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, presumably a Indian band which I do not claim to have either heard or heard of, more Pakistani because their music is reminiscent of the boom of a Allahu Akbaring suicide bomber on his way to meet 72 raisins or because the music is reminiscent of the staccato burst of AK-47 gun-fire despatching fellow Mohammadden’s of a different sect ? :
No it couldn't have been done earlier....Sushma's sterling explanation makes it very obvious that Ufa was a huge diplomatic win for India. We needed Pakistan to follow-through on their Ufa commitment and therefore could not have made a media spectacle of our diplomatic win early.A_Gupta wrote:I wish that immediately after Ufa, this type of press conference had been held, and it was simply and directly explained with this kind of context, like Sushma Swaraj just did. On our part, we need to understand the precise meanings of all the agreements india and Pakistan have had.
they can always meet hurriyat "representatives" before the talks. there are plenty of gaddars in dilli who would gladly line their track thoo pockets in the cause of " friendship" just so long as their bank balances grew in direct proportion to the "friendship".Kashi wrote:I am surprised that Pakis did not try and up the ante..avoid comments, come to Delhi and somehow try and sneak in a meeting with Hurri rats just prior to NSA talks. Alternatively, blabber about Kashmir with Doval, ask for some joint statement, walk out in a huff and as a parting shot sneak in a meeting with Hurri rats in the sludge pond pretending to be a High commission.
Why call off talks before?
Follow the paki news headlines in the runup to the talks. Just before they had the "civil-military" meeting, the word was that they will throw some meaningless dossiers at India about Baluchistan or peshawar or some other rubbish, threaten to complain to amrika, UN etc. Then, as the date for responding to the invite drew closer, there was speculation that they will use the NSA meeting to ask for foreign secretary talks about cashmere, cricket, etc., (As Sushma Swaraj pointed out, there would have actually been no need to ask foreign secretary talks about cashmere, they would have happened anyway, once at least some progress could be shown on the terrorism subject--supposedly of equal interest to Pakistan--in the NSA talks).Kashi wrote:I am surprised that Pakis did not try and up the ante..avoid comments, come to Delhi and somehow try and sneak in a meeting with Hurri rats just prior to NSA talks. Alternatively, blabber about Kashmir with Doval, ask for some joint statement, walk out in a huff and as a parting shot sneak in a meeting with Hurri rats in the sludge pond pretending to be a High commission.
Why call off talks before?
The first option would have made them even more red-faced with India calling-off talks with Sartaj Aziz still on Indian soil.Kashi wrote:I am surprised that Pakis did not try and up the ante..avoid comments, come to Delhi and somehow try and sneak in a meeting with Hurri rats just prior to NSA talks. Alternatively, blabber about Kashmir with Doval, ask for some joint statement, walk out in a huff and as a parting shot sneak in a meeting with Hurri rats in the sludge pond pretending to be a High commission.
Why call off talks before?
A recent defence agreement between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India has arisen many questions regarding foreign policy of Pakistan as the proximity of the two is result of a ‘poor handling’ of affairs by the Foreign Office if not a complete failure vis-a-viz Arab world.
Looking at the history of Pakistan-UAE relations, it come {sic} to light that the Middle Eastern nation is a major investor in Pakistan's key sectors like oil and gas, telecommunications, real estate, aviation, banking and energy. A report by UAE's Ministry of Foreign Trade tells that its public and private sectors invested about $3.74 billion in Pakistan from in the early years of this century and the Dirham – UAE currency – continued pouring in Pakistan’s economy till now.
The main investments were made in different sector by the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), Dana Gas; Al Ghurai; Emaar, DP World, Abraaj Capital, Thani, Danata, Atharihra Agricultural Company; Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julfar), the Emirates Investment Group, the Arab Company for Packaging and Al Nasser Holdings.
– Pakistan’s contributions –
The love is not one sided as Pakistan has significantly cooperated with the UAE in the establishment of its major institutions like armed force, police, health and education. Besides 1.25-1.50 million skilled and semi-skilled Pakistani expatriates are living in the UAE, contributing significantly to the progress of both the countries. According to an estimate, 20 percent of the Pakistani expatriates are working white-collar jobs, whereas 80 per cent are working blue-collar jobs.
It is a fact that the road of relationship to the ‘Trucial States’ passes through Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) that was in difficult situation due to Yemen-based Houthi tribes. The Saudis were facing difficult time because of the attacks by the insurgents from Yemen. They were advancing inside Saudi Arabia. The Saudis expected the Pakistan Army to reach there and defend their soil. It was perhaps the first time when Pakistan authorities refused to send its troops to the kingdom. Pakistan received a ‘message of displeasure’ from the UAE at that time too. It is obvious that the nearness between the two countries – UAE and India – is not without the blessings of Saudi Arabia.
What gets India from its Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the UAE is narrated by Poonam Mahajan, India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker from Mumbai: “For the first time, UAE and India are on the same wavelength with respect to terrorism. The prime minister in his speech has categorically mentioned that both countries will not tolerate the terror wreaked in the name of religion. Those who were responsible for horrendous terror attacks in the country like the 1993 Mumbai blasts and the 26/11 attacks and are still being ‘harboured’ by Pakistan ought to be punished.”
She also narrated that in order to combat terrorism, a joint statement has been made by India and UAE wherein both the countries condemn efforts, including by states, to use religion to justify, support and sponsor terrorism against other countries. “They have called for international cooperation and intelligence sharing in counter-terrorism operations. They have also proposed to work together for the adoption of India's proposed Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the United Nations.”
The biggest achievement for prime Minister Modi is that the UAE announced support for India’s permanent berth in the UN Security Council. Indian investment in UAE and defence pact between the two is an added advantage. Former Foreign Affairs minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri is of the view that Pakistan had failed in dealing with the Saudi-Yemen issue in a proper way. “Saudi Arabia is a tried and tested friend of Pakistan and always supported it at all level and all forums,” he said.
He said that Iran was also a good neighbour. In Pakistan, both Saudi Arabia and Iran have following as Sunni people have soft corner for the Saudi kingdom while the Islamic Republic of Iran was dear to Shia people, he pointed out. “When there is an issue between the Saudi kingdom and Iran, it is needed to be dealt with care and wisely as we must know that these two countries are important to us,” he said.{That is what Pakistan tried to do but earned the displeasure of both KSA & UAE!} He commented that the Yemen issue should be dealt carefully and the two should be taken into confidence on it.
But the Foreign Office dealt the matter in a poor manner, Kasuri said. He was of the view that Pakistan is lacking a full time foreign affairs minister as the office is being held with the worthy prime minister himself who always has other engagements. At present, he said that the Foreign Office has two bosses which is also creating hurdle in smooth sailing of the affairs. The former minister is of the view that Pakistan should have talked to the Saudi kingdom and also go to Iran on the issue that could help keep the two nations near to Pakistan.
Another point of view is that the recent emergence of new alliance of four nations – Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia – has rang alarm bells for the United States and its allies. Israel and India always enjoy good relations and in these days Israel and Saudi Arabia are near to each other and the recent kind of ties between the UAE and India is to send some signals to quarters concerned. It is time for Pakistan to take a more conciliatory stance with the UAE in an attempt to counter India’s new found status.
Altair wrote:Qataris on board with Modi as well?
Pakistan must talk to Israelis
Frailty, thy name is pakistani!partha wrote:http://tribune.com.pk/story/942427/time ... to-israel/Time to talk to IsraelWhat Narendra Modi did in the UAE should be reciprocated by Nawaz Sharif in Tel Aviv.
It is not just the Pakis, but entire peace brigade that is never not big on Ufa discussion when the talks were to be about terrorism. NDA Govt must realize that too sh!tty to flush is not an excuse anymore very clearly. Some more steps are needed to tackle terrorism, including, and not at all limited to, mile high mile wide fence system at the border that will trap barbarians like flies in a flytrap.They realized that there was never anything to talk about or even pretend to talk about, if the talks were going to be about terrorism.
I have no proof to back this up, just a hunch that had Sushma Swaraj not been so emphatic and explicit in her press conference, the Pakis would have thrown that gauntlet..daring India to cancel the talks while Sartaj Aziz was on Indian soil; they would bank on the "log kya kahenge" attitude that's much prevalent in the Indian polity (as has been discussed here) preventing that from happening. Would be consistent with their past record of failing to calibrate the Indian response many-a-time.SSridhar wrote:The first option would have made them even more red-faced with India calling-off talks with Sartaj Aziz still on Indian soil.
The Indian team would not have allowed them to digress and the Pakis could very well have not budged from their "core issue" and would likely have simply indulged in polemics- Balocishtan, Samjhauta, etc..not because they wished to discuss these but simply to stonewall the talks and then meet with Hurri rats afterwards and claim that India tried to browbeat them into abandoning their "moral and political support for the struggle of Kashmiri people for freedom and self-determination." I suspect even here it probably "dawned" on the Pakis that they could get away with it while Doval was at the helm of the affairs. To put my tinfoil hat on, I suspect that there were a few "back channels" and the feelers were sent back and forth on what to expect and what were to happen if the "red-lines" were crossed and the Pakis found out the predicted outcome hardly as per their expectations, so wriggled out at the first opportunity.SSridhar wrote:The second option was also not possible because of two reasons. One, they knew the meeting was not at all about Kashmir and the Indian team would not have allowed them to digress, holding them by their scrotum. Of course, they could have met the Hurriyat terrorists after the meeting but that would have meant they accepted the Indian 'advice', which would have been a huge loss of face besides triggering a fusillade back in Pakistan from all sections. The fact is that it would have reflected badly on the Army because everyone knows that the Pakistani response is being calibrated by the Khakhis (Nawaz called Raheel for a meeting before the Sartaj Aziz press meet in Islamabad in the afternoon. Even otherwise, we know who calls the shots.).
Public opinion in the UAE? Which public would that be? 80% non-emiratis? Another Paki "analyst" pulling things out of their musharraf.Paul wrote:Per Ali Kamran Chisthi : It is public opinion in UAE that has turned anti-pakistan and pro-India after they backed out of Yemen. If this is true then it can only get worse with Iran coming out of the cold.
A cross border rocket attack at an army post near Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Agency killed four soldiers and injured others, the military’s media wing reported.
According to the details, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that the rocket was fired by terrorists from Afghanistan on Sunday which resulted in the death of four military men and injured four others.
Responding to the attack, the army retaliated in a befitting manner and targeted the area from where the rocket fire came, it added.
This is not the first time that a cross border attack has happened on Pak-Afghan border.
The attack comes at a time when relations between Islamabad and Afghanistan had started deteriorating in the wake of a surge in Taliban attacks inside Afghanistan and statements of the Afghan leadership against Pakistan.
Pakistan had summoned the Afghan ambassador last week to protest over a border clash in which three Frontier Constabulary men were killed on August 16 and 17.
Afghanistan’s Ambassador Janan Mosazai was summoned by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry a day after Pakistani envoy in Kabul Abrar Hussain was summoned by the Afghan foreign ministry over the same incident in which they claim that eight of their border guards had been killed.
“A strong protest was also lodged on cross-border violations from the Afghan side on 16 and 17 August 2015, which resulted in death of three FC personnel and injuries to two others,” a FO statement said.
“The Afghan ambassador was conveyed that, as a matter of policy, Pakistani authorities do not initiate fire and return fire only in self-defence,” it added.
Earlier in July, two soldiers were wounded when Afghan National Army fired at Pakistan Army’s position in Angoor Adda area of South Waziristan Agency.
A rocket-propelled grenade-7 and a few rounds of small arms were fired on the Angoor Adda gate from the Afghan side causing injuries to the soldiers, ISPR had said.
We have to put pressure on Pakistan on all possible fronts and this Government seems to be doing that. We must stop issuing work visas for Pakistani artists and professionals as well as reducing the number of visit visas issued. the screw must be turned one or two turns at a time.Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Anurag Thakur, has said that the Indian cricket team would not play any series with Pakistan as the country has "given shelter" to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and it wants to meet Kashmiri leaders during the (now cancelled) national security advisers-level talks, said a report published on the NDTV sports website.
Thakur, who is also a Member of Parliament from India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a strongly-worded tweet on Saturday mocked Pakistan's desire to play cricket with India as tensions between the two countries run high.
India and Pakistan were scheduled to play a series in the UAE in December, however, with Thakur's latest statement, the series is not expected to take place.
Thakur had said last month that the series between Pakistan and India was unlikely until relations between the two countries normalised.
A very open acceptance that terror from Pakistan is linked with Kashmir belying the 'only moral, political and diplomatic support' extended.Then, there was the statement itself – initially welcomed by many, including this newspaper, as an unexpected breakthrough, but pounced on by hawks in Pakistan for its so-called pro-India stance. That terrorism was made central to the upcoming round of talks without any mention of the broader Kashmir issue appeared an error on Prime Minister Sharif’s part.
And so Afghanistan follows India’s lead in responding to provocations by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:SSridhar wrote:Rocket attack from Afghanistan kills four soldiers: ISPR - DAWNA cross border rocket attack at an army post near Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Agency killed four soldiers and injured others, the military’s media wing reported.
According to the details, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that the rocket was fired by terrorists from Afghanistan on Sunday which resulted in the death of four military men and injured four others.
Responding to the attack, the army retaliated in a befitting manner and targeted the area from where the rocket fire came, it added.
This is not the first time that a cross border attack has happened on Pak-Afghan border.
The attack comes at a time when relations between Islamabad and Afghanistan had started deteriorating in the wake of a surge in Taliban attacks inside Afghanistan and statements of the Afghan leadership against Pakistan.
Pakistan had summoned the Afghan ambassador last week to protest over a border clash in which three Frontier Constabulary men were killed on August 16 and 17.
Afghanistan’s Ambassador Janan Mosazai was summoned by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry a day after Pakistani envoy in Kabul Abrar Hussain was summoned by the Afghan foreign ministry over the same incident in which they claim that eight of their border guards had been killed.
“A strong protest was also lodged on cross-border violations from the Afghan side on 16 and 17 August 2015, which resulted in death of three FC personnel and injuries to two others,” a FO statement said.
“The Afghan ambassador was conveyed that, as a matter of policy, Pakistani authorities do not initiate fire and return fire only in self-defence,” it added.
Earlier in July, two soldiers were wounded when Afghan National Army fired at Pakistan Army’s position in Angoor Adda area of South Waziristan Agency.
A rocket-propelled grenade-7 and a few rounds of small arms were fired on the Angoor Adda gate from the Afghan side causing injuries to the soldiers, ISPR had said.
OMG, even sushma now speaks urdu. No more hindi even from her. She was one of the last politicians who was speaking hindi. i know i am nitpicking, but still.Guddu wrote:I am impressed...with Sushma Swarajarun wrote:Video of our EAM’s press conference. Unfortunately in Hindi and without English sub titles:
Media Briefing By External Affairs Minister (August 22, 2015)
I thought it was a great explanation, and good replies from her. Unfortunately it is totally in Hindi; and someone with good Hindi-English skills should provide a gist of this and circulate it on SM. She contrasts Composite Dialogue vs Resume Talks. She also differentiates between Composite + Resumed talks versus Talks on Terror. She lays out the Shimla and UFA spirit, she breaks it down like a true BRFite would.arun wrote:Video of our EAM’s press conference. Unfortunately in Hindi and without English sub titles:
Media Briefing By External Affairs Minister (August 22, 2015)
farooq is looking to mend fences with the bjp even as his separatist pasand son takes on the BJP. slimy buggers. His daughter is married to a congressi, sachin pilot. Fingers in every pie and a leg in every camp.Tuvaluan wrote:Farooq Abdullah and the Muftis are striking a pose for the valley voters because they occupy a disproportionate number of seats in the J&K assembly -- the valley voter seats need to go down in number for any of these tools to stop pretending that the valley represents the entire state.
Maukik means verbal or oral; likith means written.SwamyG wrote:arun wrote:Video of our EAM’s press conference. Unfortunately in Hindi and without English sub titles:
In one context she uses the words 'maukik' and differentiates it with 'Likik'. I think 'Likik' pertains to 'written', what does 'maukik truly mean.
Here are the highlights from her speech:
* I am leaving for a tour to Egypt tomorrow. So I thought I should clarify the topic which is in discussion.
* Every talk with Pakistan can not be called dialogue.
* The composite dialogue between the two countries was started in 1998 during Vajpayee Ji's government which eight components/wings.
* Vajpayee Ji had invited General Musharraf. But Pakistan refused to talk on the composite dialogue but only talk on Kashmir.
* In Ufa when the two prime ministers met, their was no discussion on the composite or 'Resumed Dialogues'.
* Quoting Mr Aziz, "All outstanding issues including Jammu and Kahmir", was a part of the 'Composite Dialogue', now a part of the 'Resumed Dialogue'. This was not taken up during the Ufa meeting.
But there was still a constructive outcome of Ufa meeting.
* Terror and talks can't go hand in hand. But talks can't go on in an atmosphere of terror.
* Three meetings were decided during the Ufa talks. One meeting of NSA-level. One of the DGs of the two countries and another of the DGMOs.
* When this agreement was reached in Ufa and the Pakistan PM reached back to Pakistan, he was severely criticised for his dialogue with India. So he decided to do something to compel the NSA-level talks to be canceled.
* We had sent an invitation letter to Pakistan on July 24, a day after the Ufa meeting that the NSA-level meeting will be held in New Delhi on August 23.
* The Gurdaspur attacks happened in which our police officers were killed. A month later Udhampur attack happened in which one of their (Pakistani) terrorist was caught.
* We were under immense pressure to cancel the talks, but we said that such acts of terrorism necessitates us to have the talks with Pakistan.
* To answer Mr Aziz who is saying that India wants to run from the discussion, I want to say this through the medium of this press conference that India is trying to create an environment to resume the dialogue between the two countries.
* We welcome Mr Aziz to come to India and request him to not involve Hurriyat or any third party and only talk on terrorism.
* Why should that stage come when they come here without an agenda and we walk out of the room.
* We are only reminding you that there will be no third stakeholder according to the Simla Agreement that Pakistan has signed.
* The meeting that has been agreed on in Ufa did not have Kashmir on the agenda.
* To Mr Aziz, "If you're willing to come, we welcome you, but come to talk on terror as agreed in Ufa".
* If they are waiting for my press conference, I have only a two-pointer message for them: Please respect the Simla agreement and do not involve any third party; second, as agreed in Ufa, the talks should only be on terror.
* Pakistan has only till tonight to give an assurance that the talks will only will be on terror.
* If Pakistan does not agree, the talks will not happen.