Feature
Pakistan wants US intervention in talks with India
Washington: Even as India rebuffed the suggestion, Pakistan has welcomed the US’ offer to help de-escalate tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Pakistan’s envoy to the US, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, said on yesterday, “Any positive role that the US plays in bringing peace and stability in South Asia can serve the region well.”
The development came after US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, on Monday made the offer to mediate in facilitating talks between the two neighbours.
“It’s absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward,” Indian-origin Haley said while addressing a news conference in New York.
Haley also hinted that the Trump administration would participate in the talks aimed at resolving differences between the two neighbours.
“I would expect that the [Trump] administration is going to be in talks and try and find its place to be a part of that because it’s concerned about the situation,” she said.
Chaudhry told Dawn here that Pakistan was interested in such efforts because it “wants good neighbourly relations with India”.
India has ruled out third party intervention in resolving disputes with Pakistan.
Indian External Affairs spokesman Gopal Baglay on Tuesday said: “The government’s position for bilateral redressal of all India-Pakistan issues in an environment free of terror and violence hasn’t changed.”
He also asked the international community to persuade Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorist attacks in India.
“We, of course, expect the international community and organisations to enforce international mechanisms and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which continues to be the single biggest threat to peace and stability in our region and beyond,” he said.
A US State Department spokesperson also explained Washington’s position on facilitating talks between the two countries, the Dawn reported.
“We believe India and Pakistan stand to benefit from cooperation. We encourage India and Pakistan to engage in direct dialogue aimed at reducing tensions,” the spokesperson said.
According to Dawn, the US official also explained that Washington wanted to promote good relations between India and Pakistan as the “normalisation of relations is vital to both countries and the region”.
“Steps that initiate closer regional economic ties can also create jobs, lower inflation and increase energy supply,” the official said.
He also maintained the US policy that differences between New Delhi and Islamabad be resolved bilaterally and the US could only encourage them to talk.
Tensions have been rising between the two nations as India accuses Pakistan of facilitating cross-border terrorism and unrest in the Kashmir Valley.
Pakistan has denied the claims, saying Islamabad only provides moral support to the Kashmir people and accused New Delhi of “interfering” in Pakistan’s internal matters.
Pakistan has also welcomed international mediation and regularly raised the Kashmir issue at different UN fora.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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