J&K: Undercutting an Opportunity
Dec 28, 2020, at 10:34 pm
Results for 278 of the 280 District Development Council (DDC) seats, which went to poll between November 28, 2020, and December 19, 2020, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) were declared on December 22, 2020. The People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of five Kashmiri political parties, won 110 seats, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 75 seats; Independent, 50 seats; Indian National Congress, 26 seats; Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), 12 seats; Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party and Peoples Democratic Front, two seats each and Bahujan Samajwadi Party, one seat.
Dec 22, 2020, at 11:38 pm
On December 15, 2020, former All Bodo Student’s Union President, Promod Bodo, of the United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL), took oath as the new the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of Bodoland Territorial Council/Bodoland Territorial Region (BTC/BTR). Former National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militant leader, Gobinda Chandra Basumatary, also of the UPPL, was sworn in as deputy CEM.
Nov 30, 2020, at 03:26 am
Yesterday marked twelve years of the 26 November 2008 (26/11) Mumbai terrorist attacks that had shocked and shaken the world. The 26/11 attacks were among the most brazen, audacious and gruesome acts of terror ever witnessed. Ten terrorists belonging to the Pakistan-based-and-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), egged on by a cocktail of handlers comprising their LeT bosses and serving officers of the Pakistani Army operating out of a control room in Karachi, unleashed burst after burst of gunfire and explosions at several different locations in downtown Mumbai. The terrorists finally besieged a high-end hotel and held hundreds of hostages there for three days. Over those three days the terrorists went from room to room, indiscriminately killing whoever they could find. At the end of the nightmare, 166 innocent people had died, as had 9 of the attackers, and more than 300 people were wounded. Among those killed and injured were nationals of countries such as the United States (US) and Israel.
Nov 17, 2020, at 10:52 pm
Pakistan’s biggest single drug haul of 2020 was made on November 12 in the Pasni coast area of Gwadar District of Balochistan, when the Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG) confiscated 751 kilograms of methamphetamine and heroin, worth an estimated PKR 20 billion in the international market.
The Sectarianization of Society, Culture and Religion in Gilgit-Baltistan
Nov 12, 2020, at 01:25 am
Kashmir must shed the 'touch me not' attitude
Nov 05, 2020, at 05:39 pm
Do we live or do we die? Should we laugh or should we cry? The dilemma in the mind of a common Kashmiri exists for thirty years.
A new ray of hope in North Kashmir's border area of Kupwara
Nov 02, 2020, at 10:35 pm
Nature has bestowed Kashmir with extraordinary climatic conditions and forest cover, apt for different mushroom varieties including gucchi (Morchella), an exotic species of the mushroom family.
Oct 12, 2020, at 04:29 am
The Pakistani daily Dawn on 5 October carried an article titled ‘Most Pakistanis fear country headed in wrong direction: survey’. It quoted the findings of lpsos, a France-based organization that specializes in global market research and public opinion, while concluding that the “Majority of Pakistanis continue to fear that the country is heading in the wrong direction since last year”. It further underlined that “three in four Pakistanis expressed dissatisfaction with the way things are going in Pakistan today, while the same proportion of Pakistanis described as bad the current economic situation in the country”.
AF-PAK Border: Persistent Tension
Sep 28, 2020, at 11:10 pm
A Pakistani soldier was killed when militants from across the Afghan border attacked Security Forces’ (SFs’) post in the Bajaur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on September 22, 2020.
'The Resistance Front': Old Wine in a New Bottle
Sep 08, 2020, at 11:30 pm
It is a well-known fact that terrorist and insurgent groups best flourish in an environment fraught with instability, chaos and social upheaval, which provides them with favourable conditions to exploit local grievances and run recruitment and propaganda campaigns among the vulnerable population.
Sep 07, 2020, at 04:27 am
Developments around the Pangong lake over the past week have spawned the distinct impression that the trust deficit between India and China has only increased despite the ongoing talks between the two countries aimed at finding an acceptable solution to the several flashpoints that have been ignited by China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that separates the two countries.
How to cope with China’s ‘Wolf Warrior’ Diplomats?
Sep 01, 2020, at 09:43 pm
A new expression has recently appeared in the media and international diplomatic circles: ‘wolf warrior’, a term for the new and very assertive Chinese diplomats, who use Twitter and other social media platforms to prey on any person, legal or physical, which criticizes China or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
India Must Counter the Bidirectional Psychological Warfare
Aug 24, 2020, at 10:23 pm
Of late, India has been experiencing a psychologically driven Chinese war strategy at various occasions. For instance, during the 2017 Doklam standoff, and with a much-renewed vigour in the recent military standoffs in Sikkim and at multiple points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. Thus, ‘Winning without Fighting’ has become a characteristic feature of China’s warfare strategy which is commonly called ‘psychological warfare’ (psywar).
Downward diplomatic spiral and the impending implosion of Pakistani society
Aug 22, 2020, at 12:18 am
Unable to arrange a face-to-face meeting with Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Suleiman of Saudi Arabia, the high-powered delegation led by Pakistan army chief General Qamar Bajwa and ISI Chief has returned empty handed to Islamabad.
The stalemate on the India-China border and the wooing of India by the United States
Aug 11, 2020, at 08:46 pm
Since the gory 15 June clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan valley, senior representatives of the two countries have held five rounds of talks aimed at disengagement and de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
'KKBN Division': Maoists Fizzle Out
Jul 29, 2020, at 08:58 pm
on July 23, 2020, two Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, including a woman, were killed in an exchange of fire with the Security Forces (SFs) in the Sirla Reserve Forest area under Tumudibandha Police limits in the Kandhamal District of Odisha. Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay disclosed, “The Police Forces fired in self-defense. After the exchange of fire ended, the SOG [Special Operations Group] and DVF [District Voluntary Force] spotted two bodies – a male and a female. Both were in Maoist uniforms. We also recovered one INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifle, one carbine, and two country-made firearms.” The identities of the slain Maoists are yet to be ascertained.
Jul 01, 2020, at 05:41 pm
The draft of the 14th Amendment Bill to the 1974 Interim Constitution of the Pakistan-Administered and so-called ‘Azad’ (Free) Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), which has been accessed by EFSAS and can be seen here, has served as a grim reminder of just how suppressed and occupied ‘Azad’ J&K actually is.
Maharashtra: Gadchiroli: Strategic Restraint
Jun 16, 2020, at 05:02 pm
On May 17, 2020, two Police personnel, Sub-Inspector Dhannaji Honmane and constable Kishore Atram, were killed and another three were injured in an exchange of fire with Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres in the Poyerkothi-Koparshi forested area under Bhamragarh Tehsil (revenue unit) in Gadchiroli District. Superintendent of Police (SP) Shailesh Balkawade disclosed that the gun-battle took place when Maoists opened fire at a Quick Response Team (QRT) from Bhamragarh and C-60 commandos of Gadchiroli Police, who were out on a joint anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] operation.
Jammu and Kashmir: TRF: The New 'Front'
May 18, 2020, at 05:26 pm
The Resistance Front (TRF) is the product of one of the several efforts, often repeated over the past two decades by Rawalpindi, to give terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) an ‘indigenous’ face, and to provide Pakistan’s deep state, an alibi. According to intelligence sources, the outfit emerged as an online virtual identity, acting as a mouthpiece for major Pakistan-based terror outfits such as Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Thereafter, it has sought to claim a number of terrorist attacks executed by cadres of these groupings.
Apr 07, 2020, at 04:58 pm
On March 11, 2020, a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, identified as P. Srimathi (27), was arrested by the personnel of Tamil Nadu ‘Q’ Branch near Attappady forests in Palakkad District. According to a Police Official, Srimathi was a member of the Kabani and Bhavani Dalam (armed squad) of the CPI-Maoist. She was wanted in over 20 cases registered both in Kerala and Karnataka, and was on the watchlist of Police of both the States for long.
Mar 03, 2020, at 03:35 pm
On February 22, 2020, in response to reports of an attempted terror attack, the Maldives Police raided three houses on the Naifaru island of Lhaviyani Atoll. According to the Police, the residences were of three individuals accused of planning to set off an explosive device on the island.
Feb 10, 2020, at 05:00 pm
A Policeman, identified as Rehman Bangash, was killed by unidentified assailants outside his residence in the Pehlwan Goth area of Gulistan-e-Johar in Gulshan Town, Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on February 5, 2020.
Assam: Balancing Ethnic Antagonisms
Feb 05, 2020, at 05:15 pm
On January 30, 2020, at least 1,615 cadres of four factions of the Bodo militant formation, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), surrendered arms at a ceremony held in Guwahati in Kamrup (Metro) District. Those who surrendered included 836 from the Dhiren Bodo faction of NDFB (NDFB-DB), and the Gobinda Basumatary led Pro-Talks faction (NDFB-PTF); 579 from the Ranjan Daimary faction (NDFB-RD); and 200 from the Saoraigwra faction (NDFB-S). Significantly, the 1,615 surrendered militants deposited just 178 weapons and 4,803 rounds of live ammunition.
Jan 21, 2020, at 04:58 pm
On December 29, 2019, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five cadres of Allah’r Dal (The Army of Allah) while they were holding a clandestine meeting in the Labanchora area of Khulna District. RAB recovered some leaflets of the organisation from their possession.
Dec 09, 2019, at 05:20 pm
Tribal leader Malik Khan Gull and his son were killed in an explosion in the Tank area of Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on November 25, 2019. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack thus far.
Nov 18, 2019, at 06:42 pm
On October 25, 2019, an Ahmadi place of worship located in Chak 161 Murad in Hasilpur village of Bahawalpur District in Punjab was demolished by the Police. The ‘operation’ was led by the Assistant Commissioner of Hasilpur, Mohammad Tayyab.
Nov 05, 2019, at 05:33 pm
On October 11, 2019, a doctor, identified as Mohammad Ali, was assassinated by Taliban terrorists in the Payencha region of Dolina District in Afghanistan’s Ghor Province. Taliban terrorists have been repeatedly targeting health workers, including doctors and nurses, as well as medical facilities across Afghanistan. Facing constant threat, intimidation and harassment from the Taliban, several healthcare practitioners have resigned and health centres have been shut down, depriving civilians of access to healthcare.
Feb 05, 2019, at 04:21 pm
In the intervening night of February 1 and 2, 2019, two villagers, identified as Nirmal Goswami and Samru Kosmi, were shot dead by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, over suspicion of being ‘Police informers’, near Markegaon village in Dhanora Tehsil (revenue unit) in Gadchiroli District. Superintendent of Police (SP) Shailesh Balkawade disclosed,
Jharkhand: Visible Improvement
Jan 08, 2019, at 12:25 pm
On January 4, 2019, the Security Forces (SFs) killed an ‘area commander’ of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified as Chander Singh Bhokta aka Ganju, in an encounter in the Kurkheta forest area under Zori-Hunterganj Police Station limits in the Chatra District of Jharkhand. Ganju, a native of Birlutudag village under the Rajgir Police Station of the District, was operating in the Koleshwari zone along the Jharkhand-Bihar border. SFs recovered one INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifle from the encounter spot.
Dec 28, 2018, at 12:19 pm
34 days after Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena plunged the country into an unprecedented political crisis by dissolving the Parliament on November 9, 2018, the Supreme Court (SC) of Sri Lanka ruled, on December 13, 2018, that President Sirisena's decision was illegal and unconstitutional. The verdict was delivered by a seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera.