Tahawwur interrogation : Pakistan must be exposed
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun interrogating 26/11 terror attack mastermind Tahawwur Rana after a court in Delhi sent him to 18 days’ custody following his extradition from the US. DIG of NIA Jaya Roy is heading the team of interrogators. Rana will be questioned comprehensively to unravel the details of the full conspiracy that led to the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai resulting in the death of 166 people. It is no secret that the former Pakistani army doc Tahawwur Rana was involved in the 26/11 attacks. He was port of the plot that was planned and executed by Pakistan army’s ISI. Terrorists were trained, given targets and funds, and the massascre of innocents was supervised by Pakistani army officers. Tahawwur Rana provided details about the targets in Mumbai and the execution was done under the leadership of Lashkar chief Haifz Sayeed. India has concrete evidence about Rana’s involvement and this has been proved in US courts. He will be punished for his crime and Pakistan’s hand in planning and execution of these terror attacks will be definitely exposed. Pakistan army and ISI had been shamelessly denying their involvement in Mumbai attacks. ISI handlers sent Ajmal Kasab and other terrorist attackers by tying ‘kalawa’ (sacred black thread) on their wrists so that they can pose as Hindus. I still remember the day following 26/11 attacks, when one of the terrorists spoke to India TV on phone and claimed that he and his associates belonged to “Deccan Mujahideen”. This was a crude attempt while trying to hide their Pakistan connections. Those were the days when top Congress leaders in power used to speak about “saffron terror”. Using this as a facade, Pakistan army and ISI used to hide their involvement in terror attacks. Pakistan used to deny facts that were known to the entire world. With consistent efforts and clever diplomacy initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rana has been extradited after a 16 year-long legal battle. It is now India’s turn to expose Pakistan, with facts and evidence.
US-China tariff war : Can India take advantage?
Stock markets in Asia continued to sink on Friday after US President Donald Trump hit a defiant China with more tariffs bringing the total levy now to 145 per cent. On the other hand, Trump has hit the pause button for 90 days on tariffs that were announced 13 hours earlier for 75 countries. Meanwhile, Indian government has begun preparations to protect domestic industries and exporters from the fallout from US-China trade war. There are fears that China may dump a large number of its products on India and our government has already begun to identify those products and sectors. India can slap anti-dumping duty on such products, like Chinese electronic goods, TV sets, smar phones and refrigerators. On the other hand, India wants to speed up finalizing its bilateral trade deal with the US. Now that Trump has isolated China on the trade front, China has complained to WTO. Trump is right when he says that China had minted money by dumping its products on the US during the last two decades. China used to export $500 billion worth goods to the US annually. Experts think that this may now decline by almost 80 per cent causing huge loss to China. This will affect most sectors including electronics, machinery, textiles and clothing. Presently there seems to be few chances of either the US or China bending. If Chinese exports to the US declines, India can get advantage. After lagging behind China in exports, India is now moving fast and under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, US giants like Apple have shifted their production base to India. With massive investments on infrstracture like roads, railway and ports, India is poised for a big jump. The China-US trade war can become a big opportunity for India, but our government needs to focus more on ‘ease of doing business’.
Fallout of Waqf on politics in Bengal, Bihar
With Supreme Court fixing April 16 as the date for hearing all petitions relating to the new Waqf Act, the stage is now set for a big legal battle. Hindu Mahasabha and some other Hindu outfits have also filed petitions supporting the Waqf Act, while Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra has filed petition seeking quashing of this new law. The bench consisting of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice V. Vishwanathan will hear the petitions. In Kolkata, on Thursday, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind organized a huge protest under the leadership of Jamiat state chief and state minister Sidiqullah Chaudhury, in which thousands of Muslims took part. BJP leaders have alleged that these protests are being stage managed by Trinamool Congress. There is no doubt that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants to keep her Muslim vote bank intact by polarizing the community on Waqf issue. On the other hand, BJP is also trying to polarize Hindu votes by taking out Ramnavami processions. Both parties are setting the stage for next year’s assembly elections. It has nothing to do with national sentiment. In Bihar, too, political parties are using Muslim radical outfits to polarize community ahead of this year-end assembly polls. Already there is uneasiness in the ruling JD(U) camp over this issue and leaders openly expressing apprehension of losing support of Muslims.RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Congress leaders are busy inciting Muslims on the Waf issue in Bihar. Neither JD(U), nor RJD or Congress have anything to do with the merits and/or demerits of Waqf law. Their main target is the Muslim vote.
Tahawwur Rana extradition : Modi’s major diplomatic victory
The extradition of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind Pakistan-born Canadian citizen Tahawwur Rana from the US to India is not an ordinary event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had to exert vigorous pressure to get him back on Indian soil. Modi has proved, given a strong will, anything is possible. India has to fight legal battle in the US for 15 years. For the last four years, the government had been submitting concrete evidence of Rana’s involvement in American courts. On a parallel level, diplomatic efforts were made. Prime Minister Modi had spoken to US President Donald Trump about Rana’s extradition during his US visit. It was only after Trump and the US Supreme Court agreed that the man responsible for the massacre of 166 persons in Mumbai was finally brought to justice. Rana knows which Pakistani army officers were involved in the plot, how Lashkar-e-Tayyaba executed the plot, and what was the role of David Coleman Headley. Rana worked as a doctor in Pakistan army. He went to Canada in 1990 and later shifted to the US where he met Headley, whose real name is Dawood Gilani, a US citizen of Pakistani origin. Rana set up a visa firm through which he helped LeT to carry out terror attacks. Headley, in the guise of setting up Rana’s office in Mumbai, came and recced important landmarks where 26/11 terrorists struck. He sent maps and pics of major landmarks to Pakistani army and LeT handlers. This was the setting for November 26,2008, when Pakistani terrorists attacked and killed 166 innocent people. Once there was a time in India when terrorists used to carry out serial blasts in crowded markets and trains. The 26/11 attack threw a big challenge to the Indian state. Our officials went to the US several times to seek custody of both Headley and Rana, but failed. Narendra Modi changed the narrative. I remember when Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat, I had asked him a question in ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ about what he would have done, if he had been in power in Delhi. Modi replied, “Pakistan must get reply in the language that it understands.” After becoming Prime Minister, Modi proved how this was possible. He carried out strikes on terror hideouts inside Pakistan. The entire scene has now changed. Every day we read reports of terrorists being killed in Pakistan. The boot is now on the other foot. Pakistan is now complaining that there is external hand behind the killings of terrorists on its soil. Since the time Modi took over as Prime Minister, his government has stamped out terrorism and has taught a lesson to terror outfits. There are no more terror attacks in India. One should not have an iota of doubt that Tahawwur Rana will be punished for his sins. Soon.
Trump’s tariff relief : How India can benefit
In a major relief to many countries including India, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday paused his reciprocal tariff for 90 days, and at the same time, raised tariff on Chinese imports to 125 per cent, in an effort to isolate China. Soon afterwards, US stock markets hit record highs and Asian markets joined global rally. Trump wrote on social media X: “..At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the USA and other countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable.” There should be no problem in understanding Trump’s policy and intent. Trump is a businessman, a deal maker. He has the interests of the US in mind. Trump believes that China was allowed to rob the US for decades and now it is the turn of US to square off. Europe and other countries want to avoid confrontation with Trump because they are dependent on the US. They want to resolve the issue through talks. Trump did not lose time in making fun of these countries by cracking ribald comments. This is Trump’s style of reacting and nobody should be surprised. As far as India is concerned, our government had started negotiations with the US long back on bilateral trade and tariff. India knew the tariff that the US was going to impose. India is now in a better position vis-a-vis other nations. India can gain from the confrontation between the US and China. India can also get advantage over other exporting countries like Thailand, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Modi on Waqf : Need to end trust deficit
Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday, for the first time, remarked in public that the old Waqf law was being misused by land mafia sharks and the new Waqf Act would plug all loopholes. Conversely, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that Muslims in Bengal need not fear the new Waqf law because her government is not going to implement it in the state. She gave a ‘guarantee’ to Muslims saying that nobody would be allowed to touch Waqf properties in Bengal. The result is: violence is taking place only in Bengal where anti-Waqf law protesters have resorted to arson and stone pelting in places like Murshidabad and Nadia. Internet has been shut down by authorities in Murshidabad. Police has turned into mute spectators in the face of angry and violent protesters. Islamic clerics in Bengal have given call to Muslims to “overthrow” Modi government in the manner in which Sheikh Hasina’s government was overthrown in Bangladesh. Toxic polemics apart, Modi is right when he says that waqf properties were being swindled by land mafia sharks in the past. Even RJD founder Lalu Prasad had once said how waqf properties in Patna were being sold off by unscrupulous people. Modi is also right when he says that the new Waqf law is in accordance with the teachings of Islam and it is meant for upliftment of poor Muslims. But “thekedars” (contractors) of Muslim votes are not willing to listen. The unrest among Muslims suits such people and they are peddling fake propaganda that the government wants to grab mosques, eidgahs and graveyards. Leaders like Mamata Banerjee are telling Muslims that the new Waqf law will be used to grab their properties. The fact is, the new Waqf law has nothing to do with private property. Such allegation has no merit. The main issue is the trust deficit that has been created in the minds of Muslims. Modi’s political rivals are pouring oil on fire in order to keep their vote banks intact. Now is the time to initiate a direct dialogue with Muslims to regain their trust.