Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: When the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially announced the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to China on Constitution Day (Ashoj 3), it raised eyebrows as Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, was conspicuously absent from the visiting delegation. Even Kulman Ghising, the executive director of Nepal Electricity Authority, a key figure in the energy sector, was not included in the delegation. Prime Minister Dahal is all set to commence his week-long visit to China, starting Friday . Officials from the Ministry of Energy have clarified that the Energy Minister was excluded because there…

Michael Rubin:Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau sparked a diplomatic crisis by accusing India’s government of complicity in the June 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canada-based Sikh leader, in suburban Vancouver. The Canadian government alludes publicly to supposed intelligence that it neither details nor releases. Trudeau’s publication of the matter comes against the backdrop of declining popularity and a frosty reception at the G20 Summit. After Trudeau’s comments, both Canada and India expelled senior diplomats from the other’s embassies. Canada has reportedly sought U.S. support in the spat. The Biden administration denies rebuffing Canada, but appears wary of antagonizing…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a demonstration of the Philippines’ growing importance as a strategic front line for major powers, the embassies of Japan and China in Manila engaged in a perhaps unprecedented verbal tussle over the latest developments in the South China Sea. Over the weekend, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko sounded alarm bells over reports alleging widespread environmental damage wrought by Chinese forces across disputed waters. According to Philippine authorities, dozens of Chinese militia vessels inflicted “extensive” and “severe damage” on coral reefs and marine environment in the seabed of Rozul and Escoda shoals in the Spratly group…

Meezan Zahra Khwaja: The city of Lahore is beautiful, residents and visitors agree. But most days, it becomes hard to find that beauty as it is blanketed under a dense haze of vehicular smoke and industrial emissions. It is no wonder that this beautiful city is now ranked among the most polluted cities in the world. One of the major causes of this unwanted honour is the high air pollution to the point of being toxic. As I write this in mid-September, the Air Quality Index (AQI) — an index that measures how polluted the city’s air is — is…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A local court in Islamabad on Thursday summoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 25 in a case related to his alleged ‘un-Islamic’ marriage with Bushra Bibi, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported citing Express News. Civil Judge Qudratullah in an order issued to the Superintendent Attock Jail directed the latter to ensure that Imran Khan is presented before the court, The Express Tribune reported. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has been imprisoned in jail after being convicted in the Toshakhana case. He was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5. During…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan criminals used the latest weapons in street crimes and targeted killing in the last three months, ARY News reported on Thursday citing an investigation. The Pakistan-based media outlet reported that during the investigation it was revealed that the shells that were recovered from the crime sites did not match with the weapons used in previous offences. It added that the network involved in arms smuggling and providing weapons on rent has been still active. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) as well as the Police have failed to complete their investigations of the street crimes and targeted killings…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Satya Narayan Sharma, a member of an Indian NGO — Rajasthan Samgrah Kalyan Sansthan (RSKS) — recently addressed the ongoing 54th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), shedding light on the significant impact of India’s Citizenship Amendments Act (CAA). During an intervention made by him, Sharma highlighted the concerns of refugee communities hailing from neighbouring Pakistan, who, after being displaced, found refuge in India. He underlined how the CAA has played a pivotal role in granting Indian citizenship to minorities from Pakistan, providing them with a fresh start and a renewed sense of security. Sharma…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s latest anti-corruption crackdown is hammering the personal wealth of the nation’s healthcare tycoons. The combined fortunes of the top 15 Chinese healthcare billionaires has fallen to US$84.1 billion from $101.4 billion at the end of last year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The drop comes as the country’s top regulators started a sweeping anti-graft campaign across the nation’s healthcare sector about two months ago. It has resulted in hundreds of hospital chiefs and pharmaceutical executives being probed, sparking a sector-wide share slump as investors chose to sell instead of guessing which companies will be hit by…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Taiwanese defence ministry, on Friday (September 22) called recent Chinese military movements around the island “abnormal” while also reporting an increase in such activity over the past week or so. The ministry also particularly flagged amphibious exercises as well as drills Taipei has observed in the province facing the island. The Taiwanese defence ministry, early Friday, said that they detected 32 Chinese aircraft within the previous 24 hours out of which 17 planes crossed the median line – an unofficial barrier between the two sides – according to a map it published. Two of the aircraft also…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A Huawei Technologies unit is shipping new Chinese-made chips for surveillance cameras, a fresh sign that the Chinese tech giant has found ways around four years of US export controls, says two sources who were briefed on the unit’s activities. The shipments to surveillance camera manufacturers from the company’s HiSilicon chip design unit started this year with at least some of their customers being Chinese. China accused the US of infiltrating Huawei servers starting in 2009, part of a broad-based effort to steal data that culminated in tens of thousands of cyberattacks against Chinese targets last year. Meng…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Javed Ahmad Beigh, a prominent socio-political activist, has drawn attention to the dire human rights situation faced by Shias in Pakistan, particularly in the illegally occupied region of Gilgit Baltistan, where a significant Shia population resides. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Beigh emphasized that Shias in Pakistan live under a constant shadow of fear due to an unannounced crackdown by the state on this minority group. He pointed out that Shias have long been treated as second-class citizens in Sunni-dominant Pakistan, and the situation has recently deteriorated further. “Many people across Gilgit and Baltistan have been killed.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Wednesday announced the schedule of a sit-in in Lahore against the rising inflation, Pakistan-based ARY News reported. The JI will begin its three-day sit-in in Lahore on Thursday, with the party workers gathering outside the governor’s house from Al-Hamra hall. JI chief Siraj Ulhaq, senior leaders including Liaquat Baloch, Ameerul Azeem and other provincial leaders will address the sit-in. Earlier, JI held a sit-in against the inflated electricity bills and rising inflation. According to the details, the sit-in was part of the JI protests against the exorbitant electricity bills, according to ARY News report.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A research analyst came down heavily on Pakistan for openly recruiting mercenaries and terrorist organizations to pursue its own interests and political agenda in South Asia. Luce Plaid was speaking at the 54th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday. She said, “Among the list of UN-designated terrorist entities present on Pakistani soil, the most prominent terrorist groups supported by the military are the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. While officially banned, they continue to flourish within Pakistan’s borders under the aegis of the Pakistani army.” “In a geopolitical context where the fight for influence is…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: UK Member of Parliament (MP) Theresa Villiers on Monday spoke about the success of India’s recently concluded G20 Summit and the need for stronger ties between the UK and India. The MP also spoke about the rising Chinese interference in UK politics and the need for counter balance of the Global South. She was speaking at the ‘Indo-Pacific dialogue: Jammu Kashmir 2019 and beyond event’ held by the Indo-Pacific All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in the UK Parliament. The event’s keynote speakers included Georgetown University Professor Christine Fair, an affiliate of the London School of Oriental and African Studies…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a stunning exposé that peels back the layers of clandestine terror networks, India Today’s special report reveals a dramatic shift in the once-secure sanctuaries for enemies of India. The world of terror in Pakistan is undergoing a seismic transformation, marked by a series of high-profile casualties and an internal power struggle that threatens to upend the status quo. A Bloody End in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) The investigation begins with the chilling image of Rayaz Ahmed, also known as Abu Qasim, lying lifeless in a mosque in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). His life was brutally cut short on September…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A US expert has termed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim of a “potential link” between Indian government agents and the killing of a Khalistani leader a “shameless and cynical action” and urged the United States not be part of it. Participating in a panel discussion at the Hudson Institute think-tank, Michael Rubin, Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute, claimed Trudeau is playing into the hands of people who are looking at the Khalistani movement as a movement of ego and profit. Canada and India have expelled a senior diplomat each after Trudeau alleged the involvement of “agents…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A social activist hailing from India’s Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir has lambasted Pakistan for targeting ethnic minorities, especially Shias. Javed Beigh, a social activist from Kashmir Valley intervened in an Interactive dialogue with the Working Group (WG) on arbitrary detention during the 54th UNHRC session in Geneva. Javed highlighted the rise of extremist Sunni religious organisations which frequently target the minority Shias. He said, “Pakistan is notorious for arbitrary detentions of its citizens including those from ethnic minority communities like Baloch, Pashtuns, Sindhis and Urdu-speaking Mohajirs. Since the last few decades with the rise of extremist…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In the lead-up to Pakistan’s forthcoming elections, the nation’s military, led by General Asim Munir, has assumed a prominent role in the realm of governance, notably in the management of a beleaguered economy. This unfolding narrative follows a trajectory established in the post-Pervez Musharraf era, wherein decision-making on critical matters has shifted towards proxy actors, while legislative bodies continue to deliberate and legislate. This strategic maneuver, it appears, maintains the veneer of democracy while serving as a contingency plan should anything go awry. Over the years, successive Chiefs of the Pakistani Army have been active in securing loans,…

Srivatsan Sridhar: While major economies around the world still seem to be reeling from the after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Indian economy has a different story to tell altogether. India’s exports have surged to an unprecedented $776 billion, marking a 36 percent increase from just $500 billion two years ago. The country’s goods exports are up nearly 53 per cent in the last two years from a four-year low of $292 billion during FY 2020-21, thanks to the post-Covid surge in the country’s foreign trade. Although significant challenges remain in the global environment, India has turned out to be…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: American investor Ray Dalio has said that India has the highest potential growth rate. Speaking at the All-In Summit conducted by The All-In Podcast, Dalio called India “important,” he said that New Delhi is where China was when he started to go there in 1984. Ray Dalio is an American investor and hedge fund manager, who is the founder of Bridgewater Associates one of the world’s largest hedge funds. In the podcast that showcased on social media platform YouTube, Dalio compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to former Chinese President Deng Xiaoping and spoke about massive reform, development and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The financial safety net of the people of Pakistan appears to be eroding as the country grapples with a severe economic crisis and soaring inflation, reports news agency ANI, citing the Dawn report. Children who were given lessons about “saving for a rainy day” from a young age. These savings, whether in cash or assets like gold, were traditionally reserved for significant expenses such as weddings, unexpected illnesses, or business losses, but families are finding themselves compelled to dip into their savings to cover daily necessities, including electricity bills, school fees, rent, and other essential expenses, Dawn reported.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China summoned the German ambassador to condemn German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s recent description on US television of President Xi Jinping as a dictator. The German Foreign Office in Berlin confirmed on Monday evening that Ambassador Patricia Flor had been summoned for a meeting on Sunday. During an interview with US network Fox News on September 14, while she was in Texas, Baerbock commented on Russia’s war in Ukraine and about Russian President Vladimir Putin. She said: “If Putin were to win this war, what sign would that be for other dictators in the world, like Xi, like…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The chief of the World Health Organization urged Beijing to offer more information on the origins of COVID-19 and is ready to send a second team to probe the matter, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. “We’re pressing China to give full access, and we are asking countries to raise it during their bilateral meetings — to urge Beijing to co-operate,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the newspaper. The WHO chief’s comments come as health authorities and pharmaceutical companies across the world have been racing to update vaccines to combat newer emerging coronavirus variants. Ghebreyesus has for…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Transporters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have issued a warning of a potential wheel-jam strike in protest against the recent spike in petroleum prices, a move that has been widely rejected by the business community, transporters, and political activists, Dawn reported. They have collectively called on the federal government to reverse the price hike that is adversely impactin the inflation-affected population, burning a massive hole in their pocket. Transporters have expressed their readiness to unilaterally raise fares or initiate a wheel-jam strike if the government does not backtrack on the oil price increase. Khan Zaman Afridi, President of the…