Beijing, Islamabad reject reports : Chinese Troops In PaK?

Beijing/Islamabad, Apr 7: China and Pakistan Thursday dismissed as “baseless” reports about the presence of Chinese troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APaK).

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told a media briefing in Beijing that “the reports are baseless and ridiculous.” In Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua told a weekly news briefing that there was no basis for the reports.

“This is the most absurd piece of information I have heard. It is totally baseless,” she said. Janjua was responding to a question about India’s External Affairs Ministry seeking a report from the Defense Ministry about the presence of Chinese soldiers along the LoC.

The media reports had quoted Northern Command chief Lt Gen K T Parnaik as saying that Chinese troops were present along the LoC and posed a military challenge to India. He had also expressed concern over the presence of Chinese military in the region as “too close for comfort”.

Parnaik had said: “Chinese presence in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Northern Areas is increasing steadily.
There are many people who are concerned about the fact that if there was to be hostility between us and Pakistan, what would be the complicity of Chinese.”

“Not only they are in the neighborhood but the fact that they are actually present and stationed along the LoC,” Parnaik said addressing a seminar in Jammu last week.

In New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs has sought a report from Defense Ministry on the issue.
This is not the first time China has dismissed such reports.

Last year, China officially clarified to India that some of its personnel were present in Azad Jammy and Kashmir  to render flood relief assistance amid reports in the American media about the presence of large number of Chinese troops in Gilgit-Baltistan areas.

India has also time and again conveyed its concerns over the presence of Chinese personnel working in different projects in AJK as it was a disputed territory.

The issue reportedly figured during the last December visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to New Delhi. Fresh Indian concerns over the issue and the reported observations of the top Indian General comes ahead of the scheduled bi-lateral meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit at the Chinese resort of Sanya on April 13-14.

Chinese troops on Jammu and Kashmir : Gen Parnaik

Srinagar , Apr 6 : China’s presence in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)is “increasing steadily” and its troops are “actually present” along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, a top Army Commander said, adding the Chinese footprints are “too close for comfort” for India.

“Chinese presence in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Northern Areas is increasing steadily. There are many people who are concerned about the fact that if there was to be hostility between us and Pakistan, what would be the complicity of Chinese. Not only they are in the neighbourhood but the fact that they are actually present and stationed along the LoC,” Northern Army Commander Lt Gen K T Parnaik said here recently while addressing a seminar.

He said China’s links with Pakistan through Azad Jammu and Kashmir “lends strength” to the “nexus” between the two countries which is a cause of “great security concern” for India.

“As part of (China’s) ‘strings of pearls’ policy, Chinese footprints are too close for comfort,” Parnaik added.

The Army Commander said such a ‘nexus’ between the Chinese and Pakistani military “jeopardises our regional strategic interests in the long run and facilitates speedy and enhanced deployment of Pakistan armed forces to complement China’s military operations and thus outranks India.”

He said China has been found to be involved in the construction of numerous roads and several hydro-power projects inside Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Beijing is laying a web of roads that run across areas as distant from each other as Skardu in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Kunming in China near Myanmar border.

China has already constructed roads connecting all its highways to logistic centres and major defence installations that dot the border with India and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in south-eastern Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian Muslims preach RSS values in Lucknow

Lucknow : Donning skull caps and armed with RSS literature, small groups of Muslims here are on a campaign to preach the values of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh among members of their community. Under the banner of the Akhil Bharatiya Maha Sufi Sant Sewa Samiti (ABMSSSS), around 75 Muslims are on a door-to-door campaign to project “the spirit and values of RSS”, reports Islamic Voice, Bangalore. “You can call our exercise a campaign to link Muslims with the RSS, an organisation that has undertaken several rehabilitation programmes in the country,” says ABMSSSS president Mohammad Wahid Chisti. Chisti, an editor of an Urdu daily, said that like him, Muslims from different professional backgrounds were involved in the drive that started with RSS assistance. “Though most of those associated with the campaign are Muslim clerics, small traders, students and social activists are also involved,” he said. “Initially, we present an overview of RSS to the Muslims and then provide them the booklets. In our interaction, we emphasize the experiences shared by prominent personalities including Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar and Zakir Hussain about the Sangh,” said Chisti. RSS ‘pracharak’ Umesh Kumar said: “Involvement of Muslims has immensely helped us. Had we directly approached the Muslims, we would have faced difficulties.”

Mumbai ATS issues notice to 7 in Malegaon blast case

Mumbai : Maharashtra ATS has issued notices to seven more youths in connections with the 2008 Malegaon blast case to appear before ATS in Maharashtra. ATS issued notices under section 160 of the Cr. Pc, which empowers the police to require attendance of witnesses during investigations, reports The MG.

The notice was issued to Sadashiv Gudagagol, Namdev, Namdev Chikkurde, Girish Joshi, Vithal Gondhali, Vishwananth Kambar, Prakash Metri and Shivshankar Khanapure, Namdev and Girish. All of them after appearing before ATS Mumbai have returned home. The Gokak taluk in Belgaum is tense over the notice by the ATS.