World

Pakistan, India exchange lists of prisoners, nuke assets

South Asian archrivals India and Pakistan exchanged lists of each other’s citizens held in prison Saturday through their respective diplomats in Islamabad and New Delhi.

The two sides also exchanged lists of their nuclear assets and facilities under an agreement in place for three decades, according to official statements from the two nuclear-armed rivals.

Pakistan and India have had strained relations since their independence from colonial British rule in 1947 over the Himalayan region of Kashmir.

Pakistan shared with India's top diplomat in Islamabad on Saturday a list of 628 Indian prisoners being held in Pakistan, including 577 fishermen accused of illegal fishing in Pakistani territorial waters, and 51 others.

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The practice is consistent with a 2008 agreement between the two sides on consular access to prisoners. The deal requires them to exchange lists of prisoners in each other’s custody each January and July.

India simultaneously shared with Pakistan its list of its neighbor's prisoners being held in India. India handed over lists of 282 Pakistani prisoners and 73 fishermen. Details on the civilian prisoners India has in its custody weren’t available.

Last January, India handed over to Pakistan lists of 263 Pakistani prisoners and 77 fishermen in India's custody.

Similarly, Pakistan in 2021 shared lists of 270 Indian fishermen and another 49 prisoners in its custody.

The two sides arrest each other's fishermen for crossing the unmarked sea frontier between the two countries. Fishermen in search of a better catch with no modern navigational technology often enter into the other country's territorial waters. The maritime security agencies of Pakistan and India seize their boats and put them in prison. The fishermen usually get released only after the two countries hold negotiations. Normally the fishermen spend years behind bars with no formal trial.

Neither Pakistan nor India have provided details about the other civilian prisoners. But arrests on both sides have included violations such as overstaying visas or travel to unauthorized cities and towns.

The nuclear-armed south Asian rivals also exchanged lists of nuclear installations and facilities Saturday.

The exchange is part of a pact signed by the two countries in December 1988 called the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities. It was implemented in 1991.

Neither side gave details of nuclear facilities and installations but it is largely believed that the list is comprised of known nuclear facilities.

The picturesque Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan. Both claim it in its entirety and fought two of their three wars over the region.

Relations between the two countries became more tense after India stripped Indian controlled Kashmir of its special status in its constitution in August 2019.

Five Indian soldiers killed in ambush in Kashmir near border with Pakistan

World

Israel has not met requirements to join Visa Waiver Program: US

Israel has not met eligibility requirements to join the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), the US State Department said on Wednesday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected his country to join soon.

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Israel is yet to grant free passage for Palestinian-Americans at its airports and into the occupied West Bank, which Washington says is required for Israel to meet the condition of reciprocity to join the program, which would allow Israelis visa-free access to the United States.

Israel “still has significant work to complete on a short timeline to meet all program requirements” by the end of the fiscal year on September 30, deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said by email.

The apparent discord came as tensions spiked between the allies over a contested Israeli judicial overhaul plan.

Netanyahu said earlier on Wednesday that new legislation meant Israel would join in September, and that Israel would in the coming months address outstanding requirements, which it did not detail.
It was unclear if Israel planned to change its approach to Palestinian-Americans.

“Participation in the VWP requires that Israel provide equal treatment and entry rights to all US citizens and nationals, at Israel’s ports of entries and checkpoints, just as the United States would grant such visa-free travel privileges to Israeli citizens,” said the State Department's Patel.

“This includes Palestinian-Americans, including those on the Palestinian Authority population registry.”

Before Netanyahu's announcement, his national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said on Twitter that parliament was due to ratify the last of four bills “that will advance us toward getting the US visa waiver for the citizens of Israel.”

That appeared to refer to the Knesset plenum’s approval in final readings on Wednesday of a law setting up a new national immigration database linked with airline passenger manifests.

Washington had previously called for greater access to databases in Israel about its travelers to the United States.

White House: US doesn’t believe civil war will break out in Israel

Israel’s President Herzog urges immediate halt to judicial overhaul

World

Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan appointed as UAE VP

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has appointed Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the country’s vice president and Minister of Presidential Court, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Wednesday.

Sheikh Mansour was appointed alongside current VP Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, according to WAM.

World

Top US general warns of high ammo use in event of major war

America’s top military officer warned Wednesday that war between the United States and another major power would see “off the charts” munitions consumption and said there is work to be done to ensure the country is prepared.

Ukraine and Russia have fired huge amounts of artillery ammunition since Moscow invaded its neighbor in February 2022, sparking concerns about the amount the United States — which has supplied large amounts of shells to Kyiv — has on hand.

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A “big lesson learned comes out of Ukraine, which is the incredible consumption rates of conventional munitions in what really is a limited regional war,” General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee.

“If there was a war on the Korean peninsula or a great power war between United States and Russia, United States and China, those consumption rates would be off the charts,” he said.

“We’ve got a ways to go to make sure our… stockpiles are prepared for the real contingencies.”

Milley’s remarks came a day after Undersecretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo said the United States aims to greatly expand the production of artillery shells.

“We’re… investing in production capacity — $1.45 billion to expand the 155 mm artillery production from 14,000 a month to over 24,000 later this year, which includes a sixfold increase in production capacity by FY28 to over 85,000 units per month,” he said at an Association of the United States Army symposium.

The country is also seeking to increase production of Javelin launchers and missiles as well as ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers — equipment that has played a key role in Ukraine’s fight against Russian troops, Camarillo said.