Field Evaluation of Bids For Navy's Mega Submarine Deal Underway; German Govt. To Acquire Stake In TKMS

Only Germany and Spain submitted bids for the deal, the deadline for which saw several extensions before finally culminating in July 2023

by Dinakar Peri

The German government is expected to take up a stake in submarine manufacturer, the TKMS (Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems), and discussions are on, it has been learnt. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy’s mega submarine deal under Project-75I, estimated to cost upwards of ₹43,000 crore, has moved to the evaluation stage with compliance checks of the two bids received, one of which is from the TKMS.

An Indian Navy team visited TKMS in March and conducted the Field Evaluation Trials (FET) and it has met the criteria specified, multiple sources confirmed. The FET of Navantia of Spain, the second bid, is expected to be completed before June, it has been learnt. An Indian Navy team visited the TKMS and carried out FET from March 22 to 28, two sources independently confirmed.

The German government’s move to pick up a stake in the TKMS is in line with the company’s desire to convince its stakeholders of the viability of the submarine business, sources said noting that it would automatically bring in the Government-to-Government part, essential for a deal of this size and technological sophistication. The TKMS was initially not inclined to bid for P-75I due to its scope and complexity but was later convinced by the German government to bid for it, the two sources cited above confirmed. The war in Ukraine and change in Europe’s security outlook also contributed to the German government’s interest in expanding defence cooperation in a big way, sources said.

The German government’s move to pick up a stake in the TKMS is in line with the company’s interest and would strengthen its shareholders’ confidence, sources observed.

The design offered by the TKMS for P-75I is based on its highly successful Class 214 submarine as well as Class 212CD, with the submarine featuring angular design for minimised radar cross-section, it has been learnt. Meanwhile, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), the Indian partner of the TKMS, has begun work on the first phase of submarine design, sources in the know said.

Indigenous Content

The Request For Proposal (RFP) issued by the Navy detailing the specifications states that the first submarine should have indigenous content (IC) of 45% which should go up to 60% for the sixth and last submarine.

The final design will be done jointly by the TKMS and the MDL. “MDL will be able to give 60% IC from the first submarine itself and India will own the design which enables it to make any integration of indigenous equipment as desired even at a later stage,” one source stated.

In a major decision as the deal moves forward, Germany early April granted small arms licence to India, a significant exception given the ban on exports to third countries, and in the last couple of months liberalised the licensing requirements for sale of military equipment as required under its BAFA (Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control).

Only Germany and Spain submitted bids for the deal, the deadline for which saw several extensions before finally culminating in July 2023. The deal is being progressed under the Strategic Partnership model of the defence acquisition procedure. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and the MDL are the two Indian shipyards shortlisted to partner with foreign submarine manufactures to manufacture six advanced conventional submarines in India with significant technology transfer.

Navantia has offered a submarine based on its S80 class, the first of which was launched in 2021 and was commissioned into the Spanish Navy as S-81 ‘Isaac Peral’ last November, while L&T will be responsible for constructing the submarines. The Spanish government has a stake in Navantia.

AIP Condition

The key determinant to qualify for P-75I is the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system. The P-75I process ran into rough weather, among other issues, over the specification that the submarine on offer should have an operationally proven AIP module with an endurance of two weeks. In addition, manufacturers had also raised the issue of unlimited liability on them, some of which have since been addressed by the Defence Acquisition Council, but yet to be fully resolved, according to sources. The AIP condition meant only two manufacturers were left in the race.

The AIP on offer by the TKMS has both fuel cell as well as Lithium-Ion battery, giving it enhanced performance, one of the sources said. The fuel cell gives long range endurance at low speed while Lithium-Ion battery offers high endurance at higher speed, the source said, elaborating, while stating that it’s a fourth generation AIP with the technology having matured since first developed three decades ago.

An AIP module acts as a force multiplier as it enables conventional submarines to remain submerged for longer duration, thereby significantly enhancing the endurance while reducing chances of detection, as submarines are most prone to be spotted when they surface. An indigenous AIP module under development is set to be installed on the Scorpene submarines as they go for refit end this year or early next year onwards.

Germany has presented a Government-To-Government (G-To-G) proposal to India for the sale of submarines under P-75I, and a senior German delegation was in Delhi in January for discussions. Sources said the German government is expected to continue talks on the G-to-G proposal in the next few weeks.

India and Germany discussed the deal at the highest level during the visit of German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius in June 2023, during which he made a strong pitch for the bid by the TKMS in his talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

MDL has in the 1980s manufactured two of the four older German HDW Type 209 submarines still in service with the Indian Navy.

(With Reporting by The Hindu)

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Maldives Urges Indians To 'Be A Part' of Its Tourism, Economy 'Depends' On It

India dropped to sixth place amongst the top tourist markets in Maldives in 2024 amidst strained bilateral ties

Emphasizing the historical relations between Maldives and India, the island nation's Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal urged the Indians to contribute to the country's economy which is dependent on tourism.

With the number of Indian tourists visiting the Maldives dwindling amidst strained bilateral ties, the archipelago nation's tourism minister on Monday urged Indians to contribute to the country's economy which is dependent on tourism.

In an interview with PTI Videos here, Maldivian Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal emphasised on the historical relations between his country and India.

“We have a history. Our newly elected government also wants to work together (with India). We always promote peace and a friendly environment. Our people and the government will give a warm welcome to Indian arrivals. As the Tourism Minister, I want to tell Indians to please be a part of the Maldives’ tourism. Our economy depends on tourism,” he said.

A full-blown backlash was directed at the Maldives following derogatory remarks against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media by three Maldivian officials after Modi posted photos and video of the pristine Lakshadweep Islands on India’s west coast on January 6 on his X handle.

Scores of Indians, including multiple celebrities, cancelled their reservations and dropped plans to visit Maldives. The tourism arrival statistics reflected how from being a top visitor country, India’s position went down from topmost to sixth position after January.

According to a sun.mv report published on Monday, the number of tourist arrivals from India declined by 42 per cent in the first four months of this year compared to the first four months of last year.

At the start of this year, India was the top tourist market for the Maldives. Shortly into the year, India dropped to sixth place amongst the top tourist markets, the news portal reported.

According to Tourism Ministry statistics, Maldives recorded a total of 43,991 tourist arrivals from India as of May 4. Between January and April of last year, Maldives recorded 73,785 tourist arrivals. This year, the number stands at 42,638.

The report attributed the steep decline in Indian tourists to the strained relations between India and the Maldives after the new administration led by President Mohamed Muizzu assumed office in November last year.

The India-Maldives ties have come under stress as President Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, maintained after assuming charge as the president in November that he will keep his election promise of evicting Indian military personnel from his country.

Soon after coming to power, Muizzu forced the withdrawal of the 88 Indian military personnel manning three aviation platforms gifted by India to the Maldives. He has previously accused India of meddling in the affairs of the Maldives and won the presidential elections in September last year with an "India Out" campaign.

The Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupies a special place in its initiatives like ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ of the Modi government.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Ordnance Factory Medak Enters Contract With Coast Guard For Supply of CRN-91 Guns

Ordnance Factory Medak (OFM) on Monday entered into a contract with the Indian Coast Guard for the Supply of 10 CRN-91 Guns. The contract was formally handed over by Deputy Inspector General of Coast Guard Bhibhuti Ranjan to OFM General Manager P Babji, at Coast Guard Headquarters, New Delhi.

This Close Range Naval (CRN) Gun is a Naval Version of the 30 mm automatic gun installed on a ship and gyro stabilised. It is directed by an electro-optic fire control system (FCS) for day and night use mounted on an improvised cupola. It can also be remotely operated.

The CRN-91 is a naval version of the Medak gun that is licence manufactured by OFB Medak for fitment on the BMP-2 Sarath. The original design is that of the 2A42 Shipunov gun of 30x165 mm calibre. It has a maximum rate of fire of 500 rds/min and a sustained rate of 200 to 300 rds/min.

It has a dual feed mechanism, meaning it can alternate between armour piercing tracer and high explosive incendiary & fragmentation tracer projectiles that are electrically primed, meaning that instead of a firing pin striking the primer and thus igniting the propellant the primer is activated through an electric current.

The cannon is guided by the BPK 2–42 electro optical sight, and the entire assembly is gyro stabilised in pitch and yaw axes. The sight has a capability to operate in both day & night conditions. It is remotely operable.

The sight’s features are as follows:

Day System

Magnification: 6X

Field of view at least: 10°

Periscope height: 221 mm

Night system

Magnification at least: 5.5X

Field of view at least: 6°40′

Periscope height: 248 mm

It serves onboard various OPVs, Pollution Control Vessels and other smaller ships in the Indian Coast Guard. Recently the Landing Craft Utility MK-IV being commissioned into the Navy also features this gun.

(With Agency Inputs)

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IIT-Madras-Backed Start-Up Launches India's First Indigenously Designed Microcontroller Chip

Mindgrove Technologies launched India’s first commercial high-performance SoC (system on chip) named Secure IoT. The fabless semiconductor start-up claimed that the RISC-V-based chip will let domestic original equipment manufacturers to use an Indian SoC in their devices, which will cut overall costs, the statement said

The fabless semiconductor start-up claimed that the RISC-V-based chip will let domestic original equipment manufacturers to use an Indian SoC in their devices, which will cut overall costs, the statement said

Moving one step closer to a fully homegrown chip, an Indian start-up has successfully designed country’s first indigenously-built microcontroller semiconductor that can offer a cheaper option to consumer electronics goods makers and digital infrastructure in India, providing a boost to New Delhi’s Make-in-India push in the electronics sector.

Mindgrove Technologies, which is backed by Peak XV Partners-backed and incubated by IIT-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation and IIT-Madras Incubation Cell, launched India’s first commercial high-performance SoC (system on chip) named Secure IoT, the firm said in a statement on May 6.

The fabless semiconductor startup claimed that the RISC-V-based chip will let domestic original equipment manufacturers to use an Indian SoC in their devices, which will cut overall costs, the company said. The chip is 30 percent cheaper than the ones available in the market, the company claimed.

A microcontroller chip is a microcomputer embedded inside a system to control a particular function, such as receiving remote signals or displaying information, inside a device. It has one or more processing cores, memory and peripherals.

The chip can be used in various devices such as smartwatches, smart city devices like connected electricity, water, gas meters, fans, speakers and even in the battery management and control systems of electric vehicles, the statement said.

“The pandemic revealed the wide gap between high-end and low-end players in the embedded systems space, with the latter prioritizing cost and volume over the chip’s actual performance,” said Shashwath TR, chief executive and co-founder of Mindgrove Technologies. “Thus, we set out to design chips that target the middle market. ‘Right-sizing’ has been the key differentiating factor when it comes to Mindgrove, giving it an edge over others, with enhanced flexibility, adaptability, security and cost-efficiency coupled with a robust support system.”

The chip is a high-performance microchip controller clocking at 700 MHz, and is the only commercially available Indian-made chip in the segment. The start-up also provides design support to accelerate innovation and scale of production, it said.

The start-up is headquartered at the IIT-Madras Research Park in Chennai.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pak-Led Muslim Bloc Targets India On Kashmir; OIC Holds Meeting On J&K

Delegations from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other member states attend OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir meeting in Banjul. Member states call for early and peaceful resolution to Kashmir dispute along the lines of OIC’s agenda UN resolutions, says foreign ministry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stressed on India to release prisoners, lift curbs on political parties and restore the special status of the internationally disputed Jammu and Kashmir territory, the foreign ministry said on Monday, on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) summit in The Gambia.

These views were expressed by Dar as he led Pakistan’s delegation to a meeting of the OIC’s Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday in Banjul. The meeting reviewed the political and security environment in Jammu and Kashmir, and took stock of the “grim human rights situation” in the territory, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said. The meeting was attended by member states of the contact group such as Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Niger, Azerbaijan and officials of the OIC-Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission.

Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan, both of which claim all of the region but administer only parts of it. On Aug. 5 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew Indian-administered Kashmir’s autonomy in a move that was seen by analysts as a strategy to tighten his grip over the territory. The decision provoked outrage in Pakistan and the downgrading of diplomatic ties and suspension of bilateral trade between the two countries.

“He [Dar] also stressed that India must release all the political prisoners, lift curbs on the outlawed political parties, revoke the illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 and the subsequent steps aimed at demographic change and political engineering, and implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” MoFA said.

Dar informed the group that India was “systematically denying the Kashmiri people their fundamental rights and freedoms,” adding that Indian authorities had created “an environment of fear and intimidation” in the disputed territory.

The delegations from member countries stressed the importance of the resolution of the Kashmir dispute along the lines of the OIC’s agenda, the foreign ministry said. They expressed support for the legitimate struggle of Kashmiris for the realization of their right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the ministry said.

“They called for an early and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” MoFA said.

The OIC has 57 member countries, making it the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations. The OIC contact group on Jammu and Kashmir was established in 1994 to support the struggle of the people of Indian-administered Kashmir, including their right to self-determination, to voice the organization’s position, and coordinate joint actions on the dispute.

Dar is in Banjul to attend an OIC summit being held against a backdrop of widespread anger over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The Jewish state has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians and caused massive destruction of hospitals, schools and residential neighbourhoods in the densely populated area since Oct. 7.

The Pakistani deputy prime minister arrived in Gambia on Wednesday to present his country’s perspective on a wide range of issues, including the war in Gaza and the rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Surveillance Technologies For Three Dimensional Navy

Sonar uses sound waves to detect, locate, and identify objects in water. The term Sonar is an acronym for sound navigation and ranging. Ships and submarines primarily use Sonars for underwater navigation and surveillance. The design of Sonar requires expertise in sensor technology, signal conditioning and processing, electronic packaging, materials technology, ocean acoustics, and mechanical engineering.

Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), a premier system laboratory of DRDO in Kochi, has proven the expertise required to develop various Sonar requirements for the Indian Navy. NPOL has been engaged in cutting-edge research in the area of underwater surveillance and communication systems for the past 70 years.

We look a few of the core technologies developed by NPOL/DRDO for the Indian Navy:

Technologies For Compact Hull Mounted Sonar For Shallow Water Crafts

Technologies were developed for a state-of-the-art compact SONAR system suitable for installation onboard Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) ships. The hardware comprises a compact staggered transducer array, a sleek and rugged display cum processing console, modular front-end signal conditioning hardware, and high-efficiency switched-mode power amplifiers.

Features

♦ Compact dimensions to suit space-constrained platforms

♦ Optimized for shallow-water operations

♦ Automatic target designation and tracking of multiple targets

♦ Reverberation suppression capability

♦ Provision for self-noise cancellation

♦ Beam stabilization to overcome own-ship platform dynamics

♦ Automatic LRU-level fault detection and fault localization

♦ Integrated SONAR performance prediction

Transducer Array

♦ Staggered Cylindrical Transducer Array

♦ More staves in less space

♦ Higher source levels

♦ Better radiation characteristics Front-end Electronics

♦ Modular design

♦ Conforms to the VME form factor

♦ Wide dynamic range

♦ Programmable Gain Control

♦ Supports remote configuration via Ethernet interface

Power Amplifier

♦ Class D switched-mode power amplifier

♦ IGBT full bridge configuration

♦ Employs pulse width modulation

♦ High efficiency (> 85 %)

♦ Low distortion (< 5 %)

♦ 3U form factor ♦ Power level control in steps of 1 dB

Multi-Function Console

♦ High-resolution (1600 x 1200) display monitors, Touch Input Display (TID)

♦ COTS General Purpose Processor (Intel Core i7/XXeon)

♦ A software framework based on the Qt4 toolkit for HMI software

♦ Seamless cursor and support for streaming audio/video

♦ Rugged servers for signal processing

♦ Software developed in MATLAB, C++, and Qt in a Linux environment

Subsequent to the development of these technologies, they were integrated, installed onboard, and successfully demonstrated to the User. The production version of the demonstrated equipment technology is being considered for installation on shallow water crafts. To facilitate this, NPOL transferred equipment technology to Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

Sonar Transducer Technology - Free-Flooded Ring Transducer

The Free-Flooded Ring (FFR) transducer is one of the main stay underwater transmitters developed in NPOL for ASW Sonars.

The high power-to-weight ratio and depth-independent acoustic characteristics make the FFR transducer more popular among other designs.

FFR transducers are highly efficient compared to conventional Tonpilz transducers, which operate at the same frequency.

The resonance frequency, or frequency band, of FFRs is governed by the dimensions of the FFR and the type of piezoelectric material used. 

The frequencies can be tuned by adding appropriate inactive materials between active piezoelectric segments that form the ring. FFR also uses multi-mode resonance to enhance its operating frequency band.

Features

♦ High power-to-weight ratio

♦ Depth-independent characteristics

♦ Unlimited depth of operation

♦ High source level and band width

♦ Omnidirectional in the azimuth plane

DRDO Newsletter

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'India Is An Indispensable Part of Balancing Equation For Australia': Australian Envoy

New Delhi: Labelling India as an "indispensable part of the balancing equation for Australia", Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green OAM, on Monday, said that the trajectory of India's economy is something that many of Canberra's firms and government want to be closely involved in.

Speaking at an event "Diplomat Diaries", hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, Green further commended India's economy.

Emphasising that Australia has a very prospective bilateral relationship with India, Green said, " I've said that India is an indispensable part of the balancing equation for Australia. I've said that the trajectory of your economy is something that many of our firms and our governments want to be closely involved in."

He further said that almost a million Indian people live in Australia.

"I haven't said it harsh, but there's a third driver here, and that's the now nearly a million people of Indian origin who live in Australia, nearly 4 per cent of our population...." he said.

On allegations made by the US and Canada, Green reiterated the statement by the Australian foreign ministry.

"The first thing to say is that at the time that these allegations first came out, my foreign minister and my department made some statements about our approach to that," he said.

Green stressed, "We haven't changed our view about the rule of law and sovereignty for a country like Australia."

Highlighting the Indo-Pacific, he said, "Although the world is currently awash with security challenges, be that total scale land war in Europe or devastating conflict and terrorism in the Middle East, and although Australia has a level of focus on those things...The key point I want to underline to you is that Australia's focus on the Indo-Pacific has never been so complete. And so I think this is a group of talks called "diplomat diaries."

He added that Australia's diary is full of the Indo-Pacific and although "you could chart on a graph the level of Australian engagement in its region as opposed to the world's over the past 30 years period...."

"Even though there has been a steady increase in our foreign security policies focus on the Indo-Pacific, or as we used to call it, the Asia Pacific, we are now definitely at a new high," Green added.

Australian envoy said that they are enormously optimistic about the economic future of their region and "what that can mean for our businesses, for Australians who want to travel, for human experience with other people in our region."

This report is auto-generated from a syndicated feed

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'No Plans To Increase QUAD Membership': Australian Envoy Philip Green

New Delhi: Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green OAM, on Monday emphasised that there are no plans to increase 'Quad' membership, adding that it is "very important" for the countries to frame their relations with China.

Addressing an interactive event "Diplomat Diaries", hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in the national capital, Green emphasised the need to have clarity on Quad membership.

"I think we need to be really clear that the Quad is the quad, four members. There are no plans that I know to increase the membership," he said.

He further said that it is "very important" for the Quad member countries to choose to frame their relations with China.

"In my talk, I use the term sovereignty a lot. And for us, it's very important that states in our region have the opportunity to make sovereign choices about their own destinies in ways that are uncoerced and without undue influence on others," Green added.

Moreover, the Australian envoy stressed especially that for those leaders who are democratically elected, it is important to make the choices that seem appropriate to them.

"So it's for the leaders of those countries, especially those that are democratically elected, like those of the Solomon Islands, to make the choices that seem appropriate to them," he said.

Quad is a diplomatic partnership between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States committed to supporting an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.

Last month, in an interview with Newsweek, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Indo-Pacific region is the engine of global trade, innovation and growth and the security of the Indo-Pacific is important not only to the region but to the world.

Answering a query on China and the Quad, he said the US, Australia, Japan, India, and China, all these countries are members of many groups.

"We are present in different combinations in different groups. Quad is not aimed against any country. Like many other international groupings, like SCO, BRICS and others, Quad is also a group of like-minded countries working on a shared positive agenda," he said.

This report is auto-generated from a syndicated feed

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Encounter Underway In Jammu-Kashmir's Kulgam After Intel On Lashkar Hideout

An encounter broke out on Monday in Jammu-Kashmir's Kulagam district after the intelligence agencies gave input about the presence of a lashkar hideout.

The police and security forces are jointly involved as the operation is underway.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Abdullahs Call For Dialogue With Pakistan Over Kashmir

Pak Huggers: J&K National Conference President Farooq Abdullah and VP Omar Abdullah

National Conference (NC) president Dr. Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah pitched for a dialogue with Pakistan over the Kashmir issue on Monday.

“You (India) are talking to everyone. India is even talking to China; a dialogue is ongoing there. Why not that side (Pakistan)? You claim a part of J&K is there. The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) himself says war is no longer a solution. There is no other way but to talk to Pakistan,” Dr. Abdullah said, during a poll rally in south Kashmir’s Pulwama.

In a separate poll rally in north Kashmir, Mr. Abdullah seconded his father on initiating a dialogue with Pakistan.

“The NC always supported a dialogue process (with Pakistan). At least listen to Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said friends can be changed not neighbours. Pakistan was, is and will remain a neighbour,” Mr. Abdullah said.

He urged both India and Pakistan to create a conducive atmosphere for talks. “It is the responsibility of the two countries to create a conducive atmosphere. We see a new government in Pakistan. By June 4, a new government will come into being in India too. We hope that both countries will work towards a dialogue,” Mr. Abdullah said.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Election Campaign Rallies Sweep Kashmir's Former No-Go Zones

The Kashmir Valley is witnessing a change, for the first time in the last three decades, as election campaign rallies are being held in areas which were once considered volatile and no-go zones. A regional political party held an election campaign at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of Downtown. The same area was once famous for stone pelting and election boycotts.

From Srinagar's Jamia Masjid to Lal Chowk's Ghanta Ghar, election campaign rallies are being held in every nook and corner of the Kashmir region. These are the same areas which used to be infamous for stone pelting and shutdowns. And with no election rallies around these areas, they also had minimal voter percentage too, but this time around, the situation seems to have taken a 180-degree turn. It seems that all previous voter turnout records would be broken by looking at the people's participation in the election rallies.

"The election atmosphere in the Kashmir Valley, the campaigning and people participation, and road shows are having a huge response. The atmosphere of normalcy across the region is an indicator that the poll percentage will be much higher than the poll percentage of the 2019 elections. The two phases that have happened in the Jammu region have also shown immense participation as they have also crossed the previous records. It's very likely that the poll percentage would be better this time. The two parliamentary seats that went to election were good. We have seen 50-60 per cent voting in North Kashmir, and we are expecting the same. Central Kashmir will cross the mark of 50 per cent for sure, and similarly south Kashmir will also see good voting as well. Rajouri, Poonch will also see a good response," said P K Pole, Chief Election Officer of Jammu and Kashmir.

The chief of APNI Party Altaf Bukhari held a roadshow from Dastgeer Sahib’s shrine in Khanyar to the historic Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta in the downtown area of Srinagar on Monday. People and party workers attended this rally in huge numbers and it eventually culminated at the historic Jamia Masjid.

"People are very hopeful and are coming out of free will. They are hoping that it's the beginning of a new era in Jammu and Kashmir. If people were not supporting this change, would you have been able to come to Srinagar's downtown area to carry out a campaigning rally," said Altaf Bukhari, President, APNI Party.

The political parties are also carrying out rallies in districts like Shopian, Pulwama, and Kulgam, which were once considered hotbeds of terror.

The People's Democratic Party candidate from Srinagar constituency, Wahid Parra, also took out a political rally from South Kashmir's Pulwama district to Srinagar's famous Ghanta Ghar in Lal Chowk. He was accompanied by hundreds of his party workers, and the sloganeering by his party workers echoed across Lal Chowk's Ghanta Ghar area in Srinagar.

(With Agency Inputs)

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LeT’s Sajid Jutt Suspected To Be Mastermind In Terror Attack On IAF Convoy In J&K

Srinagar: Five India Air Force (IAF) personnel were injured after terrorists ambushed their convoy near Shahsitar in Poonch on Saturday. They were evacuated to the Command Hospital in Udhampur, where one of them, Corporal Vikky Pahade, died of injuries.

Security personnel during cordon and search operation after at least one soldier was killed and four were injured as terrorists ambushed an Indian Air Force (IAF) convoy on Saturday, in Pooch district.

In ongoing search operations in the border areas of Rajouri and Poonch districts in Jammu and Kashmir, security forces are intensifying efforts to eliminate terrorists following the ambush on an IAF convoy.

Investigations indicate that the orchestrator behind the deadly attack is Lashkar-e-Taiba's Habibullah Malik, also known as Sajid Jutt, originally from Kasur district in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Earlier this year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had filed a supplementary charge sheet against Jutt for conspiring to unleash terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, including Rajouri and Poonch districts.

Habibullah Malik (known aliases Sajid Jutt, Saifullah, Noomi, Numan, Langda, Ali Sajid, Usman Habib and Shani) is the son of Muhammad Rafique, a resident of Changa Manga village in Kasur district of Pakistan and is known to be associated with Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT)/The Resistance Front (TRF). Malik is alleged to be involved in radicalising Kashmiri youths and recruiting them into militancy through his network. He is known to be the key handler of terrorists who carried out an attack on Indian soldiers in Bhata Dhurian of Poonch district. He has been involved in drone dropping of arms and communication systems in Jammu region and has created a wide network of hardcore militants. He is known to have masterminded multiple terrorist attacks in the Valley, including fidayeen attack against army at Hyderpora in June 2013 and the killing of SHO Chadoora in Budgamm in December 2013.

Five India Air Force (IAF) personnel were injured after terrorists ambushed their convoy near Shahsitar in Poonch on Saturday. They were evacuated to the Command Hospital in Udhampur, where one of them, Corporal Vikky Pahade, died of injuries.

Sources said the truck which was targeted by the terrorists was the last of three vehicles moving from Jaranwalli Gali to Shahistar Top where the IAF has a base. “The terrorists, who had taken positions atop the hills along the road, opened indiscriminate fire on the third vehicle after the first two vehicles passed,” they said.

Besides AK assault rifles, the terrorists also used a US-made M4 carbine and steel bullets to cause maximum casualties, the sources added.

Teams of the Army’s Para Commandos have been pressed into service in the search operations, officials said. There has been no “contact” with the terrorists yet while several suspects have been detained for questioning in connection with the attack, the first major incident in Jammu region this year.

Terrorists have carried a series of ambushes on the security forces since 2021 in Rajouri and Poonch also known as Pir Panjal range.

A group of 12-18 heavily armed and highly trained terrorists operating in three to four groups were functional in the region, who are also experts in setting up ambushes, sources said. Jutt has emerged as the main handler of these terror groups.

Terrorists seem to have shifted their focus from Kashmir valley to Rajouri and Poonch, where dense forests and mountainous landscapes provide them ample cover.

These forests give terrorists more strategic depth, as opposed to the populated areas of Kashmir, as is evidenced by a slew of ambushes and encounters, where ultras kept the army engaged for days and have often managed to slip away.

Out of the 134 militancy-related killings in 2023, the Pir Panjal region accounted for 53 deaths, which is roughly 40 per cent. Of the 53 people killed in the twin border districts, 19 were army personnel, including a few officers.

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World Uyghur Congress Opposes Chinese President Xi Jinping's Visit To Europe

Munich: A Uyghur rights advocacy organisation, the World Uyghur Congress, released a statement opposing the ongoing Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Europe, claiming that China's deepening ties with Russia are ignorance of the human rights abuses inflicted by China on the Uyghur community.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made his six-day visit to Europe, marking his first trip to the continent since 2019, with the exception of his trip last year to Russia.

"Despite recent developments within Europe, including arrests and charges related to Chinese espionage, as well as China's deepening ties with Russia, European countries exhibit varying degrees of concern amid increasing views of China as a 'systemic rival'. Xi's trip aims to address criticism while highlighting areas that remain receptive to Chinese influence," the WUC said on Sunday.

WUC president Dolkun Isa said, "France must raise the continuous human rights abuses committed by the Chinese regime inside East Turkistan, Tibet, and Hong Kong, as well as across Europe, with China's growing transnational repression". He also mentioned that "the Uyghur genocide must be raised publicly by the French President Emmanuel Macron, urging Xi Jinping to end the ongoing erasure of our people, reflecting the resolution adopted by the Assemble Nationale recognizing the Uyghur genocide."

The statement read, "In France, the increasing trade deficit of the EU with China, as well as the war in Ukraine, will be on the agenda in the presidential meeting. Whereas particularly in Serbia and Hungary, the growing investment ties with China and the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by NATO on May 7, 1999, will contribute significantly to Beijing's enduring mistrust of NATO."

As per WUC statement, "The World Uyghur Congress opposes the openness displayed by Europe towards the People's Republic of China (PRC) and its leader, Xi Jinping. Particularly, Hungary's position blocking the discussion on China's human rights abuses and the Uyghur genocide is of concern, as well as the recent news on the China-Europe Railway Express, a train set to transport agricultural goods produced by Uyghur forced labour which left East Turkistan for Salerno, Italy on May 3."

"In light of the EU forced labour regulation and due diligence directive, products made by forced labour, produced inside and outside the EU, and companies involved in these violations through their supply chains face bigger scrutiny. Yet, one thing significantly missing is the focus on Uyghur forced labour," the statement added.

"France should nevertheless raise China's state-import forced labour scheme and advocate for a strengthening of the EU's trade tools against these violations. The WUC furthermore calls on Macron and Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commission to explicitly raise Beijing's abuses against Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and Uyghurs and take a strong stance against the CCP's growing transnational repression, which endangers the lives of the community's diaspora and the security and sovereignty of European nations" the statement by WUC said.

This report is auto-generated from a syndicated feed

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'We Will Not Participate...': Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov On Ukraine Peace Summit In Switzerland

Moscow: Ahead of the "Peace in Ukraine" Conference in Switzerland, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ruled out his country's participation in the summit scheduled to be held in June and said that they will not participate in any event supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "peace formula".

While speaking in an interview with a local Russian news outlet, Sergey Lavrov said, "When our Swiss colleagues say they want to invite Russia to the first conference, they are not telling the truth. We will not participate in any events that promote Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace formula in one way or another."

"This much has been clear to everyone for a long time. We are serious about being open to negotiations based on the reality. Everyone knows this, too from experience." Sergey Lavrov added.

Switzerland is set to organise a summit on 'Peace in Ukraine' at the Burgenstock resort on June 15 and 16, aiming to develop a common understanding of a path towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, inviting over 160 delegations to the summit on Peace in Ukraine.

Moreover, the summit will build on the discussions that have taken place in recent months, underscoring the Ukrainian peace formula and other peace proposals based on the UN Charter and key principles of international law.

Further regarding the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian Minister emphasised on Ukraine's demilitarisation and quoted it as a 'necessary step' to be accomplished in the war.

"We will continue accomplishing the objectives of the special military operation. The demilitarisation of Ukraine is a necessary step. This is clear to everyone, considering the militant clique that is now in charge in Kyiv," the Russian Minister said

"Denazification, too, is inevitable and this is also clear to everyone. Kyiv's racist laws legislate the concepts that are part of Nazi ideology and glorify individuals who were convicted by the Nuremberg Tribunal. This is unacceptable in today's Europe," he added.

The Russian Minister rebuked claims of Russia's alleged reluctance to engage in negotiations, highlighting that such assertions are 'not true.'

"We hear statements about Russia refusing to negotiate almost daily. They say they want to, but Russia is refusing. That is not true either, but we no longer expect honesty or decency from our Western partners." said the Russian Minister.

Notably, Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, which the West has termed an unprovoked war.

Meanwhile, Russia has said it will hold drills that will include practice for the use of tactical nuclear weapons, days after top European leaders voiced stronger military support for Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.

The Kremlin said on Monday the military exercises ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin were in response to statements by Western and NATO-member countries about sending troops into Ukraine, which Russia invaded more than two years ago, as per Al Jazeera.

This report is auto-generated from a syndicated feed

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Pakistani People Struggle To Manage Essentials For Survival Amid Inflation

Karachi: As the purchasing power of a common man in Pakistan nosedives, people are now struggling to have daily needs as they face the challenge of skyrocketing inflation and severe unemployment.

People in Pakistan's major cities like Lahore and Karachi suffer to stay afloat, sacrificing one or the other component of their daily needs to survive.

Rashid a resident of Karachi stated, "We cannot afford meat anymore, it is totally out of question, leave aside meat we are not able to buy grains, lentils, rice, fruits and vegetables for our families in what we earn today. Today even flour is not cheap so what is there left to eat?"

"The poor are left with nothing in the end, people are committing crimes to survive, as no one is left with an option. And everything comes back to extremely high prices of essential commodities. The meat that we consume today is highly-priced and also vaccinated with taste and weight enhancers which is leading to health problems. The only option left with us is to request the government, to think less about themselves and to think about us more," he added.

Another resident of Karachi, Nazeer Ahmed also highlighted the economic crisis in the country and urged the government to take proper measures to curb the staggering inflation rate.

"Meat is a part of our daily diet in Pakistan, but a normal worker-class individual like me cannot afford it anymore. All the things in Pakistan today are high-priced and are out of our reach now. The government must at least think about this and make it affordable to the general public by fixing the price of the commodity. I believe that the best way to stop inflation is to stop the price rise of petrol immediately and this will trickle down by reducing the price of every necessary commodity," he said.

A Pakistani journalist from Lahore city of Punjab province, Bashir Sheikh, also underscored that one of the major causes of high inflation in Pakistan is corrupt activities being ignored by the administration.

Referring to the high cost of electricity in Pakistan Sheikh stated that the biggest cause of such high-priced electricity is power theft.

"If this is once controlled there will be no issue of high cost of electricity. And the only way someone can steal electricity is when there is a major involvement of officials from the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WPDA). The only way to stop any of these corrupt acts is by arresting and punishing these corrupt officials which has not happened till now," he said.

(With Agency Inputs)

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