ISLAMABAD, 23 September 2021, (TON): The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on “a contingent of Pakistan Army participated in the opening ceremony of "Peace Mission" joint exercise under the ambit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) platform held at Donguz training area, Orenburg region in Russia.”

The military's media wing said that Colonel General Alexander Pavlovich Lapin, Commander of Central Military District Russian armed forces was the chief guest at the opening ceremony.

It added "troops from all Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states are participating in the exercise under extremely challenging field environment. Belarus is taking part in the exercise as an observer.”

ISPR said that a tri-services contingent of the Pakistan Army is participating in the military drills.

The exercise is focused on anti-terrorist operations and best practices in the counter-terrorism domain, it further said.

The joint exercises are seen as another step in growing military-to-military cooperation, indicating steady growth in the relationship between the two countries, whose ties had been marred by Cold War rivalry for decades.

ISLAMABAD, 23 September 2021, (TON): Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that the device used to send a threat to the New Zealand cricket team belonged to India.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the minister said that the entire situation started due to a fake post by someone claiming to be Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) member Ehsanullah Ehsan.

Fawad said that in August, a fake post was created under Ehsan's name which told the New Zealand cricket board and government to refrain from sending the team to Pakistan as it would be "targeted".

He said that following this post, the bureau chief of The Sunday Guardian, Abhinandan Mishra, published an article claiming that the team may face a terror threat in Pakistan citing the fake post by Ehsan.

According to its website, The Sunday Guardian was founded by politician MJ Akbar, who served as the minister for external affairs in the Modi-led BJP government till 2018.

He said "interestingly, [Mishra] has strong links with [former Afghanistan vice president] Amrullah Saleh."

He said that on August 24, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill's wife received an email threatening her husband from ID with the username "Tehreek-i-Labbaik".

He said "when we investigated further, we discovered some facts. Firstly, this email is not affiliated with any social media network and only one email has been generated from this account.”

NEW YORK, 23 September 2021, (TON): The United Nations aid chief said “he had released $45 million in emergency funds to help prevent Afghanistan's battered healthcare system from collapsing.”

Martin Griffiths, the UN's Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned in a statement that “medicines, medical supplies and fuel are running out in Afghanistan.”

He said “cold chains are compromised. Essential healthcare workers are not being paid.”

Afghanistan's healthcare system was plunged into crisis after the Taliban swept into power last month, complicating aid deliveries and leaving many health facilities understaffed.

In a bid to avert catastrophe, Griffiths said he was releasing funds from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund to boost life-saving support in Afghanistan.

He said “allowing Afghanistan's healthcare delivery system to fall apart would be disastrous.”

“People across the country would be denied access to primary health care such as emergency caesarian sections and trauma care.”

The funds, he said, would go to the UN's health and children's agencies, allowing them with the help of partner NGOs to keep hospitals and other health facilities operating until the end of the year.

NEW YORK, 23 September 2021, (TON): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called for a solution to the decades-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan on the basis of the United Nations resolutions.

Addressing the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), he said in a wide-ranging speech to the 193-member assembly “we maintain our stance in favour of solving the ongoing problem in Kashmir for 74 years, through dialogue between the parties and within the framework of relevant United Nations resolutions.”

President Erdogan has consistently raised the Kashmir issue at the annual sessions of the UNGA.

At the 75th session, the Turkish leader had said "the Kashmir conflict, which is also key to the stability and peace in South Asia, is still a burning issue. Steps taken following the abolition of the special status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir further complicated the problem."

His espousal of the Kashmir cause has evoked strong protests from India, which claims that Jammu and Kashmir is its “internal matter".

Meanwhile, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, secretary general of Washington-based advocacy group World Kashmir Awareness Forum, welcomed President Erdogan's reference to the Kashmir issue, saying his words have given the Kashmiri people encouragement.

President Erdogan's message, he said “is aimed at the promotion of dialogue among all parties to the dispute.”

"This is the only means of achieving a genuine and lasting peace in this volatile conflict," Fai said, adding that Kashmiri people have suffered too long.”

NAYPYITAW, 23 September 2021, (TON): Three young anti-coup activists were arrested in Yangon’s Tamwe Township and accused of helping to rob two banks to raise funds for armed resistance against the junta.

Win Htet Mar, who is the former chair of a local branch of the Youth for a New Society activist group, was detained at 9:30am at her apartment on 152nd street.

A fellow activist said “residents from Win Htet Mar’s neighbourhood told me that plainclothes officers from the military broke into the apartment she was staying in.”

He added “Kyaw Zin Lin and Pyae Phyo Kyaw, two activists from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, were arrested in Tamwe later that afternoon.”

He told media “the two were together when the military made the arrests. I think the soldiers came to their apartment after arresting Win Htet Mar.”

Relatives said “they do not know where the three are being held.”

The activists all played leading roles in street protests against the coup regime after the military seized power in February.

Military-run newspapers on Wednesday accused the three activists of being involved in robberies at two branches of the Global Treasure Bank, in South Okkalapa and Mayangon townships, on July 15 and August 30.

DHAKA, 23 September 2021, (TON): Bangladesh Army quartermaster general Lieutenant General Md Saiful Alam called on Indian Army chief General MM Naravane in India and discussed issues of ‘mutual interest’.

The Additional Directorate General of Public Information of the Indian Army on its verified twitter also published some of photographs of the meeting.

An Indian news agency, reported that the meeting of ‘mutual interest’ was held at the South Block in Indian capital of New Delhi.

In July, the then Directorate General of Forces Intelligence director general Saiful Alam was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed quartermaster general of the Bangladesh Army.

An Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate official said that Lieutenant General Saiful was scheduled to return to Bangladesh from Indian on September 27.

DHAKA, 23 September 2021, (TON): Kuwaiti prime minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah has proposed formulation of a roadmap on bilateral cooperation in a meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

‘He Kuwait PM said “they want to prepare a roadmap and an actionable programme (jointly with Bangladesh) in next five years,’ foreign minister AK Abdul Momen told a news briefing in New York following the meeting at the UN headquarters..

Momen described the meeting ‘very fruitful’ and said in line with the two premiers’ talks he would meet his Kuwaiti counterpart to sort out the areas of cooperation, required for mutual benefits.

The foreign minister said “the Kuwait’s PM also expressed his country’s interest to set up an oil refinery in Bangladesh while sought to share Bangladesh expertise in training their defence forces.”

He said “Sheikh Hasina welcomed the proposals and assured her counterpart of providing required land for the proposed refinery.”

He added ‘we will provide you with the necessary (military) training and technical support.”

Bangladesh had extended its support towards Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War sending military troops while as recognition of that gesture Kuwait named a military unit of theirs as Bangladesh contingent.

NAYPYITAW, 23 September 2021, (TON): The Myanmar army reportedly suffered heavy casualties during a clash with a joint force made up of troops from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and local People’s Defence Force (PDF) Sagaing Region’s Katha Township.

The KIA-PDF alliance attacked the junta’s armed forces in the Moedar area, adjacent to Kachin State and located on the banks of the Irrawaddy River.

Around 40 junta soldiers were killed by the resistance force but neither the KIA nor the PDF suffered casualties, according to a statement released by the defence ministry of the National Unity Government (NUG) later that day.

The NUG did not respond to media request for comment.

The military council did not publish any information on the fighting in Katha.

KIA information official Col Naw Bu confirmed Monday’s clash but said he could not confirm the number of Myanmar army troops killed. 

He told media “I only heard that the wounded soldiers were being treated,”

He added that the junta’s armed forces had withdrawn from the area where the battle took place.

KABUL, 22 September 2021, (TON): The acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund met representatives of Pakistan, China and Russia in Kabul, Taliban spokesperson Ahmadullah Muttaqi said in a tweet from his official handle.

Without providing details, the spokesperson posted pictures of the meeting where Pakistan’s special envoy on Afghanistan affairs Muhammad Sadiq was also present.

Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov met Mohammad Hasan Akhund, acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan appointed by the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) movement.

We will provide a detailed statement after this meeting is over, it will be published at the Foreign Ministry’s website.

The meeting comes days after Pakistan, Russia, China and Iran asked the United States and its Western allies, which were part of the 20-year-long war in Afghanistan, to bear “primary responsibility” for the post-conflict reconstruction of Afghanistan.

The leaders called on the US to engage with the Taliban, though they also urged the new Afghan rulers to yield power to a more inclusive government, remain peaceful to neighbours and combat terrorism and drug trafficking.

The calls were made by the leaders while addressing the summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) – an eight-member regional alliance, also including four Central Asian states, as well as India – held in the Tajik capital Dushanbe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the SCO should “use its potential” to “stimulate the new Afghan authorities” in fulfilling their promises on normalising life and bringing security in Afghanistan.

BRUSSELS, 22 September 2021, (TON): European Union foreign ministers expressed support and solidarity with France on Monday during a meeting in New York to discuss Australia’s scrapping of a $40 billion submarine order with Paris in favor of a U.S. and British deal.

Speaking after the closed-door meeting on the sidelines annual U.N. gathering of world leaders, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said “more cooperation, more coordination, less fragmentation” was needed to achieve a stable and peaceful Indo-Pacific region where China is the major rising power.

Australia said last week “it would cancel an order for conventional submarines from France and instead build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. and British technology after striking a security partnership with those countries under the name AUKUS.

Borrell said “Certainly, we were caught by surprise by this announcement.”

The decision enraged France and in New York French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian accused U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration of continuing his predecessor Donald Trump’s trends of “unilateralism, unpredictability, brutality and not respecting your partner.”

The United States has sought to assuage the anger in France, a NATO ally. French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden are due to speak on the phone in the next few days.