US Inviting Gen Munir, Calling Pakistan A ‘Phenomenal Partner' A Blow To India's Diplomacy: Congress

In a sharp political statement, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has slammed the United States for inviting Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, to the US Army Day celebrations on June 14. Ramesh referred to Munir's alleged provocative remarks ahead of the Pahalgam terror attacks and asked, 'What is the US really up to?' He called it a 'huge diplomatic setback' for India. Ramesh also criticised the US Central Command chief Gen Michael Kurilla's statement calling Pakistan a 'phenomenal partner' in counter-terrorism. Munir is expected to attend the 250th US Army anniversary parade, featuring 6,600 soldiers, 150 military vehicles and over 50 aircraft. The visit raises fresh diplomatic concerns amid India's accusations of Pakistan-backed terror activities.#india #us #pakistan #asimmunir #uspakistan #jairamramesh #diplomaticsetback #indianews #modigovt #pakistanarmy #usarmyday #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews

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First Post

36 minutes ago

• First Post

FATF links dual-use equipment seized by India to Pakistan's missile programme

A dual use equipment seized by India from a Pakistan bound merchant vessel in 2020 is linked to Islamabad's National Development Complex that is involved in the country's missile development programme, a new report by the Financial Action Task Force has said. read more India's 2020 seizure of Pakistan-bound dual-use equipment has been linked to Islamabad's missile development programme, according to a new report by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The equipment, intercepted from a merchant vessel is associated with Pakistan's National Development Complex, a key entity involved in the country's missile development. FATF, the global financial watchdog, referenced the case in its latest report, which outlines risks and vulnerabilities in the international financial and trade systems. The incident was cited under a section highlighting the misuse of the maritime and shipping sectors to move sensitive goods, including dual-use items that can be repurposed for weapons programmes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'In 2020, Indian custom authorities seized an Asian-flagged ship bound for Pakistan. During an investigation, Indian authorities confirmed that documents mis-declared the shipment's dual-use items,' the FATF report said. 'Indian investigators certified the items for shipment to be 'Autoclaves', which are used for sensitive high energy materials and for insulation and chemical coating of missile motors,' the report said. It said these sensitive items are included in dual-use export control lists of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The bill of lading of the seized cargo provided evidence of the 'link between the importer and the National Development Complex, which is involved in the development of long-range ballistic missiles,' it said. The export of equipment such as the autoclaves without formal approval from various authorities is a violation of existing law, the FATF said. Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC) has played a crucial role in the development of Pakistan's missile programme. India had seized the dual-use equipment from merchant vessel Da Cui Yun at Kandla port in Gujarat on February 3, 2020. The Indian customs authorities had stopped the vessel for wrongly declaring an autoclave, which can be used in construction of missiles, as an 'industrial dryer'. The report said that significant vulnerabilities remain across the global financial system in countering the financing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Despite the grave threat posed by proliferation financing (PF), only 16 per cent of countries assessed by the FATF and its global network have demonstrated high or substantial effectiveness' in a process that evaluates the implementation of targeted financial sanctions under the United Nations Security Council resolutions on proliferation. The report said that unless the public and private sectors urgently bolster technical compliance and effectiveness, those seeking to finance WMD proliferation will continue to exploit weaknesses in existing controls. The report provided a detailed analysis of the evolving methods and techniques used to evade PF-related sanctions. 'Illicit actors are employing increasingly sophisticated methods to evade sanctions and circumvent export controls,' it said. With inputs from agencies

Time of India

an hour ago

• Time of India

Somanna criticises Congress on minority reservation

Hassan: Minister of state for railways V Somanna criticised deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar for his remarks regarding minority reservation. The Congress govt in Karnataka recently increased minority reservation in housing schemes to 15%, and DK Shivakumar, defending the govt's decision, accused BJP of trying to divide society with their comments. . After participating in the 11th International Yoga Day at Halebidu, Belur taluk, Hassan, on Saturday, Somanna accused Congress party of trying to cover up its shortcomings by involving various communities. "Did any Muslim come and ask them to give reservation?" he questioned. "And DK Shivakumar has engaged in unnecessary acts for the sake of vote bank but it will not be successful," Somanna stated. "As a former housing minister, I provided plots to millions of families," he said and added, "Let the present minister Zameer Ahmed first sit in his office and answer as to on what basis he is giving houses. If someone goes to court, it will create legal hurdles. Congress is unnecessarily pitting one community against another; this is their strategy," Somanna blamed. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi made 176 countries celebrate Yoga Day. Instead of doing such work, Congress has engaged in petty activities," Somanna stated.

Time of India

an hour ago

• Time of India

BJP looks for youth to debate in favour of Emergency for ‘mock parliament'

Lucknow: Imagine a BJP functionary urging youth to speak in favour of the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975. Surprised? But that's what the saffron outfit plans to do as it gears up to organise a 'mock parliament' in nine districts to mark 50 years of the Emergency between June 25 and June 27. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Though the BJP describes it as a "black chapter" in the history of Indian democracy, the party is looking for at least 7,000 youths who can stir up a debate by speaking in favour of the Emergency, which was imposed by Gandhi for 21 months — between June 25, 1975, and March 21, 1977 — citing a breakdown of the law and order situation in the country owing to massive protests by the opposition parties alleging corruption by the Congress regime. "Since it is a mock parliament, we have decided to enrol at least 40% of the youth who can speak in favour of the topic. This would serve the purpose of striking a balance during the event," UP BJP yuva morcha's state general secretary and in charge of the campaign, Varun Goyal told TOI. The BJP has decided to register at least 18,000 youths in the 18-25 age group for the event, which will see a clash of pro and anti-Emergency views. These youths will be screened by a committee of the BJP yuva morcha, and at least 80-100 people will be shortlisted for each of the nine districts — Meerut, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad, Aligarh and Bareilly — where the event will be organised. However, Goyal said, the party is not able to get that many youths who can speak in favour of the Emergency. "We are somehow convincing a host of them to do so," he said, asserting that most of the youth want to speak against Gandhi's decision to impose the Emergency. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Goyal said that the idea of the event was to make people aware of how Congress strangled democracy. He said that today's youth was guided by the present-day political dispensation, which sought to inculcate the feeling of nationalism and democracy. Analysts believe that encouraging youth to argue for the Emergency may well be part of a mock exercise where debating controversial topics from all sides fosters critical thinking and rhetorical skill. Nevertheless, experts said, by inviting young people to argue in favour of the Emergency, the BJP aims to ultimately discredit those arguments by confronting them head-on with counterpoints. This can also provide the BJP with harder ammunition to further criticise Congress while letting those arguments hang in public only to get them torn down with stronger rebuttals, say analysts.