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Hindustan Times Sishir Gupta September 24, 2019 According to counter terror agencies in India, Jaish has re-emerged with a new name but the same leadership and terrorist cadre; it was previously known as Khudam-ul-Islam and Al Rehmat Trust. Terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has changed its name to Majlis Wurasa-e-Shuhuda Jammu wa Kashmir to ward off international pressure and scrutiny over its jihadi training activities in Pakistan, and Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, the younger brother of its bedridden chief Masood Azhar, has taken control of the Pakistan-based terror outfit, according to people familiar with the development. Azhar, a globally designated terrorist, lies terminally ill in Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bhawalpur, Pakistan. According to counter terror agencies in India, Jaish has re-emerged with a new name but the same leadership and terrorist cadre; it was previously known as Khudam-ul-Islam and Al Rehmat Trust. The flag of Jaish’s new avatar Majlis Wurasa-...

The Times of India Chidanand Rajghatta September 24, 2019 Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has made the explosive disclosure that the Pakistani army and ISI trained al-Qaida and other terrorist groups to fight in Afghanistan. Although it has long been known that the Pakistani military trained the so-called mujaheddin that fought Soviet troops in Afghanistan under CIA tutelage, it is the first time that any Pakistani leader has directly and  specifically confirmed the Pakistan military and intelligence agency trained al -Qaida — which is largely a post-Soviet withdrawal entity — and continued to maintain links with the group. Al-Qaida was founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden even as Soviet troops were leaving Afghanistan. Specifically, al-Qaida was formed in Peshawar, Pakistan on August 11, 1988. Soviet troops started to leave Afghanistan on May 15, 1988 and the withdrawal continued till February 2, 1989. Khan said the Pakistani military continued to have links w...

India Today September 24, 2019 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attended the Leaders' Dialogue on 'Strategic Responses to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Narratives' at the UN headquarters in New York where he suggested the institutionalisation of "counter-terrorism cooperation at the multilateral level." "PM Modi suggested institutionalising counter-terrorism cooperation at the multilateral level. PM Modi said that terrorists should not be allowed to get funds and arms. For this objective to be realised, we need to avoid politicisation of mechanisms like UN listings and FATF [Financial Action Task Force]. UNGA," a tweet by ANI quoted Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) secretary (West) Gitesh Sharma as saying. It was jointly hosted by the King of Jordan, President of France, Prime Minister of New Zealand and the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNSG). PM Modi earlier addressed the high-level meeting on Universal Health ...

The Tribune September 25, 2019 Kamran Yousaf Pakistan’s three-way foreign policy challenge At a time when Pakistan wanted to solely focus on Kashmir, it now also has to deal with increased instability in Afghanistan as well as lurking fears of a possible conflict in the Middle East.  Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Saudi Arabia last week before heading to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly session. The main purpose of his visit to Riyadh was to garner the support of the Kingdom for Pakistan’s row with India over Kashmir. But just days before his meeting with the Saudi King and Crown Prince, the Saudi oil facilities were struck by missiles.  The unprecedented attacks carried out through drones shut down the Kingdom’s half of oil production but significantly sparked fears of a war in the already volatile Middle East. Saudi Arabia and the US have accused Iran of being behind the attack, although Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed the respon...

The Forbes September 12, 2019 Panos Mourdoukoutas The US-China trade war has provided Indian Prime Minister Modi with an opportunity he couldn’t refuse: to change the game in Kashmir for China and Pakistan. Back in August New Delhi terminated Article 370 of the Constitution, asserting its power in the disputed Kashmir region. This week, India called on China and Pakistan to suspend activities related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). “We reject the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the joint statement issued by China and Pakistan after the recent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar is quoted as saying in Hindu.“J&K is an integral part of India. India has consistently expressed concerns to both China and Pakistan on the projects in so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is on the territory of India that has been illegally occupied by Pakistan sinc...

The Dawn Afshan Subohi September 25, 2019 When a Dawn special report tracked the SDGs a couple of years ago, the country was grappling with the behemoth of terrorism. Yet there was some sense of optimism: GDP growth was accelerating, CPEC was in full swing and the naysayer was rediscovering the country as a plausible investment destination. Timely elections and power transfer did help in combating violence, but economic growth was sacrificed in the hope of long-term stability. As things stand today, factors like the fear of a military conflict with India, rising inflation, higher taxes and shrinking investment and employment opportunities have spiked the collective anxiety. All this makes one wonder if the gains and the momentum to achieve social targets have been lost in transition. The government, led by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI), seems all set to spring into action to hit the development targets, but in the absence of any tangible public pressure to walk the t...

The India Express Subhajit Roy September 24, 2019 In his speech, Modi outlined his government’s plans, and said: “We are going to increase the share of non-fossil fuel and by 2022, we plan to increase our renewable energy capacity to much beyond 175 GW, and later till 450 GW.” STRESSING THAT “time for talking is over” and that the “world needs to act now”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday said India has come to not just talk about the seriousness of the issue of climate change but also present a practical approach and a roadmap. “We believe that an ounce of practice is worth more than a ton of preaching,” Modi said at the global climate action summit organised by the UN Secretary General. US President Donald Trump, who was widely expected to skip the summit, came in for a brief while when Modi was speaking, and left soon after. In his speech, Modi outlined his government’s plans, and said: “We are going to increase the share of non-fossil fuel and by 2022, we p...

The Indian Express Subhajit Roy September 24, 2019 “I am always ready to help. But it depends on both these gentlemen. I am ready, willing and able. If both want it, then I will do it,” said Trump while speaking to reporters along with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan before their bilateral meeting. Donald trump-Imran Khan meeting, donald trump kashmir mediation, India Pakistan kashmir issue, modi united nations general assembly, howdy modi event in Houston, modi in US. A day after Donald Trump shared the stage with Narendra Modi at the Howdy Modi event in Houston, the US President said Monday that he will play the role of an arbitrator on Kashmir only if asked to do so by both India and Pakistan. “I am always ready to help. But it depends on both these gentlemen. I am ready, willing and able. If both want it, then I will do it,” said Trump while speaking to reporters along with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan before their bilateral meeting. “I have a ver...

The Telegraph September 24, 2019 Market euphoria over Friday’s corporate tax cuts spilled over on to Monday as the Sensex jumped 1075 points to breach the 39000-mark and close at an over two-month high of 39090. Investor wealth rose Rs 3.52 lakh crore on Monday, while total wealth jumped Rs 10 lakh crore since finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman stunned the markets by slashing corporate taxes on Friday. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) seem to have staged a comeback with provisional data from the NSE showing they made net purchases of Rs 2,700 crore. Domestic institutions, however, bought stocks worth only Rs 292 crore. Monday’s gains were led by financials, FMCG and capital goods on hopes that they will benefit from the tax cuts, in terms of higher earnings and a pick-up in economic growth over the medium term. The sentiment was also buoyant with brokerages upgrading various stocks. “From the perspective of banks and NBFCs, a reduction in tax rates will have ...

The Telegraph September 24, 2019 Muzaffar Raina Mir Nasrullah learnt about his sister’s death four days later. Shopkeeper Basher Gagroo saw the store next to his go up in flames but the firefighters could not be contacted in time. The information blockade and shutdown completed 50 days on Monday. Family after Valley family poured out its tale of pain, giving the lie to the “all is well” narrative. Kashmir has seen umpteen shutdowns and Internet blockades over the past 30 years but never one that has stretched so long and has been accompanied by a blanket ban on mobiles, landlines and BSNL broadband — unthinkable in this information age. The Telegraph spoke to more than a dozen families that have suffered immensely from the blockade. Their accounts flew in the face of governor Satya Pal Malik’s claim that ordinary citizens have little use for mobiles and the Internet and that these services are essentially weapons of “terrorists”. Nasrullah, who lives in Gilkad...