India, US should go for pre-emptive strikes, destroy Pak's N-assets: Ex-US senator

News Network
September 26, 2017

Mumbai, Sept 26: Suggesting that each India and the US conduct pre-emptive strikes inside Pakistan to destroy its nuclear websites (the place weapons have both already been saved or are being made), former US Senator Larry Pressler informed on Monday that Donald Trump might turn into one of the best American president but for India as he had lately put Pakistan on discover for harbouring terrorists.

However for this to occur, Trump must get across the Pentagon, which at all times inspired Pakistan, he stated. Such encouragement emboldened Pakistan to assault India as “the mom of terrorism” and “predator” on the UN common meeting session on Sunday, he added. Trump’s description of the Pentagon as “a swamp” was a very good signal, he famous, hoping the US president would drain it quickly (as he’d promised).

A 3-term Senator and twice a member of the Home of Representatives, Pressler (75) authored the well-known Pressler Modification which in 1990 blocked US navy assist to Pakistan when the then US President George H W Bush couldn’t certify Pakistan was not creating nukes.

Because the supply of near 30 F-16 plane to Islamabad was barred, Pressler, then a Republican and head of the Senate’s arms management subcommittee, grew to become one thing of a hero in India and, in his personal phrases, “a satan in Pakistan.” His new e-book, Neighbours in Arms, engagingly tells the story of the modification and of the US overseas coverage that enabled Pakistan to develop nuclear weapons and casts a extreme highlight on the tradition of lobbying in Washington and the grip of the military-industrial state (“the Octopus”) contained in the US.

Pressler has lengthy distanced himself from the Republican Celebration — he contested Senate polls as an Impartial in 2014 and backed Hillary Clinton within the 2016 Presidential polls — however regardless of variations with Trump, he feels the president just isn’t doing half as badly as US media suggests.

Trump’s warning to Pakistan on its sheltering and export of terror, linking of US assist to “motion on terror” and his request to India to “assist us extra with Afghanistan” signalled a recasting of relations.

The ex-Senator hopes Trump will act on the discover.

“US should declare Pakistan a terrorist state, minimize off all assist and should not deal with India and Pakistan as equals. India is a democracy, Pakistan is not. And Pakistan and particularly the ISI have lied to us for many years,” he stated.

All reward for PM Modi, the Vietnam veteran stated it was good the Modi authorities was robust with Pakistan.

He referred to as the denial of a US visa to Modi when the latter was Gujarat CM “a stain” on the US. He was crucial of India, nonetheless, for allegedly handing out hundreds of thousands to lobbyists in Washington. “Pakistan began this lobbying. India does not have to do it,” he stated. He stated Pakistan could not have developed nuclear weapons if US had stopped assist.

Having labored carefully with many US presidents, he felt Ronald Reagan had been very receptive to his concepts on nuclear non-proliferation and his views on Pakistan’s duplicity however had been hemmed in by “Octopus” mandarins. And Invoice Clinton had, on his 2001 journey to India (Pressler was a part of that delegation), given the impression that he beloved the nation and its folks however had, in actuality, repealed the Pressler Modification and inspired navy provides to India’s hostile neighbour.

Pressler was criticised when, within the 1990s, he had expressed issues about an “Islamic bomb.” He stated he stood vindicated in the present day and that the expansion of ISIS and related teams led him to worry that fundamentalist organisations – and never particular person states – might create a “Caliphate.”

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Agencies
January 4,2020

New Delhi, Jan 4: "Sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic" is how India is referred to in the preamble of the Constitution. However, J Nandakumar, a key RSS leader and All India Convenor Prajna Pravah, a Sangh offshoot, wants India to reconsider the inclusion of the word "secular", claiming secularism is a "western, Semitic concept".

In an exclusive interview to news agency, Nandakumar said: "Secularism is a western, Semitic concept. It came into existence in the West. It was actually against Papal dominance."

He argued that India does not need a secular ethos as the nation has moved "way beyond secularism" since it believes in universal acceptance as against the western concept of tolerance.

The RSS functionary on Thursday released a book here named "Hindutva in the changing times". The book launch event was also attended by senior RSS functionary Krishna Gopal.

Nandakumar, who has attacked the Mamata Banerjee government in his book for alleged "Islamisation of West Bengal", told IANS: "We have to see whether we need to put up a board of being secular, or that whether we should prove this through our behaviour, actions and roles."

It is for society to take a call on this, rather than by any political class, on whether the preamble to the Indian Constitution should continue to have the word "secular" in it or not, he added.

In between signing his books and obliging wannabe Hindutva cadres with selfies, Nandakumar said that the very existence of the word "secular" in the preamble was not necessary and how the constitution founders too were against it.

"Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Ladi Krishnaswamy Aiyaar -- all debated against it and said it (secular) wasn't necessary to be included in the preamble. That time it was demanded, discussed and decided not to include it," he said.

Ambedkar's opinion was, however, disregarded when Indira Gandhi "bulldozed" the word "secular", in 1976, said the head of the Prajna Pravah, an umbrella body of several right-wing think-tanks

As Nandakumar prepared to return to his base in Kerala, where, he emphasises, the RSS has its work cut out in the "fight against the Kunnor model", he said that the inclusion of "secular" was done with the intent to damage the concept of Hindutva.

"It was to demolish, destroy the overarching principle of Hindutva that binds us together", he said.

Asked whether the Sangh would pressurise the BJP, which has 303 seats in the Lok Sabha, to omit "secular" from the Constitution preamble, Nandakumar smilingly refused to reply.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Kabul, Jan 27: A passenger plane crashed on Monday in a Taliban-held area of Afghanistan's Ghazni province, local officials said.

Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the plane went down around 1:10 p.m. local time in Deh Yak district, which is held by the Taliban. Two provincial council members also confirmed the crash.

The number of people on board and their fate was not immediately known, nor was the cause of the crash.

Ariana Airlines, Afghanistan's national carrier, dismissed the claim that one of their planes had crashed in a statement on their website, saying all their aircraft were operational and safe.

The mountainous Ghazni province sits in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains and is bitterly cold in winter.

The last major commercial air crash in Afghanistan occurred in 2005 when a Kam Air flight from western Herat to the capital Kabul crashed into the mountains as it tried to land in snowy weather.

The war however has seen a number of deadly crashes of military aircraft. One of the most spectacular occurred in 2013 when an American Boeing 747 cargo jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Bagram air base north of Kabul en route to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. All seven crew member were killed.

Afghanistan's aviation industry suffered desperately during the rule of the Taliban when its only airline Ariana was subject to punishing sanctions and allowed to fly only to Saudi Arabia for Hajj flights.

Since the overthrow of the religious regime smaller private airlines have emerged but the industry is still a nascent one.

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News Network
June 4,2020

New Delhi, Jun 4: India's Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, following which the defence ministry carried out a massive contact-tracing exercise, official sources said.

Kumar's condition is stable and he is currently under home-quarantine, they said.

At least 35 officials working at the ministry's headquarters in South Block in the Raisina Hills have been sent on home quarantine after reports of Kumar testing positive for the infection emerged on Wednesday morning.

There was no official comment on Kumar's health condition. The defence ministry spokesperson refused to comment on the issue.

It is learnt that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did not attend office as part of a precautionary measure.

The offices of the defence minister, the defence secretary, the Army Chief and the Navy Chief are on the first floor of the South Block.

The sources said all laid down protocols on contact-tracing and quarantining of people are being scrupulously followed.

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