Friday, 30 March 2018
Thursday, 29 March 2018
India begins process of selling ‘enemy properties’
By: The National
The Indian government plans to raise billions of rupees by auctioning off “enemy properties”, houses and land left behind by people who moved to Pakistan or China in the wake of India’s wars with those countries.
Roughly 9,280 such properties were abandoned, or given to relatives, by people who became Pakistani nationals after wars in 1947, 1965 and 1971. Similarly, people who went to China during or after the 1962 war left behind around 126 properties.
On Monday, the home ministry issued guidelines to govern the sale process, and it asked the Custodian of Enemy Properties (CEP), a government agency, to submit a list of assets within three months.
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
District-level committees will assess the precise values of the properties, based on real-estate prices in the area. But Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, the junior home minister, had told parliament last year that the government’s estimate of the properties’ aggregated value ran to 1 trillion rupees.
But the government’s classification of these properties is not without controversy, and some lawyers claim it discriminates against Indian Muslims.
When the Enemy Property Ordinance was issued in 1968, India had already fought wars with India and China. The CEP took over management of these properties, essentially to ensure that they could not be used to aid hostile powers, said Aishwarya Pandit, who teaches at Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat and who studies laws dealing with enemy properties.
“There was precedent in international law for this kind of measure,” Ms Pandit told The National. “The US and the UK did the same thing during the Second World War, with properties owned by those who went to the Axis countries.”
The premise of such laws has always been that properties would be returned after hostilities end, Ms Pandit said, but in reality, that has never happened.
Successive Indian governments renewed the ordinance after 1968. Last year, however, India’s parliament — dominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — replaced the ordinance with an act that made the original stipulations even more stringent.
The law now recognises as enemy property any land or house that a person lawfully transferred to heirs or relatives before moving to Pakistan or China. A father who chose to relocate from Delhi to Karachi, for instance, may have passed on his Delhi residence to his son before doing so. But even if the son continued to live on in Delhi as an Indian citizen, never even setting foot in Pakistan, his house can be considered enemy property.
The new law did not go unchallenged. In parliament, while debating over this provision, the senior Congress politician Shashi Tharoor argued that it tries to “explicitly create two kinds of Indian citizens … If somehow there are two categories of Indian citizens and one category does not have the rights of the other, that is a very dangerous practice”.
Last year, another Congress parliamentarian, Husain Dalwai, filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the law. Mr Dalwai’s lawyer, Anand Grover, told Reuters that the law’s purpose “seems to be to deprive Muslims of their right to ancestral property that the state seized”.
The guidelines issued on Monday suggest that while vacant enemy properties may be auctioned directly or converted to government use, properties occupied by heirs may be sold back to them for “a percentage of the valuation”.
Mr Dalwai’s petition was dismissed. But another still-pending petition, filed by Mohammad Amir Khan, may hold a ray of hope for those who hope to hold on to their ancestral property.
Mr Khan’s father, the former king of the Mahmudabad region of Uttar Pradesh, went from India to Iraq in 1947, and then on to Pakistan, where he became a citizen in 1957. Mr Khan inherited the title of “Raja” and also the royal properties: 936 of them, across north India.
When the CEP took over these properties — against the letter of the previous ordinance — Mr Khan sued and fought that lawsuit for decades. In 2005, the Supreme Court confirmed that Mr Khan, as an Indian citizen, was entitled to regain his properties.
But they were never returned to him. Further, the new law — which Mr Khan called “dictatorial” and “arbitrary” — precludes any possibility that he will ever get back his properties. His petition, filed in the Supreme Court, hopes to persuade judges that the new law contradicts the 2005 court decision in his favour.
Ms Pandit said she did not hold much hope for Mr Khan. “In most court cases about enemy property, the property hasn’t been returned,” she said. “I don’t think this can be challenged with any success.”
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
India shoots down US proposal for communications secrecy pact to maintain distinction with latter's NATO allies
Original Source: Click Here
By: New Indian Express
India has shot down a US proposal for an “umbrella” communications secrecy pact to maintain a distinction with the US’ NATO allies but it has also requested Washington DC to examine an “ideal” cross-posting of army, navy and air force officers at its Central and Pacific Commands, the two theatres that largely determine military-to-military relations.
“The US will have to tailor the arrangements”, a highly-placed security official said, emphasizing the word, and explaining Indian policy to The New Indian Express on Wednesday. “We do not want to be described as a NATO ally”. Famously, President George Bush (the second) had described Pakistan as a Major Non-Nato Ally (MNNA) in 2004.
Proposals for more mechanisms in the defence relationship have been renewed in weeks leading to the first joint meeting of the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries likely in April. The Indian defence and foreign secretaries have recently concluded talks with their counterparts in the run-up to the inaugural ‘2+2’ ministerial.
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
“We will seek equipment-specific pacts,” the official said. He also went on to explain what that means after describing the importance of having liaison officers of all the services of the militaries in the US’ Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Pacific Command (PACOM), headquartered in Hawaii, that covers the rest of Asia and what is increasingly called the Indo-Pacific.
The area of responsibility of CENTCOM, headquartered in Tampa, Florida, in the US, covers Pakistan, Afghanistan and the rest of West Asia including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Aden.
Though it has been of India’s interest to interact with CENTCOM, India-US military-to-military relations are the responsibility of PACOM at the theatre-level. Centcom and Pacom are only two of the US’s unified military combatant commands that span the globe. Pacom is the largest.
Explaining the significance of COMCASA, the official said “we might find it restrictive but a NATO ally of the US may not view it as such”.
The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) is a re-naming of what was the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA). The US agreed the change of nomenclature as an exception to make it India-specific. A change in nomenclature was also agreed by the US to the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) that was signed in 2016 after more than a decade of negotiations and was renamed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).
But the official in the security establishment says that New Delhi does not favour an agreement that will cover all military platforms, equipment and components that India could source from the US that may compromise information. At the same time, India recognized that ‘non-disclosure’ clauses were part of many contracts. The US insists that signing such arrangements will enable the sale or transfer of advanced military technologies to India.
Instead, the official said, it may be more prudent for India and the US to go the path of an End-User Verification Arrangement that was agreed in the past.
US’ military leaders describe the CISMOA, the EUMA, a Basic Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Arrangements as “foundational documents” on which rest the US’ military alliances.
In New Delhi, the view is that these arrangements are from a time and context that have changed since the Cold War when countries of the US-led NATO and the erstwhile Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact were eyeball-to-eyeball. NATO still operates while the Warsaw Pact was disbanded.
Current relations need to reflect that changed context, the official explained to TNIE. Instead of an arrangement that will cover all military transfers, India could consider “freezing a standard text” and then making that equipment and country-specific. That was roughly the process followed for the EUMA over years that India could otherwise find intrusive.
Under US law, inspectors from the Pentagon are required from to verify that military equipment exported from the US were being used for the purposes they were meant.
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
“The US will have to tailor the arrangements”, a highly-placed security official said, emphasizing the word, and explaining Indian policy to The New Indian Express on Wednesday. “We do not want to be described as a NATO ally”. Famously, President George Bush (the second) had described Pakistan as a Major Non-Nato Ally (MNNA) in 2004.
Proposals for more mechanisms in the defence relationship have been renewed in weeks leading to the first joint meeting of the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries likely in April. The Indian defence and foreign secretaries have recently concluded talks with their counterparts in the run-up to the inaugural ‘2+2’ ministerial.
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
“We will seek equipment-specific pacts,” the official said. He also went on to explain what that means after describing the importance of having liaison officers of all the services of the militaries in the US’ Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Pacific Command (PACOM), headquartered in Hawaii, that covers the rest of Asia and what is increasingly called the Indo-Pacific.
The area of responsibility of CENTCOM, headquartered in Tampa, Florida, in the US, covers Pakistan, Afghanistan and the rest of West Asia including the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Aden.
Though it has been of India’s interest to interact with CENTCOM, India-US military-to-military relations are the responsibility of PACOM at the theatre-level. Centcom and Pacom are only two of the US’s unified military combatant commands that span the globe. Pacom is the largest.
Explaining the significance of COMCASA, the official said “we might find it restrictive but a NATO ally of the US may not view it as such”.
The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) is a re-naming of what was the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA). The US agreed the change of nomenclature as an exception to make it India-specific. A change in nomenclature was also agreed by the US to the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) that was signed in 2016 after more than a decade of negotiations and was renamed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).
But the official in the security establishment says that New Delhi does not favour an agreement that will cover all military platforms, equipment and components that India could source from the US that may compromise information. At the same time, India recognized that ‘non-disclosure’ clauses were part of many contracts. The US insists that signing such arrangements will enable the sale or transfer of advanced military technologies to India.
Instead, the official said, it may be more prudent for India and the US to go the path of an End-User Verification Arrangement that was agreed in the past.
US’ military leaders describe the CISMOA, the EUMA, a Basic Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Arrangements as “foundational documents” on which rest the US’ military alliances.
In New Delhi, the view is that these arrangements are from a time and context that have changed since the Cold War when countries of the US-led NATO and the erstwhile Soviet Union-led Warsaw Pact were eyeball-to-eyeball. NATO still operates while the Warsaw Pact was disbanded.
Current relations need to reflect that changed context, the official explained to TNIE. Instead of an arrangement that will cover all military transfers, India could consider “freezing a standard text” and then making that equipment and country-specific. That was roughly the process followed for the EUMA over years that India could otherwise find intrusive.
Under US law, inspectors from the Pentagon are required from to verify that military equipment exported from the US were being used for the purposes they were meant.
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
Indian army can maintain preparedness within existing budget: Bipin Rawat
Original Source: Click Here
By: Indian Express
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday asserted that the Indian Army could maintain its operational preparedness within the existing defence budget by prioritising and readjusting. He also said the process of modernisation of the armed forces had begun, but would not happen overnight.
His comments come after a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence presented a report earlier this month, highlighting the lack of budget for the armed forces. The panel had asked the Prime Minister’s Office to take note of the crisis.
The report was based on testimonies of the vice-chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, who had painted a dismal picture of defence modernisation and stalled projects due to lack of budgetary support in financial year 2018-19. The defence budget was increased by a mere 7.81 per cent to Rs 2.95 lakh crore for the current fiscal against last year’s Rs 2.74 lakh crore.
“Some more budget, if it is given to us, we will be happy. But we can balance the budget to meet our operational requirements,” General Rawat said. He said the government was giving more approvals and if contracts were finalised, more funds would be made available.
“It is possible to reprioritise and readjust the budget within the existing money available, by giving the operational preparedness a higher priority. This is not to say that accommodation for families are not needed, but they can take some time. We are balancing the budget to focus on operational preparedness,” he said.
The Army chief said that infantry weapons, surveillance devices for the infantry and security of Army bases was his highest priority. The requirements of the mechanised forces, artillery and air defence will be taken up in subsequent years, he said. To balance the budget, the Army has now identified need for different types of weapon systems for infantry soldiers in active operations, and another weapon system for other soldiers, Rawat said.
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
His comments come after a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence presented a report earlier this month, highlighting the lack of budget for the armed forces. The panel had asked the Prime Minister’s Office to take note of the crisis.
The report was based on testimonies of the vice-chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, who had painted a dismal picture of defence modernisation and stalled projects due to lack of budgetary support in financial year 2018-19. The defence budget was increased by a mere 7.81 per cent to Rs 2.95 lakh crore for the current fiscal against last year’s Rs 2.74 lakh crore.
“Some more budget, if it is given to us, we will be happy. But we can balance the budget to meet our operational requirements,” General Rawat said. He said the government was giving more approvals and if contracts were finalised, more funds would be made available.
“It is possible to reprioritise and readjust the budget within the existing money available, by giving the operational preparedness a higher priority. This is not to say that accommodation for families are not needed, but they can take some time. We are balancing the budget to focus on operational preparedness,” he said.
The Army chief said that infantry weapons, surveillance devices for the infantry and security of Army bases was his highest priority. The requirements of the mechanised forces, artillery and air defence will be taken up in subsequent years, he said. To balance the budget, the Army has now identified need for different types of weapon systems for infantry soldiers in active operations, and another weapon system for other soldiers, Rawat said.
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
Pak Army warns India of response in case of any "misadventure"
Original Source: Click Here
By: ET
Pakistan Army today warned India of a response in case of any "misadventure" across the border and said nobody should underestimate the capability of the country's armed forces.
"If India tried for any misadventure, then it will be responded," Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said at a press briefing.
He was responding to a question about the state of preparedness in case of a surprise attack by India.
"Nobody should underestimate our capability vis-s-vis India. Our response capability in case of any threat from India is absolutely ready," he said.
Ghafoor also accused India of killing of 30 Pakistani civilians in 2018 in firing along the Line of Control.
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
"Pakistan has played a positive character for peace in the region. If India promotes instability in Pakistan through Afghanistan or the Line of Control it will not be in India's best interests either," he said.
To a question, the spokesman said that Indian diplomats were also invited to witness the Pakistan Day parade on March 23 along with diplomats from other countries.
"We wanted to show the world that we have invited them (Indian) despite what they are doing to our diplomats...We also wanted to show them our capability and resolve," he added.
"If India tried for any misadventure, then it will be responded," Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said at a press briefing.
He was responding to a question about the state of preparedness in case of a surprise attack by India.
"Nobody should underestimate our capability vis-s-vis India. Our response capability in case of any threat from India is absolutely ready," he said.
Ghafoor also accused India of killing of 30 Pakistani civilians in 2018 in firing along the Line of Control.
Watch Video: India's Super Sukhoi will technologically out match China's latest Su-35 jets
"Pakistan has played a positive character for peace in the region. If India promotes instability in Pakistan through Afghanistan or the Line of Control it will not be in India's best interests either," he said.
To a question, the spokesman said that Indian diplomats were also invited to witness the Pakistan Day parade on March 23 along with diplomats from other countries.
"We wanted to show the world that we have invited them (Indian) despite what they are doing to our diplomats...We also wanted to show them our capability and resolve," he added.
US Air Force releases video of the future sixth-generation fighter jet, expect these features
By: ENS
The US Air Force on March 22 released a video showcasing the abilities of its conceptual sixth-generation fighter jet, which is also hailed as the Next-Generation Air Dominance or Penetrating Counter Air. In the video we can see the sixth-generation fighter jet, also known as F/X, firing a high energy laser that cuts another fighter in half.
The power of the jet is still unclear, however, it is speculated that it will have longer range, larger payload and will be able to switch between a manned and an unmanned aircraft. The fighter is estimated to travel at hypersonic speeds, and can also be loaded with hypersonic weapons.
The US Air Force is yet to decide on who’s going to develop such a highly-specified aircraft, but officials expected its services to likely start around 2030. A statement released by Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) website, read, “In order to defend America, we need your help to innovate smarter and faster…Our warfighters depend on us to keep the fight unfair and we will deliver.”
The statement also added that the AFRL community will hold several events at universities across the US this spring and summer, where it will interact with various scientific communities, higher education and business professionals.
The video released by AFRL also features the Air Force’s “Loyal Wingman” initiative, in which a manned fighter jet can undertake and control a swarm of attack and surveillance drones. The video also contains DARPA’s “Gremlin” program and the Air Force’s Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project, a missile potential of causing an electronic blackout.
Since 2015, the US Air Force has been suggesting ideas about mounting lasers on planes and jets, such as AC-130s, and F-15s and F-16s. As per a report in the Business Insider, the US government recently awarded a $26.5 million contract to Lockheed Martin for developing lasers for fighter jets.
Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Stepping back from Maldives, India tells China
Original Source: Click Here
By: Indian Express
India has told China it will not intervene in the Maldives and expects it to reciprocate this measure of “strategic trust” by not crossing certain “lines of legitimacy” even as the two countries size each other up in the aftermath of the Doklam crisis last year when they faced off on the plateau.
“The days when India believed that South Asia was its primary sphere of influence and that it could prevent other powers, such as China, from expanding its own clout are long gone,” a senior government official told The Indian Express.
“India cannot claim sole proprietorship of the region. We can’t stop what the Chinese are doing, whether in the Maldives or in Nepal, but we can tell them about our sensitivities, our lines of legitimacy. If they cross it, the violation of this strategic trust will be upon Beijing,” the official said.
So as India gets ready to welcome Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli for a three-day visit on April 6, it is keeping a watchful eye on the rest of the neighbourhood.
Despite some harsh words about India during his election campaign and his overtures to China, Oli is making his first foreign trip to India — and Delhi is taking some comfort on that score.
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale is expected to travel to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh soon.
Sources said he will not go to the Maldives, despite Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen’s messages of peace.
But the senior government official pointed out that the Doklam crisis is an opportunity for both India and China to re-evaluate each other, notwithstanding the widening economic differential between them.
Embarking on a “reset” of its relationship with Beijing in the run-up to the meeting in June between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting — this includes tamping down of its public affection for the Dalai Lama as well as visits to Beijing by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the coming weeks — it is clear that Delhi expects Beijing to reciprocate.
For example, India Monday refrained from issuing a joint statement between the Indian and Chinese commerce ministers at the end of their 11th Joint Economic Group (JEG) meeting, because the Chinese side refused to seriously address India’s massive $51-billion trade deficit with it.
Officials said Indian companies “have been knocking on China’s doors at least for the last decade,” but the Chinese, for one reason or another, have refused access.
“India has in this intervening decade exported billions of dollars of goods to the rest of the world, including the US. There is surely something the Chinese want to buy from us,” one official said.
At the end of the JEG meeting, Delhi issued its own statement in which Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu “exhorted” his counterpart, Zhong Shan, to provide greater market access to farm produce such as rice, soybean and sugar, India’s “high quality pharmaceutical products,” as well as “export of (its) IT and IT-enabled services to China”.
Zhong, meanwhile, only “promised” to address the trade deficit, and laid out yet another roadmap on how this could be done.
The senior Indian official maintained that China must recognise Indian sensitivities, even as Delhi acknowledged Beijing’s rising power worldwide, especially in South Asia.
On the Maldives, for example, the unusual overture to China was made by none other than Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale during his trip to Beijing in February, after the imposition of emergency on the island nation by President Yameen and Delhi’s own statement that “all countries can play a positive role, instead of doing the opposite”.
Delhi’s decision “not to militarily intervene” against Yameen’s emergency is said to be backed by the US and the European Union, both of whom are believed to have left it to India to take a call on next steps. But Delhi seems content to ride out the political storm until at least September when general elections are slated there.
On Beijing building new roads on the Doklam plateau to short-circuit “disputed” Bhutanese territory and come closer to India through the Chumbi valley, the official didn’t seem unusually concerned.
“I don’t think the Chinese will attempt to change the status quo in this area again. They have understood that this region is sensitive for us. In any case, as long as what the Chinese do doesn’t prejudice the India-Bhutan-China trijunction, it doesn’t materially change anything,” the official said.
“The days when India believed that South Asia was its primary sphere of influence and that it could prevent other powers, such as China, from expanding its own clout are long gone,” a senior government official told The Indian Express.
“India cannot claim sole proprietorship of the region. We can’t stop what the Chinese are doing, whether in the Maldives or in Nepal, but we can tell them about our sensitivities, our lines of legitimacy. If they cross it, the violation of this strategic trust will be upon Beijing,” the official said.
So as India gets ready to welcome Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli for a three-day visit on April 6, it is keeping a watchful eye on the rest of the neighbourhood.
Despite some harsh words about India during his election campaign and his overtures to China, Oli is making his first foreign trip to India — and Delhi is taking some comfort on that score.
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale is expected to travel to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh soon.
Sources said he will not go to the Maldives, despite Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen’s messages of peace.
But the senior government official pointed out that the Doklam crisis is an opportunity for both India and China to re-evaluate each other, notwithstanding the widening economic differential between them.
Embarking on a “reset” of its relationship with Beijing in the run-up to the meeting in June between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting — this includes tamping down of its public affection for the Dalai Lama as well as visits to Beijing by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the coming weeks — it is clear that Delhi expects Beijing to reciprocate.
For example, India Monday refrained from issuing a joint statement between the Indian and Chinese commerce ministers at the end of their 11th Joint Economic Group (JEG) meeting, because the Chinese side refused to seriously address India’s massive $51-billion trade deficit with it.
Officials said Indian companies “have been knocking on China’s doors at least for the last decade,” but the Chinese, for one reason or another, have refused access.
“India has in this intervening decade exported billions of dollars of goods to the rest of the world, including the US. There is surely something the Chinese want to buy from us,” one official said.
At the end of the JEG meeting, Delhi issued its own statement in which Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu “exhorted” his counterpart, Zhong Shan, to provide greater market access to farm produce such as rice, soybean and sugar, India’s “high quality pharmaceutical products,” as well as “export of (its) IT and IT-enabled services to China”.
Zhong, meanwhile, only “promised” to address the trade deficit, and laid out yet another roadmap on how this could be done.
The senior Indian official maintained that China must recognise Indian sensitivities, even as Delhi acknowledged Beijing’s rising power worldwide, especially in South Asia.
On the Maldives, for example, the unusual overture to China was made by none other than Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale during his trip to Beijing in February, after the imposition of emergency on the island nation by President Yameen and Delhi’s own statement that “all countries can play a positive role, instead of doing the opposite”.
Delhi’s decision “not to militarily intervene” against Yameen’s emergency is said to be backed by the US and the European Union, both of whom are believed to have left it to India to take a call on next steps. But Delhi seems content to ride out the political storm until at least September when general elections are slated there.
On Beijing building new roads on the Doklam plateau to short-circuit “disputed” Bhutanese territory and come closer to India through the Chumbi valley, the official didn’t seem unusually concerned.
“I don’t think the Chinese will attempt to change the status quo in this area again. They have understood that this region is sensitive for us. In any case, as long as what the Chinese do doesn’t prejudice the India-Bhutan-China trijunction, it doesn’t materially change anything,” the official said.
No Trump hug, but security check for Pakistan PM Abbasi at US airport, With Video
Original Source: Click Here
By: India Today
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi underwent a security check like any normal passenger at a US airport, footage obtained by television and YouTube channels shows.
Grainy visuals (see below) showed Abbasi walking with a coat on one arm, and pulling his suitcase with his other hand.
"PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi faces humiliation at American Airport," proclaimed the headline of a video posted by Capital TV Live on YouTube, although the account was unverified. But similar footage was carried by other channels.
A Times of India report published Tuesday evening said the treatment given to Pakistan's prime minister was "an 'indignity' that has enraged the Pakistani media amid reports that the Trump administration is considering imposing visa bans and other sanctions on individuals in the Pakistani government."
Ties between the US and Pakistan have deteriorated sharply, especially Donald Trump's election to the White House.
Relations have frayed over Islamabad's suspected support for Islamist militants waging war in Afghanistan, something Pakistani officials deny.
A freeze on security aid to Pakistan, announced by the Trump administration early this year, was incorporated in a US spending bill.
The US has also been concerned about Pakistan's development of new nuclear weapons systems, including small tactical nuclear weapons, and has been trying to persuade it to make a unilateral declaration of "restraint".
Watch Video: Will China Clone Russian S-400?
Watch Video: Will China Clone Russian S-400?
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Sri Lanka seeks India and Japan cash to balance China
Original Source: Click Here
By: ET
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka is seeking foreign investment from India, Japan and others amid criticism over his country’s reliance on Chinese loans for infrastructure projects.
In an interview in Colombo, Wickremesinghe defended a deal last year that gave a joint venture led by state-owned China Merchants Port Holdings Co Ltd. a 99-year lease to the southern port of Hambantota. The agreement gave Sri Lanka $1.1 billion in revenue at a time when it’s spending 80 percent of government revenues on servicing outstanding debts.
“On Hambantota, the burden is off us, because China Merchants and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority have taken it over,” Wickremesinghe said on the sidelines of a business conference on Monday.
“We’ve been looking at inviting a broad range of foreign investors," he said. "Initially the investors will come from China, Japan, India. Then the others will follow. We’d like to see them coming in from Europe.”
Since Wickremesinghe took power in 2015, he’s been under pressure to improve Sri Lanka’s finances. A previous administration secured billions of dollars worth of Chinese loans after the South Asian nation emerged battered from three decades of civil war in 2009, contributing to a debt burden that threatens to impede economic growth.
‘Tough Years’ ::
Even with the sale of Hambantota and other concessionary measures, Sri Lanka has been forced to pursue other revenue-raising measures, including a recent tax reform. The country’s total debt to China was $5 billion at the end of 2017, according to government treasury figures.
“It’s an easing of the Chinese part of the debt burden, but we have the international sovereign bonds, so 2018, 2019 and 2020 are going to be tough years for us,” Wickremesinghe said.
Sri Lanka’s $1.5 billion 2027 bonds fell 9 cents on the dollar this year to 96.4 cents on Tuesday, near a record low since issuance last year, according to Bloomberg-compiled data.
The country has $1.5 billion in dollar bonds due in 2019 and another $1 billion in 2020, according to the data. Sri Lanka last paid a $500 million dollar bond in 2015.
India Worries ::
Sri Lanka was an early participant in China’s infrastructure-building plans that eventually became the Belt and Road Initiative backed by hundreds of billions of dollars in financing. Still, its appetite for Chinese cash waned after the debt burden forced it to sell the Hambantota port back to China Merchants Port Holdings.
The deal also prompted concern in India about its geopolitical rival China using a port close to its southern coastline for future military or strategic uses.
Public anger over Chinese debt helped Wickremesinghe rise to power three years ago with President Maithripala Sirisena in a coalition government that pledged to reevaluate China-funded projects they alleged were corrupt. But faced with few good options, the government has since negotiated concessions -- including turning a Chinese freehold land reclamation project in Colombo into a long lease -- while largely pushing ahead with the projects.
The administration’s sale of the Hambantota port in a debt-for-equity swap to China has been criticized by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had originally courted Chinese investment for his home district of Hambantota before losing power in 2015. A new political party backed by Rajapaksa triumphed over the ruling coalition parties in local elections in February.
Wickremesinghe said Monday that Sri Lanka needs to “focus on what is achievable and doable” by courting Asian investors first.
“Just as much as there is the Belt and Road Initiative, the Japanese are also taking a big initiative -- and the Indians,” he said.
Japan is interested in investing in the Colombo port, as well as the undeveloped east coast port of Trincomalee, a colonial-era British naval base, Wickremesinghe said. Indian investors have also expressed interest in a Chinese-built airport in Hambantota that’s barely used and has been criticized as a politically motivated Rajapaksa-era project.
In an interview in Colombo, Wickremesinghe defended a deal last year that gave a joint venture led by state-owned China Merchants Port Holdings Co Ltd. a 99-year lease to the southern port of Hambantota. The agreement gave Sri Lanka $1.1 billion in revenue at a time when it’s spending 80 percent of government revenues on servicing outstanding debts.
“On Hambantota, the burden is off us, because China Merchants and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority have taken it over,” Wickremesinghe said on the sidelines of a business conference on Monday.
“We’ve been looking at inviting a broad range of foreign investors," he said. "Initially the investors will come from China, Japan, India. Then the others will follow. We’d like to see them coming in from Europe.”
Since Wickremesinghe took power in 2015, he’s been under pressure to improve Sri Lanka’s finances. A previous administration secured billions of dollars worth of Chinese loans after the South Asian nation emerged battered from three decades of civil war in 2009, contributing to a debt burden that threatens to impede economic growth.
‘Tough Years’ ::
Even with the sale of Hambantota and other concessionary measures, Sri Lanka has been forced to pursue other revenue-raising measures, including a recent tax reform. The country’s total debt to China was $5 billion at the end of 2017, according to government treasury figures.
“It’s an easing of the Chinese part of the debt burden, but we have the international sovereign bonds, so 2018, 2019 and 2020 are going to be tough years for us,” Wickremesinghe said.
Sri Lanka’s $1.5 billion 2027 bonds fell 9 cents on the dollar this year to 96.4 cents on Tuesday, near a record low since issuance last year, according to Bloomberg-compiled data.
The country has $1.5 billion in dollar bonds due in 2019 and another $1 billion in 2020, according to the data. Sri Lanka last paid a $500 million dollar bond in 2015.
India Worries ::
Sri Lanka was an early participant in China’s infrastructure-building plans that eventually became the Belt and Road Initiative backed by hundreds of billions of dollars in financing. Still, its appetite for Chinese cash waned after the debt burden forced it to sell the Hambantota port back to China Merchants Port Holdings.
The deal also prompted concern in India about its geopolitical rival China using a port close to its southern coastline for future military or strategic uses.
Public anger over Chinese debt helped Wickremesinghe rise to power three years ago with President Maithripala Sirisena in a coalition government that pledged to reevaluate China-funded projects they alleged were corrupt. But faced with few good options, the government has since negotiated concessions -- including turning a Chinese freehold land reclamation project in Colombo into a long lease -- while largely pushing ahead with the projects.
The administration’s sale of the Hambantota port in a debt-for-equity swap to China has been criticized by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had originally courted Chinese investment for his home district of Hambantota before losing power in 2015. A new political party backed by Rajapaksa triumphed over the ruling coalition parties in local elections in February.
Wickremesinghe said Monday that Sri Lanka needs to “focus on what is achievable and doable” by courting Asian investors first.
“Just as much as there is the Belt and Road Initiative, the Japanese are also taking a big initiative -- and the Indians,” he said.
Japan is interested in investing in the Colombo port, as well as the undeveloped east coast port of Trincomalee, a colonial-era British naval base, Wickremesinghe said. Indian investors have also expressed interest in a Chinese-built airport in Hambantota that’s barely used and has been criticized as a politically motivated Rajapaksa-era project.
Pakistan Unfolds Its New Military Doctrine ’Wait And Watch’
Original Post: Click Here
By: Defence Aviation
Pakistan’s recent Military Doctrine ‘Wait and Watch’ suggests continuation of low intensity conflict on the Line of Control (LoC), to increase frequency of infiltration bids and keep the Kashmir cauldron boiling.
The sole objective of the new doctrine is to enhance heat on its eastern neighbour and force India to come to a negotiating table in next two to three years, well informed sources said.
“Pakistan believes that due to economic compulsions, India will be forced to talk to Pakistan on its terms and conditions.”
According to sources, Pakistan has moved its troops close to the border with India to match Indian deployment. Earlier, Pakistan army deployment was almost half the number along the border as that India. Although Pakistan army is under no pressure, it is the Indian army which is facing the impact on the border and LoC as it was being attacked by infiltrators and as well as by Battalion Action Teams (BAT) time and again.
“There is a change in India’s tack, the Indian army is now answering with equal measure to each and every kind of firing from the across the border,” the sources said adding “ this gives little elbow room for Pakistani soldiers to slacken and also keeps them under constant fear and stress.”
“In past two months about 633 ceasefire violations have been registered along the LoC as compared to 860 violations in all last year (2017),” they said.
The situation of the border, the sources said, is not clear whether India’s response has accomplished its objective of preventing Pakistan from sending its armed intruders to Indian side of border in Kashmir.
During a ceasefire violation on January 13 this year a soldier was killed in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district followed by one more causality in the same sector on January 19. On January 20, one soldier of Indian army was killed in Krishna Ghati. On January 21 and 24 two army men succumbed to their wounds after receiving splinter injuries during a border skirmish between Indian and Pakistani troops.
On February 3, a Border Security Force (BSF) personnel was killed in a sniping incident in Keran sector in north Kashmir followed by killing of five army soldiers including a captain were killed when Pakistani troops fired an anti tank missile on a border outpost in Bhimber sector of Rajouri district on February 4. On February 11, a soldier was killed by Pakistani troops in Poonch sector.
Along International Border (IB) in Jammu region BSF has lost three of its personnel in the month of January this year.
In the hinterland, nearly a dozen of soldiers lost their lives in various anti insurgency operations. Six soldiers were killed when militants attacked a military camp near Sunjawan, on the outskirts of Jammu, capital city, last month. One civilian also killed in the incident.
On March 21, three army soldiers and two police personnel were killed in an encounter at Halmatpora forests in Kupwara district near LoC in north Kashmir.
The sole objective of the new doctrine is to enhance heat on its eastern neighbour and force India to come to a negotiating table in next two to three years, well informed sources said.
“Pakistan believes that due to economic compulsions, India will be forced to talk to Pakistan on its terms and conditions.”
According to sources, Pakistan has moved its troops close to the border with India to match Indian deployment. Earlier, Pakistan army deployment was almost half the number along the border as that India. Although Pakistan army is under no pressure, it is the Indian army which is facing the impact on the border and LoC as it was being attacked by infiltrators and as well as by Battalion Action Teams (BAT) time and again.
“There is a change in India’s tack, the Indian army is now answering with equal measure to each and every kind of firing from the across the border,” the sources said adding “ this gives little elbow room for Pakistani soldiers to slacken and also keeps them under constant fear and stress.”
“In past two months about 633 ceasefire violations have been registered along the LoC as compared to 860 violations in all last year (2017),” they said.
The situation of the border, the sources said, is not clear whether India’s response has accomplished its objective of preventing Pakistan from sending its armed intruders to Indian side of border in Kashmir.
During a ceasefire violation on January 13 this year a soldier was killed in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district followed by one more causality in the same sector on January 19. On January 20, one soldier of Indian army was killed in Krishna Ghati. On January 21 and 24 two army men succumbed to their wounds after receiving splinter injuries during a border skirmish between Indian and Pakistani troops.
On February 3, a Border Security Force (BSF) personnel was killed in a sniping incident in Keran sector in north Kashmir followed by killing of five army soldiers including a captain were killed when Pakistani troops fired an anti tank missile on a border outpost in Bhimber sector of Rajouri district on February 4. On February 11, a soldier was killed by Pakistani troops in Poonch sector.
Along International Border (IB) in Jammu region BSF has lost three of its personnel in the month of January this year.
In the hinterland, nearly a dozen of soldiers lost their lives in various anti insurgency operations. Six soldiers were killed when militants attacked a military camp near Sunjawan, on the outskirts of Jammu, capital city, last month. One civilian also killed in the incident.
On March 21, three army soldiers and two police personnel were killed in an encounter at Halmatpora forests in Kupwara district near LoC in north Kashmir.
INDIA ORDERS ADDITIONAL BARAK-1 SHORT-RANGE SAMS
Original Source: Click Here
By: Jane's 360
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has contracted Israel Aerospace Industries/Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to supply additional Barak-1 short-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs).
The contract, which is valued at INR4.6 billion (USD 70.5 million), will see 131 Barak-1 shipborne, point defence missiles delivered to the Indian Navy (IN), the MoD announced in a 20 March statement. The acquisition had been cleared by the ministry in January.
In April 2017 the MoD's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had also cleared the import of 100 Barak-1 SR-SAMs worth INR 5 billion for the IN, but it is believed that no contract was signed thereafter. Prior to that, in October 2014, the MoD had signed a contract to acquire Barak-1s for the service for INR8.75 billion.
Monday, 26 March 2018
Design of LCA Tejas’ next version almost done, AESA Radar next month
By: Tribune News Service
Talking about the next version of the Tejas, called ‘Mark1-A’, Dr Christopher said: “The design other than the AESA radar and the jammer pod is complete.” Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is looking to import the AESA radar even as DRDO made a radar that will be tested next month.
The IAF is looking at 83 ‘Mark1-A’, with 59 improvements over the existing Tejas.
The Indian Air Force has projected a need for 324 fighter jets over 15 years and has officially indicated that it needs the ‘Tejas Mark 2’ (medium combat aircraft). It will carry a more powerful engine and weigh almost 20 per cent heavier than Tejas.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
The IAF is looking at 83 ‘Mark1-A’, with 59 improvements over the existing Tejas.
The Indian Air Force has projected a need for 324 fighter jets over 15 years and has officially indicated that it needs the ‘Tejas Mark 2’ (medium combat aircraft). It will carry a more powerful engine and weigh almost 20 per cent heavier than Tejas.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
Watch Video: Tejas MK-2, What is New?
Doklam Belongs To China, India Should Have “Learnt Lessons”, Says Beijing
By: NDTV
India has pinned the genesis of the Doklam crisis on China, asserting that it was the communist nation that first tried to change the “status quo” in the disputed plateau, eventually leading to the over three-month-long military stand-off.
“The Chinese military changed the status quo in the Doklam area and therefore India reacted to it. Ours was a reaction to the change in the status quo by the Chinese military,” India’s ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale has told Hong Kong-based daily South China Morning Post.
On Monday, reacting to Mr Bambawale’s comments, China asserted that the patch of land — whose strategic value is high for all the parties concerned — in the hilly tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan, belongs to it.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
The tension began in June last year when Indian troops entered the Doklam plateau to stop the Chinese military from building a new road, which New Delhi viewed as a serious security concern because of the access it provides to Beijing. Chinese military positions in Doklam would have been in a position to strike targets in the “Chicken’s Neck” — a strip of land in West Bengal’s Siliguri, which connects India with the states in the north-east.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying today said, “Donglong (Doklam) belongs to China because we have historical conventions.”
In a rather direct statement that appeared to chase the wake that Mr Bambawale left behind after his interview with the Hong Kong daily, Hua added, “China’s activities there (Doklam) are within our sovereign rights. There is no such thing as changing status quo.”
During the tense stand-off in June last year, soldiers from both sides had stared down at each other just 150 metres apart. The Doklam conflict was described as the worst in decades between the two Asian neighbours.
In the news briefing today, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson gave major credit to her country for ending the crisis. “Last year thanks to our concerted efforts and our wisdom we properly resolved this issue. We hope the Indian side could learn some lessons from this and stick to the historical conventions and work with China to ensure the atmosphere in the border areas is conducive for the development of bilateral ties,” Hua said.
Doklam is only one of the friction points between India and China. Under President Xi Jinping, whose term limit has been scrapped so that he could rule indefinitely, China has been working to expand its influence in the region. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC is seen as another pain point between the two neighbours.
Mr Bambawale said if CPEC meets the norms of an international programme, then New Delhi has no problem. “One of the norms is that the project should not violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a country. Unfortunately, there is this thing called the CPEC which violates India’s sovereignty and territory integrity. Therefore, we oppose it,” the Indian envoy told the Hong Kong daily.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
Arjun Mark-2 tank set to see light of day
Original Source: Click Here
By: Tribune India
Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Dr S Christopher in an interview to The Tribune said, “We have had a meeting with the Vice-Chief of the Indian Army where it was agreed on accepting Mark-2. Modalities are being worked out”. Once done, the acceptance of necessity (AON) for 118 will be revived, he added.
The AON is decided by the Defence Acquisition Council headed by the Defence Minister. A total of 93 modifications have been done on the first version of Arjun — 124 were inducted — in 2010-2011.
On being asked if the Army was okay with the weight of the tank, the DRDO boss said: “The weight (the tank is almost 68 tonnes) has been accepted; that is a major change”. Most modern European tanks are of the same weight, and tank-transporters (specialised trucks) for Arjun are available.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
The DRDO has promised to set up a system to maintain the Arjun Mark-2 within India. It will be an annual maintenance contract with the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) as a possible agency, Dr Christopher said. On the trials, he said, “These have done 4,000 kms of run, the upgrades will be tested.”
On artillery guns, Dr Christopher said the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems (ATAGS), of which the Army has agreed to accept 40 pieces to start with, will get a more powerful engine to enable rapid movement. The guns designed by DRDO have been made by two private companies under the transfer of technology.
The DRDO is keen to get a slice of the 1,580 towed guns the Army is looking to buy. “Both companies (Tata Power SED and Bharat Forge) are gearing up produce more. We need an order for 200-300 guns to tie up logistics,” he said.
Talking about the next version of the Tejas, called ‘Mark1-A’, Dr Christopher said: “The design other than the AESA radar and the jammer pod is complete.”
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is looking to import the AESA radar even as DRDO made a radar that will be tested next month. The IAF is looking at 83 ‘Mark1-A’, with 59 improvements over the existing Tejas.
The Indian Air Force has projected a need for 324 fighter jets over 15 years and has officially indicated that it needs the ‘Tejas Mark 2’ (medium combat aircraft). It will carry a more powerful engine and weigh almost 20 per cent heavier than Tejas.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
Behind Indian Global Power Aspiration
Original Post: Click Here
By: Modern Diplomacy
There is no doubt that India’s continuous rise to great and global power status is only aided by the United States (U.S.) to keep the global strategic balance in Washington’s favor. Since past decade, India has tried enough to join the ranks of the great global powers: the idea of a G2 with America is mooted, albeit prematurely. More recently, U.S. top intelligence chief said India perceives its strategic forces as necessary elements to achieve the goal of becoming a global power. Similar predictions came on January 5, 2018, where, a former Obama Administration diplomat said in a book released that more than any time over the past quarter-century, the country (India) is well on its way to global power.
What kind of power is India today? It is not a Great Power, despite having range of nuclear weapons and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Since it lacks serious extra regional power projection capabilities, does not decisively dominate its own region, and is not a system shaping power in either economic or military balance terms. But it is dependent on the blessings of what U.S. has been given them to rise as a great power.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
Until late 1990’s, the U.S. often ignored India. Since then, there has been an increasing focus on India’s economic and military expansion, and its consequences for South Asia and the world. Particularly, it’s the U.S. pivot towards Asian region and the Russia’s new Cold War with the West that have recharged India’s prospects of achieving Great Power status.
There is too much historical baggage for U.S. to make India as a global power. The most obvious reason for the U.S. to see India as a global power is to embrace India as a partner in containing rising China. With this aim, U.S. offered Indians the most advanced and lethal American defence equipment; training their military personnel; intelligence cooperation; lauding India’s stance on ‘terrorism’; investing in India’s defence industries; nuclear reactor sales; support for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, and most importantly giving India a prominent role in Afghanistan in accordance to the U.S. withdrawal strategy.
India’s aim of keeping the U.S. engaged in the affairs of South Asia/Indian Ocean region (IOR) is best exemplified by the U.S.-India bilateral logistics exchange memorandum agreement (LEMOA) signed in August 2016. The LEMOA gives the two countries reciprocal access to their respective military bases for logistics i.e. supplies and fuel.
The U.S. and India have conducted a number of bilateral military exercises with each other, more than with any other country starting from “Yudh Abyas” back in 2002. It is only the U.S. that has openly declared its intention and support to make India rise as a major world power. Not only this, U.S. has also designated India as a “major defense partner” a category created specifically for India to expedite defense technology transfer. The Pentagon has also created “India Rapid Reaction Cell” streamline projects for co-development and co-production of hi-tech military equipment in India. India is the only country to have a specific cell of its kind inside the Pentagon. This all implicates that Washington is investing in a long-term strategic partnership with India to support its ability to serve as a regional economic anchor and provider of security in the Indian Ocean region.
Strategically, the world looks like a different place through the other end of the telescope. The proximate impediment to India’s quest for Great Power status remains Pakistan. It means that Indian diktat will face resistance to be a global power until and unless Pakistan does not accept India’s regional pre-eminence as, strategically, these two giants are interwoven. It will be a fool hardy for India to feel free to play a great global power role as long as it is strategically tied down in South Asia by Pakistan.
Thus, the only aim of the U.S. in assisting India is to keep her strategic advantage in the region by indirectly supporting India. Whereas, India is receiving tangible military and economic benefits from this relationship.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
What kind of power is India today? It is not a Great Power, despite having range of nuclear weapons and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Since it lacks serious extra regional power projection capabilities, does not decisively dominate its own region, and is not a system shaping power in either economic or military balance terms. But it is dependent on the blessings of what U.S. has been given them to rise as a great power.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
Until late 1990’s, the U.S. often ignored India. Since then, there has been an increasing focus on India’s economic and military expansion, and its consequences for South Asia and the world. Particularly, it’s the U.S. pivot towards Asian region and the Russia’s new Cold War with the West that have recharged India’s prospects of achieving Great Power status.
There is too much historical baggage for U.S. to make India as a global power. The most obvious reason for the U.S. to see India as a global power is to embrace India as a partner in containing rising China. With this aim, U.S. offered Indians the most advanced and lethal American defence equipment; training their military personnel; intelligence cooperation; lauding India’s stance on ‘terrorism’; investing in India’s defence industries; nuclear reactor sales; support for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, and most importantly giving India a prominent role in Afghanistan in accordance to the U.S. withdrawal strategy.
India’s aim of keeping the U.S. engaged in the affairs of South Asia/Indian Ocean region (IOR) is best exemplified by the U.S.-India bilateral logistics exchange memorandum agreement (LEMOA) signed in August 2016. The LEMOA gives the two countries reciprocal access to their respective military bases for logistics i.e. supplies and fuel.
The U.S. and India have conducted a number of bilateral military exercises with each other, more than with any other country starting from “Yudh Abyas” back in 2002. It is only the U.S. that has openly declared its intention and support to make India rise as a major world power. Not only this, U.S. has also designated India as a “major defense partner” a category created specifically for India to expedite defense technology transfer. The Pentagon has also created “India Rapid Reaction Cell” streamline projects for co-development and co-production of hi-tech military equipment in India. India is the only country to have a specific cell of its kind inside the Pentagon. This all implicates that Washington is investing in a long-term strategic partnership with India to support its ability to serve as a regional economic anchor and provider of security in the Indian Ocean region.
Strategically, the world looks like a different place through the other end of the telescope. The proximate impediment to India’s quest for Great Power status remains Pakistan. It means that Indian diktat will face resistance to be a global power until and unless Pakistan does not accept India’s regional pre-eminence as, strategically, these two giants are interwoven. It will be a fool hardy for India to feel free to play a great global power role as long as it is strategically tied down in South Asia by Pakistan.
Thus, the only aim of the U.S. in assisting India is to keep her strategic advantage in the region by indirectly supporting India. Whereas, India is receiving tangible military and economic benefits from this relationship.
Watch Video: India-China increasing war preparedness along border
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Original Source: Click Here By: India Today Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi underwent a security check like an... -
Original Source: Click Here By: TOI The month-long winter trials of the indigenously-developed 155mm/52 calibre Advanced Towed Ar...
