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Slain Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorist planned suicide attack along the lines of Pulwama: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Slain Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorist planned suicide attack along the lines of Pulwama: Reports

One of the two Shopian terrorists eliminated in an encounter in the last week of February was planning to carry out a Fidayeen attack, reports have revealed. The terrorist is believed to belong to the Jaish-e-Muhammad.


A video is in circulation, reports say, where a terrorist is saying that the slain terrorist planned to carry out a suicide bombing as it lowers the morale of the security forces. He also says that suicide attacks should be adopted going forward as when militants are surrounded by security forces, the latter doesn’t incur too much damage. Therefore, suicide bombing is the way going forward. he also says that Islam permits him to do this.

In the context of the video, it appears the security forces have foiled another heinous terror bid by JeM. The Pulwama Terror Attack which resulted in the death of over 40 CRPF soldiers was a suicide attack as well. Earlier today, an audio clip of Maulana Ammar, brother of the wanted terrorist Mashood Azhar, has surfaced where he can be heard urging his followers to wage Jihad against India.

Failing to forge alliance with congress, Kejriwal announces six Lok Sabha candidates for Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Failing to forge alliance with congress, Kejriwal announces six Lok Sabha candidates for Delhi

After failed attempts to engineer an alliance with Congress, Aam Aadmi Party has decided to fight the election in the state of Delhi, on its own, without a coalition. The announcement was made by AAP leader Gopal Rai during a press conference.


Atishi Marlena will contest East Delhi seat, Guggan Singh will contest from Northwest Delhi, AAP Political affairs committee member Raghav Chaddha will contest from South Delhi, Pankaj Gupta will contest from Chandni Chowk seat, Dilip Pandey will contest from North-east Delhi and Brajesh Goyal will contest from New Delhi. However, the party has still not revealed the name of the candidate from West Delhi seat.

Aam Aadmi Party had lost all on seven Lok Sabha seats from Delhi in 2014. All seats are currently held by BJP.

Talking about the alliance with Congress, Gopal Rai in the conference said that they had received two messages from Congress, that had expressed disapproval of any alliance with AAP.

He said that Former Congress Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has outrightly refused the alliance with AAP. Then, he said that during Mahagatbandhan meeting on 13th February Congress President Rahul Gandhi had himself said that to AAP supremo and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal that his party does not wish any type of alliance with AAP.

Gopal Rai asserted that depending on these two communications, AAP decided to go alone.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal was very keen for the alliance with Congress, to defeat BJP in the upcoming general elections.

“Tired of trying to convince Congress for alliance but they refuse to understand…If today our alliance with Congress is done, the BJP will lose all seven seats in Delhi,” Kejriwal had said at a public function in Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency, last month.

Now, with this declaration, the contest in Delhi will become triangular with AAP, BJP, and Congress in the arena. While the Congress is banking on Grand Alliance in the rest of the country to defeat PM Modi-led BJP, it has decided to go alone in Delhi.

‘India has ensured we start our Jihad against it,’ brother of Masood Azhar confirms Indian strikes against Jaish terror camps

OpIndia Staff
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‘India has ensured we start our Jihad against it,’ brother of Masood Azhar confirms Indian strikes against Jaish terror camps

In an audio clip that has surfaced, Maulana Masood Azhar’s younger brother Maulana Ammar is heard confirming an attack by Indian fighter jets on Jaish-e-Muhammad facility inside Pakistan. Ammar was reportedly speaking at a seminary in Peshawar on the 28th of February. Ammar is believed to be associated with Afghan and Kashmir operations of JeM.


In the clip, Ammar can be heard urging his followers to wage war against India. He says, “The enemy crossed over into Pakistan and launched attacks on our Islamic ‘Markaz’ (Centre). By doing so, the enemy has declared war upon our country.” He adds, “Indian aircraft did not bomb the safe house of any agency or its headquarters or where agency officials held their meetings, they bombed the centre where students were trained to understand the concept of Jihad and assist the oppressed Kashmiris. This is no longer a Jihad of any agency. By attacking our Markaz, India has ensured that we start our Jihad against it.”

Ammar has thus confirmed that Indian fighter jets did hit their target, contrary to the claims made by Pakistani who have been in denial over it. He also confirmed the statement made by the Ministry of External Affairs that it was a ‘non-military’ operation as the Indian aircraft only hit terrorist camps.

The Jihadist’s remarks also make one wonder whether India will conduct more preemptive strikes to eliminate terror threats before they succeed in their agenda. Also, if Pakistan is indeed serious about its desire for peace, then it should start by taking action against Ammar.

Celebrations of air strikes over Pakistan will create communal tension in India: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy

OpIndia Staff
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Celebrations of air strikes over Pakistan will create communal tension in India: Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy

In a video that has gone viral now, Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy can be seen passing controversial remarks regarding India’s preemptive air strikes to destroy the terror camps of Jaish-e-Muhammad. Kumaraswamy asserted that blasting terror hideouts in Pakistan and the subsequent celebrations in India will create communal tensions between the communities.


Speaking at a party meeting in Mysuru, Kumaraswamy said that those BJP  workers who were bursting crackers, celebrating the bombings, distributing tea in India, were adding fuel to the fire and creating a rift between the two communities in India. “By celebrating bombings of terror camps inside Pakistan, taking to the streets, distributing sweets and tea and bursting crackers in celebration the BJP is fanning communal passions within the country. They are alienating members of one community to achieve political mileage. This might lead to loss of many innocent lives,” he said.

Kumaraswamy, in his speech, makes an outrageous insinuation that those who celebrate the Indian Air Force’s air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan are fueling communal hatred in India. His assertions also imply that certain community nurses sympathy for the terrorists harboured in Pakistan and that they cannot withstand the celebrations called for the annihilation of those terrorists.


Kumaraswamy, in his defence, tried to rubbish the allegations by stating that the BJP has resorted to the Pakistani hack of uploading doctored videos for propaganda. Kumaraswamy further claimed that the BJP had removed certain parts of his speech. He went on to accuse the BJP of running malicious propaganda against him for their electoral gains. Defending his speech, Karnataka CM stated that his comments were on the BJP and their allies’ efforts to acquire political currency out of our defence forces, and whipping up war euphoria leading to unrest in the society.


Some BJP leaders of Karnataka have raised strong objections to the egregious comments made by the CM Kumaraswamy. Chikkamagaluru MLA CT Ravi accused the CM of dividing the citizens on communal lines. The BJP has also accused the coalition of JDU-Congress of playing appeasement politics to strengthen their vote-bank politics.


It is notable here that several opposition parties including the Congress, despite having pledged their support to the government regarding necessary actions to be taken to combat terror, had issued a declaration later, alleging that the government is politicising the issue. The joint statement was also used by official channels in Pakistan to peddle their anti-India propaganda.

Hours after the ‘peace’ initiative, Pakistan continues ceasefire violations, kills civilians including 9 month-old baby

OpIndia Staff
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Hours after the ‘peace’ initiative, Pakistan continues ceasefire violations, kills civilians including 9 month-old baby

A 9-month-old baby and a 5-year-old child, siblings, have died along with their mother as a consequence of ceasefire violations by Pakistan. The ceasefire violations come right after Imran Khan’s announcement to return Wing Commander Abhinandan was hailed by many as a ‘peace gesture’.

A civilian in the Poonch sector in Kashmir told Republic TV, “Firing began from evening 6 pm by Pakistan and went on till 9-10 pm. The firing from Pakistan’s side blasted inside a house while the family was having a meal.”


“The mother and her two kids are dead. The father of the kids is injured. Two-three houses adjoined are destroyed. Our house is close to the border and Pakistan is destroying, abusing us. We are poor people, how do we save ourselves?” another villager was quoted as saying.

Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt Colonel Devender Anand reportedly said that many people have been injured at Salotri as Pakistan is targeting civilian population along the LoC in Poonch, Mankote, Balakote, and Nowshera areas. The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively, he said.

”Pakistani Army, at around 1930 hrs (Friday), heavily fired in Salotri village of Jallas in Poonch sector,” police sources reportedly stated.

The rampant ceasefire violations indicate that the ‘peace gesture’ of returning Wing Commander Abhinandan to India was extremely farcical. And that he was returned only due to international conventions and the pressure built on them by the Indian government. While Pakistani Ministers are floating Imran Khan as a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, his army is busy killing children and infants.

Intel report says Pakistan is planning to poison the ration stocks of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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Intel report says Pakistan is planning to poison the ration stocks of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir

Pakistan intends to kill Indian soldiers deployed in Kashmir by poisoning their ration, a note issued by the criminal investigation department of Jammu & Kashmir has revealed. The intelligence report says that Pakistan’s ISI and its agents are planning the move.

The letter reportedly states, “chatter floating by a Pakistani number claims that Pakistan MI (military intelligence) and ISI agents operation in Kashmir are planning to mix poison in ration stocks of security forces deployed in the region”.

In light of the intel, the J&K government has asserted necessary security measures must be taken to ensure the security of the ration deposits for the security personnel, especially in the state. It also remarks that ration procured for the use of security forces across India should be subjected to frequent checks to rule out any untoward incident or attempt.

The intel has come at a time when tensions have been prevailing between the two countries in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack and the subsequent airstrikes conducted by the Indian Air Force to eliminate terrorist camps across the border. Pakistani jets had attempted to attack Indian military installations in response to the airstrikes against the terror camps as well.

Things have escalated at the Line of Control as well as numerous reports have surfaced which indicate heavy shelling from both sides of the border.

India has now changed the meaning of ‘Abhinandan’: PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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India has now changed the meaning of ‘Abhinandan’: PM Modi

“The world looks at and notices what India does today. It is the country’s strength and power that can change meanings in dictionaries. The word ‘Abhinandan’ meant ‘congratulations’ in English at one point. Now it has a completely different meaning,” said PM Modi at the ‘Construction Technology India’ 19′ conclave today.

PM Modi was referring to Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s return from Pakistan last evening after spending 72 hours in Pakistan Army’s captivity. Wg Cmdr Abhinandan was a prisoner of war in Pakistan after he tried to chase down Pakistan’s F16 jet which was targeting Indian military installation on a MiG 21 and was shot down. He ejected, but landed in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir territory.

PM Modi then narrated his government’s efforts in the housing sector, and how it is making gigantic moves to provide affordable housing to all. He urged people belonging to the housing sector to add fuel to the initiative of New India, that aims to provide a better lifestyle to common citizens of India. He said that that he expects members of the conclave to develop or learn new innovation techniques from the world so that they can be used in the Indian context.

PM Modi asserted that to boost Housing Projects, his government has launched seven flagship programmes: Swach Bharat Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Deen Dayal Updhaya Antyodadaya Yojana, National Rural Livelihood Mission, HRIDAY( Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojna) scheme and the AMRIT (Affordable Medicine and reliable implants for treatment) scheme.

PM Modi said that he wishes that by 2022, that every Indian has a pucca house to live. He said his government is helping both people of the housing sector and homebuyers, by reducing taxes and GST. He talked about the announcement made during the Budget 2019 about the full rebate of income tax for income up to ₹5 lakh., and tax respite to people having more than 1 house on rent. He also said that GST council has reduced tax on the affordable house from 8% to 1% and tax on under0contruction house from 12% to 5%.

Masood Azhar is under Pakistan army’s care, receiving regular dialysis in their hospital

OpIndia Staff
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Masood Azhar is under Pakistan army’s care, receiving regular dialysis in their hospital

The chief of terror outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad, Masood Azhar is reportedly undergoing treatment in a Pakistan Army Hospital. According to security officials, Azhar is suspected of being diagnosed with renal failure and undergoes regular dialysis at the Pak army hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

The report comes days after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the JeM chief is “really unwell”.

A few days ago, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi went on record to confirm that the chief of proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad, Masood Azhar is indeed in Pakistan, though in sick condition and unwell to the extent that he cannot move out of his house.

In another instance, in an interview shared by the BBC yesterday, Qureshi candidly admitted that their government is in contact with Jaish-e-Mohammad leadership. Later, on realising the enormity of his claim and its repercussions, he appeared to scramble for words to salvage himself from the situation. When the interviewer points out that JeM is a terror outfit, Qureshi tries to clumsily defend it by equating it with the perceived Human Rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the aftermath of the Pulwama attack, that killed 40 CRPF personnel and whose responsibility was claimed by Pakistan based Jaish-e-Muhammad, the Intelligence agencies revealed that the Pakistan Army had issued an advisory to Hafeez Saeed and Masood Azhar to remain low profile until the international pressure on the Pulwama attack fizzles out. This protective advice from the Pakistan Army uncovers the charade of Pakistan’s PM and his delegates who have been in a continuous denial mode, ranting the similar rhetorics of Pakistan not being behind the terror attack.

The successive admissions of Masood Azhar’s presence in Pakistan by a senior leader such as Pak foreign minister and the corroborating report from the security officials confirm that the chief of Jaish-e-Muhammad is in Pakistan and is operating under the tutelage of the Pakistan Army. The recent report that Masood Azhar is being treated at Pakistan Army Hospital in Rawalpindi establishes beyond any reasonable doubt the connivance of Pakistan’s establishment with the terror outfit JeM. Pakistan’s claims of acting against the terrorists operating on its soil then ring hollow as terrorists like Masood Azhar and Hafeez Saeed continue to enjoy Pakistan Army patronage to carry out their nefarious designs against India.

United States of America seeks information from Pakistan about their misuse of F16: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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United States of America seeks information from Pakistan about their misuse of F16: Reports

In what could spell further trouble for Pakistan, the United States of America has reportedly sought information from Pakistan about their misuse of American made F16 fighter jets which were used in Pakistan’s misadventure against India.


After India had struck terror camps by an airstrike deep inside Pakistani territory in Balakot, Pakistan had violated Indian airspace using F16 fighter jets. They had also attempted to target Indian military installations, a misadventure that was successfully thwarted by Indian airforce.

When Pakistan acquired F16s from the USA, it came with an end-use monitoring agreement that said that Pakistan could use the F16s to defend itself and its war, albeit a fictitious one, against terror. However, Pakistan could not use the F16s to escalate or for any form of aggression against a sovereign nation.

Pakistan’s bold attempt to target Indian military installations was an act of escalation and aggression against a sovereign country and thus, was in contravention of the end-use monitoring agreement.

Pakistan had also tried to deny that F16s were used to breach Indian airspace, however, the Indian Armed Forces had recently held a press conference where they presented proof that the missile parts recovered by India in Indian territory were that of the AMRAAM missile which can only be used by an American made F16.

After the proof was presented, Pakistan again tried to lie and obfuscate claiming that the missile number in the evidence presented by India was of a lot sold to Taiwan. However, this was a lie. The lot was sold both to Pakistan and Taiwan and the specific serial number etched in the missile found by India was sold to Pakistan as evidenced by the contract details between America and Pakistan available on public domain.

Behind the red alert: There’s more to the airspace lockdown in Pakistan than meets the eye

Naren Menon
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Behind the red alert: There’s more to the airspace lockdown in Pakistan than meets the eye

The frenzy of screenshots of flight tracking apps all over social media revealing empty airspace in Pakistan has been fuelling the mill of speculations of a war brewing. The country is on high alert, no doubt, owing to the Indian Air Force’s unexpected strikes against terror camps in Balakot, which Pakistan indignantly claims as an attack on their soil. But what purpose does an immediate lockdown of the airspace serve, other than to raise guard in anticipation of further attacks? Curiously, the Indian state gave no indication of escalation, their stance being the strikes were ‘non-military’ action against terror.

Considering the circumstances of the stand-off between the two states, which is merely an out-in-the-open acknowledgement of the strain that has been felt quite tangible for many months now, it does not make sense why Pakistan would want to shut down its entire airspace to commercial aircraft? Even if we assume that India is in the mood to hammer Pakistan, why did Pakistan not shut just its Eastern airspace?

Wars have been fought over territory and resources – to acquire and dominate, but rarely do we study the role of resources needed to start or sustain a war in the first place. Strangely so in the age of nuclear armaments, where any threat of war is assessed purely on the basis of a potential nuclear escalation. We may now safely guess that Pakistan isn’t quite willing or prepared to press the red button. Shutting the air space isn’t a prerequisite for it. So we have room to speculate about the resources they have for a conventional war if that’s what they are preparing for. Here’s an overview:

For those interested in energy economics it’s a well-known fact that Pakistan has an underdeveloped energy sector and struggles to meet the fuel and power demands of its citizens.

A recent report in 2018 by the International Renewable Energy Agency stated that half the rural population in Pakistan doesn’t have access to electricity. The report starts by asserting that the increasing gap between energy supply and demand has reached as high as 7 GW and has severely affected the economic and social development in the country.  The situation is further complicated by Pakistan’s overdependence on imported hydrocarbon energy supplies. Pakistan energy dependence is roughly 45% natural gas followed by 35% fuel oil. In contrast, the energy mix of Bangladesh is roughly 55% natural gas and 25% fuel oil.

Here’s a look into their fuel consumption: Pakistan’s use of energy sources is led by the industrial sector at 35.4% (IRENA, 2018) and followed by transportation 32.4% (IRENA, 2018).

If this is a dismal picture of their energy resources with regards to regular fuel, where do they stand with regards to jet fuel usage?

Based on EIA data from the Index Mundi site, Pakistan produces 4,000 barrels per day (bpd) of jet fuel. The world’s biggest producer in the US at 1,471,000 bpd and India is at no.6 producing 219,000 bpd. For a country the size of Pakistan, this is too small a number and the criticality of the situation is further accentuated by their troubled relationships with neighbouring countries and unique geographic challenges.

A 2017 Dawn article stated that Pakistan was struggling to meet the jet fuel supply requirements for commercial and defence aircraft. Apparently, defence officials had voiced their concerns on this as well. Sources indicate that Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had issued several warnings to the petroleum division of the Ministry of Energy about the possibility of dry-outs at several airports in the country.

The Dawn (2017) article predicted a likelihood of the airports of Lahore, Sialkot, Multan, Faisalabad and Islamabad running dry of jet fuel by December that year. The tendering and supply chain cycle within Pakistan at that time were ill-equipped to address this shortage by quick imports. For this reason, the PSO had asked the government to ensure the regulated production of jet fuel to them by the largest refineries in Pakistan. PSO went on to get assurances from the government to allow them to import jet fuel bypassing standard processes in the event local refineries are unable to meet the regulated jet fuel production demands.

The energy situation in Pakistan took at interesting turn in 2015 when Pakistan started its first LNG import terminal at Port Qasim in Karachi, followed by the second one at the same location in 2017. Based on an article in The News (2018), the Pakistan government’s shift from furnace oil to cleaner-burning natural gas for power generation has created the unique situation of refineries in Pakistan having to likely shut down due to an excess of furnace oil. The article went on to say that the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) had warned towards the end of 2018 that all major refineries in Pakistan are operating at suboptimal levels and are heading towards shutdowns if the offtake of furnace oil for consumption of power plants aren’t increased urgently.

The furnace fuel oil consumption slowdown has seriously affected all the major refineries in Pakistan including Pak Arab Refinery (PARCO), Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL), National Refinery Limited (NRL) and Attock Refinery Limited (ARL). PARCO which is a joint venture between the governments of Pakistan and Abu Dhabi has been facing one of the lowest production levels. Reports indicate the refinery is running at 65% and is facing the likelihood of shutdown if the offtake of furnace oil isn’t increased soon.

Due to the nature of the refining process, a shutdown will mean that the entire hydrocarbon supply chain will be broken resulting in the refinery not being able to produce jet fuel which is critical to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Now we arrive at a theory, based on ample clues, of how shutting down airspace is not simply a cautionary measure for Pakistan but an inevitable and a desperate move to conserve jet fuel for any state of readiness that the current situation demands. Going further, it might even shed light on the worryingly (for Pakistan) slow reflexes of the PAF during the IAF’s Balakot strikes. While they ‘scrambled’ (the PAF’s own words) to figure out what hit them, the furious citizens took to social media to question the efficacy of their fighter jets and the alertness of the Forces. Perhaps the clue is inside the fuel tanks.

References:

  1. Half of rural population in Pakistan still lack access to electricity, reveals report https://tribune.com.pk/story/1683780/2-half-villages-pakistan-still-lack-access-electricity-reveals-report/
  2. Renewables Readiness Assessment: Pakistan https://irena.org/publications/2018/Apr/Renewables-Readiness-Assessment-Pakistan
  3. Speeding up rural electrification https://www.dawn.com/news/1427982
  4. Transforming the power sector in Bangladesh https://www.pwc.in/assets/pdfs/industries/power-mining/executive-summary-pwc-bippa-report-on-transforming-the-power-sector-in-bangladesh/transforming-the-power-sector-in-bangladesh.pdf
  5. Fuel import bill surges 30pc https://www.dawn.com/news/1434196
  6. Pakistan’s energy-related imports increase 34% to $1.27b https://tribune.com.pk/story/1786223/2-pakistans-energy-related-imports-increase-34-1-27b/
  7. Jet Fuel Production by Country https://www.indexmundi.com/energy/?product=jet-fuel&graph=production&display=rank
  8. Jet fuel shortage on the horizon in Pakistan https://www.dawn.com/news/1375390
  9. Analysis: Pakistan oil refineries fear shutdown on rising fuel oil stocks https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/oil/113018-analysis-pakistan-oil-refineries-fear-shutdown-on-rising-fuel-oil-stocks
  10. Oil refineries fear shutdown on slow offtakes of furnace oil https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/399061-oil-refineries-fear-shutdown-on-slow-offtakes-of-furnace-oil
  11. Pakistanhttps://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/pak/
  12. Engro Corporation Limited https://www.engro.com/our-business/
  13. Pakistan GasPort http://www.ag.com.pk/pakistan-gasport/
  14. Pakistan’s second LNG import terminal to restart on Dec. 8 – company https://in.reuters.com/article/pakistan-lng-gasport/pakistans-second-lng-import-terminal-to-restart-on-dec-8-company-idINKBN1E11X6
  15. PARCO – Pak Arab Refinery Limited https://www.parco.com.pk/
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