Pak asks India to halt firing, not to indulge in point-scoring

October 10, 2014

Islamabad, Oct 10: Making a veiled reference to its nuclear capability, Pakistan today sought immediate defusing of tension at the LoC saying "both countries are aware of each other's capabilities" and war was not an option.n shareef

The Pakistani statement came after a meeting of the National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif which said its earnest desire for normalising bilateral relations and defusing the situation should not be taken as a sign of weakness.

Warning that any attempt to challenge its territorial integrity and sovereignty will be responded with full force, the meeting hoped that both countries would respect the ceasefire agreement of 2003 and maintain tranquility on the border.

Without using the word nuclear, the committee said both countries are aware of each other's capabilities and that war was not an option.

"It is the shared responsibility of the leadership of both countries to immediately defuse the situation," it said.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Pakistan would not accept Indian "hegemony" on the border and was prepared to give a "befitting" reply to violation of ceasefire.

"The Committee expressed the resolve that any attempt to challenge Pakistan's territorial integrity and sovereignty will be responded with full force," the statement said.

The meeting was attended among others by select cabinet members, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the three services chiefs and ISI chief.

"The Armed Forces assured the National Security Committee that they are fully prepared to deal with any adversity at our borders," said the NSC, the key consultative forum for civilian and military leaders to discuss security issues.

The meeting hoped that both countries would respect the "ceasefire agreement of 2003 and maintain tranquility on the LoC and the WB (working boundary), without indulging in blame-game and point-scoring."

India and Pakistan have been trading heavy mortar and gun fire along the international border and LoC since October 1.

While eight people died and 90 others, including 13 security men, were injured in the firing by Pakistani troops in Jammu and Kashmir, in Pakistan 13 civilians have been killed.

"Any further escalation will only complicate the environment for meaningful discussion on Kashmir issue and adversely affect the broader objective of regional cooperation," the committee said.

The Committee, however, made it clear that "Pakistan's earnest desire for normalising bilateral relations and defusing the situation at the LoC should not be seen as a sign of weakness. It is in fact a sign of maturity and sincerity.

The Committee expressed its disappointment that the "sincerity demonstrated by Pakistan has not been reciprocated".

"Abrupt cancellation of the Foreign Secretary-level talks by India and refusal to resume the dialogue process are a setback to our efforts to establish good neighbourly relations and present situation was a further blow to these efforts," it said.

The Committee noted that "these developments have not only disappointed the people in Pakistan and India but the international community too has shared this disappointment."

The Committee further noted with regret the "irresponsible" statements made at the political level in India, in the backdrop of the situation at the border.

It expressed deep concern that the "continuing ceasefire violations by Indian forces" had led to loss of precious lives and injuries to innocent people, including soldiers.

"Sadly, the unprovoked violations of ceasefire by the Indian Security Forces occurred in total disregard of the auspicious and festive occasion of Eid-ul Azha," it said.

The Committee expressed its full confidence in the capability of Armed Forces to defend the country against any aggression and safeguard the territorial integrity of Pakistan.

The Committee noted that the Government of Pakistan has pursued a policy of peaceful relations with all its neighbours.

"Initiation of peace dialogue of the 1990s, and more recently, participation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's oath-taking ceremony are a manifestation of Pakistan's sincere desire to constructively engage India to establish durable peace in the region," it said.

"We say yes to peace but no to hegemony," Khan said.

He said military officials had informed him that the India's Border Security Force had been using heavy ammunition, unlike previous instances of ceasefire violations.

Khan rejected Indian charge of Pakistan army starting the fight and said that Pakistan was already fighting a war on its western border against militants and had no reason to engage in this ‘adventurism'.

The interior minister said Pakistan Army is capable of fighting local and foreign enemies and will ensure the safety of the country.

"Kashmir is the reason for the dispute and recent escalation of border clashes,” Nisar said.

He promised to work for peace and said Pakistan has taken positive steps to improve relations with India, including Sharif's visit to New Delhi in May to attend his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony.

He said India instead of reciprocating the gesture of goodwill by Pakistan cancelled the foreign secretary-level bilateral talks on a baseless reason.

"Meeting with Hurriyat leaders is routine and not uncommon," Nisar said.

He said Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has been asked by Sharif to write a letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to highlight the ceasefire violations by India.

Khan said the Foreign Office will also brief the diplomats in Islamabad about the tension.

He said the official of UN observer mission in Pakistan will be taken to the border to help them ascertain who started the fighting.

Khan said firing by Indians seemed to have a specific purpose and asked India to realise that Pakistan was a nuclear power.

Earlier, the chief of army staff General Raheel Sharif, naval chief Admiral Zakullah and Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz separately met with the prime minister and discussed matters pertaining to national security.

The NSC meeting was called after Sharif came under fire from Opposition leaders for not standing up to the alleged Indian "aggression" at the border.

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Agencies
July 28,2020

Kuala Lumpur, Jul 28: Malaysia's ex-leader Najib Razak was found guilty Tuesday in his first trial over the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal, two years after the fraud contributed to the downfall of his long-ruling government.

The former prime minister could now face decades in jail after being convicted on all charges in the case related to the looting of sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

Billions of dollars were stolen from the investment vehicle and spent on everything from high-end real estate to pricey art, while investment bank Goldman Sachs also became embroiled in the scandal.

Anger at the looting played a large part in the shock loss of Najib's long-ruling coalition in elections in 2018, and he was arrested and hit with dozens of charges following his defeat.

The verdict was a test of Malaysia's rule of law. It comes about five months after Najib's scandal-plagued party returned to power as part of a coalition, development observers had feared could affect the outcome of the case.

About 16 months after it began, the Kuala Lumpur High Court delivered the verdict in Najib's first trial, which centred on the transfer of 42 million ringgit ($9.9 million) from a former 1MDB unit, SRC International, into his accounts.

Najib had vehemently denied wrongdoing.

But Judge Mohamad Nazlan Mohamad Ghazali took apart all the arguments put forward by his defence, and found him guilty on the seven charges he faced.

"In conclusion, after considering all the evidence in this trial, I find the prosecution has successfully proven the case," the judge told the court.

The charges were one of abuse of power, three of criminal breach of trust and three of money-laundering.

The counts of abuse of power and criminal breach of trust are punishable by up to 20 years in jail each, while the money-laundering charges are punishable by up to 15 years each.

Sentencing was not handed down straight away. The 67-year-old will likely appeal and he may not be sent to jail immediately. If his conviction is upheld, he will also be barred from political office for several years.

Najib had insisted he was ignorant of the transactions.

The defence team portrayed Najib as a victim and instead sought to paint financier Low Taek Jho, a key figure in the scandal who has been charged in the US and Malaysia, as the mastermind.

Low, whose whereabouts are unknown, maintains his innocence.

Prosecutors insisted Najib was in control of the 1MDB unit, SRC International.

The return of Najib's party to power as part of a coalition in March followed the collapse of Mahathir Mohamad's reformist administration.

Since then, 1MDB-linked charges were unexpectedly dropped against the ex-leader's stepson Riza Aziz, a producer of Hollywood movie "The Wolf of Wall Street", in exchange for him agreeing to return assets to Malaysia.

Prosecutors also dropped dozens of charges against Najib ally Musa Aman, the former leader of Sabah state.

The amounts involved in Najib's first case are small compared to those in his second and most significant trial, which centres on allegations he illicitly obtained more than $500 million.

Malaysia had charged Goldman Sachs and some current and former staff, claiming large amounts were stolen when the bank arranged bond issues for 1MDB.

But the two sides agreed to a $3.9 billion settlement last week in exchange for charges being dropped.

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News Network
June 2,2020

Minneapolis, Jun 2: An official autopsy released Monday ruled that George Floyd, the African-American man whose death at police hands set off unrest across the United States, died in a homicide involving "neck compression".

George, 46, died of "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression," and the manner of death was "homicide," the Hennepin County Medical Examiner in Minneapolis said in a statement.

Floyd's other significant health conditions were listed as "arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease; fentanyl intoxication; recent methamphetamine use."

The statement added that the "manner of death is not a legal determination of culpability or intent."

It emphasized that under Minnesota state law "the Medical Examiner is a neutral and independent office and is separate and distinct from any prosecutorial authority or law enforcement agency."

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News Network
June 27,2020

Moscow, Jun 27: The number of people who have contracted the coronavirus infection in Russia has increased by 6,852 over the past day to a total of 627,646, the country's COVID-19 Response Center said in a daily update on Saturday.

"Over the past day, 6,852 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in 85 regions of Russia, including 2,058, or 30 per cent, of asymptomatic cases," the response centre said.

Of the total 6,852 newly detected cases, 750 have been confirmed in Moscow, 366 in Moscow Region, and 280 in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, according to the report.

The reported daily dynamics included 188 new fatalities, which brought the cumulative death toll to 8,969.

Total recoveries now count 393,352, an increase of 9,200 over the past day, including 1,852 in Moscow, 1,421 in Moscow Region and 716 in St. Petersburg.

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