National
The Third Eye: This is the age of 'proxy wars' with terrorism as chief weapon
New Delhi: The end of the Cold War in 1991 was known to have opened the floodgate of cross-border conflicts, insurgencies and separatist violence instigated from outside — all representing a switch over to ‘covert’ attacks in replacement of ‘open’ warfare.
The pent-up hostilities kept in check by a tense division of the world between two superpowers partly explained why hostile neighbours felt free to settle scores with each other in the belief that they would not attract intervention by large global players.
The termination of the Cold War coincided with the rise of terrorism as an instrument of proxy wars.
It is remarkable that Afghanistan which became the cause for dismemberment of the USSR, also turned out to be the territory that would provide the run-up to the terror attack of 9/11 on the US — the remaining superpower.
Mullah Omar, Amir of the Kabul Emirate, who assumed power in Afghanistan in 1996 gave a free hand to his close relative, Osama bin Laden — founder of Al Qaeda — and when the US brought down the Taliban rule, bin Laden and his Arab cohorts planned the audacious terror attack on the Twin Towers. The 9/11 set off the trend of proxy wars — also called ‘asymmetric’ wars — that would use ‘militants’ rather than ‘soldiers’ in the covert offensive.
The two biggest international military conflicts of our times have brought out how a ‘war’ was initiated but denied — just because a proxy mode was used for the attack.
The Ukraine-Russia military confrontation started off with the Russian army’s intervention in Ukraine in February 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin however, described it as a cross-border ‘operation’ meant to safeguard the interests of the Russian-speaking population of east and south Ukraine that was allegedly exposed to serious discrimination by President Zelensky — Putin avoided using the word ‘war’ for the invasion.
The response of the US-led NATO was to rush military support to Ukraine by way of the despatch of arms and other war material but without committing any troops on the ground. The lack of membership in NATO for Ukraine came in handy for the US in keeping the aid to Ukraine in a proxy mode and not letting a global level ‘war’ erupt out of the bilateral confrontation.
Conflicts sustained by proxy support typically turn into a war of attrition inflicting huge losses on people — in this case mostly on the Ukraine side.
The military offensive of Israel in Gaza was provoked by the surreptitious ‘terror’ attack of Hamas on Israel on October 7 last year, in which some 1200 Israelis were killed and nearly 250 including women and children were taken away as hostages by the attackers. This was the most recent example of terrorism being used as the instrument of a cross-border military offensive — the Hamas attack was a planned covert attack of a militant body that had progressively turned into an Islamic ‘radical’ outfit.
Hamas viewed the conflict in Palestine as a ‘religious war’ between Islam and Zionism — and not as a mere ‘political’ dispute. This has pushed the Middle East towards a wider regional conflict in which political alignments are being bolstered by religious divides. This is a matter of deep concern for the international community.
The involvement of Iran and its proxies in support of Hamas in the ongoing military pursuit of the Gaza-based outfit by Israel is already producing international repercussions of a kind that would accentuate the trend of a possible return of the Cold War between the US on one hand and the China-Russia axis on the other.
In the Middle East, Iran and Israel are the biggest powers with a known history of adversarial relationships. Hamas was originally an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood — the organisation formed by Hasan Al Banna in Egypt and Syria at the height of the Cold War to oppose nationalist pro-Soviet Arab regimes there and call for a return to Islamic rule.
Banna’s thesis was that an Islamic state could exist ‘in competition not conflict’ with the Western state and this made the Muslim Brotherhood politically acceptable to the US-led West. However, after the ‘Arab Spring’ the rise of ‘radicalisation’ in the Islamic world changed the character of Hamas also and the latter turned into an Islamic radical outfit totally opposed to the US.
Hamas also consequently became far more hostile to Israel the closest ally of the US, than before. On the other hand, Iran under the Ayatollahs represented the rule of Shiite Fundamentalism which is ideologically opposed to Capitalism symbolised by the US. Politically, therefore, Iran and Hamas are on the same side of the fence and this has even overshadowed the religious antagonism that existed between fundamentalist Sunnis and Shiites.
The killing of the political supremo of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in his guest house in Tehran by a precision missile fired from outside the capital city allegedly by Israel, has precipitated a new crisis between Iran and Israel with the former threatening revenge for Haniyeh’s death.
Both China and Russia have condemned Haniyeh’s death as a “political assassination” and thus confirmed their alignment with Iran against the US.
The US has deployed aircraft carriers in the Gulf to deter Iran from taking any retaliatory action against Israel underscoring the rise of Big Power rivalries in the geopolitically vital Middle East. Iran had already set its proxies — principally Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis — upon Israel.
The ascendancy of drones established by the Ukraine-Russia armed conflict — Iran has been the biggest supplier of drones to Russia — is becoming a major reason for the prolongation of cross-border ‘proxy wars’ across the globe. India has directly felt its impact as Pakistan has been using Chinese drones to drop arms and narcotics in the border states of Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab as part of its covert offensive.
In fact, a major concern of India is that the Sino-Pak axis was now far more active — ever since the Indian Parliament abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019 — in carrying out joint operations aimed at damaging India’s internal security. Pak ISI is behind instigating communal militancy in J&K and elsewhere and pushing it towards faith-based terrorism.
Terrorism by definition is the ‘use of covert violence for a perceived political cause’ and since a ‘cause’ required ‘commitment’ that in turn was measured by ‘motivation’, the roots of terrorism lay in this motivation that could be ‘ideological’ as in the case of Naxalites, linked to an assertion of ‘ethnic identity’ as in the case of India’s North East insurgencies or rooted in ‘faith’ as was the case with ‘radical’ Islamic organisations calling for Jehad.
In Islam, the pull of Jehad can be very strong — it was put at par with the five Fundamental Duties of the faith. Jehad calls for supreme sacrifice for the cause of Islam or in defence of the community of faithful.
Ever since the launch of the ‘war on terror’ by the US-led West following 9/11 — first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq — radical Islamic forces have increased their hold in the Muslim world and this has impacted geopolitics across West & South Asia, Africa and even Europe. Faith-based terrorism has been the instrument of many cross-border offensives, insurgencies and even internal civil wars.
Proxy wars have been intensified because of the spread of the narcotics trade and the new trend of ‘narcoterrorism’ which was now quite visible in both Kashmir and Punjab, was becoming a universal phenomenon. The illicit narcotics trade is creating new vulnerabilities even for the US’ internal security.
Pak-Afghan region after the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, is known more for the patronage extended by Pakistan to the Taliban Emirate at Kabul as also for the production of high-end narcotics and has consequently become a great security threat to India for it has enabled Pakistan to induct Islamic radicals for cross-border terror attacks in Kashmir.
Further, the Sino-Pak strategic alliance that had already enabled China to create the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) cutting through the northern areas of PoK, is now enabling China and Afghanistan to negotiate on opening traffic in the narrow Wakhan strip in North Eastern Afghanistan that separated Tajikistan from Pakistan. This will help to extend CPEC to Tajikistan — linking the land-locked Central Asia to Karachi and Gwadar Port — which would give a tremendous advantage to these two adversaries of India.
At the same time, the developments in the Middle East notably the escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict and the constraints faced by Saudi Arabia have blocked the progress of the project jointly sponsored by the US and India at the G20 Summit hosted by India in 2023 — relating to the economic corridor linking India through Saudi Arabia to Europe which was a strategic counterbalancing move against China’s Belt & Roads Initiative (BRI).
Iran, it is said, had secured the miniature warhead technology to equip its drones from North Korea through the good offices of China and all of this created a challenge for India’s policy of maintaining even-handed relationships with Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
To top it all, the upheaval in Bangladesh caused by a militant agitation against the policies of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina — particularly the announcement of the reservation quota — has resulted in her ouster from the country and the takeover by the Army. The agitation had the imprint of support from Pakistan and China.
The anti-Hasina stir reinforced by the incidents of the killings of a large number of protestors in police firing, became a strong pro-Islamic movement after Sheikh Hasina put a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami the outfit known for its loyalty to Pakistan.
The uprising in Bangladesh forcing Prime Minister Hasina to flee the country, is being rejoiced in Pakistan as a sort of revenge against the bifurcation of Pakistan by India in 1971. Between Pakistan and Bangladesh, the US clearly tilts towards the former.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister had a pro-India disposition as is well known and the attack on the Parliament building in Dacca after she had left the country, indicated that there might be a demand for the return to Islamic rule in Bangladesh. The Hindu minority in Bangladesh was now quite vulnerable in the changed situation there.
There is clearly a threat of organised infiltration of anti-India militants from across the Bangladesh border that was porous in places. India has done well to deploy BSF in additional strength and also keep the army on alert in this regard. Whatever happens in India’s eastern neighbourhood will have a deep impact on India’s strategic interests. The larger picture is that the scene around India currently marked by proxy offensives, cross-border terrorism and separatist civil wars, would need careful handling.
(The writer is a former Director of the Intelligence Bureau. Views are personal)
–IANS
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National
PM Modi to give certificates to 11 lakh Lakhpati Didis; roll out Rs 2,500 crore fund
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give certificates to 11 lakh new ‘Lakhpati Didis’ at a special function to be held at Jalgaon in Maharashtra on August 25 (Sunday).
The programme will have nationwide participation through the virtual mode.
The Prime Minister will release a revolving Community Investment Fund of Rs 2,500 crore, which will benefit about 48 lakh members of 4.3 lakh women Self Help Groups (SHGs), Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
PM Modi will also release a bank loan of Rs 5,000 crore, which will benefit 25.8 lakh members of 2,35,400 Self Help Groups (SHGs).
Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that people from about 30,000 places across 34 states and union territories including state capitals and district headquarters will join this program through the virtual route.
He said that Lakhpati Didis are women who earn Rs 1 lakh or more per annum. These Lakhpati Didis have not only pulled their families out of poverty but are also becoming role models for the rest of society, the Union Minister said.
“The Rural Development Ministry has already created 1 crore Lakhpati Didis. Now our target is to create 3 crore Lakhpati Didis in the next 3 years. It is heartening to note that one of these community resource persons has created 95 Lakhpati Didis,” Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
He further explained that the Ministry has adopted a structured process to enable the SHG families to earn an annual income of Rs 1 lakh or more.
This includes capacitating National Resource Persons and developing Master Trainers in each state.
These Master Trainers further train the Community Resource Persons on business planning, financing and convergence process.
The cadre of 3 lakh Community Resource Persons, who have been specially trained in business planning and the skilling of SHG members, are doing a great service in this regard, the minister added.
Some of these community resource persons will also be facilitated.
As of now, the Ministry of Rural Development has formed 15 lakh Lakhpati Didis during the first 100 days which has succeeded the 11 lakh target for the period, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.
–IANS
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National
Tripura flood death toll rises to 12, more NDRF teams deployed (Lead)
Agartala, Aug 22 (IANS) The flood situation in Tripura, which has been lashed by heavy rains for the last four days, remained grim on Thursday and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) retained its ‘Red alert’ for all eight districts, officials said.
They added that more National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed as the rains and floods continue to play havoc.
Till Thursday, 12 deaths, including that of a 12-year-old girl and a woman were reported from South Tripura, Gomati, and Khowai districts and two persons were also said to be missing.
A Disaster Management Department official said that two more fresh casualties due to the floods were reported from south Tripura and Gomati districts, while around 65,500 people are taking shelter in 450 relief camps in all eight districts.
He said that 17 lakh people were affected in the entire state, which witnessed the monsoon flood in such a catastrophic manner for the first time in several decades.
Chief Minister Manik Saha, who is supervising the disaster management work, spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the second day on Thursday and apprised him of the prevailing scenario.
Home Minister Shah said in a post on X, “Spoke with CM Tripura, Dr Manik Saha, and took stock of the flood situation in the state. The Centre is rushing teams of NDRF, apart from boats and helicopters, to the state to assist the local government in relief and rescue operations. Assured of all possible assistance from the Centre as and when required. The Modi government firmly stands with our sisters and brothers in Tripura during this hour of crisis.”
Later, the Chief Minister while expressing gratitude to the Home Minister said that HM Shah informed him that 11 NDRF teams would be sent to Tripura from different locations in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
He said arrangements would also be made for choppers to airlift stranded people in the flood-affected areas.
“More number of boats would also be sent along with the NDRF teams. The entire state government machinery has been working round the clock to tackle the unprecedented natural calamity. I thank public representatives, social workers and the people at large for cooperating with the state government in this hour of crisis,” CM Saha said.
The central government has provided two helicopters for airlifting stranded people in Gomati and South Tripura districts.
Following the directions of the state government, due to the heavy rain and flooding, all educational institutions remained closed.
An India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said that though a ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall alert has been continued and a ‘Red alert’ has been sounded in all eight districts, the rain is likely to reduce slightly from Thursday evening.
“The low pressure area over north Bangladesh and neighbourhood persisted over the same region on Thursday. The associated cyclonic circulation now extends up to 9.4 km above mean sea level. It is likely to move nearly westwards across West Bengal during the next 48 hours. Additionally, a cyclonic circulation is likely to form over North Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood on August 24,” the official said.
The IMD recorded 233 mm rainfall in Agartala from 8.30 A.M. on August 21 to till 8.30 A.M. on Thursday.
According to Disaster Management Department officials over 1,055 houses were damaged either fully or partially and hundreds of trees were uprooted blocking many important highways.
Landslides occurred in 2,032 places across the state, out of which 1,789 locations were cleared by Thursday evening.
As per preliminary estimates, around 5,000 hectares of vegetable farms and 1.20 lakh hectares of other crop lands are still submerged.
Water Resource Department officials said that most of the prominent rivers in Tripura were either flowing above ‘critical’ or ‘danger’ levels while the state’s main river Gomati has crossed the ‘extreme danger’ level in many places of Gomati and Sepahijala districts, as rainfall has continued.
The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has cancelled 10 local trains in Tripura.
An NFR spokesman said that due to heavy rain railway tracks were damaged in Gomati district, forcing the authorities to cancel these trains.
A Defence spokesman said that following the requisition from state administrations, four columns of Assam Rifles were deployed in different districts and they were working in close coordination with the civil administration to rescue civilians stranded due to floods.
First aid and essential items have been distributed by the Assam Rifles to hundreds of stranded people and those in relief camps.
–IANS
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National
Waqf Amendment Bill is unconstitutional, undemocratic & unfair: Maulana Madani
New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The Muslim organisation on Thursday criticised the Union government over the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, calling it unconstitutional, undemocratic and unfair as it goes against the freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution.
“Amendment bill being brought to Waqf is unconstitutional, undemocratic and unfair. The proposed amendments to the Waqf Act are also against the freedom of religion provided by the Constitution and also violates articles 14-15 and 25 of the Constitution,” said Jamiat-i-Ulama Hind, President, Maulana Arshad Madani while addressing a joint press conference of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and Muslim Personal Law Board at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.
He added that the amendment bill is also the government’s interference in religious matters which Muslims will not accept.
“Under the guise of the amending bill, an attempt is being made to deprive the Muslims of this great country and of its heritage which our forefathers have left in the form of Waqf for the betterment of the poor, destitute and needy people of the country,” said Maulana Arshad Madani.
He said that amendments have been made in the bill without consulting the Muslim religious figures and taking the Muslims into confidence while Waqf is a purely religious and Shariah matter because once the Waqf is applied.
“The donor does not remain the owner of the property rather that property is transferred to the ownership of Allah,” he explained.
Maulana Madani said that while presenting the Amendment Bill in the parliament, it was claimed that it would bring transparency to the work and would benefit the weak and needy people of the Muslim society.
“This bill is proof of the malicious intent of the government and its dangerous plans. If this bill is passed not only the protection of Waqf properties across the country may be in danger but also a door of new conflicts will be opened and the status of those mosques, tombs, buildings, imam badas and lands which are Waqf properties or which are located on Waqf land will be made doubtful,” Maulana Madani said.
He added that instead of the Waqf Tribunal and Waqf Commissioners, all powers under this bill will be transferred to District Collectors.
“By increasing the number of members of the Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards, their status is also being changed and the door is being opened to appoint non-Muslims in it as well. This bill will also remove the requirement of being Muslim for officers and members,” he said.
Maulana Madani said that this is not a Hindu-Muslim issue but a constitutional problem and this bill is also against Muslim religious freedom.
He said that the Shrine Board, which was formed for the maintenance and protection of Hindu religious places, had a clear explanation that Jains, Sikhs or Buddhists would not be its members.
He questioned that if Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists cannot be members of the Shrine Board, how can the nomination and appointment of non-Muslims be justified in the Waqf Board?
“While Jainism and Buddhism are not considered separate from Hinduism, they are considered a separate sect. If they cannot participate in the shrine board even if they are Hindus on the basis of being a sect, then why is the nomination and appointment of non-Muslims in the Waqf boards made mandatory?” Maulana Madani asked.
He said that there are laws in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh etc. that those who manage the affairs of the Hindu religion’s property must be Hindus.
“Just as no other religious group can interfere in the religious affairs of Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in the same way, the management of Waqf properties should also be done only by Muslims. We do not accept any such proposal in the endowment system,” he added.
He said that it is clear that the intention of the government is not pure and through this bill, its purpose is not to bring transparency in the work and to benefit the Muslim community but to deprive Muslims of their Waqf properties and to weaken the claim of Muslims from the Waqf properties.
Maulana Madani said that an endless series of new conflicts can start in this way and taking advantage of the weak legal status of Muslims in the amendment bill may make it easier to occupy Waqf properties.
He added that we are not talking about one or two amendments but most of the amendments in the bill are unconstitutional and dangerous and destructive for the Waqf.
“This bill is also an attack on the constitutional powers given to Muslims. If the Constitution has given religious freedom and equal rights to every citizen then some special powers have also been given to the minorities living in the country. And the amendment bill negates all these powers completely,” he said.
Maulana Madani added that under the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, it has been suggested that Section 40 of the current Act should be removed while the 2006 Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf and Justice Sachar Committee reported that a large number of Waqf properties are illegally occupied while the incumbent government is also referring to the same Sachar Committee report.
“Despite this, it has been suggested in the 2024 bill that the State Waqf Board shall not be empowered to identify properties which are illegally occupied and to try to recover them. This proposal of the government is very harmful to the existence of endowments,” he said.
He added that during the last ten years, the minorities of the country, especially the Muslims, were put on the margins, and to make them believe that now, as citizens, they have no rights and powers, many laws have been forcibly brought and implemented.
“This Waqf Amendment Bill is also one of them by passing it in any way there is a conspiracy to forcefully apply it on Muslims, which we cannot accept,” he said.
–IANS
dan/
National
Calcutta HC questions Bengal govt's 'late realisation' to probe financial irregularities at RG Kar
Kolkata, Aug 22 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Thursday questioned the decision of the West Bengal government to set up a special investigation team to probe the alleged financial irregularities at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata when the controversial former principal Sandip Ghosh was in charge of the institution, even as the state health department was informed about the irregularities last year.
A single-judge bench of Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj made this observation while hearing a petition by the whistle-blower in the matter — former deputy medical superintendent of RG Kar — Akhtar Ali, who had sought the High Court’s intervention to seek protection in anticipation of security threat for being vocal against Sandip Ghosh.
On Wednesday, Ali also filed a public interest litigation seeking a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar.
During the hearing, Justice Bhardwaj observed that “from the inclusion of senior police officers in the special investigation team, it is evident that the matter is serious, and wondered why the team was constituted a year after the matter was brought to the notice of the state government”.
The state government counsel argued that the petition has been deliberately filed at this moment amid the recent incident of the rape and murder of a woman doctor in the R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital.
The state government counsel also questioned why the petitioner remained silent for one year after the complaint was not acted upon as claimed by him.
The Calcutta High Court also directed the state government counsel to present a detailed argument on the formation of SIT on Friday.
The West Bengal government earlier this week announced the formation of a special investigation team comprising four senior IPS officers and headed by an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police to prove the allegation of financial irregularities at RG Kar since 2021, when Sandip Ghosh was the principal there.
Opposition parties have already claimed that the formation of SIT by the state government was nothing but an eyewash, and it had been created not with the intention of revealing the truth behind the financial irregularities, but rather with the motive of destroying evidence in the matter.
–IANS
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National
Odisha: RDC-level probe to be launched soon into spurious liquor deaths
Bhubaneswar, Aug 22 (IANS) Amid the furore over two deaths caused by the consumption of spurious liquor in Ganjam district, Odisha Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan announced on Thursday that a probe by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner into the hooch tragedy will be initiated soon.
At least 23 persons from Moundpur, Jenapur, and Karabalua in Chikiti block had consumed country liquor from an unlicensed shop on Monday evening. They later fell ill and were admitted to a nearby hospital, where two of them died during treatment on Wednesday, prompting Harichandan to direct the officials to take all necessary steps to stop the illegal trade of liquor in the state.
Speaking to mediapersons, Harichandan said, “An RDC-level probe will be launched in this matter within the next couple of days. Action will be taken based on its report which will be submitted within two months. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will soon take the decision in this regard.”
He also vowed that the network of illegal liquor trade in the state will be completely destroyed within a year.
“As many as 217 illegal liquor manufacturing units have been identified in the state which will be demolished soon. Instructions have already been issued in this regard. Around 117 persons have so far been arrested following raids in different districts,” Harichandan.
He also assured the people that no illegal liquor unit will remain in existence in the state.
The Minister said the Excise Superintendent in Berhampur, Pradip Panigrahi, has been transferred for negligence in duty on Wednesday, while the government has also suspended Excise Inspector Ramesh Chandara Mohanty and Sub-inspector Prasanna Kumar Jali for similar lapses.
The deceased have been identified as Jura Behera and Lokanath Behera from Jenapur village, who died at the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
The opposition BJD has also the issue in the state Assembly on Thursday, demanding resignation of the Excise Minister.
–IANS
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