Altaf Hussain, founder and leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) said in clear terms that Pakistan is the “epicentre of all kinds of terrorism” and the Pakistan Army and “its notorious intelligence agency ISI” have created terrorist proxies across the world that includes the Al-Qaeda, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, among several others.
“I have been pointing out to the democratic world including the United Nations for many years but unfortunately, all in vain,” said Altaf Hussain in his tweet. Hussain further explained how the Pakistan Army and ISI have created terrorist proxies and listed the terrorist organisations created by Rawalpindi.
Pakistan is the epicentre of all kinds of terrorism. I have been pointing out to the Democratic world including United Nations for many years but unfortunately, all in vain.#PakProxyTalibanpic.twitter.com/PtfuwmlMBv
Altaf Hussain’s tweet where he explains how Pakistan Army and ISI are supporting and creating terrorist organisations across the world
“It’s the Pakistan Army and its notorious intelligence agency, ISI that have created and are still busy in creating their terrorist proxies and exporting terrorists throughout the world e.g. Taliban, Al-Qaeda and ISIS,” said Altaf Hussain in his statement.
“Pakistan Army and ISI are involved in creating, funding and patronising terrorist factions in the political parties including my party, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) founded by me,” said Altaf Hussain without mincing his words.
Hussain explained that in order to weaken the original MQM the Pakistan Army and ISI had created MQM Haqiqi, Pak Sar Zameen Party (PSP) and MQMP. “The original MQM led by me has been banned illegally, all of its offices including my house has been sealed, thousands of MQM office-bearers and members have been killed extrajudicially. Hundreds are incarcerated in jails and hundreds have been enforcedly disappeared.”
Explaining about the current situation in Afghanistan, Altaf Hussain said that Taliban could easily take over Afghanistan only due to active help and logistical support from the Pakistan Army and ISI. Rawalpindi’s support to the Taliban included financial, medical, military and intelligence sharing.
Altaf Hussain released a list of terrorist proxies (organisations) created by the Pakistan Army and ISI. * Al-Qaeda * Sipah-e-Mohammad * Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-fiqha-e-Jafaria * Sipah-e-Sahaba * Jamaat-ud-Dawa * Al Rasheed Trust * Jaish-e-Mohammad * Lashkar-e-Jhangvi * Tehreek -e-Taliban * Lashkar-e-Taiba * Lashkar-e-Islam * Jamaat-ul-Ansar * Khuddam-e-Islam * Harkat-ul-Ansar * Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan
Hypersonic Weapons Capable of traveling at more than 10-15 times the speed of sound, hypersonic missiles arrive at their targets in a blinding, destructive flash, before any sonic booms or other meaningful warning. So far, there are no guaranteed defences against them. Fast, effective, precise and unstoppable: these are rare but highly desired characteristics on the modern battlefield. And the missiles are being developed not only by the United States but also by China, Russia, France, Japan, EU, India and other countries. Hypersonic weapon systems can be armed with both nuclear and conventional warheads, and can hit critical/sensitive/ strategic targets with impunity like nuclear stockpiling and delivery sites, ships and strategic objectives in all dimensions of ground, air, sea and under-sea. They will be as big a game changer in strategic, security and armament environment in as much as nuclear weapons; and India with its aspirations as a regional player and a global balancing power, needs to stay in the loop of this most potent, versatile, hi-tech, disruptive technology[i].
Type of Hypersonic Weapons/Missiles/Glide Vehicles (HW/HM/HGV) There are two primary categories: HGVs are launched from a rocket before gliding to a target. Hypersonic cruise missiles are powered by high-speed, air-breathing engines, or “scramjets,” after acquiring their target.
Characteristics Unlike ballistic missiles, Hypersonic Weapons do not follow a ballistic trajectory, are highly manoeuvrable, have the ability to fly at lower altitude, making their flight path unpredictable and difficult to track, thereby reducing the effectiveness of ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems. They can approach their targets at roughly 12 to 50 miles above the earth’s surface which is below the altitude at which ballistic missile interceptors such as the US Aegis ship-based system and the Thaad ground-based system are designed to operate, yet above the altitude that simpler air defence missiles, like the Patriot system, can reach.
Officials will have trouble even knowing where a strike would land. Although the missiles’ launch would probably be picked up by infrared-sensing satellites in its first few moments of flight, they would be roughly 10 to 20 times harder to detect than incoming ballistic missiles as they near their targets. They would zoom along in the defensive void, manoeuvring unpredictably, and then, in just a few final seconds of blindingly fast, mile-per-second flight, dive and strike a target such as an aircraft carrier from an altitude of 100,000 feet. During their flight, the perimeter of their potential landing zone could be about as big as 3000 sq km. Early warning systems might sound a general alarm, but they’d be clueless about exactly where the missiles were headed. No nation currently has any defence against such systems. This delayed detection, compresses the timeline for decision makers assessing their response options, and for a defensive system to intercept the attacking weapon; potentially permitting no response/only a single intercept attempt.
Terrestrial-based detection of Ballistic Missiles vs. Hypersonic Glide Vehicles
Overview of Hypersonic Weapons in different countries
USA — The US has pursued development of Hypersonic Weapons as a part of its Conventional Prompt Global Strike (CPGS) program since the early 2000s. Endorsing Trump’s budget of $3.2 billion for 2021, the Biden administration has bid $3.8 billion for hypersonic-related research funding in fiscal year 2022. Additionally, MDA (Missile Defense Agency) has requested $8.9 billion with the goal of developing capabilities such as “a next-generation interceptor for homeland missile defence, hypersonic defensive capability, and a hypersonic and ballistic tracking space sensor (HBTSS)”[i]. The US has 70 ongoing projects that are estimated to cost over $15 billion through 2024. Most US Hypersonic Weapons, in contrast to those in Russia and China, are not being designed for use with a nuclear warhead. This implies necessity of technically challenging, more accurate Hypersonic Weapons.
Russia and China — Russia and China provide similar rationale for developing hypersonic systems: “A concern that US Hypersonic Weapons could conduct a pre-emptive, decapitating strike on their nuclear arsenal and supporting infrastructure, thus impacting their ‘second strike capabilities”. China has made systematic progress in its pursuit of hypersonics. Scientific and strategic community globally specially in the USA, feel that China is ahead of its peers in this niche-technology. At the October 2019 military parade in Beijing, marking the 70th anniversary of its founding, China paraded for the first time the DF-17 missile, that has a range of 1,800-2,500 kilometres, equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). Alexander Fedorov, a professor at Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology accepts that an arms race is already on in this area but adds that Russia “has experience without much money, China has money without much experience, and the United States has both, although it revived its efforts later than did Russia or China and is now playing catch-up.[ii]”
Russia is not far behind, and has made it its priority for R&D and deployment. Russian research on hypersonic technology dates back to the 1980s, the program began to pick up momentum after the US withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in 2001. The Russian military currently has two Hypersonic Missiles: The Avangard and the Kinzhal[iii]. Both are nuclear capable, reportedly can fly at 20 times the speed of sound; and according to reports, is being prepared for deployment with the Northern fleet.
India and Hypersonic Weapons India is developing a Hypersonic Cruise Missile Brahmos-II in cooperation with Russia and launched the first test flight in June 2019, which failed. India, however, tested an indigenously designed and built Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) on 7 September 20 21[iv]. It is powered by a supersonic combustion ram jet/scramjet engine which activates after being launched by a solid-fuel ballistic missile rocket motor. The test vehicle flew at an altitude of 30 kilometres at six times the speed of sound for about 20 seconds after separating from the launcher, according to reports from the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which developed the system. The DRDO confirmed that the test launch “proved several critical technologies including aerodynamic configuration for hypersonic manoeuvres.” Another three tests in the next five years “to make the platform into a full-fledged hypersonic weapon that is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads” is scheduled.
International Security and Safety Protocols There are currently no international agreements on how or when Hypersonic Weapons (HWs) can be used, nor are there any plans to start those discussions. Instead, the rush to possess HWs has started a new dangerous arms race; one that could, some experts worry, upend existing norms of deterrence and renew Cold War-era tensions. The HGVS dangerously compress the time during which military officials and their political leaders in any country can figure out the nature of an attack and make reasoned decisions about the wisdom and scope of defensive steps or retaliation. And the threat that hypersonics pose to retaliatory weapons creates what scholars call “use it or lose it” pressures on countries to strike first during a crisis. Experts say that the missiles could upend the concept of Mutual Assured Destruction, the bedrock military doctrine of the nuclear age that argued globe-altering wars would be deterred if the potential combatants always felt certain of their opponents’ devastating response.
Unlike the previous leaps in military technology, like chemical and biological weapons and ballistic missiles with multiple nuclear warheads, which were controlled through superpower treaty negotiations: The ‘big three’ haven’t seriously considered any sort of accord limiting the development or deployment of Hypersonic Weapons. The UN Office of Disarmament Affairs has officially implored nations to sit down to negotiate a protocol. For years the big powers have cared mostly about numerical measures of power: Who has more warheads, bombers and missiles, and negotiations have focused heavily on those metrics. Only occasionally has their conversation widened to include the issue of strategic stability, a topic that encompasses whether specific weaponry poses risks of inadvertent war.
Conclusion Hypersonic Weapons are strategic and geo-political game changers, and are here to stay. A new arms race involving hypersonics is clearly already underway. No one is interested in hypersonic weapons limitation talks. In any case due to present regime of distrust, every nation which has potential, would like to own HW/HGVs. The portents are even more lethal and deadly than what transpired with nuclear weapons. As a regional power, India needs to be part of this geo-politically and militarily essential club, as also use its soft power to cajole the international community specially the ‘big three’, to initiate protocols for its development, deployment and use.
————
[i] There is a lot
of material available on hypersonic weapons, its technical characteristics,
strategic, security and international ramifications and nations pursuing this
technology. Some of the important references consulted are given below.
Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia.
National and International Digital Newspapers like The Hindustan Times, New York Times, The Economic Times.
Kelley M. Sayler, ‘Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress’, Updated August 25, 2021, Congressional Research Service, available at https://sgp.fas.org/crs/weapons/R45811.pdf.
Pakistan-occupied “Azad” Jammu Kashmir (POJK) is at the mercy of Pakistan Army and its puppet regime in Islamabad, who treat POJK as their private property thereby depriving the region of all power and resources. The local Kashmiris across POJK live a life of oppression, humiliation and poverty. And it doesn’t stop here. Not content with loot of POJK resources, the Pakistani regime has forged the system in a way that hurts the self-esteem of local Kashmiris at every step of their lives.
It all starts with the installation of a parasitic
government according to a ridiculous interim constitution of the
Pakistan-occupied “Azad” Kashmir. As per this interim constitution a five
member assembly is formed which “selects” a prime minister and a president as
per the diktats of Rawalpindi.
The interim constitution of Pakistan-occupied “Azad” Jammu
Kashmir ‘allows’ the “Azad” Jammu Kashmir government to take small decisions
under only two articles. The remaining fifty six articles are in the hands of
Pakistan. As per this constitution, any political party, individual or group in
“Azad” Kashmir can neither participate in elections nor can the political party
be registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan if it does not believe in
Jammu Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan. This is a mandatory condition for it ensures
Rawalpindi that only those people remain in the political landscape of Kashmir
who overtly support their affiliation with Pakistan. Further, no politician,
social worker or a common Kashmiri can ever dare to speak against Pakistan Army,
even mild criticism falls under the category of treason.
However, on paper Pakistan creates this sham of installing a
President, Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Supreme Court, High Court, and an
Assembly for “Azad” Jammu Kashmir (POJK). In reality, however, all these
institutions and their heads have no autonomy and rely on GHQ Rawalpindi and
Islamabad for every decision.
The process starts by selecting six members from Pakistan
under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Pakistan to keep control over POJK.
Chief Secretary, Health Secretary, Auditor General and Inspector General of
Police in POJK are all appointed on the instructions from Pakistan and they work
on direct orders from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The Minister of Kashmir Affairs
of Pakistan exercises control over everything that’s happening in POJK. And to
make further worse for the Kashmiris the Prime Minister of Pakistan works
directly under the Chief Secretary of POJK who in turn reports to the Prime
Minister Pakistan.
Pakistan Army’s network of check posts in Pakistan-occupied
“Azad” Kashmir
Pakistan Army has created a network of army cantonments across “Azad” Kashmir (POJK) such that military camps exist at the entrance and exit of every major city. The purpose of this huge network of military cantonments is to monitor each and every movement of the local Kashmiris. For instance, heavily armed Pakistan military guards are present round the clock at the entrance outpost at Amboor in Muzaffarabad, the capital city of POJK. Similar military camps have been set up at several places in Poonch district. Before any Kashmir can enter Bagh they need to pass through the check posts at Chahala, Mang Bajri, Ardee Gahal. Military cantonments also exist amidst heavily populated areas at Qadirabad and Chattar no. 2 (Barhamna) with a brigade headquarter of the Pakistan Army. In this way the entire Poonch and Rawalakot districts are encircled by cantonments, check posts and offices of Pakistan military and the ISI.
News Intervention Special Report on Pakistan-occupied “Azad” Kashmir
At Poonch, Chahala, Mang Bajri and Adee Gahal, the cantonments
of Pakistan Army is within the populated area. Military hospital MDS is located
in the heart of Bagh city and in its close vicinity lies the regional office of
Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI. Despite military hospital in the heart of
city it remains out of bounds for POJK Kashmiris.
Kashmiris have to cross a similar Pakistan military camp
before entering district Mirpur, and then there’s a check post at Mangla, the
city with its famous Mangla Dam that supplies hydroelectricity to a large part
of Pakistan while POJK remains in the dark. Likewise, Bhimber district is under
strict control of the Pakistan Army due to its proximity to Jammu, with several
military camps before and after in Kotli district where the terrorist
organisation JKLF continues to run training camps.
Harassment of Kashmiris in Pakistan-occupied “Azad”
Kashmir
Every Kashmiri is considered suspicious by GHQ Rawalpindi
such that each and every POJK Kashmiri needs to register name, address and
purpose of visit before they can enter any of the other districts in “Azad”
Kashmir (POJK).
The training camps for several other Islamist jihadi groups are
also run under the direct supervision of Pakistan Army. And though there are
several restrictions on the local Kashmiris to move around in POJK the jihadi
terrorists roam around freely, brandishing sophisticated guns.
Leepa and Neelam Valley may geographically be a part of
Pakistan-occupied “Azad” Kashmir and yet local Kashmiris have to undergo
rigorous questioning, which includes humiliating whole body frisking by the
Pakistani soldiers searching of clothes and by the Pakistan Army before they can
enter these areas.
In Hajira, Dwarandi, Abbaspour and in forward Kahuta areas
of Poonch the common Kashmiris face humiliation on a daily basis. The dignity
and lives of women are always in danger. Instances of molestation, sexual
assault and rapes by Pakistani soldiers on duty at these check posts and
military cantonments take place at a regular frequency and yet nobody is ever
convicted. Almost every day there are instances when Pakistani soldiers try to molest
Kashmiri women at check posts in the garb of physical frisking, and yet all
voices of dissent are suppressed.
Pakistan Army rules “Azad” Kashmir with an iron hand and all
protests by the Kashmiris is promptly suppressed.
Pakistan Army commanders treat “Azad” Kashmir as their
personal fiefdom and dole out business contracts to their people and mint money
at the expense of local Kashmiris. Such is their stranglehold over POJK that no
work can be done without approval from GHQ Rawalpindi. The generals and their
junior officers capture public property in the name of defence establishments
and then use them for personal gains. For instance, Tuli Pir, a tourist
destination in Bagh was captured by the Pakistan Army. Similarly, the land of health
department in the middle of Bagh city was occupied by Pakistan military in broad
daylight, a market built over it and has been rented out on a commercial basis.
This is how Pakistani regime commits day light robbery of public land in “Azad”
Kashmir.
On the other hand, Kashmiris in POJK need to sign an oath of
allegiance to Pakistan before they can get admission in educational
institutions or bag some menial government job. Any local Kashmiri who refuses
to sign oath of allegiance to Pakistan is denied admission to educational
institutions and cannot get into government jobs.
Even after facing such humiliation the Kashmiris of
Pakistan-occupied “Azad” Kashmir is expected to never question Rawalpindi or
Islamabad. Criticism of Pakistan Army and Pakistani regime in any form is a
crime. Every day, treason cases are filed against people, especially
progressives, secularists, liberals and nationalists, due to which there is
fear all around, and Kashmiris are afraid to talk freely.
Islamist-Jihadi network across Pakistan-occupied “Azad”
Kashmir
Numerous jihadi groups operate under the supervision of Pakistani
military, including Hizbul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawa,
Jaish-e-Muhammad and several others.
Their job is to preach jihad, distribute Islamist literature,
propagandize, as well as attract young people to jihad and sends them to training
camps, where the Pakistan Army trains them and sends them to commit terrorist
acts. One of the jobs of these jihadis is to intimidate local Kashmiris
and take control of their resources.
The civil administration of “Azad” Jammu and Kashmir
government cannot talk to these jihadi groups, but a large number of government
employees and officials also give them monthly donations, some out of fear and
some out of ideological affiliation.
These jihadi camps operate under the direct supervision of Pakistan
Army who have offices in Muzaffarabad, while training camps are set up in
forests and remote areas throughout “Azad” Kashmir where the common Kashmiri is
not allowed to enter. All these jihadi training camps are in Neelam Valley,
Lepa Nikail, Hajira apart from Kahuta Kotli and Khoi Ratta. At forward
positions of the military bases in Mansera area it is the Pakistan Army that trains
these jihadis.
Each of these jihadi group is assigned an area Kashmir.
Apart from occupied “Azad” Jammu and Kashmir, the trainees come in from
different parts of Pakistan, especially Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and
Afghanistan.
One of the biggest jihadi network is of Jamaat-e-Islami that
operates on a large scale under the auspices of Pakistan Army. Hundreds of
educational institutions are run by Jamaat groups under its NGO Red Foundation which
serves as feeder institute for the main jihadi training camps. Thousands of
students are brainwashed into Islamist jihadi narrative. Jamaat-e-Islami’s
subsidiary Khidmat-e-Islami runs a number of orphanages and other charities,
which are not only funded by the government but also sponsored by the local
administration and the Pak Army. Through these institutions, jihadi narratives
are systematically disseminated. Magazines and books published under their
auspices are widely disseminated to all educational institutions, government
agencies to tap the young impressionable minds into jihadi narrative.
Local commanders of the Pakistan Army are invited as special
guests on the occasion of annual examination results at schools and sometimes
military weapons are displayed in the schools and children are made to salute military
commanders.
Jihadi rhetoric and Islamist radical ideology is propagated
across Pakistan-occupied “Azad” Kashmir in an institutionalised planned manner
that affects every Kashmiri in one way or another. On the other hand liberal
secular-minded individuals and organizations are banned. Dozens of books and
magazines that talk about Kashmir and Kashmiriyat are banned and publishers face
fraud cases.
Pakistan’s intelligence agencies play a key role in inciting
violence and fabricating cases against rational Kashmiris. They are called ‘agents’,
‘traitors’, ‘enemies of Pakistan’ or ‘enemy of Islam’ and killed with impunity
as killers know they have state protection. Kashmir’s nationalist leader Arif
Shahid and Dr Ghulam Abbas were eliminated by ISI and so the killers remain
free. And there are several other cold blooded murders where they go unnoticed
and remain reported.
A joint protest rally was organized by the Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement, PTM-USA, South Asia Liberty, Afghan and Baloch activists in front of the UN headquarters in New York against Pakistan’s atrocities and oppression on people across Sindh, Balochistan, Pashtunistan and Afghanistan. This year Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) virtually on Friday 24 September 2021.
The diaspora of historical nations such as Sindh, Balochistan, Pashtunistan and Afghanistan assembled at the UN headquarters to demand for their nation’s right to self determination that has been enchained in slavery by fundamentalist elements of Pakistan. They also demanded an end to enforced disappearances, safe release of wrongly arrested nationalist political leaders and justice for minorities.
A car rally was carried out with trucks having flash signs, photos and videos that showed the atrocities of Pakistan.
“United Nations, US and other civilized nations must take notice about Pakistan. Pakistan must be sanctioned and balkanized because of its crimes against historical nations and for promoting Islamist terrorism in neighboring countries and across the world. Today Afghanistan is an example in front of us tomorrow the whole world is going to suffer due to Pakistan-backed Taliban,” said Zafar Sahito founder and central chief organizer of Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement.
Activists from Sindh, Pashtunistan and Afghanistan protesting against Pakistan’s atrocities at UN headquarters, New York. (Photo: News Intervention)
PTM-USA representative Pir Zubair Shah said that Pashtun nation has suffered a lot during the last several decades due to ISI’s double game with world. “But we Pashtuns know very well who is our real enemy. I demand the immediate release of all Pashtun political prisoners,” said Pir Zubair Shah.
“Pakistan is trying its best to show that Baloch is a slave who would pay with bullets in chest, corpses and prison sentences. Balochistan is a laboratory where everything from atomic bombs to targeted killings, kill and dump, including mass graves, is being witnessed. It is up to the Baloch nation whether they are content with the dirty values set by Pakistan or will they rise and strengthen the national resistance for freedom,” said BNM spokesperson in his statement to media.
He explained that the killing of people engaged in daily life was not an unintentional mistake rather it’s a part of planned genocide by the Pakistani regime and the army. The killing of Taj Bibi is neither the first nor the last incident. This will continue until the Baloch gets rid of Pakistan.
BNM’s central spokesperson added that Taj Bibi, wife of Musa, had to face the horrors of Pakistan Army even before her cold blooded murder. The barbarism of Pakistan Army had forced her family to migrate from their hometown at Keelkaor. “Here in Kech, the entire population of Askani or a large majority of them are refugees who have been forcefully evicted by the Pakistan Army from their respective areas. But even in Kech Pakistan continues with its barbaric activties on them.”
BNM said that the only way to stop Baloch genocide is to organize national resistance. “Otherwise our mothers, sisters, brothers and elders will continue to be killed. All zones are directed to hold global demonstrations and awareness campaigns against Pakistani atrocities.”
The 9/11 anniversary
this year has brought in its wake old memories and new horrors. After two
decades and trillions of dollars down the drain the world is back to square
one, the difference being that, yet again, a super power stands humiliated
while the extremists and terrorists are having the last laugh.
Strategic
analysts across the world are voicing one opinion after another, think tanks are
churning out reams of reports and analysis. Social media has popped up a huge
array of self appointed “experts and opinion makers.”
In this melee one very basic aspect that continues to remain in the shadows is — who exactly is responsible for this mess. While the finger universally points toward Pakistan there are not many who are ready to speak out bluntly, not even the US that has lost its all due to the treachery and doublespeak of Pakistan. The US, strangely, continues to harbour a notion that Pakistan can be of some use in the future, which makes it diplomatically difficult to openly denounce the country. That Pakistan is a haven for proliferation of terrorism, religious extremism and hybrid conflict not only in the South Asian region but the world over is a fact that the US prefers to gloss over.
A courageous and
honest voice from the US highlighting the actual reality of Pakistan is that of
Christine Fair, an American political scientist who is primarily focussed on counter-terrorism
and South Asia. In her recent article titled, “Pakistan Is an arsonist that
wants you to think It’s a fire fighter”, she has stated lucidly and with utmost
honesty, “It’s astonishing that U.S. officials continue to peddle
Pakistan’s own fictions—alongside such media outlets as the BBC.”
Even today the world stands a mute witness to the gross interference by Pakistan in the internal affairs of Afghanistan by assisting one group in eliminating the other through military means. Everybody knows that the Taliban was not capable of taking on the Northern Alliance in Panjshir; it emerged victorious only with the huge military assistance provided by Pakistan which included trained commandos, tanks, artillery, attack helicopters engineer supports, drones, etc.
It is astonishing that the world has chosen to stay quiet about this blatant aggression that has led to the brutal killing of thousands of innocent civilians, including members of the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Somehow the world has failed to register the fact that the holed up Afghan leader, Amarulla Saleh, is still the head of the government of Afghanistan, since the Taliban has not been recognised by any government as yet.
It is common knowledge that all through its so-called assistance to the US in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Pakistan never gave up on its Islamic fundamentalist assets created from the times when the Taliban was in control there. In some cases the Pakistan Army maintained direct communication through the ISI and in others through the many fundamentalist terrorist organisations operating from Pakistan like the Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Notably, the Pakistan based terror organisations also operate under the overall control of the ISI even as they do have some autonomy at the tactical level. The Haqqani network that has a big role to play in the new Taliban set up in Afghanistan is the most prominent and enduring ally of Pakistan. Also notable is the sworn commitment of the Haqqani network to actively participate in all actions taken against India, particularly in Kashmir.
Pakistan seems to be quite unconcerned about the chaos that it has created in Afghanistan and continues to parrot its time tested diatribe of being a country that has contested the cult of terrorism with its sweat and blood. Its propaganda machinery is rapidly parroting out figures of the al Qaeda terrorists that its forces have eliminated in the past decades and the success gained in controlling domestic as well and global terrorism. The country, of course, never tires of reminding the world that it is, by itself, the biggest victim of terrorism. This is propaganda based on misinformation and disinformation at its best.
The manner in
which the West and especially the US turns a blind eye to the monstrous
machinations of Pakistan defies logic. One wonders as to why there is no
realisation about the threat that the country poses to world peace and
security. How can Pakistan keep breeding and training these serpents while
playing the victim card?
A lot has to do with the US fixation about Pakistan being indispensable because of its geographic location in South Asia. What the mandarins of the country are not realising is that this narrative has been created by Pakistan itself through some very intelligent and aggressive lobbying in the corridors of power in both Europe and the West. It is a deep rooted structure created by throwing in astronomical amounts of money in shady deeds. Christine Fair, in her article quoted above, has very lucidly put across this point. “Pakistan and the United States will likely establish yet another pay-to-play scheme. Pakistan will continue to provide the minimal results to justify the expenditures to the US,” she says.
For India the aforementioned creates a Catch-22 situation; it would not be possible for the country to stay tuned to the US policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan beyond a point since the two countries pose a huge security threat to her. Taliban is vowed to support Ghazwa-e-Hind ideology which support to the Pakistani efforts to grab Kashmir incumbent.
The best option for India would be to strongly explain to the US and the West that they need to get over their fixation with Pakistan. It is nothing more than a bankrupt country on the verge of disintegration; it lacks national character and is often described as a rogue state.
It is also
necessary for the world to know that any misadventure by Pakistan and its
cronies along the Line of Control (LOC) will invite massive retaliation from
India to the extent of deep strikes into Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir
(POJK)
A team of specially abled veteran soldiers, under the banner of CLAW_Global, has recently created a world record by becoming “the largest number of people with disabilities to scale the world’s highest battlefield (Siachen Glacier).” CLAW is an international organisation for soldiers disabled during active service. The Indian Army facilitated and trained the team to achieve this milestone. The project code named Operation Blue Freedom was conducted by the CLAW team with active support from the Northern Command of the Indian Army under whose operational control the Siachen region falls.
Kumar Post is at a height of 15,632 feet; the approach to the post is predominantly snowbound and climbing up to it is a challenge for the fittest soldier and mountaineer. How difficult it would be for a person with a physical disability can be imagined; the team climbed a total distance of 60 km atop the spine of the Siachen glacier, taking five days from 7 September, to finally reach the Kumar Post on 11 September.
The foregoing was one among a series of adventure and social activities that the Northern Command has conducted in recent time in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Another unique project was a cycle rally for women organised at Baramulla, Srinagar on 12 September. The rally was organised to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence. It commenced from Baramulla and terminated at the Line of Control near Kaman Aman Setu, Uri. It was the first cycling event of such magnitude to be conducted in Kashmir and was a grand success. The tremendous response translated into participation of more than 140 women over a route spanning 65 km. The eldest participant was the famous cycling enthusiast Anupama Bhave who continues to create records in cycling at over 70 years of age. Actor and model Milind Soman and his wife, Ankita Konwar, flagged off the event and also participated in it. The idea of an exclusive Women Cycle Rally was conceived after an open cycle rally was organised on 13 August, 2021.
In
his inaugural speech Lt. General DP Pandey, GOC Chinar Corps, spoke about the active
and positive role that women have played in enriching the Kashmiri society. He
exhorted young girls to take up sports for an active and healthy life. The Indian
Army has been consciously working towards women empowerment in Kashmir through
various sporting events.
Yet another impressive event organised by the Northern Command was a walkathon in Gurez on 13 August as part of the Jashn-e-Azadi celebrations. The events included a 10-km mini marathon for the youth and Army men, a 3-km run for fun for school children and a walkathon for school girls and women of Gurez. The objective was to rejuvenate the enthusiasm, energy and pride of Independence Day amongst the people of Gurez, especially the young people. More than 200 persons participated in this colourful event.
With the COVID threat under control, academic activity under strict medical and security protocol has commenced in J&K. Accordingly an Annual Training Camp (ATC) of 3 Jammu and Kashmir Battalion NCC was conducted at T Suntwari, Machil. Post the training activity, 60 cadets were taken for a visit to an Army Engineer Regiment at Pattan, district Baramulla. Earlier in the year, the Indian Army has added to the celebratory atmosphere by organising a series of winter festivals.
The successful conduct of the foregoing activities clearly illustrates that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is well on the path of normalcy. In this effort, as always, it has with it the humane and welfare oriented support of the Northern Command.
Alongside its achievements in operations, the Northern Command has earned for itself the reputation of being a “People’s Army.” In the domain of “Winning Hearts and Minds” (WHAM), the Northern Command has set a new benchmark. Decades of terrorism and turmoil had a devastating effect on the psyche of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially so, in the Kashmir valley.
The Indian Army has put in great effort to ameliorate the suffering of the people through welfare initiatives, in particular, Operation Sadbhavna. There are many areas like education, infrastructure development, medical aid etc. where the army takes initiative to assist the people. In times of calamity and natural disasters anywhere in J&K, the Northern Command has unilaterally undertaken relief and rehabilitation works at a massive scale, at times when it was itself grappling with the effects of the calamity.
The initiatives that the army takes under Operation Sadbhavna, brings it into close contact with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth which gives to the army an opportunity to guide them on the path of productivity and progress. It is in this aspect that the aforementioned adventure and sports activities gain significance.
The
central theme of all the functions being held in Kashmir is Badalta (transforming) Kashmir. The
objective of the socio-cultural outreach is to energise the people by
highlighting the culture and tradition of Kashmir and instill in them
confidence to take advantage of the facilities being provided to build the
future of the region. It is designed to create a positive and energetic
environment among the people.
The
Indian Army and the people of Jammu and Kashmir have truly been friends and
partners through all travails and challenges that the state and its people have
faced during this period. The locals share a deep bond of trust and faith with
the soldiers of Northern Command which is living up to its slogan of “We Can,
We Care.” “We Can” represents the might of the hard power, while “We Care”
reflects its soft power and goodness of will. It is hoped that the people of
Kashmir, especially the youth who have to build their career and their future
will take full advantage of the outreach of the Indian Army and the Government
at the central and the state level.
China and Pakistan have joined hands to uproot the semblance of Westminster type of democracy from the Asian continent. That is what has happened in Afghanistan. Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has re-emerged after fighting the invading forces for two decades. Now there are three Islamic republics in the region namely Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. All of them express their allegiance to sharia law meaning the law that has been derived from two sources, the holy book (Qur’an) and the tradition (hadith). The Quran has variously been interpreted; hardly two interpretations (tafsir) agree. The Sunni Hanafi sect of the Muslims in India largely goes by the tafsir of Allama Mauwdoodi. This interpretation has many takers not only in India but in Pakistan, Afghanistan, West Asia and some Islamic states in the African continent.
Similarly, the Quran is also variously interpreted by Muslim scholars. Many among them say that Islam is a religion of peace while others assert that Islam is a religion of protest. There surfaced protests, opposition and differences among the Muslims right from the day the Prophet departed from this world and a fierce struggle for succession ensued among his followers carrying the feud to the House of the Prophet (Ahl-i bait). Those who sided with the House of the Prophet formed a new faction which came to be called the Shi’a.
The
story of animus between the Sunni and the Shia is most depressing. Since the
Shias are in a minority except in Iran, they have been subjected to persecution
in more than one way in every epoch. The Shias have their interpretation of the
Quran. They are reluctant to accept the hadith or tradition of Sunni jurisprudents howsoever scholarly
these may be.
Now in Afghanistan, there are Shia pockets in the north-west and the north. Their contribution to Afghanistan’s freedom is in no way inferior to others. Now that Pakistan is the virtual power holder in Afghanistan, and Pakistan has a formidable anti-Shia armed organization like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi at home responsible for carnage after the carnage of Shias, how is the interim government formed in Kabul going to maintain factional harmony? This is a big question. Now that the Taliban regime has announced that the Emirate will go strictly by the sharia code, is the code acceptable to the Shia population of Afghanistan?
The other day Radio Pakistan announced that the dress code for females in Pakistan has been determined to be strictly following the stipulations with the Sharia law. Pakistani women have had a good deal of freedom in dress code and movement because it has a semblance of a liberalised community. Now that the sharia law is to be enforced piecemeal, the question will the liberalised and emancipated segments of Pakistani Muslims, males and females agree to put the clock back to the early days of Islam?
Then
there is the issue of bank interest which is prohibited under sharia law.
Though Pakistan has been producing pretexts one or the other to dilute the
interest issue, the fact is that a huge segment of Pakistani society has not
accepted the option of doing away with the bank interest without prejudice to
the zakat, etc., which a Musulman is expected to pay.
Now that the Pakistan government has taken off the lid from the dress code obviously to keep the diehard fanatics of the Taliban line in good humour, other sharia laws will gradually have to be adopted. For instance, the President, the PM and the entire cabinet will also have to observe the dress code; maintain a two-fist beard, wear shalwar reaching not below the ankles and wear a skull cap as does Lashkar chief Maulana Hafiz Saeed. How come that the Taliban have, overnight, discarded their baggy shalwars, tatters and roughshod slippers and adopted the American soldier’s battle dress, bulletproof vests, night vision binoculars, ultra-modern machine guns and rifles, missiles and Humvees all left behind by the fleeing Americans. Where has sharia evaporated in thin air?
Anyway, whatever, the Americans are gone and never will return to Afghanistan. We must all be pragmatic and recognise that sharia which the Taliban and their mentors in Islamabad want to impose is a reality. The rule of sharia has begun in Pakistan and by implication; it should spread out to Kashmir also, where the Kashmir valley Muslims are more than ready to adopt it. Kashmir Muslim thinkers will very soon depute a delegation to Islamabad and Kabul to request the ecclesiasts there to issue instructions of what and how the sharia law should be implemented in Kashmir to replace the remnants of infidelity still pervasive in one or the other manner. Foremost of all activities, the first onslaught has to come down heavily on the Sufi shrines and waqf properties as Sufism is a big aberration because it comes close to the teachings of the Rishis strictly disallowed by puritanical Islam.
In all probability, the Taliban mullahs will volunteer to travel to Kashmir via Pakistan along with their American weapons to propagate the rule of sharia in Kashmir. They will deliver sermons on true Islamic teachings and their audience will comprise the top personalities of Kashmir like the ex-chief ministers, ministers, lawmakers and bureaucrats. Indian democracy gives them freedom of expression and action as does the sharia at least in eradicating all traces of damned western secular democratic concepts, which Indians have been brandishing shamelessly for the last seven decades and more and which have now been consigned to dust by the sharia abiding Taliban.
Real freedom (azaadi) is beckoning Kashmiris and they have to take the call!
The French born
author and journalist, Claude Arpi, in his article, “Time to change the
narrative on 1962 India-China war” carried by The Daily Guardian on
23 August, has made some very interesting observations on the actual fallout of
the Indo-China War, 1962.
While questioning
the narrative of the war having ended with a crushing defeat for India, Arpi
says, “Retrospectively, I do not think so, even though the government has kept
the totality of the report under wraps . . . perhaps to save the reputation of
a few guilty men.” He goes on to highlight the extreme bravery of the
Indian soldiers and makes a very significant statement, “Communist China
still uses the narrative of the ‘defeat’ of the Indian Army for its own
propaganda and the communist leadership keeps threatening India that it will redo
it.”
The war, in fact, came as a boon for India. As security consciousness increased in India, a concerted effort to build military strength led to an enduring military relationship with the Soviet Union. For those who served in the Indian Army from the mid-1960s, this relationship translated into extensive provision of Russian equipment including Tanks, Artillery Guns, Air Defence, Aircraft, Naval vessels etc. A rapid expansion of the Indian Army by raising new units equipped with Russian equipment was also carried out.
The outcome of
the war and the subsequent face-off with Pakistan in 1965 also led the Indian
leadership on to the path of seeking a nuclear capability. The foundation of
this thought process was laid by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri; it was
carried forward by Indira Gandhi and finally found fructification through the
Nuclear tests code named “Smiling Buddha” conducted at Pokhran, Rajasthan on 18 May,
1998 under the courageous premiership of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. At
that stage the tests elicited sanctions by US and other countries, but now,
India stands tall as a strong and established nuclear power.
Coming back to the Chinese mindset; post the war of 1962, with a sizable Indian real estate in its control, especially so in Ladakh, China called for a status quo and the ground position was termed as Line of Actual Control (LAC). China has consistently refused to negotiate a permanent solution of the borders and is leveraging the differing perceptions of the LAC to pressurize India. Build up of the Indian military strength has not deterred China from pursuing an aggressive policy on the premise that India is a weaker state.
China’s
unbridled ambition touched a new dimension after President Xi Jinping set
himself as a life-long dictator. It has put great strain upon the South Asian
countries. Sri Lanka took China’s assistance for development projects and is now
reeling under a debt trap, bereft of fiscal reserves and staring at the face of
an unimaginable food crisis.
Pakistan’s economy has collapsed leaving the country with no option except to borrow from Chinese Banks that charge about 3-4 percent interest. With the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under great strain, there is no hope for remittances in the near future. The probability of Pakistan shedding some more real estate to China to overcome the debt has become very real. Already Gwadar Port and Gwadar International Airport are fully under Chinese control along with thousands of acres of industrial land. China is now eyeing the Ports of Jiwani and Pasani and will finally seek control of Pakistani strategic assets.
Now China is
poised to play an active role in Afghanistan. It will attempt to take over all
strategic assets left in the country by the US like the Air Force station in Bagram
and seek contracts for mining the rich natural resources of the land. Shed of
any assistance from the West, Afghanistan has no option left but to fall into
the Chinese lap.
In South Asia, it
is only India that continues to stand sentinel in the face of the Chinese
blitzkrieg. China applied its pressure tactics along the LAC in Ladakh in 2019
by pursuing its time tested Psychological theme of speaking about the Indian
defeat in 1962 and a possibility of it being repeated. Despite the bravado it had to retreat with a
bloody nose and a severely bruised ego. If President Xi Jinping had any dreams
of another 1962, they were crushed unceremoniously. India sent a clear message
that it will not succumb to pressure.
The QUAD initiative for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the US and also hold one to one talks with US President Joe Biden is a matter of great concern for China. It is using its financial clout to bully into submission the countries in the Indo-Pacific region, from the Philippines to Australia. It has managed to subdue these countries to an extent, but not so with India, which has become a big cause of worry for the country.
China is facing problems everywhere, the Baloch have initiated an active insurgency that results in many instances of violence. Recently, Baloch insurgents attacked the under construction dam in Turbat, district Kech, Balochistan and set fire to the machinery. Abduction of Chinese workers is quite rampant.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan also has many elements that oppose China due to its policies in the occupied territories of East Turkestan, especially the ethnic cleansing of the Uyghur Muslims. There are many warlords in the Taliban government who openly support the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) an insurgent organisation operating in the Uyghur Muslim majority Province of Xinjiang.
It would be best for China to understand that it should not survive on the misconceived notion of having defeated India in 1962. Even more hazardous for it is the belief that it can do so again.
There is no overarching reason for China and India to be rivals, a better idea would have been to usher peace, as India wants. The two Asian giants can together pave a progressive path for the whole of South Asia and in the bargain also gain global ascendency. The sooner China understands this simple logic the better.
Away from the cacophonous traffic of backfiring trucks, yellow coloured taxis and belching lorries, Kolkata’s very own Siddhivinayak temple for Lord Ganesha welcomes visitors.
The temple is housed in a palatial building that stands cheek by jowl to the expansive Marble Palace in the cacophonous Babu Muktaram Street. Interestingly, it is the only street in Kolkata which is home to two iconic buildings of historical importance.
Of all forms of India’s elephant-headed God, the Siddhivinayak form is special because it is carved out of a single piece of stone and has the trunk of the deity on the right instead of left.
The temple in Kolkata is gaining prominence in a city where over 10,000 Ganesh festivals were celebrated this year. Even a decade ago, such festivals were limited to the city’s burgeoning Marwari community. But now, the numbers are growing. Almost every neighbourhood in Kolkata celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi, which marks the birth of the god of wisdom and property.
Siddhivinayak Ganesha at Babu Muktaram Street in Kolkata.
The iconic temple is still not triggering breaking headlines but, its organisers claim the shrine is gaining popularity because many in the city have shunned jobs and shifted to small and medium-scale business where Lord Ganesh is worshipped routinely. What has also worked to the temple’s advantage is the fact that it is located in north Kolkata, home to the city’s Marwari community.
Such is the fervour that this year, organisers of the Ganesh festivals demanded they also should be given special permission for immersion like Durga, Kali and Jagatdhatri idols.
“The crowds are growing by the day,” says Pradeep Nayyar, a top aide at the temple.
In a city where religious discussions instantly turn into a peculiar Hindu-Muslim divide, this temple stands like a beacon of hope. Not even an iota of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s clarion call for the rise of Hindutva forces have touched the temple. During the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations last week, a top Trinamool minister, Firhad Hakim — fondly called Bobby by his friends — came for the inauguration of the festivities.
Trinamool Minister Firhad Hakim inaugurating the Ganesh Chaturthi festival at the Babu Muktaram Street in Kolkata.
It reflected the temple’s deep, secular identity.
Historians in Kolkata say the Siddhivinayak temple is housed in a historic building. It was a 200 year-old palace owned by the once powerful Mullick family. The cousins owned two huge palatial buildings next to each other on the Muktaram Babu Street that lies close to the Jorasanko ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore, considered the Shakespeare of Bengal.
The family that owned the Marble Palace was not the same as the one which owned the building where the temple is now housed. The place which has been taken over for the temple was once owned by Panchnan Mullick and Nilmoni Mullick.
The dilapidated palatial building at Babu Muktaram Street in Kolkata, which was refurbished and now houses the Siddhivinayak Ganesha Temple.
The building, which once looked almost like the Marble Palace, was the venue for RS Agarwal and RS Goenka, two young entrepreneurs and childhood friends, for their business venture that would blend ayurveda with modern science. The two had left their high-profile corporate jobs with the Birla Group; they had only Rs 20,000 in their purse. “We operated from one corner of the building. It was in the 70s, and it was a very bold move,” Sushil Goenka said in an interview.
Sushil Goenka is the younger brother of RS Goenka, one of the two friends who shaped their dreams in Kolkata way back in the seventies.
The Marble Palace. This palatial building is next to the now refurbished Siddhivinayak Temple in Kolkata.
“The small room in that building showed us the morning. My brother and Aggarwalji used to operate from there but eventually shifted out after government regulations prevented companies from running factories from residential homes. And eventually, we acquired the building which was in a very, very dilapidated state. We wanted to construct Kolkata’s first Ganesh temple,” said Goenka.
The building was bought over in 2015 and its architecture revived during its reconstruction, including tall fluted Corinthian pillars. It was a herculean task. And finally, February 28, 2020, the temple, and the Devasthanam — the sanctum sanctorum — the duo offered Emami to Lord Ganesh as a memorandum of gratitude. And the temple was opened for the masses.
The building that’s the abode of Kolkata’s Ganesha after its architectural revival.
As per the Hindu calendar, it was 16 Phagun, the 59th day of Vikram Samvat Hindu, 2076.
Emami was founded in 1974, a momentous year as India – under project Smiling Buddha – detonated a nuclear device and became the sixth nation to do so. It was also a year of great Bollywood hits. Manoj Kumar made Roti Kapda Aur Makan, Amitabh Bachchan blazed the silver screen with his classy Majboor. The Ganesh temple in Kolkata finally opened its doors in 2020. In between, 46 long years had passed.
“We worship the Gods, and also human beings,” said Goenka. At the western end of this sanctorum lies a small Hanuman temple, facing Shri Siddhivinayak, just like the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai. In a large part of the sanctorum, various social service projects like health services, employability and skill development centres are being run.
Popularity of the temple, which has a priest from Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak shrine, is on the rise. A top official of the Mumbai temple told this reporter that he was both amazed and happy that Kolkata has its own Siddhivinayak temple. “I am sure this is driven by Lord Ganesha’s immense popularity across India. Many cities now have Siddhivinayak temples,” said Padurang Sandim, a senior official of the Mumbai temple.
Sandim said Ganesh worshipping has become extremely popular across India, it is not a region centric festival.
Historians in Kolkata are already calling the temple a landmark. And the fact that the temple is located next to the Marble Palace adds great value to both the institutions. One, built in 1835 by Raja Rajendra Mullick, is home to collections of art. The one next is home to Gods and prayers.
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