Vijay Mallya said that the controversy over his claim of meeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been “created by the media”

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Mallya’s claim of meeting the Finance Minister before fleeing triggered a controversy in India. Arun Jaitley rebuffed Mallya’s claim stating that he had “never given him (Mallya) any appointment to meet me” since 2014.

London, Delhi, September 12,2018:

Emerging from Westminster Magistrates’ Court, which will be giving its verdict in his extradition case on 10 December, fugitive bank fraud accused Vijay Mallya said that the controversy over his claim of meeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been “created by the media”.

“I was standing here (outside the court) during lunch break. I said I happened to meet Mr Jaitley in Parliament and I told him that I was leaving for London and that I want to settle with the banks and would he please facilitate the discussions. I did not have any formal meetings scheduled with him. I met him often enough in Parliament, in the House and in Central Hall, and I have expressed to him my willingness to settle (the dues) on many an occasion,” he said.

“I flew to London when I was on my way to Geneva where I had a long-scheduled meeting…Those were the circumstances under which I left India,” he reiterated.

Mallya’s claim of meeting the Finance Minister before fleeing triggered a controversy in India. Arun Jaitley rebuffed Mallya’s claim stating that he had “never given him (Mallya) any appointment to meet me” since 2014.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Jaitley said that Mallya “misused” his position as an MP by paced up to catch up with him when the FM was walking out of the House to go to his room.

“He paced up to catch up with me and while walking uttered a sentence that ‘I am making an offer of settlement’. Having been fully briefed about his earlier ‘bluff offers’, without allowing him to proceed with the conversation, I curtly told him ‘there was no point talking to me and he must make offers to his bankers’,” said Jaitley.

“I did not even receive the papers that he was holding in his hand. Besides this one sentence exchange where he misused his privilege as a Rajya Sabha Member, in order to further his commercial interest as a bank debtor, there is no question of my having ever given him an appointment to meet me,” the Finance Minister said.

But the Opposition parties latched onto Mallya’s claim to accuse the government of allowing fugitives to flee and the loot to happen.

“As with the Rafale scam and Choksi scam, this latest revelation by Mallya puts Modi govt in the dock. It is not the finance minister alone, we cannot be sure what other facts are being hidden even now,” said CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

“Whatever denials the government may issue, it confirms that all those who looted public money by taking loans from banks and absconded, not one of them happened to leave the country without knowledge of the government,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

“They (the government) have to own up to the fact that they allowed this loot to happen and the fact that they are allowing this loot to happen, more are looting,” Yechury added.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that his party has been repeatedly raising the issue that the government allowed bank fraud accused such as Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi to flee.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal described Mallya’s claim as “absolutely shocking” and demanded to know why the finance minister “hid the information till now”.

Meanwhile, Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court reserved the judgment on whether to extradite the multi-crore bank fraud accused to India or not. The court will be giving its verdict on 10 December.

Mallya, who fled India in March 2016, reiterated that the allegations made against him are “media created”.

Commenting on the case, Mallya said that the prosecution has argued their case and it is now for the judges to decide.

According to NDTV, the prosecution said that the 62-year-old has no intention of honouring the guarantees he had given while taking loans for his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

Jaitley said that he has not met the 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airline boss since 2014

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The statement from the Finance Minister came after Mallya claimed that he met Jaitley before fleeing out of the country and offered to settle the amount he owed to the banks.

Jaitley said that he has not met the 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airline boss since 2014 but added that Mallya had “misused” his privilege of being a Member of the Rajya Sabha on one occasion.

Delhi, 12 September,2018:

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley rejected Vijay Mallya’s claim that he had met the absconding bank fraud accused before he fled the nation in March 2016.

In a statement issued on Facebook, the Finance Minister said that Mallya’s statement is “factually false”.

Jaitley said that he has not met the 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airline boss since 2014 but added that Mallya had “misused” his privilege of being a Member of the Rajya Sabha on one occasion.

“Since 2014, I have never given him (Mallya) any appointment to meet me and the question of his having met me does not arise,” said Jaitley.

Recalling the occasion when Mallya “misused” his position as an MP, Jaitley wrote that the fraud accused had paced up to catch up with him when the FM was walking out of the House to go to his room.

“He paced up to catch up with me and while walking uttered a sentence that ‘I am making an offer of settlement’. Having been fully briefed about his earlier ‘bluff offers’, without allowing him to proceed with the conversation, I curtly told him ‘there was no point talking to me and he must make offers to his bankers’,” said Jaitley.

“I did not even receive the papers that he was holding in his hand. Besides this one sentence exchange where he misused his privilege as a Rajya Sabha Member, in order to further his commercial interest as a bank debtor, there is no question of my having ever given him an appointment to meet me,” the Finance Minister said.

The statement from the Finance Minister came minutes after Mallya claimed that met Jaitley before fleeing out of the country and offered to settle the amount he owed to the banks.

“I met the finance minster to settle matters before I left. The banks had filed objections to my settlement letters,” Mallya said outside the Westminster Magistrates’ Court where he had come for a hearing in his extradition case.

Mallya added that he had made a “comprehensive settlement” offer before the Karnataka High Court that will help in paying off all his dues.

In 2016, Arun Jaitley had said that there is a legal process to stop somebody from going abroad.

“Either your passport is impounded or there is an order of a court. Otherwise, nobody can stop you. Banks went to court for seeking an order. In this anticipation, he (Mallya) left earlier,” Jaitley had said, adding that “it would have been better had banks started the process earlier.”

The liquor baron is facing money laundering charges in multi-crore fraud case in India, which wants him extradited from the UK where he fled to in March 2016.

Dressed in a suit and wearing his shades, Mallya appeared relaxed even as the judge is expected to review a video of the Mumbai jail cell prepared by the Indian authorities for the embattled liquor tycoon.

Mallya has been on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, responded to the swarm of reporters gathered outside the court in his characteristic manner, saying the “courts will decide”.

“As far as I am concerned, I have. I hope the honourable judges will consider it favourably; everybody gets paid off and I guess that’s the primary objective,” said Mallya, who is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores.

The extradition trial, which opened at the London court on 4 December last year, is aimed at laying out a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya.

It also seeks to prove there are no “bars to extradition” and that the tycoon is assured a fair trial in India over his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines’ alleged default of over Rs 9,000 crores in loans from a consortium of Indian banks.

Opposition wants BJP to come clear over Mallya’s statement

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Opposition parties on Wednesday picked on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA government at the Centre after Vijay Mallya claimed that he met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before fleeing India.

Delhi, September 12, 2018:

Opposition parties on Wednesday picked on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA government at the Centre after Vijay Mallya claimed that he met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before fleeing India.

Speaking to reporters outside the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where he had come for a hearing in his extradition case, the absconding bank fraud accused said that he offered to settle the amount he owed to the banks in his “meeting” with Jaitley.

Even though the Finance Minister refuted the claim stating that he never gave any appointment to Mallya, opposition parties took the opportunity to accuse the government of allowing the loot to happen.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that Mallya’s revelation is “a fact that all of us had known earlier”.

“Whatever denials the government may issue, it confirms that all those who looted public money by taking loans from banks and absconded, not one of them happened to leave the country without knowledge of the government,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

“They (the government) have to own up to the fact that they allowed this loot to happen and the fact that they are allowing this loot to happen, more are looting,” he added.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that his party has been repeatedly raising the issue that the government allowed bank fraud accused such as Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi to flee.

“Congress has been repeatedly asserting for last over 18 months that not only Vijay Mallya but Nirav Modi, Choksi and many others have been allowed with impunity,” ANI quoted him as saying.

In response to Congress’ accusations, Jaitley said that the party has made “telling lies its brand of politics”.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal described Mallya’s claim as “absolutely shocking”.

In a series of tweets, Kejriwal asked, “Why did the finance minister hide this information till now? Absolutely shocking.”

“PM Modi meets Neerav Modi before he flees the country. FM meets Vijay Mallya before he flees India. What transpired in these meetings? People want to know (sic),” Kejriwal said.

Former BJP leader and Union Minister in the Vajpayee government Yashwant Sinha said that the entire BJP leadership should “come clean” on their “relations” with the fraud accused.

“Not only the finance minister, the entire BJP must come clean on its relations with Vijay Mallya,” he wrote on Twitter.

Earlier today, Mallya said, “I left India because I had a scheduled meeting in Geneva. Before leaving I met the finance minister and offered to settle (the issue with the banks).”

Reacting to his allegation, Jaitley said that Mallya’s statement is “factually false”.

Jaitley said that he has not met the 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airline boss since 2014 but added that Mallya had “misused” his privilege of being a Member of the Rajya Sabha on one occasion.

“Since 2014, I have never given him (Mallya) any appointment to meet me and the question of his having met me does not arise,” said Jaitley.

Recalling the occasion when Mallya “misused” his position as an MP, Jaitley wrote that the fraud accused had paced up to catch up with him when the FM was walking out of the House to go to his room.

“He paced up to catch up with me and while walking uttered a sentence that ‘I am making an offer of settlement’. Having been fully briefed about his earlier ‘bluff offers’, without allowing him to proceed with the conversation, I curtly told him ‘there was no point talking to me and he must make offers to his bankers’,” said Jaitley.

Met Jaitley before leaving India: Mallya

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Vijay Mallya speaks to members of the media as he arrives to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in central London on September 12, 2018, to attend the closing arguments in his extradition hearing.

Absconding bank fraud accused Vijay Mallya dropped a bomb on Wednesday by claiming that he met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before fleeing out of the country and offered to settle the amount he owed to the banks.

London, September 12, 2018:

Absconding bank fraud accused Vijay Mallya dropped a bomb on Wednesday by claiming that he met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before fleeing out of the country and offered to settle the amount he owed to the banks.

“I met the finance minster to settle matters before I left. The banks had filed objections to my settlement letters,” Mallya said outside the Westminster Magistrates’ Court where he had come for a hearing in his extradition case.

Mallya added that he had made a “comprehensive settlement” offer before the Karnataka High Court that will help in paying off all his dues.

The revelation puts the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre on the backfoot. At the time of writing, the Finance Minister or any member of the government was yet to respond to the allegation.

In 2016, Arun Jaitley had said that there is a legal process to stop somebody from going abroad.

“Either your passport is impounded or there is an order of a court. Otherwise, nobody can stop you. Banks went to court for seeking an order. In this anticipation, he (Mallya) left earlier,” Jaitley had said, adding that “it would have been better had banks started the process earlier.”

The liquor baron is facing money laundering charges in multi-crore fraud case in India, which wants him extradited from the UK where he fled to in March 2016.

Dressed in a suit and wearing his shades, Mallya appeared relaxed even as the judge is expected to review a video of the Mumbai jail cell prepared by the Indian authorities for the embattled liquor tycoon.

The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airline boss, who has been on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, responded to the swarm of reporters gathered outside the court in his characteristic manner, saying the “courts will decide”.

“As far as I am concerned, I have. I hope the honourable judges will consider it favourably; everybody gets paid off and I guess that’s the primary objective,” said Mallya, who is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crores.

According to Mallya, he and the United Breweries Group (UBHL) have filed an application in the Karnataka High Court on 22 June 2018, setting out available assets of approximately Rs 13,900 crores. They have asked the court for permission to allow the sale of assets under judicial supervision and repay creditors, including the Public Sector Banks such amounts as may be directed and determined by the Court.

The extradition trial, which opened at the London court on 4 December last year, is aimed at laying out a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya.

It also seeks to prove there are no “bars to extradition” and that the tycoon is assured a fair trial in India over his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines’ alleged default of over Rs 9,000 crores in loans from a consortium of Indian banks.

In separate legal proceedings, the businessman lost his appeal in the UK’s Court of Appeal against a High Court order in favour of 13 Indian banks to recover funds amounting to nearly 1.145 billion pounds.

The High Court order in favour of the State Bank of India (SBI) led consortium had reinforced a worldwide freezing order against Mallya’s assets. It was followed by a related enforcement order in June, granting permission to the UK High Court Enforcement Officer to enter Mallya’s properties in Hertfordshire, near London, where he has been based since he left India in March 2016.

नवाज़ और उनकी बेटी को मिल सकती है 3 दिनों कि पैरोल

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शरीफ की पत्नी कुलसुम का 68 साल की उम्र में मंगलवार को लंदन में निधन हो गया

जेल में बंद पूर्व पाकिस्तानी प्रधानमंत्री नवाज शरीफ, उनकी बेटी मरियम और दामाद कैप्टन (सेवानिवृत्त) मोहम्मद सफदर को बेगम कुलसुम के अंतिम संस्कार में शामिल होने के लिए एक दिन के पैरोल पर रिहा किया जाएगा.

सूत्रों ने मंगलवार को यह जानकारी दी. शरीफ की पत्नी कुलसुम का 68 साल की उम्र में मंगलवार को लंदन में निधन हो गया. वह कैंसर से पीड़ित थीं. उनका पार्थिव शरीर यहां लाया जाएगा और शरीफ परिवार के निवास जाटी उमरा लाहौर में दफनाया जाएगा.

सूत्रों ने बताया कि शरीफ, मरियम और सफदर को अंतिम संस्कार में शामिल होने के लिए पैरोल पर रिहा किया जा रहा है. उन्होंने कहा कि प्रधानमंत्री इमरान खान ने कुलसुम के पार्थिव शरीर को वापस लाने और अन्य मामलों में शरीफ परिवार को सहूलियतें मुहैया करने का आदेश दिया है. उन्होंने कहा कि सरकार पिता और पुत्री को एक दिन के लिए रिहा कर सकती है.

शरीफ परिवार ने कम से कम तीन दिनों के लिए पैरोल की मांग की है. पैरोल की मंजूरी के लिए अनुरोध जरूरी है. पाकिस्तान मुस्लिम लीग-नवाज की प्रवक्ता मरियम औरंगजेब ने कहा कि पार्टी अध्यक्ष शहबाज शरीफ अपने बड़े भाई नवाज शरीफ और भतीजी मरियम से मिलने अदियाला जेल गए ताकि कुलसुम को दफनाए जाने के बारे में निर्देश ले सकें. उन्होंने कहा कि पार्थिव शरीर को लाहौर लाने के लिए शहबाज लंदन रवाना होंगे.

यह पूछे जाने पर कि क्या उनके दोनों पुत्र हसन और हुसैन अंतिम संस्कार में भाग लेने के लिए लाहौर आएंगे, उन्होंने कहा कि इस संबंध में अभी तक कोई फैसला नहीं हुआ है. ऐसी संभावना है कि उनके दोनों पुत्र पाकिस्तान नहीं आएं क्योंकि एक अदालत ने विदेशों में संपत्ति से जुड़े एक मामले में उन्हें फरार घोषित किया है.

सीपीईसी में पारदर्शिता और भरोसा चाहता है पाकिस्तान

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अगर पाकिस्तान इस डील पर नाराज है तो एक दशक पुराने इस डील को रीनेगोशिएट करना थोड़ा मुश्किल होगा

पाकिस्तान और चीन के बीच सीपीईसी यानी चीन-पाकिस्तान इकोनॉमिक कॉरिडोर पर सबकुछ ठीक-ठाक नहीं लग रहा. पाकिस्तान के नए-नए प्रधानमंत्री बने इमरान खान चीन से नाखुश लग रहे हैं. उन्हें लगता है कि चीन इस प्रोजेक्ट के जरिए पाकिस्तान का फायदा उठा रहा है. अगर इस खबर में थोड़ी भी सच्चाई है तो ये न पाकिस्तान के लिए अच्छी खबर है न चीन के लिए. लेकिन बात पहले खबर पर.

पाकिस्तान का फायदा उठा रहा है चीन?

न्यूज एजेंसी पीटीआई के मुताबिक, यूनाइटेड किंगडम के अखबार फाइनेंशियल टाइम्स ने सोमवार को ये बात कही कि पाकिस्तान ने पाकिस्तान-चीन के बीच हुए सीपीईसी डील को देश के लिए अन्यायपूर्ण बताया है. पाकिस्तान ने कहा है कि चीनी कंपनियां इस डील में पाकिस्तान का फायदा उठा रही हैं.

फाइनेंशियल टाइम्स ने एक पाकिस्तानी अधिकारी के हवाले से कहा कि पाकिस्तान और चीन के बीच एक दशक पहले बेल्ट एंड रोड इनीशिएटिव और व्यापार समझौते में पाकिस्तान की भूमिका को दोबारा आंकेगा और नेगोसिएशन करेगा.

अखबार में इमरान खान के कॉमर्स, टेक्सटाइल, इंडस्ट्री और प्रोडक्शन एंड इन्वेस्टमेंट सलाहकार अब्दुल रज़ाक दाउद के हवाले से कहा कि सीपीईसी पर पिछली सरकार ने चीन के साथ नेगोसिएशन बहुत बेकार तरीके से की है, जिससे पाकिस्तान को काफी नुकसान हुआ है.

दाउद ने ये भी कहा कि ‘चीनी कंपनियों को बहुत सारे टैक्स ब्रेक दिए गए हैं और उन्हें अनुचित लाभ मिल रहा है. ये हमारी नजर में है. ये उचित नहीं है कि पाकिस्तानी कंपनियां नुकसान उठाएं. हमें लगता है कि हमें सबकुछ एक साल के लिए रोक लेना चाहिए. शायद हम सीपीईसी को अगले पांच सालों के लिए टाल दें.’

इमरान खान का क्या है स्टैंड?

इमरान खान पाकिस्तान के प्रधानमंत्री बनने से पहले भी सीपीईसी की आलोचना करते रहे हैं. उनके हिसाब से समस्या ये है कि इस प्रोजेक्ट में पारदर्शिता की कमी और बड़े स्तर पर भ्रष्टाचार की आशंका है. हालांकि आम चुनावों से पहले एक चीनी अखबार से बातचीत के दौरान उनके सुर थोड़े नरम पड़े थे. उन्होंने कहा था कि सीपीईसी पाकिस्तान की आर्थिक व्यवस्था के लिए कई पहलुओं में सकारात्मक बदलाव लेकर आया है.

अब बात संभावनाओं और आशंका पर

सबसे पहले ये साफ कर दिया जाए कि सीपीईसी पर भले ही इमरान खान के सलाहकार के हवाले से किसी असहमति की खबर आई हो, लेकिन फिलहाल कुछ कहना मुश्किल हो सकता है.

अभी दो दिन पहले ही चीन के विदेश मंत्री और स्टेट काउंसिल वांग यी पाकिस्तान की यात्रा करके वापस गए हैं. वांग यी चीन की राजनीति में काफी ऊंची हैसियत रखते हैं. उनका कहना था कि वो चीनी सरकार की तरफ से नए पाकिस्तानी प्रधानमंत्री को ये बताने आए हैं कि वो उनके साथ काम करने को उत्सुक हैं और 50 बिलियन डॉलर के प्रोजेक्ट सीपीईसी को आगे बढ़ाने को तैयार हैं. यहां चीन और पाकिस्तान दोनों ने सीपीईसी प्रोजेक्ट को पूरा करने का इरादा जाहिर किया है.

इमरान खान ने भी चीन की दोस्ती को पाकिस्तान की विदेश नीति की आधारशिला बताया है. ऐसे में सीपीईसी को लेकर दोनों देशों का उत्साह तो काफी ऊपर है लेकिन पाकिस्तान की नाराजगी को नजरअंदाज नहीं किया जा सकता.

पाकिस्तान के लिए मुश्किल होगा बदलाव करवाना

अगर पाकिस्तान इस डील पर नाराज है तो एक दशक पुराने इस डील को रीनेगोशिएट करना थोड़ा मुश्किल होगा. साथ ही अब अमेरिका भी पाकिस्तान को लेकर काफी सख्त है, तो पाकिस्तान के लिए चीन से खुन्नस खाना भी इतना आसान नहीं होगा. पाकिस्तान को भी अच्छे से पता है कि वो अपने अकेले के दम पर चीन को झुका नहीं सकता है क्योंकि आज तक वो ऐसा कुछ नहीं कर पाया है. कभी अमेरिका तो कभी चीन उसे किसी न किसी कंधे की जरूरत पड़ती रही है. साथ ही उसे ये भी पता है कि दुश्मन का दुश्मन दोस्त होता है. इसलिए भारत से हमेशा अड़े रहने वाले चीन के साथ दोस्ती रखना उसके लिए काफी जरूरी है. इसलिए ये डील टाली जाती है या इसमें ज्यादा कुछ बदलाव किया जाता है, इसकी गुंजाइश कम है.

इसके अलावा चीन के नजरिए से देखें तो चीन के लिए पाकिस्तान भारतीय उपमहाद्वीप में काफी अहम कैंडीडेट है. चीन-भारत-पाकिस्तान का त्रिकोणीय खेल खेलने में वैसे भी चीन का काफी मजा आता होगा. पाकिस्तान को भारत के खिलाफ आगे किए रखने के लिए उसे पाकिस्तान के साथ अपने संबंध बनाए रखना होगा. हालांकि यहां वैसे भी वो दबाव में नहीं है.

इस सबके इतर चीन के लिए अपने व्यापारिक संबंध काफी अहम हैं. हो सकता है कि अगर पाकिस्तान की ओर से असंतुष्टि जताई जाती है तो शायद इस समझौते में कोई बदलाव किया जाए.

फिलहाल पूरे मामले पर नजर डाला जाए तो ज्यादा बदलाव के हालात नहीं बन रहे.

Rupee now 72.73 against 1 Dollar breaking its own records

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The rupee has gone down by more than 13 per cent against the dollar so far this year making it the worst performing Asian currency during the period.

Tuesday saw yet another bloodyagainst the US dollar as the former plunged by 28 paise to hit a new record low of 72.73 in late afternoon trade on strengthening American currency as crude oil prices went past the USD 78 a barrel mark, reported PTI.

This comes on the heels of the rupee closing at an all-time low of 72.45 against the dollar on Monday, down by 72 paise against Friday’s closing of 71.73.

News agency Bloomberg quoted a senior government official saying that the finance ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are in constant touch to monitor the rupee.

“The top bank is intervening when required,” he was quoted as saying.

The rupee has gone down by more than 13 per cent against the dollar so far this year making it the worst performing Asian currency during the period.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex plunged 509.04 points, or 1.34 per cent, to close at 37,413.13 in Tuesday’s session.

India becoming favourite to US worries Dragon

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In an opinion piece on last week’s India-US 2+2 dialogue, the Global Times, said it appeared the US’ South Asia policy has witnessed significant developments in the past few weeks.

India, sharing common anxieties with the US against a rising China, has assumed new importance on Washington’s radar while Pakistan can no longer enjoy a special status like it did during the war on terror in Afghanistan, a leading Chinese daily has said.

In an opinion piece on last week’s India-US 2+2 dialogue, the Global Times, which reflects the view of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said it appeared the US’ South Asia policy has witnessed significant developments in the past few weeks.

On the one hand, Washington announced it would cancel $300 million in military assistance to Pakistan and named Zalmay Khalilzad, a long-time critic of Pakistan, as a special envoy to Afghanistan while on the other it signed with New Delhi a long-due major military communications agreement which allows the two countries to closely coordinate on a compatible network just like the US and its closest allies do, the newspaper added.

It pointed out that the Trump administration, in its National Security Strategy and the National Defence Strategy, recently indicated that Washington’s strategic focus has shifted from dealing with global terrorism to managing major power rivalries.

“So, when it comes to its South Asia policy, this sea change in concept has also been materialised into concrete policy options toward both Pakistan and India,” it added.

As a result of Washington’s strategic focus shift, the US-Pakistan relationship has been troubled for some time. In his first talk about South Asian policy in August 2017, Trump went so far as to openly denounce Pakistan as the “safe havens” for terrorist organisations. Again, Trump’s very first tweet in 2018 was a surprising and scathing attack on Pakistan, accusing the country of providing “nothing but lies and deceit” in return for multi-billion US aid over past 15 or so years. Since then, Washington suspended more than $1.1 billion in security assistance to Pakistan.

The final cancellation of $300 million assistance announced on 1 September was actually part of Coalition Support Funds which had been suspended initially at the beginning of the year, the daily said.

In the post-9/11 era, the US offered billions of dollars to Pakistan in order to support counter-terrorism mission against Al-Qaeda, to operationalise robust intelligence cooperation and to equip Pakistani army with the capacity to target militants from all around.

But, as Al-Qaeda has been decimated over time and threat from other radical groups have grown, Washington found its aid to Pakistan increasingly hard to justify.

Even if Washington needs Islamabad to carry on their cooperation when it comes to the Afghanistan issue, the former, under the Machiavellian Trump administration, seemingly minds little if it approaches India at Pakistan’s expense, be it security and diplomatic.

India vs England, 5th Test: Five talking points from Day One

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England’s Alastair Cook hits a boundary during play on the first day of the fifth Test cricket match between England and India at The Oval in London on September 7, 2018.

Alastair Cook missed out on a century as the Joe Root-led side threw away a perfect start to huff and puff their way to 198 for seven.

September 8, 2018 1:40 pm

Alastair Cook

England’s Alastair Cook. (Photo: AFP)

Former England skipper Alastair Cook missed out on a century as the Joe Root-led side threw away a perfect start to huff and puff their way to 198 runs for a loss of seven wickets at the conclusion of the opening day of the fifth and last Test match of the ongoing series. The match is being placed at the Oval.

Batting first, the openers gave England a decent start by adding a 60-run stand for the first wicket. Even after Keaton Jennings was removed by Ravindra Jadeja, England continued their over-cautious approach. Following Jennings’ departure, Alastair Cook and Moeen Ali took England’s innings forward against some disciplined and sustained Indian bowling. On Friday, for an instance when England were 133 for 1, it seems Joe Root’s side is in control of the game. However, after Cook was removed, spectators once again witnessed a batting collapsed by the home team.

Here are five talking points from Day One

1- Alastair Cook receives guard of honour from the Indian team

The ongoing fifth Test match is also England’s highest Test run-getter Alastair Cook’s last international match. On Friday, as Cook walked out to bat, the 33-year-old batsman took a guard of honour form the Indian team — a handshake from rival skipper Virat Kohli and a standing ovation from the Oval crowd.

Virat Cook

Alastair Cook has played 161 Test matches for England and scored 12,254 runs at an average of 44.88 with the help of 32 hundreds and 56 half centuries.

2- Hanuma Vihari preferred over Karun Nair

On the first day of the final Test match, skipper Virat Kohli and team management once again came under heavy criticism for team selection after debutant Hanuma Vihari was included in team’s playing XI ahead Karun Nair.

Nair, picked in the Indian squad for the initial three Test matches, was then retained by selectors for the final two matches of the series. Despite getting selected in both the squads, Nair has not played a single Test match in this tour.

After Virat Kohli announced his playing XI, his decision to include Hanuma Vihari and not Karun Nair has received plenty of flak on the micro-blogging site, Twitter.

Hanuma Vihari take his Test cap from Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

 

The 29-year-old captain’s decision to ignore Karun Nair was also heavily criticised by Sunil Gavaskar during the pre-match show. “Karun Nair has every right to ask the team management why he is not in the team. He deserves an answer. You didn’t pick an extra specialist batsman earlier, but now that you have, Karun Nair deserves an answer,” Gavaskar said.

3- Ravindra Jadeja

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was finally included in Team’s playing XI for the fifth Test match and he grabbed the opportunity by claiming two crucial wickets.

On Friday, the visiting team made two changes in their playing XI — Hardik Pandya was replaced by Hanuma Vihari and Ravindra Jadeja was included in place of injured R Ashwin.

India’s Ravindra Jadeja (2R) celebrates the dismissal of England’s Keaton Jennings on the first day of the fifth Test cricket match between England and India at The Oval in London on September 7, 2018

 

Ravindra Jadeja has warmed the benches until now, but now that he has been given the opportunity he has shown what he is capable of.

Ravindra Jadeja bowled a terrific spell and claimed 2 wickets in 24 overs and conceded 57 runs.

4- Alastair Cook

Alastair Cook finally shone with the bat in the second-last innings of his international Test career. Though Cook missed out a century in his final Test match, he will again get the chance to score a ton in the last innings of his Test career.

England’s Alastair Cook acknowledges the applause

 

On Friday Cook scored 71 runs and gave England a decent start with the bat. Cook’s dismissal was also the turning point in the game as after he was sent back, Indian roared their way back into the game to take full control of proceedings.

5- Indian pacers shine again

Though India have already lost the five-match Test series and have just four more days left in this tour, Kohli’s side proved they have one of the most lethal pace attacks in their squad, which can come handy during Australia tour.

The way Indian pacers bowled throughout the series was simply outstanding.

India’s Ishant Sharma

On the opening day of the final Test match, Indian pacers Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah kept England at bay all day by hitting the correct areas consistently.

Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah shared five wickets and Mohammed Shami was wicketless at the end of first day’s game.

Gen Bajwa supports ‘Self Determination’ for J&K

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Islamabad supports self-determination, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa says in the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan during Defence and Martyrs Day ceremony.

Pakistan Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday raked up the Kashmir issue and reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for “self-determination” in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistan Army learnt a lot from the 1965 and 1971 wars with India and had made the country’s defence impregnable by developing nuclear weapons, he said at a Defence and Martyrs Day, organised to mark the anniversary of the 1965 war with India, at the Army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Gen. Bajwa said Pakistan supported the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their “struggle for the right to self-determination”.

“We have learned a lot from the wars of 65 and 71. We were able to further strengthen our defence forces in the wake of these wars. Despite difficult economic times, we were able to become an atomic power. September 6, 1965, is an important day in the history of our nation,” he said, adding that Pakistani soldiers jumped into the fiery pits of warfare but did not let the country be harmed. “The bravery shown by our nation during the 1965 war serves as an important lesson and an inspiration to our youth even today.”

Won’t fight other people’s wars, says Khan

Mr. Khan said Pakistan would never fight any other country’s war in future and his government’s foreign policy would be in the best interest of the nation. “We will not become part of a war of any other country [in future]… Our foreign policy will be in the best interest of the nation,” he said, apparently referring to the country’s involvement in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Pakistan was the ally of the United States during the Cold War as it fought the American war with the erstwhile Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

Mr. Khan praised the armed forces for combating terrorism. “No other nation has fought the war on terror like the Pakistan Army.” The role of the security forces and intelligence agencies in making the country safer against all threats was unparalleled, he said.

Mr. Khan also talked about investing in human capital by sending children to schools and building hospitals and system of merit so that everyone is treated equally on the pattern of first Muslim state of Medina. “The government will bring meritocracy and transparency in all sectors by following the golden principles of state of Medina,” he said.