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Pak wooing Indians against Modi
ISLAMABAD: A media report stated that Pakistan has set up a high-level committee to formulate a "doable and sustainable" policy to highlight the Kashmir issue globally and is reaching out to Indians opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "extremist policies." The decision was reportedly announced by advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz, in the Senate. The committee will consist of senior officials from the ministries of defence, interior and information, military operations directorate, Inter-Services Intelligence, and Intelligence Bureau. Aziz said the committee was headed by foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry and could co-opt other members if required. He said another committee, chaired by the information secretary had been formed to prepare fact sheets to "counter India's propaganda campaign and design a media strategy to continuously highlight the Kashmiri freedom struggle." The committee also includes representatives from the ministries of defence, foreign affairs and IT, as well as members of the military operations directorate, ISI and IB.
Cuba bids farewell to Fidel Castro, ruler for half-century
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HAVANA: Communist country Cuba bid final farewell to revolutionary leader Fidel Castro; a leftist revolutionist who ruled for half a century and managed to resist the United States throughout the Cold War. Castro died last week at the age of 90 following a long history of ill health, and handing over power to his brother Raul. Thousands of Cubans dressed in red, white and blue national flags, paid their respects chanting "Long live Fidel! We can hear him, we can feel him, he'll always be here," and holding up banners that read "We are Fidel". The government invited masses to the Havana's Revolution Square for a two-day commemoration that began with a 21-gun salute. Raul Castro and his top lieutenants held a separate, private ceremony, where they signed a book in front of an identical portrait and laid white flowers. Castro was always admired by leftists, many saw him as a revolutionary champion of the poor, but there were others who saw him as a dictator who oppressed Cubans and ruined the country's economy. He was cremated over the weekend, with the government declaring a nine-day period of mourning. His ashes will be carried in a cortege to a final
resting place in Santiago de Cuba, the city where he had launched the revolution. While a handful of world leaders sent admiring messages of condolence, Castro was also condemned by critics including Trump who chose to call him a "brutal dictator who oppressed his own people." Before the leader's death, Trump had threatened to reverse President Barack Obama's rapprochement with the country that included restoring diplomatic ties, increasing trade and pressing the US Congress to end years of economic embargo. The ceremony only saw so many world leaders in attendance, mainly from Latin
WORLD Asian Voice | 3rd December 2016
America, the Caribbean and Africa. The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin would not attend as he was preparing for a major speech, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also skipped after his positive comments on the Cuban leader garnered backlash. Reacting to the death, North Korea called for three days of mourning and said it would keep flags at half mast to honour Castro. An Indian delegation lead by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh left for Havana on Tuesday. Castro's 1959 revolution toppled a dictatorship with the promise of bringing justice and equality.
In Brief
Indian-origin man jailed for printing fake notes
SINGAPORE: A 29 year old Indian-origin man has been jailed for over three years for printing fake Singaporean currency notes. Sasi Kumar Lakshmanan decided to print fake currency notes of SGD 100 and SGD 50. Deputy Public Prosecutor Magdalene Huang said Lakshmanan decided to print some counterfeit currency notes as he was in a financial difficulty and owed loan sharks more than SGD 5000. He realised the photocopy of the 100 SGD note was almost similar to the genuine one, and soon photocopied notes. The next day, he produced one of the fake notes to pay for two packets of cigarettes. The fake currency was noticed by a stall supervisor who complained to the police, two days after Lakshmanan first printed the fake notes. Police raided Lakshmanan's home and found a counterfeit SGD 500 note among other things.
US mosques receive letters threatening Muslims
WASHINGTON: Several mosques in the United States have allegedly received threatening letters and emails against the community in the country. An anonymous handwritten letter, which has so far, been received by three mosques in California and one in Georgia, warned Muslims to "pack your bags and get out of dodge as Trump is going to cleanse America and make it shine again." The letter states, "There's a new sheriff in town- President Donald Trump. He's going to cleanse America and make it shine again. And, he's going to start with you Muslims. And, he's going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the Jews." "This hate campaign targeting California houses of worship must be investigated as an act of religious intimidation, and our state's leaders should speak out against the growing anti-Muslim bigotry that leads to such incidents," said Hussam Ayloush, leader of the council's Los Angeles branch.
Gen Bajwa takes over as Pakistan's new army chief ISLAMABAD: General Qamar Javed Bajwa has taken over as Pakistan's new army chief, succeeding Gen Raheel Sharif at a ceremony in Rawalpindi. Gen Raheel handed over the command of the army to the Chief of Army Staff Bajwa at the event held in the Army Hockey Stadium. The update came after weeks of intense speculation of Gen Raheel extending his term. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Lt General Bajwa as the chief, handing him the world's sixth largest army by troop numbers, and making him one of the most powerful men in the country. A top Indian Army officer said, "Gen Bajwa is well-versed with the complexities, nature of operations and terrain along the LoC. He has also handled Kashmir extensively during his career. But it's too premature to say anything. Both Generals Pervez Musharraf and Ashfaq Kayani proved different from initial
Qamar Javed Bajwa
assessments." The new chief has served as corps commander Rawalpindi, which controls the twin headquarters of government and military, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, besides being responsible for security of the region along the line of control. General Zubair Hayat, senior-most three star general has been appointed chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee. A PM's spokesman said President Mamnoon Hussain promoted Bajwa and Hayat to four-star generals on Sharif's advice. It is believed that the new army
would play a crucial role in mending ways with the civilian rulers of the country. Bajwa's military colleagues said that he is not attention-seeking individual, and believes in being well-connected with his troops. This regiment has till date given three Army chiefs to Pakistan. Moreover, Gen. Bajwa was posted in the X Corps which is responsible for nearly the entire active border areas with India, thrice in different capacities and has a good experience of handling Kashmir's affairs, which is indicative of the fact that with his appointment as new chief, there will be any major shift of Pakistan towards Kashmir and dealing with Kashmir issue with India. General Bikram Singh, a former head of India's army who served with Bajwa in the Congo as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force, praised Bajwa's conduct as a soldier during their time in Africa.
Hijab-clad woman called 'terrorist' in US LOS ANGELES: A hijabclad woman was approached at a US store by another customer who called her a "terrorist" and told her to "get out" of the country, in yet another inci-
dent prompted by hate following Donald Trump's win. Eyewitness Barney Lopez said, "I went down the aisle to go get sodas and then all of a sudden I hear somebody starting to yell at
her (the hijab-clad woman). And... saying things like 'Get out of our country, you don't belong here, you're a terrorist!" The incident occurred at Smith's store in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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