Bharat Rakshak

RamaY wrote:US Ambassador to Libya killed

I wonder what Ekalavya would say, is US-ambassador combatant or non-combatant?

The concept of diplomatic immunity can be found in ancient Indian epics like Ramayana (between 500 and 301 BC) and Mahabharata (around 4th century BC) where messengers and diplomats were given immunity from capital punishment. In Ramayana, when the demon king Ravana ordered the killing of Hanuman, Ravana's younger brother Vibhishana pointed out that messengers or diplomats should not be killed or arrested, as per ancient practices.

nakul wrote:If I'm not wrong, these embassies also deal with local intelligence. Spies are fair game. Their punishment is far harsher than combatants.

On the other hand, diplomatic immunity is essential when one side is extending an offer to another. He should not be involved with skullduggery & digging 'springs.'

A US Congressman who has mounted a campaign to revoke the ban on an American visa for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi says in these “trying economic times” this country “could learn a great deal from him.”

“Modi has been recognised across the world for his staunch stance against corruption and for making Gujarat a shining example of the successes that pro-growth, limited Government policies can create. In the US’s trying economic times, we could learn a great deal from him. Instead of denying him a visa, we should be inviting him to apply,” Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, who represents Illinois’ 8th district from the Chicago area, told IANS in an interview

The ban on Modi was imposed in 2005 when George W Bush was President and has been continued by his successor Barack Obama. It was imposed under a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act relating to foreign Government officials “who have committed particularly severe violations of religious freedom.” In the case of the Gujarat Chief Minister, the 2002 Gujarat riots were the primary cause that triggered this particular section.

However, it is Walsh’s argument that Modi “has never been tried nor convicted, as required under this statute, of any religious crimes in any country. Regardless, the statute states that he can be denied a visa only up to 24 months after a conviction. The allegations arose in 2002; it is now 2012.”

Modi himself has not been convicted and therefore, as we hold in the United States, he is innocent until proven guilty. If we forbid every leader into this country because someone in his administration was involved in a scandal, the list of foreign leaders eligible to visit would be very small,” he said.

Asked what in his judgement has compelled the Obama Administration to maintain the ban originally imposed by the Bush Administration, he replied, “Politics. I’m sure President Obama is trying to avoid further antagonising the Pakistanis.”

ramana wrote:Yes. Its not the Pakis who wont expend their capital on this. Its Congress and fake seculars who will feel let down.

Raja Bose wrote:Well I guess our agencies do some good work and chankian moves behind the scenes so its not all dhoti shivering as we on BRF tend to believe.

RAW tapped senior US official's (Robin Raphel's) phone, 'heard’ US-Pak move on J&K

The book, to be launched in London soon, recounts that Pakistan had provisionally introduced the resolution at the UN general assembly's first committee in September 1994. To counter this, the ministry of external affairs, led by Srinivasan, approached then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao to instigate the release of Kashmiri dissidents, initiate the process of elections in Jammu & Kashmir, and pave the way for a return of Red Cross to the state.

South Block withdrew the draft, conveying to Washington that it would reciprocally expect the same attitude when it came to India's concerns. The world's superpower, it would appear, was check-mated. Earlier in 1994, Pakistan had provisionally moved a resolution against India on Kashmir at the UN Commission for Human Rights. This, too, had to be withdrawn after strenuous lobbying by the MEA, for which Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Salman Khurshid earned plaudits.

The book is uncomplimentary about some politicians. About Shankar Dayal Sharma, he says, "He had a mumbling, indistinct manner of speech, causing his scarcely comprehending foreign visitors much bewilderment." On K R Narayanan: "He was a humdrum professional diplomat with leftist inclinations..."

eklavya wrote: nakul: spies with a diplomatic status also enjoy diplomatic immunity priviliges. The host country can kick out the diplomat-spy if they like, but they cannot treat him/her as a combatant. Remember all those expulsions during the cold war.

You should be aware that CIA, MI6, Mossad, etc etc all have personnel stationed in their major embassies. Its a cat and mouse game. Surveillance and counter-surveillance. What do you think these spies do? They spy ...

Raja Bose wrote:Well I guess our agencies do some good work and chankian moves behind the scenes so its not all dhoti shivering as we on BRF tend to believe.

RAW tapped senior US official's (Robin Raphel's) phone, 'heard’ US-Pak move on J&K

RamaY wrote:
But it is not the host country that dragged Stevens in to streets, raped him and then killed him. They are and will remain as non-state actors. It is the west that started this game and are now a part of it.

I wouldn't be surprised if it is a friendly act by the chelas of US to drag it into Syria/Iran quagmire that they are itching for.

RAW successfully tapped Raphel's call, despite this being from Washington to Islamabad, and apparently forwarded a tape and transcript to Srinivasan.

there is at least one man in India who spent many days in a Pakistani nuclear base "working". That particular base is in West Punjab, the second biggest state of Pakistan in land mass and and home to most Pakistanis, more than 50% of them. not only did he succeed in hiw aims, he came back as he was directed to and is living in India. That man may be walking on the road and not one will bother to stop to stare at him for what he was able to do. And that is exactly what he wants.

CRamS wrote:If these revelations are true, then it establishes that the b!tch Robin Raphel was indeed working against India in J&K. She should be persona non grata.

Lilo wrote:The way in which Robin Raphel's ex-husband the then US Ambassador to Pakistan, Arnold Raphel was hallaled along with Zia using an exploding mango crate and how that case was swept under the carpet of history by the amreekis without an investigation worth its name, throws light on the probable causes which merited the end experienced by Christopher Stevens, the US ambassador to Libya.
The widow, Robin Raphel(who herself was CIA) rose quite fast in diplomatic ranks after her husband's death and became the person directly liaising with both Taliban and Pakistani Military on behalf of GOTUS.

IMO, US Ambassadors overseeing critical US foreign interests often tend to be political animals (and less often having the burecratic mindset of career diplomats) and their fortunes accordingly tend to be fickle , in this regard they can be compared to the early ICS "officers" picked by EIC in 1800's India.
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JE Menon wrote:>>Well I guess our agencies do some good work

Never. This was in 1994, we barely had mobile phones in India then. They were still working with World War II cipher machines in diplomatic missions. Our agencies never do good work. Sometimes, by luck, we get something. Most of the time, we just stumble around admiring the success of others. Like ISI, Mossad, MI6, CIA, FSB and so on. Planning is hopeless. There is no vision. Most of the time is spent on political infighting, among themselves, between rival agencies, and ingratiating themselves to political masters who control their careers. Good work? Yeah right.

ramana wrote:Its called the C-system!

Noting an upswing in bilateral ties over the years, the United States has pitched for greater role for India [ Images ] in the world and said it was keen to work with New Delhi on it."The US can work with India over its growing role in the world," US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell stressed during a panel discussion, which included Indian Ambassador in Washington Nirupama Rao ."Trade relations are growing. It reflects our desire to proceed with arrangements for the civil nuclear deal," Powell said as Rao noted the India-US relationship has "wide political support across the spectrum" in both countries and stressed that it will not change."The US has extended support to India's membership of multilateral export regimes. We are exploring new frontiers," the Indian ambassador said.Rao also said that India and US can replicate their Afghanistan model of cooperation in Central Asia."When it comes to Central Asia, we can do what we are actually doing in Afghanistan in areas of agriculture, women empowerment," she said.Accepting the importance of Central Asia, Powell said private companies in America will have to take initiative and recognise the region's potential as a good place to invest."All of us recognise the rich potential in Central Asia. It's our private companies which have to look at this region and decide that it is good place to invest," the US Ambassador said. "We certainly can help governments in the Central Asia and work with India as well to create and environment framework to make it attractive. First decision have to be driven by the private sectors," she said.
Powell also lauded the contributions of the three-million-strong Indian community to the American society. "We are also trying to encourage more American students to come to India, she said.Rao said India and the US are looking at ways to improve their intelligence sharing mechanism and forging cooperation in new areas for strengthening homeland security.eplying to a question on cooperation in area of homeland security, she said, "We are looking at this moment on how we do a better intelligence and information sharing and also other aspects such as science and technology cooperation on homeland security."Noting that the two countries have initiated Ministerial-level dialogue over homeland security, Rao said, "This is one component (intelligence sharing) on which we will see heightened activities in 2013. Constantly new areas of cooperation are being developed on homeland security." Stating that cooperation between India and US has settled into a "certain pace and rhythm", both the diplomats said the relation between the two countries is elaborately conceived and developed. "Our relation with India is extremely broad which includes trade, commerce, security, defence and economic aspects. We are having discussion on various issues such as natural gas, renewable energy, nuclear energy, higher education, health, commerce and trade," Powell said, adding "it is encouraging that we have great expectations from each other."Both diplomats highlighted the need for people-to-people contact and underlined the importance of exchange programmes involving academicians, students and professionals from fields of innovation, science and technology and health. "We would like more young American students come to India and understand the country. This is a question of being more informed on what is happening here and why it is useful and essential to know India better."

GAIL India Ltd. (GAIL), the first Asian company to buy liquefied natural gas from the U.S., plans to take advantage of the lowest prices in 13 years to boost imports from America and revive sales growth at home. India’s biggest natural gas distributor is in talks with U.S. exporters to make up for falling production at domestic fields, P.K. Jain, finance director at GAIL, said in a phone interview yesterday. The company aims to meet demand in Asia’s third-biggest economy through overseas purchases, he said. We’re in discussions with various companies for long-term contracts because there will be demand in India and domestic output volumes are limited,” Jain said. “We’re looking to get LNG from the U.S. because prices there are cheap. And its affordable enough to transport it all the way to India.” GAIL needs to boost sales and revive net income growth that almost stalled in the year ended March 31 after earnings from transporting gas slumped, said Alok Deshpande, a Mumbai-based analyst with Elara Securities Ltd. An 81 percent plunge in U.S. gas prices from a record high touched in 2005 may help the company bolster sales in India, Jain said. Energy demand in India is forecast to more than double by 2035 to 49.2 quadrillion British thermal units from 21.1 quadrillion Btu in 2008, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The share of gas in India’s power generation mix will expand from 11 percent in 2008 to 16 percent in 2035, according to the EIA.

Large parts of the U.S. aid (see chart) have been made up of military assistance — assistance many analysts have argued is used mainly to develop its capacities to fight a war with India. “For example,” the report states, “of the some $2.1 billion in Foreign Military Financing provided to Pakistan from FY2002-FY2010, more than half has been used by Islamabad to purchase weapons of limited use in the context of counter-terrorism.”

Pakistan has used the aid to purchase equipment that could be used in a war against India — among them, eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft valued at $747 million; six AN/TPS-77 surveillance radar used to locate artillery positions, worth $100 million; 6,312 anti-armour missiles worth another $100 million; and the USS McInerney, a missile frigate, which has received an $65 million refurbishment.

In addition, the aid has part-funded 60 midlife kits for Pakistan’s F-16A/B combat jets, accounting for $477 million of the $891-million cost.

arun wrote:Praveen Swami tabulates in the Hindu the staggering extent to which the US has financed and supplied the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with weapons that improve its war fighting capability against India under the pretext of countering Mohammadden terrorism which in the first place has been fomented by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan itself:

Large parts of the U.S. aid (see chart) have been made up of military assistance — assistance many analysts have argued is used mainly to develop its capacities to fight a war with India. “For example,” the report states, “of the some $2.1 billion in Foreign Military Financing provided to Pakistan from FY2002-FY2010, more than half has been used by Islamabad to purchase weapons of limited use in the context of counter-terrorism.”

Pakistan has used the aid to purchase equipment that could be used in a war against India — among them, eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft valued at $747 million; six AN/TPS-77 surveillance radar used to locate artillery positions, worth $100 million; 6,312 anti-armour missiles worth another $100 million; and the USS McInerney, a missile frigate, which has received an $65 million refurbishment.

In addition, the aid has part-funded 60 midlife kits for Pakistan’s F-16A/B combat jets, accounting for $477 million of the $891-million cost.

From here:

U.S. waived counter-terror conditions for aid to Pakistan, new official report states

JE Menon wrote:It was probably done with GoI concurrence.