Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan has been known for its perennial support to the Taliban in Afghanistan and other terrorist organizations in India and continues to sponsor terrorist outfits along the Line of Control (LoC). A recent incident in which three terrorists opened fire at a rally of the Jammu and Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) and National Awami Party (NAP) at Tatrinote in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on March 18 proves that the Pak army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) continue to patronize such terrorist organizations. Notably, these three terrorists were granted pre-arrest bail with a bond of Pakistani Rs 50000/- each. PoK-based…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The ongoing G20 summit under India’s presidency is creating a strong event for sustainable growth of multilateralism at large through mutual dialogue. The primary deliberation focused largely on broad macroeconomic issues and has been expanded to include mutual trade, climate change, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment, anti-corruption and prioritising counter-terrorism. The group has vast potential to calm world geopolitics and help amplify developmental efforts towards poor nations. The ongoing summit spreads the vision of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, India’s G20 presidency maxim. Altogether, the 19 members and the European Union of the assembly are a geographic behemoth that controls…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Around 6,000 international tourists paying the new Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) visited the country since the reopening of borders six months ago. Another 7000 tourists paying the old tariff visited the country in the same period. To attract more tourists, the Tourism Department is working on introducing family-oriented tourism products and making Bhutan an all-season destination. Since 23rd September last year, up until yesterday, the country received around 31,000 tourists. More than half of them were from the region. Just before the pandemic, in 2019 the country recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals at more than 315…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: As India & China remain in a stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Army and Air Force have conducted a 96-hour multi-domain air and land exercise, ‘Vayu Prahar’, in the eastern sector. Sources in India’s defence and security establishment said the exercise was conducted in the second week of March. The main aim, they explained, was to formulate plans that can lead to synergy in multi-domain operations. Essentially, multi-domain operations are used to coordinate activities across multiple branches of the military to achieve converging results. “The conduct of Vayu Prahar exercise enabled coordination and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India’s space policy has strived to achieve a fine balance between capabilities, entrepreneurship, and innovation. The question is how to move ahead in spacefaring in the prevailing geopolitical circumstances. The Indian Air Force (IAF) recently published its revised and rather ambitious doctrine that aims to transition India from an air power to an aerospace power. Clearly, it implies a paradigm shift in outlook and capabilities. But can India achieve it alone? The answer by itself would be affirmative but loses significance when time and cost are taken into consideration. A better question to ask is: Can India do…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Locals from the Azam Warsak area in Birmal Tehsil in Lower South Waziristan district on Thursday protested against electricity load-shedding, reported The News International. They have been protesting for three days and said that the government was providing two hours of electricity to the residents of the Azam Warsak area in Birmal Tehsil. They said that the people should be provided electricity from the Gomal Zam Dam as per the promises made to them, reported The News. The protesters said that they would extend the protest to other parts of the district if the government did not meet…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Entrepreneur Tage Rita from Arunachal Pradesh recently won a deal worth Rs 75 lakh on Shark Tank India (Season 2) for her winery NaaraAaba. With a long history of helping businesses succeed, Shark Tank India is well known for its assistance to business owners. With its fund, the program is stepping up its commitment to entrepreneurs by offering them immediate financial assistance. Entrepreneur Tage Rita had the opportunity to present her line of Kiwi wines under the brand name Naara-Aaba this year during season 2 of Shark Tank India. The Naara-Aaba winery is one of the first businesses…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is considering recalling Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ameer Khurram Rathore, The News International reported. The development comes a year after he was posted there by former Pakistan PM Imran Khan who did that through the premature removal of Lt-Gen (R) Bilal Akbar. The process of recalling Pakistan’s envoy has started but has not been finalised yet, The News International reported citing a foreign office source. Earlier, Rathore was posted as Pakistan’s High Commission in Canada. Hardly a month after his posting in Canada, he was asked to get ready for his posting…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said her government considers power as a scope to serve the people, reiterating her steadfast commitment to build developed, prosperous and Smart Bangladesh by 2041. “We see the power as a scope to serve the people. It has been possible to make development as the democratic process continues by now since Awami League assumed office after winning 2008 general elections confronting many hurdles,” she said. The premier was handing over “Swadhinata Purashkar-2023” (Independence Award-2023), the highest national civil award, to nine distinguished persons and one organisation in recognition of outstanding contribution to their…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China has been playing a long game to establish its hegemony in the South Asia region. Inflicted by the ‘Middle Kingdom’ complex, it views the world as an arrangement of concentric circles of power with itself being at the centre. It is increasingly becoming a revisionist power which wants to topple the existing global order, negate the international rules-based order, assert its Great Power status on other countries, and is trying to displace the USA as the world leader. To give effect to its vicious ambitions, the major instrument it is using is ensnaring weaker countries in a…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Seems like the competition is only getting tougher as Google on Wednesday announced that it is finally opening up access to its ChatGPT competitor ‘Bard’. This release will be an early experiment for users to collaborate with generative AI. Google is granting early access to ‘Bard’, which has been first rolled out in the US and UK. Google will be expanding the access to ‘Bard’ over time to more countries and languages. “You can use ‘Bard’ to boost your productivity, accelerate your ideas and fuel your curiosity. You might ask ‘Bard’ to give you tips to reach your…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday handed over Swadhinata Padak (Independence Award) to nine individuals and one institution in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the country. The programme to distribute the highest civilian award was held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium. Freedom fighter Colonel Shamsul Alam (retired), Lieutenant AG Mohammad Khurshid (posthumous), martyred Khwaja Nizamuddin Bhuiyan, and Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya received the award for their contributions to Bangladesh’s independence and the Liberation War in 1971. Bangla Academy winner Begum Nadira Jahan (Surma Zahid) and ICDDRB Acting Senior Director Dr Firdausi Qadri received the award for their…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Almost 30 million Pakistanis have no access to clean water, 80 per cent of people living in 24 major cities do not have access to clean water, and 16 million slum dwellers of Karachi do not have access to running water, Asian Lite reported. Pakistan has experienced several issues since its independence, but the most critical problem in the country is that of water shortage. According to one estimate by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan will be fully dry and barren by 2025 if the necessary steps are not taken to preserve water. For Pakistan, several factors…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India has sent an official invite to Chinese President Xi Jinping for the SCO summit, China confirmed Wednesday. Chinese charge d’affaires Ma Jia said, however, a decision on whether Xi will come for the SCO meeting was still awaited as the date for the summit had not been finalised yet. The SCO meeting is likely to take place in the first week of July, 2 months before the G20 summit where India will hope to forge a consensus on the Ukraine issue in the form of a joint communique, like the Bali Declaration last year. In a sign…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A Pashtun political activist during the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, exposed Pakistan for its close ties with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In his intervention, Fazal-ur-Rehman Afridi said, “We would like to turn the council’s attention towards a deteriorating security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Pakistan having grave implications for the basic fundamental rights and lives of the Pashtun ethnic minority.” “We express our concerns about the unannounced deal between the state of Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to hand over Ex-FATA to TTP to be ruled under Sharia Laws,” he said. He informed…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India needs capabilities to not just negate or mitigate the ‘grey zone’ warfare being pursued by China and Pakistan but also to keep them on the backfoot, General Manoj Pande said on Wednesday, while also underlining the criticality of “strategic deterrence instruments” to ward off full-blown wars. “Our legacy challenges of unsettled borders continue to engage us. It is important to recognise that infirmities in border management can lead to wider conflict. Therefore, the first imperative that comes across is that – possession of strategic deterrence instruments is essential,” the Army chief said. Though Gen Pande did not…

INTERNATIOANL DESK: Highlighting the country’s stride in technology and innovation Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday asserted that India should lead the world in 6G technology. Vaishnaw attended the Communication Ministers’ Conclave held in New Delhi, with the theme of ‘Enabling Innovation in Telecommunications to Ensure Digital Transformation of the Society’. “Sometime back our Prime Minister gave us a target that in 5G we must stand shoulder to shoulder with the world and in 6G we must take the lead. On the basis of the target, all of us…the country has worked, the academia, and the entrepreneurs have worked and…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Saudi Arabia is no longer willing to bail out Islamabad and refused to provide ‘easy money’ to Pakistan, demanding economic reforms, reported Middle East Eye. Pakistan is in dire need of sustained US dollar inflows to avoid defaulting on nearly USD 80 billion of international loan repayments over the next three and a half years. The country is currently sitting on just USD 3 billion in foreign exchange reserves. Saudi Arabia’s decision to refuse to provide any further bailouts or interest-free loans to Pakistan has left the government in Islamabad in shock and has prompted the finance minister…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Taiwan on Tuesday tracked 10 Chinese military aircraft and 2 naval ships around the country, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), reported Taiwan News. The military aircraft and naval vessels were tracked around Taiwan between 6 am on Monday (March 20) and 6 am on Tuesday. Taiwan sent aircraft, and naval ships, and used land-based missiles to monitor PLA aircraft and vessels, reported Taiwan News. Of the 10 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, three were tracked in Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. One Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane and one Harbin…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Political activists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir lambasted Pakistan for curbing the freedom of expression and giving free hand to terror outfits in the region during an event at the 52nd Session of Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday. The event titled “Freedom of Expression” was organised by the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) to focus on the importance of protecting the right to freedom of expression, especially in today’s world where censorship and suppression of speech are becoming increasingly common. Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, Chairman of UKPNP told ANI, “When any state curtails or compromises the freedom…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In celebration of World Forest Day, more than 80 volunteers on Tuesday came together to clean the Yagamso river at Indira Gandhi Park here, scooping up nearly four trucks of garbage. The cleaning drive was initiated by NGOs – Abralow Memorial Multipurpose Society and Youth Mission for Clean River – in association with Arunachal Dogs & Cats Rescue and Arunachal Yuva Shakti, and supported by the Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation Limited. The waste collected during the drive included diapers and sanitary disposables, meat, household mixed waste, construction waste, thermocol, broken crockery, dead animals, and electronic items. Mission…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Netherlands will face consequences if it blocks the export of high-end semiconductor equipment to China, Beijing’s envoy to the country has warned. The Hague announced new curbs on the export of chip-making technology this month, in step with the United States in curtailing China’s access to cutting-edge chips. “This will not be without consequences. I’m not going to speculate on countermeasures, but China won’t just swallow this,” ambassador Tan Jian said in an interview with Het Financieele Dagblad, a Dutch newspaper, on Monday. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world?…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India needs to develop “both offensive and defensive space capabilities to safeguard our assets”, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari said on Tuesday, in the backdrop of China furiously building and deploying anti-satellite weapons from direct ascent missiles and co-orbital killers to directed-energy laser weapons and electronic jammers. “The race to weaponize space has already started and the day is not far when our next war would spread across all domains of land, sea, air, cyber and space. We need to capitalize on our initial successes in space and prepare ourselves for the future,” the IAF chief said.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the US has in some cases, significant concerns about China’s behaviour, particularly its coercive and aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea. “In some cases, we have significant concerns about China’s behaviour, particularly their coercive and aggressive behaviour for instance in the South China Sea in pursuing false maritime claims, concerns about intellectual theft and some trade practices,” Kirby said in response to a question by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy on US’ relationship with China. Doocy had asked if President Biden thinks China is abiding by the…