Trump again offers to ‘help’ resolve Kashmir issue, meets Pak PM in Davos

President Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate following India’s August 5 decision to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories

President Donald Trump has said that the US is watching the developments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir “very closely” and repeated his offer to “help” resolve the longstanding dispute between the two neighbours as he met Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum here in the Swiss ski resort.

Addressing the media with the Pakistan Prime Minister prior to their private meeting on Tuesday, President Trump asserted that trade and borders were both critical points for discussion, while Khan said that for him, Afghanistan was the top priority. Trump told Khan, whom he referred to as “my friend”, that he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the ongoing Kashmir issues. The US president is expected to visit India in the coming weeks, marking his first visit after taking up his post in the White House.

“What’s going on between Pakistan and India if we can help, we certainly will be willing to. We have been watching it very closely and it’s an honour to be here with my friend,” he said. “The Pakistan-India conflict is a very big issue for us in Pakistan and we expect the US to always play its part in deescalating the tensions, because no other country can,” Khan said. President Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate following India’s August 5 decision to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories, evoking strong reaction from Pakistan which has been trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue.

China-backed Pakistan bid to raise Kashmir issue at UNSC fails yet again

The attempt failed as other member countries felt Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan

India on Wednesday slammed Pakistan for again trying to raise the Kashmir issue in the UN Security Council where it failed yet again to find any support, with New Delhi asserting that Islamabad needs to focus on the hard tasks it has to address in order to ensure normal relations with India. China, Pakistan’s ‘all-weather ally’, stood alone in the Pakistani corner to get the Security Council to focus on the Kashmir issue.

The attempt failed as other member countries felt Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan. Earlier on Wednesday, China made the fresh pitch to raise the Kashmir issue under “other matters” during closed consultations in the Security Council Consultations Room. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said: “We once again saw an effort made by one member state of the UN, fail in plain view of all others”.

“We are happy that neither alarmist scenario painted by the representatives of Pakistan nor any of the baseless allegations made repeatedly by representatives of Pakistan in the UN fora were found to be credible today,” Akbaruddin told PTI. “We are glad that the effort was viewed as a distraction and it was pointed by many friends that bilateral mechanisms are available to raise and address issues that Pakistan may have in its ties with India,” he said…

Keep reading: Kashmir Crisis

Spruced up Mamallapuram ready for second Modi-Xi informal summit

The two leaders will engage in one-on-one talks during the meeting and are expected to discuss expanding economic and development ties apart from the Kashmir issue and the CPEC

The stage is set for the second ‘informal’ summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, to be held in the coastal and heritage town of Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram). The two-day meet starts tomorrow.

The meeting comes at a critical time for the neighbours with China recently criticising India’s decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy and bifurcate the state into two Union territories, its Foreign Minister Wang Yi raising the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly last month and New Delhi responding by saying it did not welcome comments on its internal matters. India also remains opposed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

“At the regional level, we should resolve disputes peacefully through dialogues and consultations and jointly uphold regional peace and stability,” said Sun Weidong, Beijing’s ambassador to New Delhi. The two leaders will engage in one-on-one talks during the meeting and are also expected to discuss expanding economic and development ties.

After winning his second term, Modi formally extended an invitation to Xi in June at the Bishkek summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which the latter accepted. This is the second informal summit between the two leaders, after Wuhan, which was held in April, 2018, in China. Notably, China has been importing rice and sugar from India following a request from the Prime Minister in the first informal summit…

Read More: Modi-Xi informal summit

It is a ‘jihad’: Pakistan PM Imran Khan on Kashmir after returning from US

Khan on Friday raised the Kashmir issue in his address to the UNGA and demanded that India must lift the ‘inhuman curfew’ in Kashmir and release all ‘political prisoners’

Prime Minister Imran Khan on his return from the US on Sunday said that those standing by Kashmiris were doing “jihad” and Pakistan will support Kashmiris even if the world does not.

Prime Minister Khan, who focussed on the Kashmir issue in his maiden address to the UN General Assembly, told his party workers at the airport in Islamabad that “whether the world is with the Kashmiris or not, we are standing with them.” “It (standing by Kashmiris) is jihad. We are doing it because we want Allah to be happy with us,” he said.

“It is a struggle and do not lose heart when the time is not good. Do not be disappointed as the Kashmiris are looking towards you,” he said. He said “Kashmiris would win if the Pakistani people stood by their side”. Khan on Friday raised the Jammu and Kashmir issue in his address to the UNGA and demanded that India must lift the “inhuman curfew” in Kashmir and release all “political prisoners”.

In his speech that went on for about 50 minutes, far exceeding the 15-minute limit for UN speeches during the General Debate, Khan devoted half of his address to the Kashmir issue, warning that if there’s face-off between two nuclear-armed neighbours, the consequences would be far beyond their borders.

His war rhetoric was in sharp contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s peace message from the same podium few minutes earlier in which he said India is a country, that has “given the world, not war, but Buddha’s message of peace.” Pakistan has….

Ind-Pak tensions less heated now than weeks ago; ready to help them: Trump

Tensions between the two neighbours escalated after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status by scrapping provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution

The relationship between India and Pakistan is “less heated” now than what was two weeks ago, United States President Donald Trump has said, reiterating his offer to help the two South-Asian neighbours only if both of them want.

The comments by Trump were his first and comes two weeks since his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France on August 26. “India and Pakistan are having a conflict over Kashmir as you know. I think (it) is a little bit less heated right now than (what) was two weeks ago,” Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.

Tensions between the two neighbours escalated after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status by scrapping provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution. “I get along with both countries very well,” Trump said while responding to a question on his assessment of the situation between India and Pakistan. “I am willing to help them if they want. They know that. That (offer) is out there.”

Kashmir: A month later, shopkeepers refuse to open, even as curbs are eased

Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked special rights for Jammu and Kashmir on Aug 5, striking down the long-standing constitutional provisions for the Himalayan region

A month after the government withdrew Article 370 and locked Kashmir down with thousands of additional troops and made mass arrests, residents are resisting attempts by authorities to show some signs of normalcy returning in the valley.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked special rights for Jammu and Kashmir on Aug 5, striking down the long-standing constitutional provisions for the Himalayan region.

To dampen the possibility of widespread protests, India flooded the state — already one of the world’s most militarised zones — with troops, imposed severe restrictions on movements, and cut all telephone, mobile phone and internet connections. Thousands of people were arrested.

The Centre has since eased some of the curbs, although no prominent detainees have been freed and mobile and internet connections remain suspended. Officials in Srinagar say that 90 per cent of the Kashmir valley is free of restrictions on daytime movement, some landline phone connections have been restored and thousands of schools have re-opened. However, checkpoints remain in place and communication restrictions make reporting from the region difficult….

432 torture cases in Kashmir from 1990-2017, 70% victims civilians: Report

Jammu and Kashmir is considered among the most militarised regions in the world, indicative of an alarming human rights situation

The Indian state has routinely practiced torture as an institutional method of control in Kashmir, according to a report documenting 432 cases, in which 70% of victims were civilians, between 1990 and 2017.

The report was released by the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), an amalgam of research and advocacy organisations based in Srinagar, and the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), an advocacy seeking to end involuntary and enforced disappearances in Kashmir, in February 2019. Torture qualifies as a war crime as per the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Geneva Conventions.

The report, endorsed by former United Nations (UN) special rapporteur Juan E Mendez, accuses the Indian state of violating international human rights law by practicing torture against civilians, destroying property such as homes, and causing widespread psychological distress….

Article 370 provisions scrapped: J&K, Ladakh may get share of central funds

The official added that it isn’t immediately clear if the 15th Finance Commission will be given additional terms of reference or more time to adjust

As a direct result of the Narendra Modi government’s decision to turn Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh into two separate union territories, the Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC) is likely to allocate sums from the divisible tax pool to 28 states, instead of 29. The allocations for the two union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are expected to come out of the Centre’s liabilities, Business Standard has learnt.

“It now becomes 28 states instead of 29, and according to the standard practice and the Terms of Reference, the requirements of union territories have to be counted as part of liabilities of the Centre. The devolution of the tax pool will have to be recalculated from 29 states to 28,” said an official aware of the working of the FFC.

The official added that it isn’t immediately clear if the FFC will be given additional terms of reference or more time to adjust for the conversion of the state of Jammu and Kashmir to two separate union territories. All this is of course subject to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill being passed in Rajya Sabha (will change once passed) and it withstanding any challenge in the Supreme Court.

As reported earlier, FFC Chairman N K Singh has ruled out including UTs with legislative bodies, like Delhi and Puducherry, in the divisible tax-pool in-line with other states, even after getting representations to do so. “We are not formally considering the memorandum of Puducherry and Delhi because under the Constitution, we are not enjoined to do so, and we have to strictly act in accordance with the Constitution,” Singh had told Business Standard in an interaction earlier this month…

Kashmir 2.0 in Modi 2.0: Five key points you shouldn’t miss on J&K, Ladakh

Rajya Sabha on Monday approved a resolution revoking the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir and passed a Bill to split the state into two Union Territories.

Jammu and Kashmir LIVE updates: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government on Monday moved a resolution in the Rajya Sabha to abrogate the Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It was approved by the Upper House amid protests by the Opposition.

Today, the Lok Sabha will take up the resolution and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill. According to the terms of the new resolution moved by Home Minister Amit Shah, while Jammu and Kashmir will be a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly, the Ladakh region will be a Union Territory without any legislative powers. Since the government has a comfortable majority in the House, these are unlikely to face any hurdles.

Rajya Sabha on Monday approved a resolution revoking the special constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir and passed a Bill to split the state into two Union Territories, as Home Minister Amit Shah promised to restore full statehood after normalcy is restored in the militancy-hit region.

Under Article 370 of the Constitution, Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed complete autonomy and the state legislature was free to draft its own laws except in the areas of communications, defense, finance, and foreign affairs. Also, Indian citizens were prohibited from purchasing land in the state. So, what exactly will change in J&K if the Lok Sabha today passes the Reorganisation Bill?

Kashmir updates: BJP issues whip to MPs, Opposition meet at 10:30 am

Jammu and Kashmir issue: Ex-chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti are believed to have been put under house arrest. Schools and colleges will remain closed today

Kashmir Live Updates: Amid an unprecedented lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir, as uncertainty looms large over a build-up of troops in the valley, the Union Cabinet on Monday met at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were among the leaders present in the high-level meeting.

The meeting comes after political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir including former Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone, were placed under house arrest as strict restrictions were imposed in the Kashmir Valley from early Monday morning.

Panic gripped the Valley after the government imposed restrictions and curfews in several districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Schools and colleges will remain closed today. There would be a complete bar on holding any kind of public meeting or rally. The government imposed restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC in Srinagar district with effect from Sunday midnight as a precautionary measure, officials said.

India-Pak conflict: I’m not worthy of Nobel Peace Prize, says Imran Khan

An online petition was filed with the Norwegian Nobel Committee for the nomination of Khan for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020

India Pakistan Conflict: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday he wasn’t worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, after a motion was submitted in Pakistan’s top National Assembly Secretariat calling for him to be awarded the coveted prize for his role in “de-escalating” tensions between India and Islamabad. An online petition was filed with the Norwegian Nobel Committee for the nomination of Khan for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020 for “his peace efforts and dialogues in the Asian region on diverse conflicts (Pakistan-India, Afghanistan-US, Middle East).

“His (Khan’s) contributions deserve the international recognition with the Nobel, his aims of ensuring lasting peace in the region and discouraging revival of militarism should be recognized and greatly appreciated,” read the online petition on website Change.org.I am not worthy of the Nobel Peace prize. The person worthy of this would be the one who solves the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people and paves the way for peace & human development in the subcontinent.

The cricketer-turned-politician tweeted, “The person worthy of this would be the one who solves the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people and paves the way for peace and human development in the subcontinent.” Tensions escalated between India and Pakistan after the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed 40 CRPF troopers in Jammu and Kasmir’s Pulwama on February 14.