WASHINGTON, 22 June 2020, TON: Tahawwur Hussain Rana and his close associate, David Headley alias Syed Dawood Gilani, an American national who were mastermind of 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people and injured hundreds other were arrested by US Court and both confessed their involvement in masterminding the terrorism in Indian city of Mumbai.

Interestingly, both these individuals and their families belong to Shia (Shiite) faith and cannot have any connection with an orthodox Sunni group Lashkar-e-Tayyiaba but court mistakenly mentioned their links with Sunni groups, which lack substance and any base. There are also reports that family of Tahawwur Hussain Rana belongs to a minority groups in Pakistan and their asylum papers mentions the same. India has planned to use Tahawwur Hussain Rana against Pakistan to put diplomatic pressure..

Attorney of absconder military terrorist, Tahawwur Hussain Rana submitted his plea while the federal government's response is due by 26 June. The next hearing is scheduled on 30 June 2020. A federal jury convicted him of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism in Denmark and to Lashkar-e-Tayyiaba in Mumbai attacks inside India. It was transpired during Tahawwur Hussain Rana's trial in Chicago that evidences that attackers linked with Rana were planning to storm the Jyllands Posten facility in Copenhagen, take hostages, behead innocent employees of the newspaper, throw their heads to the street below, and set up a stronghold fight to the death with Danish forces. With regard to Mumbai attacks, his associate David Headley testified at trial that Rana provided him the cover to conduct surveillance of Mumbai for the attacks. 

As per the details, top terrorist was released from jail on compassionate ground after testing positive for the COVID-19 was rearrested in Los Angeles on 10 June following an extradition request by India, where he is a declared fugitive while US District Judge Jacqueline Chooljian of the Central District of California has scheduled his hearing on 30 June 2020. Assistant US Attorney John J Lulejian told a federal court in Los Angeles last week that there are fears that he may flee to Canada or some other place.

 According to the extradition treaty between Canada and India, extradition may be refused when the offence for which extradition is requested is punishable with death under the laws of the requesting state and the laws of the requested state do not provide such punishment for the conduct constituting the offence, unless India assures Canada that the death penalty shall not be executed, if imposed. US is trying to handover Tahawwur Hussain Rana to India to face trial in connection with Mumbai attacks.

NEW DELHI, 17 June 2020, TON: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has summoned leaders of major political parties at New Delhi on Friday, 19^th June to carry out a brainstorming on options in the prevailing situation on Chinese and Nepalese borders. If we recall, during his Wednesday’s speech Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “India wants peace but is capable of giving a reply if situation demands.”

In response to phone call by Indian Minister for External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned New Delhi not to underestimate Beijing’s determination to safeguard what it considers its sovereign territory. China has responded to misadventure by India forces which crossed the Line of Actual Control first and tried to justify India action. Casual response from Washington over ongoing rift between India and China on LAC has led India to adopt a peaceful strategy.

Meanwhile, Chinese side has asked Indian side to carryout investigation first to ascertain who is at fault. Beijing desires an apology from Indian side for escalating the situation at Line of Actual Control (LAC). On the other hand Indian side is justifying its action on the ground that China has erected a structure in the Galwan Valley. Satellite images revealed no new construction in the last two months other than communication pathways early this year at quite a distance from LAC.

The United Nations associate spokesperson Eri Kaneko urged both sides to exercise maximum restraint and said, “We take positive note of reports that the two countries have engaged to de-escalate the situation to exercise maximum restraint.”

ISLAMABAD, 15 June 2020, TON: The Pakistani authorities have alerted its security apparatus as Indian authorities have tasked their personnel posted at the Indian Embassy in Islamabad to carryout nefarious acts. Last month Indian officials hired Kashmiris holding Pakistani national identity cards to cross over the Indian side of Line of Control to meet officials of D Company of Border Security Force. Sources at Mirpur and Rawalakot confirmed that they were tasked to smuggle made in Pakistan arms and ammunition into Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and India through Ferozpur.

It is interesting to note that today on Monday 15 June, Indian Embassy claimed that two junior officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad along with their official vehicle went missing and their whereabouts are not known. The sources inside Embassy claimed that they had no knowledge of any such incident and it was not immediately known if they had returned or not.

ISLAMABAD, 10 June 2020, TON: A senior Indian diplomat was summoned to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jandrot Sector, on 9th June 2020, resulting in serious injuries to four innocent civilians. Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces, 26 years old Nasreen Akhtar d/o Ali Akhtar, resident of Sandhara village; 24 years old Rabia w/o Muhammad Shakeel and 7 years old Momina d/o Muhammad Hameed residents of Dera Sher Khan village; and 7 years old Munshi s/o Sukan Din, resident of Bamroch village sustained serious injuries.

The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons.

In 2020, India has so far committed 1296 ceasefire violations resulting in 7 martyrdom and serious injuries to 98 innocent civilians. Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts are in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and are also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct. These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security.

It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K). Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding; investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB. The Indian side was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Charter.

MOLDO, 6 June 2020, TON: A high level face to face meeting between senior military officers of China and India was scheduled on Saturday at Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) point in Moldo on the Chinese side in the Ladakh sector.

Corps Commander 14 Corps, Lt Gen Harinder Singh from Indian side and Commander South Xinjiang Military Region, Major General Liu Lin from Chinese chaired the meeting.  Indian side demanded PLA withdrawal from Pangong Tso, Hot Springs and Galwan Valley while Chinese side highlighted a list of Line of Actual Control (LAC) violations in establishment of BoPs and road infrastructure. 

The meeting ended in a failure as both side could not reach to any agreement to return to April 2020 positions. The Chinese side made it clear that unless New Delhi remove all the encroachments in the form of infrastructures and stop trespassing of unmanned Chinese areas, further talks would be fruitless.  

Narrating the outcome of the meeting, Chushul based commanding Office of an Infantry Battalion who also witnessed talks said that such issue cannot be resolved in one meeting. The communication is in progress in which India has been asked to ensure certain actions as a prerequisite for the next meeting.

The Chinese side has reprimanded Indian side for LAC violations including espionage through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). As per Article V of the 1996 Agreement between India and China  aircraft cannot fly within 10 km of the LAC, allowing survey aircrafts and helicopters to fly up to the distance one kilometers from the LAC. 

Meanwhile, at New Delhi the US Ambassador held meeting with the Government and military officers. However, Embassy sources have not confirmed of either the meeting taking place or not.  

MANIPUR, 3 June 2020, TON: Indian Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla has claimed that he received a call on Wednesday from Chief Secretary Manipur, J. Suresh Babu, insisting to take prompt military action against NSCN elements.  This was in continuation to a written request this year by the Chief Minister to the Centre at New Delhi on 14 May, requesting deployment of Indian forces in Manipur and Nagaland. Interestingly, such a military actions is being planned despite existence of effective cease fire agreement between New Delhi and the NSCN elements.

The Indian Army and the security forces have announced total ban on coverage of Freedom Fighters in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tamil belt and Arunachal Pradesh in the coming days to launch operations. A personnel engaged in operation disclosed that Assam Rifles has lost two personnel and three injured.

KATMANDU, 1 June 2020, TON: In a recent development, Katmandu has alerted its forces not to allow New Delhi to have an inch of Nepalese territory. Nepal had protested against construction of roads connecting the Lipulekh pass with Kailash Mansarovar route and has deployed bulk of its forces as well as established security post near the area.

An inscription on a pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in 249 B.C. testifies Buddha was born in 623 B.C. in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the plains of southern Nepal. However, a plot in 2010, Indian-American journalist Fareed Zakaria, stated in his book that the Buddha was Indian.

India is at war with many countries, in fact with all its neigbours. Nepal is no exception. Interestingly, Indian media telecast promotional videos on its channels, claiming that the Buddha was born in India. To correct the record Nepal circulated a 100-rupee note with the imprint, “Lumbini: The Birthplace of Lord Buddha.” The currency is part Nepalese government’s effort snub India for making false claims that there is link between Hindus and Buddhist heritage. Every Nepalese is clear that Buddha was born in Nepal and that Buddhist philosophy is the product of Nepal and not India or Pakistan. However, this year India celebrated 7 May 2020, as 2582nd Birth Anniversary of Gautama Buddha and claimed Buddhist heritage.

NEW DELHI, 29 May 2020, TON:  Sources at White House claimed that there was unofficial contact between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday over the ongoing border dispute between India and China. However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs claims that there has been no conversation between the two leaders since 4 April 2020.

White House highlighting "big conflict between India and China’ quoted President trump having said, "I can tell you; I did speak to Prime Minister Modi. He is not in a good mood about what is going on with China". A day earlier, international media claimed that the US President offered to mediate between India and China.

Meanwhile, India External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava was quoted to have said privately that India has halted additional deployment on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Nepalese border to allow through dialogue channels to prevail. In the latest development New Delhi have clam down her tone and now not insisting Chinese military to leave the area. The statement said, “there has been no withdrawal of the Chinese troops and neither there has been addition of any new Indian troops at the LAC. It’s a status quo-like situation”.

If we recall, the situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated after more than 300 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent scuffle on the evening 5 May 2020 that resulted in the serious injuries of Indian soldiers. New Delhi had to calm down her tone and stop additional deployment after Washington refused to extend military privilege by US troops stationed in Leh area exhibit Indo-US show force to the Chinese in eastern Ladakh.

KHATMANDU, 28 May 2020, TON: Nepal’s Defence Minister Ishwar Pokhrel has said in a statement, “The Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane’s remarks about Nepal that it is acting at the behest of others in raising a border dispute and Nepal's protest against India as "political stunt” has hurt the sentiments of the Nepali Gurkha army personnel who lay down their lives to protect India.” There are more than 35,000 Nepalese Gurkhas serving in the Gurkha Rifles regiments of the Indian Army.

Kathmandu has officially lodged complaint with India over opening of a new road to Lipulekh to facilitate people making the pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet and said that the statement of Indian Army Chief came in an embarrassing manner at a time when Nepal has been trying resolving the border issue through diplomatic dialogue. Reportedly, in a statement, Nepal's Defence Minister made India clear that Nepalese Army will fight if necessary.

PULWAMA, 28 May 2020, TON: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Range, Vijay Kumar on Thursday claimed to have averted a major tragedy by security forces when Police intercepted a car fitted with around 45-kg Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in southern Pulwama district. As per the details, IGP addressed a press conference in Srinagar, and disclosed that on the tip of Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police intercepted a private car jointly operated by the Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Muhammad militants in which at least 40 to 45 kgs of explosive material was fitted in a bid to target security forces.

IGP Vijay Kumar said, “Alerted by Indian Army Police set up special Nakas at various points since yesterday. Our men stopped the suicide attacker at two Naka points (Check Post) and fired warning shots at both the sites. The attacker abandoned their vehicle at Naka and left behind the vehicle late night yesterday in Ayagund area of Rajpora in Pulwama district.” He added, “a militant identified as Adil who works for Hizb and Jaish and two other militants of these outfits were behind the act.”

The personnel of 183 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)  however, refuted the claim and said that they saw at least one of the vehicles on Tuesday morning in an abandoned condition in Ayagund area and there was no traces of IED or explosive in the vehicle. The bomb disposal squad also claimed that they were alerted on Tuesday night; however, they were requisitioned on Thursday morning to check a civilian pattern vehicle, which was carrying Nitrogen Fertilizers, “Calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN)” which may be used in preparation of explosive material.