Pushed out from their country, Rohingyas’ arrival put India in a dilemma

On a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his official visit to Myanmar, human rights organisation Amnesty International urged him to push the country’s leadership to provide assistance to Rohingyas in the violence-hit Rakhine state. The rights body also said the Modi government should “reaffirm” its commitment to protect Rohingya refugees and asylum-seekers in India instead of “threatening” them with deportation.

“Prime Minister Modi must also use his visit to push the Myanmar authorities to allow full and unfettered humanitarian assistance to people in need. Nothing can justify denying life-saving aid to desperate people,” Aakar Patel, Executive Director at Amnesty International India, said.

The Amnesty’s plea came on a day Union Minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that Rohingyas who have crossed over to India are illegal immigrants and stand to be deported. He also said that nobody should preach India on the is- sue as the country has absorbed the maximum number of refugees in the world. Around 40,000 Rohingyas are said to be staying illegally in India. Modi reached Nay Pyi Taw today on a three- day visit and called on Myanmar President Htin Kyaw.

The prime minister’s visit to Myanmar comes amid a spike in ethnic violence with Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state. The number of Rohingya refugees that have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar, which flared up late last month, has touched 1,23,000, according to the UN refugee agency. The Amnesty observed that despite being home to thousands of refugees, India is not a state party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, and does not have a domestic legal refugee protection framework.

 – OE News Bureau

If Gurmeet Singh turned into a monstrous head of a dera, blame it on the subsequent political dispensations

It is a matter of great concern that in today’s well connected world, large scale violence broke out in parts of Haryana and Punjab soon after a CBI court in Panchkula convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape. Over 40 people had been killed in Haryana in the violence at the time of writing this story. The BJP government in Haryana stands accused of gross administrative failure. On the eve of the verdict, it allowed lakhs of Dera supporters, or Premis as they are called, to gather at Panchkula. Dera supporters also mobilized themselves at Sirsa, the Dera’s bastion. The administrative failure of the Manohar Lal Khattar government stems from its political compulsions. The BJP in Haryana enjoys close ties with Dera Sacha Sauda and this seems to have impaired it from cracking down on Dera goons on time.

Ram Rahim’s Congress relationship

In the past, Congress leader Capt Amrinder Singh has used the might of Dera Empire to win elections. Akali Dal and SGPC is bitterly opposing Dera religious overtone due to Ram Rahim’s direct challenge to the authority of Sikh panth. In fact, Badal was regularly pushing for Ram Rahim prosecution on several cases but Ram Rahim was always one up to overcome Badal’s challenge. And Capt capitalized the situation by tacitly seeking Dera support and winning previous 2002 assembly elections and in recent concluded Punjab assembly election. In the adjourning state of Haryana, BS Hooda was coordinating political management with Ram Rahim Dera cult to secure two successive victories in the two previous elections. However, Baba shifted his loyalty to BJP post 2014 General Election victory resulting in BJP’s huge electoral gains in 2014 Haryana assembly elections. Surely, Ram Rahim Dera is having large following in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Himanchal Pradesh and West UP but it reflects the weakness of the political system that is dependent on GOD man for easy vote bank to win elections. Modern day politicians are looking for swift and quick results by engaging money and muscle power and God Man style of quasi politics suits ’s modern day politicians.

Ram Rahim’s BJP links

Nothing embodies this failure more than Haryana education minister Ram Bilas Sharma’s comment that the Section 144 imposed in Panchkula “did not apply to Dera supporters”. He even went to the extent of defending the people who had gathered at Panchkula. He reportedly described the Dera supporters as “simple, peace-loving people” who wouldn’t “harm even a plant”. Sharma’s links with the Dera are well known. He is reported to have recently donated Rs 51 lakh to the Dera as a mark of his sup- port for the cult.

But it isn’t just Sharma. A number of leaders in the Haryana BJP have deep ties with the Dera and this close relationship has the blessings of the party’s top leadership. The other major backer of Ram rahim in the Haryana BJP is health minister Anil Vij. Vij donated Rs 50 lakh from Haryana government funds to the Dera’s sports project. Another minister, Manish Grover, who holds the portfolios of printing, stationery and urban local bodies, also donated Rs 11 lakh to the Dera from his discretionary fund. The support for the Dera extended even to the Central government, with Union minister for sports Vijay Goel also promising to support the Dera with Central funds. Between the three BJP leaders Sharma, Vij and Grover the Dera was given over Rs 1 crore. This is despite the fact that even at the time of the donations, Ram Rahim faced charges of rape and murder.

What is even more sinister is that the BJP’s Central leadership – Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as BJP president Amit Shah were active participants in this cozy relationship of the party with Dera. During the campaign for the Haryana Assembly elections in 2014, PM Modi reportedly showered praise on the rape accused godman while addressing a rally in Sirsa. Apparently, this was the first time that a major political leader had openly invoked the Dera during an election campaign. The Congress and Akali Dal leaders, who often sought support of the Dera in the past, made it a point not to publically name the Dera or its controversial chief.

On the other hand, the 2014 Haryana election was also the first time when Dera Ram Rahim chief openly voiced his preference for a political party the BJP. Before this, Ram Rahim’s diktat to vote for one party or the other was communicated through more secretive ways to his followers, mostly through the political wing of the Dera.

According to a report, the deal with Ram Rahim was sealed by none other than BJP president Amit Shah. The report said that Shah met Ram Rahim in the first week of October and “sought his blessings” for the Assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra. The report said that six days after the meeting with Shah, BJP general Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya took 44 BJP candidates for the Haryana polls to meet the Dera chief. Apparently, Ram Rahim showered his blessings on the BJP candidates during the meeting. The Modi government also used Ram Rahim to push its Swachh Bharat initiative. BJP insiders say that Ram Rahim is a valuable political ally for the party, as he commands the loyalty of over 1 crore followers across the country, particularly in Haryana and Punjab.

“Dera commands a large voter base of over a crore, with a large percentage of Dalits. They vote en bloc. BJP leaders have been in regular touch with Ram Rahim and expected him to play a major role in bringing votes the party’s way in Haryana and Punjab in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” a senior BJP leader told Catch on the condition of anonymity. The leader admitted that the Khattar government had no choice but to go soft on the Dera supporters and let them have their way. “Dera followers are not small in number, in fact they are huge. We have to move very, very cautiously. Patience is the need of the hour. A wrong move and things can go out of control. We have already seen that in the 2016 Jat agitation,” the leader said.

Dera and the RSS game plan

For the BJP, the Dera’s significance isn’t just related to elections. It is said to occupy a key place in the broader game plan of the BJP’s parent organisation the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. “Sangh’s aims are not always associated with the BJP. The BJP is focused on elections, Sangh works for society. Sangh has been cultivating various Deras Radha Soami Satsang, Dera Sacha Sauda etc for some years now,” a Sangh functionary based in Amritsar had told Catch during the Punjab elections earlier this year. “The Deras work with the Dalit community, particularly Dalit Sikhs, who are ill treated by Panthic Sikhs. The Deras help in bringing them back into the Hindu fold,” the functionary added.

The functionary was extremely categorical in saying that the interests of the Sangh were at odds with Panthic politics. “They (Panthic Sikhs) emphasise on the minority nature of Sikhs. We don’t see them in that way. Often even mainstream Sikh leaders take radical positions or appease radical elements. The Deras can help us counter this,” he added. Apparently to pursue this agenda, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat spent some time at Mansa in South Punjab in 2014. During his visit, he reportedly met the head of the Radhasoami sect Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon.

The Dera Sacha Sauda has its roots in the Radha Soami sect. Its founder Khema Malaka Balochistani Shah Mastana, was a disciple of Baba Sawan Singh of the Radhasoami lineage. It is clear that in Punjab’s sociopolitical landscape, RSS and the Deras are on the same side. Even Panthic outfits, mainstream as well as radical ones, realize that such an alliance has taken place. According to Punjab police, the same radical group is said to have been behind the killings of RSS leader Jagdish Gagneja last year and Dera Sacha Sauda supporters earlier this year. The violence by Dera supporters is likely to increase social tensions in Haryana and Punjab. The BJP’s political and financial support to Dera Sacha Sauda is singularly to blame for the present mess, the mere perception that Ram Rahim was larger than law has fueled the violence, The motorcade of 200 cars, over 1 lakh supporters around court, hapless administration present an extremely sorry picture of the governance that Modi has promised in 2014. It is imperative that Prime Minister must take the situation under his direct control because he is a symbol of maximum governance and people of the country trust him. The compromises in governance even at state level will hurt brand Modi simply because people of Haryana had voted for BJP keeping in view Modi’s credibility and face. Lastly, people of the country must own responsibility of following quality religious leadership. India is a land of Jagatguru Adi Shankara, Guru Nanak Dev, Ramakrishna, Vivekanand, Praramhansa Yoganand and many more. We should be careful in selection of Guru and Saints, there should be strictly no God Man policy to be adopted by people to discourage fraudulent conman taking over the physiological control of innocent people.

– By Dr Rahul Misra (Associate Editor, Opinion Express)

The 72 day standoff in Doklam is finally over. Showing an unprecedented grit and deft diplomacy, India has managed to confound the dragon. Now, she must show the same maturity to bolster its stand in border disputes with the powerful neighbor

Writing in the fifth century BC, the ancient Chinese thinker Sun Tzu gives in his all time classic on war strategy  The Art of War a fundamental principle:

“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”

The way the Chinese government conducted itself during the recent 72 day long Doklam stand-off it would appear that they were following this advice to the letter. There were empty threats, psychological war in the media, videos of military drills, intemperate statements by official spokespersons, reminders of India’s 1962 defeat and aggressive bluster.

On the contrary, both the Indian government and media showed a far more mature response by emphasizing that the solution lay not in a call to arms but on the negotiating table. Maintaining diplomatic dignity, MEA’s statement on 28th September announcing the agreement to pull out did not in any way show the Chinese down; on the contrary, as was widely observed, India gave China plenty of face-saving room. The Chinese statement by comparison was shrill emphasizing that it was the “trespassing” Indian troops that withdrew first and that Chinese troops shall in future continue to patrol the area. There was only a muted reference to making necessary adjustments in their troop deployments. This probably force the MEA to come out with a second statement clarifying that disengagement border personnel had been almost completed under verification from both the sides. It was clarified that both troops and road building equipment had been removed by China from the face-off point, implying the PLA’s construction of the road towards Jompelri wherein the genesis of the crisis lay, had been put off. Two days later MEA announced that Prime Minister Modi would be visiting China for the up- coming BRICS Summit during 3-9 September.

What are we to make out of this in hindsight? The full details of what transpired on the negotiating table shall never be known; there are many information gaps left in the statements put out by the MEA. Has there been any commitment by China not to try building the road in the future? If the area is disputed has insisted all along by the Indian side, and of course Bhutan, why has China been allowed to emphasize that its troops shall continue to patrol the area? Why was there not a corresponding assertion from the Indian or Bhutanese side that the latter’s troops shall also patrol the area under dispute?

From the haze of diplomatic jargon some clear aspects of the issue emerge. Militarily, for most of the 4000 km long LAC, India has the advantage of holding the higher ground; such was the case in the Doklam area also. In case of an armed conflict China would have needed to vastly outnumber Indian forces, according to some experts by a ratio of 9 to 1 to push back Indian troops. And with snowfall expected in September it would have been difficult for the Chinese despite their superior roads and infrastructure to hold their ground.

China had some domestic compulsions too. In the crucial national conference of Communist Party of China in mid-October, Xi Jinping is expected to be given a second five year term at the helm and a continuing, unresolved military face-off with India would have been seen to be a mishandling of the situation and the show weakness against the country that most Chinese believe to be significantly inferior in terms of military or economic prowess.

Internationally, China would have lost face in the event of India raising the issue on behalf of Bhutan in the BRICS Summit or alternatively, sending a low level representative delegation instead of personal attendance by the Indian Prime Minister. In fact, both India and Bhutan had absented themselves from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) meeting in May 2017 much to China’s annoyance. In fact some observers had even linked that to the Doklam standoff.

Diplomatically, there have been reports that there was Russian pressure on both China and India to resolve the issue. Overtly however the rest of the world stayed away from the imbroglio with only Japan openly supporting India on the issue. Notwithstanding the US-China tensions over North Korea there was no mention of the issue by American authorities; it could have been logically expected by India that there would be some support from US considering Chinese entities/individuals have been placed under sanctions by the Trump Administration over the North Korean issue. Also, US has been supportive of India’s role while formulating its Afghan policy.

A matter of diplomatic concern for India was that after its initial response rebutting China’s claim over Doklam, Bhutan and assiduously maintained a discreet silence throughout the face off only expressing its hope that the matter would be resolved peacefully. In fact Bhutan’s lukewarm attitude nudged Sushma Swaraj into clarifying in the Indian Parliament that apart from the dispute that Bhutan had with China and in which India was treaty bound to help the former, there were Indian security interests also which made it necessary for India to intercede in the area.

It made economic sense for China given its trade and investment imperatives vis-a-vis India’s huge market not to aggravate the crisis militarily and have a diplomatic resolution without losing face. In fact during the ongoing crisis there were some faint murmurings on the part of the Indian government proposing changes in the criteria for foreign suppliers of power plant equipment which would hit Chinese manufacturers badly. In fact, the trade imbalance is heavily tilted towards China so India can leverage on this fact to push for course correction. China can ill afford to disturb the vast market like India that offers massive market to Chinese consumer durable and infra companies. Make in India program of Modi government will push Chinese manufacturing sector to limits in the years to come, and it will offer stiff competition to Chinese manufacturing companies soon.

 – Dr Pradeep Bajpai prad.bajpai@gmail.com 

As it is diplomatically said: “There are no clear winner or loser in our language”. The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday announced “expeditious disengagement of border personnel” at Doklam, signalling that the months-long standoff at the disputed India-China-Bhutan trijunction has come to an end. In response to queries on Doklam disengagement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “India has always maintained that it is only through diplomatic channels such matters can be addressed. Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected”.

India’s official statement is in contrast to the what the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Doklam, insisting that India has withdrawn troops from Doklam while Chinese troops will “remain in the region” and exercise their “sovereignty over the region”. This difference in the stand on Doklam between India and China is also reflected by the global media which has reported extensively on the border dispute.

BBC: The BBC, in its report titled ‘China claims victory over India in Himalayan border row’, says that “China says India has withdrawn troops from a disputed Himalayan border area, ending a tense stand off lasting weeks”. The BBC report says that India’s foreign ministry confirmed troops were “disengaging” at Doklam after agreement between the two countries.   The report quotes China’s official Xinhua news agency as saying that India had withdrawn its personnel and equipment “that had crossed the border back to the Indian side”.

The CNN report titled ‘India, China agree to ‘expeditious disengagement’ of Doklam border dispute’ says the standoff was “sparked after Bhutan accused China of constructing a road inside its territory in ‘direct violation’ of treaty obligations. China, which does not have formal diplomatic relations with Bhutan, denied the accusation, contending that Doklam is part of Chinese territory”.

– Prakhar Prakash Misra (Political Editor, OE)

The Summit declaration names Pak based Lashkar, Jaish as terror concerns

Narendra Modi visit to China for BRICS Summit has been a astounding success from an Indian prospective. It is surely a victory for Indian diplomacy that have scripted outstanding victory to include terror in the joint declaration of BRICS SUMMIT 2017. An end to DokaLa standoff saved Xi Jinping from an embarrassing face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The resolution will have offered relief to the BRICS organizers too, as there was hardly any logic in talking peace and cooperation among the grouping when two of its key constituents are engaged in a military face-off. Both Xi and Modi have set the stage for talks on peace and cooperation by agreeing to move past DokaLa and work on the larger BRICS agenda on cooperation. But all is still far from well.

For India and China, the next point of contention is developing, perhaps not in the form of a military conflict, but something that has all the making of a grand start to a prolonged diplomatic standoff India’s approach to the China Pakistan Economic corridor (CPEC) and One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative. China has bet big on CPEC, which it wants to use as a tool to assert significant political and economic influence on Pakistani soil and achieve its long-term goal of regional dominance operating from that base. CPEC is also integral to the OBOR initiative anchored by China.

It wants to grow as a world leader with its economic power and military might. For both CPEC and OBOR, India’s co-operation will be crucial for China since no power in Asia can ignore Asia’s third largest economy.

But, China may have a tough time in taking India into confidence since the CPEC corridor passes through the contentious part of Kashmir, which is occupied by Pakistan and claimed by India. India has the backing of others. For instance, Sri Lanka has spoken in favor of India on this issue saying it is difficult for India to accept the CPEC since it passes through the ‘heart of Indian interests’. China would have further risked the fate of CPEC and OBOR if it escalated tensions, as India can create hurdles in the path of OBOR. It was one of the major economic reasons it had to put an end to the DokaLa conflict as pointed out earlier.

In a recent report, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (ESCAP), the UN’s regional development arm, had warned that the CPEC running through Pakistan occupied Kashmir could create tensions with India and lead to ‘further political instability’ in the region. India has so far distanced itself from the OBOR initiative on account of this reason. It did not send a delegation to attend the OBOR meet convened by China early this year. This point of contention is likely to escalate further.

Just recently, army chief General Bipin Rawat had said that the CPEC passing through PoK challenges India’s sovereignty. “It is doing so by increasing defense and economic partnerships in the neighborhood, especially in Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) challenges India’s sovereignty,” Rawat had said. China, on the other hand, has maintained that CPEC has no direct links to Kashmir, a claim India has not agreed to. There are good reasons for China to bat for CPEC. China has invested at least $50 billion so far in the CPEC, and has also promised further investments.

Besides, it also plans to deeply influence the Pakistan region with its power and culture, establishing “a full system of monitoring and surveillance … built in cities from Peshawar to Karachi, with 24 hour video recordings on roads and busy marketplaces for law and order. A national fibre optic backbone will be built for the country not only for internet traffic, but also terrestrial distribution of broadcast TV, which will cooperate with Chinese media in the ‘dissemination of Chinese culture’.” All this will eventually make Pakistan nothing short of a Chinese colony and a surveillance base, which is a threat to India.

The 2017 BRICS Summit may not have much to offer beyond the usual rhetoric and general statements on promise of member cooperation. Particularly for India and China, although the DokaLa problem is off for now, the damage inflicted by the standoff on bilateral trade and economic relations will linger on for a while. Even if Modi and Xi move past the DokaLa episode and shake hands in front of cameras, the CPEC issue will loom over the meet.

The Brics grouping on Monday bracketed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e- Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed with global terror groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda, marking a significant diplomatic win in India’s efforts to counter cross border terrorism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Michael Temer and South African President Jacob Zuma condemned terror attacks worldwide and said those “committing, organizing or supporting” such acts must be held accountable.

This is the first time anti-India groups such as LeT and JeM have been named in a Brics declaration though the five-country grouping has denounced terror in the past. In the run-up to the summit in Xiamen, China’s foreign ministry had even suggested the counter terror efforts of its “iron brother”

ally Pakistan would not be an appropriate topic for discussion.

The 43-page Xiamen declaration, with 17 references to terrorism, made it clear that India had been able to convince others in the grouping about the threat posed by Pakistan-based organisations as the document also contained references to groups such as the Haqqani Network, Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement and Pakistani Taliban that have targeted Afghanistan and China.

“We deplore all terrorist attacks worldwide, including attacks in Brics countries, and condemn terrorism in all its forms…,” said the declaration released after the plenary session of the 9th Brics summit. “We…express concern on the security situation in the region and violence caused by the Taliban, ISIL/DAISH, Al-Qaida and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani Network, Laskar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP and Hizb-ut-Tahrir,” it said.

The document did not specify which region it was referring to but added: “We reaffirm that those responsible for committing, organizing or supporting terrorist acts must be held accountable.” Monday’s statement was a marked departure from earlier Brics statements the declaration issued after last year’s summit in Goa referred to terrorism several times but only named one group, the Islamic State.

Report filed by Prakhar Misra, inputs from mainstream media.

The recent aggression shown by USA and North Korea may jeopardize world security

The two aggressive leaders of USA and North Korea have brought the entire world on its knees.

Donald Trump narrative of & fury and Kim statement of hitting US by ICBM have resulted in escalation of tensions in entire world. Japan and South Korea are living in constant fear of missile attack but unfortunately China is proceeding with its stale strategy of promoting rouge states namely North Korea and Pakistan by supporting them with funds, technology, business collaboration and nuclear technology transfer resulting in making the world a deadly place to live in. KIM Jongun may have hidden a secret message to the United States in his blustering boast that he is now ready to lob missiles at Guam. But can President Trump understand it?

Recently North Korean media stat- ed Kim had been briefed by his Missile Command on completed plans to test launch missiles and ‘bracket’ the US Pacific territory of Guam. But Kim stated he would watch the “foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees” a little more before deciding whether to give an order for the missile test. The US has stat- ed any missiles lobbed toward Guam would be seen as a deeply provocative act. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the United States would “take out” any such missile and declared such a launch could lead to war.

Kim’s comments, however, come with an almost hidden tone of moderation. He appears to hold out the offer to defuse the growing crisis if the United States made a conciliatory gesture. “The US Imperialists caught the noose around their necks due to their reckless military confrontation racket … (but) he would watch a little more the foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees spending a hard time of every minute of their miserable lot,” the Pyongyang statement reads.

But the question is whether or not everybody who needs to understand that understands that. “The problem is that Kim Jonun is largely the same personality type as Trump both are paranoid, narcissistic and have huge egos,” Dr Hohnen says. “We’ve never really had leaders like that on both sides before.

“The unknown factor in this is not Kim, its Trump. Kim Jongun is acting as we expect him to behave.” “We’ve actually been expecting something like this,” she says. “Today’s quite an important day in North Korea (celebrations marking the liberation of Korea at the end of World War II). The North Koreans usually do something in terms of military development to coincide with such events.”

DIPLOMATIC CRISIS

Officials have told US media that satellites have observed DPRK mobile missile launcher movement, indicating an intermediate-ballistic missile may be being prepared as part of North Korea’s holiday celebrations. The move comes as the United States and South Korea plan to start annual defensive military drills that the North asserts are a severe provocation and a possible preparation for invasion. But South Kora’s Yonhap News Agency says President Moon told a gathering he will prevent war in Korea “at all costs”.

No US military action on the troubled peninsula was possible without Seoul’s consent, he said. US President Donald Trump, who today returned to his residence in New York for the first time since becoming President in January, has phoned regional leaders including Japan’s Shinzo Abe.

“We agreed that Japan, the U.S. and South Korea will coordinate closely, co- operating with Russia, China and other members of the international community to, above all else, prevent North Korea from launching missiles,” Mr Abe said about the call with President Trump. US Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned any further escalation could rapidly lead to war: “Yes that means for a lot of young troops they’re going to be in a wartime situation.”

President Kim Jongun being presented with plans to launch ballistic missiles towards the US territory of Guam. The map in front of him details the flight path of a missile over southern Japan, while the photo on the back wall shows Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base.

‘DELIGHTFUL HISTORIC MOMENT’

Pyongyang’s state media has this morning reported President Kim Jongun as “praising” his Strategic Force for drawing up a “careful” plan for a “power demonstration” to “envelop” Guam in fire. “The nuclear force of the DPRK is strong in its guts and no one can guess its muscle as the flight trajectory of medium-to-long ballistic rocket Hwasong 12, firing data and the correct hitting-point are made public at home and abroad.”

This North Korean supplied image purports to show Kim Jongun being briefed at the KPA Strategic Force HQ on plans to launch ballistic missiles to- wards the US territory of Guam.

INTERNATIONAL CONCERN

The European Union’s foreign policy chief has called for “peaceful, not military” means to resolve the Korean peninsula crisis, urging Pyongyang to avoid any “further provocative action” that could stoke tensions. “At such a critical juncture, the European Union supports diplomatic work with our partners aimed at the deescalation of the situation and achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearize of the Korean Peninsula through peaceful, not military, means,” Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

The statement was issued after a meeting of a key EU panel which agreed the bloc would reach out to North and South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan. “There is an urgent need for a deescalation of tensions on the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” Mogherini said. “(…) We there fore call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to refrain from any further provocative action that can only increase regional and global tensions.”

USA is building strategic level of co- ordination with another world power namely India to play an active role in taming rouge states like North Korea and Pakistan. So far, India has followed normal diplomatic language of restrain but the ambitious leadership of Narendra Modi is likely to take more active role in the global affairs to push for permanent t UN Security Council seat.

DUBIOUS ROLE OF CHINA

People Republic of China is gradually perceived to be the villain of the new world. China have build satellite rouge states namely North Korea and Pakistan, funded and armed them with clandestine nuclear weapon technology to serve its power balance in the new world order. Pakistan is pitted against India by China to curb India’s global emergence and North Korea is pitted against South Korea to check USA knocking its border. In the process, two rouge states with failed governance have ensured that world is no longer a safe place. There is highly likely that nukes may land up in wrong hands namely jihadi’s or terror groups that can extensively damage the humanity in any part of the world.

The unfair trade practices by PRC and reckless low cost manufacturing, dumping cheap goods in the global market have damaged many economies in the world. IPR violation and clone design are standard practice in China that has hurt many thriving multinational companies globally.

Recently US President has ordered probe against China for IPR violation. The world must unite against the Chinese unfair trade practices to secure sovereign right of many industrial nations.

America is preparing military options in case sanctions fail, says most senior US general

Joint Chief of Staffs chairman says US ready to use ‘full range’ of military capabilities to defend itself against Pyongyang. The Independent US South Korean army soldiers walk by a mock Scud-B missile of North Korea AP America is preparing military options in case sanctions imposed on North Korea fail, the most senior general in the US armed forces has warned. Joseph Dunford said a “full range” of contingency plans had been drawn up in case diplomatic and economic sanctions did not deter Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons. The Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman told South Korean President Moon Jaein of the preparations during a 50-minute meeting on Monday, according to a US military spokesman. It comes amid heightened tensions over fears Pyongyang is close to achieving its goal of putting mainland US within range of a nuclear weapon.

The two nations exchanged military threats last week, with North Korea warning it has developed a plan to strike the US Pacific territory of Guam. Donald Trump said military solutions to the crisis were “locked and loaded”, days after vowing to unleash “fire and fury” if Pyongyang continued to threaten the US.

Mr Dunford is visiting Seoul to discuss the rising tensions in the region with President Moon Jaein and Defense Minister Song Young-moo ahead of major joint US-South Korean military drills scheduled for later this month. “He conveyed America’s readiness to use the full range of military capabilities to defend our allies and the US homeland,” said US military spokes- man Darryn James. Mr Dunford, who will also meet with leaders in Japan and China, “stressed that North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmers threaten the entire global community,” the spokesman added. Mr Dunford had earlier told reporters he aimed to “sense what the temperature is in the region” and discuss military options in the event the “diplomatic and economic pressurization campaign” fails. “We’re all looking to get out of this situation without a war,” he added. Mr Moon separately called for a peaceful solution to the nuclear stand-off, urging that “there must not be another war on the Korean Peninsula”. It comes as senior US officials attempted to provide assurances with that conflict with North Korea not imminent.

The American military is ready with a plan to strike North Korean missile sites in a preemptive attack if Donald Trump decides to do so. The plan involves flying a B-1B heavy bomber from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam ac- companies by satellites, drones, higher jets, and aerial refueling warplanes. Training for the mission has been on- going, and there have been 11 practice runs for a similar mission since May when the training was accelerated.

“Of the military options … [President Trump] could consider, this would be one of the two or three that would at least have the possibility of not escalating the situation,” retired Admiral James Stavridis, the former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told NBC.There are six B-1B bombers positioned in Guam, about 2,100 miles by air to North Korea. The bombers have been heavily used in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and have been updated since then.

The news of the potential operations comes as the relationship between the US and North Korea has become very strained. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Mr Trump have engaged in a heated back and forth of threats. Recently, Mr Trump promised “fire and fury” if Mr Kim didn’t stop threatening the United States. In response, Mr Kim’s government signaled they were considering an attack on Guam if Mr Trump didn’t cool his tough talk. Both countries appear to be more than willing to push the other further and further with the threats, however, in spite of assurance from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has said that Americans have no reason to worry about an impending war.

US administration has finally realized that China is the base of North Korea and Pakistan problem. It is China that has clandestinely exported nuclear weapon technology to North Korea and Pakistan and at the same time, they have invested heavily in respective countries to keep the economy rolling ahead despite sanctions and international curbs. The world has realized that China is the backbone of unofficial terror and their irresponsible actions can lead to a major nuclear proliferation that is extremely dangerous to the civil societies globally. It is high time that the global community must put pressure on China to mend its way or get out of the new world order.

 – OE News Bureau

Despite worldwide criticism for its nuclear misadventure, the rogue nation is repenting

A mid international uproar over North Korea’s latest and biggest nuclear weapons test, one of its top diplomats said on Tuesday it was ready to send “more gift packages” to the United States.

Han Tae Song, ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the U.N. in Geneva, was addressing the U.N. sponsored Conference on Disarmament two days after his country detonated its sixth nuclear test explosion.

“I am proud of saying that just two days ago on the 3rd of September, DPRK successfully carried out a hydro- gen bomb test for intercontinental ballistic rocket under its plan for building a strategic nuclear force,” Han told the Geneva forum. “The recent self defense measures by my country, DPRK, are a ‘gift package’ addressed to none other than the U.S.,” Han said.

“The U.S. will receive more ‘gift packages’ from my country as long as its relies on reckless provocations and futile attempts to put pressure on the DPRK,” he added without elaborating.

Military measures being taken by North Korea were “an exercise of restraint and justified self-defense right” to counter “the ever-growing and decade long U.S. nuclear threat and hos- tile policy aimed at isolating my country”. “Pressure or sanctions will never work on my country,” Han declared, adding: “The DPRK will never under any circumstances put its nuclear deterrence on the negotiating table.”

Army

North Korea has one of the world’s largest standing armies, with at least 1,000,000 soldiers. However, although the secretive state does not release full details about its armed forces to the rest of the world, their weapons and equipment are believed to be largely obsolete when compared to major Western nations.

tanks

The nation’s 3,500 odd tanks out number its archival South Korea’s fleet by over 1000.

Despite having a larger fleet, most of the North Korean tanks date back to the Soviet era. On the other hand, a major chunk of South Korea’s 2,414 tanks are supplied by the U.S., fitted with modern weaponry, and much more efficient.

Artillery pieces

In terms of artillery, the North Korean army is in possession of over 21,000 pieces of equipment. It is believed that out of the total artillery equipment, many are targeted at Seoul, the South Korean capital city.

Submarines

North Korea boasts of a fleet of at least 72 submarines the highest in the world. The nation’s nuclear weapons could become immune from destruction in case of an preemptive attack, if hidden on board these submarines. In fact, North Korea is reportedly learning the technique of launching nuclear warheads from submarines which, if becomes successful, would allow the country to strike any nation easily.

South Korean marine corps search a North Korean combat class submarine after its discovery on the north-east coast of South Korea, some .62 mile (1 km) south of the demilitarized zone on Sept. 18, 1998.

Frigates

The nation has three frigates (several types of warship) as part of its military possessions. Conversely, the smaller sized South Korean army boasts of 14 frigates currently. Digital satellite imagery of a Soho-class missile frigate at Singyori patrol base in North Korea.

Combat aircraft

The Korean People’s Air Force has a fleet of 563 combat capable aircraft. However, in 2014, each of those planes were grounded for a short period due to low maintenance and poor service.

Aggressive military posturing

North Korea have always maintained an aggressive military posturing against countries it considers “unfriendly,” especially next-door neighbor South Korea. Most recently, tension escalated between the two countries in August 2015 when a North Korean landmine injured two South Korean soldiers. It resulted in the two countries engaging in artillery firing along the demilitarized zone, and North Korea beefing up its front-line troop strength overnight. The standoff eased after the two countries reached an agreement following discussions, and North Korea expressed regret over the landmine incident.

Military guard posts of South Korea (bottom) and North Korea (top) stand opposite each other as seen from the border city of Paju, South Korea, on Aug. 21, 2015.

Human testing for weapons

In June 2015, a North Korean scientist defected to Finland. He carried with him 15 gigabytes of information that showcased how the country’s regime used humans to test its biological and chemical weapons.

Biological weapons

Around the same time, the country released photos showing Kim Jongun touring a pesticide factory, called Pyongyang Bio-technical Institute. However, many experts believe that it could be a facility producing massive amounts of anthrax to be used in weapons.

Chemical weapons

According to Nuclear Threat Initiative, North Korea is believed to be the third largest possessor of chemical weapons.

Cyber army

Finally, North Korea’s cyber military abilities are yet to be fully discovered. It’s worth noting that the nation’s cyber-army has been blamed by the U.S. for the massive Sony hack that occurred in December 2014. U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood said that North Korea had defied the international community once again with its test.

“We look forward to working with our partners in the (Security) Council with regard to a new resolution that will put some of the strongest sanctions possible on the DPRK,” he told the conference. “Advances in the regime’s nuclear and missile programme are a threat to us all … now is the time to say tests, threats and destabilizing actions will no longer be tolerated,” Wood said. It can no longer be business as usual with this regime.” The White House said on Monday President Donald Trump had agreed “in principle” to scrap a warhead weight limit on South Korea’s missiles in the wake of the North’s latest test. The United States accused North Korea’s trading partners of aiding its nuclear ambitions and said Pyongyang was “begging for war”.

– Courtesy Reuters

The dramatic political victories of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India and President Donald Trump in USA led to consolidation of right wing ideologies in respective countries. The events were unpredictable and so fast that it impacted global political situation leading to a new world order. The USA leadership is willing to work with Russia and India is extremely close to USA today, both were unthinkable about two decades ago. China is extremely vulnerable with the rise of India because it will pose economic, political, diplomatic and military challenge. The current situation on the border is an attempt by China to disturb India’s ambition to be a dominant international player. China is pushing Pakistan to disturb India indirectly since many years but the India, USA, Russia tactical alliance is a bad news for China. China is protecting North Korea and there is a direct conflict brewing up between USA and North Korea, the Americans are consolidating navy fleet in south of Malacca, crucial to Chinese trade and commerce. To avoid international focus on North Korea, China has pushed troops to India border to make new international headlines.

The latest row erupted in mid June when India opposed China’s attempt to extend a border road through a plateau known as Doklam in India and Dong- lang in China. The plateau, which lies at a junction between China, the north- eastern Indian state of Sikkim and the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, is currently disputed between Beijing and Bhutan. India supports Bhutan’s claim over it. India is concerned that if the road is completed, it will give China greater access to India’s strategically vulnerable “chicken’s neck”, a 20km (12 mile) wide corridor that links the seven north-eastern states to the Indian mainland. And since this stand-off began, each side has reinforced its troops and called on the other to back down. There is a dreadful sense of dejavu about the way the stand-off appears to be escalating.

This is not the first time the two neighbors who share a rocky relationship have faced off on the ill-defined border, where minor incursions by troops have been common. The region saw armed clashes between China and India in 1967, and a prolonged stand off and build-up of troops along the border in Arunachal Pradesh in 1986-87.

‘Not a bluff’

Indian analysts believe China’s warnings cannot be ignored. “In general, the Chinese pattern of use of force has been to prepare the ground with adequate statements and warnings. Hence, I think we should not take them lightly or see it as a bluff,” a China expert told me.

In 1962, the state-run news agency Xinhua warned well in advance that India should “pull back from the brink of war”. During the Korean War in 1950 which pitted the US and its allies against the USSR, North Korea and communist China, the Chinese warned the US through India that if they crossed the yalu River the Chinese would be forced to enter the war. To be true, this doesn’t mean that China is girding up for war. As things stand, both sides can share some blame for the stand-off in what is a strategically important area.

In 2012, India and China agreed that the tri junction boundaries with Bhutan and Myanmar (also called Burma) would be finally decided in consultation with these countries. Until then, the status quo would prevail. India believes China violated the status quo by building the road. Indian troops were sent to resist their Chinese counterparts in the area only after Bhutan, which has close ties with India, requested India to help. China insists Indian troops invaded Doklam/Donglang to help Bhutan, and it was a violation of international law. Mr Lu says India should not “take trespass as a policy tool to reach or realize their political targets”.

Some analysts say India possibly made a mistake by openly conflating the building of the road with talk of potential “serious security implications for India”. “I agree that there were security concerns, but it was wrong for India to voice them strongly. We could have just said that China had breached the status quo. By overplaying the security angle, we may have scored an own goal, and the Chinese are exploiting it,” an analyst told me.

Tricky situation

He has a point. Long Xingchun, an analyst at a Chinese think-tank, says “a third country’s” army could enter the disputed region of Kashmir at Pakistan’s request, using the “same logic” the Indian army has used to stop the Chinese troops from building the road in Doklam/Donglang. “Even if India were requested to defend Bhutan’s territory, this could only be limited to its established territory, not the disputed area.”

Clearly, for the stand-off to end, all three sides need an agreeable solution without losing face. As China hardens its position, many believe that finding a “three-way, face saving solution” would be tricky and time consuming. Relations between the two countries are also at their lowest ebb in many years. Both sides possibly passed up an opportunity to resolve the crisis earlier this month when a potential meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Ham- burg did not happen. India said a meeting with Mr Xi had never been on Mr Modi’s agenda; and China’s foreign ministry had said the atmosphere was not right for a meeting.

India’s influential National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visit to Beijing for a meeting of Brics nations turned to be success. Doval, who is also the special representative for the India- China border, met his Chinese counterpart yang Jiechi. Both sides have made it a prestige issue. But diplomacy is all about keeping things going in difficult circumstances,” a former diplomat says. Despite the deteriorating relationship, a war is unlikely to break out.

‘The Indian Army should stand firm’ – Lieutenant General Dr D B Shekatkar (retd), PvSM, AvSM, AvSM, was in charge of the entire China front in Arunachal Pradesh during the Kargil War. The general, who served extensively in the North East, also compelled a record number (1,267) of terrorists in Kashmir, trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan to give up terrorism. General Shekatkar spoke to Rediff.com’s Archana Masih on the India-China standoff in the Sikkim sector.

Why a plateau in Bhutan is important for India:

I know the Dokalam area in Bhutan since 1992 where the Chinese are exerting their claim. It is at the tri junction of Sikkim, Bhutan and China. It is legally important for us because in mountain warfare, even a 10 feet high ground is of importance.

Over the years, the Chinese came during the grazing season, stayed for a few days with yaks and went away. They used to tell the Bhutanese that this is our area. For the last two years, the Chinese came in strength and started building roads on the Doklam plateau. It is also strategically located near the Siliguri corridor. Assuming it is occupied and deployed with guns and heavy armament, it is such a narrow patch that anyone who controls it will also controls the entry and exit from the North East. It can cut off the entire North East.

There are 2 to 3 hydel projects coming up in this area where India has in- vested heavily. One project is Jaldhaka (on the Indian side of the India-Bhutan border). The Chinese have entered the Doklam plateau because it overlooks the Chumbi valley which is Chinese territory. This is the military reason why China is keen on the Bhutanese territory. When sensitive territory goes into the hands of your enemy or adversary, he becomes more powerful in military terms.

Assuming the Chinese take over that area (the doklam Plateau) they will not stop at that. they will keep pushing further. It will be easier for them to further expand their territory.

The reason for the current India- China stand-off:

Linked to this is that Bhutan is a small country. It is a sovereign country, but there is a small training detachment of the Indian Army to train the Bhutanese forces. It is located at Thimpu and a place called Ha in the Chumbi valley. The Indian Army has been in Ha for decades, which is a training establishment. The Doklam Plateau is at close proximity to this place.

When training the Bhutanese army on operational parameters, the Chinese troops entered the area and because the Indian Army was present there, they were told to go back. That is how the Indian Army got involved and China claims that Indian Army has entered the Doklam area. The Chinese in the past come and go, but this time the Chinese were trying to bulldoze their way through the Bhutanese army into the Doklam Plateau.

On China asking the Indian Army to withdraw and India’s refusal to stand down:

China has no business to tell the Indian Army to withdraw because that is Bhutanese territory. If at all, somebody should ask the Indian Army to vacate, it is Bhutan. The Chinese are telling the world that the Indian Army has ingresses into their area. The Indian Army should stand firm. I feel the Chinese will vacate that area in two months after it begins to snow.

In Kargil also, both the Indian Army and Pakistan army used to withdraw, but in 1999, we found they did not, which led to the Kargil War. This time, I don’t think the Bhutanese army will vacate that area lest the Chinese continue during the winter. Then there will be open war. Therefore, the Bhutanese army will now have to stay there. The Indian Army should continue to remain there to support the Bhutanese army.

The Indian army will not fight anybody else’s war, but they should be there and be prepared. Once the Chinese retreat, India will also go back and leave the area for Bhutan. The Indian Army can be positioned 3 km or so behind the Bhutanese army on the Doklam Plateau.

On the Chinese stance in the present tension:

As per Chinese strategy they will continue to harp that this area belongs to them. According to the 1890 and 1914 treaty that area doesn’t belong to them. They will try and show that the Indian Army has ingresses into their territory. The Indian Army cannot ingress into China through another country. If the army had crossed over from Sikkim it would have been a totally different thing, so that stand doesn’t hold good.

Why India needs to build world opinion on China:

As strategic framework, India should now build world opinion on China on the following issues:

1. China is the only nation in the world which officially protects two rogue nations Pakistan and North Korea. When a member of the United Nations Security Council protects two rogue nations does it qualify to be a member?
   Should not the world body take up this issue in the UN General Assembly to remove China from membership of the Security Council and take away its veto power?
2. China’s military strength is based on its economic strength.Economic strength depends on industrial strength. If China’s economy is affected, its military will get impacted. We should not sustain the Chinese economy and look at it as economic warfare.
3. India should engage China on the seas so that China’s influence does not increase in the South China Sea. Our strategy should be to engage with the Philippines, vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan.
   India should be able to engage China in the Indian Ocean ring, starting from the Straits of Malacca to the Straits of Hormuz Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Seychelles, Gwadar. India should take world leaders into confidence and engage China. That should be the grand strategy. India should let it be known to China that they have been helping terrorists operating in India  the Naxalites, insurgents in the North East. If India does even 2% of what the Chinese are doing, they will not know how to handle the Tibetans and the people in Xinjiang.

Political Editor Prakhar Prakash Mishra comprehensively studied the international and national press on India China border standoff and he has compiled a report taking out best of reports, coverage, interviews  to highlight the perception and the reality of the current buildup. Inputs from CNN, BBC and prominent Indian media are incorporated to offer a broader prospective.

Post Independence, India is blessed by great leaders both at national and regional level wherein they have impacted the road map for the country. The leaders have followed democratic values and collectively pushed the growth of the country. It is easy to be critical according to individual’s preference but there is no doubt that every one of them has a major contribution in the national building. Over the course of its magnificent history, India has been led by the most charismatic of leaders who have guided this country’s people and served as an inspiration for all of us. Let us pay tribute to 22 of them:

1. Pt. jawaharlal Nehru

The first prime Minister of India ruled a chaotic newborn country right from its independence in 1947 until his death in 1964. Nehru’s legacy is that of an extremely liberal, socialist and secular leader, who under the apprenticeship of Mahatma Gandhi, firmly put India on the course in which it runs to day. Nehru was a man of letters and is also credited with creating the Planning Commission of India. He brought scientific flare in the governance by establishing several technologically superior public sector units for comprehensive growth of the country.

2. B. R. Ambedkar

One of the greatest personalities ever born in India, Ambedkar was a jurist, political leader, philosopher, anthropologist, historian, revolutionary, writer and much more. He was a revolutionary leader and held forth on his views even if they went against the popular grain. He also revived Buddhism in India, a legacy still seen in Dalit communities, who’s cause Ambedkar championed throughout his life. Ambedkar is also known as the Father of the Indian Constitution, on behalf of which the nation celebrated Republic Day.

3. Atal Behari Vajpayee

The recipient of the Bharat Ratna & Padma vibhushan, he is one of the most respected political leaders in India’s history. He remains the only prime minister to serve a full term outside the Congress Party, the record likely to be broken by current PM of India. vajpayee was known to be a liberal within the BJP, a party with extreme right views. He fearlessly led the nuclear tests to establish India a powerful nation and focused on building state of art infrastructure to facilitate rapid economic growth.

4. Lal Bahadur Shastri

Filling the boots of Jawaharlal Nehru was never going to be an easy task, but Lal Bahadur Shastri did just that, and with elan. He gave India a slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisaan’ and worked extensively for farmer sector in India in continuation of Nehru’s socialist policies. India’s decisive victory in the war against Pakistan in 1965 while he was Prime Minister elevated the country’s mood after its defeat to China earlier and turned him into a hero to cherish forever.

5. Indira gandhi

Indira Gandhi served as a Prime Minister for 11 years and is credited for initiating the Green Revolution in India. The only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira wielded a lot of influence in the Congress Party and the sentiments of the public. She was known to be ruthless during her term as Prime Minister that lifted India out of a policy quagmire and firmly placed the development of the country on the fast track. A controversial figure because of the Emergency and subsequent assassination in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, Indira was named as India’s greatest Prime Minister at the turn of the century.

6. Sardar vallabhbhai Patel

India was not inherited as a whole piece of land upon In- dependence. It was divided into princely states whose leaders demanded uncontrolled privileges or sought to remain as neutral territories. Dealing with each of them sternly and firmly earned Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel the sobriquet of India’s Iron Man. He also established the civil services division in Indian administration.

7. Subhash Chandra Bose

Though he served as a member of the Indian National Congress only for a small duration, he had a great impact on the country’s armed forces. One of the few leaders who supported armed revolt to overthrow British rule in India, Bose even formed an army that reported to him called Indian National Army and sought the support of Japan to defeat Britishers in the country. Although his Army failed to directly drive out the British, former Britain PM Clement Atlee conceded that Bose’s activities played a major role in the withdrawal of Britain from India.

8. Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Rajendra Prasad was the first President of independent India. He is also considered to be one of the architects of India’s Republic and also served as the president of India’s Constituent Assembly. Prasad is credited with being bipartisan and acting on merit. He is still the only President to have been elected for the President’s position twice.

9. APJ Abdul kalam

The man with the frizzy hair and India’s favorite grandpa, APJ Abdul Kalam was one of the most proactive President of recent times. He is also known as People’s President and India’s Missile Man for advancing India’s ballistic missile programs. Known for championing youth causes’, Kalam also launched the “What Can I Give movement in 2011” to defeat corruption and realize his life goal of turning India into a developed country by 2020.

10. N.T.rama rao

N.T. Rama Rao, popularly known as NTR, served as CM of Andhra Pradesh for three terms riding on the back of his immensely successful films, in which he mostly played deities Rama and Krishna. His portrayal of mythological characters translated into record wins from audiences when he decided to turn into a politician by founding the Telugu Desam Party. NTR was known to be passionate about the Andhra cause, equal rights for women and introduced many populist schemes for his state. He was an astute politician and was also involved in forming the National Front that ruled the country from 1989 to 1991 under which the Mandal Commission’s recommendation of implementing 27 per cent reservations for OBCs was implemented.

11. dadabhai Naoroji

One of the earliest political leaders of India, he was also involved in business like cotton trading. He was also one of India’s early educationists and sought to clear concepts of Zoroastrianism amongst the local populace in Bombay. Naoroji was also a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons between 1892 and 1895 in the UK, becoming the first Asian to be a British MP.

12. jyoti Basu

Jyoti Basu holds the record for serving as the longest chief minister of any state in India after holding that post in power from 1977 to 2000 in West Bengal as a CPI(M) politician. He was also one of India’s most well-known atheists. Basu designed the land reform plan in India and initiated panchayati raj for farmers in West Bengal. Never one to follow Communism by the book, Basu made it his mission to give the lower strata of society its due and always upheld communal harmony.

13. M. G. Ramachandran

M. G. Ramachandran, or MGR for his fans, was one of the most influential politicians in Tamil Nadu. MGR was a superstar actor in Tamil films and joined the Congress party after being influenced by Gandhian values. He later joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and became as popular in the party as he was among his film fans. In 1972 he formed his own party called Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and riding on his popularity emerged as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu in 1977 and remained so until his death in 1987. He was known for his focus on education and the earliest proponents of midday meals that incentivized children to attend schools. MGR was also known for his philanthropic activities. The frenzy and looting that followed his death remains unparalleled to this day and is a testament to his popularity.

14. Rajiv gandhi

One of the most dashing leaders the country has ever seen, Rajiv was the man behind diminishing the License Raj, gave a push to science and technology and also introduced the telecommunication revolution in India. He took office as Prime Minister of India at the age of 40 after his mother Indira was assassinated in 1984. In the elections held immediately thereafter, the Congress party won an unprecedented 411 seats out of 542 across the country. Known to be a patron of arts, Rajiv also introduced INTACH in 1984 to preserve India’s rich heritage.

15. Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh may be a much reviled figure today but no one deny his contribution in lifting the country out of an economic morass in 1991 by opening up the economy. The transformation from socialism and capitalism was a long time coming and Manmohan ensured that the transition went off smoothly. Under his leadership, India achieved the US $ 1 trillion economy milestone. The strong growth recorded by the country over the past few years must go to Manmohan and team.

16. Zakir Hussain

Dr Zakir Hussain was the first Muslim President of India and the founder of Jamia Milia Islamia, one of India’s most recognized university. His dedication to education and efforts to keep Jamia Milia Islamia running even under dire circumstances earned him praise from unexpected quarters, including arch rival Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

17. P. V. Narasimha rao

Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister when Manmohan Singh opened up the economy in 1991, a role for which he is known as the Father of Indian Economic Reforms. He also introduced computer based trading system of the National Stock Exchange in 1994 and encouraged FDI inflows into the country to revive its flagging economy. He also took important decisions that strengthened the internal security of the country. An astute politician, he passed several important laws through a mixture of cunning and guile even though he headed a minority government.

18. Morarji desai

India’s first non Congress Prime Minister, Morarji Desai was the architect of India’s nuclear program. A strict follower of Gandhi’s non-violence movement, his peace overtures were so successful that Desai remains the only politician to have received Pakistan’s highest civilian award Nishan-e-Pakistan from President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. Desai is also credited with promoting social, health and administrative reforms in the country.

19. Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi has the power to divide opinions into two polar opposites. If you see him as the force behind the 2002 riots in Gujarat then you will have to turn a willful blind eye to the economic prosperity and sense of pride he has infused in his community. His supporters call him a tightfisted leader while his detractors call him a mild dictator. Whichever way you look at it, Modi’s legacy in politics is here to stay. Post historic victory in the GE2014, Narendra Modi has gone strength to strength. The international community has embraced Modi globally and he is the most popular political figure in India. Modi’s clean image and commitment to work has made him an exception in a messy political climate of India.

210 jayaprakash Narayan

Jayaprakash Narayan has been an important leader who first came into prominence for opposing Indira Gandhi at the height of her powers. In 1974, he called for a peaceful Total Revolution after leading a students’ movement in Bihar. Although he never became a force to reckon with within politics, Narayan was the first leader who commanded huge crowds for his political stands, a position that was taken over by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwalrecently.

21. Nitish kumar

One of the cleanest ministers to emerge out of Bihar in recent times, Nitish Kumar, a protégé of Jayaprakash Narayan, is also known as an efficient taskmaster. Under his rule, the state recovered from massive economic collapse and powerful corruption. Kumar fast tracked development projects, appointed over lakh teachers to improve education standards and most importantly, brought crime under control in Bihar, a state long known for its lawlessness. Bihar is slowly turning a corner with migrants from the state eager to take part in the success story created under Kumar’s rule.

22. Subramanium Swamy

Dr Swamy is an economist, mathematician and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha. He was President of the Janta Party until it merged with BJP. Swamy has served as member of the planning commission of India and was a cabinet minister in the Chandra Shekhar government. Earlier in Nov 1978, Swamy was member of the Group of Eminent persons and was called to Geneva Switzerland to prepare a report of the United Nations on Economic Cooperation between developing countries. In 1994, Swamy was appointed as Chairman of the Commission on Labor standards and international trade by former Prime Minister of India P.V. Narsimha Rao. He has written on foreign affairs largely on People Republic of China, Pakistan and Israel. In the recent past, Swamy has taken a new avatar of anti corruption crusader wherein he is fighting mega scams namely 2G, Coalgate, National herald case, Jayalaitha case, Nataraja Temple case, Ayodhya temple case: his role is applauded by all Indians and NRI community abroad.

(Compiled by Opinion Express News Services through internet poll conducted by our online team)

PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel has opened new avenues for cooperation between the two countries

Clearly  reflecting  the  impact  of  the change in Indian policy towards Israel was  the  chagrin  expressed  by  the  Palestinian envoy to New Delhi: “We were shocked…”

A curious Indian stops a passing Israeli backpacker on a New Delhi street. “Tell me,” he asks, “how many Israelis are there?”

“I’m not quite sure,” the backpacker answers. “About six million.”

“No, no no,” retorts the Indian, “not just in New Delhi. I mean all together.”

The humor of this well-known joke reflects a remarkable reality which helps understand the huge enthusiasm this week’s landmark visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi generated, and clearly heralded a “change of gears” in relations between the two countries.

Hindu Jewish affinity

Each year, over 60,000 Israelis travel to India, many of them “unwinding” in the country after completing military service.  Their presence is highly visible across much of the country. Indeed, the “giant shadow” Israelis cast in India is wildly disproportionate to the minuscule dimensions of their homeland. In some outlying locations, Israelis comprise a dominant percentage of foreign visitors. Even in central sites such as the main market in Old Delhi it is not uncommon to see Hebrew signs and encounter merchants able to converse with Israeli customers in fairly fluent Hebrew.

That Israelis seem to feel an instinctive affinity for India should perhaps not be surprising.  Its history is virtually devoid of antisemitism.  Indeed, the  only  significant  incidents  were  the Moors’ attack on the Jews in 1524 and the  Portuguese  persecution  of  Jews in  Cranganore  (now  the  Kerala  coast)

On the political and diplomatic fronts, the two nations were largely estranged for the four decades following their independence in the late 1940s. Thus, although India recognized the State of Israel in 1950, the then ruling Congress Party eschewed full diplomatic relations, siding with the Palestinians and denouncing what many in its ranks termed the “Zionist enterprise” as an imperialist creation of Western colonial powers.

Some years  later.  Moreover,  many  Indian  Jews  achieved  great  prominence, among  them  the  Sassoons  (for  whom the  Sassoon  docks,  the  Sassoon  hospital,  and  other  well-known  sites  have been  named),  Dr.  E.  Moses  (a  Jewish mayor of Bombay), Lt. Gen. J. F. R. Jacobs (a general in the Indian Army who oversaw the Pakistani Army’s 1971 surrender  in  Bangladesh  and  later  served as governor of Goa and Punjab), Nissim Ezekiel  (a  poet/leading  Indian  literary personality),  and  Dr.  Abraham Solomon Erulkar (the personal physician/ friend of Mahatma Gandhi).

Dispersing ideo-political cloud of “post-colonial” prejudice

However, Indo-Israeli relations were not always characterized by such warmth. On  the  political  and  diplomatic fronts, the two nations were largely estranged  for  the  four  decades  following their  independence  in  the  late  1940s. Thus, although India recognized the State of Israel in 1950, the then-ruling Congress Party eschewed full diplomatic relations, siding with the Palestinians and denouncing what many in its ranks termed the “Zionist enterprise” as an imperialist creation of Western colonial powers.

Additional  factors  also  weighed against  close  and  cordial  bilateral bonds:  New Delhi’s fear of antagonizing  its  large  Muslim  population;  pressures  from  the  Islamic  world,  India’s major source of energy; the fate of the many Indian workers in the Gulf States, and the anti-Israeli attitude of the non- aligned movement, in which India was a leading member.

Moreover, in terms of strategic allegiances,  an  additional  rift  between  the two  states  existed:  Israel  aligned  itself firmly  with  the  United  States,  while India,  then  traditionally  suspicious  of American foreign policy, opted for close links with the Soviet Union. The significant disparity between the two countries hardly boded well for mutual cooperation between them. However, since the early  1990s,  with  the  fall  of  the  Soviet bloc and the accelerating liberalization of  the  Indian  economy,  considerable changes  began  to  take  place,  bringing with  them a marked convergence of Indo Israeli interests.

Removing the reticence

The establishment of full diplomatic ties between Jerusalem and New Delhi allowed the underlying Indo-Israeli affinity to express itself.  Yet, until the Modi government came to power there has been a perceptible reticence, or at least reserve, on the part of India with regard to its relationship with Israel.

One particular sore point was India’s consistent support of anti-Israel resolutions in international forums, such as the UN.  One commentator characterized the Israeli perception in the following terms: “Israel has long complained that India treats it like a mistress: glad to partake of its defense and technology charms, but a little embarrassed about the whole thing and unwilling to make the relationship too public.” But  with  the  rise  to  power  of  the Modi  government,  this  restraint  is  be- ginning  to  fade  discernibly,  and  India has ceased to support a number of motions  of  censure  against  Israel  in  several  UN  bodies.  Clearly  reflecting  the impact  of  this  change  was  the  chagrin expressed  by  the  Palestinian  envoy  to New  Delhi,  at  India’s  decision  not  to support a resolution condemning Israel:  “We  were  shocked.  The Palestinian people and the leaders were very happy with the UN resolution, but the voting of India has broken our happiness.”

physical embrace of Israeli Prime Minister  Benjamin  Netanyahu,  as  he  descended  from  the  plane  that  brought him to Israel, seems to have unequivocally melted away any residual reticence that might have remained.

Modi’s landmark visit

The  visit  of  Indian  Prime  Minister Modi  is  undeniably  a  landmark  event of  potentially  historical  proportions. Attesting to this is the virtually unprecedented attention he has been given by the media and the public in Israel far beyond that accorded most visiting heads of government.

As  the  first  Indian  premier  to  visit the Jewish state, Modi has undoubtedly cast aside any restraint in forging future relations  with  Israel.  Indeed,  despite his country’s heavy reliance on oil from the  Middle  East  (or  “Western  Asia”  as the Indians tend to call it) chiefly Iraq, Saudi  Arabia  and  Iran Modi  appears to  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that India  has  more  to  gain  from  throwing in its lot with Israel than with the Arab States,  who  seem  to  consistently  lend their support to India’s rival, Pakistan.

Two  of  Modi’s  decisions  on  this trip perhaps more symbolic than substantive seem to distill out the essence of  the  new  Indian  approach  to  Israel: The  one,  political;  the  other,  humanitarian. The first was the Indian PM’s decision not to include the customary visit to  Ramallah,  made  by  virtually  all  visiting  senior  statesmen  to  maintain  the appearance of scrupulous even handedness in the Israel Palestinian conflict.

Thus  despite  the  fact  that  the  Indian  government  continues  to  declare its ongoing support for the “Palestinian cause” there can be no glossing over the implicit message  in  Modi’s  decision  to skip some might say, snub the Palestinian Authority by excluding any meeting  with  any  of  its  senior  representatives. courage  in  flouting  the  bonds  of  the constrictive  conventions of  political correctness and  the  willingness  to break from past patterns, which bodes well  for  the  independent  development of bilateral relations in the future.

The other defining event was Modi’s decision to visit  Moshe (Moish) Holtzberg,  the  boy  whose  parents,  Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, were murdered in a 2008  attack on the Chabad center in Mumbai  by  an  Islamist  terrorist group based in Pakistan. The attack was one of a dozen carried out throughout the city in late November, 2008, that left 164 dead and at least 308 wounded.

In  making  this  moving  gesture, Modi  not  only  showed  a  laudable  sensitivity  on  a  personal  level,  but  also underscored  the  common  threats/enemies  faced  by  both  countries  and  the joint  perils  that  menace  both  Israelis and Indians.   So although the visit included a dizzying  array  of  sites  and  installations, highlighting  Israel’s  capabilities  and achievements  in  culture,  technology, agriculture,  and  security  it  was  these two  events resolute  moral  clarity  on the  one  hand  and  human  empathy  on the  other that  imparted  a  distinctive quality to the visit making it one of the most memorable in years. Indeed,  as  one  scholar  of  Indo-Israeli  ties,  Souptik  Mukherjee,  pointed out:  “While the visit has many dimensions, the most important aspect is not the joint development of arms, not the prospect  of  free  trade  agreement  but rather the shared values and historical ties.”

Marrying “Make in India” with “Make with India”

The visit also produced some interesting rhetorical innovations.In  September  2015  Modi  launched his “Make in India” initiative to encourage  foreign  corporations  to  manufacture  their  products  in  India.  To date it appears to be an impressive success, with India emerging as the top destination globally for foreign direct investment, surpassing the United States and China!

In  his  effusive  welcoming  address on  Modi’s  arrival,  Netanyahu  mentioned  Modi’s “Make in India” project and  added  a  twist,  suggesting  an  additional  project:  ”Make  with  India”  in which both countries, would exploit the synergies  of  Indo-Israeli  cooperation and  engage  in  joint  ventures  across  a range of civilian and military fields.

Given  the  huge  nascent  consumer demand in India, its burgeoning middle class,  the  daunting  security  challenges it  faces  from  both  state  and  non-state actors innately hostile to Israel as well, there  is  little  doubt  that  both  formula Israeli  manufacturing  plants  in Israel, and joint Indo-Israel projects in either country offer almost boundless prospects.

Referring  to  ongoing  cooperation in the field of space, Netanyahu under- scored with a touch of hyperbole the almost  limitless  opportunities  a  marriage  of  “Make  in  India”  and  “Make with India” could create.  He recalled: “I remember what you told me in our first meeting when it comes to India and Israel relations, the sky is the limit. But now, prime minister, let me add [that] even the sky is not the limit. We are also cooperating in space.”

(Inputs from an article published in Israel Rising by Martin Sherman offers Israeli prospective)

As the threats to innocent people increase across the World, timely pure intelligence and precise solutions are paramount in decreasing the risks to life, environment as well as protecting a country’s education/legal/immigration controls systems. The World Homeland Security/Smartechno (WHS) Group of Companies has now developed and designed a new critical factors C8 IND Modules package specifically for India/Indian businesses as CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) will certainly stunt the growth of India internally as well as on a Global level on many fronts.

India’s political and increasing trade support for the UK (Especially Britain) now after the Brexit will further isolate India from good strong European Countries who have a strong ethics culture and products portfolio that can make India more successful/peaceful without breaking any international laws unlike the British politicians who continue supporting/funding illegal wars in the middle East and now siding with the New USA Government’s policy in encouraging further bombings of innocent people in Syria. The Middle East terrorist problems (plus India and Pakistan clashes) have been created by the British politicians and the many dumb people who voted for their British political parties. The plain facts of the upheaval in the Middle East are as follows:

THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE:

The Ottoman Empire was on the losing side of WW1, Britain and France divided up the land. Both the countries then decided without any vote by the general public living in those countries the following: France took control of Lebanon and Syria; the British took control of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan. The Problems created by this land division are still present in the Middle East today. India and Pakistan continue clashing due to the western/British political games of “Divide and Rule” and support/supply of weapons to both Countries. CPEC is a major game changer as now China stands with Pakistan as does Russia.

India must side or remain neutral with the peaceful law abiding countries or it faces more internal terrorism turmoil because of the Indian Muslims who will be further disillusioned that India is siding with Britain, a country that is killing innocent Muslim men, women and children in the Middle East. The UK is finished in many ways now after Brexit. There is nothing United about United Kingdom and Scotland is going to cut its ties with Britain as have many in Ireland. This leaves Britain and Wales who have absolutely nothing that is manufactured and of value to export to the rest of the World. These are more facts that cannot be denied: English tea?? England does not grow tea, sugar, not made in the UK, Coffee, not made in the UK. English education, utterly irrelevant as it has created more mass murderers, lying war mongering politicians, corrupt bankers and shyster lawyers who twist the truths towards lies that free the guilty criminals/terrorists.

CPEC: what China gets from the Project?

On the economic front, China is the biggest beneficiary as the project gives it a shortcut to Indian Ocean, bypassing the Strait of Malacca. It can access the Western part of the Indian Ocean in the most politically easiest way because of its friendly and strategic relationship with Pakistan.

At present, China transports 80% of its oil through the Strait of Malacca. This can be deviated through the Pak route. On the political front, a decisive advantage for China is that Pakistan historically shows willingness to play the role of satellite state to major powers including the US. Because of the India factor, Pakistan will remain an ally of China even by surrendering several rights to Chinese economic and strategic interests. This means that among all the OROB associate country, Pakistan offers more strategic value to China. There is a future option for Beijing to retain a significant army in Pakistan in the pretext of providing security to the CPEC.

What the project means for Pakistan?

The project is described as a ‘game changer’ for Pakistan’s economic future, which otherwise has only meagre prospects to develop its economy. Pakistan’s economy can get rejuvenation due to Chinese investment. If Pakistan is able to overcome its security problems, the CPEC can be a game changer. At the same time, the benefit it can get from being a transit country for Chinese goods depends upon its ability to change itself by achieve industrial progress.

The word game changer is to be carefully read along with the past great game played between US, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the one side and Russia, Iran and India on the other side to establish a land route to Central Asia. Pakistan’s effort to be the entry point into Central Asia foiled because the opposite side tried hard to retain their control over Afghanistan. Now, with Chinese help, Pakistan can get a chance to become at least one of the transit points.

Pakistan can get an opportunity to develop its infrastructure especially energy. Bulk of the CPEC is aimed to develop Pakistan’s energy sector including the construction of the largest solar energy plant in the world. China will help Pakistan to develop its resource based industries so that they can be exported to China.

Another advantage of the project is that with the potential economic decline of the Gulf States, Pakistan as a natural resource exporter can sell its commodities to the lucrative Chinese markets through the CPEC transit route.

What the project means for India?

India is the third party on which the CPEC impacts a lot of intangible and indirect effects. Given the political synergy between China and Pakistan, the CPEC will be a disguised political disturbance  for India. Its strategic content is high and capable of restricting New Delhi’s manoeuvrability in the region. In an extreme scenario, Pakistan may act as a ‘rented house’ for Chinese Military.

The project goes through the disputed Pak occupied Kashmir (Gilgit Baltistan) is a nuisance for India. Already, CPEC is getting lot of attention because of the direct involvement of the Pakistani military at the insistence of the Chinese leadership. So far, the quick progress in Gwadar Kazhgar project has compelled an otherwise slow New Delhi to get an agreement with Iran to construct a port at Chabahar. In future also, the India-Iran alliance for a geographic connectivity with Central Asia partnering Afghanistan will continue; but without hurting both Beijing and Islamabad.

Our C8 IND Modules Software computerized formulas have precisely calculated that UK (Especially Britain) now after Brexit is a high risks investment Country and debt ridden for another 15 years. “Stopping all further investments into Britain/British companies and selling your existing investments in the UK will save you from further losses. India/ Indian Companies should strengthen trade/investment ties with Good European Countries who are not involved in illegal wars and India should maintain good relations with China, Russia, Canada and selected South American Countries/USA Companies. We at the World Homeland Security/Smartechno Group of Companies support only those who abide the International laws, the innocent people irrespective of their Culture, Country or Religious Beliefs and those who wish to increase peaceful profits. Many NRIs (Non resident Indians) living in the UK Continue singing the high praises of the UK /Britain as they (The NRIs) continue taking the British pound and selling their souls/ selling out India to the British as well as eroding their ethics disrespecting their forefathers and Motherland..India! We will continue to catch these types of traitors and administer our own brands of justice which is in the confines of International laws but more precisely harsher. With Our Best for the Current Indian Government that is led by a fearless Lion, Mr Narendra Modi, we will continue making India Invincible as It is not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are”

 – Joginder (Jo) Singh Birring (The Global Chairman/Group President of The World Homeland Security/Smartechno Group Of  companies)  www.worldhomelandsecurity.one