Diplomacy

India-Pakistan ties hit new low, Jaitley likely to skip SAARC meet

- by India Writes Network

Signalling a deepening frostiness in bilateral ties with Pakistan, India’s Finance Minister is expected to skip the meeting of SAARC finance ministers in Islamabad August 25-26. Instead, India may send economic affairs secretary for the SAARC meet, informed sources said.
There is no official word on Jaitley’s participation in the SAARC finance ministers’ meeting in Islamabad. The final decision will be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The relations between India and Pakistan have plummeted to a new low, with both sides trading accusations and playing a game of one-upmanship. In a tit-for-tat response to Pakistan’s support for violence in Jammu and Kashmir, PM Modi, in his Independence Day speech, subtly alluded to human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan, saying people from these regions currently administered by Pakistan have thanked him. This is the first time an Indian prime minister has raised Balochistan and PoK in their Independence Day message, signalling a hardening of the Modi government’s posture towards Pakistan and the drawing of a new line on Kashmir.
Pakistan’s response to Mr Modi’s remarks suggest intransigence, which suggest that bilateral ties are headed for a deep freezer in days to come with minimal high-level contacts.

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Reform, Perform, Transform: Modi flags off journey from Swarajya to Surajya (Highlights of PM’s speech)

- by India Writes Network

As India celebrated its 70th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled his vision for transforming India through Reform and Perform mantra and outlined his vision of the ongoing journey from swarajya (self-rule) to su-rajya (good governance). In his third Independence Day speech, PM Modi, with his trademark oratory, eloquently expounded on the steps taken by his government to rejuvenate the country’s economy and rebuild India anew on the principles of social equity and communal harmony.
Highlights
Here are highlights of PM Modi’s address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort in New Delhi on the occasion of 70th Independence Day (August 15, 2016)
Today on this special day, I convey my greetings to 125 crore Indians & the Indian community living overseas. May this energy guide the nation to scale newer heights of progress in the years to come.
Our mantra is reform, perform, transform.
Today our resolve is to turn the Swaraj (Self-Rule) into Su-Rajya (Good governance. Surajya means a qualitative and positive change in the lives of the citizens of India.
It is our responsibility to convert our Swaraj into Suraaj, which can’t be done without sacrifice, discipline and staunch resolution.

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India@70: PM Modi plays hardball on Pakistan, plays Balochistan card

- by India Writes Network

Upping the stakes in the ongoing war of words between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out “at the other side which glorifies terrorists” and underlined India’s solidarity with the people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pak-occupied Kashmir, who have been at the receiving end of atrocities in Pakistan.
In a hard-hitting message aimed at Pakistan, Mr Modi, in his third Independence Day speech, exhorted the neighbouring country not to glorify terrorist, but to fight poverty together. Seeking to expose Pakistan’s duplicity on terror, the prime minister contrasted the reaction of India and Pakistan towards the killing of innocents by terrorists.
Alluding to atrocities perpetrated by Pakistani forces on people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the prime minister said: “In the last few days the way the people of Balochistan, Gilgit, from Pak-occupied Kashmir have thanked me, it is the honour of 1.25 billion people of India. I thank those people from Balochistan, Gilgit and Pak-occupied Kashmir.”
This is the first time Mr Modi, or for that matter any Indian prime minister, has raised the issue of human rights abuses in Balochistan in their Independence Day speech. This Kashmir-Balochistan rhetorical warfare clearly indicates that the strained India-Pakistan relations are headed for a prolonged downslide.

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Shah Rukh detained at LA airport: It’s KHAN again in US, followed by SORRY

- by Shweta Aggarwal

KHAN – the four letter word spells trouble in the US, as Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan realised yet again when he was detained at the Los Angeles airport for interrogation. It surely is a lesson in humility for The KHAN of Bollywood who has been detained for the third time in seven years by US immigration officials, apparently on ground of his surname. “Whenever I start feeling too arrogant about myself, I always take a trip to America. The immigration guys kicked the star out of stardom,” Khan had said in 2012 when he was given a similar treatment. Khan arrived in the US on August 12 on an invitation from Yale University.
The detention of the actor has created a storm and is making headlines yet again. In a damage-control exercise, the US envoy has apologised “for the trouble”. “Sorry for the trouble at LAX @iamsrk,” US ambassador to India Richard Verma tweeted. He added that the US authorities are “working to ensure it doesn’t happen again”. “Your work inspires millions, including in the US,” Verma wrote on the microblogging site.

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US pitches for more Indian military aid in Afghanistan, Pakistan upset

- by India Writes Network

The US’ praise for India’s role in bolstering Afghanistan’s military capability, and criticism of Pakistan for supporting terrorists is making headlines, and signals a marked downslide in Washington-Islamabad relations. In pointed remarks that are creating much heartburn in Islamabad, the US’ top commander in Afghanistan lauded India for making “enormously valuable” contribution in buttressing Afghan security forces and underlined that the US favours the military support.
Afghanistan has sought more military supplies from India, including attack helicopters, said US Commander General John Nicholson against the backdrop of Afghanistan’s renewed offensive against assorted terror groups which has killed around 300 Islamic State terrorists. Alluding to the four Mi-25 helicopters provided by India to Afghanistan, Gen. Nicholson said the country needs more military support to tackle terror outfits.
While Nicholson was all praise for India’s role in Afghanistan, he did not mince words in what is clearly a scathing indictment of Pakistan’s role in fomenting terror in Afghanistan. He said that the Taliban also “enjoys sanctuaries” in Pakistan and stressed that the US was putting pressure on Pakistan to contain these groups.

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