Diplomacy

Cartographic error forces Al Jazeera off air

- by India Writes Network

In a major embarrassment for Al Jazeera, the international news channel was forced to go off air in India for five days, as the government penalised the channel for showing an incorrect map of India on several occasions between 2013 and 2014.

Al Jazeera transmitted a blank screen with a message displaying that it is unable to air regular content“as instructed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, this channel will not be available from 00.01 hours on 22nd April till 00.01 hours on 27th April 2015.”

When questioned why, the I&B Ministry said that it had been informed that the news channel had been using an incorrect map of India in some of its shows during the last two years, following which the matter was forwarded to the Surveyor General of India (SGI).

The SGI observed that in some of the maps displayed by Al Jazeera, “a portion of Indian territory Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Chinese occupied Aksai Chin has not been shown as a part of Indian territory.” The channel also did not show Lakshadweep and the Andaman Islands in some of the maps, the SGI said.

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China’s President swears undying love for Pakistan, India uneasy

- by India Writes Network

It was a rich outpouring of praise and a reaffirmation of special ties, backed by $45 billion deals, that would have more than pleased his Pakistani hosts, but have created unease among India’s diplomatic-strategic establishment. During his maiden visit to Islamabad, China’s President Xi Jinping applauded Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts and underlined that the Chinese people will always stand together with Pakistan, Beijing’s all-weather ally.
The Chinese leader’s praise of Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts must have been created an unease in India, which has been relentlessly pressing Islamabad to prosecute Pakistani terrorists behind the Mumbai carnage. Xi underlined both the countries have common stakes in security and that Pakistan had contributed greatly to security and stability of China’s western border. “This is something that we should never forget,” he said.
Xi began his maiden visit to Pakistan on April 20, a landmark trip that saw the two countries sign 51 deals in diverse areas. The big-ticket takeaway for Pakistan was clearly a raft of investment projects in infrastructure and power sector, unveiled by the Chinese leader, which are estimated to be worth $45 billion.
The outcomes of Xi Jinping’s visit have been closely scrutinized in India’s diplomatic-strategic circles. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be expected to protest Beijing’s decision to supply nuclear submarines to Pakistan when he travels to China next month.

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