy and restrain the Pak Army from playing a spoiler. But we know that India has rarely shown the guts to play a decisive role at a crucial turn of history. Tragically, she has stuck to the cheap trickery taught by demagogues and not to the bravery taught by warriors like King Lalitaditya, Rana Pratap, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. The deposed Prime Minister of Pakistan has far larger gatherings to address and lead than what was the position while he was in power. It is for the people of Pakistan to decide whether they should demonize Imran Khan or lionize him as the hero of the modern history of Pakistan.

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