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Backdoor channels active to revive India-Pak ties

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With Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the ruling and a coalition government set in place, Islamabad and New Delhi have been working towards activating backdoor channels for talks to revive the stalled relationship between the nuclear powered neighbours.

The development is being seen as a major step with an intent to push forward the relationship between India and Pakistan towards normalcy through bilateral engagements, talks and addressing each other concerns to find a mutual ground of understanding.

Relations between the two countries have remained strained for years now and took a turn for the worse in August 2019 when India revoked special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

In responde, Pakistan downgraded diplomatic ties and suspended bilateral trade and insisted that until India reverses its decision, there can be no talks on any issue between the two countries.

“Even before the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took charge, the two countries were talking to each other, albeit quietly,” said an informed source.

“Those contacts have led to the renewal of the ceasefire understanding in February 2021 and since then the truce is holding, with no major incident of ceasefire violation.”

While the ceasefire agreement gave hopes of a forward movement towards more engagements on bilateral level between the two countries, it did not yield any positive results of openings during the tenure of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

However, under the new government set-up in Pakistan, there is renewed efforts by the two sides to explore ways and means to de-escalate tensions and revive the stalled relations.

“Call it backchannels, Track-II or behind-the-scene talks, I can only confirm that relevant people in both countries are in touch with each other,” another official source said

It should be noted that immediate results of these back channel engagements are unlikely as both sides have put forward tough preconditions for resumption of dialogue, the source added.

“Pakistan’s policy is clear. We want to engage with everyone, including India. However, Narendra Modi’s hardline government may not show flexibility on the issue of Kashmir.

“India is inclined to the re-engagement but reluctant to offer something that would help Pakistan resume the dialogue,” the source added.

The source also revealed that Western countries, including the US and UK, who he said are trying to open some formal channels of communications, are also facilitating the backdoor channels of engagement between India and Pakistan.

“India is eager to first resume trade and then other ties with Pakistan. New Delhi is willing to meet wheat shortage of Pakistan by entering into a government-to-government agreement.”

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UN Security Council demands release of personnel detained by Yemen’s Houthis

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United Nations, June 6: The Security Council demanded the immediate and unconditional release of personnel from the United Nations, nongovernmental and civil society organizations and diplomatic missions who were detained by the Houthis in Yemen.

In a press statement on Thursday, the members of the Security Council reiterated that all threats to those delivering humanitarian aid and assistance are unacceptable. They reiterated their demand that the Houthis ensure respect of international humanitarian law with regard to safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to ensure assistance can reach civilians in need.

The council members welcomed the continued work of the United Nations through all possible channels to secure the safe and immediate release of those detained.

According to media reports, Council members acknowledged that the Eid al-Adha holidays would be particularly difficult for those detained, their families and others who are themselves living in fear of detention.

This week marks one year since the wave of detention by the Houthis. According to the world body, 23 UN staff members and five personnel from international nongovernmental organizations remain detained. One UN staff member and another from Save the Children have died in detention.

In the past few days, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as well as heads of UN agencies and programs have called for the release of the detained personnel.

Earlier on June 3, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for the immediate and unconditional release of UN staff detained by the Houthis in Yemen.

“This June marks one year since the arbitrary detention of dozens of personnel from the United Nations, national and international NGOs, civil society organisations, and diplomatic missions by the Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen,” he said in a statement.

“I renew my call for their immediate and unconditional release, including those held since 2021 and 2023, and most recently this January.”

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners should never be targeted, arrested or detained while carrying out their mandates for the benefit of the people they serve, said Guterres.

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Death toll from overnight US airstrikes on Yemen’s capital rises to 3

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Sanaa, April 10: The death toll from fresh US airstrikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa rose to three, with several others wounded, medics and health authorities told Xinhua.

The airstrikes targeted the Al-Nahdayn area which is surrounded by densely residential neighbourhoods on Wednesday late night.

Shrapnel hit many houses and shattered windows, causing damage and killing three residents. Several wounded civilians have been rushed to hospital.

This was the latest wave of US airstrikes on northern Yemen since the US military resumed airstrikes on the Houthi group on March 15 to deter the group from targeting Israel and US warships in the northern Red Sea.

The airstrikes also targeted several locations across other northern areas late on Wednesday, including the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah and the Island of Kamaran, where no casualties have been reported so far.

The US military has yet to comment, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on April 9, Yemen’s Houthis said that they had shot down another US MQ-9 drone, the 18th since the start of the war in Gaza, the military group said.

“Our air defences shot down a US MQ-9 drone in the airspace of Al-Jawf province, using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile,” the group’s spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, said in a televised statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

“This is the 18th US drone shot down by our air defences since October 2023,” Sarea said, referring to the timeframe when his group began launching attacks against Israeli targets to show solidarity with Palestinians a few days after the outbreak of war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

The last MQ-9 was reportedly shot down by the Houthi forces on Thursday over the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

This type of drone has become well-known to Yemenis because it has been hovering overhead across northern Yemeni provinces almost daily since October 2023.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been launching regular rocket and drone attacks against Israel and disrupting “Israeli-linked” shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid their conflict with Israelis.

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SC quashes Gujarat Police FIR against Cong MP Imran Pratapgarhi

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New Delhi, March 28: The Supreme Court on Friday quashed an FIR registered in Gujarat against Congress Rajya Sabha member and poet Imran Pratapgarhi for allegedly disturbing social harmony.

Pronouncing its verdict, a bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said that no criminal offence was made out and allowed Pratapgarhi’s plea to quash the complaint alleging that a video posted by the Congress leader on Instagram, which featured a poem, was inciting unrest and harming social peace.

“Even if a large number of persons dislike the views expressed by another, the right of a person to express the views must be respected and protected. Literature, including poetry, drama, films, satire, and art, enriches human life,” observed the Justice Oka-led Bench of the apex court.

After the Gujarat High Court had turned down Pratapgarhi’s plea to quash the FIR, he moved a special leave petition before the Supreme Court.

In an interim order passed on January 21, the Justice Oka-led Bench shielded Pratapgarhi from arrest as it issued a notice to the Gujarat government in the matter, and also, in the meantime, ordered that no coercive steps should be taken against the petitioner in any manner on the basis of the impugned FIR.

During the course of the hearing, the apex court raised questions over the registration of an FIR. “Please see the poem. It’s ultimately a poem. It is not against any religion. It is not against any particular community. Please apply your mind to the poem,” remarked the Justice Oka-led Bench.

The complaint against Imran Pratapgarhi dates back to January 3, when a complaint was filed at the Jamnagar police station by an advocate’s clerk. The complainant alleged that a video posted by Pratapgarhi on Instagram, which featured a poem, was inciting unrest and harming social peace.

Refusing to quash the FIR, the Gujarat HC stated that as a lawmaker, the Congress leader should have acted responsibly and respected the legal process. It further directed him to submit an affidavit clarifying the origin of the poem used in the video.

Pratapgarhi was asked to specify whether the poem was written by him or sourced from elsewhere, and if so, provide the details of its author.

He told the High Court that the poem in question was either written by the renowned poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz or Habib Jalib. He stated that he had found the poem through online sources, including Internet forums and chat rooms, but could not provide a definitive source.

He presented screenshots from an AI tool (ChatGPT) to support his claims. He argued that the poem, which promotes love and non-violence, was harmless and did not constitute a criminal act. However, the prosecution disagreed, asserting that as a parliamentarian, he had a responsibility to act with caution and not to incite public unrest through social media.

The police had issued a notice to Imran Pratapgarhi on January 4, asking him to appear on January 11, but he failed to cooperate with the investigation.

The Gujarat High Court highlighted that Imran Pratapgarhi’s action could not be defended simply based on his status as a public figure. His failure to appear before the authorities and his lack of clarity about the origin of the poem were key factors in turning down his petition. The Gujarat HC ultimately dismissed Pratapgarhi’s plea, reinforcing that lawmakers must uphold the law and act responsibly.

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