The Maldivian government has engaged in an effort to restrain radicalized youths from joining jihadists groups in Syria and Iraq. Despite these efforts, the total number of Maldivians fighting in the Syrian civil war has reached 61. According to the island nation’s National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), over 68 people have been intercepted and captured on their way to Syria and Iraq (Raajje News, January 15).

HAL appears to be sandwiched between politics of designers, end-users, decision-makers, media, and reality distortion attempts by large arms merchants.

Military acquisitions often go beyond political regimes. The procurement process for the new 110 MMRCA can only be adjusted after the next regime comes to power. Any large military procurement is approved by the CCS, presided over by the PM, with the MoD as implementing machinery. The mess created over MMRCA is, therefore, attributable to the state and its bureaucracy in the first place

In this context the PLA Navy offers different challenges, and mere reconnaissance, surveillance and detection of Chinese warships and submarines by the Indian Navy could be termed as ‘business as usual’. The Indian Navy needs a new strategy which is both transformative and tailored to respond to newer war fighting tools unleashed by fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). At least three new capabilities of the PLA Navy are discussed below and merit the attention of the Indian naval planners.

Front-line fourth-generation modern fighter Rafale, manufactured by the French major Dassault Aviation, was chosen as the winner in the global tender for 126 MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) before the Narendra Modi government took over in 2014.

Dr Vijay Sakhuja cautions that these developments present clear dangers and could have potentially destabilising consequences 

"The founding of JMI on Indian soil indicates two things—that Bangladesh’s concerted counterterror operations have pushed the JMB remnants into neighboring India in search of a safe haven, and that there has been somewhat of an ideological rift within the original JMB with the different strands adhering to either the jihadist ideals of al-Qaeda or those of Islamic State (IS).

Of late, al-Qaeda’s South Asia branch has been proactive and forceful in its campaign against India and its neighbors. A “code of conduct,” released by the group in June 2017, signaled an expanded geographical scope by including Afghanistan and Myanmar into its supposed domain of influence and operation, adding to its core focus on India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The BRICS declaration recognised several terror groups including Pakistan sponsored ones such as the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad as potential threats. It was an interesting development since China probably for the first time identified the threat posed by Pakistan based groups.
 

For India, Jaish chief Masood Azhar bigger threat than Hafiz Saeed

Jaish­e­Mohammed chief Masood Azhar keeps a low profile unlike Mumbai serial blasts mastermind Hafiz Saeed and has escaped being banned, with China’s help.
INDIA Updated: Feb 14, 2017 17:16 IST

Rezaul H Laskar 
New Delhi, Hindustan Times