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Author: APMon, 2017-03-27ID: 1490605625997105700HOUSTON: Lou Williams scored 31 points while James Harden finished with 22 points and 12 assists as the Houston Rockets cruised to a 137-125 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook had 39 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his second straight triple-double and his 36th this season, but Harden led the Rockets to a 25-point lead through three quarters in the matchup between top MVP candidates.Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon added 24 points apiece for the Rockets, whose lead was trimmed to eight on a 3-pointer by Westbrook with about 90 seconds left. The Rockets then scored four quick points to secure the victory.Harden left late in the game after crashing into the court and appearing to injure his left wrist, but said in a TV interview he expected to be OK.CELTICS 112, HEAT 108: Isaiah Thomas scored 30 points, including 20 in the second half, as Boston beat Miami for its fourth straight victory.The win moved Boston (48-26) within percentage points of Cleveland (47-25) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics also equaled their win total from last season.Jae Crowder added 25 points and six rebounds for the Celtics.Tyler Johnson had 24 points and James Johnson scored 20 for the Heat, who are a half-game ahead of the Bulls for the final playoff spot in the East. Hassan Whiteside had 19 points and 15 rebounds for Miami.WARRIORS 106, GRIZZLIES 94: Klay Thompson scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half as Golden State pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Memphis for its seventh straight win.Stephen Curry added 21 points and 11 assists, and Andre Iguodala scored 20 as the Warriors (59-14) extended their lead to 2½ games over the Spurs for the top spot in the West. Golden State began a stretch of five games in eight days when the Warriors will face playoff contenders Houston (twice), San Antonio and Washington.Memphis had beaten the Warriors twice this season and was attempting to become the first team to notch three regular-season wins against Golden State since the Spurs’ four-game sweep in 2013-14.The Grizzlies stayed close until the fourth quarter, when their offense went cold and the Warriors took off. Memphis missed 15 of its first 17 shots in the period.Mike Conley scored 29 points for the Grizzlies, who were without center Marc Gasol.TRAIL BLAZERS 97, LAKERS 81: Damian Lillard scored 22 points and Portland defeated Los Angeles to pull even with Denver in the race for the final Western Conference playoff spot.Both the Trail Blazers and Nuggets are 35-38 with nine games left in the regular season. They play each other Tuesday in Portland.Portland took control by outscoring the Lakers 37-24 in the third quarter and led by as many as 26 points. Los Angeles shot 39 percent from the field and was outrebounded 61-42.Allen Crabbe added 18 points off the bench for the Blazers, and Noah Vonleh grabbed 14 rebounds.D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers with 22 points.PELICANS 115, NUGGETS 90: Anthony Davis had 31 points and 15 rebounds, helping to compensate for the absence of injured DeMarcus Cousins, as New Orleans boosted its flickering playoff hopes by beating Denver.New Orleans is in 11th place in the West with nine games remaining and faces long odds in trying to overtake Dallas, Portland and Denver for the No. 8 seed.Davis had his 45th double-double of the season and finished with 30 or more points for the 32nd time. Jrue Holiday and Jordan Crawford added 13 points apiece for the Pelicans, who have won four of five.Cousins sat out because of a right ankle injury sustained during Friday’s loss at Houston.Denver was led by Mason Plumlee’s 16 points.BULLS 109, BUCKS 94: Nikola Mirotic tied a season high with 28 points while Jimmy Butler had 20 points and a career-high 14 assists as the Bulls pulled away for the win.Butler broke his previous career best for assists (12) by the end of a pivotal third quarter, when Chicago stretched a one-point lead at the half to 91-79 going into the fourth.Butler punctuated the second-half runaway with a backcourt steal off a telegraphed pass by Greg Monroe before strolling the other way for an easy dunk and 17-point lead with 8:55 left.Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points and eight rebounds for Milwaukee.KINGS 98, CLIPPERS 97: Willie Cauley-Stein made a follow shot with two seconds left, lifting Sacramento to the road win.Down 85-67 early in the fourth, the Kings rallied while Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan were resting. Buddy Hield hit three 3-pointers in the final minutes, pulling the Kings to 96-93 with 2:10 to play.Griffin made one of two free throws with 1:57 left before the Kings cut it to 97-96 on Langston Galloway’s 3-pointer with 1:23 to play.After Jamal Crawford missed a 3-pointer, Cauley-Stein finished off a fast break with the deciding basket.Darren Collison led the Kings with 19 points. Hield added 15 as the Kings snapped a four-game losing streak and won for only the third time in 15 games.DeAndre Jordan led the Clippers with 20 points and 11 rebounds.HORNETS 120, SUNS 106: Kemba Walker had 31 points and nine assists as Charlotte handed Phoenix its eighth straight loss.Marvin Williams added 21 points and Nic Batum had 18 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who have won four of their last five games as they try to make a late playoff push.Suns guard Devin Booker, who became the sixth player in NBA history to score 70 points in a loss Saturday night to the Boston Celtics, got off to a slow start but finished with 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting. TJ Warren had 21 points and 10 rebounds.Walker went 10 for 18 from the field and 7 for 7 at the free-throw line.NETS 107, HAWKS 91: Brook Lopez scored 23 points as Brooklyn handed Atlanta its seventh straight loss.Jeremy Lin had 19 points for the Nets (16-57), who have won three of four and are 7-8 in March.The Hawks are tied with Milwaukee for fifth in the Eastern Conference.Atlanta (37-36) continued to struggle without All-Star Paul Millsap, who missed his fifth straight game with left knee tightness. The Hawks also were without Kent Bazemore, who missed his fourth straight game with a right knee bone bruise, and Thabo Sefolosha (right groin strain).Dennis Schroder led Atlanta with 24 points.PACERS 107, 76ERS 94: Myles Turner had 17 points and 16 rebounds while Paul George scored 21 as Indiana topped Philadelphia.Jeff Teague added 16 points for the Pacers, who used a 30-point third quarter to turn a six-point halftime lead into a 12-point advantage as they snapped a two-game skid.Indiana (37-36) moved into a tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with Atlanta and Milwaukee. The Pacers will play both the Bucks and Hawks during their final nine games of the season.Al Jefferson had 14 points before leaving in the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle.Sergio Rodriguez scored 16 for the 76ers. Richaun Holmes finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
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India can strengthen regional stability in Middle East through maritime cooperation, diplomacy: Report Washington, Oct 31 (IANS) With key maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait facing growing threats, India has an opportunity to strengthen its role in maritime security and diplomacy in the Middle East, a report has stated. It noted that this could involve examining competing proposals for Gaza, opposing efforts to diplomatically isolate Israel, and revisiting the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) in line with available funding and concrete political commitments. “Threats around Hormuz endanger the Gulf energy supplies that Indian refineries rely on. Houthi attacks around Bab el-Mandeb make Indian exports to Europe more expensive when shipping companies divert vessels around Africa. Insurance premiums and delivery delays reach manufacturers negotiating contracts with European buyers. Saudi Arabia can move oil west through its East-West Pipeline to Yanbu, but insecurity in the Red Sea also threatens shipping from that port. India cannot count on one threatened passage as a dependable alternative to the other,” according to a report in ‘Real Clear Defence’(RCD). “Indian warships have already helped merchant vessels in the western Indian Ocean. New Delhi could expand maritime intelligence exchanges with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, coordinate escorts when threats warrant them, and use its P-8I surveillance aircraft to help identify suspicious shipping movements. It could press Tehran over attacks affecting Indian crews and cargo while working with Gulf partners on protecting port facilities and oil shipments. Continued attacks would also force a discussion of stronger collective measures to defend commercial navigation,” it detailed. The report noted that India’s sustained ties with Tehran give New Delhi a channel to discuss attacks on shipping while protecting its interests at Chabahar. It added that Saudi Arabia and the UAE could share intelligence on suspected weapons shipments with Indian agencies. Aden’s historic trade links with India also provide scope for cooperation with legitimate Yemeni authorities on port security. Separately, possible links between Houthi and Al-Shabaab across the Gulf of Aden deserve closer attention because trafficking routes and technical exchanges could pose a threat to Indian commercial shipping, the RCD report mentioned. “The original IMEC proposal was unrealistic before the Gaza war. Riyadh showed little willingness to shoulder the enormous infrastructure bill, and Saudi-Israeli normalization was never assured. Saudi Arabia and the UAE were already competing to attract logistics investment and control regional trade routes. Egypt objected to a corridor that could draw traffic away from the Suez Canal, while Bahrain resented being excluded despite its connections with Saudi Arabia and its normalization agreement with Israel,” it noted. –IANS scor/as
October 31, 2026
‘40 people responsible for Punjab’s destruction’: BJP lambasts AAP’s poll candidate list Chandigarh, Oct 31 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab President Kewal Singh Dhillon on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) following the announcement of its first list of 40 candidates. He said the list is not a list of 40 candidates, but of 40 people responsible for Punjab’s destruction. He added that instead of featuring individuals known for their integrity and commitment to public service, the list included leaders embroiled in serious allegations and controversies. He said the AAP government was misleading people by putting up hoardings across Punjab proclaiming an ‘Honest Chief Minister’. Given the prevailing situation in the state, he remarked that these hoardings should instead read ‘Dishonest Chief Minister’. Several candidates on the list, he alleged, were facing accusations of corruption, fraud, money laundering and other serious offences. Dhillon said that whether AAP announces its candidates now or later, the people of Punjab would not accept them again. Punjab has already fallen victim to the party’s false promises once and will not be misled a second time. The BJP state President said that AAP’s promise of change had come at a high cost to Punjab, with the government failing on every front. He alleged that the party’s leaders and MLAs, who came to Punjab after facing defeat in Delhi, had exploited the state for the past five years and were now preparing to do so again. He asserted that the people of Punjab would never tolerate another attempt to plunder the state. Dhillon said that AAP had devastated Punjab over the past five years. The leaders whom the party has fielded again have been in power for nearly five years and are equally responsible for the state’s decline. Taking the government to task over law and order, he said the situation in Punjab had deteriorated to such an extent that there was virtually no fear of the law. Murders, extortion and incidents of gunfire had become commonplace. He further alleged that the government had failed miserably to curb the drug menace, with young people continuing to fall victim to drug abuse every day. –IANS vg/dan
October 31, 2026
Quad ministers meet in Atlanta with leaders’ summit in view Atlanta, Oct 31 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will join his US, Japanese and Australian counterparts for a Quad foreign ministers’ meeting here on Saturday, talks that experts said would help lay the groundwork for a long-stalled Quad leaders’ summit and test the group’s cohesion amid strains in India-US ties. The meeting, hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, is scheduled for 9 a.m. (local time) on Saturday. Rubio will then take part in the G20’s third session, on supply chains, and deliver closing remarks at 10 a.m., before holding a press availability on the ministerial at 12:30 p.m., the schedule said. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong are in Atlanta for the G20 talks. “Together, we will advance practical cooperation on regional security, maritime security and economic resilience in support of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Wong said in a statement ahead of the visit. Announcing EAM Jaishankar’s visit on Wednesday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “On the sidelines of this meeting, he will also participate in a QUAD Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and also have several bilateral engagements with his counterparts.” Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the ministers “are expected to lay the groundwork for the long-stalled leaders’ summit in Manila next month.” “Despite the bilateral trust issues that have seeped in over the past year, particularly between India and the United States, the Quad is that one vehicle where you see officials still championing alignment on the Indo-Pacific, supply chains, and economic security,” Aamer said. She cautioned that the meeting “may, however, remain more of an optics game,” noting that much of the Quad agenda was “being worked out bilaterally between its members,” from critical minerals to energy. Emma Chanlett-Avery, ASPI’s Senior Director of Political-Security Affairs, said a leaders’ meeting “will be welcome news to Tokyo, Canberra, and Delhi.” But she warned that it “could be overshadowed by a potential trilateral summit with Trump, Putin, and Xi just a day later, presenting a very different vision of a world order dominated by authoritarian leaders.” Maritime security is set to feature prominently. At the G20’s first plenary on Friday, EAM Jaishankar stressed the “Urgent need to preserve the freedom of navigation and ensure cessation of attacks within the framework of international law, especially UNCLOS,” and said the “Global South is disproportionately bearing the consequences of attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers,” according to his post on X. At the second plenary, on energy, EAM Jaishankar “Reaffirmed that India needs reliable and predictable LPG supplies for its clean cooking needs,” he posted. Rubio said on X that he had told the G20 that “maritime and food security drive economic security.” On Friday evening, Rubio, Motegi and South Korea’s Cho Hyun signed a memorandum creating a Trilateral Arctic Pacific Partnership, Rubio said. Wong said Australia had joined the European Union-led “No Fees/No Tolls” pledge, “opposing unlawful fees and tolls that would undermine freedom of navigation and set a dangerous precedent for international shipping.” The Quad meeting comes a week after Rubio’s visit to India. On Friday EAM Jaishankar met the foreign ministers of Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Germany on the sidelines. EAM Jaishankar travels from Atlanta to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from November 1 to 4. –IANS lkj/rs
October 31, 2026
ISI-backed Kashmir Study Group shifts terror strategy to south India amid intensified security in north New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has expanded its tactical focus toward south India on the recommendation of the Kashmir Study Group (KSG), seeking to exploit pre-existing radicalised networks in states like Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu as security grids tighten across north India, including Jammu and Kashmir, intelligence officials have revealed. The ISI’s internal study group KSG was set up after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and is now led by high-ranking military officers in the ranks of a Brigadier and a Colonel. Initially tasked with advising the Pakistani establishment on Jammu and Kashmir, its brief is said to have expanded over the past two to three years to cover other parts of India. In its latest assessment, the KSG is understood to have advised the ISI to explore recruiting radicalised individuals in southern states. An official said the proposed shift followed increased security pressure in Jammu and Kashmir and disruption of networks in northern India. Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir remain on high alert, making it harder for terror groups to operate, the official said. “The KSG had earlier recommended proxy organisations, including The Resistance Front (TRF), the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), Kashmir Tigers and Allah Tigers. These groups were created to provide both the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) with a degree of deniability,” the official said. In the north, after the Red Fort car bomb blast in Delhi last year, the ISI, on the advice of the KSG, recruited Shahzad Bhatti to carry out recruitments through social media. This network, which was busted recently, recruited across North India. Those recruited were assigned tasks including drug smuggling, installing surveillance cameras at sensitive locations, and carrying out targeted attacks, the official said. The recruits were paid to smuggle drugs, install surveillance cameras at sensitive and crowded locations, and also carry out hit jobs. Another official said that with these modules failing, the KSG has advised the ISI to shift its focus to south India. “Shifting attention to the south could divert the focus of security agencies from Jammu and Kashmir and northern India. It would also give the ISI time to review and reorganise its operations in those regions,” the official said. An Intelligence Bureau official said Al Qaeda and the Islamic State had, over the years, sought to expand their influence in parts of southern India, particularly Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. “Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been hot hubs for these terror outfits. The radicalisation is so deep in south India that the KSG felt that it would be fit to tap these individuals and get them to carry out terror acts for the ISI,” the official said. The ISI has agents in several countries and has relied on overseas contacts for recruitment in India, officials alleged. They said Pakistan-based handlers sought to avoid direct contact with recruits, making it harder for investigators to establish links to the Pakistani establishment. Officials said such precautions had become more important after Operation Sindoor, when India declared that future acts of terrorism would be treated as acts of war, not merely as cross-border terrorism. They said this had increased pressure on Pakistan-based networks to conceal their involvement. The KSG, during recent interactions with the top brass of the ISI, has advised tapping into the radicalised youth in the Southern states. There is not much for the ISI agents to do where radicalisation is concerned, as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State have already undertaken that exercise. This means the ISI could tap into the already existing pool of talent and then pick them up for subversive activities, officials say. The very fact that this pool from south India has exposure to radical Islamic ideologies in West Asia makes them easy prey for the ISI’s recruiters. This change in strategy is not only a stop-gap arrangement until the ISI recalibrates in north India and Jammu and Kashmir. This is also a part of the strategy whereby the Pakistan spy agency taps into radicalised individuals across the country in a bid to run a pan-India operation. Officials explain that those radicalised by the Islamic State or Al Qaeda do not have an exclusive affiliation. These persons have been radicalised by violent ideology and not based on a particular group. The idea of both these groups was to create a completely radicalised society, with violent Jihad being the primary goal. Al Qaeda or the Islamic State would not necessarily oppose the ISI approaching this pool of individuals, as their objective is the destruction of India and they would welcome an ISI intervention in it, another official said.
October 31, 2026
India hosts maiden BIMSTEC maritime security exercise in Andaman and Nicobar Islands New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) India is hosting the maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise in Sri Vijaya Puram, the capital of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to strengthen maritime cooperation, enhance operational coordination and interoperability among member countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Saturday. The exercise, which commenced on Friday and will continue until November 3, is among the key initiatives announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand last year. It features three days of Tabletop Exercises followed by a two-day Harbour Phase, with ships from BIMSTEC member countries participating. In a post on X, the MEA said, “The exercise translates the shared vision of BIMSTEC leaders into action, reinforcing maritime cooperation, enhancing operational coordination and interoperability, and contributing towards a safe, secure and stable maritime environment in the Bay of Bengal.” According to Andaman and Nicobar Command, the maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise was inaugurated at Sri Vijaya Puram on Friday by Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty, Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command. The ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, National Maritime Security Coordinator, along with senior delegations from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. “Anchored in the Delhi Declaration, the exercise marks a significant step towards translating shared maritime security commitments into coordinated action at sea. It aims to enhance interoperability, strengthen information sharing and promote collective responses to maritime threats and transnational challenges, including terrorism,” Andaman & Nicobar Command posted on X on Saturday. The exercise aims to enhance maritime domain awareness (MDA), build operational coordination across the Bay of Bengal, strengthen regional security cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and responses to cross-border maritime crimes as well as marine pollution due to oil and hazardous material spills. BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a regional organisation comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Over the years, BIMSTEC has emerged as a vibrant and dynamic regional organisation. Member states share the vision of a free, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indian Ocean Region (IOR). –IANS scor/sd/
October 31, 2026

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India can strengthen regional stability in Middle East through maritime cooperation, diplomacy: Report Washington, Oct 31 (IANS) With key maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait facing growing threats, India has an opportunity to strengthen its role in maritime security and diplomacy in the Middle East, a report has stated. It noted that this could involve examining competing proposals for Gaza, opposing efforts to diplomatically isolate Israel, and revisiting the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) in line with available funding and concrete political commitments. “Threats around Hormuz endanger the Gulf energy supplies that Indian refineries rely on. Houthi attacks around Bab el-Mandeb make Indian exports to Europe more expensive when shipping companies divert vessels around Africa. Insurance premiums and delivery delays reach manufacturers negotiating contracts with European buyers. Saudi Arabia can move oil west through its East-West Pipeline to Yanbu, but insecurity in the Red Sea also threatens shipping from that port. India cannot count on one threatened passage as a dependable alternative to the other,” according to a report in ‘Real Clear Defence’(RCD). “Indian warships have already helped merchant vessels in the western Indian Ocean. New Delhi could expand maritime intelligence exchanges with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, coordinate escorts when threats warrant them, and use its P-8I surveillance aircraft to help identify suspicious shipping movements. It could press Tehran over attacks affecting Indian crews and cargo while working with Gulf partners on protecting port facilities and oil shipments. Continued attacks would also force a discussion of stronger collective measures to defend commercial navigation,” it detailed. The report noted that India’s sustained ties with Tehran give New Delhi a channel to discuss attacks on shipping while protecting its interests at Chabahar. It added that Saudi Arabia and the UAE could share intelligence on suspected weapons shipments with Indian agencies. Aden’s historic trade links with India also provide scope for cooperation with legitimate Yemeni authorities on port security. Separately, possible links between Houthi and Al-Shabaab across the Gulf of Aden deserve closer attention because trafficking routes and technical exchanges could pose a threat to Indian commercial shipping, the RCD report mentioned. “The original IMEC proposal was unrealistic before the Gaza war. Riyadh showed little willingness to shoulder the enormous infrastructure bill, and Saudi-Israeli normalization was never assured. Saudi Arabia and the UAE were already competing to attract logistics investment and control regional trade routes. Egypt objected to a corridor that could draw traffic away from the Suez Canal, while Bahrain resented being excluded despite its connections with Saudi Arabia and its normalization agreement with Israel,” it noted. –IANS scor/as
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‘40 people responsible for Punjab’s destruction’: BJP lambasts AAP’s poll candidate list Chandigarh, Oct 31 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab President Kewal Singh Dhillon on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) following the announcement of its first list of 40 candidates. He said the list is not a list of 40 candidates, but of 40 people responsible for Punjab’s destruction. He added that instead of featuring individuals known for their integrity and commitment to public service, the list included leaders embroiled in serious allegations and controversies. He said the AAP government was misleading people by putting up hoardings across Punjab proclaiming an ‘Honest Chief Minister’. Given the prevailing situation in the state, he remarked that these hoardings should instead read ‘Dishonest Chief Minister’. Several candidates on the list, he alleged, were facing accusations of corruption, fraud, money laundering and other serious offences. Dhillon said that whether AAP announces its candidates now or later, the people of Punjab would not accept them again. Punjab has already fallen victim to the party’s false promises once and will not be misled a second time. The BJP state President said that AAP’s promise of change had come at a high cost to Punjab, with the government failing on every front. He alleged that the party’s leaders and MLAs, who came to Punjab after facing defeat in Delhi, had exploited the state for the past five years and were now preparing to do so again. He asserted that the people of Punjab would never tolerate another attempt to plunder the state. Dhillon said that AAP had devastated Punjab over the past five years. The leaders whom the party has fielded again have been in power for nearly five years and are equally responsible for the state’s decline. Taking the government to task over law and order, he said the situation in Punjab had deteriorated to such an extent that there was virtually no fear of the law. Murders, extortion and incidents of gunfire had become commonplace. He further alleged that the government had failed miserably to curb the drug menace, with young people continuing to fall victim to drug abuse every day. –IANS vg/dan
Quad ministers meet in Atlanta with leaders’ summit in view Atlanta, Oct 31 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will join his US, Japanese and Australian counterparts for a Quad foreign ministers’ meeting here on Saturday, talks that experts said would help lay the groundwork for a long-stalled Quad leaders’ summit and test the group’s cohesion amid strains in India-US ties. The meeting, hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, is scheduled for 9 a.m. (local time) on Saturday. Rubio will then take part in the G20’s third session, on supply chains, and deliver closing remarks at 10 a.m., before holding a press availability on the ministerial at 12:30 p.m., the schedule said. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong are in Atlanta for the G20 talks. “Together, we will advance practical cooperation on regional security, maritime security and economic resilience in support of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Wong said in a statement ahead of the visit. Announcing EAM Jaishankar’s visit on Wednesday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “On the sidelines of this meeting, he will also participate in a QUAD Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and also have several bilateral engagements with his counterparts.” Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said the ministers “are expected to lay the groundwork for the long-stalled leaders’ summit in Manila next month.” “Despite the bilateral trust issues that have seeped in over the past year, particularly between India and the United States, the Quad is that one vehicle where you see officials still championing alignment on the Indo-Pacific, supply chains, and economic security,” Aamer said. She cautioned that the meeting “may, however, remain more of an optics game,” noting that much of the Quad agenda was “being worked out bilaterally between its members,” from critical minerals to energy. Emma Chanlett-Avery, ASPI’s Senior Director of Political-Security Affairs, said a leaders’ meeting “will be welcome news to Tokyo, Canberra, and Delhi.” But she warned that it “could be overshadowed by a potential trilateral summit with Trump, Putin, and Xi just a day later, presenting a very different vision of a world order dominated by authoritarian leaders.” Maritime security is set to feature prominently. At the G20’s first plenary on Friday, EAM Jaishankar stressed the “Urgent need to preserve the freedom of navigation and ensure cessation of attacks within the framework of international law, especially UNCLOS,” and said the “Global South is disproportionately bearing the consequences of attacks on civilian shipping and seafarers,” according to his post on X. At the second plenary, on energy, EAM Jaishankar “Reaffirmed that India needs reliable and predictable LPG supplies for its clean cooking needs,” he posted. Rubio said on X that he had told the G20 that “maritime and food security drive economic security.” On Friday evening, Rubio, Motegi and South Korea’s Cho Hyun signed a memorandum creating a Trilateral Arctic Pacific Partnership, Rubio said. Wong said Australia had joined the European Union-led “No Fees/No Tolls” pledge, “opposing unlawful fees and tolls that would undermine freedom of navigation and set a dangerous precedent for international shipping.” The Quad meeting comes a week after Rubio’s visit to India. On Friday EAM Jaishankar met the foreign ministers of Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Germany on the sidelines. EAM Jaishankar travels from Atlanta to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from November 1 to 4. –IANS lkj/rs
ED attaches Rs 85.19 crore assets in Dream makers investment fraud case
ISI-backed Kashmir Study Group shifts terror strategy to south India amid intensified security in north New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has expanded its tactical focus toward south India on the recommendation of the Kashmir Study Group (KSG), seeking to exploit pre-existing radicalised networks in states like Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu as security grids tighten across north India, including Jammu and Kashmir, intelligence officials have revealed. The ISI’s internal study group KSG was set up after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and is now led by high-ranking military officers in the ranks of a Brigadier and a Colonel. Initially tasked with advising the Pakistani establishment on Jammu and Kashmir, its brief is said to have expanded over the past two to three years to cover other parts of India. In its latest assessment, the KSG is understood to have advised the ISI to explore recruiting radicalised individuals in southern states. An official said the proposed shift followed increased security pressure in Jammu and Kashmir and disruption of networks in northern India. Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir remain on high alert, making it harder for terror groups to operate, the official said. “The KSG had earlier recommended proxy organisations, including The Resistance Front (TRF), the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), Kashmir Tigers and Allah Tigers. These groups were created to provide both the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) with a degree of deniability,” the official said. In the north, after the Red Fort car bomb blast in Delhi last year, the ISI, on the advice of the KSG, recruited Shahzad Bhatti to carry out recruitments through social media. This network, which was busted recently, recruited across North India. Those recruited were assigned tasks including drug smuggling, installing surveillance cameras at sensitive locations, and carrying out targeted attacks, the official said. The recruits were paid to smuggle drugs, install surveillance cameras at sensitive and crowded locations, and also carry out hit jobs. Another official said that with these modules failing, the KSG has advised the ISI to shift its focus to south India. “Shifting attention to the south could divert the focus of security agencies from Jammu and Kashmir and northern India. It would also give the ISI time to review and reorganise its operations in those regions,” the official said. An Intelligence Bureau official said Al Qaeda and the Islamic State had, over the years, sought to expand their influence in parts of southern India, particularly Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. “Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been hot hubs for these terror outfits. The radicalisation is so deep in south India that the KSG felt that it would be fit to tap these individuals and get them to carry out terror acts for the ISI,” the official said. The ISI has agents in several countries and has relied on overseas contacts for recruitment in India, officials alleged. They said Pakistan-based handlers sought to avoid direct contact with recruits, making it harder for investigators to establish links to the Pakistani establishment. Officials said such precautions had become more important after Operation Sindoor, when India declared that future acts of terrorism would be treated as acts of war, not merely as cross-border terrorism. They said this had increased pressure on Pakistan-based networks to conceal their involvement. The KSG, during recent interactions with the top brass of the ISI, has advised tapping into the radicalised youth in the Southern states. There is not much for the ISI agents to do where radicalisation is concerned, as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State have already undertaken that exercise. This means the ISI could tap into the already existing pool of talent and then pick them up for subversive activities, officials say. The very fact that this pool from south India has exposure to radical Islamic ideologies in West Asia makes them easy prey for the ISI’s recruiters. This change in strategy is not only a stop-gap arrangement until the ISI recalibrates in north India and Jammu and Kashmir. This is also a part of the strategy whereby the Pakistan spy agency taps into radicalised individuals across the country in a bid to run a pan-India operation. Officials explain that those radicalised by the Islamic State or Al Qaeda do not have an exclusive affiliation. These persons have been radicalised by violent ideology and not based on a particular group. The idea of both these groups was to create a completely radicalised society, with violent Jihad being the primary goal. Al Qaeda or the Islamic State would not necessarily oppose the ISI approaching this pool of individuals, as their objective is the destruction of India and they would welcome an ISI intervention in it, another official said.
India hosts maiden BIMSTEC maritime security exercise in Andaman and Nicobar Islands New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) India is hosting the maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise in Sri Vijaya Puram, the capital of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to strengthen maritime cooperation, enhance operational coordination and interoperability among member countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Saturday. The exercise, which commenced on Friday and will continue until November 3, is among the key initiatives announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand last year. It features three days of Tabletop Exercises followed by a two-day Harbour Phase, with ships from BIMSTEC member countries participating. In a post on X, the MEA said, “The exercise translates the shared vision of BIMSTEC leaders into action, reinforcing maritime cooperation, enhancing operational coordination and interoperability, and contributing towards a safe, secure and stable maritime environment in the Bay of Bengal.” According to Andaman and Nicobar Command, the maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise was inaugurated at Sri Vijaya Puram on Friday by Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty, Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command. The ceremony was attended by Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, National Maritime Security Coordinator, along with senior delegations from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. “Anchored in the Delhi Declaration, the exercise marks a significant step towards translating shared maritime security commitments into coordinated action at sea. It aims to enhance interoperability, strengthen information sharing and promote collective responses to maritime threats and transnational challenges, including terrorism,” Andaman & Nicobar Command posted on X on Saturday. The exercise aims to enhance maritime domain awareness (MDA), build operational coordination across the Bay of Bengal, strengthen regional security cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and responses to cross-border maritime crimes as well as marine pollution due to oil and hazardous material spills. BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a regional organisation comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Over the years, BIMSTEC has emerged as a vibrant and dynamic regional organisation. Member states share the vision of a free, peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indian Ocean Region (IOR). –IANS scor/sd/