King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden have demanded an end to the curfew and communication blackout of the Jammu and Kashmir from Modi’s government. Moreover, the Royal couple has advised involving the people of Kashmir for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. The couple urged both the countries to to resolve all the issues with mutual consent as the world cannot afford a conflict between two nuclear powers.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are planning on setting up a refinery in the western Indian state of Maharashtra that will cost at least $70 billion. The figure exceeds the initial $44 billion estimate previously announced in 2018. The refinery and petrochemicals complex, which would secure the supply of 600,000 barrels per day of Saudi and Emirati crude oil for India’s market.
In yet another incident of increasing religious intolerance in India, two people were beaten to death by a mob over suspicion of stealing cows. Prakash Das and Rabiul Islam were stopped by locals in West Bengal because their vehicle had no number plate. On finding two cows in the truck, the angry mob thrashed the suspects to death and set their van on fire.
An Indian couple accused of spying on Sikh and Kashmiri communities in Germany went on trial on charges that carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. The suspects agreed to provide information about Germany’s Sikh community and Kashmir movement and their relatives to an employee of Indian foreign intelligence service Research & Analysis Wing and were paid 7,200 euros ($8,100) in return.
Founder of MQM-London, Altaf Hussain has asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant political asylum to him and his associates. Altaf made the request during a speech aired on social media from his London abode earlier this month. “[If granted asylum] I will not interfere in any politics, I promise,” assured Mr Hussain to the Indian government in a speech.
George Galloway, former member of Parliament of UK believes nations around the world will eventually reconfigure their ties with India.Galloway said that Modi’s unilateral decision to revoke Kashmir’s limited autonomy, and the blatant violation of human rights has tarnished his reputation in the world, and by extension India’s. Modi, is an extremist, who is a threat to India’s secular identity, added Galloway.
A European non-governmental group has uncovered a network of 265 ‘fake’ news outlets managed by an Indian network to influence the European Union and the United Nations with content critical of Pakistan. During the investigation, the DisinfoLab found that the fake websites copy-pasted anti-Pakistan content from unusual press agencies and amplified material shared by politicians and obscure think tanks that supported Indian geopolitical interests.
Indian cotton exporters are looking forward to resuming trade with Pakistan after halting it after India’s decision to revoke the disputed status of Indian occupied Kashmir. India exported 500,000 bales of cotton to Pakistan last year and is expecting to sell 1.5-2 million bales this year. As the quality of cotton produced in Pakistan has decreased, Pakistan is seeing a 35-percent fall in cotton production this year becoming a net importer of cotton from a cotton exporting country.
International Tennis Federation’s independent security advisors have advised against playing India’s Davis Cup tie against Pakistan in Islamabad this month and suggested the tie must be played at a ‘neutral’ venue. The Asia/Oceania Group I tie, originally scheduled for September 14-15 in Islamabad, was postponed by the ITF to Nov 29-30 following a security review amid political tensions between the neighbours.
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader has blamed Pakistan and China for the high levels of pollution in India. The Indian lawmaker alleged that one of the two neighbouring countries are responsible for releasing poisonous gas in New Delhi. The leader claimed that Pakistan was ‘frustrated’ because “it could not register a single victory in any battle”.