Bharat Rakshak

^^ Did al-keeda get crushed? Talipaan? No? How about the shia rebels in iraq? The Hezbullah? The muslim protherhood in egypt?

The houthis have a structure of past presidents, and millions more supporters. They may fragment. But the houthis arent disappearing.

Just when Yemen war started, Shia-Sunni war in the middle east intensified, US and Iran reached a deal paving the way for lifting of all sanctions on Iran. If US was truly on the Sunni side in middle east, especially in this Yemen war, they could have prolonged the negotiations and tightened the screws on Iran, no? Iran will now be able to better support Houthis. It seems to me US is playing both sides. Remember $500M worth US military equipment went "missing" in Yemen before the start of the war?

Look, the relevance of yemen here in this thread is baki ground troops performing mujra on the saudi border. and evacuating other bakis.

the west asia thread does take on the yemen issue more broadly. these events were predicted. there is more of an organic element to the houthi fight than the rest of the middle eastern uprisings together.

there is total consensus over boko haram and al shabab. heck somalia as a whole. yet, they slide only further into the swamp. no coalition has taken them out.

the iran issue is only tangentially related to yemen. its not a hezbollah relationship. the us/iran pact is just another distraction. eventually there will be issues in iran proper. just when, and what kind of disturbance is the only undetermined variable left.

The saudi coalition here should be limited to the herrowijm of bakis, otherwise it will drown the baki news in the short term. remember things are low key while the foreigners leave. after that it will be open seajon for a while.

With naval blockade, Iran or Russia would not be able to provide arms. Without a credible supply line, it is just a matter of time before Yemeni rebels get slaughtered. Can anyone commentin here about support of Iran, etc, explain the logistics part.

Closer to home, LTTE got wiped out the moment India closed in on their supply lines. Without a supply line going against regular armies would be suicidal. I hope Yemeni Rebels live to fight another day if they cannot sustain this time.

LTTE was on an island. In a tiny portion of an island and believed that it was a conventional state. They also had no real estate whatsoever. And then it took forever and an ego the size of prabhakaran to really screw the tamils over. Thats not happening in yemen. Seen the size of houthi holdings?

An army the size of saddam's forces couldnt hold on to kuwait. What makes you think the SA will have better luck occupying yemen?

The close to home matters are NOT similar. There is a much better explanation for those events. And adding anything rlse only takes us farther away from bakis.

The yemenis arent really beimg supplied. They also dont really need to be. The iraqi shia received nothing large while US was occupying. The sunnis got even less. Yet we have the islamic state.

In Yemen, the majority of the government resources are with the houthis. Their air force was a sham. They dont really have a navy. But the usual small caliber devices are aplenty to keep things going on forever.

Yemen isnt being covered in the news at all. The whole coalition did XYZ is not being supported/contradicted by information on the ground. Compared to iraq/georgia/syria/ukraine, there is 0 information coming out. Everything is FATA style drone reporting.

I get the feeling that Houthis ain't gonna get crushed so easily. As per articles linked by Arun Gupta - KSA has done everything possible to make life miserable for them and the fact that KSA now has to ask for shitistani help for something they have been doing for decades means that things are worse. Apparently 7000 of Nasser's men in Ye-men came back as Ye-dead-men

If Yemen geography is like Afghanistan then we have a lot of fun and games ahead.

Putting men on the ground is always the tricky bit. Air strikes are easy. Luckily Pakistan has enough men who will die and no one will mourn them, while Paki army will always claim victory. It's a win win for all

looking at google earth, a good part of yemen is dry mountains like af or north africa.

the houthis seem analogous to the berbers of the atlas mountains.

I read today per capita, yemen has the most heavily armed population in the world

Houthis sure do not look like rolling over and playing dead. In this photo what are they wearing? Lungis?

Houthis seize Aden district

Link

How many Shia Sunni conflict happening on the ground now - Syria , Isis , Yemen ..anything else?

shiv wrote: Putting men on the ground is always the tricky bit. Air strikes are easy. Luckily Pakistan has enough men who will die and no one will mourn them, while Paki army will always claim victory. It's a win win for all

Given their track record, Shitistan is more likely to dress up their faujis as irregular militias/ non-state actors. When they get killed, Bakistan will do plausible deniability of refusing to accept the dead as their fauj. This will balance the need to placate the internal shia-sunni factions, Iran and Saudi overlords.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-new ... 33696.aspx

The BJP announced on Friday a Panchamrit or five elixirs formula on foreign policy and pitched for peaceful engagements with Pakistan to gain the neighbour’s cooperation to root out terrorism in the region.

A resolution passed at the BJP’s national executive meeting here says the Narendra Modi government has responded firmly and appropriately to provocations on the border, yet the party is committed to “building peaceful and friendly relations with Pakistan, predicated on an end to terrorism”.
...
The pillars of Panchamrit are: “Samman – dignity and honour; Samvad – greater engagement and dialogue; Samriddhi – shared prosperity; Suraksha – regional and global security; and Sanskritievam Sabhyata – cultural and civilisational linkages.”

Gus wrote:How many Shia Sunni conflict happening on the ground now - Syria , Isis , Yemen ..anything else?

Pakistan. Not at the middle east scale though. Not yet.

There used to be be lungi-wearing guys in Hyderabad known as chavoosh, in the private security business, with a reputation for toughness and courage, sort of like Muslim Gurkhas. I remember hearing that they are actually Yemenis. Can someone with better information shed some light?

Saudi Arabia Risks Quagmire in Yemen Campaign
Cheers

Amazes me that if Pakistan is on such shaky ground, then now would be the right times give that extra knife through the heart...instead of coming up with a new set of 5 pillars like "panchsheel". If this is meant to draw out the pakis that are amenable to this idea, and are also against the paki army, then that also means the paki army will use this as an avenue to do what they have always been doing. will be interesting to see how all this spins out in the end.

Tuvaluan wrote:Amazes me that if Pakistan is on such shaky ground, then now would be the right times give that extra knife through the heart...instead of coming up with a new set of 5 pillars like "panchsheel". If this is meant to draw out the pakis that are amenable to this idea, and are also against the paki army, then that also means the paki army will use this as an avenue to do what they have always been doing. will be interesting to see how all this spins out in the end.

Tuvaluan Ji :

Modi's Panch Amrit policy will fail with Cwapistan as all the appeasement tried by Man Moun. The Cwipstani will only talk of Peace when they are totally Out Gunned. Modi must speak and act from Strength than Pansheel or any other Peaceful approaches - albeit they by any name.

IOW : Modi must move in with "The Kill"
Cheers

KLNMurthy wrote:There used to be be lungi-wearing guys in Hyderabad known as chavoosh, in the private security business, with a reputation for toughness and courage, sort of like Muslim Gurkhas. I remember hearing that they are actually Yemenis. Can someone with better information shed some light?

Here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaush

Origin

Chaush is a Turkish word meaning military personnel,[2] as many of them served in the armies of the Deccan rulers. They migrated to India in the 18th century, primarily from the Hadhrami people of the Hadhramaut region in Yemen. They have a big community mainly in the Deccan region of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. They have relatives living/working in the Persian Gulf region and many of them still holding Yemeni nationality. They were recruited by Nizams of Deccan region with full honor from Yemen to look after the military affairs and to guard the valuable treasures. They worked here with the Nizam of Hyderabad, serving in the armed forces or police. they have settled well over here and hold the Indian citizenship. They still have maintained the Arab culture in them. Most of them cannot speak Arabic but they still are Arabs.

KLNMurthy wrote:There used to be be lungi-wearing guys in Hyderabad known as chavoosh, in the private security business, with a reputation for toughness and courage, sort of like Muslim Gurkhas. I remember hearing that they are actually Yemenis. Can someone with better information shed some light?

That lungi is called Futa. It seems like an Indian influence. It is more prevalent in southern Yemen which had trade links with India and was also a transit point for Indian trading ships especially Aden port. North Yemeni men dress differently. This picture is from wikipedia - Aden in 1960 -

From World Politics Review - a subscription site :

Hard-line Politics in India and Pakistan Stymie Deeper Trade Ties

Earlier this month, Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar went on a whirlwind tour of all seven nations of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The objective was to discuss the implementation of reforms, ranging from developing infrastructure to combating terrorism and improving governance, which member states agreed to during last year’s SAARC summit in Nepal. Strengthening the SAARC to boost South Asia’s economic integration and development has been a key foreign policy objective of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, but beyond that regional agenda, Jaishankar’s trip to Pakistan was also a chance to restart dialogue on bilateral issues, including closer economic ties, between New Delhi and Islamabad.

The election of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in May 2013 and Modi a year later had raised hopes for better economic relations between India and Pakistan. Both men lead conservative, business-friendly governments with parliamentary majorities and had promised domestic economic reforms and greater regional trade cooperation. Most importantly, they had strong public support for such efforts. In a 2013 poll, 72 percent of Indians identified trade as key to creating peace with Pakistan. Within Pakistan, too, there is also widespread public support for trade with India, with nearly two-thirds in favor in 2014. This should ostensibly have made the job easier for both governments.

Nevertheless, relations between the two countries soured soon after Modi’s election, and once again trade normalization and, with it, greater economic integration within SAARC have fallen victim to hard-line politics and parochial interests.

Trade within South Asia has traditionally been minimal, making it one of the least economically integrated regions in the world. By 2013 intraregional trade was only 4 percent of South Asian countries’ total global trade. Much of that is a result of the limited trade between India and Pakistan, two of the region’s largest economies, which stands at a paltry $2 billion. This, of course, is official trade. There is also parallel and brisk black-market trade between India and Pakistan—mostly run out of Dubai and dealing largely in consumer goods—worth as much as $10 billion. The potential for official trade, however, is estimated to be anywhere from five to 20 times the current volume by the World Bank and the Peterson Institute, respectively.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan, expanding trade with India could give Pakistan average annual savings of anywhere from $400 million to $900 million. Yet Pakistan has long resisted opening its economy to Indian imports. A lot of opposition stems from Pakistan’s farm lobby, automotive and car parts production industry, and from pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturers. Businesses in these sectors suffer from low levels of development or, in the case of farmers, do not receive subsidies on the scale of their Indian competitors, and therefore fear being driven out of the market by cheaper Indian imports. These groups have lobbied the government to maintain protectionist policies, and in the case of farmers even threatened to violently block Indian imports if their demands are not met.

In addition to special interest groups, Pakistan’s powerful army, which maintains its own business empire in everything from cement to cereal production to pharmaceuticals, has long resisted normalizing trade with India. It has only considered granting most-favored nation status to India as a bargaining chip to be used for larger concessions from New Delhi regarding security concerns in Afghanistan and dialogue over Kashmir.

But the key driver of the impasse now is Sharif’s loss of control over Pakistan’s foreign policy. After facing months of protests last year, his government won a promise from the military to not intervene by bargaining away its decision-making authority over foreign policy matters. With the generals back in the driver’s seat, India-Pakistan rapprochement is suffering setbacks. That’s already evident from rising tensions and skirmishes along the Line of Control in Kashmir.

For all of Sharif’s weakness and the opposition from Pakistan’s various business lobbies, there are factors in India, too, that are impeding closer economic ties. The electoral gains of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and members of the ultra-right-wing Rashtriya Swamasevak Samaj (RSS) last year brought Indian hawks with conservative stances on Pakistan—such as National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar—to key positions in Modi’s cabinet. Last October an Indian Home Ministry official even told the media that instructions from Modi’s office were for Pakistan to suffer “deep and heavy losses” in the event of border clashes.

India illustrated this hardball approach by calling off bilateral talks last August, when Pakistan’s high commissioner to New Delhi decided to meet with Kashmiri separatists ahead of the meeting. At the time, the Kashmir issue, which had momentarily receded in importance with the prospect of rapprochement, was again heating up because of the BJP’s plan to remove the state of Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomous status. The move has had Pakistani policymakers fearing that India will ask for Kashmir, internationally recognized as disputed territory, to be delinked from any bilateral talks.

All this illustrates that national security concerns now dictate New Delhi’s Pakistan policy. In such a constrained environment within India, trade relations will likely not improve. Progress on certain Indian nontariff barriers that Pakistani businesses have long complained of is not in the cards either. Moreover, while a liberalized visa system is in place between the two countries, renewed tensions will likely also lead to greater scrutiny for business visas, which Pakistanis already find difficult to obtain. At the same time, the excessive checks and harassment Pakistani traders face in India due to security concerns may not let up anytime soon.

Previous proposals for closer trade ties, including special economic zones along the Punjab border region of both India and Pakistan, look as unlikely as ever in the current climate. For now, politics trumps profits on both sides of the border.

The peace lobbies in India and Pakistan are largely powerless with hard-liners in power, making any progress on trade subject first to a lowering of the political temperature. But the prospects of that are not bright. As ever, old politics and interests are impeding any new ideas on trade between India and Pakistan and once again blocking the prospect of more regional economic cooperation.

Shehzad Qazi is a fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding and a pollster working in emerging markets.
Cheers

IOW : Modi must move in with "The Kill"

Peregrineji, don't hold your breath for that to happen. The pakis like Kidwai and others have been screaming about nukular redlines and nukular flashpoint because they expect modi govt. to move in for the kill when they are most vulnerable...but there may be many ways to flush the pakistani turds down the drain, and none of them may need overt warfare.

Peregrine wrote:Saudi Arabia Risks Quagmire in Yemen Campaign
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Link to full article without subscription -
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... 7451,d.cGU

This person was actually the top Indian diplomat in the US...clearly went native.
"makes south asia proud" it seems. thoo.

Nirupama Rao @NMenonRao · 1h 1 hour ago
Amazed at the wonderful operatic talent and voice of @seanpanikkar - of Sri Lankan origin with a Kerala family name. Makes South Asia proud.

From April 1, so,....
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/04 ... -projects/
"Pak, China ‘ahead of schedule’ on CPEC projects"

A source privy to the details of the meeting told Pakistan Today that both the sides finalised the financing to the energy projects involving US$ 15 billion.

“Moreover, the meeting was informed that 16 projects, a part of the CPEC, were at an advance stage. Under the programme, Pakistan will install around 10,400 megawatts of electricity by the end of year 2017, as most of the energy projects will start functioning in two years,” the source added.

According to the source, the Chinese president will not only observe the ground-breaking ceremony for many of the early harvest projects, for which all the requirements had been made, but also the visiting dignitary will oversee dozens of new agreements to be signed on the occasion.

“The energy projects to be launched during the visit of the president Xi include Karot Hydel Project, Sukki Kinari Project, Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park, four wind power projects; Sacahl Power, Dawood Hydro China, Matyari-Lahore Transmission Line and others,” the source added.

Bakis have been given (as in delivered) several z10 helicopters. Quid mi35?

"Taller than the mountains, deeper than the oceans" friend comes through for the Pakis.
Yemen crisis: China evacuates citizens and foreigners from Aden
Pictures from the article show some distinctly non-Chinese looking people being evacuated as well. And then, reading the article, we have....

The non-Chinese evacuees included 176 people from Pakistan, said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. There were smaller numbers from other countries, including Ethiopia, Singapore, the UK, Italy and Germany.
Ms Hua said it was the first time China had helped evacuate foreign citizens - and only the second time that China has used warships to evacuate its own citizens from a conflict zone, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.

What I want to know is what are so many Pakistanis doing in Yemen? I can understand their presence in Saudi, Dubai, Kuwait etc., but what does Yemen have besides coffee. Hell, the CIA factbook and Wiki both say that the unemployment rate is around 35% and this was years before any war started there. Only thing I can think of is that the Pakistanis are there to retrace the footsteps and explore the family origins of Yemen's most infamous (and currently lying in the bottom of the Indian ocean) person.

Maybe the ISI and chinese intelligence running ops in Yemen together -- Chinese Premier Eleven Dingding cancelling his visit to Yemen may be more than what it seems. But then what exactly would motivate the chinese to operate in Yemen? Is there something about Yemen that can provide strategic value to china, and is it something that the current war in Yemen is degrading, leading the chinese to a wait-and-watch mode?

ramana wrote:

KLNMurthy wrote:There used to be be lungi-wearing guys in Hyderabad known as chavoosh, in the private security business, with a reputation for toughness and courage, sort of like Muslim Gurkhas. I remember hearing that they are actually Yemenis. Can someone with better information shed some light?

Here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaush

Origin

Chaush is a Turkish word meaning military personnel,[2] as many of them served in the armies of the Deccan rulers. They migrated to India in the 18th century, primarily from the Hadhrami people of the Hadhramaut region in Yemen. They have a big community mainly in the Deccan region of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. They have relatives living/working in the Persian Gulf region and many of them still holding Yemeni nationality. They were recruited by Nizams of Deccan region with full honor from Yemen to look after the military affairs and to guard the valuable treasures. They worked here with the Nizam of Hyderabad, serving in the armed forces or police. they have settled well over here and hold the Indian citizenship. They still have maintained the Arab culture in them. Most of them cannot speak Arabic but they still are Arabs.

Thanks. So they are Yemenis specializing in security.

ArmenT wrote:"Taller than the mountains, deeper than the oceans" friend comes through for the Pakis.
Yemen crisis: China evacuates citizens and foreigners from Aden
Pictures from the article show some distinctly non-Chinese looking people being evacuated as well. And then, reading the article, we have....

The non-Chinese evacuees included 176 people from Pakistan, said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying. There were smaller numbers from other countries, including Ethiopia, Singapore, the UK, Italy and Germany.
Ms Hua said it was the first time China had helped evacuate foreign citizens - and only the second time that China has used warships to evacuate its own citizens from a conflict zone, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.

What I want to know is what are so many Pakistanis doing in Yemen? I can understand their presence in Saudi, Dubai, Kuwait etc., but what does Yemen have besides coffee. Hell, the CIA factbook and Wiki both say that the unemployment rate is around 35% and this was years before any war started there. Only thing I can think of is that the Pakistanis are there to retrace the footsteps and explore the family origins of Yemen's most infamous (and currently lying in the bottom of the Indian ocean) person.

Good catch. Here's that guy getting on to a Taller Sweetel ship - a Paki for sure

Wonder what the Bilathels gave the bakis as food. Pork soup? I hope the Bilathels know that Bakis dont eat pig/pork as they are against cannibalism.

Peregrine wrote:Saudi Arabia Risks Quagmire in Yemen Campaign
Cheers

I am sure airstrikes will succeed in closing down Houthi belligerence. I recall I once attacked a beehive with a stick - striking it from the air like the Soothi Arabians. When I woke up in a hospital bed there were no more bees. Obviously my tactic was a success.

I am thinking of writing a poem about Yemen in which one warring party are called Houthis. Another warring party are called Soothis. Can someone suggest a rhyming name for Pakis to go with Houthis and Soothis?

Soothis... shiv saaarr... LOL.

We have the usual "Pukis" can be extended into "Pookis" or something that rhymes a bit less: "Porkies"

LokeshC wrote:Soothis... shiv saaarr... LOL.

We have the usual "Pukis" can be extended into "Pookis" or something that rhymes a bit less: "Porkies"

I was thinking of a name that starts with the letters "ch..." to rhyme with Houthis and Soothis because I am looking for something that reflects the true spirit of Pakistan - the depth, the capacity and the way it is used by everyone.

LokeshC wrote:Soothis... shiv saaarr... LOL.

We have the usual "Pukis" can be extended into "Pookis" or something that rhymes a bit less: "Porkies"

Pookie means Boy/ Baccha/Ramu in Swedish . Suits well for Cheeni calling Porkie Their personal Pookie

saip wrote:Houthis sure do not look like rolling over and playing dead. In this photo what are they wearing? Lungis?

It's called a 'Wuzar'- Basically a lungi.

All Gulf Arabs wear it below their disdasha.

LOL so after all the TFTA Punjabis of the Pakistan Army are taking orders from Gelf Arabs who are basically lungi wearing south indians in disguise? Truly a brahmanical conspiracy if there ever was one..

Doc, please go for it...

Pakistan, Turkey pledge to stand by Saudi Arabia - DT

ANKARA: Pakistan is concerned by the overthrow of Yemen’s government and will stand by Saudi Arabia as it leads a campaign against Houthi rebels there, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday.

“We agreed that we will stand by Saudi Arabia in its hour of need ... [and] agreed to extend all possible support in the defence of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the prime minister and his Turkish counterpart Ahmed Davutoglu told a joint press stake out following their meeting. “We are concerned at the overthrow of the legitimate government in Yemen by use of force by non-state actors,” he told the news conference in the Turkish capital Ankara, where he is on an official visit. The two leaders were critical of the use of force by non-state actors in Yemen that led to the overthrow of its government.

Prime Minister Nawaz termed the situation in Yemen as grave’ and cautioned the crisis might endanger unity of the Muslim Ummah and said it also has implications for the whole region. He said the security situation in the country has been deteriorating.

He recalled his conversation with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a few days back in which they agreed to discuss the Yemen issue.

He referred to his talks with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and said both sides were of the view that “the current crisis in Yemen could plunge the region into turmoil.” He said Saudi Arabia was a close friend of Pakistan and Turkey.

He said “Pakistan and Turkey have close and brotherly relations with other Islamic countries in the region and attach great importance to their security and territorial integrity.” He said Pakistan would stay engaged with Saudi leadership and those of other Muslim countries in the region. He said exchange of such visits was essential for joint policies on international issues. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu in his remarks said both the countries hold unanimity of views on the crisis in Yemen. He said Turkey has always supported efforts for peace and tranquillity in Yemen.

Davutoglu refered to Turkey’s stated position with reference to situation in Yemen and said his country was in contact with both Saudi Arabia and Iran and called for an end to the sectarian strife in the region. He said both Pakistan and Turkey were willing to work for peace in the region and stressed for an end to the role of non-state actors {look who is talking of end to 'non-state actors'} .

He mentioned close bilateral ties between the two countries in all spheres and said they have stood together through thick and thin, as has been proven by history.

He said their talks covered bilateral ties and the situation in the region that was passing through a historical phase. The Turkish prime minister said both Pakistan and Turkey hold regular consultations with each other and have voiced their concern over the situation in the region. He said Turkish foreign minister would be visiting Pakistan next week to carry forward the process of consultations.

He said Turkey viewed positively the outcome of Iran nuclear talks.

Prime Minister Nawaz said that the relations between Pakistan and Turkey were unique and unparalleled.

“The bilateral relations between Pakistan and Turkey are excellent and we wish to bring our economic ties to commensurate with our close relations,” said the prime minister during the working lunch here at the Presidential Palace hosted by the Turkish president.

Both the leaders agreed that Turkey and Pakistan enjoyed close relations with Saudi Arabia and it was in their interest to keep the region free from turmoil.

The prime minister invited the President of Turkey to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience.

Earlier, the two leaders held one-on-one meeting and discussed bilateral matters and the regional situation.

Nawaz Sharif called on Thursday for a joint session of parliament to consider whether to join the Saudi-led military coalition, which has launched days of air strikes to try to stem the advance of the Iran-allied Houthi fighters.

Is Hockey India trolling the Pakistanis here?

Hockey India offers financial help to Pakistan Hockey Federation

NEW DELHI: In a fine gesture, Hockey India (HI) on Saturday offered financial help to their Pakistan counterpart after the national hockey federation of the neighbouring country suspended a training camp because it could not pay its players and coaches daily allowances.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 807621.cms

Weren't the Paki players involved in crowd abuse during their recent trip here?
Rewarding bad behaviour are we?