China shows Aksai Chin as its own

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Beijing, Jan 19 : China today officially launched its state-run mapping website that rivals Google Earth, showing Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin in Jammu and Kashmir -- two key areas of dispute with India --  as part of its territory, K J M VARMA reports in Greater Kashmir 18/1.

The map called ‘Map World’ displayed on the Internet in Chinese language is already being used in I phone and other mobile and Internet user applications in China.

It shows Arunachal Pradesh that China has always claimed as “southern Tibet” as part of its territory. The map makes no specific mention of southern Tibet but it shows China’s borders covered up to Arunachal Pradesh.

Also, the Aksai Chin area, which India asserts as part of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir has been included by the map as part of China’s Xinjiang province. Both areas are part of the border dispute being negotiated between the two countries, which so far have held 14 rounds of talks.

The map, however, displays the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir region acknowledging the both sides of the areas respectively under the control of India and Pakistan.

The unresolved border issue has been a simmering issue in Sino-India relations for a long time.
 The issue of Arunachal was in the news again this month after two residents of the state were issued stapled visas by China, a development which observers said could be an indication of a change in Beijing’s policy. China had earlier refused to offer visas to the residents of the state.

However, China reiterated yesterday that its policy that Arunachal Pradesh is a “disputed area” remains “unchanged”.

The online mapping service called MAP WORLD is meant to offer an “authoritative, credible and unified” online mapping service, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran exports to Afghanistan up 25%, hit $900m

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TEHRAN, Jan 18:  Iran exported over 900 million dollars worth of goods to Afghanistan in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (ended December 21, 2010), report Tehran Times.

The amount shows a 25 increase in comparison to previous year’s figure, IRNA reported. It is estimated that Iran’s exports to Afghanistan will surpass $1.2 billion by the end of the year.

The 3rd meeting of Iran and Afghanistan’s joint economic cooperation commission was held in Tehran in November.

During the meeting the two sides reached agreements to work together closely in the fields of healthcare, cultural heritage, higher education, setting up a joint trade commission, finalizing a preferential tariffs deal, cooperation through free and special economic zones, establishing a joint investment company and boosting customs cooperation.

The two sides also agreed to conduct their trade transactions using the national currencies of both countries and to set up a joint working group to follow up mutual cooperation in the field of transportation.

Construction of renewable and hydroelectric plants was also discussed during the talks.

Kashmiris to observe black day on Jan 26 : APHC

Srinagar, January 16: In northern disputed state of Kashmir, India’s Republic Day on 26th January will be observed as a Black Day to remind the international community that India has trampled over all democratic norms and recognized standards of justice by continuously denying Kashmiris’ inalienable right to self-determination, reports KMS.

Veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement in Srinagar today appealed the Kashmiri people to observe complete strike on this day.

The statement also strongly denounced the life imprisonment awarded on Saturday by a Delhi court to six people including two Kashmiris in a false case against them. It said that India after implicating the Kashmiri youth in concocted cases was victimizing them through its biased courts.

Senior APHC leader, Shabbir Ahmed Shah visited Bijbehara and expressed solidarity with the families of the youth who had been martyred by Indian police and troops during the past six months. Talking to the people on the occasion, he said that sacrifices of the Kashmiri martyrs would not be allowed to go waste.

A delegation of Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement after visiting Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu said in a statement that the political detainees were being deprived of sufficient medical and food facilities due to which they had developed various ailments of serious nature.

Indian police arrested six more innocent persons five of them from Nowhatta in Srinagar and one from Navpachchi area of Doda.

UN HR team to visit Kashmir on Jan 19

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Srinagar, January 15 : The United Nations rapporteur on human rights, Margaret Sekaggya will visit Srinagar on January 19 to assess the condition of human rights defenders in occupied Kashmir.

Sekaggya would file a report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report is likely to be submitted in March, a UN official said.

Sekaggya, the special rapporteur on human rights defenders, appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, has arrived in India on January 11.

Meanwhile, pro-freedom leaders have strongly rejected the statement of Indian Home Secretary, Gopal K Pillai, regarding 25 percent troops’ cut and demanded complete withdrawal of Indian troops from the territory.

Veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Sheikh Yaqoob, in a statement issued from Muzaffarabad, termed Pillai’s statement as a bid to hoodwink the world community and reiterated his demand of complete withdrawal of troopers from occupied Kashmir, which was vital to create conducive environment for talks to settle the Kashmir dispute. “These so-called troop cuts are not going to improve the ground situation,” he added.

He said that the occupation forces were perpetrating gross human rights violations in the Kashmir Valley. “The troopers are occupying 2,800,000 kanals of land, wiping out forests and unleashing a reign of terror on the local population in the territory,” Sheikh Yaqoob  maintained.

Senior APHC leader, Shabir Ahmad, in a statement issued in Srinagar, said, "We have heard similar announcements in the past but the situation on the ground remained unchanged.”

Al-fatha leader, Tariq Kashmiri asked India to withdraw its troops and stop gross rights abuses in the Valley. The Chief of 11th August Foundation  in occupied Kashmir, Sheikh Issa, in a statement, said that his party wanted complete withdrawal of troops and rejected Indian Union Home Secretary’s statement.(Writer-South Asia)