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WASHINGTON � The latest farm tools on the job in Pakistan are cell phones and satellites. A new program is using satellite data to estimate how much water a field needs, and then texting this information to farmers.

The hope is to prevent overwatering. A 2013 report from the Asian Development Bank called Pakistan one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, with a 30-day storage capacity, well below the recommended capacity of 1,000 days. The per capita water resources are on par with those of Syria, where drought has helped to fuel a civil war.

The water crisis is being driven by several factors: climate change, an expanding population, local mismanagement and a greater demand on farmers. It threatens to destabilize relations between Pakistan and India, who share the Indus River.

Turning off the spigot

Overwatering is costly for farmers trying to make ends meet. While Pakistan continues to suffer from chronic fuel shortages, farmers must use diesel motors to pump groundwater onto their fields. The lower the water table, the more fuel it takes to pump it to the surface.

And overwatering also reduces crop yields. But many older farmers learned their trade at a time when the water ran freely, and the risks of under-watering are so great that farmers still err on the side of too much irrigation. The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) found that rice farmers were using more than three times as much water as they needed to.

The PCRWR reached out to the Sustainability, Satellites, Water, and Environment research group (SASWE) at the University of Washington, hoping to use science to inform irrigation choices.

Pakistan's program started last spring with a 700-farmer pilot. As of January, 10,000 farmers were receiving messages like this one: "Dear farmer friend, we would like to inform you that the irrigation need for your banana crop was 2 inches during the past week."

The messages come from a fully-automated system that does everything from downloading publicly available satellite data and distributing the text messages to using models to compute how much each farmer needs to irrigate.

A nationwide effort

PCRWR plans to scale up the program for use across the nation, and expects millions of farmers to participate. But first they are reviewing the system. They want to know how easy it is for farmers to use, and how many actually follow the irrigation advisories. And they want to know how accurate it is and how effective it is at saving farmers money.

They are collecting feedback from farmers over the phone.

I haven't seen any report yet, Faisal Hossain of SASWE told VOA, but we got a story last month from one of the farmers who was telling us how he was able to get, I think, for every acre 700 kilograms more of wheat than his neighbor. The farmer credited the irrigation advisories.

There are challenges to expansion. They may need to do more work to persuade farmers to trust the technology. As more farmers use it on smaller farms in areas with more varied terrain, the satellite data resolution may not be precise enough for accurate measurements. And small farmers may not be comfortable relying on cell phone technology.

But for the most part, cell phones already are fairly ubiquitous in Pakistan. Last year, the Punjab government reported that it would be giving out 5 million smartphones to farmers.

Source: Voice of America

Religious rights activists are questioning Chinese authorities' handling of the aftermath of two missionaries from China, who were recently abducted and killed by the Islamic State (IS) group in Pakistan.

Instead of consoling the family and friends of the pair, activists said the Chinese government is using the tragedy as an excuse to suppress family churches and Christians in Wenzhou, a port city in China's eastern province of Zhejiang.

Jonathan Liu, a priest with the San Francisco-based Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness, said police in Wenzhou have detained four church leaders who had assigned the pair to go to Pakistan.

They [China] should have had held the murderer [IS] responsible, but, instead, they have [now] arrested the victims' family members, friends and fellow workers from their churches, Liu said, citing updates from a Wenzhou priest.

Other missionaries missing

China claims a South Korean missionary organization recruited the two to preach in war-torn areas, but activists tell VOA that the pair were college-educated and devoted Christians who voluntarily went to Pakistan on assignment from their own churches. The assignment was arranged in collaboration with the South Korean missionary group.

After the killing of these two preachers, 11 Chinese nationals who had worked with the pair have returned back to China, but their whereabouts remain unknown. And no lawyers have been allowed to visit them. I find it appalling, Liu added.

The two Chinese missionaries Li Xinheng, 24 and Meng Lisi, 26, were abducted by the IS group in Quetta last month, the capital of Pakistan's impoverished Baluchistan province. IS later claimed responsibility for their deaths on June 8.

The Pakistani Interior Ministry said that the Chinese pair had travelled to Quetta in November of 2016 under the garb [guise] of learning [the] Urdu language from a Korean national but were actually engaged in preaching.

Blame game

The Korean national and 11 other Chinese nationals from his Urdu-language school were later ordered to leave Pakistan after their business visas were revoked and they were accused of involvement in illegal preaching activities.

Chinese state media have put the brunt of the blame on South Korean missionary organizations.

The Global Times said the South Korean group recruits young people in China and sends naA�ve teenagers to conduct missionary activities in Muslim countries Some Chinese voluntarily join in the dangerous missionary activities in countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq after being converted by South Koreans.

Mixed reaction

Such characterization immediately drew mixed reaction online while some observers say the authorities' twist was meant to mislead the Chinese people.

On Weibo, China's Twitter-like microblogging platform, some users threw their support behind the state media's accusations.

For those who don't cherish their own lives, I have nothing to say to you but: you deserve it [to die]. Sorry, our consolation doesn't come cheap, wrote one Weibo user.

Others, however, disagreed.

[This is] so strange that many hurry to slam South Korea, Christians and missionaries. Yet few blame the IS killer? asked a user named Shen Dafei.

This is evil when you show no respect for the lives of others and do nothing but find fault with the victims, another user wrote.

Rights lawyer Ge Yongxi said he believed both Chinese and South Korea missionaries working in Pakistan have broken no laws, neither does China have a legal footing to detain local church members associated with the pair.

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. He, who is a religious follower, can certainly freely share his religious belief and doctrines � rights clearly enshrined in the article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which all United Nations members, including China and Pakistan, should honor, Ge said.

Liu, the California-based priest, said the Communist government's stance on the tragedy shows its true colors.

In the minds of Chinese Communists, people are viewed and treated like dirt. All they care is to follow through their Belt and Road plan [linking neighboring countries] in order to tighten its grip of power, Liu said.

Iron brothers

In an editorial, the Global Times insisted the IS killing won't impact China-Pakistan 'iron brother' ties.

The atrocity committed by the IS is appalling, it wrote, But it cannot drive a wedge between China and Pakistan, nor will the construction of the CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor] be disrupted.

China has pledged to invest more than $50 billion in Pakistan in projects linked to its Belt and Road Initiatives, although its concerns over the country's security are running high in the wake of the tragedy.

Following the security lapse, Pakistan is said to have dispatched some 15,000 military personnel to protect Chinese engineers working for the economic cooperation project in the country.

Source: Voice of America

WHITE HOUSE � U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are pledging to work together to boost security and trade ties.

The two countries look forward to working together on advanced defense equipment and technology at a level commensurate with that of the closest allies and partners of the United States, according to a White House statement issued Monday evening.

Declaring his talks with the president very successful and very fruitful, the visiting Indian prime minister gave his host a trademark bear hug in the White House Rose Garden when the two finished reading their respective statement. They did not take questions from the dozens of White House correspondents and the visiting Indian reporters.

Modi also announced increased cooperation on fighting terrorism, including enhanced sharing of intelligence.

The top priority for both President Trump and I is to protect our societies from global challenges like terrorism, and our aim is to strengthen India and the United States, the two great democracies of the world, Modi said alongside Trump.

The U.S. president said New Delhi and Washington can set an example for many other nations and make great strides in defeating common threats.

We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism, said the president.

Indian officials expressed appreciation for the U.S. designation of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen leader as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

Trump and Modi, according to the White House statement, called on Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries and requested Islamabad expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai, Pathankot and other cross-border terrorist attacks perpetrated by Pakistan-based groups.

Combining both the security and economic relationship, an expected multi-billion-dollar deal for American surveillance drones for the Indian Navy will make a dent in the $24 billion trade imbalance in India's favor.

The manufacturer of the drones, General Atomics, said it received clearance to sell the unmanned aerial vehicles to the Indian military � a deal estimated to be worth between $2 billion and $3 billion.

The White House Monday evening said the drones had been offered for consideration of sale to enhance India's capabilities and promote shared security interests.

Meanwhile, the State Department has approved a possible sale of C-17 transport aircraft to India's government. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency says it delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible $366 million sale on Monday.

The president on Monday did not specifically mention the drones or the cargo planes, but in a delegation meeting in the White House Cabinet Room Trump, flanked by his vice president and secretary of state, expressed appreciation for India ordering American defense equipment.

There's nobody makes military equipment like we make military equipment. Nobody even close. So, we want to thank you very much, Trump said sitting across a conference table from Modi.

What's clear from this visit and the joint statement is that there is a fair amount of policy continuity in U.S.-India relations since the leadership transition in Washington, the Wilson Center's South Asia deputy director Michael Kugelman told VOA.

While Modi is touting a Make in India campaign, Trump is all about America First.

Analysts, such as Kugelman, say it is notable that the two leaders directly referenced such potential tension points.

Clearly Modi and Trump believe that economic and trade cooperation need not be as tricky as some may assume, said Kugelman.

Although this was not billed as a state visit, U.S. officials emphasized they rolled out the red carpet for the Indian prime minister. And Modi was the first foreign leader for whom Trump hosted a dinner at the White House.

Source: Voice of America

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN � Pakistan has criticized the United States for declaring an anti-India Kashmiri rebel leader as a global terrorist and defended militants fighting New Delhi's rule in Kashmir as a legitimate" struggle for freedom.

The State Department on Monday imposed sanctions on Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistan-based chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, the main rebel group fighting Indian rule in the divided Kashmir region.

It said that the 71-year-old militant commander committed, or poses "a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States."

A Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman on Tuesday criticized the move.

"The 70-year-old indigenous struggle of Kashmiris in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir remains legitimate. The designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists is completely unjustified," said Nafees Zakaria.

Pakistan, he reiterated, will continue its political, diplomatic and moral support for the just struggle of the Kashmiri people.

The U.S. move came hours before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began an official visit to Washington.

India controls two-thirds of Kashmir while Pakistan controls the rest. The nuclear-armed rivals claim the Himalayan region in its entirety and have fought two of their three wars over it.

New Delhi, which hailed Monday's decision by Washington, accuses Islamabad of fueling the 28-year-old armed rebellion in the Muslim-majority Kashmir, accusations Pakistan rejects.

Salahuddin comes from Badgam town in Indian-ruled Kashmir. Salahuddin turned to militancy after losing an election for the region's legislative assembly in 1987, which he alleged was rigged by India.

He has been mostly based on the Pakistan side since 1990 and gone back repeatedly for insurgent activities in the Indian-administered portion of the region as well for meeting his family there.

The rebel commander is seen as a hero in Kashmir and has a large following.

"In September 2016, Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley into a graveyard for Indian forces," according to Monday's announcement by the U.S.

In a video message on Monday, Salahuddin called for a week of resistance, including two days of strikes starting July 8, the anniversary of last year's killing of young, charismatic rebel leader Burhan Wani by Indian security forces.

Wani's death provoked violent anti-India protests across the region, prompting Indian security forces to use force to suppress the uprising. Wani was a key member of Salahuddin's group and played a role in reinvigorating the militancy in Kashmir. He was actively using social media to gather support for the insurgency.

Over the past one year, the world has witnessed an intensification of the brutal policies of repression being pursued by the Indian occupation forces...Despite this relentless state terror, the Kashmiris remain undeterred and unbowed, said Pakistani spokesman Zakaria.

Source: Voice of America

NEW DELHI, INDIA � President Donald Trump should have been ready as he met with India's prime minister, an unabashed hugger.

Smiling widely at a news conference Monday during a visit to Washington, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the president's outstretched arm not as an invitation for a handshake, but as a pull toward an embrace. Then he did it again in the White House Rose Garden. Then once more before leaving.

Trump appeared stiff and uncomfortable with the first hug, smiling thinly and patting Modi on the back a couple of times. But it was the same folksy, effusive greeting Modi has used with Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, and a host of foreign dignitaries and celebrities, from former French President Francois Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Hollywood's Hugh Jackman.

Modi doesn't hug just anyone, said political scientist Sreeram Chaulia, dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs in New Delhi. If you look at the list of people he's hugged, these are people who matter for India's interest.

Leaders and celebrities should be prepared for Modi's embrace by now, but they often aren't - sometimes nearly getting knocked off balance. Much like Trump's own see-saw style of shaking hands, analysts said the Modi hug has become a signature move, and is meant to be physical.

Modi believes that trust can only be built through personal rapport and friendship, which includes positive body language and physical closeness with his counterparts, Chaulia said. He may have been trying to maintain the bromance that he had with Obama.

There also may have been an element of relief in Modi's hugs of Trump, launched at the end of a two-day visit described as cordial by Indian aides.

Some people were worried about the outcome ... in view of an unpredictable Trump, retired Indian diplomat Rajeev Dogra said. But he has gone out of his way to reach out to India.

The fact that first lady Melania Trump was on hand, even though Modi was traveling without his wife, was an important signal for India, Dogra said.

Modi's chummy overtures mark a stark change from years of being shunned by American officials because of religious violence in his home state of Gujarat. He had been denied a U.S. visa in 2005 over suspicions about his possible role in religious riots that killed more than 1,000 Muslims when he was Gujarat's top official.

Since he became prime minister in 2014, he has visited the U.S. four times. But allegations of intolerance against Muslims and foreign-funded activists have dogged his Hindu nationalist party and government, which has been criticized for not speaking out against deadly attacks.

Indian strategic affairs experts hailed Modi's latest visit as a success, but cautioned that much would depend on how words were translated into action on trade and even terrorism that India says is emanating from Pakistani soil.

To all appearances, the chemistry seems to have been quite good between Trump and Modi, said Rana Banerji, a retired intelligence officer in New Delhi. At least President Trump did not do anything very unpredictable or seemingly unpalatable to the Indian side, though one doesn't know what subsequently would emerge.

India's foreign ministry hailed the U.S. State Department's move to list Pakistan-based Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist for leading the Hizbul Mujahideen rebel group, which is fighting against Indian control in the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir.

The two countries also pledged to work together to try to end global terrorism, which India saw as a firm U.S. commitment to increase its involvement in the region.

There were clear signs of division, though: There was no mention of climate change, an issue of extreme concern in India, where many of the country's 1.3 billion people are poor and vulnerable to extreme heat, drought and storm surges.

Trump also said little about the Asia-Pacific, though Modi made clear India's intent to increase cooperation in the region as a check against China's rising power.

It was only on the second day of Modi's trip that he swooped in for his bear hugs. As the two gave a joint statement in the White House Rose Garden, Modi wrapped his arms around Trump's midsection. The much shorter Modi, after giving his own remarks, hugged Trump a second time, placing his head close to the president's shoulder in video that quickly spread on social media.

Trump treated Modi to dinner at the White House on Monday night and shared a laugh when he pointed to their social media dominance. Trump's @realdonaldtrump Twitter handle has 32.8 million followers, while Modi's Twitter game draws more than 31 million.

Trump also announced that daughter Ivanka Trump had accepted an invitation to visit India this fall. The president has business partners in India, where he has more than a dozen active deals, including a Trump-branded luxury apartment complex being built in the western city of Pune, near Mumbai.

Modi offered yet a third, public embrace as he departed the White House, resting his head first near Trump's left shoulder, then near his right. By then Trump appeared to be ready, and welcomed the parting gesture by patting Modi kindly on the back.

Source: Voice of America

Families in Pakistan began holding funerals Monday for the victims of the overturned oil tanker fire.Officials say more than 150 men, women and children were killed Sunday when they rushed to the scene to gather leaking fuel. Authorities say more than ...