SRINAGAR, 18 February 2020, TON: A company strength of Indian Infantry Battalion has been deployed outside the Hyderpora residence of top Kashmiri Pakistani leaders, Syed Ali Geelani to ensure his total isolation and cutoff from rest of the world. After the health issues of Syed Ali Geelani many Kashmiris wanted to visit his at his residence but were not allowed to meet him or come near his residence to ensure that no one enters the house to inquire about his health. The forces are vigorously searching vehicles and frisking people before sending them back from the area.

Hurriyat leaders and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front in their separate statements urged the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, to play his role in settlement of the Kashmir dispute in light of UN resolutions. They also demanded the release of all Kashmiri political detainees including Syed Ali Geelani and Muhammad Yasin Malik.

In a recent statement by the Indian authorities from New Delhi it was revealed, “Syed Ali Geelani  condition was stable, though he continues to suffer from chest infection”.  However, the local Kashmiris and across Line of Control are concerned as Syed Ali Geelani is not allowed access to medical treatment in the hospital.

NEW DELHI, 18 February 2020, TON: British Labour Member of Parliament Debbie Abrahams while strongly condemning Indian Prime Minister Modi for his anti-Muslim citizenship laws and highlighted the atrocities faced by the Kahmiris. In reaction to her campaign, New Delhi banned entry of Debbie Abrahams. Indian Ministry of Home Affairs claimed that Debbie Abrahams was notified that her visa was canceled. However, the MP Debbie Abrahams denied any such communication from Indian authorities and claimed that her visa was valid until October 2020. In her statement to to press, she said that she received no notifications regarding any cancellation.

Ms Abrahams chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group for Kashmir. On 5 August 2019, Abrahams had written to India’s High Commissioner to the UK expressing grave concerns over removal of Article 370. She also wrote to the UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, asking him “what action he is taking in light of India’s threat to remove Article 370 from their constitution”.

 It is worth noting that recently a group of 154 members of the European Parliament has drafted a resolution against India’s Citizenship Amendment Act. It describes the CAA as discriminatory and dangerously divisive but also a violation of India’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

PARIS, 17 February 2020, TON: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary and working group meetings will run from 16^th February till 21^st February 2020 in Paris. Attended by more than 800 representatives from 205 countries and jurisdictions around the world, the meetings are expected to bring some positive change in the financial systems. The issues under consideration by the FATF watchdog will discuss global money laundering and terror financing as well as progresses made by countries that the FATF claim are a risk to the financial system. The sponsors include IMF, UN, World Bank and other organizations. 

Reportedly, Pakistan's crucial Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary decided to keep Pakistan in the FATF's 'Grey List'. If we recall, FATF had put Pakistan on its grey list in June 2017 because of deficiencies in the country’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering of Terrorist Financing regulations. Last meeting of FATF was held from 13 to 18 October 2018 which announced that only five of 27 action items and gave Pakistan time till February 2020 to fully implement the FATF’s 27-point action plan. Only two countries, North Korea and Iran, are on the FATF blacklist.

LAHORE, 17 February 2020, TON: Kabaddi World Cup final was played at Punjab Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, 16 February 2020, between Pakistan and India.  Pakistan defeated India 43-41 to become champions for the first time.

The score was 24-18 at half time; Pakistan took lead in the second half to become the new world champions.

Total nine teams including hosts Pakistan, India, Germany, Azerbaijan, Iran, Canada, Sierra Leone, England and Australia features in the Kabaddi World Cup 2020, which was jointly organised by Punjab government, Sports Board Punjab and Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF). The matches were played at three venues including Punjab Stadium Lahore, Iqbal Cricket Stadium Faisalabad and Zahoor Elahi Stadium Gujrat.

Punjab Stadium, which has 10,000 sitting capacity, but around 12,000 to 13,000 spectators were present inside the venue while around 3,000 to 4,000 were standing outside

At the concluding ceremony, chief guest Governor Punjab awarded the winning trophy and PKR 10 million to victorious Pakistan team while handed over PKR 7.5 million and silver medals to runners-up India.

ISLAMABAD, 16 February 2020, TON: Pakistan’s Consulate General in Jeddah on Saturday issued a statement to counter an online propaganda campaign against Saudi Arabia, issuing a clarification that no Pakistan-specific repatriation was happening in the Kingdom as maintained by some social media users. All foreign nationals who are either living in the country illegally without valid documents or working without Iqama or have an expired work permit or doing a job at a place not mentioned on the Iqama or working outside of their declared profession have to deal with the situation. Saudi Arabia is home to about 2.6 million Pakistani expats and on Saturday, around 400 Pakistanis were brought to the Shumaisi Deportation Center near Makkah for deportation.

ISLAMABAD, 16 February 2020, TON: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in Islamabad on Sunday as part of his three-day visit to the country to attend an international conference on Afghan refugees which is being hosted by Pakistan.

The two-day event, from February 17 to 18, will mark four decades since the refugees first moved to Pakistan to escape a decades-old conflict plaguing neighboring Afghanistan.

Secretary General Guterres arrived at the Nur Khan Air Base, Chaklala in Rawalpindi on Sunday where he was received by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram and officials from Pakistan Foreign Office and Ministry of Information.  

Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan will be inaugurating the Afghan refugees’ conference tomorrow which is expected to see the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, and ministers and senior officials from around 20 countries who have been supporting the Afghan refugees across the globe and in Pakistan.

It is added that present; Pakistan is host to nearly 1.4 million registered refugees, as data compiled by the UNHCR.

KATHUA, 15 February 2020, TON: Indian security forces carried out unprovoked firing and heavy shelling from positions at Hiranagar sector in occupied Jammu & Kashmir’s Kathua district on Saturday morning.

The Borders Security Forces and piquets of Indian infantry battalions targeted residential areas of nearby villages across the Line of Control (LoC) where three women injured. There were reports of damages caused to some houses. Pakistan security forces retaliated and caused loss to Indian forces, however, Indian side has so far not reported any loss to human life or injuries.

WASHINGTON, 15 February 2020, TON: US President Donald Trump tweeted that he has the legal right to intervene in criminal cases after his US Attorney General complained White House tweets were making his job impossible. 

There is a debate whether the US president has the authority to order the Attorney General to open or close a case. The US Department of Justice is autonomous and meant to operate without political interference ever since the Watergate scandal of 1970s.

Mr Trump has in the past had called for investigations into perceived enemies, such as former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

On Friday, Mr McCabe's lawyers disclosed that Justice Department had closed its criminal inquiry into whether their client had lied to investigators about leaks to the media or not.

PULWAMA, 14 February 2020, TON: One Year Passed to Pulwama Attack, 14 February marks anniversary of terror attack in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir State. There are many questions which Indian public and the international community is asking from the Indian leadership about the attacks but still unanswered. Here is the fact which was published in Pulse soon after the attack. May be this answers the riddle, which India is hiding. See Inside Story on The Orient News.

One Year Passed to Pulwama Attack, 14 February marks anniversary of terror attack in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir State. There are many questions which Indian public and the international community is asking from the Indian leadership about the attacks but still unanswered. Here is the fact which was published in Pulse soon after the attack. May be this answers the riddle, which India is hiding.

Top Pakistani-Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Mailk and other leaders had given a call for a complete shutdown in Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir State for 13 and 14 February 2019 against the highhanded attitude of India’s highest court. They threatened to launch a mass agitation if Indian state engineered adverse announcement and ambiguity over the dates of hearing of 35-A and 370 by Supreme Court prevails. It is worth noting that a petition seeking abrogation of constitutional amendment 35-A is being heard at Supreme Court of India. The Article gives power to Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to define the State Citizens or permanent residents of the State and their rights & privileges. It prohibits non-permanent residents from permanent settlement in the state, acquiring immovable property, government jobs, scholarships and aid. In another judgment in October 2002, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court held that women married to non-permanent residents will not lose their rights; however, the children of such women will lose succession rights.

To avoid another Burhan Wani type mass agitation against Indian occupying forces and Intelligence agencies, on 13 February 2019, engineered a blast at Falah-i-Millat school in Narbal village, Kakapora Town of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district which left at least 23 students seriously injured. Interestingly, all educational institutions are closed in the Kashmir Valley these days due to winter vacations. The incident attracted protests by the Kashmiris on the ground that grenade attack was planted by the Indian security forces. Jammu and Kashmir's Governor Satya Pal Malik reacted swiftly to control the situation by approving Rs 50,000 to each injured student. As the security situation in Kashmir Valley was already tense, the incident naturally resulted in clashes between protester and Indian security forces, which went out of control. Indian security forces requested for additional troops to control the situation. Accordingly, additional Para Military Forces and hardcore military troops were approved and move orders issued for their deployment.

Next day, on 14 February 2019, a very large convey of 2,602 personnel, comprising of some undercover Special Police Officers (SPOs), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, Indian Army personnel attached with Commando Training Centre at Lethpora and elements from Divisional Headquarters were on their way at Jammu Highway at Latoomode in Awantipora, for deployment on security as well as election duties, when a explosion took place. Resultantly, a bus carrying around 49 personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) exploded, killing all the personnel and scores of others injured. Indian authorities’ version is that the ill-fated bus–HR 49 F 0637 was hit by a private vehicle coming from opposite direction that was loaded with around 100 kilograms of explosives. However, certain CRPF personnel claimed that RDX was planted under the bus and there is no truth about collusion with private car. On ground evidence reflects that the February 14th Pulwama attack was handiwork of Indian Intelligence agencies.

Ironically, immediately after the incident, the Indian authorities announced that Adil Ahmad Dar alias Waqas Commando from Kakapora in Pulwama of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) accepted the responsibility of 14 February 2019 attack. Media referred a video on YouTube and photos of an armed man who claimed that all the major Mujahideen actions and other terrorist attacks taking place in India including IC 814 aircraft, Indian Parliament attack, Badami Bagh attacks, Thangdar and Nagrotta attacks, Pathankot Air Base, Pulwama Police Lines, BSF Camp near Srinagar Airport, attacks on Caspers were carried out by JeM. In the end of the video the armed man declared that he is scarifying his life and there are thousands other who are prepared for the same. One wonders what can be the authenticity of this video and what are the evidences that that armed man on YouTube was referring to 14th February Pulwama attack.

In reaction of the attack, the Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, in a statement said, "I want to tell the terrorist groups and their masters that they have committed a big mistake. They have to pay a heavy price”. He added, “Security forces have been given a free hand to deal with terrorists." Indian Foreign Ministry has claimed that US National Security Adviser John Bolton has spoken to Ajit Doval and ensured Indian authorities Washington’s support to bring those responsible for a deadly car bombing in disputed Kashmir to justice. To pressurize neighbouring Pakistan, Indian Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has decided in principle to withdrawn Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status accorded to Pakistan and launch a state sponsored extensive campaign to malign Pakistan in order internationally isolate her.

India has also directed its High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria to report back at New Delhi while Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood was summoned at Foreign Office to lodge protest over the Pulwama attack. Interesting, Indian agencies claim that they have already handed over the list of individuals and groups working against India and those operations are being planned against them in Pakistan. No doubt, Jammu & Kashmir is a disputed State which requires an immediate solution. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions for a plebiscite in Jammu & Kashmir to allow Kashmiris their right of self-determination serves as a yardstick for the resolution of Kashmir issue. This is high time that UNO, European Union, Amnesty International and other human right organizations decide once for all to declare year 2019 as year to resolve Kashmir issue so that India, Pakistan and the Kashmiris could live peacefully in the years to come.