Pak has taken initial steps on anti-India groups; US Defence Secy nominee

International News

U S Defence Secretary nominee Mark Esper has said Pakistan had taken initial and promising steps against anti-Indian groups, adding that he would use all possible tools to promote a change in Islamabad's strategic approach to the region. Esper said the president's South Asia Strategy recognises Pakistan as a key partner in advancing US interests in the region, including developing a political settlement in Afghanistan, defeating the Al-Qaeda and the ISIS-K, providing logistical access and enhancing regional stability.
"We have seen Pakistan take some constructive steps on Afghan reconciliation. Pakistan has also taken initial, promising steps against anti-Indian groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, which threaten regional stability," Esper told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
"It is difficult to assess whether the security assistance suspension itself has driven these constructive actions, or whether progress on Afghan reconciliation and the escalation following the Pulwama terrorist attack have also influenced Pakistan's calculations," Esper noted in a written response to questions submitted ahead of his confirmation hearing.
Esper said he would advocate for the Department of Defense to maintain the right set of tools and authorities to maintain decision space and flexibility in America's policy approach, in order to maintain a "bridge back" for Pakistan.
"If confirmed, I would aim to make use of all of the tools at our disposal to promote a change in Pakistan's strategic approach to the region," he said.

 Assistance and operational reimbursements like Coalition Support Funds (CSF) and International Military Education and Training (IMET), which are currently suspended, may be useful to reinforce positive actions Pakistan takes in response to US requests related to terrorism...Read More

Dawood's activities from safe haven a real threat: India slams Pak at UNSC

International News

In a veiled attack on Pakistan, India has told the UN Security Council that Dawood Ibrahim's illegitimate activities from a "safe haven" that refuses to acknowledge even his existence pose a real danger, as New Delhi called for a focussed attention to address the threats by the D-Company, the JeM and the LeT.
Terrorist organisations are increasingly involved in lucrative criminal activities such as trading in natural resources and human trafficking to raise funds, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said on Tuesday.
Similarly, criminal groups are joining hands with terrorists and are providing services such as counterfeiting, illicit financing, arms dealing, drug trafficking and smuggling terrorists across borders, he said at the Security Council debate on 'Threats to International Peace and Security: Linkages between International Terrorism and Organised Crime'.
"In our own region, we have seen the mutation of Dawood Ibrahim's criminal syndicate into a terrorist network known as the D-Company.
"The D-Company's illegitimate economic activities may be little known outside our region, but for us, such activities as gold smuggling, counterfeit currency, as well as arms and drug trafficking from a safe haven that declines to acknowledge even his existence, are a real and present danger," Akbaruddin said.

 He emphasised that the success of a collective action to "denude" the ISIS is a pointer that the Council's "focussed attention can and does yield results"...Read More