Comment by Riaz Haq on January 26, 2017 at 8:40am

Fighter jets, attack submarines & helicopters: #India flexes its military muscles on #RepublicDay. #Modi #Pakistan

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/25/india-to-display-military-might-at-r...

New Delhi's army, navy and air force are known to pull out all the stops at the annual affair, which historically serves as a platform to commemorate technological defense advancement. Republic Day marks the day the Indian constitution came into effect in 1950; India's independence day, achieved in 1947, is celebrated on Aug. 15.

2017's edition will be no different, especially amid a shaky global geopolitical environment. "This year, expect more of an emphasis on naval power projection capabilities, given ongoing uncertainty in the South China Sea," warned Paul Burton, director of defense industry and budgets at IHS Jane's.
Unlike its Southeast Asian neighbors, India is not a player in the territorial conflict but it closely monitors Chinese assertiveness for implications on Indian interests in the region.

At every Republic Day parade, New Delhi plays host to a new guest of honor, with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan taking the seat this year; previous guests have included former U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande.

Here's a summary of the main highlights on tap, according to Vaibhav Sahgal, consultant at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

On the air side, expect a flypast of 27 aircrafts, a marching contingent led by the official band of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and a tableau. The first phase will begin by four Mi-17 V5 helicopters in an 'ensign' or inverted-Y-shaped formation, followed by three Mi-35 helicopters in a 'chakra' or wheel-shaped formation, and supplanted by three C-130J Super Hercules aircrafts. A C-17 aircraft and two Su-30 MKI aircrafts will then come after in a 'globe' formation.

This year, two entrants will make their parade debut: the domestic Light Combat Aircraft as well as an appearance by the National Security Guard, the national counter-terrorism force.

The Indian Navy meanwhile is set to showcase the Kolkata class destroyer INS Chennai and the Kalvari class attack submarines—models that will soon form the core of the navy's conventional submarine arm.

Comment by Riaz Haq on January 26, 2017 at 5:36pm

#Pakistan bans religious #TV host #aamirliaqat Hussain over #Blasphemy allegations. #BolTV

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/26/pakistan-bans-religio...

Pakistan’s television regulator has banned a well-known talkshow host for hate speech, after he hosted shows accusing liberal activists and others of blasphemy, an inflammatory allegation that could put their lives at risk.

Blasphemy is a criminal offence in Muslim-majority Pakistan that can result in the death penalty. Even being accused of blasphemy can provoke targeted acts of violence by religious rightwing vigilantes.

Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who describes his programme aired on Bol TV as the country’s leading television show, had been at the forefront of a campaign to discredit liberal activists who went missing this month, as well as those defending them.

In a document sent to Bol TV and seen by Reuters, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority said Liaquat’s show “wilfully and repeatedly made statements and allegations which (are) tantamount to hate speech, derogatory remarks, incitement to violence against citizens and casting accusations of being anti-state and anti-Islam.”

Liaquat did not answer calls to his mobile telephone on Thursday and representatives of Bol TV were not immediately available for comment.

He had blamed several prominent Pakistanis for an anti-state agenda and being either sympathetic to, or directly involved in, blasphemy against Islam’s founder, the prophet Muhammad.

In 2011, the governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was assassinated by one of his bodyguards after he called for reform of the country’s blasphemy laws.

Taseer’s killer, Mumtaz Qadri, was executed but not before becoming a hero in the eyes of the religious right.

At least 65 others have been murdered over blasphemy allegations since 1990, according to figures from the Center for Research and Security Studies thinktank and media.

Liaquat, famous for combining religion and gameshows, has often courted controversy. He once gave away abandoned babies during a broadcast and caused uproar by airing vitriolic hate speech against the Ahmadi minority.

One of the targets of Liaquat’s show was activist lawyer Jibran Nasir, who filed a police complaint under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism law on Thursday charging him with “running a defamatory and life-threatening campaign”.

Classical dancer Sheema Kirmani received death threats after Liaquat targeted her on his 19 January broadcast.

Classical dance was banned and associated with obscenity under the regime of military dictator Zia ul Haq, who pushed for greater “Islamisation” of Pakistan in the 1980s.

The situation is potentially worse now than during the Zia era, Kirmani said. “Previously the government could close the auditorium, or arrest you, but now anyone sitting in the audience can decide ‘I am not going to allow this.’”

Comment by Riaz Haq on February 3, 2017 at 8:46pm

#Pakistan Rangers taunt #India's #hungry soldiers at #BORDER: "Come over. We have #food here" http://toi.in/EGswKa via @timesofindia

"At sectors where Indian and Pakistani border posts are located opposite each other on either side of the border — such as some places in Barmer sector of the Gujarat frontier — the Pak Rangers taunt our men with jibes like, 'If you are hungry, please come over. We have food here,'" a top BSF official (Gujarat Frontier) said. The BSF (Gujarat Frontier) has already ordered an inquiry into the social media posts of another BSF jawan, Navratna Choudhari, who has also alleged corruption. Choudhari is currently posted as head constable (ministerial) at Gandhidham, Kutch.

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