Bharat Rakshak

nirav wrote:Trade with Pakistan is a reality. Its a major market for us specially in the power and entertainment and automobile sector. In my opinion its the only way to normalize things with Pakistan over a longer time span into the future.

Once mango Pakistanis start reaping benefits of trade with India, hopefully the mindset of their young will be moulded differently compared to madrassa kids.

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Federal Government spokesman has denied the Indian media reports of a ‘secret meeting’ between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi in Kathmandu in 2014 on the sidelines of SAARC summit.
According to a statement issued here, the spokesman termed the reports of secret meeting between Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi as baseless, saying no such meeting was held during the SAARC conference in Kathmandu.
Earlier today, the Hindustan Times in its report had claimed the two leaders had held an hour-long secret meeting on the sidelines of Saarc summit in Kathmandu in 2014.
The Hindustan Times quoted famous Indian journalist Barkha Dutt as writing in her book that the meeting between the two PMs had been facilitated by Indian businessman Sajjan Jindal.

LAHORE (Online) – Airport Security Force (ASF) on Tuesday arrested two suspected terrorists from the limits of Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore.
The suspicious persons were doing recce of the fences of a military facility near the airport.
Airport maps including other documents were also recovered from the suspects who were shifted to undisclosed location for further investigation.

Kashi wrote:

nirav wrote:Trade with Pakistan is a reality. Its a major market for us specially in the power and entertainment and automobile sector. In my opinion its the only way to normalize things with Pakistan over a longer time span into the future.

Once mango Pakistanis start reaping benefits of trade with India, hopefully the mindset of their young will be moulded differently compared to madrassa kids.

Pakis have a massive amount of trade and aid with the US. They have reaped the "benefits" of this for ages. Their young minds have been moulded indeed.

nirav wrote:
Trade with Pakistan is a reality. Its a major market for us specially in the power and entertainment and automobile sector. In my opinion its the only way to normalize things with Pakistan over a longer time span into the future.

Once mango Pakistanis start reaping benefits of trade with India, hopefully the mindset of their young will be moulded differently compared to madrassa kids.

shiv wrote: 1.Pakistan has been kept alive on an ideology called Pakistaniyat - held up by the oligarchy - the army and the elite and Pakistaniyat sees Hindus as an implacable enemy of Islam and Pakistan.

shiv wrote:

nirav wrote:
Trade with Pakistan is a reality. Its a major market for us specially in the power and entertainment and automobile sector. In my opinion its the only way to normalize things with Pakistan over a longer time span into the future.

Once mango Pakistanis start reaping benefits of trade with India, hopefully the mindset of their young will be moulded differently compared to madrassa kids.

I have to express profound disagreement with this viewpoint. If fact this is exactly the view expressed by Mani Shakar Aiyer in his book "Pakistan Papers". The argument is totally wrong because it fails to take into account the following facts which too many Indians still fail to see in our secular lovey-dovey blindness

1.Pakistan has been kept alive on an ideology called Pakistaniyat - held up by the oligarchy - the army and the elite and Pakistaniyat sees Hindus as an implacable enemy of Islam and Pakistan
2. From the mid 1970s Pakistani school children have been taught Pakistaniyat and hatred of "Hindu India" which means that any Pakistani under the age of 40 many of who will be getting to very senior positions in Pakistan have been taught to loathe India
3. Madrassas are a different kind or problem - its not as if madraassas teach India hatred and other Pakisstanis will simply adore India for our goodness. Madrassas do produce LeT the "sarkari jihadi" who support the Paki army and Pakistaniyat, but they also produce TTP and the Taliban and the shia killing LeJ. It is a type of western blindness to blame Madrassas and absolve the Pakistani elite and army of all blame. Indians perferably should not fall into this naive trap, for our own good

I agree with you that a lot of trade with Pakistan is "a reality" - which only means that cricket is a negligible item when it comes to benefiting from India. At best some PCB officials will line their pockets and get their children married to Dawoodbhai's relatives and get very rich. That's all. Cricket as a lever to punish Pakistan economically is laughable crock.and only enables cricket discussions

The point I wanted to make about trade is that we have never thought to analyse the details of how certain items get to Pakistan and what route they take. India has already given Pakistan MFN. That means that we will import shit from them if they are selling it. Pakistan has not given us MFN and are deliberately avoiding the direct import of a whole lot of stuff from India even though it would be cheaper and make economic sense for the poor of Pakistan. Once again it is worth keeping in mind that the Paki government and army don't give a flying fuk for the mango Pakistani. The smuggling and indirect routes help smugglers and certain Pakis make a huge profit and some of that profit is funding terror. We need to see which Indian companies and private individuals are helping this business along. It may be that Indians are "legal and genuine" exporters to0 Dubai where a Paki middleman is a crook who makes money out of Pakis and that money eventually gets donated to terror.

johneeG wrote: Hate for Hindhus & Ancient Indic culture did not come after Pakistan was born. It may have intensified(though even that is doubtful). The actual fact is that Pakistan was formed as a result of hate for Hindhus & ancient Bhaarathiya culture. So, hate came first and Pakistan came later.

shiv wrote:

johneeG wrote: Hate for Hindhus & Ancient Indic culture did not come after Pakistan was born. It may have intensified(though even that is doubtful). The actual fact is that Pakistan was formed as a result of hate for Hindhus & ancient Bhaarathiya culture. So, hate came first and Pakistan came later.

Yes. And Pakistani school textbooks teaching that hatred to Pakistani schoolchildren came even later - in the 1970s - which is what I said if you had actually read the post.

It is not just madrassas -it is the entire governance system of Pakistan that is geared towards hatred of the Hindu and Indians. Simply "being nice" to Pakistan is not going to help. That is what I was trying to say in a post as a reply to someone else.

johneeG wrote:
Yes, the mention of 'Pakistaniyat' and 1970s gives an impression that the hate is result of Pakistan. Many Pakistanis try to portray an image that Pakistan was all secular and nice until the time of Zia when the radicalism began. We need to point out that the hate was already there before the creation of Pakistan itself and Pakistan was formed on the basis of this hate.

shiv wrote:Pakistaniyat sees the Hindu as an upper caste tyrant who has subjugated lower castes and Muslims (even though many of them were totally unarmed like Brahmins and Baniyas) The subtext that no one talks about is how could people have been so stupid as to get subjugated by unarmed people? So Pakistaniyat seeks to overthrow the upper caste order and release Indians from bondage. Indian secularism has pretty much followed this exact text. Pakistan and India have been linked at the waist by an ideology that is called Pakistaniyat in Pakistan and Secularism in India.

Both Pakistaniyat and Indian secularism see Hindus as a tyrannical group whose excesses need to be mitigated or eradicated. That is why Pakistanis and secularists band together. But secularists pretend that they are doing it for Indian Muslims - giving the impression that Hindus hate Muslims and that secularists are protecting Indians Muslims (and also Pakistanis) from Hindu hordes.

shiv wrote:It was sixty plus years of Secular governments in India that have ensured that Triple talaq, even by SMS survives merrily in India.

A UCC as a silver bullet in order to remove the worst provision of our personal laws might seem tempting but unfortunately appears to be unviable. From Nehru to Vajpayee to Modi, a whole gamut of governments have tried and failed. Of course, contrary to perception, the lack of a UCC doesn’t mean modernisation of personal law has stopped. As events have borne out, the progressive gradualism of the Indian system is taking effect. Sometimes this progress is painfully slow – even after the Danial Latifi judgment, many lower courts have failed to apply its principles – but it seems to be the only method of readdressal that is actually working to protect Indian women from their regressive personal laws.

Abhay_S wrote: Our seculars are also Feudal and will join these Urdu/English pakis in hating the Gawar hindi/native language speaking Indians.

shiv wrote:

johneeG wrote:
Yes, the mention of 'Pakistaniyat' and 1970s gives an impression that the hate is result of Pakistan. Many Pakistanis try to portray an image that Pakistan was all secular and nice until the time of Zia when the radicalism began. We need to point out that the hate was already there before the creation of Pakistan itself and Pakistan was formed on the basis of this hate.

What do you mean secular and nice?

Very few people understand Pakistaniyat and even fewer realize that Indian secularism is Pakistaniyat being practised in India.

Blaming Pakistaniyat for Hindu hatred avoids the fact that the same Pakisniyat has been poractised in India as secularism where Mulsims must be "protected from Hindus"

Failure to understand this and imagining that all problems arise because "they hate us" is wrong. Part of the problem is that Indians agree that Pakistanis are correct in hating Hindus and secularism is used to show how much we Indians agree with Pakistaniyat and how Hindus need a regular butt kicking so as to protect Islam, Muslims and Pakistan. And disagreeing with this is intolerance.

shiv wrote:...
... That means that we will import shit from them if they are selling it. ...

No diplomacy by stealth

TOPICS
diplomacy
summit
The Paris handshake between Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is indeed a welcome, and unexpected, moment that could ‘change the climate’ of the relationship. They had last spoken in Ufa in July — though they shared the same stage at the UN in September, they only managed a wave across the room. This is far from the vision that Mr. Modi had himself laid out at the start of his tenure, one where neighbours would try to meet without occasion, and engage to sort out bilateral issues, when possible. The stop-start nature of the Prime Ministers’ meetings have had an impact on talks at every level of engagement, and even the meeting of the Directors General of Military Operations they agreed to five months ago has not yet materialised. Other issues on which a resolution is required remain, and which have now been pending for three years. These include the implementation of a liberalised visa regime, upgradation of trade checkpoint infrastructure at the international border and the Line of Control, and other measures such as bank facilities to further trade that Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Sharif have spoken of. India’s concerns about Pakistan giving free rein to terrorists like Hafiz Saeed and establishment support to terror groups, too, remain. While Delhi has stuck to its principle of not taking substantive talks ahead until it sees action from Pakistan on terrorism, it is heartening to note that basic trade between the two countries, business visits and civil society conferences have not been barred. The Prime Ministers met in Paris even as the government must make a decision on whether to allow their cricket teams to play in Sri Lanka. It must be remembered, that like the other issues, playing cricket too is a commitment already made by Indian officials, and India stands to be penalised if it does not keep the BCCI’s contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board.

All these steps will be particularly important in creating an atmosphere for a productive visit by Mr. Modi to Islamabad in 2016, when he has accepted an invitation to attend the SAARC summit. However, none of it will be possible without a sustained and transparent process of engagement. Since this government took office, India’s Pakistan policy has been marked by stealth, surprise and secrecy — whether it was the invitation to SAARC leaders, the cancellation of Foreign Secretary-level talks, the confabulations between the Prime Ministers in Kathmandu last November, dispatching the Foreign Secretary to Islamabad this year, the Ufa engagement, or everything else that followed. It is time to unveil what the government plans to do on Pakistan. If non-engagement was an option, the Prime Ministers would not have shaken hands or talked confidentially in Paris. If engagement is the only way forward — as it most certainly is — then it must be done by taking the people into confidence, not by keeping them in the dark about each new initiative, that seems to evaporate as soon as it is brought to light.

deejay wrote: Our friend in Dariya Ganj asked his Muslim friend how he could sell these books from Pakistan. Together, they sat down and called up all the Madrassas they knew and also Islamic religious book sellers they knew in UP and Bihar about these books from Pakistan. In 02 hours he had sold all existing stock and had orders for many more.

In less than a month, he made enough to buy a house for himself. He has stopped supplying Indian books to Pakistan but imports the Pakistani books whenever he can. Sometimes, trade is stopped between the two countries, otherwise, it goes on and on. The demand for religious texts from Pakistan is huge in India. In a trade where one supplies on credit and collects only after actual sale, his buyers pay advance. Today the demand is pan India and not limited to UP and Bihar.

The interesting thing here is - Books. Books do not attract any commercial taxes. No customs, excise, VAT, etc. There is absolutely no record with anyone of the amount of trade and frequency. I think a very similar situation exists in Agricultural products and some Pharma products too.

A_Gupta wrote:
PS: You see, Jinnah & co were right in one way -- the progressive gradualism of the Indian system would have its effects, even taming the worst excesses of Islam. Why it seems not to have worked in the past is because of successive invasions and outside influences that militarily or monetarily have been stronger than the Indian influence; that reimposed the outside and undid centuries of work. To Jinnah & co, this meant that Islam would not remain Islam in a united India - and that is correct. To the world, however, it means an Islam that the world could live with; and that is what they have indefinitely postponed by the creation of Pakistan.

The Indian delegation was composed of personalities like former foreign secretary Salman Haider, former ambassador S K Lamba, former Indian ambassador to Pakistan Satyabrata Pal, former chairman National Commission for Minorities Wajahat Habibullah, representative of the Communist Party from Occupied Kashmir Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, a young intellectual from Srinagar Goher Gilani, famous journalist Siddharth Varadarajan, chief editor of The Citizen Seema Mustafa and from CDR, Shubhra Chaturvedi. ( Such Contrast b'ween rootless DIEs and common person in India)I visited some markets and bazaars of Delhi and talked with people on the street, shopkeepers and taxi drivers.What I have managed to conclude from this visit to India is that in the present conditions any effort to talk with India is futile. And this is not only because of Narendra Modi; I felt a widespread superiority complex in India regarding Pakistan. This is found equally among common citizens as well as in political leaders, intellectuals and media persons. They discuss all issues as part of ‘bilateral relations’. The message one gets is that initiation of any talks is something only Pakistan is in need of it. The analysis is almost always in black and white – Pakistan all-sinners, India all-saints. Even playing cricket with Pakistan is something they consider to be a favour. Most importantly, now the foreign policy of India towards Pakistan is in the hands of Ajit Doval, India’s national security advisor, instead of the foreign office of India. India’s foreign office too does not possess friendly feelings towards Pakistan. But Ajit Doval is directly related to what RAW is all about. Even in person, Doval holds a very negative image of Pakistan; this can be easily seen in his speeches and presentations.Perhaps the most negative aspect in bilateral ties between India and Pakistan is the Indian media. Sustaining a war-like situation against Pakistan seems to be in fashion in the news media of India. Almost always, at the state level, first governments and then establishments try to use the media for such purposes. Eventually they become captives of the same media which then does not leave any peace options open for them. The same is the case in India.

Even if the Indian PM was Atal Bihari Vajpayee today, and not a person like Narendra Modi – even then the Indian media would not let him establish good relations with Pakistan. While the Pakistani media does air anti-India sentiments, we have a sizeable number of critics and analysts that advocate logic and balance. But in India there are very few critics available on foreign policy. Thus criticism of Narendra Modi, RSS and the debate after the Bihar election results are all discussed for their internal dynamics and not for their foreign impacts or merits.In this context I see no possibility of constructive dialogue and progress over bilateral relations between Indian and Pakistan. After my visit to India, I am of the opinion that PM Nawaz Shari’s participation in the oath-taking ceremony of Modi, and asking for dialogue, was a mistake. The Ufa meeting and agreeing to its declaration was an even bigger mistake. And an even worse mistake would be to initiate any one-sided effort to resume dialogue. Before this visit, I was of the opinion that Pakistan should not play cricket with India until a formal and written apology from the Indian side but now I feel Pakistan should refuse to play even in any third country. There should be only one option: the Indian team should play in Pakistan, otherwise we need not play at all.

National dignity and diplomatic strategy both demand that we now answer India in the same tone. We should restrict all other relations with India for now; and diplomatic relations should be kept at the minimum required level. Our Foreign Office wishes to include the Indian foreign minister at the ‘Heart of Asia Conference’ that is to take place next month in Islamabad to discuss the diplomatic possibilities over Afghanistan. I propose that only a casual invitation would be enough for Indian participation at the conference. Over the issue of Kashmir, state institutions should not move an inch from their stand. However, instead of a daily rebuttal over the issue, it is better to wait silently for some time, as China did on Hong Kong and Taiwan. Such open and heated debates in the media on a daily basis – over cricket, national security advisors etc – could lead both governments towards an unwanted war. The length of this diplomatic pause with India, though, would depend on the policy response from India. Pakistan, in the meanwhile, ought to concentrate over its internal security and economic issues. We can invest our energy in developing good relations and rapport with other regional and international powers; and most importantly to fight against all forms of extremism.
The only risk for a positive outcome of this proposed diplomatic pause could be non-state actors. We have to seal our borders and guard against all extreme elements. We have to ensure that no one from India, following Ajit Doval’s policy, is able to cross the border; and no one should cross the Indian border from our side even by mistake. Minimum relations with India could result in a prosperous Pakistan; but if India gains any chance to interfere in the internal affairs of Pakistan it would result in the diplomatic success of India against Pakistan. The world already stands with India, so we have to stop its interference and media bashing. We have to improve our conditions and present our demands as and when there is a good chance to be noticed on the global stage.

KABUL - Afghanistan is hoping to improve its rocky relations with neighbouring Pakistan over the next few months as a prelude to a possible return to stalled peace talks with Taliban insurgents, President Ashraf Ghani told a French television station on Tuesday.But, Ghani warned that Pakistan must earn Kabul's trust if Islamabad wishes to play the role of mediator in any peace talks.
Ghani, who met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the margins of the climate conference in Paris on Monday, was cautious about prospects for any quick breakthrough after years of what he called "an undeclared state of hostilities" between the two countries."The focus is to have a serious choreography where we can move in tandem and focus on resolution of the issues between now and the end of winter," he told France 24 television. "Pakistan can be a broker. The trust needs to be earned."
The comments add to signs of a fresh willingness to resume the peace process, with major powers including the United States and China pushing for a political solution.Talks facilitated by Pakistan were broken off in July after confirmation that Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar had died two years earlier triggered a leadership crisis. The Taliban are fighting to re-establish hard-line rule 14 years after the US-led military intervention that toppled their regime.But deep suspicions still stand in the way of any deal between Kabul, which accuses Pakistan of backing the insurgency, and Islamabad, which rejects the charge."Don't get your expectations too high," a senior Afghan official said. "If Pakistan says 'we'll do something for you in the peace process', we're not going to rush. We will have to verify it," he said.How far the Taliban themselves may be willing to resume talks is still unclear after months of fierce fighting in which they briefly took the vital northern city of Kunduz, their biggest success in the 14-year insurgency. The movement is currently split by fighting between rival factions but Ghani said elements may be willing to return to the peace table."There is no such thing as the Taliban after the death of Mullah Omar," Ghani said.
"There are groups of Taliban and we will engage in talking with some of them and if some of them would like to come through the mediation of Pakistan, that's something that we need to talk about," he said.Sharif also issued a statement Tuesday avowing Pakistan's close ties with its war-torn neighbour."Pakistan does not believe in any blame game, and instead would like to make renewed efforts to resurrect the peace and reconciliation process," he said, adding that it would have to be an Afghan-led process. The prime minister said he looked forward to a visit by Ghani to Islamabad in December, though Ghani was more cagey in the France 24 interview, saying only that he was "considering" the trip.The Pakistani statement said Monday's talks were held "in an atmosphere of warmth and cordiality".

Jhujar wrote:The Indian delegation was composed of personalities like former foreign secretary Salman Haider, former ambassador S K Lamba, former Indian ambassador to Pakistan Satyabrata Pal...

Thus criticism of Narendra Modi, RSS and the debate after the Bihar election results are all discussed for their internal dynamics and not for their foreign impacts or merits.

Jhujar wrote:http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9 ... s-in-India
A few days in India Saleem Safi
We have to seal our borders and guard against all extreme elements. We have to ensure that no one from India, following Ajit Doval’s policy, is able to cross the border; and no one should cross the Indian border from our side even by mistake. Minimum relations with India could result in a prosperous Pakistan; but if India gains any chance to interfere in the internal affairs of Pakistan it would result in the diplomatic success of India against Pakistan.

Gagan wrote:Saleen Safi is a pashtoon and very cognizant and fairly outspoken about Pak fauj's haramigiri with both its eastern and western neighbours.

I think he coats his prescription and advice for the establishment in Pakistan, as one is wont to do with the use of appropriate verbage so as not be outrightly called out and be bull-cuttled by the ISI.

Please watch his videos of him interviewing a soosai bummer who was arrested by pak police, and his treatment of Harami Gul in a one on one interview.

Jhujar wrote:http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9 ... s-in-India
A few days in India Saleem Safi

The invitation was extended to me by the Jinnah Institute, Islamabad and the Center for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR) in India

• Russia has offered to lay a pipeline for gas exports to energy-starved Pakistan.
• Analysts say Russia's proposal stems from fears that it may lose the EU market because of its tensions with the West.
• Pakistan could also prove to be a huge market as it faces annual gas shortage.

shiv wrote:

Jhujar wrote:http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-9 ... s-in-India
A few days in India Saleem Safi

The invitation was extended to me by the Jinnah Institute, Islamabad and the Center for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR) in India

Why does this "CDR" even exist? Looks like these guys are funded by the "EU" behind the German name "Fue Die Freiheit"
I will go through their publications to see if they are bullshitting

shiv wrote:Looks like these guys are funded by the "EU" behind the German name "Fue Die Freiheit"

While much has been said about the dangers of Sunni foreign fighters returning home, the return home of the far more numerous Afghan and Pakistani Shia foreign fighters has received noticeably less attention. A major reason for the disparity is that most accounts of the Afghan and Pakistani troops fighting Sunder the Hezbollah flag in Syria mistakenly tend to minimize their ideological motivations. However, the Shia foreign fighter phenomenon could have serious ramifications for South Asia, because it serves as a pretense under which Tehran trains and indoctrinates militant Shia populations.

The liwa’ fatimiyun (Fatimiyun Brigade) is composed exclusively of Afghans and fights under the auspices of Hezbollah Afghanistan. According to an Iranian news source, the number of Afghans fighting for the Assad regime is between 10,000 and 20,000, while other news sources put the number of Afghans at between 10,000 and 12,000

The Pakistanis were originally integrated with other units and now serve in their own distinct unit known as liwa’ zaynabiyun (Zaynabiyun Brigade).

When compared with other groups, the Shia foreign fighters have an unquestionable numerical significance. Whether taking the larger or smaller estimates, the Shia contingents from Afghanistan and Pakistan are significantly larger than the group of 4,700 Westerners fighting for ISIS.

It is widely accepted that compensation, not ideology, brings the Shia fighters to Syria. This perception is based on anecdotal evidence, as well as the idea that Afghans’ lot in Iran and Afghanistan is a tough one and the soldiers in this conflict receive relatively high salaries. Iran targets these vulnerable young men, unable to obtain work permits or establish legal residency in Iran, and incentivizes them with various forms of compensation to fight in Syria. If they refuse, they are sometimes threatened with deportation.

In contrast, the fixation on ISIS’ ideological appeal rather than the financial incentives of fighting with the jihadist group indicates a clear inconsistency. ISIS offers Syrians a salary that is at least four times what other rebel militias can pay in war-torn Syria, yet few people refer to its fighters as mercenaries.

Meanwhile, the Shia foreign fighters’ support for the Assad regime is based on a religious mandate to fight radical Sunni rebel groups that threaten Shia holy sites.

The threat to Shia shrines and mosques originates in one of the major doctrinal flashpoints between salafi-jihadi Sunnis and Shia Muslims: the controversy regarding the Muslim principle of tawhid, the unity of God. While Shia Muslims believe that Muhammad’s family and their descendants (including the twelve Imams) had an elevated status and that it is permissible to pray at their graves, radical Sunnis believe this to be shirk, or a heresy of associating or equating others with God. Therefore, the salafi-jihadis see the Shia and their places of worship as justified targets of jihad and the obligation to “enjoin right and forbid wrong.”

The International Business Times reported that 30,000 Indian Shia had filled out visa request forms to fight in Iraq and defend the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala when it looked like ISIS might be approaching. While the Indian government prevented its citizens from going in order to avoid being entangled in the Syrian conflict, this incident points to potential ideological motivations for Shia Muslims fighting in Syria and Iraq. In this context, it is hard to understand why commentators have so boldly written off Shia concerns that groups like ISIS or Jabhat al-Nusra will take Damascus and destroy the pilgrimage site known as the shrine of Sayyida Zaynab, where Muhammad’s granddaughter is buried.

Furthermore, the Iranians have already indicated a desire to extend their influence in South Asia through infrastructure projects and establishing branches of Hezbollah in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Paki Finance Minister Forced To Introduce "Rs 40 Billion Mini Budget" And Announce Increased Customs Duty To Comply With IMF Demand

ISLAMABAD:
The federal government approved a Rs40 billion mini-budget on Monday, levying regulatory duties on hundreds of essential items and increasing customs duty on almost all imports by 1%. The move aims to secure the next tranche of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) three-year $6.2 billion programme approved earlier this month.

Out of the 350 items that saw up to 10% increase in regulatory duties, as many as 183 are food items, which Dar termed ‘luxury goods’, saying the consumers must pay higher prices, “if they want to eat imported yogurt and cheese”.

After a Rs40 billion shortfall in tax collection during the July to September quarter, the IMF had given only one option to Pakistan – introduce additional taxes till November 30. The IMF is now expected to approve the 10th loan tranche of $504 million on December 15.

What Dar termed luxury items are – poultry, fish, dry fruits, clothes, baby garments, tracksuits, brassieres, handkerchiefs, ties, bed linens, footwear, diapers, video games and sanitary towels. These items are already subject to 20% customs duties.

shiv wrote:

deejay wrote: Our friend in Dariya Ganj asked his Muslim friend how he could sell these books from Pakistan. Together, they sat down and called up all the Madrassas they knew and also Islamic religious book sellers they knew in UP and Bihar about these books from Pakistan. In 02 hours he had sold all existing stock and had orders for many more.

In less than a month, he made enough to buy a house for himself. He has stopped supplying Indian books to Pakistan but imports the Pakistani books whenever he can. Sometimes, trade is stopped between the two countries, otherwise, it goes on and on. The demand for religious texts from Pakistan is huge in India. In a trade where one supplies on credit and collects only after actual sale, his buyers pay advance. Today the demand is pan India and not limited to UP and Bihar.

The interesting thing here is - Books. Books do not attract any commercial taxes. No customs, excise, VAT, etc. There is absolutely no record with anyone of the amount of trade and frequency. I think a very similar situation exists in Agricultural products and some Pharma products too.

Amazing story. Goes to show that the Pakis are actually sensible and protecting themselves by not giving MFN to India. And India, by giving MFN to Pakistan is allowing the free import of Pakistani books for Madrasas in India.

In an apparent response to Bangladesh's move, Pakistan yesterday summoned acting high commissioner of Bangladesh Maushumi Rahman to its foreign ministry and denied committing any war crimes or atrocities during the 1971 Liberation War.
Pakistan also rejected Bangladesh's statement that trashed Islamabad's concern over the recent executions of war criminals Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.
Bangladesh handed over the protest note to the Pakistan high commissioner in Dhaka after summoning him to the foreign ministry on November 23, a day after Pakistan issued a statement over the executions.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said, “If Pakistan continues to interfere in our internal matters, it would be challenging for us to take the relationship with Pakistan forward.”

Shahriar Alam questioned, “If it was not Pakistan, then who had committed the crimes during the nine-month war?
“Pakistan is now trying to ignore an established truth after 44 years. In the agreement of 1974, Pakistan felt sorry to a certain extent for committing the crimes. Why are they making a contradictory statement now?”

State Minister Shahriar Alam said Bangladesh, India and Pakistan had a plan to march forward. “To make this happen, Saarc was formed. But if Pakistan goes on with interfering in our internal matters, it would be difficult for us to take the relationship with Pakistan forward.”
He hoped that Pakistan would not interfere in Bangladesh's internal affairs, especially in war crimes trial, in future.

As per the Vienna Convention, to which Bangladesh is a signatory, there are some crimes that cannot be forgiven by any government, and genocide is one of them, he added.
Shaheed Jaya Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury said “falsehood is ingrained in Pakistanis.”
“The Pakistan army and their local collaborators had committed genocide. We witnessed those crimes. This has been proved to be true. But Pakistan is now resorting to falsehood,” added the widow of Shaheed Alim Chowdhury.

Another former Bangladeshi diplomat, who served as Bangladesh high commissioner in Islamabad, told this newspaper that the government should take the summons of Bangladesh's envoy very seriously as Islamabad was “not maintaining diplomatic norms” and nakedly interfering in Bangladesh's domestic affairs repeatedly.
Former ambassador M Humayun Kabir said, “Pakistan should look at the mirror and understand their own behaviour during the Liberation War. It is high time that they apologise for their heinous crimes committed against the unarmed Bangladeshi civilians.”