TEHRAN, 13 September 2020, TON:  Iranian wrestler, Navid Afkari, who has won medals in numerous of Iran's national tournaments, was hanged till death today in the southern city of Shiraz. He was sentenced to death over the murder of Hassan Turkman, a water company security guard during a wave of anti-government protests in August 2018.  

Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler, had won medals in numerous of Iran's national tournaments. In August 2018, foreign backed protests were launched across Iranian cities over economic hardship and political repression. Afkari was arrested by police who identified him using CCTV footage in which he was caught stabbing. There were also visuals of Afkari on a motorbike, saying he stabbed Hassan Turkman in the back. Iranian television also aired a video this month in which Afkari confessed to Turkman’s killing and also made a written confession.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International described Afkari's execution as a "travesty of justice". The World Players Association said he had been "unjustly targeted" for taking part in the protests, and called for Iran's expulsion from world sport if it went ahead with the execution. In a statement from the office of US President Donald Trump it was said, "The sole act was an anti-government demonstration on the streets".

Kuala Lumpur, 12 September 2020, TON: Malaysian authority has decided to lift the travel ban on 23 countries, including Bangladesh. Before that, on 4^th September 2020, the administration imposed the temporary entry ban.

            To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Malaysia had announced that people from countries whose nationals had contract COVID would be barred from entry. Though this restriction has been eased, the authority has taken some precautionary measures. Like, the immigrants must be approved by the Malaysian Immigration Department before they enter the country. Besides, their application for entry must be accompanied by a supporting letter from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority or agencies concerned; regional media reports quoted Security Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as saying.

             After the announcement on the entry ban, Malaysian employers complained that the government should continue to allow expatriates and professional pass-holders to come in as the economy needs their technical skills. Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Thursday that a select cabinet committee has decided to relax the regulation that was enforced from Monday slightly.

             About 800 000 Bangladeshi work in Malaysia. Many of them are employees of construction and plantation sectors as low-paid workers. Several migrant workers came home on vacation before the pandemic. Later they got that temporary entry ban. Now they are waiting to return to their workplace again. Israt Jahan Leena, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

ISLAMABAD, 12 September 2020, TON: A Pakistani journalist associated with English-language daily, The Express Tribune was arrested by police from his residence in Defence Housing Authority, Karachi on Friday, after he allegedly posted social media posts, criticizing government authorities.

Additional Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon confirmed that Bilal Farooqi, who is a news editor at The Express Tribune, was arrested by  DHA Police Station on Friday evening.  

An FIR was lodged against Bilal Farooqi under Sections 500 and 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 11 and 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016. The police authorities informed that FIR has been lodged on the complaint by Javed Khan on 9 September 2020. According to the FIR, the complainant, who is a machine operator at a factory and is a resident of Majeed Colony in Landhi area, said he visited a restaurant in DHA Phase-2 Extension on September 9, during which he checked his Facebook and Twitter accounts. It was then he found highly objectionable posts against the Pakistan Army were posted by Farooqi on both platforms and the material was aimed at allegedly spreading religious hate.

Javed Khan alleged that the Bilal Farooqi has defamed Pakistan Army and social media posts could be used by enemies to achieve nefarious designs so legal action should be initiated him.

Meanwhile, the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), released a statement condemning the arrest of Bilal Farooqi and saying that Bilal remained executive committee of the KUJ, has is an educated and responsible youth, who has never indulged in any kind of violation of Pakistani laws.

MOSCOW, 12 September 2020, TON: India and China have reached a five-point disengagement consensus to resolve the four-month-long military standoff in eastern Ladakh and take steps to restore peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met in Moscow on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Thursday.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Friday, “The two foreign ministers agreed that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side. They agreed therefore that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions.”  

The joint statement also said Jaishankar and Wang agreed that both sides should take guidance from the series of consensus reached between leaders of the two countries on developing India-China relations, including not allowing differences to become disputes.

It was clear that the reference was to the broad decision taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the talks following the Doklam episode of 2017.

“The two sides also agreed to continue to have dialogue and communication through the Special Representative mechanism on the India-China boundary question,” the joint statement said.

“They also agreed in this context that the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC), should also continue its meetings,” it said. Foreign Minister Wang and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval are special representatives for the boundary talks.

The Indian Army and the PLA have been locked in a tense standoff in multiple areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh since early May. Shots were fired across the LAC on Monday for the first time in 45 years with the two sides accusing each other of firing in the air.

In New Delhi,  top military brass also  deliberated on the five-point agreement which included National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen. MM Naravane, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh. 

An Indian court at New Delhi on Friday convicted nine person associated with banned terror outfit ISIS in a case of conspiracy hatched to establish its ISIS base in India

by recruiting Muslim youth through social media platforms. The convicts were identified as Nafees Khan, Abu Anas, Najmul Huda, Afzal, Suhail Ahmed, Obedullah Khan, Mohammed Aleem, Mufti Abdul Sami Qasmi and Amjad Khan, had voluntarily pleaded guilty before the court on 6 August 2020.

As per the details, Special Judge Parveen Singh of Patiala House Court convicted them for criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act. The court will now hear arguments on the quantum of sentence on 22 September. The case was registered on 9 December 2015. During the course of investigation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches and arrested 19 people while charge sheet was filed against 16 persons in 2016-2017.

It has been confirmed that Indian Military Intelligence (MI), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) launched a joint operation in which social media publicity was given to formation of  an organization, namely “Junood-ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind”, struggling to establish a Caliphate in India and pledging allegiance to ISIS, to recruit Muslim youth to wage Jihad for ISIS and commit acts of terrorism in India at the behest of Syrian-Yusuf-Al-Hindi.

To ascertain, who is behind the new threat of Indian Islamic State / Daesh we have to peep in the past. If we recall, an Indian engineer, Mehdi Masroor Biswas was arrested from his apartment by Bangalore Police on the charges of violent tweets about the activities of Indian Islamic State militants. Mehdi kept posting pro-Jihadi tweets from his Twitter account @ShamiWitness since 2009, attracting lacs of innocent Muslims to convert them as potential Jehadi around the world through psychological operations. Interestingly, Indian agencies came into action only when British intelligence started their probe against Mehdi and the international media also exposed state-sponsored Islamic State sympathizer. ShamiWitness acted as a leading conduit of information between Jihadis, supporters and recruits.

According to a foreign agency report, ShamiWitness was active since July 2009, posted over 1.3 lac tweets and had over 1,78,00 followers. The tweets by Mehdi were seen 2 million times each month. There is no doubt that ISIS is a brainchild of Indian agencies, which started operating from India soil in 2009. In this game of blood and fire against Muslims, Indian agencies including Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) are involved in terrorism through its European nationality holders. In one of the cases, Niaz Abdur Rashid, an Indian national, received military type terrorist training from India and had links with Al Qaida in Subcontinent (AQIS). After acquiring French nationality, he trained French and other foreign nationals on terrorist lines. As secular minded person, Niaz Abdur Rashid founded FPF with a military branch to help Muslims as well as non-Muslims in distress. He also funded and dispatched two French nationals to Pakistan to meet Al Qaida facilitator, Huzeyfa (Tahir Shahzad), who was arrested near the alleged compound of Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. After the arrest of these two terrorists from Pakistan in January 2011, seven other members of the network, led by Niaz Abdur Rashid were arrested in France, from whom French translation of books on terrorism including explosives were recovered. Niaz Abdur Rashid, who regularly visited India, was convicted by the French court for recruitment of European and others for terrorism inside Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The fact cannot be denied that Indian MI, DIA and RAW controls Islamic State / Daesh as well as other terrorist organizations to create terror in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Syria and elsewhere. There is no doubt that in majority of cases, Indian agencies have joined hands with Western countries, after misleading them about Muslims, to malign them by dubbing them as members of terrorist groups. It is so sad to observe that these Indian sponsored outfits are carrying out attacks on Mosques, Churches, Madrassas and schools but blame is leveled on innocent Muslims, who are only reacting against foreign interference in their countries or protecting their legitimate territories against foreign occupation. It is sad to observe that Kashmiris who are peace loving people are being propagated as terrorist and members of Islamic State / Daesh. India is carrying out staged killings of its own security personnel only to prove that peaceful freedom struggle in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir is linked with Islamic State / Daesh.

NEW DELHI, 11 September 2020: Arya Samaj top leader Swami Agnivesh passed away this Friday after a cardiac arrest at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences at New Delhi.  His condition deteriorated and he could not survive despite a lot of efforts by hospital authorities. He was suffering from liver cirrhosis.

Hindus of Pakistan are aggrieved over the loss such a great leader. Swami Agnivesh, a former MLA from Haryana, founded a political party, Arya Sabha, that was based on the principles of the Arya Samaj, in 1970. He was also an advocate for the dialogue between religions.

Agnivesh was also involved in various areas of social activism including campaigns against female foeticide and emancipation of women. He was a prominent associate of Anna Hazare during “India against Corruption” campaign run in 2011 to implement the Jan Lokpal Bill. He was supported of giving rights to the Kashmiris.

RABAT, 11 September 2020, TON: Libyan opposition political leaders held joint talks yesterday, on 10 September, in Morocco and Egypt which witnessed agreement of some important issues. However, difference still existed when the Libyan leaders left the stage. It has been confirmed that still there is a long way to go as the major issues of disbanding militias and expulsion of foreign proxy forces to leave the country has yet to be reached.

Meanwhile, media reports claimed that both sides agreed on important issues including elections and harmony between rival governments. Arab media reported breakthroughs on several key points during talks. However, there was no word from the leaders that they have agreed on anything. Further negotiations are scheduled in Geneva next week.

Turkey is backing  the U.N.-recognized Government of Libyan National Accord (LNA) based in Tripoli and has provided military support to ensure that proxy foreign forces and military rivals do not disturb the peace efforts.

WASHINGTON, 11 September 2020, TON: US President Donald Trump has announced in a statement that signing of bilateral agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates will take place at the White House next week.

President Trump said that after the recent peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, he had a dialogue with Saudi Arabia regarding the Middle East peace talks. He did not claim any breakthrough, however, said, "I spoke to the king of Saudi Arabia, so we're talking. We just started the dialogue and you'll have them come in…" He further hinted that one other country could be joining the bilateral agreement between Israel and the UAE by the time ceremony takes place at the White House.

WASHINGTON, 11 September 2020, TON: Secretary of State Michael Pompeo left for Doha  to participate in the intra-Afghan peace talks. He landed at Doha airport on Friday. President Donald Trump had already announced that Secretary of State Michael Pompeo will head to Doha to participate in the intra-Afghan peace talks.

President Trump said at a press conference at the White House, "I can announce, with great pride, that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be departing this evening on a historic trip to Doha, Qatar, for the beginning of intra-Afghan peace negotiations," He also announced reduction of American troops in Afghanistan to 4,000 and in Iraq 2,000 only.

The much awaited intra-Afghan peace talks will be held in two round tomorrow.

BEIJING, 10 September 2020, TON: China has appointed its minister of provincial government Nong Rong as a new ambassador to Pakistan. He will replace the outgoing Chinese ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, who has been transferred two months before the completion of his tenure.  Yao Jing has eleven years experience in Pakistan as he served thrice in various capacities in Pakistan.

Analysts have suggested that the change of diplomat was related to CPEC affair and about Pakistan repayments of loans. And it has nothing to with India-Chinese tension or affairs at Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Ambassador Yao Jing was friend of Pakistan and has contributed a lot for the host country and will always be remembered for his contribution towards peace and development in Pakistan.