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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
How America is the most dangerous player in India-Pakistan dynamics
The US will continue to support Pakistan overtly and covertly as long as it is a major non-NATO ally read more The US role in the India-Pakistan tension is worth examining. Reuters The US Defence Intelligence Agency's (DIA) 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment report has been splashed in the Indian media. The primary reason is the report's South Asia section, which states that Pakistan is procuring 'WMD-applicable goods from foreign suppliers and intermediaries' and developing 'battlefield nuclear weapons'. The report's most egregious part is that Pakistan will continue to develop nukes 'to offset India's conventional military advantage' because it 'regards India as an existential threat'. Nothing can be farther from the truth. It's Pakistan, which has become an existential threat to India by sponsoring terrorism and plotting terrorist attacks in J&K. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Reading between the lines and dissecting the report shows how the DIA glosses over inconvenient truths and facts regarding Pakistan. The report is nothing but a tacit approval of Pakistan's nuclear programme without naming it as the biggest state sponsor of terrorism. The DIA doesn't even hold Pakistan responsible for the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The carnage is merely mentioned 'as a late April terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir'. The US also indirectly holds India's military retaliation responsible for provoking Pakistan. 'New Delhi conducted missile strikes on terrorism-related infrastructure facilities in Pakistan. The missile strike provoked multiple rounds of missile, drone, and loitering munition attacks, and heavy artillery fire by both militaries from 7 to 10 May.' A major section of the Indian media is delusional about US-Pakistan relations, especially regarding issues concerning or impacting India. One pro-India comment by an American president or senior official is often interpreted as an indication of improving bilateral ties. At times, it's even termed a tactical and strategic shift in relations. If a US president or his senior aide or an agency report even slightly criticises Pakistan, it is blown out of proportion. It is termed a weakening of America-Pakistan relations and Washington's realisation of its mistake in supporting Islamabad. This misconception has been prevalent even in political parties and successive governments that think that US-India relations have taken a new turn with Pakistan left in the cold. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The last seven-plus decades have proved that the US-Pakistan ties are unwavering and permanent despite having weathered the roughest of tides. The Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor are the latest examples. The media highlighted China's brazen support for its steadfast ally Pakistan before and after India's military retaliation and the use of the Chinese J-10C warplane and its P-15E missile in response. Newspaper reports and opinion pieces repeatedly mentioned how China pulls Pakistan's strings and is India's real enemy—which Beijing undoubtedly is. However, the American hypocrisy from the Pahalgam attack till Operation Sindoor was overlooked. Donald Trump's call to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi after the Pahalgam attack, in which he 'condemned' the killings and 'expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators', was construed as US support to India against terrorism. The initial US silence on Operation Sindoor, as JD Vance said that the India-Pakistan conflict was 'none of our business', was seen as Washington sticking to Trump's non-interventionist policy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The media's biggest miss was why The Resistance Front, the offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), dared to kill 26 people in Pahalgam as Vance visited India. The reason was the shocking leeway Pakistan got from the US against India in all these decades, which manifested itself in Pahalgam and previous terrorist attacks. Pakistan knows its terrorists can kill civilians and security forces in J&K at will with the US remaining either silent or merely condemning such attacks. Vance's statements before and after the Pahalgam attack, without holding Pakistan responsible, showed the decades-old US hypocrisy. During his India visit, he and his wife merely expressed 'condolences to the victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam'. In an interview with Fox News after the attack, the US vice-president asked Pakistan, to the extent that they're responsible, to cooperate with India to make sure that terrorists, sometimes operating in their territory, are hunted down. Sensing an imminent Indian retaliation, he instead hoped that 'India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn't lead to a broader regional conflict'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Negligible US reaction to Pahalgam attacks Both Trump and Vance avoided naming Pakistan in the Pahalgam carnage or asking it to stop financing and training terrorists. Two events explain America's negligible reaction to the Pahalgam attack. First, Trump's hunger for minerals. Days before the attack, State Department Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs senior official Eric Meyer met Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif and 'acknowledged the potential of Pakistan's mineral sector' and the interest of US companies. Before their meeting, Pakistan hosted an international summit called Minerals Investment Forum to attract FDI to the country's mining sector. Second, the Trump administration's cryptocurrency deal with Pakistan. Four days after the Pahalgam attack, US firm World Liberty Financial (WLF) signed a deal with the newly formed Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), headed by Bilal bin Saqib, a key advisor to Pakistan's finance minister. A US delegation headed by WLF cofounder Zachary Witkoff, son of Trump's friend and West Asia envoy Steve Witkoff, was welcomed by Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir and met Sharif. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD WLF, founded in 2024, is 75 per cent owned by Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner. More intriguing was the appointment of Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance—the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange—released in September 2024 from a Californian prison for money laundering, as PCC adviser. America's Kashmir doublespeak, interference According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, there are 80 proscribed terrorist groups in Pakistan, 45 active and 26 inactive. In the last 25 years in J&K, 12,043 terrorist attacks were carried out killing 4,981 civilians and 3,624 security personnel. In this year alone, there have been 18 terrorist attacks in which 28 civilians and 9 security personnel were killed. The US has never said that J&K is an integral part of India, which has prompted Pakistan to raise the issue repeatedly on international forums like the United Nations. In fact, the US doublespeak and interference in J&K are highly condemnable. Since 1948, the US has been supporting Pakistan over Kashmir. British and American involvement in the UN Security Council Resolution on January 17, 1948, was visible. To garner Pakistan's support in the region, the US accepted the view that Kashmir was a disputed territory. In subsequent years, the US kept the Kashmir issue alive by pressuring India via the UN and started arming Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US hypocrisy was exposed in the 1971 India-Pakistan War when the Richard Nixon administration sent a carrier task force of the Seventh Fleet that included the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and attack submarine Gurnard to the Bay of Bengal. The US conveniently overlooked the genocide perpetrated by then-Pakistani president Yahya Khan and General Tikka Khan under Operation Searchlight, in which more than 300,000 Bengali Hindus in East Pakistan were killed and more than 200,000 raped. During the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, America backed Pakistan to counter the Red Army during Operation Cyclone. Islamabad allowed planeloads of Stinger missiles on its territory to help the Afghan Mujahideen counter the Soviet Hind attack copters. Gradually, Pakistan started exporting Afghan Mujahedeen to J&K and training its disaffected youth to trigger terrorism in 1988 with the US turning a blind eye. The Bill Clinton administration pressured India on human rights in Kashmir and refused to recognise the instrument of accession. In October 1993, Robin Raphel, the then-US assistant secretary of state for South Asia, said, 'We view Kashmir as a disputed territory. We do not recognise the instrument of accession as meaning that Kashmir is forever an integral part of India.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In fact, in his September 1993 address to the UN General Assembly, Clinton said, 'Bloody ethnic, religious and civil wars rage from Angola to the Caucasus to Kashmir.' In 2009, Obama secretly offered Pakistan to ask India for negotiations on Kashmir if it stopped supporting terrorist groups, Pakistan's former ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, wrote in his book Magnificent Delusions in 2013. Even Trump offered to mediate on Kashmir five times in his first term. The US president again offered to mediate in his second term after the India-Pakistan ceasefire he claimed to have brokered. On terrorism, the US supports India publicly but acts otherwise. In a joint statement during Modi's June 2023 US visit, the PM and Joe Biden 'unequivocally' condemned terrorism and 'called for the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks to be brought to justice'. However, the US extradited Mumbai attacks co-conspirator and Pakistan-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana after five years in April after seeking an arrest warrant under the India-US extradition treaty in June 2020. Even while in the US, he was convicted only for his LeT links and involvement in the Copenhagen conspiracy, not 26/11. Moreover, the US never extradited Rana's 26/11 co-conspirator David Coleman Headley, who recced potential targets for the Mumbai attacks and attended LeT training camps in Pakistan. Top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18 that the US believes extraditing Headley, a former DEA and FBI informer, would compromise ongoing intelligence operations. He signed a plea agreement with US authorities in 2010 that prevents his extradition. American military aid to Pakistan The US has been providing military aid to Pakistan since 1948. What started as an initial effort to counter the Soviet Union in Asia during the Cold War continued later, including providing arms used by Pakistan against India in every conflict. Pakistan has been among the top recipients of US aid since 1948. So far, the US has provided $40 billion in economic and military assistance to Pakistan. In 2002-2010, the US provided $13.3 billion and $6 billion to Pakistan in military and economic aid, respectively. More than $3 billion was requested for 2011 alone after 9/11. Despite the discovery and elimination of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in 2011, the Barack Obama administration requested around $3 billion in aid for Pakistan for the 2012 fiscal year. The worst US double standard has been the export of F-16s to Pakistan in the name of fighting terrorism in the 'War on Terror'. Pakistan purchased the F-16s to counter the Indian Air Force (IAF), not terrorists. Under the Department of Defence's (DoD) Golden Sentry End-Use Monitoring (EUM) programme, Pakistan cannot use the F-16s against India. However, Pakistani F-16s were part of Operation Swift Retort in February 2019. When an F-16 was downed by a MiG-21 Bison, both Pakistan and the US denied the kill. The US denied the F-16s being downed by the IAF for two reasons. First, the F-16 is America's most exported fighter jet. The US couldn't digest a third-generation jet shooting down its fourth-generation jet. Second, admitting the fact would have exposed Pakistan's violation of the EUM programme. Under the Arms Export Control Act Section 3(c)(2), the president is obligated to report end-use violation to Congress. The Department of State, in coordination with DoD, leads the reporting of end-use violation. All DoD personnel are required to report any suspected end-use violations of US-origin defence articles. Neither Trump, in his first term, nor the Department of State and DoD reported the Pakistani violation regarding the use of F-16 against India. The end-user agreement covered Pakistan much later. Before Operation Swift Retort, Pakistan deployed F-16s within its airspace during the Kargil War fearing Indian warplanes would strike targets inside its borders. Besides, the agreement is not legally binding, meaning that Pakistan can continue to violate it by using F-16s against India in future conflicts. The US started supplying F-16s to Pakistan way back in 1982 in Operations Peace Gate I and II after Islamabad convinced Washington to sell the jets to counter Afghan and Soviet warplanes. The US-Pakistan security alliance continued despite the ISI's brazen support for the Taliban and the Haqqani network. Biden and Trump (in his second term) again proved that the US is Pakistan's steadfast ally. In his first term, Trump slammed Pakistan for its 'lies and deceit' in return for $33 billion in US aid. On January 1, 2018, Trump tweeted: 'The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!' Within a few days, America suspended around $2 billion in military aid to Pakistan for not acting against the Taliban and the Haqqani network. However, Biden approved $450 million for Pakistan to sustain, repair and upgrade (excluding weapons and munitions) its F-16 fleet in September 2022. The aid was a US reward for Pakistan's signing deals with US arms manufacturers Global Military and Northrop Grumman in August 2022 for the sale of 155mm shells to be provided to Ukraine, according to BBC Urdu. Pakistan earned $364 million in the process. According to the report, a British military cargo plane carrying the 155mm shells flew from Rawalpindi's Nur Khan Air Base to the UK military base in Cyprus, Akrotiri and then to Romania five times. One year later, the Biden administration renewed the key Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement with Pakistan. The agreement, which was signed in 2005 for 15 years and lapsed in 2020, allows the US to share defence equipment and technology and ensures compatibility and security of military communications with allies. In his second term, Trump made an exception to his 90-day foreign aid freeze in February and released $397 million to sustain Pakistan's F-16 fleet. The aid was part of the $5.3 billion released under 243 exceptions mostly for security and counternarcotics programmes. The same-old ineffective restrictive clause attached to previous F-16 aid packages was added again: Pakistan F-16s would be employed for counterterrorism operations, not against India. US leeway to AQ Khan, Pakistan-China missile ties The US intelligence was aware of AQ Khan's activities in helping Pakistan develop nukes for more than two decades. Washington acted only when it was revealed that Khan had provided N-weapons-related tech to North Korea, Iran and Libya. Despite authentic intel on Pakistani-Iranian nuclear cooperation and Saudi and Libyan financial assistance to Khan's nuclear bomb project, the Ronald Regan and George HW Bush administrations looked the other way. By 1987, Pakistan had a nuclear bomb. Subsequently, Khan turned to nuclear proliferation to assist countries, especially Iran, seeking nukes. Iranian scientists were trained in Pakistan in 1988 and were helped in the centrifuge programme in 1989. Through a network of middlemen in around 12 nations, including the US, the UK, Turkey, Malaysia, the UAE, Japan, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, South Africa and Pakistan, Khan started selling bomb designs, advanced materials, centrifuges and components and logistical and technical assistance to other countries. Pakistan's nuclear proliferation also fuelled missile development as North Korea agreed to sell missiles in exchange for centrifuges with Khan visiting the country more than 10 times. The US forced Pakistan to shut off the Khan network only after 9/11. In October 2003, a Tripoli-bound German cargo ship carrying 1,000 high-speed centrifuges was seized. America was alarmed that Muammar Gaddafi was pursuing a nuclear bomb. But the IAEA never interrogated Khan. The US also allowed the Pakistan-China missile collaboration. Several Pakistani missiles are either copies and rebranded versions of Chinese missiles or have been made with China's assistance. The Shaheen 1 SRBM has several design and operational similarities with the Chinese DF-11 and DF-15 SRBMs. Shaheen 2 and Shaheen 3 MRBMs are similar to the Chinese DF-21 MRBM and DF-25 IRBM, respectively, regarding solid-fuel propulsion, mobile launch platform and overall configuration. The Abdali SRBM series has a range, payload and design similar to the M-11 SRBM of China's M-series. The Hatf 5 MRBM series is a modified version of the North Korean Nodong-1 MRBM with China helping in refining and producing these missiles domestically. The Babur land attack cruise missile has structural and technical similarities with the Chinese C-602 cruise missile and the Ra'ad air-launched cruise missile with China's C-802 cruise missile. Pakistan's ASBM, SMASH, is a derivative of the Chinese CM-401ASBM in design trajectory and flight profile. Pakistan, one of the 19 Major Non-NATO Allies (MNNA) of the US, can enter into an MoU or other formal agreement with DoD for cooperative research and development on defence equipment and munitions. Pakistan can also get funds to procure explosives detection devices and other counter-terrorism research and development projects. Moreover, the country is eligible as a location for US war reserve stockpiles to be placed on its territory and can purchase depleted uranium ammunition. What the media, politicians and experts don't get is Pakistan's MNNA status. As long as Pakistan has the status, the US will support it irrespective of the number of terrorist attacks against India or Islamabad's deep defence cooperation with Beijing. America will also continue helping Pakistan financially via the IMF and the World Bank. China's overt support for Pakistan is publicly known. But the US, which often mentions its growing ties with India, continues to back the biggest sponsor of terrorism militarily and economically. The writer is a freelance journalist with more than two decades of experience and comments primarily on foreign affairs. He tweets as @FightTheBigots. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
Ya Biladi
4 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
African Lion 2025 wraps up with Morocco at the heart of multinational security
The 21st edition of the African Lion 2025 military exercise has concluded this week after mobilizing over 10,000 troops from 50+ nations across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia, announces a press release. For the first time, the exercise integrated defensive cyber operations and expanded CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear) scenarios, alongside joint academic training. U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, Commander of U.S. Africa Command, praised Morocco's role: «I want to thank Morocco for hosting African Lion and helping strengthen our collective security through rigorous, multinational training». Highlighting Morocco's strategic importance, U.S. Embassy Chargée d'Affaires Aimee Cutrona said, «As a major non-NATO ally and historic security partner, Morocco plays a pivotal role in promoting regional stability». The exercise featured HIMARS fire missions, airborne and amphibious operations, maritime interdiction, and humanitarian civic assistance programs that treated over 1,200 patients in rural areas. «Our medical personnel built readiness by executing critical war-time skills», noted U.S. Army Col. Kelley Togiola. Maj. Gen. Andrew Gainey, Commanding General of SETAF-AF, summed up AL25's impact: «African Lion 25 was a clear demonstration of how we project power, build trust, and deliver results… That's what readiness looks like—and that's what deterrence demands».
Business Insider
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Kenya's deepening ties with China ruffle feathers in the U.S.
Kenya has firmly rejected U.S. concerns over its deepening ties with China, stressing that expanding its diplomatic and economic partnerships with Beijing does not represent a shift in allegiance. Kenya refuted U.S. concerns over its cooperation with China, affirming no shift in alliances. U.S. Senate hearings raised issues, associating Kenya's Chinese partnership with shifting alignments. Kenyan officials highlighted their aim for a balanced global influence and continued relations with the U.S. Kenya has dismissed US concerns over its growing ties with China, affirming its strong US partnership while pursuing a foreign policy based on mutual benefit and sovereignty. In a formal response to the U.S. Senate, Nairobi clarified that it is broadening its global relations to advance national interests, not abandoning traditional allies. These accusations surfaced during a U.S. Senate hearing led by Senator Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who criticized Kenya's foreign policy under President William Ruto, particularly its growing engagement with China. Speaking on May 13 during the hearing titled ' East Africa & The Horn: At A Turning Point or Breaking Point? ', Risch said, ' Just last month, President Ruto declared that Kenya, a major non-NATO ally, and China are 'co-architects of a new world order'. That's not just alignment to China; it's allegiance. ' He added, ' Relying on leaders who embrace Beijing so openly is an error. It's time to reassess our relationship with Kenya and others who forge tight bonds with China. ' Risch's concerns reflect unease over Kenya's apparent pivot from Western alliances toward Beijing amid domestic unrest linked to tax hikes aimed at addressing its debt owed to China. Kenya's response In response to the growing allegations against Kenya, Nelson Koech, lawmaker and chairperson of the National Assembly's Defence, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committee, affirmed that the country is not shifting allegiance but advocating for broader global engagement. ' President Ruto's reference to Kenya and China as ' co-architects of a new world order' must be viewed as an assertion of Africa's right to shape its future, not as a pivot in allegiance, ' Koech wrote in a letter to Senator Jim Risch on Monday. ' Kenya is calling for a more just global system — one where Africa contributes meaningfully to international governance and economic policy. This aspiration mirrors President Trump's own push for reform within global institutions. ' ' Your framing of Kenya's current foreign policy posture, particularly in relation to China, appears to overlook the depth, consistency and achievements of the US-Kenya partnership,' Koech added. 'I believe it is necessary to remind ourselves of the broader and richer context of this relationship.' Koech added. Ruto's interest in China The U.S. criticism follows President William Ruto's recent state visit to China, the first by an African leader this year. At a public lecture at Peking University in Beijing, Ruto called for a fairer global system, saying, 'Kenya and China are not merely trading partners. They are co-architects of a new world order, one that is fair, inclusive and sustainable.' He added, 'Let us measure our success, not in GDP growth or in trade volumes, but in how many lives we uplift and how much dignity we restore.' During the four-day visit, Ruto met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where they elevated Kenya-China relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Chinese Envoy to Kenya, Ambassador Guo highlighted that Ruto was the first African leader invited for a state visit following the 2024 FOCAC summit. The two countries agreed to implement FOCAC outcomes and align China's Belt and Road Initiative with Kenya's Vision 2030.
Budapest Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Orbán: Unprecedented for non-NATO Ukraine to carry out secret service operations against NATO member Hungary
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said it was 'unprecedented' for a non-NATO member state, Ukraine, to carry out 'secret service operations' against a NATO member state, Hungary. 'NATO cannot tolerate this either,' he said on his way to the European Political Community summit in Tirana. Asked what would be on the agenda of the meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the prime minister said 'the Ukrainians'. In a video uploaded to his social media page on Friday, he said Ukraine was carrying out 'a well-coordinated, organized, funded, disinformation smear campaign' against Hungary. 'This is unacceptable. NATO cannot tolerate this either,' he said.
First Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Kenya's Ruto Faces Loyalty Questions from US Senators Over China Ties Firstpost Africa
Kenya's Ruto Faces Loyalty Questions from US Senators Over China Ties | Firstpost Africa | N18G Kenya's Ruto Faces Loyalty Questions from US Senators Over China Ties | Firstpost Africa | N18G Kenyan President William Ruto faces scrutiny from the US Senate following his recent visit to Beijing, where he described Kenya and China as co-architects of a new global order. This has raised concerns over Kenya's allegiance, months after it was designated a major non-NATO ally by the United States. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee questioned whether Kenya is shifting towards China amid deepening ties between Nairobi and Beijing, including infrastructure funding and political links with China's Communist Party. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee also asked the US to reassess its security partnership with Kenya amid these developments. Watch the video to know more on this. See More
