NEW DELHI, 16 January 2021, (TON): The Sixth Meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission was held in New Delhi on Friday. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Nepalese Minister for Foreign Affairs and his Indian counterpart Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs attended the meeting along with their team members. During the Meeting, both sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. 

The Meeting discussed the boundary matter and expressed the commitment to early completion of the boundary works in the remaining segments. It also discussed the review of the Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950, submission of the report of the Eminent Persons Group, and air entry routes. 

The two Ministers expressed satisfaction over the progress achieved in increasing cross-border infrastructure and connectivity, strengthening of development partnership and expeditious implementation of major ongoing projects and initiatives, including the first cross-border petroleum products pipeline, Integrated Check Posts at major border crossing points, railway links, power transmission lines, upgradation of roads and motorable bridges. The meeting agreed to further speed up the implementation of the ongoing and planned bilateral projects such as the new Integrated Check Posts/Inland Container Depot, including at Dodhara-Chadani, remaining cross border railways, roads, and transmission lines, among others. 

The Joint Commission deliberated on the progress in the discussions held between the two sides to review the bilateral treaties on trade, transit and rail services. Both sides agreed for an early conclusion of the review of Treaty of Trade, Treaty of Transit and the amendments to Rail Services Agreement with a view to further strengthen cooperation in these fields. Progress in operationalization of connectivity through inland waterways was also discussed. 

The meeting agreed to expedite the work for 400 Kv Butwal-Gorakhpur cross-border transmission line. Reiterating the importance of Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project and taking note of the positive discussion at the recent bilateral meeting of the Secretary-level delegations held in New Delhi, the Joint Commission agreed for early finalization of the project DPR. The Meeting also deliberated on the inundation problems facing people living in border areas especially due to non-tagging of embankments, interlinking of drains, and inadequate drainage provision.

The Nepali delegation to the meeting included H.E Mr Nilamber Acharya, the Ambassador of Nepal to India, Mr Bharat Raj Paudyal, the Foreign Secretary, Mr Laxman Aryal, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Population and the officials of various ministries, departments and the Embassy. 

WASHINGTON, 16 January 2021, (TON):  UN Ambassador Samantha Power has been nominated to run US Agency For International Development (USAID). Samantha Power was born in Dublin in 1970 and is Irish-origin American. She is author of book, A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide which won international prize.

Samantha Power started her career as journalist. She served in the President Barack Hussain Obama’s administration as US ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017. From 2009 to 2013, she served on the National Security Council staff as special assistant to the president and as senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights.

Samantha Power is a good choice as she remained proactive in voicing issues including democracy, human rights and improving living standards of marginalized factions of the societies.

AFGHANISTAN, 16 January 2021, (TON): President Donald Trump orders have been duly implemented and as now the US military personnel are less than 1,400 personnel.  It met its goal of reducing the number of soldiers deployed in Afghanistan to about 2,500.

President Donald Trump ordered the reduction in November 2020 and confirmed on Friday that troop levels in Afghanistan had reached to about 2,500.

As per the agreement between the US and Taliban Washington agreed to reduce US troops in phases and to go to zero by May 2021. US Acting US Defense Secretary confirmed the withdrawal in a statement on Friday, “This force reduction is an indication of the United States’ continued support towards the Afghan peace process and our adherence to commitments made in both the US-Taliban agreement and the US-Afghanistan Joint Declaration. Moving forward, while the Department continues with planning capable of further reducing U.S. troop levels to zero by May of 2021, any such future draw-downs remain conditions-based.”

President-elect Joe Biden, who has advocated keeping a small counterterrorism force in Afghanistan as a way to ensure that armed groups like al-Qaeda are unable to launch attacks on the United States, faces a number of questions on Afghanistan. Under the National Defense Authorization Act passed by Congress two weeks ago, the Pentagon was explicitly forbidden to use money from this year’s or last year’s budget on reducing the number of soldiers below 4,000  or below the number that was in the country the day the bill was finalised, which was 1 January 2021. President Trump vetoed the measure, but the House and the Senate voted to override his veto.

TRIPOLI, 16 January 2021, (TON): The United Nations Security Council has approved Jan Kubis’s appointment as the UN Libya envoy who will replace Stephanie Williams, who has been acting Libya envoy.

The appointment was materialized after a gap of nearly one year after the last mediator; Ghassan Salame stepped down in March 2020.

Kubis, Slovakia’s former Foreign Minister, is currently the UN special coordinator for Lebanon. He has also served as the UN special envoy in Afghanistan and Iraq.

TRIPURA, 16 January 2021, (TON): Amid intelligence report of increase activities of Bangladesh nationals in Bengal and Assam, joint operations are being carried out in different districts. Sources informed that Indian agencies have planned operations in various localities in areas bordered by Bangladesh to the north, south, and west especially Indian states of Assam and Mizoram.

Police on Friday arrested two members of Rohingya community identified as Nazimulla and Minara in their late teens from Manaipathar area in Sonamura, Sepahijala District, Tripura on the suspicion of Bangladeshi agents. Police also arrested Ikram Hussain, with whom they were residing. Police official who carried out interrogation of suspected agents said Nazimulla and Minara were connected with Bangladesh agencies and had crossed over through Boxanagar to Tripura from Bangladesh to settle in Guwahati in Assam.

Meanwhile, raids have been carried out to arrest Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals from various areas. In the drive since 14 January, 218 Rohingyas have been arrested. Two days ago, at least 25 people were arrested at New Jalpaiguri Railways Station in West Bengal from fom Agartala-New Delhi Rajdhani Express. Although, a contingent of 122 personnel of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, will also participate in Republic Day Parade at New Delhi on 26 January but the relations between two nations is in the lowest ebb due to suspicion that Bangladesh relations with neighbouring Pakistan is improving with tremendous pace.  

NEW DELHI, 16 January 2021, (TON): India will have its 26^th January Republican Day parade without chief guest as United Kingdom’s Premier Boris Johnson has declined to visit Indian aimed atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir and violations of human rights in imposing farm laws in Punjab.

Meanwhile, Indian officials at Prime Minister’s House said that the scheduled visit of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Indian to attend Indian Republican Day ceremonies as chief guest has been cancelled in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

TON reporter in London, however, revealed that cancelation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson visit to India was in view of a new mutant strain of Covid-19 which is claimed to have potential in creating havoc in the United Kingdom that led to the British Prime Minister announcing a nationwide lockdown to contain the spiraling infections.

Meanwhile, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag  Srivastava said at a media briefing “Due to the global COVID- 19 situation, it has been decided that this year we will not have a foreign head of state or head of government as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations”.

The prestigious Republic Day celebrations, which used to be held at Red Fort will now held between Vijay Chowk to the National Stadium at New Delhi. The administration in New Delhi disclosed that in addition to Armed Forces officials, 25,000 people have been issued invitation cards who will witness the parade. In addition due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic each participating contingent’s strength has been reduced from 144-150 to 96-102 personnel.

NEW DELHI, 14 January 2021, (TON): India has planned colourful events during Republic Day Parade at New Delhi on 26 January. Important feature of the parade is contingent of 122 personnel of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, who will also participate in the parade.  A majority of the personnel in the Bangladesh contingent come from the most distinguished units of the Bangladesh Army, comprising  Infantry Regiments; 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11 East Bengal Regiments and Artillery Regiments; 1,2 and 3 Field Artillery Regiments.

The East Bengal Regiment was formed on 15 February 1948 following partition of India and Pakistan's independence. In 1965 war East Bengal Regiments fought very bravely against India and successfully captured huge area of Indian territories, which was later returned to India as the result of Tashkent Agreement between India and Pakistan. It was 1 East Bengal Regiments, “Bengal Tigers” that inflicted heavy losses to Indian forces at Lahore border. The other regiment was equally strong which made Indian troops to run away from the battle ground. In March 1971, five of the East Bengal Regiment deserted as the result West Pakistan’s forces undemocratic and brutal crackdown on local populace in East Pakistan. Because of the efforts of Armed Forces, Bangladesh attained independence again in 1971 and today no country can dare to interfere in Bangladesh’s sovereignty and national integrity.

BEIJING, 07 January 2021, (TON): China has granted some debt relief to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to help it overcome economic fallout from the pandemic, the Congolese foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

The deal was announced at a joint press conference in Kinshasa with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

“As Congo’s most reliable friend, China wishes to continue to make its contribution to Congo’s development,” Wang was quoted as saying in the Congolese ministry’s statement.

According to Johns Hopkins University’s China Africa Research Initiative data, Chinese entities have extended 53 loans to the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2000 and 2018, amounting to a total of $2.4bn. Mostly the lending was focussed on the power, transport and mining sectors.

China has extended debt relief worth over $2bn to developing countries under a Group of 20 (G20) framework aimed at giving those affected by the crisis driven by pandemic fear, some financial breathing space.

Meanwhile, Congo is a major cobalt and copper producer and reportedly, in recent years has attracted billions of dollars in investment from Chinese miners.

BAKU, 06 January 2021, (TON): Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Armenian foreign minister's visit to the Nagorno-Karabakh region violates the conditions of November's trilateral agreement that put an end to the conflict between the two countries.

"The illegal visit of the Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, where he met with representatives of the puppet regime and signed the 'documents,' contradicts the trilateral statement of Nov. 10 and does not comply at all with the framework of peace, security and cooperation in the region after the cessation of hostilities," said Leyla Abdullayeva, head of the Press Service Department of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Abdullayeva added that the violation of the commitments by an Armenian official is a "provocation" and such actions catering to a domestic audience do not serve the normalization of the situation in the region.

"We would like to remind that the Armenian Prime Minister signed the statement on Nov. 10 and the government has taken commitments in this regard," the statement said.

Abdullayeva noted that Armenian officials should accept the new reality that emerged in the region with the agreement.

Fresh clashes erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan in late September, rekindling the Caucasus neighbors' decadeslong conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. During the conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several towns and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the Armenian occupation. Fierce fighting persisted for six weeks before Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a Moscow-brokered peace deal on Nov. 9.

ISLAMABAD, Jan 6 (APP): The Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organizations (MAPIM) Wednesday called for the United Nations’ immediate intervention against India’s impunity on Kashmir’s freedom and human rights activists to ensure their protection particularly Aasiya Andrabi.

In a statement, President MAPIM Muhammad Azmi Abdul Hanid demanded dropping of “concocted charges” against Andrabi and her unconditional release.

“India must end all persecutions on Kashmir political dissenters and human rights activists and those apprehended without charge must be released,” Azmi said.

Azmi’s statement was endorsed by Chairman MANAR Datuk Seri Syekh Ahmad Awang, Chairman SHURA Datuk Wira Syekh Abdul Ghani Samsudin, Chair Malaysia Women for Kashmir Datin Seri Ustazah Rosiah Saleh, Chair Malaysian Kashmir Youth Movement Mohammad Fadhil Yusni and Chair Association for Justice and Development Cambodia Jamal Abdul Nasir.

The Council called for investigation to identify Indian security officials responsible for the violent attacks on Kashmir civilians.

Demanding the revocation of draconian laws intended to crush Kashmir political activists, the MAPIM demanded UN intervention to end torture and physical and mental abuses of Kashmiri human rights activists in Indian jails.

The body said India was reigning its occupation troops on IIOJK and siege by more than 900,000 Indian troops was a clear violation of all international laws.

“We call the UN to intervene without delay. UN has the obligation to stop this inhumanity and gross violation of international laws by India on Kashmiris,” the statement said.

The Council observed that the Indian troops had acted beyond the rules of the standard international law to claim that India was to weed out so called terrorists.

Taking serious note of impending sentencing of Aasiya Andrabi, the MAPIM said since her detention in 1992 and incarcerated for 15 years, the Indian court had denied her a proper legal counselor. Dubious charges under the draconian laws of India on Andrabi, her husband and her associates are an affront to international standards of criminal proceedings, the Council added.

“The possibility of her being sentenced to death by the Indian court is imminent. The international community must not remain silence on the fate of the victims of the Indian ruthless oppression,” the Council said.

They said India had no right to abrogate Kashmir’s autonomous status and it must refer to the UNSC resolution for a plebiscite to be conducted for the people of Kashmir to decide their own future.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has once again reminded the UN of the continuous voices from around the world condemning inhuman oppression of Kashmiris in IIOJK,