The Good Word

THE GOOD WORD

Aug 30, 2021 - Week 37

Volume 7S-16| Pages 2

Afghanistan Resistance Force repels a

second Taliban assault on Panjshir

Aug 31, the Afghanistan

National Resistance

Force (NRF) fighters

repelled repeated

offensives launched by

the Taliban. NRF fighter

accounts on social

media indicate the

attacks occurred at

multiple locations

including Andarab, the

Gulbahar and Khawak

Passes (map on page 2).

Reports claim NRF

inflicted heavy damages

on the Taliban

neutralizing nearly 100

Taliban fighters and

setting armored

vehicles afire. The NRF

also claims that the

assault was a breach of

agreement. The two

sides had been holding

talks to bring 'peace' in

the valley which had

failed.

After having choked

road access to the

Panjshir valley, on Aug

29 the Taliban had also

severed its internet

connection. Republic

TV reports electricity

supply to Panjshir has

also been stopped.

Taliban has reportedly

surrounded the valley,

amassing fighters and

heavy artillery.

Despite the internet

blockade social media

messages are still

trickling through.

Bharat First

or more people, some

farmers ostensibly

protesting the new

democratically

legislated farm Act

gathered illegitimately

at the Bastara toll plaza

on NH-44 near Karnal.

CM Khattar was chairing

a state BJP meeting in

the vicinity to discuss

upcoming local polls.

The police made

repeated

announcements to

disperse the farmers

but they were adamant

on moving towards the

venue of the BJP

meeting. Some farmers

Aug 27, chief minister

(CM) Mamata Banerjee

led West Bengal

government filed a fourth

FIR against the online

news portal OpIndia

editor-in-chief Nupur

Sharma and its CEO Rahul

Roushan.

In 2020, the state had

registered 3 FIRs against

Nupur Sharma, her

husband and other

OpIndia editors. The

Supreme Court (SC) had

stayed the FIRs noting

state vendetta against

OpIndia. She hoped the

SC will similarly stay this

FIR which was neither

uploaded on the police

nor CID websites. She

believes the state has

acted in a retaliatory

manner perturbed by

OpIndia’s reporting.

Mahesh Jethmalani, will

represent OpIndia pro

bono in the SC.

At: TheOrganiser

Visit IndiaWiki.org

Aug 29, The Enforcement

Directorate (ED) has

summoned Abhishek

Bannerjee, the Trinamool

Congress’ second-in-

command and West

Bengal CM Mamata

Bannerjee’s nephew, to

join investigation in the

politically sensitive ₹1,300

crore illegal coal mining

and money laundering

case. It is alleged that the

amount siphoned off in

illegal mining had reached

people in power.

Abhishek’s wife Rujira and

associates have also been

summoned. The ED

earlier told a special

PMLA court that proceeds

of crime to the tune of

168 crores had been sent

out of the country

through hawala channels

to accounts controlled by

Rujira in Thailand and

London. One wanted

associate, Mishra, fled to

Vanuatu and renounced

his Indian citizenship.

TimesOfIndia, Image-RealtyPlusMag

The court observed

that rather than wiping

away the caste system,

the present trend is to

perpetuate it by

endlessly extending

what was to remain

only for a short

duration, in the infancy

and, possibly,

adolescence of the

Republic. At over-70,

the country ought to be

more mature. The

concept of caste

reservation as

envisioned by the

Constituent Assembly

while framing the

Constitution has been

turned on its head and

is being re-invigorated

rather than phased out.

Merit should ultimately

decide matters as to

admission,

appointment and

promotion.

Confirming the OBC

quota at 27%, the court

added that the SC will

determine the validity

of a 10% quota for the

Economically Weaker

Section (EWS) which

the centre had also

proposed but DMK had

opposed. BarAndBench,

CivilsDaily, HindustanTImes

Aug 28, chief minister

(CM) Khattar backed the

police lathi charge on a

crowd of unruly

protesting farmers. He

said, ‘Obstructing official

work is against

democracy. If they

[farmers] wanted to

protest, they should’ve

done it peacefully. If they

jam highways and throw

stones at police, then

police will also take

steps.’

Despite the police having

imposed section 144 of

the Criminal Procedure

Code which prevents

public assembly of 5 of

Aug 24, Uttar Pradesh

(UP) chief minister (CM)

Yogi Adityanath has given

a nod to the set up of a

missile production centre

over 200 acres of land

close to Lucknow, to

manufacture next-gen

state of the art Brahmos

missiles.

BrahMos supersonic

cruise missile can be

launched from air, land

and sea. It is the fastest

cruise missile in the

world. Developed in a

joint venture, BrahMos

Aerospace, between

DRDO and Russia’s NPO

Mashinostroyeniya, it

derives its name from a

combination of the initial

part of names of

Brahmaputra and Moskva

rivers.

Brahmos Aerospace

already has production

facilities at Hyderabad,

Nagpur and Bilani. UP

aims to become a defense

manufacturing hub.

At: TOI, Wikipedia

Amrullah Saleh, the

acting president of

Afghanistan, Tweeted

from the Panjshir valley

this morning,

‘Afghanistan wasn't

packed & put in the bag

of the last US solider.

The country is here. The

rivers are flowing & the

mountains are majestic.

Talibs are an unpopular

proxy force & hated

that is why the whole

country wants to

escape from them. A

super power decided to

be mini power that is

OK’

Meanwhile a sense

resignation descended

over many Afghans Pg 2

Aug 29, following High

Court (HC) orders, the CBI

began investigating the

violence perpetuated

primarily by TMC cadres

against BJP workers and

supporters after the state

election results were

announced in May 2021.

It has filed 28 FIRs in the

first few days of the

probe. Sections of the

Indian Penal Code (IPC)

and the Arms Act dealing

with murder, attempt to

murder, kidnapping and

rape have been invoked.

It arrested two persons

accused of assaulting a

BJP supporter.

The state had argued

before HC that the

Election Commission (EC)

was responsible for the

violence as it was under

the EC’s watch that the

violence took place. The

HC rejected that

argument outright. It

said the EC uses to police

to conduct free and fair

poll, and not govern a

state. IndiaTVNews, TheFactNews,

ZeeNews, Image-Inkl

resorted to violence and

pelted stones. The

police baton charged

the protestors and used

mild force to disperse

the crowd. A few were

injuries were reported

on either side.

This is part of an

ongoing protest by a

section of farmers

camped at Delhi’s

borders since Nov 2020

seeking a repeal of the

new farm laws. The

government maintains

the laws ease

restrictions on farm

trade and set up free

markets. Image &content: HT

Aug 26, the Madras

High Court (HC)

dismissed DMK’s

contempt petition

against the centre that

an other backward class

(OBC) quota of 27%

fixed by the centre for

Chennai’s medical

college seats assigned

under the All India

Quota (AIQ), ought to

have been 50%. State

laws provide for a

higher reservation of

69%. The DMK wanted

the quota at 50% or

even 69%.

The centre argued that

granting a 50% quota to

OBC students will

exceed the limit set by

the Supreme Court (SC)

in the Maratha

reservation case. A

common entrance test

(NEET) is held across

the country. States cede

15% and 50% of their

medical college seats in

in undergraduate and

postgraduate courses

respectively, to the

centre to assign under

an AIQ. A central Act

provides 27% OBC

reservation in central

government institutes.

Janmashtami – Image – Wordzz; Jaggi Vasudev birthday,Sep 3 – Image – Wikipedia; Swami Prabhupada ISKCON, birthday Sep 1 – inage – Back2GodHead

Tajikistan will not

recognize Taliban

government

Haryana cops lathi-charge protesting

farmers to maintain law and order

ED summons CM

Mamata’s nephew

in ₹1300 crore scam

CBI starts probe,

files 28 FIRs in WB

post poll violence

Madras HC dismisses DKM plea:

Don’t perpetuate quota, phase it out

Uttar Pradesh to

start making

BrahMos missiles

Bengal government

harasses OpIndia

with a fourth FIR

Aug 26, Indian Air Force

(IAF) will acquire 70,000

AK-103 assault rifles

from Russia over the

next few months. This is

an emergency purchase

to replace its INSAS rifle

inventory and up its

counter terrorism

ability against US arms

Indian Air Force to purchase 70,000

Russian AK-103 rifles

Aug 26, Tajikistan’s

President Emomali

Rahmon, rebuffed

Pakistan’s foreign

minister Qureshi, who

has been calling on

countries to accord

recognition to a Taliban

government, saying

Tajikistan will not

recognize a government

that came to power in

Afghanistan through

force and repression. He

condemned Taliban’s

killing of minorities. A

credible Afghan

government must

include its Tajik, Usbek

and other minorities. He

accused the Taliban of

reneging on its promise

of allowing monitories

participation in

governance by forming

an Islamic emirate. This

comes at a time when

Tajik fighters in Panjshir

are resisting the Taliban.

At: morningexpress.in

Image: premiumtimesng

Aug 27, taking a cue

from issues the US

currently faces, such as

wealth inequality, highly

concentrated wealth

and powerful corporate

influence, president Xi

Jinping’s administration

launched a campaign to

control the fast-growing

power of China’s biggest

corporations.

Authorities targeted the

finance, technology,

food delivery, private

tutoring and video

gaming industry. The

996 culture that Alibaba

founder Jack Ma once

promoted is being

discouraged. A 996

culture advocates work

from 9 am to 9 pm, 6

days a week. The

government also told

the private sector to

share the wealth with

the people. China had

earlier banned the use

Bitcoins and

cryptocurrencies and

has started its own

digital assets instead.

At: Forbes, CNBC

China clamps

down on

billionaires

infiltrating its border

from Afghanistan.

India and Russia are

finalizing a deal for joint

production of the even

more advanced AK-203.

The AK-103 is an

upgraded version of the

legendary AK-47.

At: Republic, Image-roe.ru

Welcome to

Annamrita Foundation

The W orld’s Largest Non-Profit Food Relief Organization

+91 8587040330

https://www.foodfornation.org

Meals to over 16 million

during the Covid pandemic!

Aug 30, 2021 | Week 37 | Volume 7S-16

Bharat First

Visit IndiaWiki.org

PAGE 2 THE GOOD WORD

Amrullah Saleh: The world must not bow before the Taliban

representatives of

Afghan people. He is the

constitutionally acting

president.

Ahmad Massoud carries

the legitimacy of a

popular resistance

against the Taliban. The

two of them present an

acceptable political

narrative that power

seized through the barrel

of a gun, with

oppression, torture or

exclusion, is not

acceptable and will not

last.

If the Taliban agrees to a

political settlement, to

inclusivity, and gives up

the insistence on a

dictatorship, the NRF is

ready to negotiate.

However, it will not

negotiate a surrender, or

any terms of allegiance

to the Taliban in the

name of a settlement.

That will not happen.

Republic: There are

concerns about if you are

adequately armed. The

Taliban has captured the

arms and ammunition of

the Afghan National

Army (ANA).

Saleh replied that the

Taliban had captured a

lot of equipment and

ammunition but they had

not captured the Afghan

will nor Afghan

determination.

Commander Massoud’s

formula for survival was

motivation raised to the

power of two, plus

command, control,

political organisation plus

resource. In his formula

resource was always the

last not first. Saleh said

he believes that is indeed

the right formula.

Republic: What do you

think of the response of

the global community

and specifically America

to Taliban’s capture of

power? Do you think it

was part of the Doha

deal? Did you get a

sense that the

Americans have cut a

deal with the Taliban,

to give them a walk

over in Kabul?

Saleh touched upon the

anger in the masses.

The few politicians who

inked this mistake must

face the people’s

resentment. The

masses are disgusted

with the wrong political

decision, the

misjudgment, of the

negotiators. It was not

the judgment of the

experts, military,

intelligence or

diplomats. It was a

misjudgment of a few

and particularly one

man and the people

must pay for it. There is

a sense of humiliation,

collapse and disgrace.

People have already

started to pay the

price.

What the NRF is telling

the world is that it is

still not too late. Don’t

bow down to the

Taliban, to terrorism.

The Taliban are backed

by the Pakistan

government, military,

intelligence and

diplomatic service. As

long as America is

unwilling to publicly

acknowledge the

malicious role of

Pakistan and instead

continues to say that it

is dealing only with the

Taliban, this problem

will not be fixed.

The Kabul airport is just

a tiny part of the

tragedy that is

unfolding. The whole

country is against the

Taliban. People don’t

trust it. They see the

Taliban as barbaric,

brutal and vengeful.

So there is still time for

the United States and

the West to stay

morally and politically

on the side of the

majority. Don’t see

Afghanistan as a lost

cause. The NRF is there

putting up the

resistance. They must

recognize it.

Republic: President

Biden pinned the blame

on the Afghan National

Army (ANA) for

collapsing before the

Taliban. Lt Gen Sami

Sadat however wrote in

the NY Times that the

ANA collapsed due to

the way the Americans

conducted themselves.

Saleh concurred with

Sadat’s analysis. The

decision to withdraw

was rushed. It

disregarded voices

from the ground. The

Afghan government

had not asked the US to

stay, but to leave

responsibly. It had

asked the US to allow

the government time to

negotiate terms with

contractors so they

would continue to

maintain the Afghan air

force. They asked for

time to reorganize

forces to concentrate

them at certain places

and withdraw them

from difficult spots so

Afghan forces were not

brutalized by the

Taliban. The US and

NATO allies refused.

Neither did they

acknowledge Pakistan’s

role in the war nor

apply any meaningful

pressure on Pakistan.

The US deal with

Taliban had had four

parts. NATO countries

had implemented one

part faithfully, the

troop drawdown, but the

Taliban blatantly reneged

their commitments,

violating the pact. Is it not

a shame that a

superpower cannot hold a

group to its

commitments? The

Afghan government was

bypassed, ignored and

pressured to make

repeated concessions as

the Taliban were being

appeased. Why did the

Afghan government

release 5,000 prisoners

which would gift a division

of fighters to the Taliban?

The US had warned the

Afghan government of

severing military and

civilian aid.

It was blackmail. We were

coerced. The US felt their

diplomacy would work

while the Afghan

government warned them

the Taliban were only

deceiving them.

The Taliban did not intend

to use the Doha talks to

secure a political

settlement. It was only to

divide the international

community and keep it

optimistic. It was to

legitimize their terror

campaign so the West

would not be vocal once

more. The Taliban was

really into military

conquest. We were not

heard. Now they are

beginning to pay the price.

Republic: Do you think the

global community focus

on Pakistan now?

Saleh replied bluntly that

the Afghan government

has been saying that the

Taliban are the hands, but

the brain is Pakistan ISI

and Army. Qureshi is

clearly acting as the

foreign minister of the

Taliban trying to charm

the world that they have

changed their ways. They

have not. Time will prove

it and the West will regret

it.

______________________ _________ _________ ____________ _____

Image: Amrullah Saleh - KhaamaPress

Email: IndiaWiki2020@gmail.com Website: http://TheGoodWord.IndiaWiki.Org

Aug 26, Republic TV

interviewed Mr Amrullah

Saleh, the acting

president of Afghanistan,

who leads a National

Resistance Front (NRF)

along with Ahmad

Massoud against the

Taliban for the Panjshir

valley.

Republic: Are you safe?

What is the status of the

Resistance in Panjshir?

Saleh explained that the

NRF leadership has built

consensus to pursue a

two track strategy. It is

to negotiate a peaceful

settlement with the

Taliban while remaining

prepared for a military

show down.

As regards the peaceful

settlement, the NRF’s

demand is simple and

clear. NRF wont

participate in a Taliban

emirate. It doesn’t

recognize one or

consider it legitimate.

But if the Taliban

promises a date to

approach the people, to

allow them a say in the

determination of the

Afghan governance and

its head, the NRF will

participate. Until such an

agreement is reached,

the NRF proposes a

ceasefire in which it will

retain autonomy and

hoist the national flag.

The NRF will not accept

Taliban appointments of

officials nor agree to

their terms.

If the Taliban rejects the

NRF proposal and

decides to go the military

way, the NRF is prepared

to confront it.

Republic: Is the

proposal limited to

Panjshir? Or is this about

Afghanistan?

Saleh emphatically said

the NRF is not fighting

for Panjshir alone. He

said, they are the

legitimate

Man works with

various motives.

There cannot be work

without motive. Some

people want to get

fame, and they work

for fame. Others want

money, and they work

for money. Others

want to have power,

and they work for

power. Others want to

get to heaven, and

they work for the

same. Others want to

leave a name when

they die, as they do in

China, where no man

gets a title until he is

dead; and that is a

better way, after all,

than with us. When a

man does something

very good there, they

give a title of nobility

to his father, who is

dead, or to his

grandfather. Some

people work for that.

Some of the followers

of certain

Mohammedan sects

work all their lives to

have a big tomb built

for them when they

die. I know sects

among whom, as soon

as a child is born, a

tomb is prepared for

it; that is among them

the most important

work a man has to do,

and the bigger and

the finer the tomb,

the better off the man

is supposed to be.

Others work as a

penance; do all sorts

of wicked things, then

erect a temple, or give

something to the

priests to buy them

off and obtain from

them a passport to

heaven. They think

that this kind of

beneficence will clear

them and they will go

scot-free in spite of

their sinfulness. Such

are some of the

various motives for

work.

Work for work's sake.

There are some who

are really the salt of

the earth in every

country and who work

for work's sake, who

do not care for name,

or fame, or even to go

to heaven.

Swami Vivekananda

Karma Yoga

a series of extracts

Swami Vivekananda Image courtesy Newsgram.com;

From Pg 1

gathered at the Kabul

international airport

who had hoped to flee

the Taliban ruled

country. The last US

flight evacuating its

troops and nationals

departed from the Kabul

airport a little ahead of

the planned completion

on Aug 31. It brought

down curtains on a 20

year US and NATO troop

presence in Afghanistan.

A Dishonest War?

The stated American

goal of establishing a

democracy in

Afghanistan was

laudable, as was Biden’s

decision to withdraw US

troops and have

Afghanistan fend for

itself using its own

armed forces. However,

in a short span of four

months, May to Aug

2021, the Taliban’s rapid

conquest of the country,

undid the gains brought

in by NATO over two

decades. The speed and

manner of the fall has

raised questions of

American complicity in

the process.

Perhaps most

conspicuous was the

American decision to

negotiate terms with the

Taliban at Doha, keeping

the Afghan government

out of the discussion.

Amrullah Saleh, the

acting president of

Afghanistan, is fiercely

critical of it. He says,

Afghan government was

bypassed, ignored and

pressured to make

repeated concessions as

the Taliban.

The awkward and

rushed NATO departure

left $85 billion worth of

sophisticated weaponry

with the Taliban. The

fall of a democratic

government and rise of

a rouge power has

similarity to rise of the

ISIS. The ISIS was an

American creation and

allegedly a part of its

West Asia policy. After

9/11 the US waged a

war on terror and

invaded Iraq. It

destroyed state power

set up a weak

democracy and ceded

ground to the ISIS. That

destabilized neighboring

countries and the entire

region. So fanatically

extreme was the ISIS

that even the al-Qaeda

rejected it.

Aside from a plausible

theory of a planned

infusion of chaos

questions arise about

how some profited from

it. $10,000 invested in

the top five US defense

contractors in 2001

would yield nearly

$100,000 today, far

higher than the stock

market index return.

Further, 80-90% of the

US expenditure

returned to the US

economy through its

defense contractors.

Bewildering corruption

by US firms and

individuals was

repeatedly identified

yet not stemmed.

Implications for India

A new regional power

nexus between Russia,

China and Pakistan

backing the Taliban is

taking shape. India must

wrest the initiative. We

must be vocal about

restoring democracy in

Afghanistan and

opposing terrorism at

the UN and in the press.

We must be prepared

for cross border

offensives and strike to

pre-empt them. We

must rally allies, shore

up defenses, streamline

supply chains, secure

borers and create a

responsive legal

framework. India must

prepare and proactively.

Republic 1-2, Google Maps, Twitter,

TheIntercept, IndianDefenseReview,

TheSecondNews, HuffPost,

OneIndia

A dishonest war in

Afghanistan?

“What the NRF is

telling the world is

that it is still not

too late. Don’t

bow down to the

Taliban, to

terrorism.”