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Indian Air Force’s C-17s to be put in use to airlift Amarnath pilgrims on Jammu and Kashmir govt’s request

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Air Force’s C-17s to be put in use to airlift Amarnath pilgrims on Jammu and Kashmir govt’s request

After the Jammu and Kashmir government had issued an advisory for the Amarnath pilgrims to stall their journey and return back to their homes, today the government had requested the Indian Air Force to enable them in airlifting the Amarnath pilgrims to the places such as Jammu, Pathankot and Delhi from where they can return to their home.

Responding to the Jammu and Kashmir government’s request, the Indian Air Force has agreed to lend its Boeing C-17 transport aircraft to evacuate the pilgrims from the Valley. “A request was placed by the state government to the Indian Air Force to lift the stranded pilgrims out of the valley. The first batch of C-17s are likely to fly out of the Kashmir Valley in a couple of hours,” ANI quoted government sources told.

The C-17 is a transport aircraft with the capacity of carrying 230 passengers in one go and is faster than Russian made Ilyushin-76 travel between different places. Right now, C-17s are also being used by the Armed Forces to transport their Armed personnel to various locations in the state of Jammu of Kashmir.

The government had earlier issued an advisory asking the pilgrims and tourists in the Valley to curtail their visit and return back to their homes as soon as possible. The advisory was issued against the backdrop of intel reports suggesting a heightened possibility of terror attacks on the pilgrims schemed by terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad terror outfits.

In a joint press conference convened yesterday, Chinar Corps Lt General KJS Dhillon disclosed recovery of an American made M-24 sniper rifle and Pakistani made IEDs retrieved from many places in the Valley. The recovery of these armaments once again prove the connivance of Pakistan’s Armed Forces in enabling the terrorists to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir to carry out their nefarious activities.

Jammu and Kashmir: Pro-Pak journalist Qazi Shibli arrested over leaking official order on deployment of additional forces in the valley

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: Pro-Pak journalist Qazi Shibli arrested over leaking official order on deployment of additional forces in the valley

A pro-Pakistan journalist and news editor of propaganda website, The Kashmiriyat, Qazi Shibli, has been arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police recently, reports Kashmir Walla.

Reportedly, Qazi Shibli, a resident of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district has been detained in connection with questioning over his few tweets which included the leaking of an official order regarding the deployment of additional paramilitary troopers across Jammu and Kashmir. He runs pro-Pakistani news website ‘The Kashmiriyat‘.

Qazi Shibli is a journalism graduate from Banglore University, has now been lodged at a local police station in Anantnag district. Following his arrest, the local Kashmiris are now apparently campaigning for the release of Pro-Pakistan sympathiser’s release by using the hashtag “FreeQaziShibli”.

A couple of months ago, the Facebook page of The Kashmiriyat was also brought down by the controlling authorities of the social networking site.

Watch: Sea dumps the garbage back on to the Marine Drive as high tide hits Mumbai

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Sea dumps the garbage back on to the Marine Drive as high tide hits Mumbai

A double whammy of strong torrential rains and high tide have afflicted the city of Mumbai as the strong sea waves have started throwing the garbage sewage along the Marine Drive in Mumbai. The garbage dumped by the sea has turned the iconic Marine Drive into a necklace of trash.


Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC) workers were scrambled to the spot to clean the garbage strewn along the Marine Drive promenade as the high tide hit the city of Mumbai today. Besides, the severe down pouring of the rains today have adversely affected the normal life in Mumbai.

Various parts of the country are currently flooded due to heavy downpour of rain. Earlier this week, due to unprecedented 20 inches rain in 6-7 hours, the crocodiles from Vishwamitri river from Vadodara were found swimming on the flooded streets.

Genocide denier ‘civil society’ activist compares current situation in Kashmir to that during Kashmiri Pandit genocide

K Bhattacharjee
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Genocide denier ‘civil society’ activist compares current situation in Kashmir to that during Kashmiri Pandit genocide

Genocide denial, unfortunately, is extremely mainstream in India. While it is banned by law in certain countries to deny the Jewish Holocaust in Nazi Germany, the predominant intellectual stand on the genocide of Hindus is that it never happened.

Consistent with that approach, even the Kashmiri Hindu genocide that occurred as recently as 3 decades ago is conveniently buried under the rug despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

The situation is so dire that even the director of a supposed human rights organization engages in genocide denial. Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, claims that Kashmiri Pandits were ‘asked’ to leave the valley, presumably by the Indian State, in 1990.


Ganguly makes it seem like eloquent letters in neat envelopes were delivered to the homes of Kashmiri Pandits asking them to leave politely. The narrative appears to be that the rapes and the organized massacre simply didn’t occur. They were just magically ‘asked’ to leave out of the blue on one fine day.

There’s also another insidious insinuation in Ganguly’s tweet. She is comparing the current plight of Amarnath Yatris with the genocide the Kashmiri Pandits had to endure. According to her, the government asking devotees and tourists to leave before the situation gets worse is akin to a native population being hounded out of their home by jihadis.

There is absolutely no equivalence here. Amarnath Yatris are not being raped, they are not being killed. They were just politely requested by the government to return to their homes because bloodthirsty barbarians are knocking at the door. It was not the government that ‘asked’ Kashmiri Pandits to leave their homes. They were forced out of the valley by Jihadis.

Ganguly, of course, did not apologize for engaging in genocide denial. She doubled-down on her false narrative, as expected. It was the government alone that failed Kashmiri Pandits. The bigots that dominate Kashmiri society even 3 decades later share no blame whatsoever if Ganguly is to be believed. And again, she compared what is happening now to what happened in 1990.


Comparing the events of 1990 with current circumstances in the state is utterly despicable. However, the dominance of the Left in the corridors of power has made it entirely acceptable to deny the genocide of Hindus. Hindus suffered 4 genocides in the 20th century alone and yet, human rights defenders pretend as if that never happened. Ganguly, as said before, is the South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, an international NGO that conducts research on human rights.

Genocide denial is not only acceptable conduct in the Left-Liberal world but it’s also one of the pillars of Indian secularism. Unless people deny that Hindus suffered genocides in the 20th century, they shall not be regarded as ‘intellectual’ or representatives of ‘civil society’.

Remember that Amarnath Yatra is the last remaining Hindu link to Kashmir

Abhishek Banerjee
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Remember that Amarnath Yatra is the last remaining Hindu link to Kashmir

Let me give you some truly trustworthy information: There is no way Modi and Shah are going to give the slightest hint of their plans in advance.

But speculating is fun. You know what else is fun? It is fun knowing that the newstraders in Lutyens Delhi, who thrive on “access” and “insider information” have no idea what is happening. And it is driving them crazy for sure. Makes me feel warm, safe and comfortable on the inside.

And what about the politicians?

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An exasperated Omar Abdullah on not knowing what is happening in Kashmir

Yeah, he doesn’t know either. Which can only be a good thing.

Here is a note to my fellow citizens in Kashmir. Ignore everything Omar Abdullah has to say. Trust the Indian Army.

The news broke a few days ago that the government is committing an additional 10,000 troops to the valley. Then came the information that 25,000 more troops will be deployed. Then, we heard this

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C-17 heavy lift plane brought into service

The C-17 Globemaster? Now, that is serious. Nobody uses the Globemaster plane just for fun. One thing is clear now: this is not a drill.

So what could it be? We already know that Modi-Shah never reveal their hand in advance. This means, unfortunately, that it is unlikely that there will be any immediate move on Article 35A or Article 370, which has been the subject of intense speculation on social media.

Then what is the sudden buildup in Kashmir all about? The really scary possibility is that the Government is actually reacting to something. Possibly the threat of a big terror attack on the scale of Pulwama or Uri. Something to do with the Amarnath Yatra or with the upcoming Independence Day celebrations or both.

The Army released some information yesterday.

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Indian Army briefing that the additional troops deployment was due to Amarnath Yatra being terror target

How big could this terror threat have been? From the way the government is reacting, seems the scale could have been unthinkable. It is impossible for me to know anything beyond that, but let’s wish our Army and CRPF personnel all the luck as they go about uncovering the terror plot and looking for those who would have carried it out. Here’s wishing that they stay safe and a huge thanks to them for keeping us all safe.

Sadly, the Amarnath pilgrims have had to go back this year. Remember how the Amarnath Yatris were massacred in 2017! Will they come back next year?

Remember that the annual pilgrimage to Amarnath is now the last remaining Hindu link to Kashmir. This is our land, folks. This is part of Bharatvarsha and it has always been. It belonged to our ancestors. We hold it in trust so that we can pass it down to the future sons and daughters of Bharat Mata.

On a side note: here is why it is treasonous to talk about a plebiscite in Kashmir. Because Kashmir belongs to all of us Indians. Not only does it belong to us all, it belongs to all of our ancestors and to the descendants who are yet to be born. The land is not for anybody in Kashmir to take nor is it for the rest of us Indians to give away.

Let us take a longish historical perspective here. Pakistan and Bangladesh were ripped out of of India back in 1947. Around 1948, large parts of Kashmir went under administrative control of Pakistan (PoK).

Then in 1991, the Pandits had to leave the valley. And now the Amarnath Yatris do not dare go to Kashmir even for a few days!

What does that say about the dwindling position of Hindus in the world? Where are we going? And will we have anything to stand on a hundred years from now?

And listen to what Mehbooba Mufti has to say.

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Mehbooba Mufti’s tweet on increased troop movement

Amarnath Yatris were massacred in 2017. Now she criticizes the government for being concerned about their safety. She doesn’t even mention the poor Amarnath Yatris who had to run for their lives.

Ha! Where is your Kashmiriyat? And for good measure, Madam, where is your Insaaniyat? And before you ask, we already have Jamhooriyat (democracy). With far more freedom, openness and dignity that at least 57 other countries in this world.

Back to the question of where we Hindus stand and whether we will be left with any ground to stand on. For the ordinary Hindu, this is a question worth asking. Even if it seems far removed from the struggles of daily life. A bit like climate change. It’s hard to think about big problems the impact of which becomes apparent slowly over the years.

But just like with climate change, it’s not a game that we can afford to lose. The coming generations would never forgive us.

Nervous Omar Abdullah rues his ‘secret chat’ with journalist getting leaked, journalist who leaked it blames ‘Twitter’

OpIndia Staff
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Nervous Omar Abdullah rues his ‘secret chat’ with journalist getting leaked, journalist who leaked it blames ‘Twitter’

As uncertainty crept over the state of Jammu and Kashmir, many politicians including former chief minister Omar Abdullah couldn’t stop himself from displaying his consternation on social media and expressing his helplessness in not being privy to the developments happening in the Valley. Regarding the looming ambivalence in the state, Omar Abdullah apparently had a ‘secret chat’ with a journalist on Twitter that he later claimed got leaked in the social media.


In a series of tweets posted by the National Conference chief, Omar rued about having a chat with a journalist on Twitter DM that was ‘expressly off the record’. Questioning the person in concern’s journalistic ethics, Abdullah mentioned that within 36 hours of his conversation, he received screenshots of his chat with the said journalist.


Abdullah alleges that when he confronted about the screenshots doing the rounds on the internet, the journalist laid the blame on Twitter for ‘taking a screenshot of the chat and then broadcasting it’.


Omar further mentioned that though the conversation was harmless in nature, such instances erode the trust between the two parties and abuse the confidence one has placed in the journalist.

Earlier yesterday, Omar had also tweeted how he has been incapable of securing answers to his many questions. Omar seemed dismayed that despite him being a chief minister for 6 years and being in contact with important people in the Jammu and Kashmir administration, he is still devoid of the answers to his questions.


Yesterday, the government issued an advisory to the Amarnath Yatris and other tourists to stall their stay in the Valley and return back to their homes as soon as possible. The government had claimed that the intel inputs suggesting the heightened possibility of terror attacks on tourists being the reason for issuance of such an advisory. Before that, 38000 paramilitary troopers were rushed to the Valley, setting a wave of uncertainty in the state.

JeM cadres ready to infiltrate and carry out Pulwama type attacks on the armed forces: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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JeM cadres ready to infiltrate and carry out Pulwama type attacks on the armed forces: Reports

Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul reports that according to the top government sources, Jaish-e-Mohammed trained terrorists from various camps in Pakistan have been instructed to collaborate with the Pakistan Army elements along the forward posts and BAT (Border Action Team) to renew their attempts to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and fuel armed rebellion against the Indian Armed Forces in the Valley.


According to Kaul, the government sources further reveal that the activities of terrorists based out of PoK have intensified as they are planning to carry out suicide attacks at multiple locations in J&K.


The intel says that local terror groups such as Hizbul Mujahideen have been instructed by Pakistan based terror commanders to co-ordinate and collaborate with Pakistan based terror organisations to plant IEDs in South Kashmir and Srinagar in future. Highly trained cadres of JeM from its Peshawar camps are identified to carry out IED attacks on the Indian Armed Forces in Sopore and other South Kashmir towns. Earlier this year in February, a terrorist trained by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed had driven an explosive laden SUV on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama claiming lives of 40 CRPF soldiers.

Yesterday, in a press conference chaired by JK police, Chinar Corps and CRPF, Lt General KJS Dhillon had revealed the recovery of M-24 sniper rifle from the Amarnath Yatra route and Pakistani made IEDs recovered from places in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier today, the CRPF’s Rapid Action Force also reached Jammu amidst reports of major troop movements in the valley.

Panic stricken Kashmir politicians continue to claim cluelessness, Governor Malik assures increased troop movement is in response of terror threat

OpIndia Staff
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Panic stricken Kashmir politicians continue to claim cluelessness, Governor Malik assures increased troop movement is in response of terror threat

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday met Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to know the details about the ongoing security build up in the state. A panic-stricken Omar Abdullah met Governor Satya Pal Malik after troops are being deployed in the state amidst the rumours of abrogating Article 370 and Article 35A.

After meeting the Jammu and Kashmir governor, Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a press conference said that he met Governor Satya Pal Malik to get clarity on the situation. However, we are not getting any answers, said Omar Abdullah. Omar Abdullah said the objective of the meet was to get clarity on the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir after curtailment of Amarnath Yatra.

“When we ask officials, they say something is happening, but nobody knows what is actually happening. The Governor assuaged our concerns that arrangements are being made in the state for an announcement on Article 35A and Article 370. The Governor assured no such announcement is expected,” Abdullah said.

He said that the centre should give a statement on Monday when parliament reassembles. “Centre should give a statement on what was the need for the order to end yatra & evacuate tourists. We want to hear it from the Parliament that there is no need for people to be afraid,” said Abdullah. 

National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah said that they spoke to the Governor regarding the rumours about 35A, 370, delimitation and even trifurcation and Governor assured us that in all these issues, no preparation is being made for any announcement.

He further said that the governor is not the final word on Jammu and Kashmir. The final word on the issue of the state is the Government of India. Therefore, more than what Governor tells us publicly, he said he definitely would like to hear from the Government of India publicly that there is nothing people have to worry about.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, too, took to Twitter to say that she has no clarity on the recent developments in Kashmir. She said she will be in Budgam today to meet the party workers and create awareness about J&K’s special constitutional provisions.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik in a meeting of a delegation of political leaders said that force movement is to counter heightened threat perception and some rotation. He reportedly said that there was nothing with the state government on modifying any constitutional provisions.

Governor Satya Pal Malik informed the delegation that the security situation has developed in a manner which required immediate action. There were credible inputs which were available to the security agencies regarding terrorist attacks on Amarnath Yatra, said Malik.

Jammu and Kashmir: CRPF’s Rapid Action Force reaches Jammu amidst reports of major troops movement

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: CRPF’s Rapid Action Force reaches Jammu amidst reports of major troops movement

Amid rising tensions in Jammu and Kashmir, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) reached Jammu on Saturday. The security apparatus has been put on a high alert in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Now, Rapid Action Force, a specialised wing of CRPF has been additionally deployed in Jammu addition to the existing CAPF personnel, reports ANI.


The Rapid Action Force is a specialised wing of the CRPF, which deals with riot and crowd control situations. It has been deployed in the wake of a security threat in the state. Panic has gripped Jammu and Kashmir as speculations grew in the Valley about some possible major decisions regarding the state’s special status.

Reportedly, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has also cancelled leaves for its jawans. Nearly, 35,000 extra security personnel belonging to CAPF have been deployed in the state. The order comes a week after 10,000 additional troops were assigned duty in the valley. On Thursday, adding to the 10,000 personnel that were ordered to be deployed in Kashmir last week, another 25,000 personnel, mostly CRPF were also diverted to Kasmir.

However, the MHA had stated yesterday that the troops’ movement is a part of the usual rotation and the specifics cannot be shared with the public for security concerns.

The CAPF has reportedly taken control of all entry and exit points to the Kashmir valley and the routes have been sealed.

Meanwhile, the Indian Armed Forces have been put on high alert. The airbases and military installations in Jammu have been asked to remain ready with additional deployment troops on borders and sensitive locations.

On Friday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had issued a security advisory for the Amarnath yatra pilgrims, citing terror threat in the Kashmir valley. The advisory asked the tourists and the Amarnath pilgrims in the Valley to curtail their trip and “leave as soon as possible”.

The Amarnath Yatra has been suspended since Sunday due to bad weather conditions on the route and mudslides. On Friday, the Indian Army held a press conference at Srinagar where Gen KJS Dhillon, the commander of Chinar Corps revealed that an American M-24 sniper rifle and Pakistan made mines have been recovered from the Amarnath Yatra route.

Despite FATF warnings, terror financing is still up and running in Pakistan through madarsas: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Despite FATF warnings, terror financing is still up and running in Pakistan through madarsas: Report

A few weeks ago President Donald Trump tweeted about the so-called ‘arrest’ of Mohammed Hafeez Saeed in Pakistan after a 10-year search. The tweet by Donald Trump came just days ahead of the visit by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan to the US, indicating the beginnings of a possible thaw in the relations between the two countries.

According to a report Italian Journalist Francesca Marino, US President Donald Trump has probably and purposely overlooked the fact that terror groups Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) or the Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) have not gone out of business at all, despite Pakistani government claiming that they have taken severe measures against the terror outfits.

The Jaish-e-Mohammed has been still successful in carrying out fundraising activities,  mainly coordinated through its front NGO, Al Rehmat Trust (ART), headquartered in Bahawalpur. The trust, which was launched by Masood Azhar in 2002 after Jaish-e-Mohammed was banned in 2002 and has been flourishing since then. It has regional centres in Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Hyderabad apart from smaller branches all over Pakistan.

The NGO officially claims that its objective is to obey Islam, to serve Islam, to spread Islamic education and to help others. However, the true objective of the Islamic NGO is to support Lashkar-i-Taiba and Mohammed Hafiz Saeed. It funds the operations of the LeT through fund collection to wage ‘jihad’ and to assist families of those who are killed while ‘waging jihad’ or in more simple terms to carry out terror acts and assist families of dead terrorists.

In the past, the organisation has been providing services to the Taliban as well. Reportedly, on May 10, the Pakistan government had banned the Al Rehmat Trust in order to demonstrate their compliance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations.

According to Marino, the Pakistani authorities had allegedly released notices asking the general public to refrain from donating to these terror outfits. But, interestingly these terror groups were permitted to collect donations under different pseudonyms or under the cover of religion throughout Ramzan.

The Jaish-e-Mohammed has also reportedly continued their fund collection in Pakistan without issuing receipts to donors. This leaves out the trails that funding was still continuing to these banned groups. Apart from donations, the JeM has collected funds from the collection of hides of animals sacrificed on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha, which provided them large sums of money. In 2018, the JeM generated Rs 700 million (approx. Euro 3.9 million), just by selling these animal hides.

During Ramzan, these Islamic terror outfits had appealed to Muslims to spend generously in the name of Allah and to donate for the cause of jihad in Kashmir and to support the jihad in Afghanistan against US/NATO forces. The Al Rehmat Trust’s advertisements and writings on different issues like jihad in Kashmir and Afghanistan, regularly appear in Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Al Qalam newspaper, edited by Masood Azhar’s younger brother.

The ART also receives a large part of its funds from overseas, especially Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, apart from collections within Pakistan reports Marino. These funds are collected in the name of ‘Zakat’ or for charity work and often the donors are Pakistani diaspora living in these countries. In 2018 alone, the JeM is reported to have collected donations approximately Rs 600 million (approx. Euro 3.3 million) just from these donations.

In the report, Marino argues that banning a group or freezing the bank assets and announcing it weeks and months in advance is just an eyewash. It is a fact today that Jihadi groups in Pakistan have continuously received funds from both inside Pakistan and from abroad as well.

Further, many madarsas inside Pakistan function not only as centres of ideological propaganda, sorting and training for jihad of all kinds but they also finance groups of Jihadi fighters. Karachi in Pakistan stands highest in fundraising these Jihad groups, closely followed by Lahore, Faisalabad and Sialkot. The Islamic terrorism, especially in Pakistan is financed through religious schools addition to state funds like in the case of Muridke or Haqqania but also by individual donations.

Addition to that, every jihadi group and madrasa in the country has very close ties with the local mafia with which it manages the business of large estates in connection along with the Army. The operating checks on the transfer of funds by banks or any legal means are ineffective as the funds are usually transferred mainly via hawala or delivered in their hand luggage. Sometimes, clerics and mullahs returning home from some triumphant tour abroad also act as a courier for these funds.

It seems that the problem of terror financing is aggravating as these Jihadi groups have found new ways to fund their terror apparatus. Often, to defeat the terror network, the first action to be taken is cutting the financing channels of these groups, which has not been done in case of jihadi terror groups present inside Pakistan. For example, in the case of the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, once the fundraising abroad was completely stopped, the guerrilla war ended.

However, Pakistan-a state that sponsors terrorism, does not seem to have any intentions of giving up the so-called ‘strategic assets’ constituted by terrorists operating in India or Afghanistan. The ‘Jihadi terror’ has been part of the country’s foreign policy for years now and consequently, no one is trying to investigate and trace the origin of the funds of seminars and religious schools.

The report by Marino suggests that the US government seems to have been deceived by Pakistani military establishment on the issue of terror financing and support to Jihad groups in Pakistan. With Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-E-Taiba still actively involved in the state policy of Pakistan, there seems to be no action taken by the Pakistanis against these terror group despite the US government’s clear warning to Pakistan.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent trip to the United States of America had made headlines for various reasons. However, an interesting revelation was also made by a  Sunday Guardian report on how Wahhabi lobby in the US played laid the trap to Donald Trump by fixing a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in White House on July 23.

According to the report, US President Donald Trump decided to meet Imran Khan as a consequence of an intense lobbying effort by the well-funded Wahhabi network in Washington. There is also an active lobby putting lot of efforts to link Kashmir with the situation in Afghanistan has continued to the present, especially within the National Security Council and the State Department echoing the GHQ argument in favour of a robust US role in ensuring that India make concessions on Kashmir that would put at risk our country’s interests and security.

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