Friday, November 15, 2024
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No Sonia Gandhi, your husband did not stand for democracy or liberty

Rahul Kaushik
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No Sonia Gandhi, your husband did not stand for democracy or liberty
Congress celebrated the 75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi with big pomp and show in Delhi where it’s workers from all over India were invited. Every senior leader of the party spoke at the event about how Rajiv Gandhi was such a great leader who had a vision(?) for India and how he transformed India. They have all the right to do so. Rajiv Gandhi was an energetic leader and one of the youngest Prime Minister of India. By the virtue of the chair he occupied, he deserves respect.
During her speech at the event, the newly appointed interim President of Congress & Rajiv’s widow Sonia Gandhi gave a passionate speech which many of us may have heard. At one point, she said that he ‘never used power to create an atmosphere of fear’ in the country and how Rajiv ‘stood for strong institutions’. I was stunned at the brazenness of these statements. Well, these statements certainly need a reality check.
How Rajiv Gandhi ‘never’ used power to create an atmosphere of fear, was visible in very first days of his first tenure when thousands of Sikhs were massacred across India under his watch. He justified those murders by saying, “When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.” Till date, we witness how all the accused in those gruesome killings continue to be big leaders of the Congress.
Now let’s talk about the strength of institutions. In 1986, the Supreme Court gave a judgement granting an old Muslim lady named Shah Bano the right to get some amount as maintenance from her ex-husband who had divorced her.  It was a landmark judgement because it went beyond regressive personal laws to deliver justice to a widow. But so much was Rajiv’s faith in the institutions, that he brought a legislation in Parliament and on the basis of the brute majority that he had, overturned the judgement and denied the right to basic compensation to a woman.
That he used INS Virat for holidays with family and friends is no hidden story now, showing another example of his respect for institutions.
The Post Office Amendment Bill 1986, moved by Rajiv Gandhi government, on being passed, would have given the central government the power to read any letter which was being handled by Indian Postal Department. In that era when there were no emails or SMS, a letter was the only way of sending information and Indian Post was the only agent. Rajiv Gandhi got the bill passed in Parliament but thanks to the wisdom of the then President Gyani Zail Singh, who didn’t sign it for two years, the bill didn’t become a reality. Subsequent government of VP Singh withdrew it. This was another glaring example of Rajiv’s commitment to ‘freedom & liberty of people’.
An amazing example of Rajiv’s immense respect for democracy and institutions was the infamous case of a chemical leak from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. Thousands of people got killed by the dangerous leak and the after-effects of which are still visible on some. The main culprit, Warren Anderson, was escorted by then Madhya Pradesh CM Arjun Singh to the airport on orders of Rajiv Gandhi, who later ensured that Anderson flew back to the US safely. Later it was discovered that it happened under a Quid Pro Quo agreement due to which the then US President Ronald Reagen granted amnesty to Adil Shaharyar, a long-standing friend of Rajiv Gandhi.
Rajiv Gandhi’s ‘immense faith in democratic institutions’ was also seen in the way his government conducted assembly elections of Jammu & Kashmir in 1987. Every single rule was broken to ensure that his alliance partner and friend Farooq Abdullah became Chief Minister of the state of J&K. The process of elections and the discontent that spread after gross manipulations in their results are considered to be the biggest reasons for the unrest that started in Kashmir in the late 80s. To make his friend the Chief Minister, Rajiv killed democracy but is being hailed as protector of institutions. What a mockery of truth!
Mrs Sonia Gandhi & the Congress should realise that in New India, false narratives don’t work any more. New India is young, sharp, and is equipped with facts and hence it asks tough questions. So better be prepared in future, Madame!

6 LeT terrorists may have entered Coimbatore disguised as Hindus with Tilak on their forehead, Tamil Nadu on high alert

OpIndia Staff
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6 LeT terrorists may have entered Coimbatore disguised as Hindus with Tilak on their forehead, Tamil Nadu on high alert

Tamil Nadu has been put on high alert after Intelligence agencies sounded a warning on Thursday midnight that six Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists may have entered Coimbatore from Sri Lanka for possible attacks in Tamil Nadu and Kerala

Coimbatore and Chennai City police commissioners have confirmed that the alert has been issued by the state home department and security has been subsequently beefed up in all the major cities of Tamil Nadu.

“While one terrorist is from Pakistan, five others are from the island nation. They have come here through the sea route,” police sources revealed the intelligence alert. The Pakistani national has been identified as Ilyas Anwar.

The LeT terrorists have reportedly disguised themselves as Hindus and may carry out attacks across the state. According to a News 18 report, the alert also highlighted that the men are likely to have disguised as Hindus “with tilak/bhabuti smeared on foreheads”. The Pakistani national has been identified as Ilyas Anwar.

The reports further state that security installations, foreign embassies, tourist spots and worship centres could be among the targets of the terrorist group. Officials are also monitoring the coastal areas, particularly the movement of ferries and boats.

Vigil has been stepped up in malls, public places, railway stations and bus stands.

A general alert was sounded in the country after the Modi government came up with a historic move to change Kashmir’s destiny by revoking Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 and the resultant deterioration of ties with Pakistan. The government had warned of possible ‘retaliatory attacks’ by terror organizations.

Notably, the Indian Armed Forces have been manning the volatile and infiltration prone Line of Control along Jammu had recently thwarted a major infiltration bid in the Macchal sector made within 15 hours of the announcement of scrapping Article 370 on August 5.

LoC between India and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has been tensed since days as Pakistan has reportedly been attempting to send BAT personnel with Islamist terrorists into the valley. There have been reports of continuous shelling at the LoC.

Last week, Bangaluru was put on high alert following intel warning of a possible terror strike. The Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force were also put on high alert and Delhi Metro was put on red alert following the abrogation of Article 370.

McDonald’s India admits to discriminating against non-Muslims, buys only Halal meat for its restaurants

OpIndia Staff
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McDonald’s India admits to discriminating against non-Muslims, buys only Halal meat for its restaurants

The global fast-food chain network, McDonald’s, has admitted to discriminating against non-Muslims as part of their business model in India. All their restaurants are Halal certified. As we have reported earlier, Halal is the Islamic method of slaughter which cannot be carried out by non-Muslims.


Halal can only be performed by a Muslim man. Thus, non-Muslims are automatically denied employment at a Halal meat firm. Guidelines by Halal certification authorities make it clear that non-Muslim employees cannot be employed in any part of the slaughtering process. Even the labelling of the meat can be done by Muslims only. Animals slaughtered by Non-Muslims will not be Halal.

The Halal-Jhatka debate had come to the fore during the Zomato controversy. The food aggregator was accused of hypocrisy for claiming ‘food has no religion’ but going out of their way to satisfy their Muslim customers’ demand for Halal food. It was finally forced to take cognizance of the Halal-Jhatka debate and conceded after immense public pressure that they will add a Jhatka tag on their app if customers demand it.

Thus, it appears that for all their talk of social justice and ‘Woke Activism’, multinational corporations like McDonald’s do not hesitate to indulge in institutional discrimination on the basis of religion to increase their profit margin. Halal is a discriminatory practice by its very nature.

Uttar Pradesh: ‘Kasai’ fires bullet at locals opposing cow smuggling in Pilibhit, youth dies

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: ‘Kasai’ fires bullet at locals opposing cow smuggling in Pilibhit, youth dies

In another incident of violence by cattle smugglers, one local youth Sonu, residing in Mohanpur village under Bilsanda police station area in Philbhit, Uttar Pardesh has been shot to death for trying to stop the smugglers on the night of August 22.

At around 10 pm on Wednesday, Sonu, an artist in a local orchestra, was sleeping outside his house when he saw some butchers and cattle traders trying to stuff the stolen cattle in a pickup van on the other side of the road.

On seeing this Sonu started protesting and reportedly tried to confront the smugglers. The cattle smugglers allegedly started beating Sonu on the spot. When Sonu’s family members and local residents gathered, the smugglers reportedly started firing from a gun. One bullet had hit Sonu.

Sonu who was seriously injured by the bullet was rushed to the district hospital, from where he was sent to the hospital in Bareilly. He succumbed to his injuries on the way.

After receiving the news of the incident, the police reached the village at night and took information about the matter from the locals. At present, the police have sent the body for postmortem and the matter is being investigated.

This is, however, not the first such incident. Similar cases of Gau Rakshak’s being killed trying to oppose the crime has previously also come to the fore. On July 31, a ‘Gau Rakshak’ named Gopal had been killed after he was shot dead by a cattle smuggling gang. The incident occurred in a village near Palwal, Haryana.

On June 19, in a similar case, a person named Vikas Sharma, a resident of Natthu Colony, Ballabhgarh in Haryana was killed after he tried to stop the cattle smugglers. An FIR had been subsequently registered by the police against six persons identified as Arif (a resident of Utawad, Palwal), Tassi (a resident of Punhana), Subin (a resident of Dhauj), Teeman (a resident of Bibipur) and Tareef (a resident of Nuh).

Pakistan takes a cue from Congress yet again, asks ‘what happened to Rafale investigation’

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan takes a cue from Congress yet again, asks ‘what happened to Rafale investigation’

Pakistan minister Fawad Chaudhry, who had expressed angst over Rahul Gandhi for not winning the 2019 general elections, today again took a cue from Congress and raked up the Rafale bogey.


Misspelling the fighter jet as ‘Rafael’, Pakistan’s minister of science and technology taunted PM Modi and French President Macron’s meeting in France where the latter said that Kashmir remains a bilateral issue and no third party should interfere. The French President even took a strong stand against terrorism.

Chaudhry was referring to the Rafale controversy Congress had raked up prior to the elections and claimed that there was widespread corruption in the Rafale deal, despite the fact that the then Congress President couldn’t even stick to one consistent figure of extent of corruption. Amusingly, following the conclusion of elections and Congress’ monumental loss, the ‘Rafale scam’ seems to have been long forgotten.

The Indian government has signed a deal with the French government for the purchase of 36 Rafale jets, after the attempt to buy 126 fighter jets had failed. Rafale had emerged as the winner in 2012 in that bid, but a deal could not be signed due to various issues. Therefore, after coming to power, the Modi government had scrapped that deal and signed a new deal to buy 36 jets directly from France to immediately replenish the fast depleting fleet of IAF. But opposition parties led by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and activists are trying hard to derail the deal by making numerous baseless allegations and filling PILs in court against the deal.

In case Chaudhry missed out, the first Rafale jet is expected to be delivered next month.

Why Indians need to see more of the country they live in

Ashish Shukla
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Why Indians need to see more of the country they live in

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not have nudged we Indians into travelling more often in India than we do abroad but he surely has invited attention and it’s a good enough Independence Day intervention from the man who is master in making you reflect.

Modi wants us to make at least 15 travels within India by 2022 when India would be a young 75. Figures of 2016 show Indians already travel more within (1613 million) than they do abroad (21 million) but that’s a coarse understanding. We all know we spend five times more abroad than we do while travelling within. There is a kick when you pack your bags for Sweden than when you do it for Sarnath. You feel equal, if not superior, within your family, friends and neighbours.

All of us who travel abroad screw up their noses at hotels, transport, infrastructure, squalor and surging humanity which surrounds our own popular tourist destinations—all this of course without visiting much of India!  Yet, they are right. Just imagine our religious (Mathura, Vrindavan, Tirupati, Vaishno Devi), scenic (Ooty, Shimla, Mussoorie) or Hilly terrains (Manali, Darjeeling) and a Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur begin to make much better sense. That surely is a much better value for your rupee.

Yet, think.

India is a country which has all but Himalayas bound by the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Amazing rivers (Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Indus) are its rich veins. Incredible waterfalls dot our interiors. Wildlife like rarely elsewhere; deserts as daunting as Thar; forests as dense as Sunderban or Gir; caves carved like ones in Ajanta or Ellora; temples like Rameshwaram and Khajuraho which knock your breath out; forts like ones in Agra, Jaipur or Mysore; lakes in Nainital or Ooty; hill stations like Coorg and Shimla; snow-capped peaks which can soar young to do adventure as they do to meditate or brood over the profound for the elderly.

Come on, no less than 37 venues are World Heritage Sites authenticated by UNESCO in 2017.  These are parts of India’s rich cultural, historical and religious heritage.

Modi concedes India needs better infrastructure for its tourist destinations. And his solution offered makes so much sense. More footfalls would bring more investment, and better infrastructure would usher in more jobs for our young and restless. Technology would make inroads at so many levels. The administration would’ve much more funds to police as well as to beautify the location. Theatre and dance; artistes and artisans; local culinary and skills all get a fillip.

And if you think India is lightweight on matters of tourism think again. The World Travel and Tourism Council tabulated that tourism generated Rs 16.91 lakh crore (US$240 billion) or 9.2% of India’s GDP in 2018 and supported 32.673 million jobs, 8.1% of its total employment. The forecast is of 6.9% annual growth rate to Rs. 32.05 lakh crore (the US $460 billion) by 2028 (9.9% of GDP). And we are not even talking of medical tourism which is already worth the US $3 billion in 205. By next year, it’s expected to be worth the US $7-8 billion.

While reflecting on India and its inbound travellers, Tamil Nadu is the most visited state. Just reflect on the names of Kanyakumari, Rameshwaram, Ooty and Kodaikanal and you would know why. Interestingly, Uttar Pradesh is the second most visited of all Indian states by domestic travellers. Be it religious sacredness of Mathura or Varanasi; Prayag or Sarnath; Ayodhya or Vrindavan, forts of Agra; the regal nawab heritage of Lucknow, UP is far richer than is given credit for.

Most southern states are in India’s top 10 tourist destinations but for Kerala which is surprising given God’s Own Country has Alleppey and Munnar to boast of, among others. Rajasthan, surprisingly, is on number 10 for it just doesn’t alone have magnificent forts but also Pushkar and much-revered shrines. And we haven’t come to talking of Goa, Andaman, Leh, Puri, Amristar, Bodhgaya and Shirdi.

And as Modi said, ever wondered on the magnificence of North East? Cherrapunjee, most won’t know, is in Meghalaya after all.

The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 ranks India 40th out of 136 countries. Its air transport (32nd) is rated good and the one on the ground (29th) is reasonable too. The country also scores high on natural and cultural resources (9th).

But let’s be grounded for the moment. Just think of the benefit domestic travel would do to bring different cultures, languages, food and customs closer within our own contours. It would improve brotherhood and remove alien-ness. Besides, as Modi said, we would only be deepening our roots in this sacred land. Generation next too would retain the bond.

“Mitti, paani, hawaon se nayi urja prapt karein (Gain new energy from the earth, water and winds of this land)” was the exhortation Modi made from the ramparts of Red Fort in the Capital on the Independence Day on Thursday. If all of us do it, we would be enriching both us and the country we live in.

Pakistan blacklisted: FATF’s regional affiliate APG blacklists Pakistan for failure to curb terror funding

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan blacklisted: FATF’s regional affiliate APG blacklists Pakistan for failure to curb terror funding

In a significant development, the APG, FATF’s major regional affiliate has blacklisted Pakistan for its failure to curb terror funding. The APG is currently meeting in Canberra, Australia where Pakistan has failed miserably to show improvements in set parametres for financial systems.


After global isolation of the terror state of Pakistan, the parody country was all set to face further humiliation a major affiliate group of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is now on the verge of blacklisting Pakistan, reports India Today.

Pakistan, which has been already grey-listed by the FATF, has been put in the black-list by the Asia-Pacific Group (APG) of the FATF, one of the nine regional affiliates of the anti-money laundering watchdog.

The APG is currently meeting at Canberra in Australia conducting a five-year mutual evaluation of Pakistan’s progress on upgrading its systems in areas of financial and insurance services.

On Wednesday, Pakistan had submitted the compliance report on its 27-point action plan to the FATF, which is currently under review by the APG and has found Islamabad lacking on many fronts. Reportedly, the APG has found deficiencies in Islamabad’s anti-money laundering and combating terror financing efforts.

Reza Baqir, the governor of Pakistan’s State Bank, is currently heading a 10-member team to represent Pakistan at the APG meeting. So far, Pakistan’s performance has been assessed as ‘poor’.

In the APG, there are around 40 parameters of which Pakistan has failed in over 35. There are 11 effectiveness parameters and Pakistan has failed in 10.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has to show compliance in both, the Mutual evaluation and the FATF action plan. The next plenary session of the FATF to be held in October will take up the final review of Pakistan’s case.

The blacklist is the lowest list of the APG. The APG blacklisting will have be a major blow to Pakistan as its chances of being blacklisted by FATF in October have now increased manifold.

Pakistan was earlier placed under the FATF greylist after severe pressure from the US, France, Germany, and the UK over Pakistan’s failure to curb terror funding. The adverse findings by the APG will keep Islamabad on the negative radar when the deadline for the final review ends in October 2019. A blacklisting by the APG can have a major impact on the final decision of the FATF and may result in an overall blacklisting of Pakistan.

The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the Group of 7 (G7) to develop policies to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.

USA, UK, Canada, and Pakistani NGO representative at UN slam China and parody country Pakistan over minority rights violation

OpIndia Staff
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USA, UK, Canada, and Pakistani NGO representative at UN slam China and parody country Pakistan over minority rights violation

In a major embarrassment to the terrorist state of Pakistan, on Thursday, the United States, United Kingdom and Canada slammed Pakistan and China for discrimination against religious minorities at a United Nations meeting held to discuss the safety of Religious Minorities in New York.

Yesterday, on first International Day for Victims of Violence based on Religion or Belief, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted to draw the attention of international community on Kashmir.


Lying to the world at large, Khan accused that the Kashmiris were not even allowed to celebrate Eid ul Adha observed earlier this month. Ironically, Pakistan, the global terror exporter, has also decided to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over alleged human rights abuses in Kashmir.

However, Syed Akbaruddin, India’s permanent representative to the United Nations, shared a video on Twitter and took a dig at the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. He pointed out the irony in Khan who was accusing India of allegedly violating international humanitarian laws by “attacking innocent civilians” in Jammu and Kashmir despite the fact that Pakistan itself has been accused of Human Rights violations against minorities by the UN bodies.


The meeting took on the first-ever International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, which was established by a resolution of the General Assembly following a resolution led by the Polish government.

The New York meeting, hosted by Polish foreign minister Jacek Czaputowicz, was attended by Sam Brownback – US ambassador for religious freedom, Michelle Bachelet – the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Naveed Walter – President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan among others.

The most embarrassing moment for Pakistan came when Naveed Walter, the President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan, himself admitted that there were grave human rights violations against minorities in Pakistan. Amusingly, Pakistan NGO head Naveed Walter also called out minority rights violation in Pakistan where attacks are carried out on religious places.

“Today, a large number of people are marginalized in their own societies. The biased behavior dwells in other areas also, like the minorities. On the basis of religious affiliation as like in Pakistan, Ahmadis having a situation; like China, a growing number of countries using national security as a pretext for restricted religious expression at the role of religion in public domain,” said Naveed Walter.

Sam Brownback, the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom at UN meet on Safety of Religious Minorities in New York said, that religious minorities in Pakistan continue to suffer from prosecution either at hands of non-state elements or through discriminatory laws and practices.

Brownback also raised his concerns regarding Human rights violations in China. “We remain deeply concerned about the Chinese government escalating widespread and undue restrictions on religious freedom in China. We urge the Chinese government to respect the human rights & fundamental freedoms of everyone in that nation,” said Brownback.

Echoing the same sentiments, Lord Ahmad, British PM’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief said, “the United Kingdom has spoken up for rights of religious communities and minorities across the world. From Uyghurs in China, Christians and Ahmadis in Pakistan.”

The terrorist state of Pakistan, which displays its cowardice by unleashing terror across the world, is notoriously known for grave human rights violations. Apart from causing severe pain, misery and deaths by perpetrating terror, Pakistan commits human rights violations ethnic and religious minorities from Pakistan.

The Mohajirs, the Pashtuns, Ahmedias, the Balochs and even the religious minorities like Hindus and Christians have time and again accused the Pakistani establishment and security agencies of engaging in human rights violations against them.

‘Priyanka Chopra has the right to speak in personal capacity’: UNICEF rubbishes Pakistan’s petition to have her removed as Ambassador

OpIndia Staff
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‘Priyanka Chopra has the right to speak in personal capacity’: UNICEF rubbishes Pakistan’s petition to have her removed as Ambassador

Priyanka Chopra, who once lived in India and often performs the role of a ‘peacenik’, had recently faced strong denunciation from similar ‘peace-loving’ Pakistani citizens after she came out in support of the Indian Air Force and tweeted, “Jai Hind”. Pakistan expressed anguish over support by Priyanka Chopra to Indian armed forces and have demanded the removal of the actress as a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF.

“War between two nuclear powers can only lead to destruction & death. As goodwill ambassador of UNICEF, Priyanka Chopra was supposed to stay neutral and peaceful but her tweet in favour of Indian arm forces after they invaded Pakistan airspace shows otherwise. She doesn’t deserve this title any more,” the petition read.

A Pakistan woman had accused Priyanka Chopra of being a hypocrite and encouraging nuclear war in an event in Lok Angeles. She had made these accusations because, after the Balakot airstrikes, Chopra had tweeted ‘Jai Hind’.

The Pakistan petition essentially wanted Priyanka Chopra removed from the position of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador For Peace based on her support for the Indian Armed Forces.

Now, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his daily briefing on Thursday has said that Priyanka Chopra retains the right to speak in her personal capacity on issues concerning her.

Reportedly, Dujarric said, “When UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors speak in their personal capacity, they retain the right to speak about issues that interest or concern them, Their personal views or actions do not necessarily reflect those of UNICEF.”

Dujarric, however, added that the Ambassadors have to maintain an impartial position while representing UNICEF on any platform.

Pakistan has a long history of being paranoid and usually overreacts at any given situation. While Priyanka Chopra herself is widely considered as a hypocrite as she often peddles the ‘aman ki asha’ narrative, in this instance, Priyanka got chided by the very country she thinks India should maintain peace with.

Sri Lanka busts Pakistan’s lies, says never mentioned Kashmir in their meeting with Pakistan envoy

OpIndia Staff
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Sri Lanka busts Pakistan’s lies, says never mentioned Kashmir in their meeting with Pakistan envoy

Pakistan seems hell-bent on being exposed and humiliated worldwide. Being compulsive liars, they have been exposed time and again internationally. Yesterday, Sri Lanka has exposed Pakistan’s lies where Pakistan had claimed that the Sri Lankan president has offered to mediate between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Shahid Ahmad Hashmat had recently requested the Sri Lankan president for a meeting. After the meeting on 20th August, the statement by the Pakistani high commissioner has claimed that the Sri Lankan president had acknowledged that Kashmir is a ‘disputed territory’ and the dispute should be resolved according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people under the UN resolutions.

He had also claimed that President Sirisena has offered to mediate between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan HC’s press release, courtesy: Aditya Raj Kaul

After the office of the Pakistan High Commissioner in Sri Lanka issued this statement, the office of Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has denied giving any such statement.

In a press release, the Sri Lankan president has clarified that though the Pakistani envoy had briefed the Sri Lankan President about India’s recent decision to abrogate Article 370 and section 35A regarding Jammu and Kashmir, Sri Lanka has made no such statement as Pakistan claims.

Sri Lankan President’s press release, courtesy: Aditya Raj Kaul

President Sirisena’s office has stated, “The President gave a careful hearing to the Pakistan High Commissioner’s views and stated that both India and Pakistan have excellent friendly relations with Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka’s interest is to see the growth of regional cooperation and friendship. The President did not make any other comment on the issues pertaining to India and Pakistan,”

Also read: Pakistan claims Russia invited Imran Khan to the EEF in September. No, we did not, says Russia

It is notable here that Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to acknowledge that India’s decision regarding Article 370 and Jammu and Kashmir bifurcation are its internal matters. In a statement after the decision, Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had asserted that it is India’s internal issue and he had also expressed pleasure at the Buddhist majority Ladakh being a separate Union Territory finally.


Pakistan has been trying desperately for international intervention over the Kashmir issue. However, all its efforts and juvenile rants seem to be in vain as the country keeps losing all credibility with one international embarrassment after another.

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