Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi has signed a 50-year land lease agreement with Galadari Brothers’ Heavy Equipment Division to develop a large-scale logistics and distribution hub at KEZAD A in Al Ma’mourah, marking another long-term industrial commitment within Abu Dhabi’s flagship manufacturing and trade zone.

The agreement covers a 150,000 square metre plot and represents an investment of AED75 million by Galadari to establish a purpose-built facility for the storage and distribution of heavy machinery and industrial equipment. Construction is expected to move ahead in phases, with the site designed to serve contractors, infrastructure developers and industrial clients across the UAE and wider Gulf region.

KEZAD Group, part of AD Ports Group, has positioned the zone as a cornerstone of Abu Dhabi’s industrial diversification strategy. The new Galadari facility adds to a growing cluster of heavy industry, advanced manufacturing and logistics operators that have secured long-term leases within KEZAD A, reinforcing the zone’s role as an integrated platform linking ports, road networks and regional supply chains.

Senior executives from both organisations described the deal as a strategic step aligned with the emirate’s ambition to strengthen its industrial base. KEZAD officials said the partnership underlines continued demand for industrial land from established private sector groups seeking scale, infrastructure and regulatory stability over multi-decade horizons. Galadari representatives emphasised the importance of consolidating operations in a single, modern complex capable of handling specialised equipment, commercial vehicles and construction machinery sourced from international brands.

Galadari Brothers, a diversified business conglomerate with interests spanning automotive, engineering and media, has built a strong presence in the heavy equipment segment through dealership and distribution arrangements with global manufacturers. Its Heavy Equipment Division supplies commercial vehicles, earthmoving machinery and specialised construction equipment used in major infrastructure and real estate projects across the country. The new KEZAD facility is expected to streamline warehousing, pre-delivery inspection, spare parts management and after-sales support under one roof.

The development comes at a time when large-scale infrastructure activity in the UAE and neighbouring markets continues to generate steady demand for construction machinery and transport equipment. Government-backed projects in transport, energy, housing and industrial expansion have sustained equipment imports and fleet upgrades. Analysts tracking the sector note that long-term industrial leases in integrated zones offer operational efficiencies, particularly where proximity to deepwater ports and customs facilities reduces turnaround times and logistics costs.

KEZAD A, also known as Al Ma’mourah, forms part of a wider industrial ecosystem that connects directly to Khalifa Port and major highways linking Abu Dhabi to Dubai and the Northern Emirates. The zone provides investors with 100 per cent foreign ownership, competitive utility tariffs and streamlined licensing processes. Over the past decade, it has attracted investments across metals, polymers, food processing, pharmaceuticals and logistics, supported by large anchor projects and government-backed infrastructure.

Industry observers view the 50-year tenure as significant, reflecting confidence in long-term industrial demand and policy continuity. Multi-decade land leases allow operators to amortise capital expenditure over extended periods, justify investment in specialised buildings and secure financing on favourable terms. For KEZAD, such agreements underpin predictable revenue streams while deepening tenant commitment to the zone.

Galadari’s planned facility is expected to incorporate modern warehousing standards, including high-capacity storage areas for oversized machinery, dedicated loading bays and advanced inventory systems. Executives have indicated that the complex will support both domestic distribution and re-export activity, leveraging the UAE’s position as a regional trade hub. The integration of spare parts storage and service capabilities is intended to enhance turnaround times for clients operating in time-sensitive construction and industrial environments.

AD Ports Group has expanded its industrial and logistics footprint steadily, reporting growth in cargo volumes, port throughput and economic zone occupancy in its latest financial disclosures. The addition of new long-term tenants such as Galadari strengthens the group’s industrial portfolio and aligns with broader national objectives to increase non-oil economic contribution and private sector participation.

The article KEZAD seals 50-year Galadari lease appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Nitya Chakraborty

Bangladesh, Nepal and now Myanmar. Indian foreign policy makers are clueless in dealing with the developing situation. Myanmar’s three phase general elections organized by the military junta ended on January 25 and the results were released on January 29 and 30. As expected, the military aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won the rigged elections securing 232 of the 263 seats in the lower house and 109 of 157 seats in the upper house.

Myanmar’s new Parliament will meet in March to elect the new President, possibly the present chief of the junta. He will choose his ministers from the army backed party and the new government will formalize the army rule through USDP. This will be just five years after the junta ousted the Suu Kyi government in February 2021. Suu Kyi is in jail with bad health. Her party is banned and the rebels loyal to China have been managed by Beijing as officially the Chinese government has given recognition to the USDP of the junta. China is sure to have its say in the formation of the new army government.

It is interesting to monitor the Chinese strategy of support to the rebel groups loyal to Beijing and simultaneously keeping all its relations with the junta using its leverage with the rebels to extract concessions from the Myanmar regime. China has protected its investments and expanded its influence among the army generals. After five years, China is the biggest beneficiary of Myanmar coup marginalizing USA, Russia and India which once had Myanmar, the old Burma as its part under British India.

The Suu Kyi led National League of Democracy which was the ruling party before the coup, was able to organize resistance along with other civil society organisations as also students, but the nature of resistance varied from province to province. In the provinces adjoining China, the rebels were helped by the Chinese army thereby helping the process of their consolidation.

As per the Myanmar experts, as of December 2025, 91 townships were entirely under the control of resistance forces, with 144 partially under their control. The military remains partially in control of the areas where the elections took place. Not only is military strength depleted, but morale also remains relatively low. The military regime has reinitiated air strikes to regain control over northern Shan State and areas surrounding the capital.

Since the coup, the junta has systematically banned dozens of political parties and detained more than 30,000 political prisoners. In January 2026, the regime initiated legal action against more than 400 individuals under an “election protection” law passed in July 2025. The law criminalises virtually all forms of criticism of the electoral process, outlawing speech, organising, or protest deemed to disrupt any aspect of voting, making the entire exercise a clear example of pervasive surveillance.

From the beginning of the coup in February 2021, China has been playing a dual role since it needs the support of the junta to protect its projects under China Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC). China even employed its own forces to protect its projects. The junta in fact allowed free mixing of its army troops with the Chinese security forces even when the junta troops were engaged with the pro-China rebels.

Where does India stand after the national elections in Myanmar leading to the formation of a army government within few weeks? India has a 1,643 km border with Myanmar. In the past five years, lot of affected people from Myanmar including both Rohingya muslims and rebels took shelter in the states in India adjoining the Myanmar border. India has also big investment in Myanmar. Many Indian companies including public sector are operating.

India-backed connectivity projects — namely the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project and the Trilateral Highway — while extremely crucial, are likely to remain operationally problematic. China has recently signed a cooperation agreement with the junta. India has been taking a moral position of not identifying with Junta though the official ties were not broken. India tried to establish contacts with the non -junta groups and also a part of rebels late last year but no final framework was built. As a result now, China has all the advantages. It has the support of the upcoming government as also the leverage with the rebels. India has none.

The western nations have not recognized the elections yet, but the U.S is not giving that much interest on Myanmar as of now. So China is all pervading in terms of its diplomatic influence which is not a welcome news for India. New Delhi has to make deep introspection and come out with a concrete strategy on Myanmar once the new government starts functioning. Myanmar is very important strategically from the point of security for India. New Delhi can not let the country out completely to the lap of China. (IPA Service)

The article India Faces A Precarious Situation In Myanmar As China Supports Junta Led Rigged Elections appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on Newspack by India Press Agency).

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New collaborations with Citibank, Abu-Ghazaleh Global, RAK Properties, and others strengthen SIU’s commitment to connecting academic learning with global career opportunities.

Swiss International University (SIU) has already informed about the new corporate partnerships that will start in October 2025 and that they will provide students with better access to internships, training programs, and job opportunities in various fields.

The new partnerships are aligned with SIU’s goal to combine education with the real world, as they ensure that the graduates are equipped with the required knowledge, skills, and professional exposure to be successful in the global economy of today.

In the last few weeks, SIU has formed alliances with several major companies, including those from the banking, business, hospitality, real estate, and consulting sectors. The students will be actively involved in each collaboration through internships, practical training, and the career opportunities that will be given to them during or after their studies.

Among the key collaborations are

Citibank, where students of the business and finance fields will get to experience international banking operations through special training and possible hiring programs.

Abu-Ghazaleh Global has given SIU’s programs its official blessing and access to practical experience in global business, accounting, and consulting.

RAK Properties is going to give real estate and business students a chance to learn about property development, investment, and project management.

The Signature Inn Hotel Al Riqa L.L.C. offers students of hospitality a chance through real-life interrelated scenarios to gain the knowledge of front-office operations and guest management.

Al Shabaka International Businessmen Services is opening a door for the students to meet the professionals involved in global business consulting and administration.

Galadari Motor Driving Center, where students will get a clear insight into corporate management, customer relations, and operational efficiency.

Women’s First Jobs is going to help female students and graduates through career counseling, professional networking, and empowerment initiatives.

MyFounders.Club Global is building up the students and aspiring founders in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship by taking them through the process of developing and launching new ventures.

Revival AE Project Development Consultant Co., L.L.C., where students will be working on consulting for sustainable projects and environmental management.

“The partnerships that we have formed represent our commitment not only to the business world but also to the world of academia,” said the Head of Swiss International University. “We are aspiring to equip every student in SIU with the power to win the global job market through robust academic credentials, practical exposure, and a web of real opportunities. Our target is not a teacher-student relationship whose only need is the job—our students will be the ones making changes in the various fields of tomorrow.”

The academic world and the global market are the two areas where SIU, collaborating with partners at the present time, shows the institution’s continued commitment to creating a career-oriented academic environment where learning takes place beyond the walls of the classrooms.

The deadline of October 2025 is approaching, but the university is still looking to make new strategic partnerships to grow its network of global partners. It is clear from the continuous activities of the university that it is striving to offer its students worldwide the possibility of not only utilizing their skills but also being a part of the industry via employment and thus empowering them to make a difference in international markets.

The article Swiss International University Expands Career Pathways Through New Corporate Partnerships Across Multiple Sectors appeared first on Arabian Post.

Dubai Healthcare City Authority has unveiled a Dhs1.3 billion development programme for Phase 1 of Dubai Healthcare City, marking an aggressive expansion that aims to elevate its global standing in health infrastructure. Construction is set to start in December, with a targeted completion window by November 2027.

At the heart of the initiative lies a triple-pronged buildout: a LEED Platinum-certified office block, a purpose-built medical complex, and supporting infrastructure—each tailored to attract health-related investors and operators. The office building, designed by P&T Architects & Engineers, spans some 13,000 sqm across nine levels and includes flexible workspaces and ground-floor retail zones. The medical complex, by Design & Architecture Bureau, covers 5,800 sqm, with two basements and five floors, and is planned to accommodate surgical units, diagnostics, outpatient services and lab facilities.

Beyond buildings, the infrastructure scope includes multi-storey parking with electric vehicle charging points, integration with Salik for smart parking, and accessibility enhancements. The aim is to strengthen the underlying ecosystem so that the healthcare precinct becomes not just a cluster of clinics, but a fully serviced global health hub.

Issam Galadari, DHCA’s CEO, asserted that these projects reflect the authority’s ambition to combine sustainability, global investment appeal and design excellence, aligned with Dubai’s Economic Agenda and the UAE’s Net Zero Strategy 2050. Allae Almanini, COO, added that the works will “boost confidence for healthcare providers and investors” by improving efficiency, accessibility and sustainability across the community.

Phase 1 of DHCC, located in Oud Metha, currently operates within a 4.1 million sq ft footprint dedicated to medical services and education. Phase 2, by contrast, spans around 19 million sq ft at Al Jaddaf, and is oriented more toward wellness and mixed support services.

This new investment signals a sharpened focus on physical infrastructure as a differentiator. In recent years, DHCC has emphasised partnerships and innovation: its free-zone model already supports over 400 licensing entities and more than 168 clinical facilities. Earlier this year, DHCA collaborated with AI Quantum Intelligence Institute to launch an AI healthcare innovation lab in the free zone, and formed an agreement with AirMed International to deepen medical transport capabilities.

Analysts see the move as a bid to compete not only regionally, but globally. Healthcare infrastructure, especially when linked with sustainability credentials such as LEED Platinum certification, is increasingly a factor in investors’ decisions. The new build will position DHCC among the few healthcare zones worldwide that combine clinical, administrative and research capacity within one contiguous ecosystem.

However, the scale and timeline carry risks. Dubai’s construction sector is already navigating supply-chain pressures, labour constraints, and rising material costs. Ensuring timely delivery and quality control in a high-performance project will demand rigorous project management. Meanwhile, the authority must ensure that demand from healthcare operators, both local and international, matches the expanded real estate supply, lest vacancy rates rise.

More immediately, the December commencement date — just weeks away — will test DHCA’s readiness in securing contractors, tendering work packages and coordinating certifications. Delays in permitting or approvals could cascade into missed target windows. Yet, if executed successfully, the project will enable DHCC to present itself as an integrated health campus offering offices, clinical space, and support services under one sustainable umbrella.

Observers note that medical tourism in Dubai already commands significant weight, drawing patients from the GCC, the broader Arab world, Europe, and Asia. DHCA’s bet is that infrastructure sophistication will amplify that pull, especially for high-end specialty and precision medicine segments.

The article DHCC’s £250m Push to Redefine Dubai’s Health-City Aspirations appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Dr. Gyan Pathak

One day after the “locking down” of the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Omar Abdullah, his cabinet ministers, his party National Conference legislators, along with leader from the PDP, People’s Conference, and J&K Apni Party in their homes to prevent them from paying homage to Martyrs of July 13, 1931 on that day, yet another serious incident took place that amounts to attack on democracy. The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir was manhandled by Central security forces when he, along with others went to pay homage to martyrs at Naqshband Sahib graveyard in the Old City of Srinagar.

The martyrs’ graveyard was heavily barricaded by the Central security forces. Nevertheless, in a defiant step, leaders of the national conference paid floor tribute at the martyrs’ graveyard. CM Omar Abdullah jumped a barricade, scaled the wall, and entered graveyard, followed by other leaders of his party. The graveyard contains dead bodies of 22 Kashmiris who were killed on July 13, 1931.

“These people think that we are their slaves. We are not their slaves; we are the servants of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Omar told reporters at the site, adding that attempts were made to block their movement. “Which law allows them to stop elected representatives from paying tribute to martyrs? Is this democracy or dictatorship?” he questioned, asserting “they tried to physically grapple me but I was not going to be stopped.” National Conference later posted on X, “No restrictions can silence us; our democratic rights will prevail. We forever honour the July 13, 1931, martyrs who rose against tyranny.”Omar has also remarked, “Unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives of the people of J&K.”

The question is why the Centre has denied permission to the people of Kashmir to pay homage to their martyrs? Until 2019, July 13 was officially observed as Martyrs’ Day in Jammu and Kashmir in memory of the 22 civilians killed by Dogra forces under Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule in 1931. It was also a holiday in the state.

PM Narendra Modi led government at the Centre had abrogated the Article 370 in August 2019, annulled its special status, ended its statehood, and split it into two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Subsequently, the UT was put under administration of Lieutenant Governor, who in 2020, removed the Martyrs’ Day from the list of gazetted holidays.

Elections to the Assembly of the UT was held in September-October 2024, which was won by the INDIA bloc led by National Conference. Omar Abdullah became chief minister, but the state practically remains under the Central administration under Lieutenant Governor. Administration had denied permission to all political parties to visit the graveyard or hold gatherings there, citing security concerns.

Nevertheless, the real concern is the fear of the Centre that giving permission may strengthened the movement of the Kashmiris who are still demanding for restoration of statehood and special status of the state as it existed before abrogation of Article 370, and also restoration of the Article 370 of the Constitution of India which gave it the special status.

The administration had denied permission for the Martyrs’ Day function and warned of strict action against anyone who tried to proceed towards the Martyrs’ Graveyard. Condemning this, Mr Abdullah said, “13th July massacre is our Jallianwala Bagh. The people who laid down their lives did so against the British. Kashmir was being ruled under the British Paramountcy. What a shame that true heroes who fought against British rule in all its forms are today projected as villains only because they were Muslims. We may be denied the opportunity to visit their graves today, but we will not forget their sacrifices.”

The action of the Central administration against an elected chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir has been generally criticized by leaders and people across the country.

Opposing the ‘house arrest’ of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday contended that the Union government led by BJP was systematically stripping away the rights of elected State governments. He wrote in a social media post, “At a time when there is a growing demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s Statehood, the current events unfolding there are a grim reminder of how far things have deteriorated.”

It was not just about one State or one leader, Mr. Stalin said, “From Tamil Nadu to Kashmir, the Union BJP Government is systematically stripping away the rights of elected State governments.”If this could happen in Kashmir “it can happen anywhere, to any elected representative of the people. Every democratic voice must unequivocally condemn this.”

Expressing shock, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has said that what happened to J&K chief minister is unacceptable.“What is wrong in visiting the graveyard of martyrs? This is not only unfortunate, it also snatches the democratic right of a citizen. What happened this morning to an elected chief minister is unacceptable. Shocking. Shameful,” she wrote on social media post.

PDP has said, “When the elected CM, in manhandled by police, it’s not just an insult to one individual, it’s brutal assault on the very ideal of democracy in J&K. This wasn’t a push, it was a deliberate humiliation of an elected government. The self-respect of the CM, his cabinet, and the mandate of the people has been crushed under the boots of a police state, acting on orders from those who treat J&K like a colony, not a constitutional unit.”

RJD leader Tejashvi Yadav said, “The manner in which the elected CM was ill-treated and manhandled, is an utterly deplorable act and is a blot on Indian democracy. The BJP should remember that they have been outrightly rejected by the people of J&K. They should desist from ruling the state and dictating the elected government through backdoor.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “If you keep imposing restrictions on every matter like this, then when the regime changes, tell me yourself, which border will you cross to escape?”

CPI leader D Raja condemned Abdullah’s detention as insulting. And the J&K Congress called it a “chilling reminder of how far we’ve drifted from democratic values”.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “It is reprehensible that the unelected police and unelected administration of Delhi are trying to control an elected Chief Minister. Elected leaders are being put under house arrest… The LG of J&K has accepted that he is taking responsibility for the Pahalgam attack… If he is taking responsibility to save Delhi, to become its shield, then resign… .” (IPA Service)

The article Centre’s Contempt For Federalism Is Evident From Treatment By Police Of J&K Chief Minister appeared first on Arabian Post.

A landmark exhibition of Thai artisanship and contemporary design, inspired by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and featuring two debut clutches handcrafted from master-woven textiles by the SIRIVANNAVARI brand

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 19 June 2025 – UNESCO and Sustainable Arts and Crafts Institute of Thailand (Public Organization), a national agency promoting Thai craftsmanship, have joined hands with ICONCRAFT—Thailand’s hub of creative innovation–to launch the campaign, “UNESCO x SACIT x ICONCRAFT: A Celebration of Thai Artisans and Creative Cities.”

This nationwide initiative celebrates the cultural legacy of Thai textile traditions from the seven UNESCO Creative Cities across Thailand. These heritage textiles, crafted by national master artisans, are reimagined into contemporary fashion pieces by seven of Thailand’s top design houses, as well as the prestigious brand SIRIVANNAVARI, founded by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya.

The event, attended by UNESCO Director – General Audrey Azoulay, on her first official visit to Thailand, launches a long-term collaboration to empower cultural entrepreneurs, promote sustainable innovation, and inspire youth to pursue careers in the creative economy. It also reinforces Thailand’s commitment to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), which includes more than 350 cities worldwide. Thailand’s recognized Creative Cities–Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Sukhothai, Phetchaburi, Chiang Rai, and Suphanburi–serve as the foundation for this initiative and their distinctive cultural assets inspire the designs on display.

Event Highlights

At the heart of this exhibition is a collaboration between seven top-tier Thai fashion brands and local artisan groups, with each designer creating two exclusive outfits inspired by a different Creative City—14 looks in total:

• ATELIER PICHITA – Designs inspired by the Tai Lue textiles of the Tai Lue Weaving Group by Master Dokkaew from Chiang Rai
• THEATRE – Designs using Black Tai (Thai Song Dam) textiles from Ban Don Manow Thai Song Dam Weaving Group in Suphanburi
• CHAI GOLD LABEL – Designs drawing from Northern-style batik by Rak Batik Group in Chiang Mai
• HOOK’S BY PRAPAKAS – Designs based on hand-painted batik from Ying Batik Paint Group in Phuket
• WISHARAWISH – Designs using the intricately patterned Pha Lai Yang fabric by Phusa Pha Lai Yang in Phetchaburi
• PYVET – Designs crafted from Porcupine Pattern Pha Jok by Suntaree Thai Textile in Sukhothai
• JANESUDA – Designs showcasing brightly colored batik from Marionsiam in Bangkok

SIRIVANNAVARI x Chansoma Collaboration

Among the standout creations are two exclusive clutch bags, personally designed by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya. Crafted from Kaew Ching Duang silk–a textile symbolizing prosperity and harmony–these pieces were handwoven by nationally honoured master artisan Weeratham Taragoonngernthai, founder of the Chansoma brand in Surin Province. Embroidered with exquisite detail, each clutch is a one-of-a-kind creation, specially designed for this occasion.

Royal Ensemble Exhibition

Another event highlight is the first-ever public exhibition in Thailand of eight Royal Thai Ensembles worn by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, curated by the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. The designs, by Tirapan Wannarat, founder of the Tirapan fashion house and Thailand’s 2019 National Artist in Visual Arts (Fashion Design), will be on display from June 25–29 at ICONLUXE AVENUE, M Floor, ICONSIAM.

Featured ensembles include:

• Thai Ruean Ton Dress – Crafted from brocade silk with Chao Fa motifs, inspired by traditional teakwood houses in Dusit Palace
• Thai Chitralada Dress – A formal silk outfit with standing collar and embroidered white floral patterns
• Thai Amarin Dress – A pink silk pha sin featuring golden rose vines, historically associated with the birthday of King Rama V

Event Schedule

The special collection will debut at Crafts Bangkok 2025, from 18–22 June 2025 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, before its formal launch on 25 June at ICONSIAM.

Alongside the textile showcase and royal attire exhibition, visitors will have the rare opportunity to purchase or bid on selected pieces. A special auction will include the limited-edition silk clutches by SIRIVANNAVARI. Proceeds will support a UNESCO initiative to expand access to creative education for young people in Thailand’s Creative Cities.

Don’t miss this chance to celebrate Thai cultural heritage, admire the craftsmanship of local masters, and witness how creativity continues to shape Thailand’s future.

Hashtag: #ICONCRAFT #ICONCRAFTatICONSIAM #ICONSIAM #SIAMPIWAT #SACIT #UNESCO

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The article UNESCO and SACIT Join Hands with ICONCRAFT to Celebrate Thai Artisans and Thailand’s Creative Cities Network appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Nantoo Banerjee

Pakistan is back in the business of pushing Jihadists into India. It is the same old story. Last week, barely 12 days after the announcement of a ceasefire on 10 May, Pakistani terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kishtwar district killed an Indian soldier in an encounter with the security forces. When were those Pakistani Jihadists pushed to J&K – before, or after the May 10th ceasefire? Has the Pakistani deep state taken seriously India’s warning that the country may resume military attacks on Pakistan if the latter fails to keep a tight rein on its Islamist terror outfits to prevent attacks on India?

Ironically, the latest Pakistani terror attack took place at a time when India’s all-party delegations of Parliamentarians were out to campaign on ‘India’s Operation Sindoor Global Outreach’ to tell the countries across the world that Pakistan only thrives on terrorism. Last week, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said that over 20,000 Indians have been killed in terrorist attacks in the last four decades. “Pakistan state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony, and economic prosperity,” he said.

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, there were reports of as many as 87 incidents of killing involving 273 terrorists across India since January, this year alone. It provided data specifically for Jammu and Kashmir, showing 18 incidents of killing and involvements of 25 insurgents cum extremists. In 2024, India experienced 61 terrorist attacks in J&K. The most agonizing part is that almost all Islamist terror attacks on India are sponsored by the state of Pakistan and its agencies. These attacks include the one on India’s Parliament on December 13, 2001, by five Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists. Will the state of Pakistan ever rein in its Islamist terror outfits? Most unlikely. The state of Pakistan and its military are said to be deeply linked with the grooming of terrorists and helping them sneak into India through the complex and highly militarized boundary, covering approximately 3,323 kilometres, between the two countries.

The India-Pakistan border covers two parts of India. They include India’s states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, and Pakistan provinces of Sindh and Punjab. The border also includes Sir Creek, a tidal estuary in the Rann of Kutch. The Line of Control (LOC), established in 1972 after the Indo-Pak War, divides the territory into Indian-administered Kashmir (J&K and Ladakh) and Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan. The India-Pakistan border has always remained a source of high tension and conflict, with numerous cross-border incidents, military standoffs, and wars. The border remains one of the world’s most dangerous international boundaries with Pakistan reported to be constantly pushing trained terrorists into India to unsettle the country’s peace and security.

The continuing Pakistan-sponsored Islamist terrorism may be an extremely unfortunate part of the relationship between the two south Asian nations, but they seem to follow a global pattern as Islamist terrorism is growing across the world. Barely five months passed through the current year, there have already been several notable Islamic terror attacks. A mass stabbing in Iraq on April 1, was attributed to Anti-Assyrian sentiment and the Islamic State insurgents. On April 15, a massive bombing was linked to terrorism in Pakistan and the Balochistan insurgency. From April 13, a series of arson and shooting incidents occurred in Europe for several days, all said to be linked with Islamist terrorism. These events highlight the ongoing nature of Islamist terrorist threats in various regions.

The growing Islamic terrorism has not spared most countries in the world, having a recognisable Islamic population, except China. The latter has shown the world how to control religious violence. A vast majority of Chinese Muslim adults come from 10 ethnic minority groups that traditionally practice Islam, the two largest being those from the Hui community and Uyghurs. Most of China’s Muslims live in the country’s northwestern region, particularly in the areas of Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang, bordering Central Asia’s Muslim republics. Unlike in most other countries with Muslim population, China seems to have ensured even a birth control system to contain the Muslim ratio. Paradoxically, China seems to enjoy a fearful respect from all Islamic countries. China practically controls the Islamic states of Pakistan and Bangladesh as also Sri Lanka, a majority Buddhist country, through trade, economic and military cooperation.

Along with innocent civilians, terrorists are also dying in hordes as the countries with significant or growing Muslim populations constantly take innovative measures to tackle terrorism. The latest Global Terrorism Index revealed a significant increase in terrorist deaths, with 8,352 fatalities, the highest since 2017. The recent terrorist attacks were more deadly, particularly in the Central Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa, a new epicentre of terrorism. Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates, along with Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam Muslimeen (JNIM), a franchise of Al-Qaeda, were the most active terrorist organizations in this region.

The Vision of Humanity identified IS and its affiliates as the deadliest, responsible for 1,805 deaths across 22 countries. Other major groups include Pakistan’s Tehrik-e-Taliban and Al-Shabaab. Although the number of terrorist incidents, last year, decreased by 22 percent, the average number of people killed per attack increased by 56 percent, making them more lethal. The ‘Lone Wolf’ attacks in the western world, driven by individuals radicalized online, increased significantly, with a rise in terrorist incidents and arrests, particularly in Europe.

Last year, Europe faced several major Islamist terror attacks, including the deadly Moscow Crocus City Hall attack killing 145 people and injuring many more. Other than this specific incident, terrorist attacks in the West, particularly in Europe, doubled to 68, indicating a significant increase in Jehadist violence on the continent. Lone Wolf attacks have become increasingly prominent in the West, accounting for a significant portion of fatal attacks in recent years.

Islamist terror groups like ISKP (Islamic State – Khorasan Province), a regional branch of the IS Salafi jihadist known to be highly active in Central and South Asia, have threatened to target major sporting events, including the Paris Olympics. In West Asia, Al Qaeda and the Islamic State remain committed to conducting attacks against the US homeland as well as US interests. Israel has degraded Hezbollah’s and Hamas’s capabilities, while the Houthis have become a more active regional threat. Africa remains the most active centre for Salafi-jihadist organizations.

It should be noted that Hindu-majority secular India features prominently in the global Islamist terror targets. And, Pakistan and Bangladesh form the two major export centres of Jihadists into India. While Islamist terror attacks from Bangladesh are suspected mostly by Lone Wolf groups having little link with the state administration and army, the ones originating from Pakistan seem to have strong connections with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Pakistani Jihadists are believed to be mostly ISI recruited and trained.

Incidentally, India’s own intelligence agency, Research and Analytical Wing (RAW), may have substantial information on India-specific Jihadi training establishments in Pakistan. A coordinated effort among India’s central and state intelligence agencies, particularly those in border states such as J&K, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam and Tripura, should help locate Islamist Jehadi export networks and, in the process, help the army, police and other security forces smash the Jehadi design in advance before it targets the country’s civilians and their dwellings. (IPA Service)

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A Must-Visit UNESCO-Recognized Festival Featuring Water Play, Traditional Thai Ceremonies & Performances Along the Most Breathtaking Views of the Chao Phraya River from April 10–16, 2025

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 April 2025 – ICONSIAM, a global landmark along the Chao Phraya River developed through a joint venture of Siam Piwat, Charoen Pokphand Group (CP), and Magnolia Quality Development (MQDC), joins forces with public and private sector partners to present the grand “ICONSIAM THAICONIC SONGKRAN CELEBRATION 2025”, investing over US$1.9 million (65 million baht) to host a spectacular event under the concept “The Legendary Festival of Waters – A Stream of Thai Charms.” This reinforces ICONSIAM’s position as a Global Experiential Destination, highlighting Thailand’s rich cultural heritage to attract visitors from around the world. The event will feature 5 Must-Experience Highlights showcasing the charm of Thai Songkran to promote Thailand as a central tourism hub in the region, aligning with government initiatives. Visitors can enjoy safe and fun water activities with a 9-meter-high water tower, a children’s water play zone, a stunning sand pagoda, Songkran parades, the sacred water-pouring ritual for Buddha images, and various Thai cultural performances and mini concerts throughout the seven-day celebration. The festival will be held from April 10–16, 2025, at River Park, ICONSIAM, and is expected to attract over 1.4 million local and international visitors throughout the 7-day celebration.

A Global Celebration of Thai Songkran

Mr. Supoj Chaiwatsirikul, Managing Director of ICONSIAM Co., Ltd., stated that Songkran is a source of great national pride, recognized as a global festival that draws visitors from all over the world, generating substantial economic benefits for Thailand. As a key landmark and a Global Experiential Destination, ICONSIAM is committed to honoring and preserving Thailand’s cultural heritage. ICONSIAM remains dedicated to celebrating Thai heritage and passing it on to future generations. As a leader in hosting ICONIC EVENTS, ICONSIAM continues to elevate Thai cultural celebrations on a global scale.

For this year’s grand Songkran festival along the Chao Phraya River, ICONSIAM has partnered with the Ministry of Culture, Department of Cultural Promotion, Bangkok Metropolitan Cultural Council, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Public Relations Department, and various government agencies, along with various private sectors. The official opening ceremony of the “ICONSIAM THAICONIC SONGKRAN CELEBRATION 2025” will take place on April 10, 2025, from 5:00 PM onwards at River Park, ICONSIAM, featuring the vibrant Songkran Parade, which includes appearances by a famous actress, captivating cultural performances, and lively mini concerts.

Themed “The Legendary Festival of Waters – A Stream of Thai Charms”
The festival blends traditional Thai customs with a modern touch, allowing both locals and international visitors to experience Thailand’s rich cultural heritage in a fun and safe environment. Visitors can immerse themselves in “Thai-Style Fun” through 5 Must-Experience Highlights designed to create unforgettable memories:

1. Must Play – The Splash

• Sook-Songkran Water Tower: A 9-meter-high water tower decorated with Thai floral patterns, featuring spectacular water effects.
• Kids Zone: A special water play area for young children to enjoy safely.
• ‘Dry & Dash’ Zone: A convenient area for drying off, changing clothes, and freshening up before continuing to shop, dine, or explore ICONSIAM.

2. Must Discover – The Traditions

• Giant Sand Pagoda Landmark: A stunning sand sculpture crafted by renowned Thai sand artist Chanathip Chuenbumroong.
• Sacred Water-Pouring Ritual: Pour water over the marble Buddha statue from the Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten, Chiang Rai) for blessings in the Thai New Year.
• Respect for Elders: Participate in the traditional water-pouring ceremony with Thai National Artists for good fortune.
• Exquisite Thai Pavilion Display: Admire an intricately crafted pavilion, a masterpiece by Thai artisans.
• Cultural Performances: Witness Nora dance performances (a UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage from southern Thailand) and other rare Thai classical dance showcases.

3. Must Joy – The Celebration

• Spectacular Songkran Parade featuring 8 Thai celebrities, including Bow Maylada, Win Metawin, Engfa Waraha, Charlotte Austin, Leena Lalina, Mew Natcha, Chompoo Araya, and her daughter Abigail.
• Over 300 Free Mini Concerts from top artists, including Jeff Satur, 4EVE, ATLAS, PROXIE, LYKN, Dice, Milli, Dice, Daou Offroad among others.

4. Must Taste – The Flavors of Thailand

• Experience the vibrant flavors of SOOKSIAM with four regions of Thailand, including Khantoke dishes from Northern Thailand, Trang-style grilled pork, Sukhothai-style tom yum noodles, and seasonal desserts like mango sticky rice and Thai mango lod chong.
• Cooling Summer Treats from over 150 renowned restaurants at ICONSIAM.

5. Must Buy – Seek the Thai Treasures

• Exclusive Songkran Collection: ‘NAKROB MOONMANAS x ICONCRAFT’ featuring unique t-shirts, pants, hats, and bags.
• Thai Handicrafts & Souvenirs: A wide range of artisan products and refreshing summer goods from 1,000+ shops at ICONSIAM, ICONCRAFT, SOOKSIAM and Siam Takashimaya.
  

Experience the perfect blend of tradition and modern entertainment at Thailand’s most spectacular Songkran festival! Join us for the “THAICONIC SONGKRAN CELEBRATION 2025” at River Park, ICONSIAM from April 10 – 16, 2025 and immerse yourself in a joyous, culturally enriching celebration—free of charge!
Stay tuned for event updates and participation details at www.iconsiam.com or follow us on Facebook: ICONSIAM.

Hashtag: #ICONSIAMSongkran #SongkranFestival2025 #ICONSIAM

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The article ICONSIAM’s ‘THAICONIC SONGKRAN CELEBRATION 2025’ to Captivate Visitors with Thailand’s Most Spectacular Water Festival appeared first on Arabian Post.

SpaceX is up 7X since my post in 2020, when we invested at $46 billion pre-money and it is now $350 billion. I do not recommend anybody put new money in this or any of the big AI plays. There are 300 AI startups that were rejected by two Palo Alto brand name VC partners I respect in the past year and this sector will be toast when the music stops, as it 100% will. The circus clowns in the Valley have gone deadly quiet.

I am now live on a potential 4-6X (over 4 years) deal in the luxury brand ownership sector. I have done my DD, as have some of the largest private family offices in the GCC I respect and know for decades. If you fancy a quickie Zoom briefing, please ping Manju (+971504280691). I cannot disclose more without a signed NDA and the group chairman alone approves investors/LPs on the captable.

US monetary, trade and development aid policy has changed more in the past three weeks than at any time since the creation of Bretton Woods, the IMF, the World Bank and the UN in the dying days of WW II. Trump’s threats are not verbal diarrhea but a radical shift in economic philosophy but please do not make the fatal mistake of thinking that he or his team are remotely competent or consistent. After all, the Art of the Deal was written by a ghost writer and Tariff Man’s genius has seen 5-major real estate hotel and casino companies he owned go belly up in the decade when I was a New Yorker and knew dudes who got fired since they made the fatal mistake of buying junk bonds issued by his three Atlantic City casinos that all went bankrupt.

I had written the enclosed post (https://matein.substack.com/p/is-alibaba-the-dragon-empires-golden) that argued why Alibaba (BABA) would continue to lay golden eggs and I was 100% right for once. BABA was 86/87 then and 116-119 now. Not bad for a guy who can only say “chow mein” and shie-shie in Mandarin. So, I confess I am utterly ignorant about Chinese civilization, but I understand the economics of a $1.2 trillion trade surplus with the world, a $300 billion rise in Hong Kong bank deposits and PBOC monetary accelerator in the money/FX market all too well. The moment I knew some big enchilada in the US was accumulating BABA, I knew I had to follow the hoofbeats of the herd and grab my own one way ticket to the moon and man, are we flying? Apollo-11 (BABA) lands on the moon at 150.

NRI honchos/Money Dadas in town told me I was loco to buy BABA since CNN/Modi Sarkar assured them that China is uninvestable. I knew that a mini rupee devaluation was certain when the RBI’s Das led the INR dirty float to go beyond 83 and I posted my analysis son this too. Das will not dare take a bio break at the RBI without the permission from the 4-Gujju Gods who now rule India, led by the Tea Lord and the Homie Lord.

The article My SpaceX is 7X in 4 years and Alibaba is up 45% in 3-months. What next? appeared first on Arabian Post.

In February 2025, SIBUR signed an agreement with the auto parts manufacturer DIPO for the joint development of polymer-based body parts, exterior and interior components, structural frames, and lighting components. Earlier, SIBUR developed a polyethylene grade for fuel tanks and two new grades of polycarbonate for automotive headlight diffusers that are used in Lada vehicles.

According to industry experts, up to 160,000 tonnes of polymer materials are used annually in Russian automotive production, with potential for increased demand. The polymers produced by SIBUR are already used in the production of trunk doors and soundproofing materials, and, in the future, they could be used to manufacture seals, brackets, and fasteners.

Polymer materials are approximately 30% lighter than metal, which helps reduce vehicle weight and, in turn, lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Thanks to their deformability, polymer components can absorb impact energy, enhancing safety. Furthermore, unlike metals, polymers are not susceptible to corrosion.

According to SIBUR, the use of Russian synthetic materials in the country’s automotive industry increased by 24% over the past year. The outlook for further growth is strong, driven by the company’s robust scientific and production capabilities for polymer development and manufacturing.

Hashtag: #SIBUR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About SIBUR

SIBUR is one of the fastest-growing companies in the global petrochemical industry and the largest producer of polymers and rubbers in Russia. The Company’s unique vertically integrated business model enables it to produce highly competitive products used across various economic sectors worldwide, including construction, food production, medicine and pharmaceuticals, agriculture, automotive manufacturing, and more.

The article SIBUR Expands Range of Polymer Products for Automotive Industry appeared first on Arabian Post.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 December 2024 – The inaugural Yuewen Music Festival kicked off on Day 1, showcasing a mesmerizing array of performances that ignited Siloso Beach, Sentosa.

DJ Tech’1 opened the event, energizing the crowd with a dynamic DJ performance that set the vibrant tone for the evening. His innovative mixes had everyone on their feet.

Following him, Olivia Marsh dazzled the audience with hits like “Backseat + Waterworks” and “Pina Colada.” Her engaging stage presence and powerful vocals left a memorable impression.

Maggie Chiang 江美琪 enchanted fans with both new songs and nostalgic classics, including “Round and Round” (圆的?圆的!) and “Poet Of The Night” (夜的诗人), evoking heartfelt sing-alongs.

The beloved KISS OF LIFE brought their unique sound to the stage, performing crowd favorites like “Sticky” and “Midas Touch,” igniting infectious energy throughout the venue.

ITZY, the K-pop sensation, electrified the audience with hits like “GOLD” and “WANNABE,” showcasing dynamic choreography and charisma that kept fans engaged.

Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI delivered a powerhouse performance featuring tracks such as “28 Reasons” and “Monster,” captivating attendees with their seamless harmonies and stunning visuals.

LaLa Hsu徐佳莹 brought her soulful sound to the festival, performing “I Dare You”（你敢不敢）and “Lost Desert” (失落沙洲), resonating deeply with the audience and creating an intimate atmosphere.

PP Krit charmed fans with engaging performances, including Fireboy, ลังเล (Hesitate), เส้นเรื่องเดิม (Rerun), ขอโทษละกัน (Friend to Friend), I’ll Do it How You Like it, เสนอตัว (Ooh!). His ability to connect with the audience made his set a standout moment of the night.

Finally, Billkin closed the evening with a captivating performance that included “Daily Magic”, ยิ่งดุยิ่งชอบ, Golden Hour, ยิ้มทั้งน้ำตา (Always), สวยงามเสมอ (Ever Forever), ชอบตัวเองตอนอยู่กับเธอ (I Like Us), Mr.Everything, drawing cheers and applause as he wrapped up Day 1 on a high note.

Cultural Integration and Globalization of IPs

The Yuewen Music Festival marks the first large-scale music event hosted by Yuewen in Singapore, reflecting an important move to leverage music as a vibrant platform for engaging young audiences, enhancing emotional connection to Yuewen’s intellectual properties (IPs). This approach addresses the growing demand among young audiences for immersive experiences and emotional resonance in their cultural consumption.

The festival’s inclusive and diverse nature allows for various activities, including music performances, IP showcases, and merchandise sales. Yuewen Goods, featuring exclusive merchandise inspired by popular Yuewen IPs, saw remarkable sales, further proving the festival’s appeal among attendees.

This festival is the first step in Yuewen’s efforts to expand its IP products internationally and innovate its IP experiences. Looking ahead, Yuewen plans to launch various offline activities, such as the IP marketplace “YUEWEN WONDERLAND” and the Yuewen Global IP Awards, exploring new models of “IP + cultural tourism” in collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board. The goal is to co-create remarkable IP experiences with domestic and international artists and partners, further enhancing Singapore’s appeal as a tourist destination.

Hashtag: #YuewenMusicFestival

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Yuewen

Yuewen (HKEX: 0772, formerly China Literature Limited) is a culture and entertainment group that was founded in March 2015. It focuses on creating and developing intellectual property (IP) derived from online literature.

Yuewen has a diverse portfolio of well-known brands, such as QQ Reading, Qidian, New Classics Media, and Tencent Animation & Comics. It serves as a platform for tens of millions of creators and a rich reserve of literary works across 200 genres, catering to hundreds of millions of users. Yuewen is renowned for its celebrated IP portfolio, which includes popular titles like Joy of Life featuring Zhang Ruoyun, Guardians of the Dafeng featuring Dylan Wang, My Heroic Husband, Candle in the Tomb, The King’s Avatar featuring Yang Yang, Soul Land, and Nirvana in Fire. It has successfully expanded its reach across various media formats, including audiobooks, animation, comics, films, drama series, games, and offline merchandise.

For more information, please visit https://www.yuewen.com/en/.

The article Yuewen Music Festival Day 1: Mesmerizing Performances Ignites Siloso Beach, Sentosa appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Nantoo Banerjee

China’s sudden change of mind to uphold peace and tranquility with India at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and work for early resolution of outstanding issues should not be read beyond these words as framed at the joint declaration at the end of the 30th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs in Delhi, earlier this month. China seems to be willing to make a careful compromise on the border issue after a gap of almost four-and-a-half years, when the Chinese troops tried to aggressively change the status quo on the LAC in eastern Ladakh without much success.

Hopefully, the Chinese peace offer does not come with an unwritten rider that is to allow more merchandise export to the Indian market. China needs a steady export market to partially cover its shrinking trade surplus with the United States. China’s exports shrank sharply in November as Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House brings fresh trade risks. China is out to grab the vast market in India by dumping a whole range of merchandise.

India has become China’s (including Hong Kong) second largest source of trade surplus and the fourth largest export destination after the US, South Korea and Vietnam. The world’s No.1 exporter, China would probably settle for a small military compromise on the Ladakh border in exchange for a bigger pie of the Indian market. Last year, India’s import from China was worth $121.97 billion, according to the UN Comtrade Data Base on international trade. US President-elect Trump has pledged to slap an additional tariff on Chinese goods.

Trump wants to introduce tariffs in excess of 60 percent on Chinese merchandise. Trump’s threats have rattled China’s industrial complex, which sells goods worth more than $400 billion annually to the US. Last year, China’s trade surplus with the US amounted to $336 billion. As a single country, India came next. The European Union and ASEAN, representing clusters of nations, were placed ahead of India in China’s trade surplus list. China is naturally concerned.

It may be interesting to note that before the US presidential election, China had unofficially supported Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris, a strong supporter of Ukraine in the country’s fight against Russia, to ensure that its exports to the USA were not disturbed. A Harris victory would have further escalated the Russia-Ukraine war. China probably did not mind Ukraine’s NATO-backed military resistance against Russia, its so-called key “ally”, to continue for the sake of its unhindered export to the US.

Over the years, China’s massive exports to the US since the Nixon era helped the People’s Republic (PRC) become the world’s second largest economy. China’s economy was worth only $113.69 billion in 1972 when the then US President Richard Nixon visited China to establish relations with the PRC after years of U.S. diplomatic policy that favoured the Republic of China in Taiwan. It also helped open a big US-China economic and trade partnership, making China a formidable economic and military power today.

In 1972, China’s communist regime, led by Mao Zedong, decided to establish a diplomatic link with the US after a gap of 23 years. Communist China had its own strategic reasons to open dialogue with the US as its relationship with the more powerful Communist neighbour, the Soviet Union, threatened to turn sour despite their shared political ideology with the USSR’s growing influence in Asia.

By the late 1960s, China and the Soviet Union were involved in frequent border skirmishes threatening to verge on all-out war. President Nixon and his secretary of state Henry Kissinger decided to exploit the opportunity to rebuild a relationship with China to corner the Soviet Union in order to create a balance of power between the US and the mighty USSR. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend’ Nixon had said. China’s rise to economic power started thereafter. In 1978, the country launched a major economic reform program by adopting an open-door policy to attract foreign investment and technology while maintaining its commitment to socialism.

China is now the world’s second largest economy with a GDP of around $17.8 trillion. Donald Trump has vowed to make imports from China much dearer to slash the US trade deficit with China to rebuild its economy and push employment in the US. China needs a big and growing market such as India to keep its export-driven economy flourish. And, this might have driven China to indirectly support Democrat Kamala Harris to continue to enjoy trade concessions. Chinese exports are expected to reach a historical high this year as customers have been rushing to front-load orders in the light of President-elect Donald Trump’s threat of higher import tariffs when he takes office in January. According to analysts, China’s export growth is expected to accelerate to seven percent during the current October-December quarter from the same period last year pushing the country’s total exports this year to $3.548 trillion.

Thus, China’s sudden change of mind to uphold “peace and tranquility with India” at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) appears to be more artificial than real. Militarily far advanced, China has already surrounded India with its considerable strategic influence over Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal and more lately Bhutan. India would probably make a major mistake to link its trade and economic imperatives with the Chinese ‘peace’ offer at Galwan.

India must drastically cut down direct and indirect imports (through Nepal) and investments from China to expand its own industrial production and protect the small and medium scale sectors. Several Indian industries – such as steel, solar modules, furniture, glass, textile, paper, leather, automotive, medical, electronics goods, thermoplastic polyurethane, handicrafts and MSME clusters, such as fireworks, decorative lights, toys, silk weaving, and festive products — are reeling under Chinese trade dumping. India must take a hard line on imports from China. The massive trade deficit with China is killing the country’s economy, erasing the value of Rupee, raising inflation and creating unemployment. India’s economic peace and prosperity are not negotiable. (IPA Service)

The article India Must Not Mix Up Border Issues With Economic Imperatives appeared first on Arabian Post.

Lada, the iconic Russian automaker, has made its entry into the UAE market, offering residents the chance to test drive and place orders for its vehicles. Through its official distributor in the UAE, the Russian brand is now showcasing a variety of models, including the Granta Sedan, Vesta SW Cross, Niva Legend, and Niva Travel, which are available for purchase and direct engagement by potential buyers in Dubai.

The launch of Lada in the UAE marks a significant expansion of the brand beyond its traditional markets. Known for its durable vehicles designed to withstand harsh conditions, Lada now looks to tap into the Middle Eastern market’s growing demand for reliable, cost-effective transportation. The introduction of these models is seen as part of a broader strategy to diversify Lada’s global presence, especially as Russia seeks to rebuild and strengthen economic ties with markets outside its traditional trading partners.

Lada’s presence in the UAE is spearheaded by the Russian automaker’s official distributor, which is offering a range of models that cater to various preferences, from compact sedans to off-road capable SUVs. The Granta Sedan, often considered the flagship model of Lada’s budget-friendly lineup, is geared towards urban consumers looking for a simple yet dependable car. The Vesta SW Cross, another key offering, features a versatile crossover design that combines practicality with an adventurous spirit, making it suitable for both city commutes and outdoor excursions.

For those interested in off-road capabilities, the Niva Legend and Niva Travel represent the brand’s rugged side. With a reputation for toughness, the Niva models have gained popularity in countries where robust performance is needed in tough terrain, and their inclusion in the UAE lineup is expected to appeal to off-road enthusiasts.

The move into the UAE is not only about expanding Lada’s product range but also about revitalizing its image as a global automotive player. While the brand has long been associated with rugged, utilitarian vehicles, it now aims to appeal to a more diverse, modern audience by offering a range of models suited for different driving needs and lifestyles. With the global auto market becoming more competitive, Lada’s rebranding effort may resonate with those seeking affordable vehicles without compromising quality.

The company’s entry into the UAE market comes at a time when international car manufacturers are shifting their focus to the Middle East. The UAE, in particular, is known for its luxury car culture, but there is also a rising demand for affordable vehicles that offer value for money. In this context, Lada’s appeal lies in its affordability, reliability, and practicality, which are attractive to consumers who want to make a solid investment in a car without overspending.

Lada’s introduction to the UAE market also highlights Russia’s growing desire to cultivate stronger trade relations with the Gulf region. The UAE, as one of the leading economies in the Middle East, has emerged as a gateway for Russian products, especially in the wake of the geopolitical shifts resulting from the war in Ukraine. By offering a lineup of vehicles in Dubai, Lada is capitalizing on a strategic opportunity to build brand recognition and attract customers in a region with a growing automotive market.

The availability of these models for test drives is also significant, as it allows potential buyers to assess the vehicles’ performance and comfort firsthand. Test drive events are essential in any car launch, providing a tangible experience for consumers that can play a key role in their purchasing decision. Lada’s decision to offer this hands-on experience speaks to the brand’s confidence in its products and its commitment to making a strong first impression in the UAE.

While Lada’s reputation in the automotive world may not yet match that of more established European or American brands, the vehicles’ entry into the UAE market represents a calculated risk for the company. Lada’s strategy of offering affordable, durable cars at competitive prices is expected to draw attention from cost-conscious buyers, especially in a market where entry-level vehicles are increasingly sought after. Furthermore, with the increasing popularity of crossover vehicles and compact SUVs, Lada’s lineup offers models that are well-positioned to meet the evolving tastes of UAE consumers.

The official distributor for Lada in the UAE has made significant efforts to ensure that the vehicles available for test drives and purchase meet the local market’s standards. These efforts include adapting the cars to comply with local regulations and enhancing their suitability for the region’s climate, which can be extreme, particularly during the summer months. Such adaptations ensure that the vehicles are well-equipped to handle the unique driving conditions of the UAE, further boosting their appeal among potential buyers.

The article Lada Makes Debut in UAE with Test Drives and Orders appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Anjan Roy

Although ice has apparently been broken between India and China over conflicts and confrontations in Demchok and Depsang areas in eastern Ladakh, tensions have not been eliminated fully.

The hurriedly announced agreement, in the hours before BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan on October 22-24, was directed more at the international audiences than for the two countries. This agreement should be seen more in the context of international strategic contests than a bilateral easing of tensions.

The agreement between India and China, announced with some fanfare, is more for the optics than really defusing the border imbroglio. It was in the context of the BRICS summit at Kazan in Russia, to build the base for an understanding to be arrived during the meeting of prime minister Narendra Modi and Chinese president, Xi Jinping.

China’s track record in the past has been one of ignoring past commitments. China had followed the strategy of cheese slicing, that is, usurp and take control of small areas and then move ahead again. In many areas, China has taken away claimed Indian areas and even built full scale villages.

None of those conflicts have been resolved or even addressed. The current agreement addressed only a small stretch of the international border where the countries had clashed resulting in the death of 20 Indian soldiers. In many other sectors, Chinese incursions have not been addressed.

Apart from amassing huge number of soldiers and vehicles, and other military gadgets and guns by both sides, the immediate threat of another conflict has receded. India will have to take a series of steps to deal with China.

When China’s economy is sliding seriously and its industries in some segments are shrinking, Indian moves against Chinese businesses and investments in India had started biting its interests. The context of the entire moves and countermoves has to be kept in mind to assess the overall compulsions.

China’s exports were being stalled by major western countries, including USA and EU. Chinese electric vehicles were sought to be kept out with high tariff barriers in the EU markets. America was making fresh moves against Chinese EV makers. China has huge stakes in pushing their EVs across the globe.

Additionally, America has imposed a complete blockade against transfer of critical technology and items to China which in many ways have crippled Chinese industries. America has excluded China from supplies of high end industrial chips and this is hurting Chinese industries at least for the time being.

China is the largest producer of steel and it is dumping its steel across the world. The fact is that China does not have the capacity to absorb the humongous amount of steel it produces every year. Many of the developed countries are seeking to shut out China from their domestic steel markets.

China has stopped releasing many vital information to hide the real state of their economy. For example, China’s statistical bureau has stopped giving figures of youth unemployment, for example, to hide the large youth joblessness..

This was the ideal moment for pursuing a policy which could hurt China really hard for any process for normalisation of relations. India should have worked for larger concessions from China. This was our time as economically India was in a far sound footing than China as of now.

Additionally, China is facing a western coalition of forces on its moves in the South China Sea and over Taiwan. No littoral state around the South China Sea is on board with China. It has conflicts with Philippines to Malaysia. In some ways, China is being viewed suspiciously by a host of countries in south-east Asia.

But both China and India had compulsions for the show. India was being corralled by the west, spearheaded by Canada and partially USA, over alleged involvement in killing a Sikh militant. China is facing a huge push from the US on multiple fronts.

Above all, the host for the Kazan meet, Russian president Vladimir Putin, tried to put up a show of strength against the combined front of the western nations for its war in Ukraine. The BIRCS meeting, attended by the world’s two most populous countries, alongside Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iran, is a demonstration of the failure of the combined western bloc to isolate Russia.

There are internal tensions among these countries and their priorities are different. However, all these countries played into the hand of Russia showing its ambit of operations inspite of western sanctions.. This was the best manipulation of Vladimir Putin against the combined strength of the western coalition led by the USA.

India has to monitor closely the follow up moves of China on the disputed areas. China has a policy of two steps forward and one step backward as regards to India in border areas. China’s part withdrawal from the disputes areas is being shown as India’s victory hiding the fact that some new areas are remaining in China’s control. India should be firm in getting back the land which rightly belongs to the country. (IPA Service)

The article ‘Success’ Of India-China Agreement On LAC Is Being Overblown appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Sushil Kutty

The Bharatiya Janata Party lost the Jammu & Kashmir assembly elections. The National Conference-Congress alliance romped home victorious. National Conference president Farooq Abdullah announced Omar Abdullah will be the next Chief Minister. The Valley had voted enormously for the NC-Congress alliance. Almost as if there’s no tomorrow. Jammu’s Hindus gave the BJP a face-saver. But not to the extent the BJP expected. The Congress could have improved the NC-Congress tally in the Jammu region.

As many as 873 candidates had vied for the 90 seats in the J&K Assembly. The People’s Democratic Party conceded defeat. Important thing is, with the NC-Congress alliance victory lots of things are bound to change in Jammu & Kashmir. For one, the BJP’s wings have been clipped. The Lt. Governor will no longer be ‘King’ and Union Home Minister Amit Shah ‘Emperor’.

Importantly, it wasn’t luck that favoured the National Conference. The NC-Congress tally climbed beyond brute majority on the back of the people’s mandate, mostly in favour of the National Congress. In fact, the Congress sailed through hanging to the NC’s coattails. So much so, even Engg. Rashid, who had defeated Omar Abdullah from the Baramulla constituency in the Lok Sabha elections, couldn’t make a difference to the NC’s scintillating performance.

Compared to the National Conference, the PDP was routed. It was as if Kashmir’s voters wanted a clear winner from the Kashmir region and not a split verdict giving neither regional winners a chance at solving their problems including the one posed by the abrogation of Article 370. Kashmiri Muslims are no different from Muslims in the rest of India. They too aren’t overly grateful to the Centre for making life less of a hell than when terrorists killed and ducked. When stone-throwing was a daily occurrence.

Independent candidates, on whom the BJP had set stock on, were also routed. National Conference/Congress candidates defeated PDP candidates in many constituencies but that didn’t stop the Abdullahs from extending a friendly hand to Mehbooba. In victory, generosity! The results were almost as if the PDP hadn’t contested. Iltija Mufti lost from the Mufti family pocket-borough of Bijbehara.

That said, these assembly elections were Jammu & Kashmir’s first since 2014. Also, the first after J&K was declared a Union Territory. Importantly, the first after the abrogation of Article 370. The exit polls had predicted a hung house, but it turned out J&K’s electorate had a different notion altogether. Counting of votes started at 8 am sharp.

There were no incidents of violence reported as if the so-called “militants” were also waiting to see who the results favoured. A new government was to be elected after a gap of six years. The PDP-BJP regime collapse happened on June 20, 2018. The abrogation of Article 370 followed. J&K’s millions were waiting for these elections. Also, all of J&K wasn’t bowled over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vaunted “developmental works.”

There is also the Supreme Court deadline to return J&K to its ‘State-status’. The deadline has to be kept. Excuses won’t be tolerated. Jammu & Kashmir continues to be two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. There are muted reports that Ladakh wouldn’t mind returning to the J&K fold.

The Congress-National Conference alliance will see to it that the apex court’s deadline is kept. The INDI-Alliance, of which National Conference is also a constituent, will also weigh in.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah had said Monday that the NC was open to collaborating with Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP, which is no longer required. Abdullah said the Lt Governor had no business to nominate random people to the five reserved seats. The NC-Congress alliance plans to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. The five nominated members would increase the strength of the Assembly to 95 and push up the majority mark to 48.

The assembly elections were held in three phases. On September 18, September 25 and October 1. And to everybody’s relief, the elections went off peacefully. In fact, a feather in the Centre’s cap. Counting was conducted with a three-tier security arrangement at all counting centres. There is no saying when Kashmir would explode.

Pakistan is an interested party in the Jammu & Kashmir elections. Terrorism, insurgency, and cross-border infiltration are all thanks to this “friendly neighbour”. The thing is, how will the return of a civilian government in Jammu & Kashmir affect the ties, official or otherwise, with Pakistan? Both National Conference and Congress want Indo-Pak talks to resume.

The Modi-led NDA Government is dead-set against having any truck with Pakistan, for the time being, at least. There is bound to be friction between the Centre and the J&K government on this count. People of the state will protest, those of the Valley. Separatists might resurface with a vengeance, with their own set of demands and their own style of protests.

Article 370 will be in the crossfire of the NC-Congress alliance government. Of course, nothing can be done unless the INDI-Alliance comes to power. For that to happen, the return of Article 370, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu would have to be convinced to revolt against Modi Rule in India! (IPA Service)

The article Stage Is Set For Change In Jammu & Kashmir With NC-Congress’s Poll Win appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Sant Kumar Sharma

JAMMU: In something that is happening for the first time in its electoral history, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will soon nominate five members to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir. These nominated MLAs will have voting rights and can play an equal role as their elected counterparts in the formation of the government. The elections for 90 assembly seats were held in three phases and the results will be declared on October 8. Mr Sinha is likely to make the nominations immediately after the results are declared on the recommendations of the Union Home Ministry.

This effectively means that the Legislative Assembly will have 95 members and 48 (not 46) will constitute an absolute majority. Till 2014, J&K had 87 elected members in the Legislative Assembly and two nominated women members. These two women members were nominated by the government that came to power after the elections. Incidentally, these nominated MLAs did not have all the legislative powers vested in the elected members.

The five nominated MLAs will be chosen from among the Kashmiri displaced people and those who had come here from Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) in 1947. They too will hold full legislative powers and privileges, just like the other 90 elected representatives in the House.

According to official sources, two of the nominated MLAs will be Kashmiri displaced members, one man and one woman. One nominated MLA will be chosen from among the POJK displaced community. This will be a significant milestone in terms of representation for these communities, as inclusion in the legislative assembly has been a long standing demand.

LG Manoj Sinha will make these nominations based on the advice received from the Union Home Ministry led by senior BJP leader Amit Shah. The process for the nomination has been laid in an amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019. The Act had led to reorganisation of earlier state into two Union Territories (UTs) of J&K and UT of Ladakh. The Act was further revised in July 2023 to introduce these nominations of five MLAs.

This nomination process is something akin to what prevails in the UT of Puducherry which has four nominated legislators. Incidentally, it needs to be mentioned here that the state of J&K had a bicameral legislature. However, after making J&K a UT, the Legislative Council (LC) was abolished.

Due to the nominations by LG on the recommendations of the Union Home Ministry, it is clear that these legislators will owe allegiance to the BJP. As such, even before the assembly election results have been declared, the BJP can be said to have an advantage of five MLAs in the 95-member House.

Meanwhile, NC leader Rattan Lal Gupta has termed these nominations as unethical saying this is something unconstitutional as well. Mr Gupta, who is provincial president of the NC in the Jammu region, has voiced his objections to the whole nomination process.

Declaring the nominations by LG as undemocratic, Mr Gupta said it should be the prerogative of the elected government, as in the past, to nominate these five MLAs. He argued that all legislative powers should shift to an elected government in a normal democratic set-up and these powers should not be exercised by the LG.

Interestingly, party patriarch Farooq Abdullah, who is also its president, has not spoken anything about the nomination process. His son Omar Abdullah, vice president of the party, has also not said anything on this issue so far.

This is being interpreted by some political analysts as efforts by the NC not to say or do anything to burn its bridges with the BJP which rules at the Centre.

Meanwhile, the NC has refuted reports that it was involved in any back channel talks with parties outside the India bloc for the formation of the next government. On its social media handle, the party has categorically denied insinuations of engaging in any such talks, labelling them as “baseless rumours’’.

“We urge the public, who have placed their trust in us, to disregard these false claims and not be swayed by rumour-mongering,’’ the party has said.

In a related development anticipating the constitution of a legislative assembly soon, all employees of the J&K Legislative Assembly have been asked to report back to their parent department. An order to this effect for immediate redeployment of these employees have been issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) of the Union Territory (UT) of J&K.

The GAD order mandates that all such employees must report directly to the office of the Secretary, J&K Legislative Assembly, in either Jammu or Srinagar. (IPA Service)

The article Centre Moves To Nominate Five Members To The Elected J&K Assembly appeared first on Arabian Post.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 2 October 2024 – Leading digital asset trading group Caladan is proud to announce the opening of its over-the-counter crypto options desk to offer crypto structured products for institutional and accredited investors.

Strategic Expansion Into Structured Products

Caladan’s decision to expand into structured products is a natural expansion of how it partners with crypto token projects, and as a leading crypto trading firm, it is highly synergistic with its existing venture capital investing and market-making activities.

“For years, we’ve supported crypto startups at their very earliest stages as a venture capital investor, and also at token listing with our crypto market-making capabilities across CEFI and DEFI”, said John Gu, CEO of the Caladan Group, “Now, we are expanding further across the token project lifecycle by providing treasury solutions for token foundations and key investors that will enable them to protect and leverage their investments.”

Remi Colinmaire Appointed as Head of Options Trading

Caladan has appointed Remi Colinmaire as its Head of Options Trading.

Colinmaire, who is based out of the Caladan Group’s Singapore office, brings over twenty years of experience in options and volatility trading to the role. He began his career as an options market-maker at BNP Paribas, and has previously been a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and a Portfolio Manager at AlphaDyne Asset Management specialising in index volatility trading.

“I am delighted to join Caladan to build out the crypto structured products and options business”, said Colinmaire. “Despite being a nascent market, digital assets options are poised to grow tremendously from here as more institutions and sophisticated investors are looking for capital efficient financing solutions.,” he added.

Options Products Available on Long Tail Tokens

As an alt-coin specialist, Caladan will be offering a range of derivative solutions on a large number of different tokens, including crypto hedging solutions, treasury solutions, and various crypto yield products as well.

These crypto structured products will allow token foundations and institutional investors to generate yield on and hedge the risk of their holdings, including through crypto OTC options for large transactions.

“Token foundations and institutional investors often don’t want to sell their holdings as they believe in the project for the long run”, said Will Leung, Caladan’s Head of Business Development. “Instead, we are seeing increased demand from the most savvy foundations and investors for solutions to be able to monetize their holdings, combining a crypto market making strategy with hedging to protect capital.

More information on hedging and protection strategies may be found on the Caladan website.

Caladan Group’s structured products solutions will only be available to institutions and accredited investors subject to strict customer due diligence. These products are not offered to retail investors or the general public in Singapore.
Hashtag: #CaladanGroup #CryptoOptions #CryptoStructuredProducts #OTCTrading #Caladan

https://caladan.xyz/
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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Caladan

Caladan makes digital asset markets more efficient and fair. We support exchanges, tokens, and institutional investors with on-exchange liquidity, DeFi expertise, treasury solutions, and investments. Since 2017 we’ve been a pioneer in crypto market-making, powering over $50B in annual transactions across 1000+ assets.

The article Caladan Announces Options and Structured Products Desk appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Arun Kumar Shrivastav

In quick-paced developments, Myanmar’s ruling junta has invited the armed rebel groups to stop fighting and participate in political talks. “We invite ethnic armed groups, terrorist insurgent groups, and terrorist PDF groups which are fighting against the state to give up terrorist fighting and communicate with us to solve political problems politically,” the junta said in a statement.

This closely follows news reports that India’s government-funded think tank, India Council of World Affairs (ICWA), has invited representatives from NUG, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Arakan Army, and the Chin National Front to the seminar.

Meanwhile, China, which has long influenced Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups, is pressuring the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA to avoid aligning with other opposition forces that China perceives as Western-backed, experts say. MNDAA is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance that includes the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA). The MNDAA, also known as the Kokang ethnic armed group, whose members are Mandarin-speaking Han Chinese native to Kokang, reposted a statement on social media confirming their alliance with China.

“Our political red line is not to form alliances or work together with those who are against China,” read the statement, which was briefly posted on September 4 and reposted on September 19.

Beijing’s pressure on the MNDAA, a strategically located ethnic armed group in Myanmar, reflects its desire to maintain control over the country’s political landscape. The MNDAA, situated on Myanmar’s northeastern border with China, is being pressured to cut ties with opposition forces that Beijing perceives as having U.S. support.

Once a symbol of economic cooperation, the border between China and Myanmar has become more restrictive due to Myanmar’s ongoing civil war and China’s pandemic response. The once-porous border has been fortified with fences and surveillance, reflecting a deteriorating relationship.

While China has invested heavily in Myanmar for a trade corridor, the conflict has disrupted these plans. Beijing has attempted to mediate the conflict but has faced challenges. The civil war has also impacted the once-thriving economic zones along the border. Despite the tensions, some locals continue to maintain informal connections across the border.

A recent Reuters report has said that India has invited Myanmar rebels who are fighting the military government and the parallel National Unity Government (NUG) representatives for a seminar in mid-November in India. This is the first time that India would formally engage with the Myanmar rebels who are popularly called ‘the resistance’. Since the February 2021 coup, the situation in Myanmar has spiralled out of control, with rebels controlling over 60% of the territory including most of the border states.

In recent months, the intense fighting between rebels and the military has had a spillover effect in India’s bordering states, with an influx of refugees many of whom come with weapons and ammunition. India fears it can destabilize its 1650-km long border with Myanmar and several of its infrastructure projects involving the two countries.

In view of this, the government-funded think tank, India Council of World Affairs (ICWA), has reportedly invited representatives from NUG, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Arakan Army, and the Chin National Front to the seminar. However, except the Chin National Front, none of those invited including the Myanmar military have offered any comments on it. Even the Indian government and ICWA have offered no official comments.

“We are going to send representatives,” Sui Khar, vice chairman of one the ethnic rebel groups, the Chin National Front, said. “This will be the first time, I think, formally, that India will engage with the non-state actors. This is a good, positive approach,” he added.

India has maintained a relationship with the Myanmar junta rules through official visits and continuing with some arms deals that were formalized before the coup. It has avoided voicing concerns about the growing conflict and the resultant humanitarian crisis in the Southeast Asian nation. However, in June this year, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar expressed concern about border instability and security risks to India’s projects in Myanmar.

India is actively developing the $400 million Kaladan port and highway project in western Myanmar, while also investing around $250 million in a separate road project that will connect its landlocked northeastern states with Thailand through Myanmar.

India’s initiative to bring rebels to a dialogue comes amid similar initiatives by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which Myanmar never took seriously. Prominent leaders from ASEAN member countries made several visits to Myanmar to end the impasse but to no avail. Recently, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi made a surprise visit to Myanmar capital Naypyidaw amid reports that Myanmar military rulers are expressing resentment over China’s dual policy of helping the rebels and keeping a working relationship with the military government. (IPA Service)

The article In A Sudden Turn, Myanmar Junta Invites Armed Rebels To Political Talks appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Dr. Gyan Pathak

Election campaigns for all participating political parties in the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir Vidhan Sabha election has unquestionably centred round the chief issue – restoration of the abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution of India and the lost statehood of this Union Territory. The electoral battle has been turning into a struggle for re-establishing political relevance in Jammu and Kashmir for two national parties – BJP and Congress, two regional parties National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and a new entrant Engineer Radhid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) that vowed to defeat BJP’s ‘New Kashmir’ Agenda. Among them there are large number of allegedly proxy candidates of the BJP, and independents supported by Jamaat-e-Islami.

Obviously, BJP’s policies relating to Jammu and Kashmir are put on trial where these are being implemented. Until now, the party has been using the issue of Article 370 and political dominance of Muslims in the state, separatism, and terrorism in elections across the country and derived huge political benefit ultimately rising to power at the Centre. The elections outcome in Jammu and Kashmir will bring the real sentiments of the people of this Union Territory as to how they felt about the implementation of the BJP’s policies.

The last phase of election for 40 Vidhan Sabha Constituencies is scheduled to be held on October 1. A total of 50 Assembly Constituencies have already polled in the first two phases – 24 in the first phase on September 18 and 26 in the second phase on September 25.

BJP is firmly against restoration of Article 370, that it had abrogated in 2019 along with the Article 35 A of the Constitution of India. With that the special status of the State of Jammu and Kashmir was gone. Jammu and Kashmir then also lost its statehood, it was split into two Union Territories – Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The two regional parties NC and PDP have announced to bring resolution to restore Article 370 and its former statehood status. Since NC is part of the INDIA bloc, Congress has to perform a tightrope walk on the issue of restoration of Article 370. BJP is continuously chiefly attacking Congress since it is a national party while Congress has been silent on whether it would support NC and PDP on Article 370. Gain or loss to NC and PDP on this issue will be limited to Jammu and Kashmir while it would impact the political fortunes on the Congress and BJP across the country.

Though Congress is seen on a tightrope walk on the issue of restoration of Article 370, it has vowed to fight for restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. On the electoral battleground, people are asking whether the Congress would support the restoration of the statehood before it was done away with in 2019, or for the present Union Territory after its bifurcation. Congress candidates are in very difficult situation in this regard.

However, the BJP is not also in very good shape. Though it has been giving assurance of restoration of statehood, people are asking when. BJP is still not giving any timeline, and also not assuring that they would restore the statehood as it was before the state was split into two. BJP had tried hard to make the development of Jammu and Kashmir, but it has still been occupying rear seat, since voters believe that the party aims at looting the resources of Jammu and Kashmir. As for restoring peace in Jammu and Kashmir, it is nowhere seen near. The party which claimed that they would neutralize terrorists in their own home turf in Pakistan, is unable to defend its own security personnels from terrorist attacks here within the country. BJP’s claim of providing security against terror attacks have been greatly undermined during the election campaigns.

Jamaat-e-Islami that boycotted elections for several decades in Jammu and Kashmir, is now supporting many independent candidates, many of whom were former members of this banned outfit. It is a new development in this election.

Top leaders of both the national parties – the Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, and BJP’s PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have been campaigning for their parties. Both the parties are accusing each other for all the predicaments of Jammu and Kashmir. Congress is contesting on 32 seats in seat sharing arrangement, while in half a dozen seats it is in friendly contest with INDIA bloc constituents. BJP on the other hand is contesting on 63 seats.

Among the regional parties NC is contesting on 50 while PDP on 63 seats. This shows that no political party in Jammu and Kashmiris contesting on all 90 seats. It is indicative of the coming highly fractured political mandate for which there are also numerous other reasons.

Among the 40 seats going to poll on October 1, BJP is contesting, 2 out of six seats in Kupwara district. Party is not contesting any seat in Baramulla where there are 7 seats, and a jailed separatist Engineer Rashid’s candidates are strong. Engineer Rashid has won this Lok Sabha seat recently while in jail. BJP is contesting all 3 seats in Bandipora, all 4 seats in Udhampur, all 6 seats in Kathua, all three seats in Samba, and all 11 seats in Jammu.

BJP is in direct contest in majority of 26 seats in the last phase with INDIA bloc. In the rest of the 14 seats INDIA bloc is in three multi corner contests with PDP, Engineer Rashids party, or independents. Election outcome will show how much political relevance the national or regional political parties have in Jammu and Kashmir, which is staring at a fractured mandate for now. Formation of the UT’s government may see several twists and turns in post-poll scenario, if direction of political wind does not change in the couple of days left for election on October 1. (IPA Service)

The article Litmus Test For BJP’s Policies In The Crucial Third Phase Of J&K Election appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Kalyani Shankar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent trip to the United States has provoked a war of words between the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress in India. Should the Indian leaders refrain from badmouthing the ruling BJP while abroad? Is there a red line, and has Rahul crossed it while he was in the US? The BJP claims yes, and the Congress says no.

Gandhi has taken potshots at the Indian government and PM Modi. Congress claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also badmouthed the Congress not once but continuously since he took over in 2014 and visited over 80 countries. The Congress cites many examples. Also, the BJP has misrepresented Rahul’s statements.

Rahul aims to engage the Diaspora through programs with the Diaspora, students, officials, and lawmakers in the US, demonstrating the strategic nature of his approach.

Why does he want to woo the Diaspora? Modi also has never missed an opportunity to address the Diaspora in whichever country he visits. Rahul, too, wants to connect with the Indian American community. The influence of the Indian American community has increased. A decade ago, there was one Indian-American in the House of Representatives; now, there are five and one senator. The US has an Indian-origin Presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, and a vice-presidential candidate, JD Vance, who has an Indian wife.

Education, affluence and awareness of the influence in the past two decades are behind the rise of Indian Americans, whose population is one per cent, and their representation in US Congress is now one per cent.

Rahul commented on the RSS, India’s democracy, Modi’s China policy, and religious freedom in India, among other things. On the RSS, Gandhi said that the BJP’s parent organisation believes India is “one idea”, but the Congress considers it a “diversity of ideas. This criticism of the RSS, a critical ideological force behind the BJP, upset the BJP.

In India, the BJP slammed Rahul’s adverse comments and meeting with anti-India US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. The BJP claims that it can be used for anti-India propaganda. Gandhi counters that she was part of the lawmaker’s delegation, and how he could have declined to meet with the delegation.

Rahul noted that Indian democracy has struggled for the past ten years but is improving. He also observed that 90% of India’s population, including OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis, are not able to take an active part in the democratic process. This has upset the BJP.

While Rahul agreed with Modi’s policies on Pakistan and Bangladesh, he felt Modi’s China policy was flawed. Rahul pointed out,” We’ve got Chinese troops occupying land the size of Delhi in Ladakh. I think that’s a disaster.”

The BJP fielded top leaders to refute Rahul’s allegations, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leading the response. He rubbished Rahul’s claim on China policy. He observed it was “extremely shameful” that the LOP is hurting the dignity of India by saying “misleading, baseless and factless things.”

Another controversial subject was the caste census. Rahul Gandhi supported the caste census and claimed that BJP was trying to end the reservation. Union Minister Amit Shah quickly responded that they would not allow anyone to abolish reservations or undermine the nation’s security. Countering his remarks about the status of Sikhs in India, Senior Minister Hardeep Puri said,’ I am a proud Sikh. I have been wearing a turban for over six decades and a kada for even longer…’

The BJP takes Rahul’s statements seriously, given that he is the LOP. His increased stature after leading the ‘Bharat Jodo’ yatra and the Leader of the Opposition cannot be wished away. Both the Congress and the BJP’s electoral fortunes have been fluctuating. The Congress continues to survive despite Modi’s vow to make India Congress-Mukth Bharat. In the 2024 elections, much to the dismay of the BJP, Congress doubled its number.

Second, after the 2024 polls, the opposition coalition INDIA was strengthened. The BJP had to form the government with the help of allies.

Third, Rahul visited the US before Modi’s scheduled visit on September 22. His trip was well received, which did not please the BJP. But Modi also would have a grand welcome at the official and the community levels in USA during his visit to US next week.

At the end of his visit, Rahul clarified, “The fight for democracy in India is an Indian fight. It has nothing to do with anybody else. It’s our problem. And we’ll take care of it. We will make sure that democracy is secure.” This clarification prevented the idea that he was inviting a foreign power to resolve Indian problems.

There is some merit in the BJP saying dirty linen should not be wasted abroad. On an earlier occasion, foreign minister S. Jaishankar said, “I don’t think taking national politics out of the country is in the national interest.” But this is good for both sides, and both should follow it. (IPA Service)

The article BJP Leadership Is Rattled At Rahul’s Success In Wooing Indian Diaspora In USA appeared first on Arabian Post.

By K R Sudhaman

Himalayan states that share borders with neighboring countries of China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and parts of Myanmar have faced tardy development since independence. This is partly because of difficult terrain and ecological fragility. Backwardness too is a factor. The terrain is hilly but most of the states are important from security point of view particularly because of some hostile neighbours like China and Pakistan. China in particular is a huge country and economy and has expansionary tendencies right from the beginning.

During British era China’s Xinjiang and Tibet autonomous region used to form as a buffer and hence India did not share borders with China directly in spite of the fact that both India and China were two large ancient civilizations. Nevertheless, it changed with Tibet and Xinjiang becoming part of China .

Himalayan states comprise Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and North Eastern states of Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura. These states have been backward, barring Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim which have done well in social, human and economic indices, which are comparable with some of the advanced states in the country. Jammu and Kashmir though has a lot of potential has been lagging behind due to cross boarder terrorism for decades and has been a trouble-torn right from independence in 1947 due to hostilities from neighboring Pakistan, , which has ruined itself both politically and economically as a result.

The economic developments of these Himalayan states have been not that good and progress was at a snail’s pace as the successive governments have had other more pressing priorities. It was Prime Minister Narandra Modi who laid special emphasis on economic development since he came to power in 2014. Every successive budget since then has stressed on the development of the region, both from security point of view and to bring these regions into the mainstream of the nation.

The 2024 general budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23 after Modi came to power for this third term, is no different and in fact has gone step further in pushing ahead this agenda.

Article 370 of the constitution was abrogated by the Modi government in August 2019, making constitutional rights and power there on par with the rest of the states in the country. Since then there has been special efforts by Modi to double-up development and wean away people from fissiparous tendencies. The Union Budget for 2024-25 has therefore allocated significant funds to Jammu and Kashmir, with a total transfer of ₹42,277.74 crore through the Ministry of Home Affairs as there is no elected government at the moment.

This allocation aims to bolster various sectors, from industrial development to education and infrastructure. More recently assembly elections have been announced in three phases in September/October and the results will be announced on October 4. This is the first elections in 10 years and it is happening for the first time after abrogation of Article 370 of constitution.

Though there is nothing direct for industry for the Northeast, industry, chambers feel that the region can take benefit from the allocations in different heads.

To promote industrialisation of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the budget has announced Rs 567 crore to these two states with special emphasis on job creation apart from pushing economic growth of these two hill states. Over Rs 1300 crore GST is to be provided to the Himalayan and North-Eastern states, which will give that much relief and additional funds for development activities in these states. This will encourage mores businesses to be set up particularly micro, small and medium industries, which are not only drivers of growth in backward areas but also an employment generator.

Border roads development gets a substantial Rs 6500 crore, which are  to be spent mostly in these Himalayan states. The spin-off of this boarder roads development would lead to creating much needed infrastructure and providing logistics development in these backwards regions to spur economic activity. This infrastructure development also helps in securing our borders and road development by itself provide huge employment opportunity to locals in the region. It will help in connecting remote areas and act as growth engines in rural areas. Border area development programme has been allocated an additional Rs 2000 crore. This will benefit the Himalayan region in creating infrastructure facilities in remote areas, apart from rural development, education and health care. Livelihood issues too will get addressed.

These states are to benefit from the massive allocation of over Rs 70,000 crore in the budget for the national rural drinking water mission called Jal Jeevan Mission. This is aimed at providing access to clean drinking water for all and the mission was started a few years ago and every year the allocation is increased to cover more areas. The health mission gets over RS 38,000 crore and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana gets over Rs 80,000 crore.

The Himalayan states would get its share in these two national missions aimed at improving health care and providing roof over the head of every family in this country through this rural housing mission. Ayushman Bharat Yojana gets Rs 7,500 crore to provide health cover to the poor and Pradhan gram Sadak Yojana gets Rs 19,000 crore and Himalayan and North-Eastern states too would get its due share in these national projects.

During the last 10 years, it was ensured that all the northeastern states have both air and rail connectivity, which had been eluding for several states. The last state to get air connectivity was Arunachal Pradesh. Now all these state capitals have both rail and air connectivity apart from road connectivity. This is important to give a fillip to economic and social development. There are IITs and IIMs in the North eastern region as well besides AIIMS. All these have happened during the last 10 years.

Ranjit Barthakur, Chairman of FICCI North East Advisory Council (NEAC), says the Union Budget 2024-2025 is a positive step towards the holistic development of the northeastern states. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma thanked Sitharaman for proposing special assistance to the state to meet the challenges posed by ongoing floods in Assam.

The significant allocations for infrastructure and connectivity, particularly the  Rs. 1.11 lakh crore for capital expenditure and specific assistance for flood management in Assam, will bridge the regional disparities and enhance the connectivity of the northeast with the rest of the country. This budget truly recognizes and addresses the unique needs of our region.

Barthakur emphasized the need for substantial investment in connectivity infrastructure in the Northeast, including river-ways, international road and rail connectivity, and airways. He expressed confidence that the significant allocation towards capital expenditure will help address these needs. The allocation of INR 1.52 lakh crore for agriculture and allied sectors, along with targeted support for shrimp production and the creation of large-scale vegetable clusters. This is poised to transform the agricultural landscape of the northeastern states.

The budget also underscores the government’s commitment to combating climate change and promoting environmental sustainability. It includes policies for renewable energy projects, sustainable energy solutions, and initiatives aimed at reducing carbon footprints. The focus on green growth, including the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, highlights the importance of integrating environmental considerations into economic development. The northeastern states, with their rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems, will benefit greatly from these initiatives.

The next generation reforms outlined in the budget are crucial for the northeastern states. Collaboration with states for land-related reforms and urban planning will address our unique challenges and improve productivity and market efficiency. This will drive overall economic development in the region.

Ravi Patwa, Chairman of FICCI Assam State Council said  the operationalization of the Anusandhan National Research Fund and a venture capital fund for the space economy will support research and innovation initiatives relevant to the northeastern region.

The comprehensive development initiatives and investments in cultural heritage sites and natural landscapes will position the northeast as a key tourist destination.  The Budget 2024 is a testament to the government’s dedication to integrating the Northeast with the rest of the country’s growth trajectory.

The Tea Association of India says the Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana” (PMCSPY) devised for the welfare of Tea workers especially women and their children in Assam and West Bengal would be of great benefit. As proposed earlier in the Budget Speech of 2021-22, Rs. 1,000 crores will be provided for the same and is aimed at making need-based interventions in tea garden areas for interalia strengthening provisions of education and health services to the tea workers. The scheme will be implemented in the period of FY 2024-25 and 2025-26.

In sum, the budget 2024 has made an honest attempt to bring these backward Himalayan region into the national mainstream and create necessary ambience to kick-start these economies to compete with other states in the country. Some of these states are already fast catching up with the rest of the country. Also the recent announcement of Tata  group  to set up a huge semiconductor manufacturing facility in Assam will give a boost to the region. There are steps being taken to attract FDI in Jammu and Kashmir from the middle-east. All this augurs well for the economic development of the Himalayan region. (IPA Service)

The article Budget 2024-25 Proposals Give A Boost To Development In Himalayan States appeared first on Arabian Post.

CAN THE CENTRE ENSURE PEACEFUL POLLING WITH GOOD VOTER TURNOUT?

By Sushil Kutty

The Model code of Conduct is in force in Jammu & Kashmir. Also Article 370 stays abrogated. Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have no complaints. The two are happy that finally elections to the 90-strong J&K assembly elections will be held. CEC Rajiv Kumar announced the decision in New Delhi on August 16 and repercussions were felt in Srinagar.

Of course, like all BJP leaders, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is beholden to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi will get the accolades for holding the J&K assembly elections. People forget Modi was prime mover for the abrogation of Article 370. But for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, J&K wouldn’t have been divided into three and elections wouldn’t have been a once in a 10-year blue moon!

Modi’s mandarins have been ruling Jammu & Kashmir since mid-2019 and it hasn’t been a happy ruling. More like a confinement zone with politicians trapped and common people bombarded with propaganda. Do Kashmiris trust these elections? The vast majority of Kashmiris are waiting, waiting…and they wouldn’t be any different from the Muslims of the plains.

At least, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tells it straight, batting on the front foot. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah never come clean. Modi and Shah now believe they tamed Abdullah and Mufti. Such misconceptions have been the norm in J&K.

Once Modi and Shah are banished from Delhi, for which the BJP will have to be defeated in 2029, Article 370 will be back in the statute book and J&K and Ladakh will become one again. Till then every little bit counts and J&K assembly election is welcome. Modi and Shah can take all the accolades for the short-term; the long-term will not be to their liking.

The BJP has already got a whiff of its impending doom. One more push and the entire edifice will tilt and fall. The J&K assembly polls will be held in three phases, beginning from September 18. Counting will take place on October 4. CEC Rajiv Kumar announced the dates the day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on India’s 78^th Independence Day.

CEC Rajiv Kumar had nothing to say on PM Modi’s ‘One Nation- One Election’ demand. He left it to the media to question Modi. The Model Code of Conduct came into effect with his announcement of J&K and Haryana assembly election dates. Rajiv Kumar said the Election Commission was “committed to inclusive and accessible elections.”

The first phase will be held on September 18, the second on September 25 and the third and last on October 1, 2024, the day before October 2, Gandhi Jayanti, when around 87 lakh electors of the Union Territory would have cast their votes – democracy in action!

Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti cannot thank CEC Rajiv Kumar enough. Both dynasts have been out of power for over a decade. The last time the J&K assembly elections were held was in May of 2014. J&K’s electorate has been under central-rule since then. Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes J&K people are happy.

CEC Rajiv Kumar is another one who is in happy spirits. Kumar says the scenario in J&K has vastly changed for the better in 10 years, especially after the abrogation of Article 370. Kumar says the 2024 Lok Sabha polls strengthened “layers of democracy”, and J&K’s people were full of enthusiasm.

Rajiv Kumar, speaking like a BJP politician, said that the long queues at polling booths in the Lok Sabha elections were proof that “people not only wanted change but also wanted to raise their voices by becoming a part of that change.”

The message Rajiv Kumar conveyed was that “people of J&K chose ballot over bullet.” Kumar is prone to playing to the gallery and is not different from many election commissioners who tilt at the windmills. A high voter participation is expected. Kumar also promises “complete impartiality” and a level playing field.

That said, these elections will be held under a canopy of unprecedented terrorist attacks on security forces. The belief is that the “terrorists”, who have infiltrated into forest areas of Jammu are Pakistani army commandos. Some of these imposters have been neutralized, but not all. Security will be provided to politicians, but will the electorate step out and vote under a canopy of guns? (IPA Service)

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By Arun Srivastava

What has happened in Bangladesh was inevitable. It is extreme historical irony that Sheikh Hasina had to eventually flee Bangladesh, the country which was literally fathered by her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Hasina, who once helped rescue Bangladesh from military rule and restore the democratic governance, has been primarily responsible for creation of this situation.

This is the second incident in the Indian subcontinent when the head of country had to flee the country to escape the peoples’ wrath. In 2022, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to flee in the wake of people movement against him. Significantly, just after the Sri Lankan incident, some opposition leaders and opinion makers had predicted a similar revolt in Bangladesh. Eventually, it happened on August 4-5.

There was a typical similarity into what happened in Sri Lanka and Dhaka. Sri Lankan people had raided President’s palace and occupied it. The incident that took place in Dhaka on August 5 carried shades of those in Colombo two years earlier. People raided Ganabhaban (Hasina’s residence) and pillaged it. It was their way of expressing their anger.

Hasina, after winning a fifth term as prime minister in January, has been gradually but systematically shaping up as an autocrat in the garb of democrat. No doubt she propelled economic growth in a country once written off by US’s Henry Kissinger as an irredeemable “basket case”. Only last year, she had even promised to turn all of Bangladesh into a “prosperous and developed country”. But like India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she also conveniently forgot that Bangladesh has 18 million unemployed young Bangladeshis.

Like Modi, she was also praised by her blind supporters and yesmen for leading Bangladesh through an economic boom. It experienced robust economic growth, primarily driven by the garment export industry. Since 2009, the economy grew by an average of over six percent annually. Significantly in 2021, its per capita income surpassed that of India.

Notwithstanding these achievements, the economists and experts point out that she lacked an inclusive vision for country’s economic development and growth. Her failure to give a direction to economic growth gave rise to protest and dissension. She cracked down on dissenters and a number of prominent social and political activists were put in jail. Hasina’s administration faced heavy criticism for its repressive measures. She ruthlessly suppressed voices of protest and penalised anyone she perceived as a threat or dissenter. After securing her fifth term in power this January, she turned even more autocratic, cracking down on free speech and punishing dissent and opposition.

Hasina’s tenure was marked by the use of security forces, including the notorious Rapid Action Battalion paramilitary, which she was accused of using to abduct and even kill opposition members and dissenters, and allegedly rig the elections. Even the judiciary, a largely bipartisan institution, became compromised during her tenure, forcing a chief justice to flee the country after he opposed her in a ruling.

Hasina controlled the media and maintained a sustained narrative against her opponents. Most of Bangladesh’s mainstream media outlets are owned by businesses with ties to the Awami League. Media has the main task of depicting her supporters as the legitimate heirs to the legacy of the country’s independence and its achievements, while portraying dissenters and opposition members from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami as Razakars or “extremists”. Former PM and key opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia was imprisoned in 2018 on corruption charges, while a leading figure in Jamaat-e-Islami was executed in 2016.

It is a coincidence that there are many similarities between the governance of Hasina and Narendra Modi. Political prisoners in India are languishing in jail without trials. Even in most of the cases, no chargesheet has been filed. Some have been in jail for more than six years. Between 2016 and 2020, about 24,134 individuals have been charged with the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) alone, only 386 of whom have reportedly been acquitted.

The rightist forces in Bangladesh have been quite active and often have been posing serious problems for secular forces and parties. Jamaat-e-Islami, which provided protection to Razakars during Bangladesh liberation war, were active even in the post-Independence period. The organization was initially banned by the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government for collaborating with Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War. Jamaat members were implicated in forming auxiliary forces such as Razakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams, and the Peace Committee, which were involved in atrocities against Bengali freedom fighters, particularly targeting Hindus. In 2013, the Election Commission of Bangladesh cancelled Jamaat’s registration following a court ruling, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division in 2023.

The situation in Bangladesh would not have deteriorated to such an extent if Hasina had shown little amount of political maturity in handling the Supreme Court verdict on reservation for freedom fighters. Students were protesting the court verdict on job quotas. Some members of the Jamaat were trying to take benefit out of the verdict. This was opposed by students. They were for quota only for the family members of the genuine freedom fighters. Unfortunately, Hasina did not bother to look at their demand in proper perspective. She remarked: “If the grandchildren of freedom fighters don’t receive [quota] benefits, who will? The grandchildren of Razakars?”

Obviously this hurt the agitating students. They began protesting within hours, marching through Dhaka University’s campus, chanting a provocative slogan: “Who are you? I am Razakar.” Hasina took it as a challenge to her authority. It is travesty of fact, since both Hasina and students, were on the same page. But her arrogance was primarily responsible for escalation in violence.

According to Human Rights Watch, since Sheikh Hasina’s tenure began in 2009, security forces have been implicated in more than 600 enforced disappearances. Between January 2015 and December 2020, at least 755 people described as “militants” or “terrorists” by security forces were killed in 143 alleged shootouts and gunfights across the country, according to another HRW report.

The Bangladesh judiciary must also be held responsible for aggravating the situation through its extraneous orders. Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan-linked terror outfit which has always been on the look put for occasion to ignite violence in the country, used the July 28 verdict of a tribunal to instigate the people. Six members of ‘Razakar Bahini’ were sentenced to death for ‘crimes against humanity’ by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on July 28. All the six Razakars— A Amjad Hossain Howladar, Sahar Ali Sardar, Atiyar Rahman, Motachim Billah, Kamal Uddin Goldar, and Nazrul Islam — are currently on the run. The three-member tribunal headed by Justice Mohammad Shahinur Islam found them guilty of ‘crimes against humanity,’ including mass killings, torture and arson.

Turmoil in Bangladesh does not seem to cease with Sheikh Hasina’s exit from the country. Several miscreants have now stormed into a jail, setting over 500 inmates free. One thing is certain: India will have to face a very hostile new caretaker government that is expected to take over the power within a couple of day. The students have urged Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin to announce the government. They have also approached the Army chief to hasten up the process of installation of new government.

The protesting students have been quite hostile to India and the Modi government. Nevertheless, political and diplomatic circles are apprehensive of the developing situation. In a significant step, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed to people of all communities with folded hands “to remain calm and not engage in any communal behaviour or take the law into their own hands. If our brothers and sisters who are there face some trouble, the governments of India and Bangladesh will look into it.”

The agitating student leaders of Bangladesh have cautioned: “We can see that after our uprising and revolution, the fascists and their accomplices are causing chaos and sabotage. In various places, shootings are taking place, temples are being attacked, and there is sabotage and looting. We believe that these incidents are being orchestrated to undermine our students’ and citizens’ revolution. We urge the dear students-citizen striving for freedom to remain vigilant and cautious”. (IPA Service)

The article Peoples’ Uprising In Bangladesh Does Not Augur Well For India appeared first on Arabian Post.

The weekend Crony Club dinners in the finest watering holes/pizzerias of Dubai are as long as they are liquid and our sole focus is to exchange money making investment ideas and wildest new jokes. So I found out that my buddies were more interested in my calls on the Mag-7 than in my philosophical reveries on MAGA. So paisanos, viola!

I had outlined my Tesla (TSLA) strategy in my pre-whisper number Lady Gaga skit. TSLA is truly caught in a bad romance as Elon’s $45 million gift to the Trump campaign is as old, tired and unhinged as the Orange Man himself. Kamala has replaced him as the rock star in Election 2024. TSLA lost a ghastly $35 a share after it disappointed the whisper number, a scenario I nailed in my Monday post and which can only be understood if you watch Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance (https://lnkd.in/dM_A94YJ).

I want to make $150 a share in the next year swing trading this deranged Bronco on the short side. Why?

Robo taxis are a $300 billion bubble that will pop with a vengeance. The US and Chinese economies will force brutal price cuts as the EV gladiators use their bloodied axes to murder each other as the tariff wars loom. EV sales worldwide will tank as the global recession/credit crunch accelerates. Even Tesla’s prize Model Y sales have slumped 2% since 2H 2023 and you ain’t seen nothin yet goomba!

The lithium-ion battery fire is a bad omen, as is the doomed bromance with Trump. A 70X val, falling margins and China risk is a lethal mix. So I ride this Wild Wadi roller coaster short to Xanadu as fair value is $80 to $100 a share tops.

I went Lord Gaga on Alphabet (GOOGL) when its AI launch in Paris flopped in early 2023 and the shares dropped $90, where GOOGL was a no brainer. Mr. Market is a schizo and occasionally pitches me the baseball equivalent of a sixer on a curve ball (I remain a cricket colonial since the New York Mets always broke my heart when I lived in the East Village), this was one since GOOGL went on to soar to 190. Good things happen when you bottom fish, though not bottom pinch, mega caps at the right val, which was 16X in early 2023.

The shares were slammed again last week from 190 to 167 but it is premature to buy the dip. I will only play GOOGL on the long side. Why?

Alphabet beat its whisper number on both EPS and rev. The OpenAI prototype launch made the House of Sundar even less pretty. Capex rose 91% and the Street now mistrusts the AI bubble. Spike Lee warned me all those years ago in New York, don’t believe the hype, she’s gotta have it and jungle fever. Sound advice for big game lonely heart hunting in West Village clubs.

The good news is 1.5 million developers are using Gemini and AI search is the hottest new media enchilada. Operating margins have risen to a yummy 29%. Google Cloud, YouTube and the Search monopoly are all on a roll. Time to design option strategies in CBOE to ensure I get delivered GOOGL at $140 or 19X, where I win and Mr. Market losses. Vediamo!

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By Arun Srivastava

After a epoch making victory in 2020 assembly election in Bihar, in which the CPI(ML) Liberation won 12 out of 16 it contested, the party is quite hopeful of sending its representatives to the Lok Sabha this time. In that election the three main Left parties had won 16 of the 29 assembly constituencies they contested. The CPI and CPI(M) annexed two each of the six and four seats they contested respectively.

Though the Left parties were partners of Mahagathbandhan headed by RJD.the reason of CPI(ML)-L nursing optimism in winning at least two seats emanates from the fact that in 2020 it had won fighting against RJD candidates in some constituencies notwithstanding being the constituent of Mahagathbandhan.

Though the RJD has been traditional support base of Muslims and Yadavs (MY), the CPIML) received the massive support of the poor Yadavs, Muslims and other extremely poor castes. It obviously implied that it enjoys the impeccable trust of this section of the poor.

This time the CPI(ML)-L had demanded at least six seats, but big brother of INDIA alliance Lalu Yadav was reluctant as he had some other commitment. The seats which the CPI(ML) had demanded were eventually handed over to the Congress. One of the seats was Purnea. Now Bima Bharati of RJD, who shifted her allegiance from JD(U) barely a week before the announcement of election, is facing a tough challenge from rebel Congress Pappu Yadav.

Nevertheless CPI(ML) was given three seats. It is contesting three Lok Sabha seats of Ara, Nalanda and Karakat. The CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya is confident of winning these seats. Baring Nalanda, the two other seats have witnessed massive peasant mobilisation by the CPI(ML) in early seventies. Ara the head quarter of Bhojpur has been the witness to the highest order of peasant armed struggle in which hundreds of cadres and leaders were involved.

A significant aspect of this year’s electoral battle is for the first time the CPI(ML) Liberation has entered into the fight. Though its senior leader Rameshwar Prasad had won the Ara Lok Sabha seat in 1989 he had contested as an Indian People’s Front candidate the mass organisation of the CPI(ML).at that time.

In Karakat, the CPI(ML) nominee former MLA Raja Ram Singh is pitted against former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha, leader of Rashtriya Lok Morcha, an NDA ally. Moreover, the presence of an AIMIM candidate may result in dividing Muslim votes in the constituency.

Sudama Singh, an old timer, who started his career as a student leader in late sixties and is now an MLA from Ara is opposing the Union minister R K Singh, a former home secretary of Bihar from Ara parliamentary constituency. From Nalanda constituency, Sandeep Sourav, also an MLA, is in the fray. Nalada is the home constituency of chief minister Nitish Kumar. Senior party leader Rajaram Singh is contesting from Karakat Lok Sabha constituency. In all the three constituencies, Ara, Karakat and Nalanda, polling will take place on June 1.

Nevertheless Sourav is facing a serious challenge from Kaushlendra Kumar of JD(U). This area has high concentration of Koiri and Kurmis. Since Kumar is the candidate of Nitish Kumar it is expected that Nitish’s personal appeal will have impact. However a portion of constituency in seventies and eighties had witnessed incidents like Belchi and major peasant struggle, the appeal of the party is will have its impact.

Out of the five seats that RJD gave to Left Parties in Bihar under the seat sharing arrangements, CPI(M) has decided to field Sanjay Kumar Singh from Khagaria while CPI has given ticket to former MLA Awadhesh Rai from Begusarai. Bhattacharya is quite hopeful that both the parties will do nice with Singh posing a major challenge to NDA candidate at Khagaria.

CPI(M)’s Sanjay Kumar, who is from the OBC Kushwaha community, is banking on support from the Muslims and Yadavs, the RJD’s traditional M-Y vote bank. The CPI worked hard to outwit the BJP candidate Giriraj Singh, who launched vicious communal campaign and won back the seat of Begusarai which was once referred to as the “Leningrad of Bihar” because of its active Communist movement from the late 1950s to the late 1990s.

Khagaria went to the polls on May 7, in the third phase. Here the battle was between the Kumar and the Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) candidate Rajesh Verma. Another factor that worked in favour of Kumar is Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) leader Mukesh Sahani extended support to him. He is now with Mahagathbandhan. Sahani is a Mallah leader.

Lalu denying desired number of seats to the Left bloc has been a tactical move. The CPI(ML) has risen as a major political force in the entire north and eastern parts of the state. Its success in 2020 assembly election underlines the fact that notwithstanding massive state repression it still continues to command the support and allegiance of the poor. Resurgence of CPI(ML) and the CPI and CPI(M) in a major way would have affected the image of the RJD in its traditional bases.

Yet another factor which prevented Lalu from acceding to Left’s demand to give them nine seats, has been the fear of shifting of Muslim votes. The Left has impeccable reputation of being the voice of dalit, poor and Muslims, especially the pasmanda, the poor and dalit Muslims.. One thing is categorically clear that the Left forces are going to resurrect as a major political force post Lok Sabha elections.. The Left has no presence in the present LokSabha from Bihar now. If the three parties CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML)–L can get three out of five seats they are contesting, that will impart a new dynamism to the left wing transformation of Bihar. (IPA Service)

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By Dr. Gyan Pathak

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s top political adversary put behind bar with announcement of Lok Sabha Election is finally out in the electoral battlefield on the closing day of fourth phase of election campaign. Though he will have only few hours to campaign for the fourth phase of election scheduled on May 13, he will have complete campaign period in his hand for the next three phases of election, which poses a strategic challenge to PM Narendra Modi and BJP . With Kejriwal out from detention, the opposition election machinery is auto-reset to best performance mode, which is a new trouble for PM Narendra Modi who has reset his election machinery to optimum performance mode after perceiving significant losses in the first three phases of elections.

Election to the 96 Lok Sabha constituencies is scheduled for May 13, and with that polls on 379 constituencies out of 543 will be over. Thereafter, election to the 164 seats will be held in the next three final phases, which will be crucial for both PM Narendra Modi as a leader of BJP and as most probable next prime minister and Arvind Kejriwal as AAP leader. BJP’s present predicament stems from a bleak electoral prospect in the first three phases in which the party is likely to win just around half of its tally in 2019 election.

Moreover, the states where elections are to be held in the next four phases include the states where Arvind Kejriwal and opposition political parties of INDIA bloc are important political factors. A total of 21 seats in Bihar, 10 in Haryana, 4 in Himachal Pradesh, 10 in Jharkhand, 13 in Punjab, 17 in Odisha, 41 in Uttar Pradesh, 24 in West Bengal, 1 in Chandigarh, 7 in Delhi, 2 in Jammu and Kashmir and 1 in Ladakh would poll in the next three phases.

Kejriwal’s appearance in electoral battlefield has booted the morale of the opposition up. So far, under the ED’s and central investigating agencies’ swords, all opposition political parties were gripped into a fear of being raided, arrested, and put behind bar under draconian laws. Just two days ahead of possible interim bail hearing on May 7, another terror funding case through NIA was ordered so that Kejriwal could be kept in jail. Survival of AAP as political party is also at stake now, since it is for the first time in the history of India when a political party has been named in money laundering and funded by terrorist organization cases. Kejriwal’s interim bail has emboldened the opposition leaders in general and AAP leaders in particular, which are now automatically gravitating together for a united struggle and attack on PM Narendra Modi during the next phases of election.

“Vote against the dictator” is Kejriwal’s slogan now. His appearance in electoral battlefield will have direct bearing on Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana polls, and everywhere in the country where there are Sikh population. It is chiefly because the latest allegation against Kejriwal is that he had received fund from a terrorist organization, Sikh for Justice. PM Modi has been trying to woo Sikh voters for quite some time. During the farmers’ agitation of 2020-21, AAP was projected as sympathizer of Sikh farmers while agitating farmers were alleged to have been receiving funds from foreign terrorist organization. Later, PM Modi had withdrawn the three controversial farm laws on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti in 2021. One can just see political impact of this in Punjab election 2022 in which AAP swept the poll and formed its government.

In February last, farmers of Punjab again launched their agitation demanding legal guarantee for MSP and fulfilment of unmet assurances given by PM Narendra Modi in 2021. However, BJP led Haryana government ruthlessly suppressed their agitation. Though Punjab farmers were not allowed to enter Haryana, farmers, Sikhs, and Punjabis of the state got angry. It resulted into removal of Manohar Lal Khattar as Chief Minister, and the new chief minister Nayab Singh Saini has been reduced to minority in less then two months. NDA has broken in the state, and there is large scale resentment of people against the BJP.

Against PM Modi’s and BJP’s expectation of INDIA block falling apart, Congress and AAP made alliance in Delhi and Haryana, where the BJP had won all 7 and 10 seats respectively. Both the parties have an alliance also in Chandigarh which was also won by BJP in 2019. With Kejriwal in the electoral battlefield, PM Modi will have very difficult time in retaining all the 18 seats. AAP has dominance in Punjab, and BJP will find it difficult to retain the two seats it had won in 2019 out of 13. BJP’s ally in Punjab SAD has already deserted NDA. BJP has thus bleak prospects in 31 Lok Sabha seats on account of Congress-AAP alliance.

With a significant boost in their morale, the opposition Congress will be offering tougher challenge in Himachal Pradesh, and on the rest of the seat in Madhya Pradesh. SP-Congress alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Congress-RJD-Left alliance in Bihar, and Congress-JMM-Left alliance in Jharkhand has come in the electoral battle with renewed vigour after Supreme Court’s interim bail to Kejriwal. In West Bengal, TMC has already offering big challenge to BJP’s electoral prospects, while BJD is not far behind in putting strong obstacles before PM Narendra Modi’s election machinery. In Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh also, BJP is not comfortable. Kejriwal’s interim bail has made the opposition resurgent to the much frustration of the RSS-BJP clan and PM Narendra Modi. It is to be seen what strategic shift, PM and the BJP take to meet the new challenge of resurgent Arvind Kejriwal in the next four phases of the 18thLokSabha polls. (IPA Service)

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The Congress has released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, with jobs creation, development of infrastructure, and a national caste census among the major highlights.

The manifesto was released in Delhi by party boss Mallikarjun Kharge, who was flanked by senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram – who led the committee that drafted the document – was also present.

“This manifesto will be ‘nyay ka dastavez‘ (a document for justice) in the political history of the country. From the five pillars of the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra’ – yuva (youth), kisan (farmers), naari (women), shramik (workers), and hissedari (equity), 25 guarantees will emerge… ,” Kharge said.

The overall theme of the manifesto is based on ‘work’, ‘wealth’, and ‘welfare’, the party said.

“‘Work’ means you must provide jobs. ‘Wealth’ must be created before it is distributed. ‘Welfare’ means taking care of the poorer sections,” the Congress said.

One of the biggest talking points is the caste census – a political hot topic that has been in the headlines since the Bihar government’s statewide survey was released in November.

In its manifesto the Congress vowed to conduct a nationwide census to identify and enumerate castes, sub-castes and their socio-economic condition, and amend the Constitution to raise the 50 per cent cap on quota for marginalised groups – i.e., scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and other backward classes.

The party has also promised to implement MSP, or minimum support price, for farmer growing cash crops. The MSP issue has been at the heart of protests by farmers since 2020, when lakhs from across the country went on a months-long agitation against the centre’s (now-scrapped) three farm laws.

The Congress has said it will give a permanent legal guarantee for MSP – a core demand for protesting farmers – based on the formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

“Congress has been the only party that has lent its ear to the distress of the farmers and farm labourers, and we are determined to do everything possible to alleviate their pain and make agriculture a desirable livelihood,” the party said, attacking the BJP’s response to the farmers protest as “callous and brutal”.

The party also vowed to eliminate poverty by improving the fortunes of 23 crore people over the next decade. Mr Chidambaram attacked the BJP as a “government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich”, and said it is “driven by the interests of the top 1 per cent”.

“… but we will look at the bottom 50 per cent. The bottom 50 per cent is as important. It has been estimated 23 crore people are still poor in this country. The UPA lifted 24 crore people out of poverty and we promise, if the Congress-led government comes to power in 2024, we will lift 23 crore in 10 years.”

As part of this promise – and to empower women – the Congress said it would launch a ‘Mahalakshmi’ scheme to provide an unconditional cash transfer of Rs 1 lakh per year to the oldest female member of every poor family.  Beneficiaries will be identified as those from the bottom level of the income pyramid.

Inequality of income and opportunity remain India’s ugliest truth. It is the moral and political responsibility of any government to ensure that every family is assured of a basic income every month, the party said.

The Congress said it “recognises that national security is not enhanced by chest-thumping or exaggerated claims, but by quiet attention to borders and resolute defence preparedness”.

The party said it would work to restore status quo on the country’s borders with China and “ensure areas where both armies patrolled in the past are again accessible to our soldiers”.

This has been seen as a direct jab at the BJP over the military stand-off with China in parts of eastern Ladakh following violence in June 2020 that, the opposition has repeatedly claimed, led to New Delhi surrendering territory to Beijing.

On diplomatic tension with Maldives, the Congress said it work to “repair relations”.

Universal free healthcare, including cost of diagnosis, surgery, and medication, will be made available, the party said. This will come with cashless insurance up to Rs 25 lakh, like the model implemented in Rajasthan, when the Congress was in power.

“We promise that healthcare will be universal and free in public health centres, such as hospitals, clinics, PHCs, MHCs, and dispensaries, as well as health camps. Free healthcare will include examination, diagnosis, treatment, surgery, medicines, rehabilitation, and palliative care.”

The Congress said it would also establish Assisted Living and Care Centres for disabled people and provide representation for them in local bodies.

With inputs from NDTV

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Megha Engineering has gone viral on social media since the Election Commission revealed that the company was among the biggest donors to political parties in the last 5 years. Data released by the poll panel showed that the company donated Rs 966 crore through electoral bonds between April 12, 2019, and January 24, 2024.

A subsidiary of the firm, Western UP Power Transmission Co Ltd, also bought electoral bonds worth Rs 220 crores in this period.

Electoral bonds, which allowed individuals and businesses to donate money to political parties without declaring it, were struck down by the Supreme Court last month. The court ruled the scheme as unconstitutional and said that it could lead to a possible quid pro quo.

Data put out by the Election Commission showed that Future Gaming and Megha Engineering were the biggest political donors, and bought electoral bonds worth Rs 1,368 crore and Rs 1,168 crore respectively.

Established in 1989, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL) has a diverse portfolio that ranges from all-weather tunnels to high-speed rail infrastructure.

One of the Hyderabad-based company’s standout projects includes the construction of the Zoji La tunnel, a vital link connecting Srinagar to Ladakh throughout the year. The company has also secured the Thane-Borivali tunnel project in Mumbai.

Teaming up with Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd., Megha Engineering is involved in constructing the Bandra-Kurla Complex station for India’s first bullet train project.

The company also controls Associated Broadcasting Co. Pvt. Ltd., which owns regional news channels under the TV9 brand.

With a valuation of Rs 67,500 crore, Megha Engineering is one of India’s top-performing unlisted companies, according to an Axis Bank-Hurun India report published in February 2024. Its founder, P Pitchi Reddy, is among India’s wealthiest with a net worth of Rs 37,300 crore, according to ‘360 One Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2023’. His net worth has grown by Rs 24,700 crore in the last year alone.

With inputs from NDTV

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By Nantoo Banerjee

India’s defence secretary Giridhar Armane’s outburst at the INDUS-X defence summit against China, last week, on the continuing troop face-offs in the Ladakh region exposed, if anything, the ministry’s frustration in dealing with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The defence secretary described Beijing as a ‘bully” against whom Indian forces are standing firm along the frontier, after China’s rebuff once again of India’s push to defuse the continuing troop face-offs at Depsang and Demchok in eastern Ladakh in the latest round of military talks between the two sides. The PLA reportedly continues to forward deploy around 60,000 troops with heavy weaponry in western (Ladakh) and central sectors (Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh) of the 3,488-km-long LAC and 90,000 soldiers in the eastern part (Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh). India matches them with “mirror military deployments.”

However, there seems to be no end of the tension in sight. Aramane’s revulsive response to Beijing’s bullying tactics is understandable. But, what remains unclear is the lack of India’s response to the ‘bully’ in the language it understands the best. India must drastically cut down imports from China, using high non-tariff barriers, and further restrict FDI inflows to hurt the PRC economy. China’s economy is already beleaguered by a drastic fall of its global export in 2023, with only Russia and India emerging as the two rare bright spots. India continues to feed China’s economy, directly, and its military might, indirectly, with record imports and trade deficits, year after year.

China needs to be tamed through the trade route by imposing strong nontariff import barriers, alongside the usual tariff barriers, towards a balanced trade. Tariff barriers have limitations. Nontariff barriers are the best. Many countries have followed the trade practice as a highly effective import control measure in the national interest against diplomatically sensitive countries. Decisions about imposing nontariff barriers are generally influenced by the nature of political alliances of a country.

A number of wealthy countries are increasingly imposing nontariff barriers against imports from China in response to the latter’s ongoing global economic aggression. China’s exports dropped 4.6 percent to $3.38 trillion year-on-year in 2023, for the first time in seven years, according to the country’s General Administration of Customs data. This may have influenced China to cut down imports by 5.5 percent to $2.56 trillion. As a result, China’s annual external trade volume fell five percent to 5.94 trillion in 2023. But for the US-led trade embargo on Russia by the West and Japan, China’s global exports would have further contracted. China is the biggest economic beneficiary of the continuing Russia-Ukraine war, helping the country’s massive trade surge with Russia. China’s exports to Russia climbed to nearly 47 percent in 2023, and imports rose by less than 13 percent. Interestingly, China’s heavily export-led trade with India too reached a record high, last year.

According to China’s Charge D’Affaires in Delhi Ma Jia, his country’s bilateral trade with India in 2023 had surpassed the previous year’s level. He said the growth in trade to US$136.2 billion went along with other areas of “improvement” in bilateral ties, pointing to the informal meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping last August. Ironically, for the last 15 months, China kept the post of its ambassador to India vacant. The Chinese military standoff in eastern Ladakh and the massive PLA presence along the LAC continue despite Ma Jia’s claim of “improvement” of bilateral ties between China and India. Maybe, the Chinese diplomat referred to his country’s highly beneficial trade ties making India import more from China despite the increasing border tensions. The PLA has practically surrounded India with its growing presence in the country’s neighbouring countries.

There are limitations to raising import trade tariffs. Under the World Trade Organisation (WTO), when countries agree to open their markets for goods and services, they “bind” their commitments. For goods, these bindings amount to ceilings on customs tariff rates. On the contrary, countries are free to impose non-tariff barriers which can be even a country specific to protect not only the domestic industry but also the national interest. The types of nontariff barriers could be many, including the use of licenses to limit imported goods to specific businesses.

Others include the issue of quotas, embargoes, sanctions, and the use of rigorous customs inspections to severely delay the clearance of imported goods impacting their costs and utility. It may be important to note that countries impose nontariff import barriers to safeguard national security interests. China is known to be a major implementer of nontariff import barriers itself. And, China has long been an interventionist in its Yuan exchange rate against the US dollar to benefit its foreign trade. Currently, China is believed to have imposed import quotas on some 40 different categories of commodities.

To bring China effectively on a discussion table to reduce the border tension, it is time that India uses its trade and investment handle with the belligerent neighbour to give a clear message. Trade and troops stand-off should not be allowed to continue simultaneously. India also needs to be more vigilant on the activities of Chinese nationals staying in India under job visas or tourist visas. Earlier, the government informed Parliament that 81 Chinese nationals were given “Leave India Notice” from 2019 to 2021.

India’s Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said 726 Chinese nationals were placed in ‘adverse list’ for violating visa conditions and engaging in other illegal activities. The minister also said that 117 Chinese nationals were deported between 2019 and 2021. The matter looks rather serious in the context of growing diplomatic and military tensions between the two countries. It may be time for India to take strong and appropriate actions, including implementation of trade barriers, to express its disapprobation of China’s expansionist policies and keeping tensions alive along the LAC. (IPA Service)

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For at least eight MPs cutting across party lines, it was a pleasant surprise on Friday afternoon when they received a call from the Prime Minister’s Office saying PM Narendra Modi wanted to meet them in Parliament. Amongst the MPs was Union Minister L Murugan, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Batra, senior Lok Sabha MP NK Prema Chandran, TDP MP Ram Mohan Naidu, BSP MP Ritesh Pandey, BJP’s Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal and BJP’s Nagaland S Phangnon Konyak.

When the MPs reached the PMO, they were asked to wait a short while, following which PM Modi joined them. To their surprise, the PM told them: “I want to take you out for a punishment!” The curious MPs found themselves being led by the Prime Minister to the canteen for MPs on the first floor of the Parliament building.

Soon, the MPs were sitting down to lunch with PM Modi, the bites punctuated by an hour of conversations, both political and personal.

Sources say among the first questions put to PM Modi by an MP was ‘what is your favourite dish’? And prompt came the PM’s reply – khichdi.

Asked how he managed his time and dealt with the work pressure even while travelling and working late hours, PM Modi is said to have replied: “I am used to working for long hours; sometimes, I don’t realise that I haven’t slept for an entire day.” The PM reportedly added that his experience as the Chief Minister of Gujarat comes in handy.

Among the more serious questions, an MP asked the Prime Minister about his unscheduled visit to the wedding of Nawaz Sharif’s daughter in Pakistan in 2015.

Recalling the lead-up to the surprise visit, the PM said he was in Parliament till 2pm that day and then left for a scheduled visit to Afghanistan. He said that on the way back from Afghanistan, he decided to stop over in Pakistan, but the SPG declined. He said he called up Sharif nonetheless, asking if the Pakistan premier was ready to receive him. Once the security arrangements on both sides received an all clear, the PM landed in Pakistan.

Some MPs also wanted to understand the handling of the Covid-19 crisis from the PM’s point of view. Sources say PM Modi told the lawmakers that his experience of managing the situation post the devastating 2001 earthquake in Bhuj, Gujarat came in handy. He added that he was also able to rely on that experience to advise the Nepal government post the April 2015 earthquake that struck the Himalayan nation.

One of the MPs told News18 that while there was no set format for the conversation with the PM, it was the lawmakers who were “setting the agenda”. “The Prime Minister was listening to us while we kept on asking question after question.”

Towards the end of the chat, an MP asked the Prime Minister how he unwinds and relaxes. “I do yoga without fail and keep my mind and body relaxed through various forms of exercise and meditation,” Modi is said to have replied.

“Look, I am eating food with you and I am completely relaxed. I am not a PM 24×7 or wherever I go. I am as much as a normal human being as each one of you.”

With inputs from News18

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By Nantoo Banerjee

India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar may disagree, but the country has failed to use its import trade muscle to improve its diplomatic relations with China. His recent statement on Sino-India relations at a gathering in Nagpur earlier this month that “a strife-torn border and good business can’t go together” lacks clarity and goes against the factual position with regard to the country’s growing imports from China despite the latter’s growing military postures along India’s land and maritime borders. The trade with China has been practically one-sided with India importing more and more from China and exporting less and less due to rigorous Chinese restrictions. India has failed to react. India continues to feed China and its economy with billions of dollars of imports every year helping the Chinese industry and trade keep millions of their people employed at India’s cost. This is irrespective of increasing Chinese military threats along India’s borders.

Even the highly aggressive Chinese armed attacks along the Sino-Indian border, including Pangong Lake site in Ladakh and the Tibet autonomous region, the Galwan river valley and near the border of Sikkim in 2020 did not lead to India’s import cut from China. India imported goods worth US$65 billion from China during 2020-21. In fact, for reasons best known to the Indian government, imports from China have reached record levels under the Narendra Modi government. During the last 10 years China has substantially raised its military and trade muscles in the broader South Asia region covering all countries surrounding India. They include Iran, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The new Maldives government has already established close military and diplomatic relationships with China. The latter is also in the process of getting Bhutan, a close ally of India, under its fold.

India’s latest loss of influence over its tiny neighbour, Maldives, to China should add to its diplomatic concern. Newly elected Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu asked the government of India on 14th January to vacate its military presence by 15th March, this year. Incidentally, only 88 Indian military personnel are currently in Maldives assisting the country with maritime security and disaster relief efforts. While the deteriorated India-Maldives relations over the last 10 years do call for framing of an effective maritime doctrine by India, Jaishankar must explain why India lost its diplomatic grip over Sri Lanka and the Maldives to China and why does India continue to feed the Chinese economy with billions of dollars-worth imports every year. Clearly, India’s SAGAR diplomacy, launched at Mauritius in 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has failed to restrict China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean region. The SAGAR initiative stands for ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region.’

After the Narendra Modi government came to power, imports from China zoomed from $60.41 billion in 2014-15 to $94.57 billion in 2021-22. The trade deficit with China, which was around only 1.48 billion in 2004-05 increased to $36.21 billion in 2013-14. The bilateral trade climbed to $135.98 billion in 2022 while the country’s trade deficit with China crossed the $100-billion mark. The Modi government must explain this unusual trade bonhomie with China, which poses a real threat to India’s security and geographical integrity. China is being allowed to dump goods at will — from banned synthetic kite flying strings which are responsible for periodically slitting the throats of the public to high-end electronics and cyber crime devices, including card games. Suffice it to say that China’s share in India’s imports is alarmingly high. Lately, India is even importing automobiles, including passenger cars from Chinese manufacturers. Among the major Chinese electric vehicle manufacturing companies currently active in India are: BYD Auto, SAIC Motor, Great Wall Motors, Changan Automobile, Jinko Solar and Shenzhen Wuzhoulong Motors.

Thus, the Indian foreign minister’s statement with regard to linking the boundary and trade relations with China would appear to be of little consequence. China continues to hurt India’s defence and economy concerns with impunity. Contrary to the claim that India’s global stature has vastly improved under the present government, the support for anti-India Khalistani terrorists in Canada and the US speaks volume of such statements. Despite India’s rising wealth and economy in terms of the gross domestic product (GDP), the world’s most populous country is far from being considered as a global economic power. The economy continues to be highly import based despite the prime minister’s ‘Make-in-India’ initiative. The Modi government’s well-perceived attempt failed to achieve the desired objective in the absence of a strong China-focused import policy.

Maybe, after the coming Lok Sabha elections, the new government should ponder over the reason for India’s growing dependence on China for the supply of such a wide range of products as simple nail cutters and umbrellas to electronics, pharmaceutical intermediates and automobiles. The new government should take drastic measures – tariff and non-tariff – to severely cut down imports from China and use trade as a diplomatic tool to deal with China. The government should not fall for cheap ‘Bharat narrative’ put up subtly in state-run Chinese media, praising India’s significant strides in the spheres of economic, social governance and foreign policy under Prime Minister Modi. The article in Global Times might have been carried in anticipation of Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party’s return to power for a third term. It is possible that China has taken Jaishankar’s trade-security linkage threat seriously. (IPA Service)

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‘Jo ucchit samjho woh karo’ (Do whatever you deem appropriate), this is what Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the then Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on the night of August 31, 2020 following a tense situation arising out of Chinese PLA moving tanks and troops in Rechin La mountain pass on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

In his memoir ‘Four Stars of Destiny’, Naravane recounts Singh’s direction as well as a flurry of phone calls between the defence minister, external affairs minister, the national security advisor and the chief of defence staff that night on the sensitive situation.

After Singh’s call, Naravane says a hundred different thoughts “flashed through” his mind. “I conveyed the criticality of the situation to the RM (Raksha Mantri), who said he would get back to me, which he did, by about 2230 hours,” writes Naravane.

“He said that he had spoken to the PM and that it was purely a military decision. ‘Jo ucchit samjho woh karo’ (Do whatever you deem is appropriate).” “I had been handed a hot potato. With this carte blanche, the onus was now totally on me. I took a deep breath and sat silently for a few minutes. All was quiet save for the ticking of the wall clock,” he says.

“I was in my den at Army House, with the map of J and K and Ladakh on one wall, Eastern Command on another. They were unmarked maps, but as I looked at them, I could visualise the location of each and every unit and formation. We were ready in all respects, but did I really want to start a war?” he writes.

In the memoir, Gen Naravane reflects on his thought process that night.

“The country was in bad shape, reeling under the Covid pandemic. The economy was faltering, global supply chains had broken down. Would we be able to ensure a steady supply of spares, etc., under these conditions, in case of a long-drawn-out action?” “Who were our supporters in the global arena, and what about the collusive threat from China and Pakistan? A hundred different thoughts flashed through my mind,” he writes.

“This was no war game being played in a sand model room of the Army War College, but a life and death situation.” Naravane says after a few moments of quiet reflection, he called up Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi.

“‘We cannot be the first ones to fire,’ I told him, as it would provide the Chinese with an excuse, a casus belli, to escalate and paint us as the aggressors “Even at Mukhpari (on the Kailash Range) the previous day, it had been the PLA who had fired first (being only two rounds by the PLA and three rounds by us, it had escaped the attention of the media),” he writes.

Naravane says he felt that the Army should maintain this stance.

“Instead, I told him to move a troop of our tanks right to the forward slopes of the Pass and depress their guns so that the PLA would be staring down the barrels of our guns,” he writes.

“This was done forthwith and the PLA tanks, which had by then reached within a few hundred metres of the top, stopped in their tracks,” he says.

“Their light tanks would have been no match for our medium tanks. It was a game of bluff and the PLA blinked first.” Naravane writes the PLA moved troops from Moldo to the area of Chuti Changla towards the South Bank of the Pangong Tso on the intervening night of August 29-30.

By evening itself, they moved forward some troops in the area of the Kailash Range, he says.

By the evening of the 30th, the Indian Army was in a strong position both on the North and South Bank of Pangong Tso as well as the Kailash Range.

“The PLA reaction was not long in coming. On the 30th evening itself, they moved forward some troops in the area of the Kailash Range, stopping about 500 metres short of our locations and started digging in,” he says.

Naravane says the PLA locations were at lower heights and directly under our observation.

“As such, they were of no threat to us, but if they were to come up in strength and try to outflank or surround our localities, then we would have to take action. The situation was tense and nearing breaking point,” he says.

Naravane says the daylight hours of August 31 saw a lot of movement on the PLA side, even as the Army consolidated its own position.

Towards the afternoon, movement of PLA armour was also observed in the area of their garrison at Moldo. Seeing this, our tanks at Tara Base were also ordered to move up to Rechin La, he says.

Naravane says mobilisation of PLA troops was seen in some other locations as well.

“At 2015 hours on the evening of 31 August, Jo (Joshi) rang me up, quite worried. He reported that four tanks supported by infantry had slowly started moving up the track towards Rechin La,” he says.

“They had fired an illuminating round but this had had no effect. I had clear orders not to open fire, ’till cleared from the very top’. A flurry of calls followed, between the RM, EAM, NSA, CDS and myself over the next half-hour,” he adds.

“To each and every one my question was, ‘What are my orders?’ At 2110 hours, Northern Command again rang up, the tanks had continued moving ahead and were now less than a km from the top.

“I rang up the RM again at 2125 hours, with the latest and once more asked for clear directions. The situation was tense. Telephone lines were buzzing.” Meanwhile, there had been an exchange of Hot Line messages and the PLA Commander, Maj Gen Liu Lin, suggested that both sides should stop any further move and that the two local commanders should meet at the pass at 0930 hours the next morning.

Naravane says he called up Defence Minister Singh and NSA Ajit Doval at 2200 hours to share this news.

“I had hardly put the phone down when Jo (Northern Army Commander Joshi) rang up once again at 2210 hours.

“He said that the tanks had started moving up again and were now only about 500 metres away,” he says.

Naravane says Joshi recommended that the only way to stop the PLA was by opening up with our own medium artillery, which he said was ready and waiting.

“My position was critical…,” he says as he explains how the situation was handled.

With inputs from NDTV

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By Nantoo Banerjee

The restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, without the Union Territory of Ladakh, and an expected elected government by September, next year, come at a time when J&K has established its position as one of India’s top performing provinces in terms of economic growth. J&K’s state GDP is lately growing at the rate of 10 percent, annually. A key task before the state’s forthcoming elected government would naturally be to take the growth dynamics on a fast-forward mode and generate more employment and revenue. This should be more than possible. Till now, major contributors to the state’s economy have been agriculture, horticulture, tourism, handicrafts, limited scale of manufacturing and services. Its huge mineral resources remain largely untapped. The potential needs to be explored and exploited to push the manufacturing sector. This may require a change in the state’s land acquisition policy.

The state’s economic potential was never tested fully by its erstwhile politically volatile governments challenged by pro-Pakistan elements and cessationist groups taking advantage of the prolonged presence of Article 370 of the Indian constitution. The article gave special status to the originally designed J&K, a region disputed by India, Pakistan and China. The provision was drafted by N, Gopalaswami Ayyangar, a Constituent Assembly member, and was added to the constitution as a ‘temporary provision’ in 1949

For unknown reasons, the provision remained untouched until August 5, 2019, when the Parliament abrogated the article taking away the special status to J&K and bifurcated it into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. While Ladakh is to remain as a Union Territory, the government assured that statehood of Jammu and Kashmir “will be restored soon.” Last week, the Supreme Court held the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution valid and ordered the Election Commission to conduct elections to J&K Assembly before September 30, 2024. The apex court also directed the Centre for the restoration of J&K’s statehood.

The challenges before the new J&K government after the assembly election are going to be many. Among the most important of them are: improvement of law and order situation in the valley and creation of proper environment for social, educational, economic growth, and jobs for the youth. More jobs and more wealth with the local people are bound to improve the social and political environment. The new economic and industrial development policies need to be directed at utilisation of the hitherto untapped resources. J&K has India’s sole production unit of borax. Sitting on large sapphire resources, the state boasts of having several essential minerals such as coal, graphite, marble, gypsum, magnesite, and limestone.

India’s first and only lithium reserves to the tune of 5.9 million tonnes have already been discovered in the state. The union government eyes more lithium reserves in J&K. It has identified the presence of as many as 30 critical minerals. The state will need to work with both the union government and private sector entrepreneurs to tap these resources to grow as one of the country’s leading economies. Such initiatives are bound to have a positive impact on the society and help establish peace and security in the state. However, much will depend on political parties trying to come to power to rule the state. As for now, J&K is not doing badly on the economic front compared to many other states of the country.

In terms of per capita income, J&K is well ahead of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur and Meghalaya. There has been a consistent increase in the per capita income in J&K since the financial year 2011-12. It is moving fast to top the national per capita income average, which is now estimated at Rs.1,45,679. Currently, the per capita income of J&K is Rs.1,36,771 as against Rs.1,20,790, last year. Incidentally, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Telangana ranked first among all Indian states with the highest per capita income at current prices at Rs 3,08,732, followed by Karnataka with Rs 3,01,673 and Haryana with Rs 2,96,685. A NITI Aayog report shows that Srinagar is the richest district in J&K with only 1.51 percent underprivileged people. The state having a total population of around 1.36 crore is expected to have a gross GDP of over 2.30 lakh crore at the end of the current financial year.

However, it would be foolish to ignore the baggage the province was forced to carry since 1949 that primarily stood in the way of the state’s economic progress over the last seven decades. The state’s economic development will continue to face numerous hurdles such as the issue of political stability after the election, next year, future security concerns, poor physical infrastructure, land ownership issues, limited market access, large Hindu-Muslim divide, educational and skill gaps. J&K is a majority Muslim state. Islam forms the majority religion in 17 out of the state’s 22 districts. The state’s Muslim population is around 85.67 lakhs, representing 68.32 percent of the total population.

The Parliament is in the process of enacting a new legislation that seeks to reserve 33 percent of seats in the state assembly for women. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, has already been passed by Lok Sabha. This will have an impact on the state’s future political leadership. The elected government in the state must try to resolve all the pending issues and obstacles in due course for the long-term prosperity of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. (IPA Service)

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By Arun Srivastava

Supreme Court upholding abrogation of Article 370 in its verdict on December 11 has multifaceted implications. For Mehbooba Mufti if it was not the defeat of Kashmiris but of the idea of India, it was certainly not a defeat for Kashmir and Its cultural ethos, the Kashmiriyat. Instead it was a setback to the devious plan of RSS, BJP and saffron ecosystem, especially of Narendra Modi.

Legal technicality bears significance in legal elucidations and judgments. Though the apex court deleted sub section (B) of the sec 370, it did not outright announce that sec 370 cease to exist. In the backdrop of the sub section (b) ceasing to exist, it may be presumed that sec 370 has turned obsolete and is non-existent.

Of course, the RSS, BJP and Modi could boast of success of their design to abrogate Article 370 provisions that accorded a special status to Jammu and Kashmir and may strive to use this as a major political victory during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and possibly succeed in influencing the psyche of a section of the Hindu middle class voters and Bhaktas, it would trigger a chain of political actions and counter reactions in near future.

The best judicial brains sitting on the bench nonetheless ruled that “J&K has no internal sovereignty” and had “full(y) and finally surrendered” to the Union of India through the Instrument of Accession of 1947, and that Article 370 was a temporary measure. Certainly it is not the fault of the common people of J&K that they do not have ‘internal sovereignty’ which is distinguishable from that enjoyed by other states.” If J&K had fully and finally surrendered, then why the government kept defence, external affairs and monetary transactions under the ambit of 370 and left everything else to the local administration which was to administer day to day rule.

In such a situation all the decisions and administrative actions would be treated as irrelevant and having no constitutional or legal validity. Sovereignty is a wider term and is no confined to the Indian context. In fact it is a political concept that refers to dominant power or supreme authority. In a monarchy, supreme power resides in the “sovereign”, or king. In modern democracies, sovereign power rests with the people and is exercised through representative bodies. Obviously J& K had an assembly, the members of it were elected by the people of the state.

No doubt the President decreed abrogation. But following the practices and norms of the republic democracy, he approved it at the suggestion of the cabinet of the Modi government. It is also inferred that Modi government did not carry out this exercise with any malicious intentions, but the government told the court of its compulsions in clear words. The compulsion does not get reflected in the court order.

Since in this case the Modi government had approached the President with its cabinet decision, obviously, “The President did not have to secure the concurrence of the government of the state or Union government acting on behalf of the state government under the second proviso to Article 370(1)(d) while applying all the provisions of the Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir because such an exercise of power has the same effect as an exercise of power under Article 370(3) for which the concurrence or collaboration with the state government was not required.”

The solicitor-general Tushar Mehta had told the court that the Union Territory status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir following the August 2019 abrogation of Article 370 was only a “temporary” measure. It is intriguing what compelled the Modi government to take to temporary measures. Since it was a temporary step, the court must have been informed by him whether the mission has been accomplished. At that time the government had told that it was adopting this step to finish the insurgency and terrorism. The Modi government must come out clean whether terrorism has been finished.

Nevertheless a recent statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the Rajya Sabha admits that Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 761 terrorist incidents between 2018 to 2022. All these attacks have accumulated to 174 civilian deaths. The highest number of attacks was recorded in 2018, with 228 terrorist-initiated incidents which took the lives of 40 civilians; with 2019 reporting 126 terror attacks and 39 deaths, 2020 with 126 attacks and 32 civilian casualties, 2021 recorded 129 attacks and 37 deaths, and 2022 had the lowest in the list with 125 terror incidents and 26 civilian deaths.

Besides the political instability continues to plague the state. The Modi government has lost trust of the political leaders. Many of them are living under house arrest.

It is significant to note that one of the judges on the constitution bench that on Monday upheld the abrogation of Article 370 recommended the establishment of a “truth and reconciliation commission” to investigate human rights violations by “State and non-State actors” in Jammu and Kashmir at least since the 1980s and recommend “measures for reconciliation”. Saying “In order to move forward, the wounds need healing,” Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, second in seniority in the Supreme Court, said “This Commission should be set up expediently, before memory escapes. The exercise should be time-bound. There is already an entire generation of youth that has grown up with feelings of distrust and it is to them that we owe the greatest duty of reparation.”

Though the people of Jammu and Kashmir feel dejected, a bright ray of hope is also there in the order. The bench has directed Modi government for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. It “shall take place at the earliest and as soon as possible” and directed the Election Commission to hold elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by September 30, 2024.

Once the people of Kashmir form their government to guide and decide their future, they can strike out the provision of outsiders purchasing land in the valley. This has one of the main factors which prompted the RSS and BJP leadership to abrogate 370 which provided protection.

It is a bare fact that 370 has lost its relevance and punch with 37 amendments. The various governments which came to rule have brought about changes to it and virtually diluted it. The only relevant element it has the right to land. Incidentally just after 370 was abrogated the saffron members had burst into joy that they would now have the right to purchase land in Jammu and Kashmir and settle there. The RSS and BJP may not concede to the fact that abrogation was part of their design to turn Muslims homeless in their homeland and change the demographic character of the state.

If the court felt that Parliament’s recourse to Article 367 to amend Article 370 was “constitutionally invalid” then how could it approve abrogation. It also said that Article 370 cannot be amended by the exercise of power under Article 367, which is only an interpretative clause and not an amending power or provision. A wrong is wrong. It is very difficult to underline the “mala fide” political intention.

The Modi government could not come out with a tenable and justifiable explanation as to what prompted it bifurcate the state. This was the reason that Congress expressed “disappointment” over the Supreme Court’s reluctance to decide on the mutilation of Jammu and Kashmir, and said it respectfully disagreed with the judgment on how Article 370 was abrogated.

In this backdrop Congress Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought to know: “For how long does the central government intend to rule the state by remote control? What’s the fear? There is a contradiction in the Supreme Court verdict. While it says they won’t decide on the validity of the decision to break the state into Union Territories, declaring it an open case, they justified the declaration of Ladakh as a Union Territory.”

Unfortunately the opportunity to heal the wounds of Kashmiri people has been lost. The people of Kashmir have resigned to their fate. They do not see any flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. This is the reason they refrained from making good or adverse comment. This order from apex court has not brought relief to political leaders and common people. Leaders like Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti may be looking for post judgment options. (IPA Service)

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NEW DELHI: India is now set to give preliminary approval to three mega indigenous projects to manufacture another aircraft carrier, 97 more Tejas fighters and 156 Prachand light combat helicopters, which together will be worth around Rs 1.4 lakh crore.

The Rajnath Singh-led defence acquisitions council is likely to take up the “acceptance of necessity (AoN)” — the first step in the procurement process — for the three crucial projects at a meeting slated on November 30, sources told TOI on Thursday.

Once the AoNs are accorded, the tendering and commercial negotiations will take place before the three deals are submitted to the cabinet committee on security for the final nod.

All these projects, which will take several years to be executed, are critical for strengthening the country’s operational military preparedness in the backdrop of China’s expanding multi-domain warfare capabilities.

The 97 Tejas Mark-1A fighters, at a cost of around Rs 55,000 crore, will add to the 83 such jets already ordered under the Rs 46,898 crore contract inked with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) in February 2021.

These 180 Tejas jets are critical for IAF to boost the number of its fighter squadrons, which is down to just 31 when at least 42 are required to tackle China and Pakistan. The first 83 Mark-1A jets are slated for delivery in the February 2024-February 2028 timeframe.

It will take 8-10 years for the second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-2), in turn, to be built at the Cochin Shipyard for around Rs 40,000 crore as a “repeat order” of the 44,000-tonne INS Vikrant or IAC-1.

INS Vikrant was commissioned in September 2022, after being built for around Rs 20,000 crore, but will be fully combat-ready only by mid-2024. The Navy also has the older Russian-origin carrier INS Vikramaditya, the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov inducted in November 2013 under a $2.33 billion deal with Russia.

The Navy currently has only 40 of the 45 MiG-29K jets, inducted from Russia for another $2 billion, to operate from carriers. The twin-engine deck-based fighter being developed by DRDO is likely to take at least a decade to become fully operational. In the interim, India is now finalizing the Rs 50,000 crore acquisition of 26 Rafale-Marine fighter jets from France.

The 156 Prachand helicopters (90 for Army, 66 IAF), capable of offensive operations in high-altitude areas like Siachen Glacier and eastern Ladakh, in turn, will cost around Rs 45,000 crore.

They will add to the 15 such choppers (10 IAF and 15 Army) already inducted under the first Rs 3,887 crore contract in March last year. The need for a mountain warfare-capable chopper like the 5.8-tonne Prachand, which is armed with 20mm turret guns, 70mm rocket systems and air-to-air missiles, was first acutely felt during the 1999 Kargil conflict.

The Navy, on its part, initially wanted a nuclear-powered 65,000-tonne IAC-2, capable of carrying a larger aviation complement than the 30-aircraft capacity of INS Vikrant. But budgetary constraints have made it opt for a smaller electric-propulsion IAC-2.

China, incidentally, already operates two aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, and is fast building two more. The third Chinese carrier, the over 80,000-tonne Fujian, was `launched’ in June last year. The US, of course, has 11 `super’ 100,000-tonne nuclear-powered carriers, each of which carries 80-90 fighters and aircraft.

Source: The Times of India

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By Harihar Swarup

In a time marked by political discontent in Jammu and Kashmir, triggered by the loss of statehood and abrogation of Article 370, the BJP is trying to reshape people’s perception of the party. Leading that charge mechanism is a group of highly educated Muslims in —Farida Khan, Darakhan Andrabi, Hina Bhat, Parvaz Chauhan, and Ramisa Rafiq Wani. Their work stands out in comparison with the party’s male leaders in the union territory, who are busy bickering and framing factions.

Farida Khan hails from Seloo in Sopore Baramula—once a hot bed of militancy. She is party secretary in J&K and chairperson of the Block Development Council in Sopore. She boats a triple master’s degree in (political science, sociology, economics) and a PhD in economics. She began her political journey in 2013 and was an elected BDC chairperson 2019.

Khan has provided housing to underprivileged individuals through Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and is now focussing on finishing the Rs 4-crore Jal Jeeven project in Boripura. “It is an important project and will resolve persistent water crisis in Sopore”, she said. After a drug addict killed her his mother, she initiated various de—addiction programmes and set up the rehabilitation centre in Sopore. Recently, she got funds for a hospital worth Rs75 lakhs in Boningoo. “I work in collaboration with government officials to address grievances expeditiously”, she said.

But working with the government comes with challenges. On March 30, 2021, Khan was on her way from Srinagar to a BDC meeting in Sopore Municipal Council when the Chairman of the Sopore Municipal Council called her, asking her to attend a municipal council meeting. She reached the venue of the Council meeting but “thought it would be better to attend the BDC meeting first as I was the host drove away”. The last minute decision saved her life. Minutes later, militants attacked venue—a councillor and a special police officer was injured. The militants escaped.

But that incident has not deterred Khan from continuing her work. She believes that focusing on the youth will bring prosperity and change on ground, and credits the BJP for letting her work freely.

This sentiment is shared by other women leaders. Darakhshan Andrabi, for instance, became the first Kashmiri—along with Union Minister Jitendra ,Singh—to be appointed the BJP national executive in 2021. She joined politics at 19 and launched the Socialist Democratic Party which contested several elections but failed to make an impression. Her political career got a boost after she merged her party with the BJP in 2013. In 2014, Andrabi locked horns with National Conference chief minister Omar Abdullah in the Sonawar constituency, but lost. She was made chairperson of the education and women’s welfare committee 2016.

In 2022, the Union Government formed two Waqf boards— one in Jammu and Kashmir, and one in Ladakh under Central Wakf Act, in 1995. Prior to this, all wakf properties were registered with J&K state wakf council and Muslim Specified Waqfs Board. Andrabi was made chairperson of waqf Board in Jammu and Kashmir. She made sweeping changes in managing the board’s 3,500 properties, including shrines, commercial complexes and schools. Under the new rules, mujavirs (caretakers) at all shrines were let go, and donations at the shrines were prohibited, evoking criticism from political parties. Andrabi defended the move saying mujavirs would often force people to donate.

“We have initiated reforms and 80 per of the people have supported him”, said Andrabi. “I am not afraid of the opposition. Politicians raised a hue and cry but that only motivated. We dismantled all committees and only the Wakf Board remains.” The board is now working to build a hospital in Srinagar and improve the standard of schools under it. (IPA Service)

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By Dr. Gyan Pathak

India has been witnessing a systematic weakening of Trade Unionism by the ruling establishment through adoption of labour policies that push the workers more and more into unorganized sector. The unprecedented sufferings that the COVID-19 crisis brought for the working class has made them accepting low-quality jobs that pay too low a wage to survive with dignity sans any social security coverage. Working class protested it throughout the year 2023, and they are now gearing up for stiffer protests ahead.

Everybody can see that trade unionism in the country is not strong enough to protect the workers and their rights, though strong trade unions are needed now more than ever to build a world of work founded on sustainable development that ensures decent work for all, asserts the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The Union Government has been pursuing a policy that is not only anti-worker but also anti-trade-unionism. It is intended to only benefit the employers at the cost of workers. A structural change is being brought in the world of work, that has increased the size of unorganized sector that now have about 94 per cent of the total workforce in the country. Organized sector is left with only 6 per cent of the total workforce in India.

No wonder, all trade unions together in the country have less than only 7 per cent of the total workers as their members. It goes without saying that trade unions have presence chiefly in the organized sector, and only a little presence among the workers of unorganized sector. It has made trade union actions almost ineffective.

To further weaken trade unionism, the ruling establishment follows a policy that enables the organized sector to shift their permanent quality salaried jobs to informal and unorganized ones. It is being implemented at all levels – the primary sector which includes agriculture and mining, the secondary sector which includes manufacturing, and tertiary sector which includes services. All are marked by rise in informalization, contract workers, outsourced workers, gig workers, fixed term employment workers, apprentices and so on. The process, though had begun in 1991 through economic globalization and liberalization, has been turning worse since advent of Narendra Modi as prime minister of this country in 2014.

The General Council meeting of AITUC in Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, held during 22-24 September 2023 has noted this and given a call to organize the unorganized. It should be noted that AITUC had only a limited success so far in organizing the scheme workers, such as Anganwadi, ASHA, Midday Meal Workers, UMED Workers, Domestic Workers, Construction Workers, Hawkers, Local Body Workers, Panchayat Workers, and so on. However, most of the informal sector workers are unorganized.

Trade unionism needs to be reinvented, and the AITUC has focused on its importance. “We will have to innovate ways to unionise those who are hard pressed to keep their scars employment in the swirling waters of unemployment; if meeting them at the factory gates, as has been the practice so far, puts their employment at risk, we will have to go to their busties. They will have to be shown that their strength lies in their sheer number, unionised, they will be invincible,” it has resolved.

“We could begin by amending our respective constitutions to allow membership of contract workers, outsourced workers etc. We could make an activist of our union, if possible, responsible for bringing contract workers into the union fold. Each Public Sector Union be mandated to start organising contract workers in their respective establishment. Some of the unions in public sector establishments have shown the way by putting their might behind the struggling contract workers. Let us emulate their example so that we can rightfully claim the legacy of our fighting forefathers,” the resolution read.

In pursuance of the call given in the August 24, 2023 in the historical All India Joint Convention of Workers and Farmers, workers and farmers observed October 3 as Black Day, demanding dismissal and prosecution of the alleged conspirator, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, of Lakhimpur Kheri massacre of farmers in 2021.

It was decided in the joint convention to campaign against the RSS-BJP government of the Centre and in states. Workers and farmers are silently campaigning against the BJP in the poll bound five states where elections are announced to be held during this festive season, possibly to get benefit from the religious gatherings. Elections will be held in the month of November. BJP therefore would almost escape the intense workers movement this time beginning from the last week of November through December 2023 and January 2024. However, it is likely to impact the forthcoming Lok Sabah election 2024.

“Oust BJP-RSS from the seat of power” is their slogan, because they believe PM Modi pursuing anti-worker, anti-farmer, and pro-corporate policies. Workers and farmers will be organizing Day and Night Mahapadav Struggle in front of the Governors’ houses in state capitals across the county and Union Territories from 26 to 28 November that will mark the November 26, 2020, the day of all India General strike by workers at the first day of the historic March to Parliament by Farmers. Determined and massive united protest actions are scheduled across the country in December 2023, and January 2024. It is the part of commitment to carry forward the decisions of January 30, 2023 National Convention of Workers and the August 24 call by their All India Joint Convention.

All India Bank Employees Association has also called for strike action in all Banks across the country with the schedule – 4th December: All India Strike in PNB, Punjab &Sind Bank & SBI; 5th December: All India Strike in Bank of Baroda and Bank of India ; 6th December: All India Strike in Canara Bank and Central Bank of India;7th December: All India Strike in Indian Bank and UCO Bank; 8th December: All India Strike in Union Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra; 11th December: All India Strike in all Private Banks; 2nd January Strike by all employees of all Banks in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep; 3rd January Strike by all employees of all Banks in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Dadar, Daman, Diu; 4th January Strike by all employees of all Banks in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh ; 5th January Strike by all employees of all Banks in Delhi Punjab, Haryana, J & K, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh ; 6thJanuary West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim ; 19th & 20th January 2024: 2Days Continuous All India Strike in all Banks.

Their chief demand is adequate recruitment in Banks. In recent years, they say their workload has been multiplied to the unbearable level due to shortage of staff, but further recruitment has been stopped. It is adversely affecting their performance unwarrantedly resulting in friction and complaints from the customers. They are also opposing the moves for privatization of public sector Banks. (IPA Service)

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By Sushil Kutty

It’s like the paraglider flying over the concertina wire fence on the Israel-Gaza border. The Bharatiya Janata Party was caught napping and given a devastating electric jolt. Such that Kargil heroes, those alive and who were martyred would cheer. The BJP’s defeat in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil elections is a wake up call for the saffron party. Time for a reality check. The National Conference and Congress alliance are top of the hill in the first elections held since Article 370 was scrapped.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah couldn’t be more elated. The portents are encouraging. The landslide victory saw the NC-Congress winning 21 seats while the BJP was at the bottom with just a couple. Makes people wonder if the BJP is in love with the number ‘2’. BJP leaders are often heard bragging how they went from 2 to 303. But that is another story.  For now, the NC-Congress victory is the only story.

Elections were held on October 4 to the 26 seats. Four members were nominated by the Jammu and Kashmir administration in the 30-member LAHDC-Kargil. The big message for the BJP is that the NC-Congress alliance is strong and and the Kargil electorate had put its seal on the acceptance of the alliance. More importantly, the NC-Congress stole victory virtually from under the hopes of the Bharatiya Janata Party which holds the reins of the administration but isn’t the people’s choice.

“In celebration of our strong alliance with the Congress party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference is delighted to announce its victory in the LAHDC-Kargil elections,” Omar Abdullah said, sporting the biggest grin under the Srinagar sun, stating the LAHDC-Kargil outcome was a message to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that divide Jammu and Kashmir hadn’t the people’s approval. The least the Modi-Shah duo could have done was to take the people into confidence in the best traditions of democracy.

The division of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is only now bearing fruit. “This result sends a message to all forces and parties that have, undemocratically and unconstitutionally, divided the state of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh without the consent of its people,” the National Conference leader said. The elected councilors can take it ahead from here on and pave the road for a bigger and larger victory in the “state elections” that are still to come.

Abdullah couldn’t stop himself from giving his heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the Congress leadership for the “unwavering support”. That was equivalent to rubbing more salt into the BJP’s open wound. Abdullah blasted the BJP for “hiding behind the Raj Bhawan and unelected representatives” and refusing to bow to the rightful desire of the people for an elected government. In a democracy the voices of the people must be heard and respected.

The voting saw over 77% voter turnout. The people of Kargil were eager to express their choice in the first polls in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 and the division of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. Notably, Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party stayed away. The NC and the Congress fought jointly but there were “friendly contests’ in over a dozen seats. The Aam Aadmi Party contested in four and lost on all four.

Kargil’s people did not forget Rahul Gandhi’s visit as an extension of his Bharat Jodo Yatra and Congress workers credited Gandhi for the resounding defeat of the BJP. No doubt, Modi and Shah must have thought of the impact and influence left by the Bharat Jodo Yatra on people, not just in Kargil-Drass but everywhere across India, particularly in the states through which the yatra wound its south to north route.

That is another message for the BJP from these elections in the Kargil Hill Council Elections. Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to Kargil & Ladakh had raised a lot of dust and controversy and it seems the motorcycle he rode cast a vroom effect on the elections in favour of the NC-Congress alliance. That said, the national media seemed to have deliberately missed reporting the resounding defeat of the BJP, the “almost complete wipeout”.

The BJP’s claim of the region’s development following the abrogation of Article 370 lies in tatters. The BJP had fought the elections on the development plank. But the landslide of the NC-Congress alliance exposed the BJP’s boast. This NC-Congress alliance victory is a big boost for the INDI-Alliance, which can take the BJP’s defeat to every corner of India, especially the bit about Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and the long-lasting impact it has left on the electorate everywhere.

The NC-Congress alliance fought the elections on the abrogation of Article 370; how it had disempowered the people of the region and how the “state” lost resources and jobs to “outsiders”. The fact of the matter is, the BJP had no chance in Muslim majority Kargil. Sometimes it is hard to believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is so unaware of the ground reality and continues to plod on with totally misconceived ideas. The BJP’s hopes of carving out an island of saffron in the snowy heights of Ladakh-Drass lies in shards in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas. (IPA Service)

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With the Congress winning several seats in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, the party said it is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a swipe at the media saying ”the national media will blank it out, but trends coming in show Congress leading convincingly in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil with an almost complete wipeout of the BJP.” ”This is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi continuing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ladakh last month,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the party has registered a resounding victory in the Ladakh hill council elections after 10 years.

”Along with our INDIA partner National Conference, we have swept the entire region in its first election after the abrogation of Art. 370.

”Rahul Gandhi ji’s Bharat Jodo Yatra last month across the region has given people of Ladakh and Kargil the faith that the Congress and INDIA have a deep concern about the issues they face, and the need for their democratic sentiments to be given a voice,” he said on X.

”Congratulations to all victorious candidates,” Venugopal said, adding ”I am confident this will usher a new democratic dawn in Ladakh and Kargil”.

Another Congress leader P Chidambaram said the LAHDC poll result is a ”resounding victory for I.N.D.I.A. and a crushing defeat for the BJP”.

”The results show that the people have totally repudiated the misguided agenda of the BJP, the revocation of Art. 370 and the creation of Union Territories out of a State. ”If elections are held in the Kashmir valley, the results will not be different,” he said.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also said the people of Ladakh-Kargil have spoken decisively.  ”A resounding mandate for us in the Ladakh-Kargil Autonomous Hill Council elections – the first electoral exercise since abolition of Art 370.

”In August Rahul Gandhi ji’s Bharat Jodo Yatra all across Leh-Ladakh met and assured the people of the region that their voices matter,” she said.

The National Conference and the Congress together won 22 seats in the LAHDC polls, officials said on Sunday.

The elections to the LAHDC-Kargil was the first poll to be held after Ladakh was carved out as a Union territory following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.

Twenty-six seats of the council went to polls on October 4. The administration nominates four members with voting rights to the 30-member council.

With inputs from News18

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Discussion on who will fight in the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat will be held during the talks on the seat-sharing arrangement of the INDIA bloc for next year’s general elections, National Conference Vice-President Omar Abdullah said Saturday while asserting that his party is with the opposition alliance.

Responding to a question about a pre-poll alliance between the National Conference and Congress after the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil election, he said, “You do not have an assembly…. so the road starts and ends here.”

“We are in the INDIA alliance. When there will be a talk of seat sharing, definitely this (Ladakh parliamentary seat) will come up for discussion,” said Abdullah, who is on a two-day campaign here in support of NC candidates for the October 4 LAHDC-Kargil election.

The NC and the Congress are fighting the election together.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir said his party supported Congress in the 2019 parliamentary elections but lost the seat to BJP.

Abdullah alleged that he had to leave his security at the Zero Point en-route to Kargil and Drass to address the public meeting on the directions of the authorities.

He said this was his third visit to Kargil after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories – Ladakh and J&K.

“This is the first time that I had to leave my security at Zero Point. I do not have any grudge as I know they (BJP) are panicking. I know the people are with us and we have full faith in the Almighty.”

With inputs from News18

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The Karnataka Police have detained over 50 members of pro-Kannada organisations protesting over the Cauvery River water dispute near Bengaluru to maintain law and order amid the state-wide Bandh call.

“We have made proper arrangements as a bandh has been called by several pro-Kannada organisations. More than 50 people from the organisations have been taken into custody… We have sufficient staff and we will make sure nothing goes wrong,” Additional Superintendent of Police of Bengaluru Rural Mallikarjun Baladandi told news agency ANI.

In Chikkamangalur, protesters entered petrol bunks in bikes and protested, they also burnt the effigy of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. In Bengaluru, protesters were detained and brought to Freedom Park. In Mandya, protesters rolled on roads in protest.

‘Kannada Okkuta’ – a blanket organisation of pro-Kannada groups on Friday announced a Karnataka bandh opposing an order directing the Karnataka government to release Cauvery river water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu. This comes two days after observing the Bengaluru bandh which received mixed responses.

The bandh will be in effect from 6 am to 6 pm on Friday. Bengaluru city police have issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, not allowing people to hold rallies, protests, or congregations of more than five people. But Pro-Kannada organisations are likely to hit the streets.

More than 1,900 associations are supporting the bandh. Grocery shops and other non-essential shops in the state, including Bengaluru, are expected to remain closed but essential services like hospitals, ambulances, and pharmacies will be operational.

KSRTC and BMTC buses will be operational based on the situation across the state. Speaking about inter-state operations, an official said that the buses heading towards Tamil Nadu may not be operational tomorrow but it will be subject to change based on the situation. Traffic on major roads of Bengaluru, especially in the central business district and at entry and exit points, is likely to take a hit.

Flight operations will remain as usual, Kempegowda International Airport authorities issued an advisory which states, “Due to one day Karnataka bandh called by various unions and organisations on September 29, 2023, we anticipate a disruption in transport services. Passengers are advised to plan their travel to and from the airport accordingly. Passengers are requested to follow alerts from respective airlines, law enforcement agencies and media releases for further updates.”

Cab aggregators including Ola and Uber have extended support to the bandh and are expected to participate in the rally. They have planned to reach the town hall from Nayandahalli. Auto-rickshaws will be off the roads. The Federation of Karnataka State Private Transport Association representing 32 private transport unions decided to provide moral support to the Karnataka bandh.

With inputs from NDTV

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By Nantoo Banerjee

It is difficult to understand why India is constantly falling prey to China if it is fully aware that China is heavily dumping exports, often “supplying goods at less than raw materials costs.” The question is pertinent in the context of India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s recent outburst as moderator at a panel discussion with trade ministers of G20 nations in Delhi where he openly asked Chinese Vice Minister (Commerce) Wang Shouwen: ‘how can you supply goods at less than the raw material cost?’ Goyal must explain why India is forced to import so heavily from China in the last nine years knowing fully well China is dumping goods. How are those dumped imports from China impacting India’s domestic producers of similar items? In 2014, when the BJP-led NDA government came to power, India’s imports from China were worth around US$58 billion. Last year, according to the UN COMTRADE database, India’s merchandise imports from China jumped up to $102.25 billion.

While Goyal explained why India did not join RCEP fearing a higher trade deficit with China, Chinese vice minister (commerce) Wang Shouwen said, on the contrary, the India-China trade has been growing steadily despite India’s decision to exit from the RCEP programme. “The concern is slightly different, bilateral trade is skewed in favour of China. The industry feels that if we had entered RCEP, trade would have definitely increased, but the trade deficit would have increased further,” Goyal said. The Indian commerce minister further stated that with China being the recipient of maximum anti-dumping and anti-subsidy questions from many parts of the world, including India, importers wonder how China prices its exports. “It is a matter that I think all the ministers would like to know how you can supply goods at less than the raw material costs,” he added.

However, the Chinese minister was nonchalant. Wang practically chided Goyal and paid little attention to the Indian commerce minister’s remarks around Chinese export dumping as he said despite India’s decision to stay out of RCEP, the trade relations between the two countries have been growing very fast. “Last year, bilateral trade reached $130 billion. If there is an FTA, either bilateral or in RCEP context, the trade potential will be much further tapped to the benefit of our two people. It is your decision on joining RCEP, but RCEP doors will always remain open for India,” Wang Shouwen responded. Wang’s statement gives an impression that India has little choice but to import more and more from China. Even the rising diplomatic bitterness between the two countries and China’s frequent military muscle flexing along India’s land borders from the Ladakh region to Arunachal Pradesh has failed to impact India’s hugely growing deficit trade with China. Does Goyal have a specific answer to Wang’s comments? Why does India import so heavily from China?

Even as India brags off being the world’s fifth largest economy, the country is becoming increasingly import dependent and the trade deficits are escalating almost every year. The last time India witnessed a favourable balance of trade was wayback in 1976-77 — known as the ‘Emergency’ year — to the tune of Rs.86 crore when one US$ was worth only around Rs.8.5. The first time India showed a favourable trade balance was in 1972-73. The amount was Rs.104 crore. The exchange rate then was Rs.7.5 for a US$. These two financial years are the only periods in the history of post-independent India, in which the country had a favourable trade balance. Currently, India has trade surpluses only with a few countries such as the US, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Vietnam. India’s overall exports (merchandise and services combined) rose by 13.84 percent year-on-year to $770.18 billion in 2022-23. Overall imports rose at a sharper pace of 17.38 per cent to $892.18 billion during the last fiscal.

India’s overall trade deficit widened to $122 billion in 2022-23 as against $83.53 billion in the previous financial year. When it comes specifically to merchandise exports, India’s global rank was 19th with its exports aggregating only $447.46 billion. In 2022, China exported goods worth $3.59 trillion across the world, recording a seven percent rise over the previous year. As against India’s import-led economic growth, exports pushed China’s economy to become the world’s second largest after the US. Since 1995, China has been consistently booking trade surpluses. In 2022, the trade surplus surged 31 percent to $876 billion — the highest since China started maintaining records in 1950 — with exports rising seven percent and imports up only one percent. Of China’s trade surplus, last year, as much as $101.02 billion was on account of India alone, shooting up from the level of $69.38 billion in 2021. This is despite India’s opting out in November 2019 of the China-led 15-nation trade block, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), believed to be at the behest of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, a pan-India rightist RSS arm to protect and develop Indian business and industry.

It is time that Goyal and his election-bound government take a strong decision on how to contain imports from diplomatically aggressive China and tackle the ‘dumping’ issue. Nothing that India imports from China is unavailable in other parts of the world. The present government has been in power since May 2014. It is a long time to formulate and practice an import-export policy that focussed on a balanced economic growth. Most countries having tense diplomatic relations with China are curtailing imports from China. For instance, through the first five months of 2023, US imports from China were down as much as 24 percent from the same period a year ago, according to the US Census Bureau. The US media reports say several of the country’s MNCs have been repositioning their supply lines for American consumers, either to avoid the risk of being pinched between rival superpowers or as part of a longer-term strategy to produce goods closer to customers. India must follow a similar practice to drastically cut imports from China. (IPA Service)

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By Sushil Kutty

It could be his last interview. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi answered questions as if he is here to stay even if Indians have yet to consider whether he is fit for a third term or not with their votes in 2024. The interviewer gave him an easy time with forgettable questions. Were they vetted before they were allowed? Why not, the entire exercise was to refurbish the Prime Minister’s image before general elections 2024. To be honest, this Prime Minister should have been put to the test but he wasn’t, which speaks a lot about the integrity and commitment of the media and “government-monitored media agencies”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was treated with kid gloves. None of the questions were designed to push the Prime Minister or irritate him or sting him to force an answer out of him. The questions were safe. For example, with the general election hardly months away, the Prime Minister wasn’t asked the most basic question of how he rated his chances in 2024?

The interviewer appeared determined to “get it over with” ASAP; perhaps, because he wasn’t convinced about the G20-heavy line of questioning. Of course, G20 is current topic and would be important for Civil Services’ aspirants, but not for a media cross-examination of a Prime Minister facing flak on a number of issues including his “friendship” with a ‘suspect’ businessman allegedly involved in international hanky-panky.

Point is, the Prime Minister should have been grilled instead of being thrown “soft balls”. The G20 and ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas’ aren’t important for Indians who have INDIA in their mind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plans going ahead regarding INDIA?

Surely, INDIA is eating Modi far more than G20? Of course, G20 is a major accomplishment but even the G20 questions asked of Modi were statements rather than queries. For example, “The G-20 Presidency has given India the opportunity to promote its vision for a sustainable, inclusive and equitable world, and to raise its profile as a leader in the Indo-Pacific region. With just days left for the Summit, please share your thoughts on the achievements of the Indian Presidency…”

The fact of the matter is, India would have got the G20 presidency irrespective of who was Indian Prime Minister — Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi; Mamata Banerjee or Nitish Kumar? The G20 questions could have been sharper. But Modi fielded scripted questions and spoke of “stability” and “decisive mandate” and how those placed his government in a better place to get things done over the “last nine years”, both nationally and internationally.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi railed against “freebies” and both the interviewer and Modi made sure the INDIA grouping’s challenge to take NDA candidates one-on-one in all parliamentary constituencies was not raised or discussed. The opposition parties’ resolve to arrive at a workable seat-sharing arrangement and nominating one opposition candidate against each BJP candidate are giving Prime Minister Modi’s NDA nightmares but not a single mention in the Modi interview.

Prime Minister Modi should have been asked to make his stand clear on a host of political issues linked to his reign and the upcoming assembly and 2024 general elections. This interview was entirely G20-centric and Narendra Modi was more interested in reminding the electorate of his international accomplishments and where India stood in the global arena after 10 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi guiding the world. Modi spoke of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” as an international slogan that is not limited to India and Indians alone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the interviewer went on and on about G20 and there was a question on cybercrime and another on ‘Amrit Kaal’, the predictable ‘Made-for-Modi’ question: “Where would India be in 2047 at the end of Amrit Kaal?” The questioner should have asked Modi for how long he expected to remain in power? The answer, if one was forthcoming, would have stirred interest. This interview, however, was staged to rebrand Modi.

Imagine, an interview of Modi and not a single question on ‘Modani’ and “Hindenburg” or the latest controversy involving Adani and the whole thing about Adani dollars travelling the world only to return to India to allegedly buoy up Adani shares for a killing? International newspapers are writing about it, but there is nothing, not a single question asked of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the interview.

Imagine also, not a single question on India-China and LAC incursions; on renaming Arunachal Pradesh and other places within Arunachal Pradesh plus the adroitly tampered with India map that is missing Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Aksai Chin. All these deserved questions to rival the ones about G20 but Prime Minister Narendra Modi was spared the embarrassments in yet another message that said that this Prime Minister was looking at the long-term and that he is not going away anyplace anytime soon, if at all. (IPA Service)

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today demanded a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in response to China’s release of a map that claims ownership of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh, which has been categorically rejected by India.

On Monday, China released a new “standard” map that shows Aksai Chin, which it occupied in the 1962 war, and Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as South Tibet, as part of its territory. The map also shows the entire South China Sea as part of China, as it had in previous editions.

“I have been saying for years that what the PM said, that not one inch of land was lost in Ladakh, is a lie. The entire Ladakh knows that China has transgressed. This map issue is very serious. They have taken away the land. PM should say something about it,” Rahul Gandhi said while leaving for Karnataka.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told NDTV in an exclusive interview that the map meant nothing and China has a ‘habit’ of releasing such maps.

“China has put out maps with territories (that are) not theirs. (It is an) old habit. Just by putting out maps with parts of India… this doesn’t change in anything. Our government is very clear about what our territory. Making absurd claims does not make other people’s territories yours,” Mr Jaishankar told NDTV.

India has initiated protests through diplomatic channels over the “standard” map.

“We reject the claims as they have no basis. Such steps by the Chinese side only complicate the resolution of the boundary question,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement.

The map has surfaced at a critical time as India gears up for the G20 Summit scheduled for September 9-10.

PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to work for “expeditious de-escalation” along the entire Line of Actual Control (LAC) during their meeting at the BRICS summit in South Africa this month.

China announced new Chinese names for 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in early April. India rejected the renaming, asserting that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and that assigning “invented” names does not alter the reality that the northeastern state is under Indian administration.

This was China’s civil affairs ministry’s third addition to the first batch of six places released in 2017 and the second batch of 15 places released in 2021.

With inputs from NDTV

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China on Monday claimed ownership of Arunachal Pradesh – which Beijing calls South Tibet – and Aksai Chin – occupied during the 1962 war – in the 2023 edition of its ‘standard map’.

The Indian government has yet to react to this controversial move, which is sandwiched between the G20 Summit in New Delhi next weekend and last week’s “informal conversation” between China’s Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BRICS Summit in South Africa.

The Prime Minister had then conveyed to Mr Jinping India’s “concerns over unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and other areas along the India-China border”.

The map also shows other disputed areas – Taiwan and large parts of the South China Sea – as part of China’s territories. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have all claims over the latter.

According to a Chinese daily, the map was released by that country’s Ministry of Natural Resources during celebrations for Surveying and Mapping Publicity Day and the National Mapping Awareness Publicity Week. China’s Global Times posted the map on X (formerly Twitter) and said it had been compiled based on “drawing method of national boundaries of China and various (other) countries”.

The Chinese ministry’s chief planner, Wu Wenzhong, was quoted as saying “surveying, mapping and geographic information play an important role in boosting development of nation, meeting needs of all life, supporting management of natural resources, and helping construction of ecology and civilization”.

In April the Indian government rejected China’s bid to rename 11 locations within Arunachal Pradesh, which it also calls ‘Zangnan’ – the third time Beijing has attempted such an egregious move after 2018 and 2021 – and asserted the northeastern state has been and will always be an integral part of India.

The list of places ‘renamed’ included five mountain peaks, two residential areas and two rivers.

“We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright,” Arindam Bagchi said, adding, “Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality.”

Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the LAC in the state’s Tawang sector in December last year – a face-off that came amid a months-long border standoff in eastern Ladakh that prompted Delhi to bolster overall military readiness along the LAC in the Arunachal Pradesh sector as well.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had then accused China of trying to “unilaterally” change the status quo along the LAC and, last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the situation along the LAC in eastern Ladakh remains “very fragile” and “quite dangerous”.

With inputs from NDTV

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By Girish Linganna

Bhutan, in the Himalayas, is nestled in a strategically sensitive geographical position between two Asian superpowers, India and China. Over the years, Delhi has been offering Thimphu hundreds of millions of dollars in military and economic aid, not without its own geopolitical compulsions. Both India and Bhutan are yet to resolve their long-standing land border dispute with China, which has been pressuring Bhutan to reach a border deal over territory in the north and in the west in the Himalayas. A likely settlement will also need the implicit approval of Bhutan’s long-time ally, India.

At the end of the 13th Expert Group Meeting (EGM)—which supervises the progress of boundary talks—held between Bhutan and China in Beijing from August 21-24, both countries announced in a joint press release that they had agreed to speed up, and implement, simultaneous steps to put in place a “three-step roadmap” for a resolution of their long-pending boundary dispute. This was the third expert group meeting held in the current year.

The joint communiqué noted that the two sides had had “candid, friendly and constructive discussions” on implementing the roadmap on the basis of the agreement hammered out at the earlier EGMs. “One of the important outcomes of the 13th EGM is the establishment of the Joint Technical Team on the Delimitation of the China-Bhutan boundary which held its first meeting on the sidelines of the EGM,” the statement said.

Boundary talks between China and Bhutan have been an ongoing process since 1984 as both countries stake claim to the Doklam region. India, all along has backed the latter’s stance. Chinese international relations watchers say China and Bhutan came very close to reaching a final agreement around 1996, but the negotiations failed as India upset the apple cart. Since 1984, more than 24 rounds of border talks have taken place between China and Bhutan, besides 12 rounds of expert-level meetings.

In May 2023, the 12th Expert Group Meeting (EGM) was held in the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu, just four months after the 11th EGM talks were held in China’s Kunming, the capital and largest city of Yunnan province. As the Thimphu round of deliberations came to an end, both Bhutan and China said progress had been made towards implementing a “three-step roadmap” which would help resolve their boundary dispute.

The 11th EGM in January 2023 followed the 10th EGM in April 2021 after a long gap of two years. In view of that, it seems significant that, after the 12th round in May 2023, the 13th has followed within only three months—and in the Chinese capital—indicating a more rapid development in the talks.

The dispute has its roots in the acrimonious border negotiations between India and China. The bone of contention in this decades-long border standoff between the two countries is the strategic plateau of Doklam, situated close to the tri-junction of the three countries—India, Bhutan and China. If Beijing manages to seize control of this disputed plateau, it would allow China undeterred force mobilization as it will provide it greater access to land routes in case an armed conflict broke out with India.

Bold and unabashed Chinese intrusion across India’s Himalayan borders has led to rival military buildups and occasional clashes in the region. The 2017 China-India border clash, termed the ‘Doklam standoff’, was a military faceoff between India and China. What ignited the tinderbox was Chinese attempts at building a road in Doklam.

On June 16, 2017, Chinese soldiers with bulldozers, cranes, excavators, forklifts and dump trucks started work on extending a pre-existing road in Doklam to the south. On June 18, 2017, India launched its own response in the form of ‘Operation Juniper’, when about 270 armed Indian troops charged across the Sikkim border into Doklam armed with only two bulldozers to put a halt to the unwarranted Chinese activity. On August 28, however, both countries announced a troop withdrawal.

The India-China border crisis reached a head over the tri-junction demarcated by India’s Sikkim state to the west, China-occupied Tibet’s Chumbi Valley to the north and Bhutan’s Haa Valley to the east. India and China have had a long-standing faceoff over the exact location of this tri-junction.

The Bhutan-China border question has direct links with the festering decades-old India-China border crisis. The two countries share a frontier that has not been adequately demarcated, so both countries’ claims to the territory overlap. India estimates it to be 3,488 kilometres long, while China says it is 2,000 kilometres. The current status quo border lies in the Ladakh region to India’s north and runs all the way to Arunachal Pradesh in the east —which is also disputed since the Chinese call it ‘Southern Tibet’.

China stakes claim to roughly 269 sq.km in western Bhutan and 495 sq.km in north-central Bhutan, says the BBC. In 2020, China’s adventurism extended to 739 sq.km of territory in the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Bhutan, claiming it to be a part of Mainland China, although most official Chinese maps have shown Sakteng to be a part of Bhutan. Even in China’s most ambitious—and contentious—2014 map claiming vast territories including Arunachal Pradesh, Sakteng Park was depicted to be a part of Bhutan.

Delhi has solid reasons to support Thimphu’s stand on Doklam. If China’s  designs are successful, this strategically significant plateau for India would give Beijing a terrain advantage over Delhi at one of the most sensitive geographic points for India—the Siliguri Corridor, also known as the ‘Chicken’s Neck’, a 22-kilometre, narrow land bridge that connects Mainland India with its ‘Seven Sisters’ states in the North-East.

Significant data, including satellite images, indicates that China is engaged in building infrastructure—even small villages—inside sovereign Bhutanese territory. Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering is reported to have told Belgian daily La Libre in an interview in March 2023, “no intrusion as reported in the media” has happened into Bhutanese territory. He had expressed the hope that Bhutan and China would find common ground in demarcating some of the boundaries in a couple of meetings.

This was perceived to indicate that Tshering was, possibly, bending to China’s pressure and preparing to cede territory to ‘resolve’ the border issue, a move that rang alarm bells in India’s security establishment. A 2012 India-China agreement says that, at points along boundaries shared between India, China and a third country, the border demarcation will be done upon agreement of all parties concerned. So, the border dispute can be amicably resolved only if all the three countries—India, Bhutan and China—manage to reach a consensual decision. (IPA Service)

(The author is a Defence, Aerospace & Political analyst based in Bengaluru)

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday vowed to raise in Parliament the issues of the people of Ladakh as he alleged that their ”political voice” was being suppressed and the promises of the central government on employment had turned out to be ”false”.

Gandhi has been touring the Union Territory of Ladakh for the past week.

”I went to every corner of Ladakh and talked to the youth, mothers and sisters and the poor. There are other leaders who only talk about their ’Mann Ki Baat’. I want to listen to your ’Mann Ki Baat’,” the former Congress president said in an apparent swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio broadcast.

”China has snatched away thousands of kilometers of India’s land. The prime minister is lying by denying this and every person in Ladakh knows this,” Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

He said the main issues of Ladakh are that the political voice of the people here is being ”suppressed”, all the promises of the government on employment have turned out to be ”false” and the lack of mobile network and air connectivity.

 

”I will raise all these issues in Parliament in the next session,” Gandhi said and thanked Ladakh for the welcome and love he had received.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post in Hindi on X, said that taking forward the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi met the people of Ladakh.

In the spirit of the foot march, he listened to their thoughts, he said.

”It is clear after listening to these problems that the Modi government has left Ladakh to fend itself. Leaders who are only interested in their ’Mann Ki Baat’ can never allow the people’s voice to be heard,” Ramesh said.

Gandhi reached Ladakh on August 17, his first visit to the region since it was granted UT status after being carved out from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. The erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was also turned into a Union Territory with its special status under Article 370 revoked.

 

Over the past week, Gandhi visited several parts of Ladakh, including Pangong lake, Nubra valley, Khardungla top, Lamayuru and Zanskar, on his motorcycle before reaching Kargil on Thursday.

Gandhi on Friday also visited the Kargil War Memorial in Drass and paid rich tributes to the Indian Army personnel who sacrificed their lives during the 1999 war with Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)

With inputs from News18

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday predicted that his party will sweep upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

The former Congress chief also mentioned his party’s success in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh where Congress formed governments winning majority in Assembly elections held earlier this year.

“Congress will win elections in all four states -Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana…Congress is not just a party, it is an ideology,” said the Wayanad MP while addressing a gathering in Ladakh’s Kargil.

In 2018, the Congress party won Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh when Rahul Gandhi was leading as the party president. However, Congress lost power in Madhya Pradesh after Jyotiraditya Scindia along with around two dozen party MLAs switched to the BJP in 2020.

In Telangana, which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the Congress has been losing its ground and has not been able to make an impact in state elections.

All four states- Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana- will go to polls later this year.

Rahul Gandhi reached Ladakh on August 17 and is currently on over week-long tour of the region, his first after the region was granted Union Territory status after being carved out from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.

On Saturday, Gandhi rode a motorcycle from Leh to Pangong Lake and stayed overnight to celebrate the birth anniversary of his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi the next day.

On his return from Nubra Valley on the motorcycle, Gandhi took pictures at Khardungla, the world’s highest motorable road at a height of 18,380 feet.

On his way to Lamayuru along the Leh-Kargil national highway, Gandhi stopped at the famous magnetic hill and had lunch at the famous Alchi Kitchen.

With inputs from News18

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By Sushil Kutty

In the rush of Chandrayaan-3 coated with the latent fear whether Vikram-Lander will do a Vikram-Vetaal and never complete its mission, the Opposition experiment, INDIA, appeared to have gotten clean out of mind with the INDIA constituents doing what each of them is adept at. So, Rahul Gandhi with wanderlust strong as ever, went to Ladakh and did more people-contact, which had been his wont since the Bharat Jodo Yatra took India by storm.

Rahul Gandhi cannot seem to get enough of the outdoors and be part of the madding crowd, jostling, mingling and losing himself in the reveries of millions upon millions. The question is have the millions come to trust Rahul Gandhi? Do they see more than competent leadership qualities in the Gandhi scion? The salt and pepper beard does tell a tale but to the discerning, Rahul Gandhi appears to be still taking lessons from a close clique of mentors, separate groups at home and abroad.

So if in India, there’s Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh, the ones who take charge of Rahul Gandhi on the international stage includes Sam Pitroda and certain others with marked liaison skills. The point being made is Rahul Gandhi comes out being lead instead of leading. The only grace is while abroad, he does appear to be on his own, speaking “his mind”.

At home though he often turns to senior Congress leaders flanking him to answer media questions. The Gandhi family scion is still protected and the Congress could do well for itself if Rahul Gandhi is given his head to use more often. There are fewer Rahul Gandhi faux pas and fewer Rahul Gandhi pauses nowadays. Otherwise, the pauses stretch for yawning awkward moments.

For the past few days Rahul Gandhi has been making waves in Ladakh riding his motorbike to Pangong Lake and questioning the Modi government’s handling of Chinese PLA incursions, asking why Prime Minister Narendra Modi clams up when questions about China are asked. For those who haven’t noticed, Rahul Gandhi has become an expert on China and a headache for the Modi regime.

In fact, if there is one Opposition leader who gets under EAM S. Jaishankar’s skin, it is Rahul Gandhi. The other day, Jaishankar was irritated and hot under the collar when asked about India losing “grazing land” in Ladakh to Chinese PLA incursions. “O, he’s a serial offender,” the External Affairs Minister snapped, very un-Jaishankarly.

The question is asked, is Rahul Gandhi campaigning for INDIA or is he on a lark – enjoying the outings? Do voters look at Rahul Gandhi as a serious leader, somebody who can lead INDIA to power in 2024? In the euphoria of achieving the elusive unity, most Congress favouring analysts and political observers are beginning to give Rahul Gandhi an aura of invincibility. In fact, the temptation to believe in Rahul Gandhi is getting stronger and stronger.

Perhaps a psychologist will be able to explain. Rahul Gandhi has come through several hoops in recent days including the Modi defamation drama played out in several filmic courts. The INDIA breakthrough came as part of a package deal for the Opposition. They say Kalyug is on its way out and very soon Satyayug will open its account. The Congress has already opened its account and Alliance INDIA is proof of the pudding.

INDIA is actually only one event old though people count Patna also that of INDIA. The Mumbai meeting will be the real second. It will be held in NCP heavyweight Sharad Pawar’s backyard. Some are saying INDIA is in a “state of flux” and the “unity” to take on Modi is still to seep in. That said, INDIA cannot escape its responsibility with excuses of INDIA parties have to “speak the same language”.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is a stumbling block. INDIA should put in a major effort to wean Kejriwal away from disruptive tendencies. And Rahul Gandhi should be seen taking part in the weaning effort. Going round and round hills and lakes on a motorcycle does not make a leader’s leader. Photo-ops with cute children and cuter moms also do not.

Rahul Gandhi isn’t doing anything himself to remove obstacles from INDIA’s path. The Congress has drawn up a west to east Bharat Jodo Yatra, from Gujarat to Meghalaya, a yatra on the lines of Rahul Gandhi’s Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra, for Rahul Gandhi. If and when this yatra gets moving, Rahul Gandhi will have to be more than just a ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’. He has to make an effort to talk like the ‘PM face’ of INDIA – Rahul Gandhi has one more chance to make a smooth landing. It will be his Chandrayaan moment. (IPA Service)

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As Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for South Africa to attend the BRICS Summit, sources say there is a possibility of a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Prime Minister will join the leaders of Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa at the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. This will be the first in-person BRICS summit after 2019. Over the last three years, meetings were held virtually because of COVID-19 pandemic.

On being asked about the possibility of a meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines , Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra yesterday said his schedule is “still being developed.” “We have a positive intent and an open mind when it comes to BRICS expansion,” Kwatra said.

If the bilateral meet between PM Modi and Xi Jinping takes place, it will be their first since the India-China border standoff began in May 2020. The two leaders had briefly met last year in November – at the G20 dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali.

As the Prime Minister left for the BRICS Summit early this morning, he said that it will provide a useful opportunity for its members to “identify future areas of cooperation”.  “We value that BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of concern for the entire Global South,” he said.

The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in an over three-year confrontation in certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement at several places following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

A fresh round of high-level talks between the two countries was held between the two countries earlier this month with a focus to resolve the remaining issues. A joint statement called the talks “positive, constructive and in-depth”.

Last month, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met top Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of a meeting of the BRICS nations in Johannesburg. Doval emphasised the importance of continuing efforts to fully resolve the situation and restore peace and tranquility in the border areas.

India-China ties deteriorated following a fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two countries in decades.

After a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

India has maintained that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

With inputs from NDTV

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Official Wrecker Movie Poster
Charlie Woods as Gothard
Detective Knight Runs For His Life
Bryan Brooks prepping the camera for the ending fight scene
Camelia Dee helping as assistant director

Bryan Brooks Utilizes Talent and Pure Grit to Compete With Large Studio Films This Summer Despite the Strikes and Controversies Plaguing Hollywood
The biggest challenge for independent filmmakers is coming up with original ideas that both entertain and connect with audience members, ideas that invite discussion on issues we believe are relevant.”— Bryan BrooksSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, August 11, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — (Por favor, desplácese hacia abajo para la versión en español)

Impacting the entertainment industry, Bryan Brooks has created an unprecedented production. Playing the role of writer, director, producer, editor, special effects artist, set designer and protagonist, Brooks makes his debut on the big screen with the film Wrecker (2022). This epic independent film endeavor tells the story of a construction worker named John Knox (Bryan Brooks) who joins forces with a sharp-shooting detective (Madrid Amora Mora) in search of John’s missing wife. During their search, the two unknowingly find themselves entangled in the sinister plan of a powerful cartel boss who is planning a citywide takeover. The cartel has administered a newly discovered drug to thousands of unwilling participants. The drug induces the brain into a zombie-like stage whilst enhancing the body with super human strength. The crime boss’ plan is to attack an American city with a horde of ‘zombies’ just before laying seige of the city by force. The malevolent cartel boss will soon discover that he has underestimated the tenacity of his new adversaries.

Independent filmmakers are known for their freedom of creativity and content. Due to their low budgets, most independent projects do not incorporate renowned actors nor directors, but instead rely on the sheer determination to impress their audiences. Thus, Brooks worked tirelessly for years in the creation of his film alongside longtime friends Madrid Amora-Mora, Brandon Hamilton, Charlie Woods and Tyrone Hutton. The result of all that hard work is a gritty, non-stop action movie with an 80s style that is every bit the quality and standard of a much larger budget Hollywood film.

“The biggest challenge for independent filmmakers is to come up with original ideas that both entertain and connect with audience members, ideas that invite discussion on the issues we believe are relevant,” says Bryan Brooks. “Breaking new ground and pushing boundaries with unique storylines and compelling ideas that engage audiences is how emerging talent gets noticed,” says Brandon Hamilton, the film’s Director of Photography.

Determined to show the world his abilities after years of hard work and great effort, Bryan Brooks is very pleased to have created what he calls the film he always wanted to see. “People are smart and need intellectual stimulation more than mundane stories and predictable endings, that’s where it pays to be an independent filmmaker. I just made the movie I always wanted to see. Wrecker (2022) is pure action, filled with crazy sets, funny situations , memorable characters, fantastic fight scenes, macho heroes, beautiful and powerful women and of course zombies! In short, Wrecker has it ALL!” Says Bryan Brooks.
The post-production of Wrecker (2022) concluded at the beginning of 2022 and shortly after it was released in the United States through the renowned Los Angeles based film distributor Indie Rights, who are very happy with the success the film is having. They are very excited to make the official launch in South America and especially in Colombia where part of the movie takes place.

Currently Wrecker (2022) is available around the world on YOUTUBE MOVIES with subtitles and will soon be dubbed into Spanish. The film is also available in Canada, USA, Mexico and the UK on TUBI and AMAZON PRIME VIDEO.

(En Español)

Impactando en la industria del entretenimiento, Bryan Brooks se suma en una producción sin precedentes. En el rol de escritor, director, productor, editor y protagonista, Bryan, hace su debut en la pantalla grande con su película Wrecker (2022) que relata la historia de un trabajador de la construcción en busca de su esposa desaparecida. Uniendo fuerzas con un detective para encontrarla, sin saberlo se ve envuelto en el siniestro plan del jefe de un cartel criminal que busca apoderarse de la ciudad. El malévolo jefe de cártel pronto descubrirá que ha subestimado la tenacidad de su nuevo adversario.

Los cineastas independientes, son conocidos por su libertad de creatividad y contenido. Debido a los bajos presupuestos, la mayoría de ellos no trabajan con actores ni directores de renombre, pero si con el determinación de impactar a la audiencia. De esta forma Brooks trabajó incansablemente durante años, junto al talento de Madrid Amora-Mora, Brandon Hamilton, Charlie Woods y Tyrone Hutton, para traer a la luz a “Wrecker”, una película de acción al estilo de los años 80 al nivel de Hollywood.

“El mayor reto de un filmmaker, es traer una idea original, que entretenga y conecte con la audiencia, cree controversia e invite a debatir sobre los temas que creemos relevantes” comenta Bryan Brooks.

“Romper esquemas y empujar los límites con historias únicas e ideas atractivas que atrapen a la audiencia es la forma en que se notan los talentos emergentes” Dice Brandon Hamilton, Director de fotografia del film.

Con la determinación de mostrarle al mundo sus habilidades y despúes de años de intenso trabajo y grandes esfuerzos Bryan Brooks esta muy satisfecho de haber creado lo que el llama su obra maestra. “La gente es inteligente y necesita estimulación intelectual, más que historias mundanas y finales predecibles, ahí es donde vale la pena ser cineasta independiente. Simplemente hice la pelicula que siempre quise ver. Wrecker (2022) es acción pura, escenarios locos, situaciones divertidas, personajes memorables, escenas de luchas fantasticas, heroes machos, mujeres hermosas y poderosas y por supuesto ¡zombies! En pocas palabras Wrecker lo tiene ¡TODO!” Dice Bryan Brooks.

La posproducción de “Wrecker” concluyó a principios del 2022 y poco después fue lanzada en los Estados Unidos a través la reconocida distribuidora de cine independiente INDIE RIGHTS, quienes están muy felices por el éxito que este film está teniendo. Están muy emocionados de hacer el lanzamiento oficial en Sur America y especialmente en Colombia en donde parte de la pelicula se desarrolla.

Actualmente “Wrecker” (2022) está disponible en YouTube Movies con subtitulos y proximamente doblada al español. Ver en TUBI y AMAZON PRIME VIDEO también.Bryan Petersen
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The article Small Town Independent Filmmaker Makes Waves With Worldwide Release of Zombie Film appeared first on Arabian Post.