Tag: ties

Gen Bajwa put pressure on me to develop friendly ties with India, claims Imran Khan

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Lahore: Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Imran Khan has claimed that the then Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had put pressure on him to develop friendly ties with India.
Relations between India and Pakistan have often been strained over the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. However, their ties nose-dived after India abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcating the State into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.
“Gen Bajwa wanted me to develop friendly ties with India. He put pressure on me for this and it was one of the reasons our relationship deteriorated,” Khan claimed during an interaction with social media journalists at his Lahore’s Zaman Park residence on Saturday evening.

He, however, reiterated his stance that Pakistan should only hold peace talks with India provided New Delhi restores the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
India has repeatedly told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.
The 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman further said what Gen (retd.) Bajwa did to Pakistan even an enemy couldn’t do. “Bajwa should be held accountable by the army,” he said.
Khan in the past accused Bajwa of not only toppling his country that laid a foundation of economic disaster but also committing atrocities against him, his party members and journalists. “Bajwa wanted me killed,” Khan alleged.
Khan has been at loggerheads with Gen (retd.) Bajwa ever since his ouster from power in April last year by a no-confidence motion.

Gen (retd) Bajwa retired on November 29 last year after two consecutive three-year terms.
Regarding the PML-N led federal government’s assertion that it would not accept the verdict of a three-member bench of Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial in polls in two provinces, Khan said: “I know what kind of benefits this cabal of corrupts would get by delaying the elections in Punjab and Kyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. They are just delaying elections hoping to crush the PTI or finish Imran Khan.” Khan asked the ruling alliance to explain the reasons for postponing polls till October, 2023. “If elections are not held within 90 days in two provinces Pakistan will be without a constitution,” he said.
Khan’s party had dissolved assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in January after which a caretaker setup took over. Under the constitution, elections are held within 90 days from the date of dissolution of an assembly.
“Pakistan is facing a critical moment in its history. The nation must stand by the Constitution and rule of law,” Khan asserted.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 3, 2023
General Bajwa put pressure on me to restore ties with India: Imran Khan

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New Delhi: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa had pressurised him to restore friendship with India, the media reported.
Bajwa wanted friendship with India and put pressure on him for this, Khan was quoted as saying by The News.
Bajwa said something one day and retracted it the next day. His accountability should be initiated within the army, he said.

Answering a question about the general elections, the PTI chairman said if the elections were not held in 90 days, there would be no Constitution left in the country and then he would take direct action.
Earlier this month, Pakistan again denied it was holding any “backchannel” talks with bordering India but reiterated its desire for a peaceful neighbourhood, The Express Tribune reported.
“At this stage, there is no back channel (talks) between Pakistan and India,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch while responding to a question at a weekly briefing, The Express Tribune reported.
Relations between the two neighbouring countries have remained at a standstill for the last many years.
Pakistan had not only downgraded diplomatic ties but suspended bilateral trade with India.

However, there was a chance of a possible thaw in ties when two countries engaged in backchannel talks in 2021. The secret meetings between senior security officials of Pakistan and India in the UAE led to the renewal of ceasefire understanding along the Line of Control (LoC) in February 2021, The Express Tribune reported.
The next move was to restore bilateral trade but the process came to a halt when the government of then premier Khan turned down the decision to import sugar and cotton from India.
Some reports later claimed that backchannel talks even discussed the possibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Pakistan.
(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 2, 2023
China expects Saudi, Iran to improve ties under Beijing brokered peace deal

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Beijing: Weeks after China brokered a landmark peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said he expects both countries to improve their ties as arch-rivals in the Middle East faced an array of challenges to implementing it.
Xi in his phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman said it is hoped that Saudi Arabia and Iran will uphold the spirit of good neighbourliness and continue to improve their relations on the basis of the results of their talks in Beijing, official media here reported.
China is ready to continue to support the follow-up process of the Saudi-Iranian talks, Xi said, referring to the China-negotiated peace deal between the arch-rivals to end their hostilities.
The agreement signed on March 11 in Beijing was regarded as a major diplomatic coup for China’s efforts to emerge as a major power rivalling the US to enlarge its strategic influence especially in the Middle East.
“The Iran-Saudi rapprochement has been touted as a momentous development in the region. But how it ultimately impacts the Middle East remains a very open question, as the long adversarial powers are fighting a proxy war in Yemen and continue to support opposing sides across the region,” said a report by the US Institute of Peace.
“Amid perceived US retrenchment from the Middle East, the deal is a diplomatic win for China as it increasingly seeks to present an alternative vision to the US-led global order,” it said.
Following the Iran-Saudi deal, Xi during his March 20 visit to Russia made a strong pitch for Russia-Ukraine peace talks to end their current war.
In his phone call with the Saudi Crown Prince, Xi said with the joint efforts of China, Saudi Arabia and Iran successfully held and achieved significant results, helping the two countries to improve their relations.

It is a significant demonstration effect on enhancing the unity and cooperation of regional countries and easing regional tensions, and thus having been widely praised by the international community, he said.
It is hoped that Saudi Arabia and Iran will uphold the spirit of good neighbourliness and continue to improve their relations on the basis of the results of their talks in Beijing, Xi said, adding that China is ready to continue to support the follow-up process of the Saudi-Iranian talks.
As Xi and Crown Prince Mohammed held talks for the successful implementation of the deal, both countries appear to be building a “more meaningful” relationship with a landmark USD 10 billion deal to construct a state-of-the-art refining complex in north-eastern Liaoning province.
Under the deal announced on Sunday, Riyadh will invest in the integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex to consolidate energy ties amid uncertainty over Russian supplies, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday.
For now, analysts expect China to continue buying heavily discounted Russian crude, but there are fears that US-led sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine “could greatly disrupt the global oil supply chain, leading to big price fluctuations”, Joey Zhou, a Shanghai-based petrochemicals analyst, told the Post.
“We expect Middle Eastern companies would be willing to participate in [more] joint ventures with Chinese firms to ensure they have a secure outlet for their oil,” he said.
“To obtain a more competitive position for feedstock costs, Chinese producers are also likely to welcome Saudi or Emirati funds by involving them in existing or new plans for integrated refinery and petrochemical complexes,” Zhou said.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
Honduras establishes ties with China after Taiwan break

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China and Taiwan have been locked in a battle for diplomatic recognition since they split amid civil war in 1949, with Beijing spending billions to win recognition for its “one China” policy.
China claims Taiwan is part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, and refuses most contacts with countries that maintain formal ties with the island democracy. It threatens retaliation against countries merely for increasing contacts.
The Honduran Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Twitter that its government recognizes “only one China in the world” and that Beijing “is the only legitimate government that represents all of China.”
It added that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and as of today, the Honduran government has informed Taiwan of the severance of diplomatic relations, pledging not to have any official relationship or contact with Taiwan.”
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told a news conference Sunday that Taiwan had ended its relations with Honduras to “safeguard its sovereignty and dignity.”
Wu said that Honduran President Xiomara Castro and her team always had a “fantasy” about China and had raised the issue of switching ties before the presidential election in Honduras in 2021. Relations between Taiwan and Honduras were once stable, he said, but China had not stopped luring Honduras.
Honduras had asked Taiwan for billions of dollars of aid and compared its proposals with China’s, Wu said. About two weeks ago, the Honduran government sought $2.45 billion from Taiwan to build a hospital and a dam, and to write off debts, he added.
“The Castro government dismissed our nation’s longstanding assistance and relations and carried out talks to form diplomatic ties with China. Our government feels pained and regretful,” he said.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said her government would not “engage in a meaningless contest of dollar diplomacy with China.”
“Over these past few years, China has persistently used various means to suppress Taiwan’s international participation, escalate military intrusion, and disrupt peace and stability in the region,” she said in a recorded video.
Analysts have warned over the implications of the newly formed ties between China and Honduras. Political analyst Graco Pérez in Honduras said Beijing’s narrative would highlight the benefits, including investment and job creation, “but that is all going to be illusory.”
Pérez noted that some other countries have established such relations, but “it didn’t turn out to be what had been offered.”
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 26, 2023
Gujarat CMO Veteran Resigns Over Son’s Ties To JK Conman

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SRINAGAR: Hitesh Pandya, an additional public relations officer in the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office, resigned on Friday evening after serving for nearly 22 years. The resignation was due to the links between his son, a businessman associated with the BJP, and “conman” Kiran Patel, who is currently in custody in J&K for impersonating an official from the Prime Minister’s Office. Pandya had served five chief ministers, including Keshubhai Patel, Narendra Modi, Anandiben Patel, Vijay Rupani, and Bhupendra Patel.
As per Hitesh Pandya’s statement, The Indian Express reported, “I have tendered my resignation to the Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel). Nobody asked me to resign. I felt I should resign. I will wind up my pending work by March 31 and be relieved from the office.”
Hours before resigning, Hitesh Pandya confirmed to the newspaper The Indian Express that his son, Amit, had visited J&K with Kiran Patel “for business purpose” with his approval. Amit, along with another individual, Jay Sitapara, were present when Patel was arrested earlier this month. Both Amit and Sitapara have been summoned by the J&K police for questioning.
According to Pandya, his son is innocent and a witness in the case. He also mentioned that Amit deals in home security appliances and is associated with the BJP, having served as the party’s social media cell convener in North Zone till January 2023.
While denying any knowledge of Kiran Patel’s links to the CMO, Pandya admitted that Patel was affiliated with a private organization called Nation First Foundation (NFF), which Pandya had established in 2011.
“I founded the organization in 2011 to promote Modi saheb’s ideologies. Our work was solely focused on serving the nation. We conducted a Bharat Jago Abhiyan to create awareness among people about the BJP government’s initiatives and accomplishments… Kiran Patel joined the organization through Amit’s connection with him,” said Pandya as per The Indian Express.
When asked specifically about Amit’s connection with Kiran Patel, Pandya stated, “They were both employed at a publicity company in 2004. I knew Kiran as Amit’s friend. However, I came to the realization in 2011 that he was not someone we should associate ourselves with. Therefore, I relieved him and all the individuals associated with him from NFF. I found his business practices and billing to be improper… Kiran Patel then went on to establish his own organization.”
“Why would you break the relationship? He was keeping him away without snapping the relationship,” said Pandya when asked why he didn’t warn his son about Kiran Patel. However, their contact increased after Amit’s “rare heart condition” in September last year. “After Kiran’s arrest, Amit and Jay were kept in a hotel and their statements recorded. Then, they were let go and told that they will have to come whenever called. His statement was recorded as a witness,” he explained.

Pandya also mentioned that he informed the Chief Minister and other relevant authorities about the case as soon as he found out about it from Amit.
Pandya has been associated with the Gujarat CMO for over two decades, joining in 2001 as an assistant PRO. Before that, he worked at Life Corporation of India and the Rajkot daily “Phulchhab”.

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( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

March 25, 2023
Biden touts close ties to Canada, heralds modest successes during visit

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The gala dinner at the Ottawa Aviation Museum concluded a busy day of meetings, photo-ops, speeches and a joint press conference. Biden’s visit marked the first true bilateral meeting in Canada between the two leaders since the Obama years.
“And today, I say to you, and to all the people of Canada, that you will always, always be able to count on the United States of America,” Biden said during his speech to Parliament. “I guarantee it.”
While the two leaders took advantage of the opportunities to lean into the imagery of a productive relationship, they discussed an array of complex topics behind closed doors.
The trip was not expected to produce much in terms of deliverables, but Biden and Trudeau made modest announcements on the North American Aerospace Defense Command, semiconductors, Haiti and climate issues. A deal they struck on migration drew the most headlines from the trip.
The two countries announced plans to apply the terms of the Safe Third Country Agreement to migrants between points of entry along the Canada-United States border, in an aim to deter illegal migration. The new policy was to go into effect at midnight Friday. Canada will also welcome an additional 15,000 migrants from countries such as Haiti, Colombia and Ecuador over the course of the year.
The agreement will allow Canada to turn away migrants from unofficial crossing points like Roxham Road, a small, well-traveled road that straddles the Canada-U.S. border between Quebec and New York. Quebec Premier François Legault has hammered Trudeau, calling on the prime minister to raise the issue with Biden. Roughly 40,000 asylum seekers entered Canada through this path last year.
“We couldn’t simply shut down Roxham Road and hope that everything would resolve itself because we would have had problems. The border is very long and people would have looked for other places to cross,” Trudeau said during Friday’s press conference. “And so that’s why we chose to modernize the Safe Third Country Agreement so that someone who attempts to cross between official crossings will be subject to the principle.”
The two leaders also fielded questions on Russia and China, in which Biden questioned the close ties of the authoritarian regimes. He noted that China hasn’t provided Russia with weapons in its war in Ukraine.

“I don’t take China lightly. I don’t take Russia lightly. But I think we vastly exaggerated. I’ve been hearing now for the past three months: China is going to provide significant weapons to Russia and they’re going to go up and talk about that. They haven’t yet. Doesn’t mean they won’t, but they haven’t yet,” Biden said.
He also defended the state of the economy amid the banking crisis, noting his administration did a “pretty damn good job” in its response. The president opened his remarks by addressing the U.S. military’s airstrikes in Syria after a suspected Iran-made drone killed a U.S. worker and wounded other troops.
“I’m also grateful for the professionalism of our service members who so ably carried out this response,” Biden said. “And to make no mistake, the United States does not — does not, emphasize — seek conflict with Iran. But be prepared for us to act forcefully to protect our people. That’s exactly what happened last night.”
Even on the crisis in Haiti — one of the more challenging topics Biden and Trudeau had to broach — the two leaders presented a united front. The White House for months has suggested it wants Canada to take the lead in a multi-national military intervention to bring stability to the country, but standing next to Trudeau on Friday, Biden lowered the pressure.
The president told reporters he wasn’t disappointed in Trudeau’s reluctance to lead the effort, calling it “a very, very difficult circumstance.”
The prime minister nodded in agreement.
Kierra Frazer contributed to this report.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 25, 2023
Saudi Arabia and Syria in talks to re-establish ties: Report

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Saudi Arabia and Syria are discussing the resumption of consular services, according to Saudi official media, more than a decade after the Gulf kingdom severed relations with President Bashar al-dictatorship.
“A discussion is underway between officials in the kingdom and their counterparts in Syria about resuming the provision of consular services,” state-affiliated channel Al-Ekhbariya said, citing a Saudi foreign ministry official.
The report did not provide a timetable for the move, which would be the latest Saudi effort to heal fences with regional enemies.
Earlier this month, a Chinese-brokered agreement was revealed to restore diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had been cut for seven years.
For weeks, Riyadh has hinted at a reconciliation with Syria.
In the aftermath of a massive earthquake that slammed southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, killing tens of thousands of people, it provided relief to both rebel-held and government-controlled areas of the nation.
The efforts did not entail direct communication with Assad’s internationally isolated administration, and Saudi officials instead organised supplies into government-controlled areas via the Syrian Red Crescent.
After the earthquake, Damascus has witnessed more Arab participation, especially from countries that have so far rejected normalisation after more than a decade of conflict.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stated in February that the Arab world was coming to the conclusion that a new strategy for Syria would be required, involving dialogue with Damascus in order to solve humanitarian concerns.
“There is a consensus within the Arab world that the status quo is not working and that we need to find some other approach. What that approach is, is still being formulated” Prince Faisal told the Munich Security Conference.
According to the Saudi foreign minister, policy changes in Syria might benefit Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, particularly Jordan and Lebanon.
Emirati official media said that Assad visited the UAE on Sunday, when President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan informed him that it was time for Damascus to be reintegrated into the larger Arab area.
The visit is Assad’s second to the oil-rich UAE in as many years, following a visit to Oman last month, his only formal engagements in Arab nations since Syria’s civil conflict began in 2011.
Syria was kicked out of the Cairo-based Arab League in 2011 for its deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
Man ties dog to bike, drags it over 2 km; arrested

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Ghaziabad: In a shocking incident, a man has been arrested here for tying a dog to his motorcycle with a rope and dragging it for around 2.5 km on Saturday.
The man has been identified as Islam, a resident of the Vijay Nagar police station area. He was caught by the onlookers who rescued the injured dog and took it to a hospital.
Surbhi Rawat, President of People for Animals (PFA), said that the accused first hit the stray with a brick, following which it lost consciousness.
Rawat said she reached the spot on receiving information of the incident and found the dog covered in blood, following which Islam was handed over to the police.
The accused claimed that he was taking the dog to abandon it at a different place after it had shown signs of “abnormal behaviour” and bitten several people.
UP : गाजियाबाद में इस्लाम नामक व्यक्ति ने स्ट्रे डॉग के हाथ–पैर बांधकर उसे बाइक से 2 KM तक घसीटा, आरोपी पकड़ा गया। pic.twitter.com/VJRc8zGyx0
— Sachin Gupta (@sachingupta787) March 19, 2023
ACP Anshu Jain said: “A video was received through social media, wherien a dog was being dragged after being tied to a bike by a person. The said person has been identified and arrested. Further action is being taken in the matter.”
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 19, 2023
Alanna Panday ties the knot with Ivor McCray; Ananya Panday shares first glimpse

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Mumbai: Ananya Panday’s cousin Alanna Panday has tied the knot with the love of her life Ivor McCray in Mumbai.
Ananya took to Instagram to share a couple of videos from the ‘Pheras’ and it looked surreal!
Dressed in a beautiful ivory lehenga, Alanna looked like the happiest bride there is! Ivor also looked exquisitely handsome in a ‘sherwani’ that matched with Alanna’s lehenga.
Check out the photos here:
Before the wedding festivities, the Pandays posed for the paparazzi outside the wedding venue. Ananya opted for a pastel blue and white embroidered saree while her mother Bhavna went for a beautiful gold embellished saree. Chunky Panday looked dapper in a green and gold kurta-pyjama.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 17, 2023
Iran: Normalising ties with Saudi will aid to end war in Yemen

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Tehran: Iran’s mission to the United Nations has said that the restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran will contribute to finding a political solution to the war in Yemen, state news agency IRNA reported.
“The restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran [would] speed the ceasefire, help launch a national discussion, and build an inclusive national administration in Yemen,” the Iranian UN mission stated on Sunday, according to IRNA.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced a historic agreement to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of heightened tensions, backing opposing sides in regional conflicts, and supporting various parties in political disputes throughout the Middle East. China mediated the deal.
Gulf nations have long charged Iran with inciting instability in the Middle East by providing financial and military aid to its network of Shia proxies there, particularly in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Iran.
Since its outbreak in 2014, the conflict in Yemen has been fought on a battlefield where Riyadh and Tehran have supported opposing parties. The Arab Coalition was established by Saudi Arabia to defend the Yemeni government, which is recognised internationally, militarily against the Houthi movement, which is backed by Iran, reported Al Arabiya News.
Arab and Western governments have long accepted that Iran supplied weapons to the Houthi militia, which was then used to launch cross-border strikes primarily against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Throughout the years, the regional warships of the US and the UK have successfully stopped numerous shipments of weapons built in Iran aboard ships bound for Yemen.
Analysts have hailed the significant diplomatic achievement as a huge step towards resolving several regional military crises.

According to the statement from the Iranian envoy, relations between Riyadh and Tehran are significant on three tiers bilateral, regional, and global levels. All three tiers, including West Asia and the Islamic world, will benefit from the reestablishment of political links between the two nations, Al Arabiya News reported.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 13, 2023