VIF Information Alerts - 17 July 2019

JuD chief Hafiz Saeed arrested on way from Lahore to Gujranwala
Published: The Dawn

17 Jul 2019

Jamatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed on Wednesday was arrested in a terrorism financing case on his way from Lahore to Gujranwala, said officials of Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department. According to CTD sources, Saeed was on his way to an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Gujranwala to seek bail. He was arrested by the CTD Punjab in the Gujranwala jurisdiction.Click here to read... [2]

China blocking Malaysian and Vietnamese oil and gas vessels ‘shows greater willingness to use force’, think tank says
Published: South China Morning Post

17 Jul 2019

The risk of collisions between Chinese vessels and those from Malaysia and Vietnam in the South China Sea has been heightened in recent weeks as China has tried to obstruct the two countries’ oil and gas exploration, a Washington-based think tank said on Wednesday. The analysis comes with a stand-off simmering between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels at Vanguard Bank, a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands, risking an escalation of tensions and anti-China protests as it did five years ago.Click here to read... [3]

US fears Iran seized UAE-based tanker in Strait of Hormuz
Published: Hindustan Times

17 Jul 2019

A small oil tanker from the United Arab Emirates travelling through the Strait of Hormuz entered Iranian waters and turned off its tracker three days ago, leading the U.S. to suspect Iran seized the vessel amid heightened tensions in the region.
Iranian state media quoted its Foreign Ministry spokesman early Wednesday as saying the Islamic Republic had aided a foreign oil tanker with a malfunction, but the report didn’t explain further. Oil tankers previously have been targeted in the wider region amid tensions between the U.S. and Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.Click here to read... [4]

US bans Myanmar army chief Min Aung over Rohingya ‘ethnic cleansing’
Published: The Hindu

17 Jul 2019

The United States has banned visits by Myanmar’s army chief and three other top officers due to their role in the “ethnic cleansing” of the Rohingya minority, urging accountability for their brutal campaign. The State Department said on Tuesday it took action against army chief Min Aung Hlaing and the others after finding credible evidence they were involved in the violence two years ago that led about 7,40,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh.Click here to read... [5]

14 men from Tamil Nadu raised funds to set up ISIS cell in India
Published: Deccan Chronicle

17 Jul 2019

NIA from Chennai arrested 14 men who used to raise funds in Dubai to set up a cell of the terror group of ISIS in India. As per the sources, the men allegedly support AL-Qaeda, another terror group and have links with Ansarullah, a terror group in Yemen, NDTV reported. They operate in different names including Wahadat-e-Islam, Jamaat Wahaadat-e-Islam Al Jihadiye and Jihadist Islamic Unit. They were jailed for 6 months in UAE before they got deported to India last week.Click here to read... [6]

India proposes consulate in Kartarpur, asks Pakistan for land
Published: The Economic Times

16 Jul 2019

India has proposed to set up a special-purpose consulate with the presence of diplomats at Kartarpur in Pakistan to cater to pilgrims who visit the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib there, officials said.

Discussions on land for the proposed consulate were taken up during the second rounds of talks between India and Pakistan at the Wagah border on Sunday, they added. Pakistan has agreed to most India’s demands on the corridor and setting up the consulate is among the proposals still being considered.Click here to read... [7]