Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a new alliance which will treat an attack against one as an attack against all. Well, that’s lovely, but can we please see the actual treaty? No. We can’t? Oh, that’s funny, why would you keep that secret?…

Give a listen. Some are claiming Iran is the target, but, Iran seemed quite subdued..

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, however, have been careful not to antagonise any regional or international actors while finalising what they said was the result of years of hard work and negotiations. They have stressed the pact, which does not identify a specific threat, is not targeted against any country – particularly Iran – and does not abrogate or replace any existing agreements with others.

In Tehran, the reaction has largely been subdued, with officials mostly focusing on aspects of regional and Muslim cooperation and what they perceive as a declining role for the US.

Any thoughts?

Let’s look at what’s been happening. The article linked directly below fits in with a recent arrest made by Turkey. And ties nicely into a video from Brian Berletic

Russian Military Returns to Afghanistan

Interesting. Suggest of a counter move to the American empire’s agenda. Keeping in mind that Pakistan is hosting ISIS- K– Remember the attack on the Crocus City Hall Music Venue.

Covered in previous posts

Just as the Soviets were forced out of Afghanistan in 1989, the Americans were forced out in 2021, and Trump is surrounded by military officials who feel this loss in the same way that officers such as Putin felt the shame of the Soviet withdrawal. For two of America’s top geopolitical strategists of the 20th century, Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzeziński, it comes down to geography and Afghanistan’s position in relation to Russia and China. For them, US control over Afghanistan was essential to influencing what they called ‘the Eurasian chessboard’ of Central Asia.

British military thinkers in the 19th century, such as Halford Mackinder and Thomas Holdrich, thought similarly, designing the Afghan map to keep the Russian Empire away from the British Empire. Fast forward 200 years and the same themes were at play in the Cold War, immortalised in the popular imagination by the 2007 film Charlie Wilson’s War starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, in which an American politician quietly works with the CIA to fund and equip the Afghans fighting the Soviets. Decorated CIA officer Milt Bearden, who was a consultant on the film, has issued warnings from history about the importance of not ignoring Afghanistan.

I’ve talked about Mackinder’s theory more than once at this site and the other one (censored)

Economically, China is the biggest investor in Afghanistan today. Both Moscow and Beijing, who dominate the BRICS group, want Central Asian states such as Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan to invest in Afghanistan as well.

Although the Taliban has no ideological fans in a region averse to fundamentalism, relations are dictated by pragmatism and realpolitik. Neither Russia nor China wants Afghanistan to fall back into the American orbit. By recognising the Taliban and, most recently, striking a defence accord with Kabul, Moscow will hope to have stolen a march on Washington in the ‘great game’ that Hopkirk referred to.

Turkish Arrest Renews Focus on ISIS-K Presence in Pakistan

Aziz Maarij, a former diplomat, said: “This case serves as documented evidence showing that ISIS centers, its growth, and its safe havens are located in Pakistan. It also disproves Pakistan’s repeated claims that terrorists and ISIS militants originate from Afghanistan or receive support from India.”

The arrest of Ahmad Kazanji, a member of ISIS-Khorasan, by Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has once again drawn attention to the group’s operational hubs in Pakistan.

ISIS-K is in Pakistan because that’s where the Americans want them

According to a report by the Turkish media outlet Kısa Dalga, Kazanji traveled to Pakistan in 2024 and produced Turkish-language propaganda materials for ISIS-Khorasan in the mountainous regions of Balochistan.

Brian Berletic talks about ISIS-K in the video below

LINK– Lebanese

U.S. President Donald Trump said that, given what he described as deep divisions within the Iranian government, ( I DON’T THINK SO LIAR TRUMP) which he said was not unusual, and following a request from Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the planned U.S. action against Iran had been postponed to allow its leaders and representatives to present a unified proposal.

He added that he had instructed the military to continue the blockade and remain fully prepared on all fronts, and that the ceasefire would be extended until such a proposal is presented and discussions are concluded in any form.

Indefinitely?

Iran didn’t attend this most recent round of negotiations- So, Trump “extended the ceasefire deal”

Iran to skip Wednesday negotiations with U.S. in Pakistan, Tasnim reports

Iran has decided not to participate in scheduled negotiations with the United States set for Wednesday in Pakistan, the Iranian Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.

Citing informed sources, the agency said the Iranian negotiating delegation had conveyed to the United States, via a Pakistani intermediary, that it would not travel to Islamabad for the planned talks.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. President Donald Trump was considering cancelling Vice President J.D. Vance’s planned visit to Pakistan for talks related to Iran

J.D Vance didn’t go, because there were no negotiations. To my knowledge Witkoff and Kushner remained in the US.

Trump met Shehbaz Sharif and General Asim Munir in the Whitehouse a couple of weeks back. In a CLOSED to the PRESS meeting

What else may be going on?

Trump admin has been pushing to retake Afghan base from the Taliban for months, sources say

President Donald Trump has been quietly (not so quietly) pushing his national security officials for months to find a way to get Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan back from the Taliban, three people familiar with the matter told CNN.

Pakistan would be the most convenient proxy to use in to achieve this goal

Trump hinted at those discussions publicly for the first time on Thursday, telling reporters that his administration is working to regain control of the base, which lies an hour north of Kabul. The Taliban took it over following the collapse of the Afghan government and the US military withdrawal in 2021.

“We gave it to (the Taliban) for nothing,” Trump said during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday. “We’re trying to get it back, by the way.”

He did NOT say we’re going to get it back- He said “We’re trying (presently) to get it back, by the way“

Afghan Taliban says Pakistani troops killed in ‘retaliatory’ border attacks

The Taliban government has confirmed that it attacked Pakistani troops in multiple mountainous locations on the northern border.

A Taliban spokesman said 58 Pakistan military personnel had been killed in what it called “an act of retaliation”. It claimed Pakistan had violated Afghan airspace and bombed a market inside its border on Thursday.

Afghan’s foreign minister said in a press conference in New Delhi that “we have no problems” with Pakistan’s people and its leadership but added “there are some groups in Pakistan that are trying to spoil the situation. Afghanistan has a right to keep its territory and its borders safe, and so it has retaliated to the violation.”

Not a market- A square- Like some sort of town square, read below

Link

A blast struck before 10 p.m. local time on Thursday in the Abdul Haq Square area of Kabul, close to several ministries and the national intelligence agency. Security forces sealed off the site.

The government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said at the time that there were no reports of injuries or damage. He described the explosion as an accident and said an investigation was underway.

Unsurprisingly, India, Russia and China do not agree with Trump‘s Plans

India, Russia, China Back Afghanistan Against Trump’s Play for Bagram Air Base: Why US Wants it Back & What’s the Opposition About?

Few weeks after US President Donald Trump expressed his intention to take over Afghanistan’s Bagram air base, India has joined the Taliban, Pakistan, China and Russia to oppose Trump’s move. This comes just few days before the scheduled visit of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi later this week.

Releasing a joint statement, the participants of Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan said on Tuesday, “They (the participants) called unacceptable the attempts by countries to deploy their military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring states, since this does not serve the interests of regional peace and stability.”

The seventh session of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan was held in Moscow and saw the presence of special representatives and senior officials from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A delegation from Belarus also attended the meeting as guests.

“For the first time, the Afghan delegation headed by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi participated in the meeting as a member,” the statement read.

Pakistan attacked Afghanistan. Afghanistan retaliated. As of today, that’s my best assessment- This was an event one could have predicted.

Miami Herald

India has hit back at the United States in defense of its oil purchases from Russia after President Donald Trump issued a new threat of tariffs tied to the trade. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of office hours.

Why It Matters

The increasing friction between India and the United States is in part an indication of the failure to reach a trade deal between the Trump administration and the world’s most populous country and fastest growing top economy.

Increasingly friendly U.S. relations with Indian rival Pakistan have been another irritant in the relationship. But it also highlights a souring in a relationship that is key for global security, with India seen as a potential bulwark against China for the United States while pursuing a foreign policy that had traditionally been strongly independent.

What To Know

Trump issued a new threat of tariffs on India on Monday, linking it to India’s purchases of Russian oil. It came at a time when Trump was seeking to increase pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine, which has only increased in intensity despite the president’s pledge to end it as soon as he took office.

India’s External Affairs Ministry said in a statement that its purchases of oil from Russia were a necessity compelled by the state of the global market. It challenged criticism over the oil deals from both the United States and European Union. “It is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion,” the statement from the ministry spokesperson said. “Where the United States is concerned, it continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilizers as well as chemicals.”

Ukraine Invasion

New Delhi said Washington had encouraged it to buy Russian oil after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to stabilize the global energy market. It also said the EU’s trade with Russia had been significantly bigger than India’s. Russia has continued to make billions from energy exports despite Western sanctions to try to apply pressure over the Ukraine war. “Europe-Russia trade includes not just energy, but also fertilizers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel and machinery and transport equipment,” it said.

“The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.” In the absence of a trade deal with the United States, India has meanwhile been pursuing other agreements and strengthening its ties with China.

What People Are Saying

U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social:

“India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!! President DJT”

India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson: “India’s imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer. They are a necessity compelled by global market situation. However, it is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion."

What Happens Next

India is unlikely to be swayed by U.S. pressure and in the absence of a trade deal is likely to continue to take an independent line. The worsening of the relationship between the United States and India could be to the benefit of U.S. rivals Russia and China as they also seek to cement India in their camp.

Would the US target India and Russia alongside their UK ally with a potential false flag? A “kill two birds with one stone” kind of operation?

Kashmir

China is rarely mentioned as a party in Kashmir, but, China has a presence. It’s always location, location, location

DW

Few regions on earth are as densely militarized and persistently volatile as Kashmir. Cradled in the Himalayas and bordered by three nuclear powers — India, Pakistan, and China — the disputed territory has long been a flashpoint for regional rivalries and unresolved territorial claims.

Why Kashmir matters

Spanning roughly 85,800 square miles (222,200 square kilometers), the Kashmir region is divided among India, Pakistan, and China — but claimed in full by both India and Pakistan. The region is home to roughly 20 million people — with an estimated 14.5 million living in India-administered territory, about 6 million in Pakistan-administered territory, and less than a few thousand in China-administered territory — and sits at a confluence of critical strategic, economic, and religious interests.

This out break of hostilities has occurred previously. Went to the archives of my old site

I’ve included one in 2019- You can access my report via the internet archive at the link below– During the first Trump presidency

https://web.archive.org/web/20200919181845/http://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2019/08/kashmir-article-370-regional.html

We had some fake images at that time- Same this time; Old footage from other conflicts. Video games presented as real battles-

There was also the ubiquitous social media revolutionaries- haven’t checked this time around. But have no doubt there is.

And some of the same names, still around.

There is a link to a Washington Post article included in my peice- below are some excerpt from that piece

 "When Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan met last month with President Trump at the White House, the American leader said he would help mediate between Pakistan and India on the latter’s 72-year occupation of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region."

Hmmmm…. Trump as a mediator? That’s a big red flag. Given his adminstrations very poor mediation of the Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Gaza situations

The time is now for the United States to make good on Trump’s offer of mediation — not for Pakistan’s sake or for India’s sake, but for the sake of the only people who have not been heard since India gagged them a week ago: the people of Kashmir themselves. 

“ India is precipitating a crisis in Kashmir. It’s time for the U.S. to step in.”

Call for US intervention are always troublesome. Then as now.

The link to the Valdai article from 2019 is viable still

https://web.archive.org/web/20200810042312/https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/kashmir-reorganisation-and-reintegration/

To start with some background. India views the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir as Indian territory and believes that Pakistan is illegally controls a portion of it. On 5th of August the Indian government announced a radical reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kasmir. The territory controlled by India is now slated to be reorganized into two Union territories: Ladakh in the northeast, where there will be no legislative assembly, and Jammu and Kashmir, where there will be a legislative assembly. (In the Indian constitution there is a difference between a State and a Union Territory. The latter may have a legislature but is effectively controlled by the central government. So while people of Ladakh may see this reorganisation as an upgrade of their position, for Jammu adn Kashmir this will be a definite downgrade.

Found recent article that discusses yet another earlier prior outbreak of tensions during the Clinton administration- but doesn’t mention the one during Trumps first administration @ ProspectMagazine

There have been narrow escapes before. In May 1999, as the snows began to melt on the Himalayan peaks of Kargil, Ladakh, Indian troops prepared to return to their high-altitude summer positions. They found they had been occupied.

Who exactly was in occupation was immediately disputed. India saw the hand of Pakistan, and Pakistan claimed the soldiers were Kashmiri patriots. Nothing to do with us, Islamabad said. It was a version of events that Indian officials had heard before and would hear again. Few in Delhi believed it.

The dispute followed a familiar pattern: a provocation, initial skirmishes, escalating insults and growing military confrontation. By late June the standoff had spread from Kargil along the Line of Control. Even more alarming, US intelligence picked up movement in Pakistani nuclear assets. They suspected that nuclear weapons were being prepared. It was time to intervene. 

The US president at the time, Bill Clinton, no doubt had other plans for 4th July 1999, but he spent part of that national holiday in the Oval Office with the Pakistani president Nawaz Sharif. Sharif had flown to Washington, desperate for the US to mediate a settlement that he could not achieve on his own. He could barely control his own generals: Pervez Musharraf had planned and executed the occupation of the Kargil positions and would overthrow Sharif in a bloodless coup in October that year, declaring himself President of Pakistan June 2001. Clinton told Sharif in no uncertain terms to withdraw his troops from Kargil, and Sharif complied. The possibility that the conflict would go nuclear was never put to the test.

Pervez Musharraf – does that name ring a bell? It should. Because this guy connects right into 9/11- So when we read this “Pervez Musharraf had planned and executed the occupation of the Kargil positions“– Could we assume the US was behind Musharraf, in his power play? As good fortune would have it Musharraf was in the appropriate position of power when needed. Right place. Right time.

Musharraf interview – big player alongside the US in the “war on terror”

JD Vance was in Delhi the day the violence broke out. Mentioned in the Prospect article. Not sure which parties Marco Rubio is referencing as being spoken to in the area-

The US vice president, JD Vance, whose wife is Indian, was in Delhi on the day of the April attack. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has said he is monitoring the situation and talking to parties in the region

Pakistan and the US were very intertwined. While at the same time the US had been playing the separatist game against the government of Pakistan. I’m less certain about the strength of ties between the US and India.

India and the S-400 acquired in cooperation with Russia

India’s quest for developing new military technology is influenced by the myriad security challenge it faces in the nuclear domain by China and Pakistan. Acquisition of S-400 systems from Russia is a stride towards that direction. While the indigenous BMD development is still at the research and development stage, procurement of the advanced missile defence system will fulfil India’s immediate requirement of a functional BMD to provide adequate protection.

But, now manufactured in India according to this report

Iran hit the Balochistan region. This is an area with separatist ambitions, lots of resource wealth and all sorts of western backed proxies. These groups have been launching attacks within Pakistan and towards Iran. Covered one of the more well known ones, fairly regularly at the censored site.

M. K. BHADRAKUMAR

There were signs already by the latter half of 2023 that the US with Israeli axis was planning to use terrorism as the only viable means to weaken Iran and restore the regional balance back in favour of Tel Aviv, which is critically important for Washington’s prioritisation of Asia-Pacific and yet need to control oil-rich Middle East. Indeed, a conventional war with Iran is no longer feasible for the US, as it risks the potential destruction of Israel. 

Future historians are sure to study, analyse and arrive at sober conclusions as regards the attacks on Israel by Palestinian resistance groups on October 7. In classic military doctrine, they were quintessentially a pre-emptive strike by resistance groups before the US-Israeli juggernaut of terrorist groups — such as ISIS and Mujahideen-e-Khalq — turned into a rival platform matching the Axis of Resistance.

Clearly, it is an underestimation to regard Iran’s missile and drone strikes as merely counter-terrorist operations. Even with regard to the strike on Baluchistan, interestingly, it took place within a month of COAS Gen. Asim Munir’s weeklong trip to Washington in mid-December. 

Destruction of Jaish al-Zulm headquarters in Pakistan(from the link immediately above)

NOURNEWS– 2 important headquarters of the Jaish-al-Zulm (so-called Jaish-ul-Adl) terrorist group were targeted in Pakistan. These headquarters were completely destroyed by a combination of missiles and drone strikes.

Coordinates of the area that was targeted

The area that was targeted by Iran’s drone and missile operations in Pakistan today is called “Green Mountain”.

This area is the main headquarters of Jaish-al-Zulm and is located in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

The central government of Pakistan does not have complete control over this mountainous region, and therefore terrorist groups use the existing security vacuum to create training bases, supplies and manufacture terrorist equipment.

Back 14yrs to 2010

https://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2010/10/pakistan-thwarts-ttp-plot-to-kill-prime.html

Would killing the Prime Minister kick start a sectarian war? Further destabilizing Pakistan? Exactly who would be interested in seeing that outcome? The TTP- Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan? Who are these fellas? Who may they be connected to? From where did they originate?

Some articles that may shed a light on those questions

First -just excerpting as this is actually quite an in depth article.

Worst of all, CIA and FBI actively collaborated with RAW to cultivate Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) in FATA, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-Shariat-Muhammadi (TNSM) in Swat and dissident elements within Bugti, Marri and Mengal tribes in Balochistan to create lawlessness. Activities of rebellious forces were supplemented by foreign agents infiltrated from Afghanistan.

India is aiding TTP in FATA and BLA-BRA-BLUF in Balochistan. These outfits are being used for multiple purposes. Apart from the main objective of destabilizing Pakistan, these outfits are used for spoiling Pakistan’s relations with its neighbors.. Kidnapping and killing of several Chinese officials working on development projects in Balochistan and in FATA were undertaken at the behest of India

Besides the US and India, who else may be involved in backing the TTP?

Why of course, Israel.

Finding that the US in connivance with India and Israel was playing dirty by indulging in covert operations in FATA, Swat and Balochistan.

Israel, India and the US in collaboration to cultivate the TTP.

It was in this time frame that Pakistani Taliban (PT) mysteriously surfaced in NW in late 2006 where Mir Ali and Miran Shah (I highlighted this name as it appears in the CNN story, verifying the connection between the assassins today and the covert terrorist group) became their strong points. PT were later on duly trained, equipped, funded and protected by CIA, FBI, RAW, RAAM and Mossad foreign agencies based in Afghanistan and pitched against Pak Army to lock the two in deadly combat for a prolonged period. To prevent the Army from defeating militants, the army units operating in FATA were kept dependent upon doctored intelligence provided by CIA, FBI and satellite communication till as late as 2007. Bleeding and weakening of Army was considered essential for the success of the gory plan since without its destruction none of the envisaged objectives could be achieved. PT also helped USA in defaming Islam and Afghan Taliban.

There was at that time a connection to a CIA agent, Raymond Davis. Mr Davis was arrested in Pakistan after shooting two individuals. This was a big brouhaha some years ago. At the time I’d written several reports on this topic.

Long story, short. Iran struck an area of Pakistan that is teeming with western intelligence operatives.

State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik on Saturday said that preparations for the agreement to purchase discounted oil from Russia were complete.

Talking to a private news channel regarding the agreement, Malik said that the entire delegation, including the Russian Energy Minister, was set to visit Pakistan.

“Serious talks are going on with Russia and delegations will arrive only when preparations are completed,” he added.

Malik maintained that Russia would either give Pakistan a discount equal to that it was giving other countries or a potentially higher discount.

He further said that the ministry would try its best to settle the matter in the interest of Pakistan.

“We spoke to Russia after meeting with oil refineries. Preparation of the contract is complete but we cannot speak prematurely,” he said.

Malik also said that refineries are linking the dam duty with investment in the policy, the duty savings would be invested by the refineries and the government would audit them regularly.

He stated that it is in the “interest of our country to invest money in innovation and upgrading of refineries,” adding that “our refineries produce more furnace oil which has no market anywhere”.

Earlier, Malik and the petroleum secretary participated in the online meeting with Russia from the Pakistani side. The sources added that officials of the Russian energy ministry represented their side in the online moot.

This is the concise story of how a suicide bombing may carry the potential to subvert the whole, ongoing, complex process of Eurasia integration.

Recently, the Balochistan Liberation Movement (BLA) had released an ISIS-influenced video threatening “Chinese officials and installations” in Pakistan’s vast province.

Yet what actually happened in late April was a suicide bombing outside of the University of Karachi’s Confucius Institute – not Balochistan – and targeting Chinese teachers, not “officials and installations.”

The suicide bomber was a woman, Shaari Baloch, alias Bramsh, who detonated her vest just as a van carrying Institute staff members approached the entrance. The attack was claimed by the BLA’s Majeed Brigade, which stressed that this was the first time they used a female suicide bomber.

omitted paragraph-

The Pakistani Foreign Office had to stress the obvious: this was a “direct attack on the Pakistan-China friendship and ongoing cooperation,” always qualified, by both sides, as “iron brothers.” Pakistan is an absolutely key node of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to connect the Eurasian landmass.

This was no standard terrorist attack. Its reverberations are immense – not only in one of Pakistan’s provinces and South Asia regionally, but for the whole of Eurasia. It may be a harbinger of serious turbulence ahead.

2 omitted paragraphs

Round up the usual suspects

Balochistan, geostrategically, is as valuable as rare earth minerals: an immense desert positioned east of Iran, south of Afghanistan, and boasting three Arabian Sea ports, including Gwadar, practically at the mouth of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Comprising nearly 48 percent of Pakistan’s area, Balochistan is rich in uranium and copper, potentially very rich in oil, produces more than one-third of Pakistan’s natural gas, and sparsely populated. The Baloch account for the majority of the population, followed by Pashtuns. Quetta, the large provincial capital, for years was considered Taliban Central by the Pentagon.

Gwadar, the port built by China on the southwestern Balochistan coast of the Arabian Sea – directly across from Oman – is the absolute key node of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and doubles as the essential link in a never-ending pipeline saga. The Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline, previously known as the “peace pipeline,” with plans to cross from Iranian to Pakistani Balochistan (India still has not made up its mind) is absolute anathema to Washington since the George W. Bush era.

see additional paragraphs at originating link

Not an Iran-India plot

Balochistan is as deeply tribal as the Pashtun tribal areas. Local tribal chiefs can be as ultra-conservative as Islamabad is neglectful (and they are not exactly paragons of human rights either). Most tribes though bow to Islamabad’s authority – except, first and foremost, the Bugti.

And then there’s the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which both Washington and London used to brand as a terrorist group, and then forgot about it. The BLA operated for years out of Kandahar in Afghanistan (only two hours away from Quetta), and already in the previous decade – simultaneous to the announcement of the New Silk Roads and CPEC – stressed it was getting ready to attack non-Balochis (code for the government in Islamabad as well as Chinese foreigners).

That makes absolutely no sense. Both Tehran and Islamabad are tightly linked to Beijing through several nodes of the New Silk Roads. Iran would draw less than zero benefit to collude with India to destabilize an area that borders Afghanistan, especially when the SCO is fully engaged in incorporating Kabul into the Eurasia integration process. Moreover, the IPI has its best chances ever to come to fruition in the near future, consolidating an umbilical cord from Southwest Asia to South Asia.

During the late years of Barack Obama’s administration, the BLA, though still a fringe group with a political wing and a military wing, was regrouping and rearming, while the chief minister of Balochistan, Nawab Raisani, was suspected of being a CIA asset (there was no conclusive proof).

Already at the time, the fear in Islamabad was that the government had taken its eye off the Balochistan ball – and that the BLA was about to be effectively used by the US for balkanization purposes. That seems to be the picture right now. Yet the heart of the matter – glaringly expressed by the Karachi suicide bombing – is that Islamabad still remains impervious to the key Baloch grievance: we want to profit from our natural wealth, and we want autonomy.

If you missed this previous post.. read the Ukraine to Central Asia portion

Humanitarian corridors were opened for remaining fighters and any civilians to leave the steel works

To that end, Russian forces and troops of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic “halted any military activity” around the Azovstal steelworks plant, Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, said in a statement.

The ministry said the decision was made taking into account the “catastrophic situation” at the plant and “purely humanitarian principles.”

Humanitarian convoys have been deployed in “three directions” that include buses, cars and ambulances to transport and treat people.

Temporary accommodation and first aid facilities have also been set up, the ministry said.

Moscow urged Kyiv authorities to put pressure on the military “to stop the senseless resistance.”

“But realizing that the commanders of Ukrainian units may not receive such orders and commands from the Kyiv authorities, we urge them to make such a decision on their own and to lay down their arms,” the ministry said.

Sputnik

Yahoo

Russian forces have taken control of the eastern city of Kreminna

Having previously reported on the controversial appearance of Azov battalion members in the Greek parliament, here’s an update:

It seems this Greek AZOV member was recently killed in the fighting- Considering the abuse heaped on the Greeks in Mariupul by this bunch it seems doubtful this news will cause a great deal of sorrow-

India- The Diplomat

Biden’s Problem With India

Last Sunday, Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan outlined America’s three key objectives in light of this new crisis: “a free and independent Ukraine, a weakened and isolated Russia and a stronger, more unified, more determined West.” (US led NATO)

But if isolating Russia is now a key policy objective in Washington, India is an important obstacle. In response to these efforts, India has begun talks with Moscow to explore ways to sidestep Western sanctions, including by trading in their own currencies. Prior to the war, Russia was only a marginal energy supplier to India. But in March and April of this year alone, India has signed contracts to import more oil from Russia than it did in 2021.

India has robust economic reasons to defy the West and continue such trade with Russia. And if India is indeed a U.S. ally against China, then such trade is also in Washington’s own interest, given that it would strengthen India’s hand. Cheap energy and commodities from Russia are increasingly vital for India’s post-pandemic recovery — to jumpstart an economy that was ravaged by a devastating second wave of COVID-19 infections last year. In addition, Russian arms — which still make up 60 percent of India’s artillery — are crucial in any war with China.

But Biden also has an even more fundamental question to answer: Is India really a reliable ally against China?

Much of America’s rivalry with China is now a battle of norms to shape the world: human rights, rule of law, rights of self-determination and sovereignty, freedom of navigation in the seas, a free internet free flow of data across borders, climate action responsibility, and so on.

Other then the battle to shape the world the above Diplomat paragraph is out to lunch- free internet? human rights? rule of law? Feel good buzz words obfuscating the reality of life in the alleged free democratic western world

Last two paragraphs:

India however is a much more interesting player in Central Asia. India has increased its connections to many of the countries in the region, and the Indian route for the governments of these republics seems to have an alternative to having to loosen religious restrictions. India could have powerful economic trade elements and is seeking to counterbalance other states in the region. India would have a vested interest in keeping China, and Iran from expansion due to fears of increased support of Pakistan. However, India has close economic and trade partnerships with Iran and Russia, and the current hesitation of Modi to condemn Russia has made it clear that India does not want to align itself against Russia. However, if India wished to assert more power in the region to counter Chinese interests, now would be the time. It all depends on what Modi wishes to do, and that remains unclear. However, India would not be happy with an increase in Chinese influence and power unchecked.

In totality, Central Asia is heading towards a radical reconfiguration in the geopolitical balance of power, possibly even towards war. In conclusion, the fate of the Central Asian Republics, and the geopolitical implications remain unclear. However, it is important to watch what may happen in the coming weeks and months, as most of the regional and world powers have a grave stake in what is to come. China, Iran, India, Turkey, Russia and NATO all have interests and possible avenues to stake claims and influence in the republics, which will have worldwide implications and consequences in the coming years.

British Soldiers were illegally fighting in Ukraine

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis and Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry have both said that Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin were fighting illegally in Ukraine

“shouldn’t have been there, it is an illegal act to be there”.

Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry then told Sky that it was “absolutely right” to say that the two men were in Ukraine illegally, adding “Brandon Lewis is right to say that it is against the law for British citizens to fight in Ukraine.”

They went for the money. Based on their histories they’ve fought as mercenaries in a number of nations.