Tag Archive for: struggle

A chronicle of sacrifice, struggle for freedom

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Every year on July 13, Kashmir Martyrs’ Day (Youm-i-Shudaha-i-Kashmir) is observed in honor of the 21 Kashmiris who were killed by Dogra Maharaja’s soldiers on July 13, 1931, outside Srinagar Central Jail. In remembrance of these Kashmiris, the Kashmiris, especially their Pakistani brethren, mark this day on both sides of the Line of Control and throughout the world. The tyrannical treatment meted out to Kashmiri Muslims by Dogra forces is well documented in Kashmir’s history under the Dogra administration (1846–1947). They were living such a wretched life under Dogra’s authority that it was difficult to tell people apart from beasts. The norm back then was slave labor, high taxes, the death penalty for butchering cows, and perpetual terror. The prohibition of the EidKhutba (Sermon) on April 19, 1931, sparked extensive protests in the city of Jummu that lasted for many days. Immediately after, Dogra soldiers desecrated the Holy Quran, which caused indignation among Muslims across the state. To protest this blasphemy, thousands gathered in Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid. Prominent Kashmiris spoke during one such gathering that was organized in Khankah-e-Muella Srinagar. After the gathering, a young man named Abdul Qadeer shouted, “Destroy its every brick,” while pointing to the Maharaja’s palace. He was taken into custody right away after being charged with sedition. Due to strong public opposition, the court was moved to Central Jail Srinagar, where Abdul Qadir was supposed to be tried. Intense public protests were organized all across the city on July 12, 1931, in response to the court’s relocation.

Thousands of spectators descended on Srinagar’s Central Jail the following day, on July 13, 1931, to watch Abdul Qadeer’s secret trial. A young Kashmiri stood for the Azan as the hour for the required prayer drew near. Soldiers were ordered to shoot at him by Dogra Governor Ray ZadaTartilok Chand. He was martyred, and another young man began the Azan in his place. He too died from gunfire. 21 Kashmiris sacrificed their lives in this way to finish the Azan. People carried the corpses and marched through Srinagar’s streets while yelling anti-Dogra…

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Unrest and Cyber Warfare: Pakistan’s Chaotic Struggle

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Imagine a scenario where an urbanized country is in the throes of a chaotic uprising. Political instability and corruption have led to an ever-deteriorating law and order situation in this 21st Century “Kingdom of Denmark” – bordering on civil war. Enemy spies have infiltrated the high places. Bedrooms of the ruling elite are infested with small-time prostitutes masquerading as socialites, media anchors, and pseudo-intellectuals.

Under such circumstances, a scheming neighbor, with active support from a superpower, tries to inflict a coup de grace on the target country. There is a problem though. The target country is a lame nuclear power. No matter how fragile the political situation in this “Never-Never Land” may be, it is sitting on the powder keg of a 100+ nuclear arsenal. We are talking about present-day Pakistan, and the scheming country in question is none other than India, backed by the U.S., India’s strategic ally. What to do?

Kinetic war, also known as a conventional war, deals with military actions involving active warfare, including lethal force. The phrase is used to contrast conventional military force and “soft” force, including diplomacy, sanctions, and cyber warfare. The Order of battle of an armed force participating in a kinetic military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed force. 

Read more: Pakistan’s current crisis and India

Understanding the matter better

Warfare, during the first quarter of the 21st Century, is transitioning fast from a kinetic to a non-kinetic dimension. Not that the non-kinetic dimension of warfare was missing earlier. However, it is presently becoming the dominant form of fighting between the nations. The hot war will gradually become a corollary to the cold war. However, the hot war will remain an instrument to achieve the coup de grace- the final blow on the battlefield. 

In that sense, future wars will end even before they start. If that be the case, the order of battle between the warring armies will not only include comparative strengths of the contestants and the dispositions of their…

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KnowBe4 Finds State and Local Governments Struggle to Defend Against Ransomware and Business Email Compromise

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KnowBe4 releases The Economic Impact of Cyber Attacks on Municipalities report and finds sectors struggle to defend themselves against cyber attacks due to lack of support

TAMPA BAY, Fla., March 29, 2023–(BUSINESS WIRE)–KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, released a new report showing the continued impact cyber crime is having on state and local governments entitled “The Economic Impact of Cyber Attacks on Municipalities”.

KnowBe4’s report details the financial costs, reputational effects, level of public trust and other impact cyber attacks have on municipalities. The report breaks down the impact cyber attacks have into five target areas: the average financial loss from state and local governments, the denial of service to citizens due to financial loss, the frequency/types of attacks and the risk of recurring attacks, the challenge of allocating capital to prevent attacks and the decline of economic investment in municipalities.

Additionally, the new reports revealed ransomware continues to plague municipalities in all industry sectors. Business email compromise (BEC) attacks were also proven to be one of the most lucrative forms of cyber attacks in 2022, generating billions of dollars lost across all sectors and increasing across all sectors by 175%, with an 81% surge in 2022. State and local governments are particularly vulnerable to these attacks due to government transparency laws which allow cyber criminals to more easily tailor their attack to the victim.

Key findings from the report include:

  • Many municipality cybersecurity budgets are underfunded or do not exist at all. According to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), most state cybersecurity budgets are between 0% and 3% of their overall IT budget. Additionally, only 18 states have a cybersecurity budget line-item and only 16% of states reported a budget increase of 10% or greater since 2018.

  • The 2022 IC3 Report reveals that in 2022, BEC attacks generated a total of $2,742,354,049 in losses across sectors, an increase of $346 million from 2021, and $875 million from 2020.

  • There are 1.7 million…

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Will Russia’s struggle in Ukraine help Taiwan — or hurt it? | Russia-Ukraine war

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In the lead-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Beijing and Moscow doubled down on their close relationship.

While Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have a long history of working together, they publicly cemented their ties with a “no-limits” partnership just weeks before the war began.

The timing of the meeting and the subsequent invasion, after the Beijing Winter Olympics had concluded, led many observers to wonder whether Xi knew the war was coming. They also wondered, as Russian troops rolled into Ukraine, whether Taiwan was next.

Superficially at least, Ukraine and Taiwan appear to have much in common. Both are democracies whose territories have historically been claimed by much larger and better-armed neighbours. Beijing has long pledged to “reunify” with Taiwan by force or by peace by 2049, the year the Chinese Communist Party has set for the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”, 100 years after their victory in the country’s Civil War.

Tensions across the Taiwan Strait rose further last August as Nancy Pelosi, then the United States House of Representatives speaker, became the highest-ranking US official to visit Taipei in 25 years. China responded with a series of war exercises around Taiwan and ramped up its rhetoric. In 2022, Beijing sent a record 1,737 flights into Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone, which includes the airspace around Taiwan and the coast of China, according to data compiled by Gerald C Brown and Ben Lewis, independent defence analysts who track such incursions. This was more than the combined numbers for the previous four years.

Now, on the eve of the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s struggles to make advances in the war have once again given rise to questions about what lessons China may have learned from its close ally. Will China conclude that it might be better to attack Taiwan before it is better prepared to defend itself? Or has Putin’s war shown the perils of rushing into such a conflict?

The short answer: Predicting China’s behaviour is a challenge because its decision-making is opaque to much of the outside world. Instead, China…

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