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Tariff Wars: EFFECTS ON INDO-US TRADE, By Dhurjati Mukherjee, 9 April 2025 |
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Open Forum
New Delhi, 9 April
2025
Tariff
Wars
EFFECTS ON
INDO-US TRADE
By
Dhurjati Mukherjee
The US has announced 26
per cent across-the-board reciprocal tariffs on India but these are substantially
lower than most countries. It was 34 percent levied on China (effectively about
54 percent), 46 percent on Vietnam, 49 percent on Cambodia, and 37 percent on
Bangladesh. This gives India some comparative advantage though estimates
suggest around two-thirds of India’s exports to the United States will bear the
impact of the tariffs.
One may point out
here that the Trump administration does not club India with countries like
China, Mexico and Canada. “The US has serious issues with China, Mexico, and
Canada related to currency manipulations, illegal migration and other security
concerns. But with India it has only tariff issue and there are high
expectations that negotiations would start towards arriving at a broad tariff
structure.”
Experts feel that US
tariffs have created a somewhat chaotic environment and there isn’t a
consistent strategy visible. Countries at the receiving end of tariff firing
have already responded differently. There have been counter retaliatory
measures with say the European Union and Canada targeting US political
constituencies and daily consumption items to put back pressure through higher
domestic prices.
Retaliation has also
come from China, which has imposed a 34 percent tariff on all imports from the
US, which will match the so-called reciprocal tariffs on Chinese products,
besides rolling out a slew of export control measures. The US and China, the
two biggest economies in the world, have a lot of interdependence though the
balance is tilted in favour of China. Experts think that Trump’s sweeping
tariffs will have a significant effect – around 2 percentage points -- of the
GDP of the Chinese economy.
Regarding the farm
sector, agriculture will be hit with a decline projected in
dairy products and marine products like shrimp while rice exports remain
largely unaffected. There are reports of India reforming its MSP system for
rice and wheat though this may take sufficient time and lower tariffs on farm
products. In
this sector, India’s average tariff on US imports is 41.8 percent compared to
the US tariff of 3.8 percent on Indian imports, with India exporting $7.1
billion versus US exports of $1.6 billion.
The Gem & Jewellery
Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) stated that in the short run “we foresee a
reshaping of global supply chains and anticipate challenges in sustaining
India’s current export volume of $10 billion for the US market”. After the
steep tariff hike, the jewellery market does not look bright as there may be a
sharp decline in demand in the US market. It could also lead to job cuts in the
industry that depend largely on manual labour for diamond cutting, polishing
and making expensive jewellery. Out of the total $33 billion worth of gems and
jewellery exports from India, a third was to the US. However, metal exporters
heaved a sigh of relief as the US exempted steel and aluminum from additional
27 percent duty. Last month, it had imposed 25 percent tariff on these metals.
However, the textile
sector holds out promise as India is at a relative advantage compared with
countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. “India competes globally for textile
exports with countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and
China. Compared with around 26 percent tariff for Indian imports, these
countries have been hit harder by US tariffs”, according to EY India
sources. The US imports around $10 billion of textiles and clothing from
India and there is a possibility of securing further strategic advantage by
including textiles in potential “zero for zero” trade deal. Regarding auto
components, it will be subject to a 25 percent import tariff in the US and the
list of items is expected to be finalized shortly.
Exemption of
pharmaceuticals and semiconductor industries from the ambit of tariffs, at
least for the time being, has been of great help to Indian exporters. Indian
Pharmaceutical Alliance stated that this decision underscores the critical role
of cost-effective, life-saving generic medicines in public health. India
exported $8 billion of pharma products to the US in 2024, which accounted for
40 percent of the generic drugs consumed in the US and this is expected to
increase this year. This shows the popularity and acceptability of Indian
generic medicines, more so due to the present drug shortages in the US. Though
some believe that the pharma sector is not out of the woods and that a tariff
is expected to be imposed later, it will not be big enough and the
manufacturers and consumers will be in a position to share the burden and
India’s export to the US market will not be affected.
Similar patterns
exist in transport equipment (Indian tariff: 14.9 percent, US tariff: 0.9
percent). However, though not automobiles but auto
components are a serious matter as India exports are around $2.2 billion to the
US. Tariffs may affect exports of auto components, but the bigger worry is
whether US manufacturers may produce more locally and outprice imports. With
labour costs quite low in India – even after 25 percent tariffs – it remains to
be seen whether labour-intensive auto components would be cheaper than those
produced locally.
A section of experts is
of the opinion that reducing the trade surplus with the US may be by curbing
exports with high import content such as smartphones, solar panels, gold jewellery
and diamonds. These goods make up over $15 billion in exports but out of this
money, the country has to pay a lot of foreign exchange. It is expected that in
the coming years, indigenous electronic manufacturing would be boosted up to
become competitive in the global market.
There are
expectations that there could be a high-level trip to the US by the Union Finance
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sometime this month. The finance minister’s US
visit may build upon the on-going talks but may not be limited to trade and
tariff alone. India and the US are, no doubt, committed to strengthen their
overall economic relationship, both bilateral and multilateral, as strategic
partners.
The tariff has put an
extra burden on most Indian products to the US with marine products, dairy,
medical equipment, machinery and carpets being the hardest hit. Given that
these are all labour-intensive sectors, the government may evolve a strategy to
push them aggressively however, much depends on the proposed Indo-US Bilateral
Trade Agreement and, according to Niti Aayog’s experts, the final such treaty
will aim to enhance the potential gains during the next five years or so. Some
expect that the agreement may facilitate the possibility of increasing Indo-US
trade in the coming years and may strengthen the Indian economy.
Meanwhile, the tariff
war will drag down global investments and growth. The OECD has cut down its
growth projections, noting that trade disruption will take a significant toll
on the global economy, which is expected to slow down this year. Even the WTO
has forecast that world trade will shrink as a result of these tariffs while
the IMF has termed it sluggish. Obviously, the question before most analysts
the world over is whether Trump wants to destroy the global economic order. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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Executing Operation Sindoor: A VERITABLE PAUSE, By Prof. D.K. Giri, 16 May 2025 |
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Round The World
New
Delhi, 16 May 2025
Executing
Operation Sindoor
A Veritable Pause
By
Prof (Dr) DK Giri
(Professor
of Practice, NIIS Group of Institutions)
In a powerful speech Prime
Minister Narendra Modi delivered some hard messages to Pakistan, and by
extension, to the world. He said, "If ever there is a dialogue with
Pakistan, it will be only on terrorism and PoK". That is a formidable
strategic step. So far, India's Pakistan policy has been defensive, asserting
the integration of the Indian part of Kashmir, not the whole of Kashmir,
meaning reclaiming PoK.
The second message is that
"blood and water cannot flow together". Unless Pakistan explicitly
delinks from terrorism networks existing in its soil, India should keep the
Indus Water Treaty suspended. This is a bold step, especially as it was signed
in 1960 by the World Bank etc. The treaty has not been disturbed ever since.
For India to take that step is a big departure from history. It is commendable.
The third signal to the
world is that Operation Sindoor is not called off; it is just halted, a
calculated pause. Pakistan should not assume that it is all over.In the past,
India was to absorb the shocks, public anger, and the bloodshed caused by
terrorists, in Mumbai, Uri, Pulwama, but no more. The Prime Minister has made
it amply clear that terrorists and their handlers will be chased, hunted down
and punished. India would retaliate. Remember the foreign policy formulation,
any act of terrorism will be construed as an act of war. The messages could not
be stronger. The taste of the pudding is in eating. So what matters is the
execution of the intent. The action part also is demonstrated through Operation
Sindoor.
Let us talk a bit about the
issues being debated before and after the 7th May, the date Operation Sindoor
was launched hitting 9 terrorist targets inside Pakistan.One strategic issue is
whether Operation Sindoor was inevitable, if there was no
other option. I have written in detail about this point in my previous pieces
in this column that it could not be avoided. It was necessary to dismantle the
terror network. Although they have not been done completely, a beginning has
been made and Islamabad is expected to finish it. In case, it does not, New
Delhi will have to clean it up by appropriate means.
The second issue is if India
should have gone for the ceasefire. That is debatable. Nehru made a mistake by
stopping the advancing army that was beating back the tribal intruders in
Kashmir in 1947. Strategists argue that Modi repeated the mistake by accepting
the ceasefire without liberating PoK etc. Well, the nature of military
confrontation has drastically changed since 1947. Like former General Navarene
said the war is not like a Bollywood movie, there are deaths and destruction on
both sides. So ceasefire if it was asked for by Pakistan should have been
accepted. Pakistan is crumbling under the weight of its own internal
contradictions. It can perish as a viable state even without a war with India.
India should ensure that Pakistan is no longer sponsoring terrorism into India.
New Delhi is fully conscious of ramping up
pressure on Pakistan. The Prime
Minister has assured the country on this. This is the beginning of the end
terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The third issue is the lack of international
support for India whereas Pakistan got it from China, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.
This is not new. Their collusion has been on the card for a long time.
But there is a point in this
argument. Except Israel, no country in the world has openly and actively come
out in support of India. That perhaps is because India prefers to remain
neutral, non-aligned or multi- aligned. India therefore has no friends on
board. This again has been argued in my articles where I suggest that you
should reach out to partners and recognise friends. The Foreign Minister had
said, India needs partners, not preachers. The same can be said about India.
Many countries want India as a partner, not a moral preacher.
Another point that is
heavily debated is who won the limited battle that lasted some 3 days unlike
those in Ukraine and Gaza which have been in since 3 years. Again, the
comparison may not be as authentic as India and Pakistan are both nuclear
powers.At any rate, both countries know deep inside the extent of their loss
and vulnerability.
A word about the role of the
media, especially the electronic media, the TV. Less said the better about the
media. They have shamed themselves by spreading lies and damn lies to
sensationalise India' reaction and Pakistan's counter action etc. The
action-reaction continuum was lost on the media. In future, none expects the
media to report with responsibility and accountability.
Can Pakistan take advantage
the ceasefire and regroup to attack again. But New Delhi should remain ever
vigilant and willing to retaliate. Eternal vigilance against Pakistan is the
price of the security of Indian citizens.---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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Democracy &Disruption: SITUATING ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’, By Prof (Dr) DK Giri, 9 May 2025 |
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Round
The World
New Delhi, 9 May 2025
Democracy &Disruption
SITUATING ‘OPERATION
SINDOOR’
By Prof (Dr) DK Giri
(Professor of
Practice, NIIS Group of Institutions)
The last week has been eventful in global
geopolitics in terms of both democracy and disruption playing out as
simultaneous processes. Democracy is vindicated in two peaceful elections held
in Canada and Australia. And the political culture of disruption demonstrated
in the war between India and Pakistan, in addition to bloody wars raging in
Gaza and Ukraine for the last three years. In this piece, my attempt is to
decipher the dynamics between democracy and disruption while admitting that
some disruption is creative and necessary. But here, disruption is meant to be
a destabilizing and devastating political process.
Take the case of democracy which is the
preferred political system for many countries except the authoritarian
autocracies like Russia, China, North Korea and religious monarchies like those
in the Middle East and military dictatorships like Myanmar. Even in those
countries, if people were allowed to exercise their free will, they would go
for democracy.
With all the deficits in democracy, it is the
best form as people have freedom of expression, belief and association etc.
Economic growth and per capita income could be a greater incentive for people
as in China. But the China story is unique, impractical and unworthy of
emulation. Democracy and development do go together as evidenced in the
countries of the West.
The elections in Canada and Australia are
testimony to strengths of democracy that help the smooth transition of power
and accommodation of multiple diversities. Canadian politics could be
competitive and potentially violent in view of the presence of an ethnic party
that supports violent methods in carving out a religious state in India. This
element of Canadian politics perils its bilateral relations with India.
But the good news is that democratic politics
embraced closely by Canada conduces the change of leadership in a party and
parties in government. The new leader in Canada Mark Carney will be different
from Justin Trudeau who targeted India for his own political survival. Thus, the advent of new political leaders and
parties leads to changes in bilateralism and the geopolitical strategies of a
particular country.
Again, talking about the impact of democracy
and disruption in the Ukraine war is stark.
The long reign of Putin in Russia has followed a pattern of Russian
engagement with its neighbours. That is to reclaim the Russian sphere of
influence by cowing down the neighbours and even by militarily invading as is
the current case in Ukraine. There has been no respite from this aggressive
approach in the absence of a genuine democracy in Russian politics that would
have allowed a ‘change of guard’ in the Kremlin.
On the other hand, observe the impact of
change of leadership in the USA on the war in Ukraine. Joe Biden would have
continued to stoke the war. But Donald Trump’s ‘second coming’ to the
presidency seems to have a dramatic effect. Although Trump could not end the
war in a day or a month as he claimed during his election campaign, he would
not actively aid its continuation.
A solid mechanism of democracy is dialogue.
In international interaction, it is called diplomacy. India as the largest
democracy has been the leading proponent of dialogue and diplomacy. Remember Prime
Minister Narendra Modi urging the Russian President Vladmir Putin, “Your
Excellency, it is not the time of war”. The whole world acknowledged Modi’sabjurement
of war and advocacy of peace. On the other hand, his remark attributed the
ongoing war in Ukraine to failure of diplomacy and dialogue embedded in a
democracy.
Today, at the time of writing, the Modi
government ordered air strikes at nine targets in Pakistan, both in Pakistan
Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and in the mainland. Although New Delhi claimed it has
focused the bombing on terrorist infrastructures, forcibly entering into
Pakistan territory amounts to a declaration of war. Pakistan has vowed to
retaliate and has intensified the shelling at the Line of Control (LoC). India’s
military operation is called ‘Operation Sindoor’.
The nomenclature of the strikes has emotional
and cultural connotations. Sindoor (vermillion) on the forehead of Hindu Indian
women signifies their protection by their husbands or brothers although the
latter aretied rakhis (a piece of string) by their sisters for a similar
purpose. The terrorists at Pahalgam singled out the men and shot them in front
of their wives. This is to avenge their murders.Good choice for the code name
of the special military operation.
The question is, could this disruption of
peace and normalcy be avoided. Did Narendra Modi have to eat the humble pie by
going to war against Pakistan in the light of his suggestion to Putin?
Observers and experts would argue on both sides. Some would say it was possible
to corner and coerce Islamabad through subtle as well as aggressive diplomacy.
Others would argue, diplomatic pressure does not move Pakistan to delink
terrorism and foreign policy objectives. India had no alternative to military
retaliation.
I tend to hew to the second formulation that
endorses the military option at present. The diplomatic route would have been
viable if New Delhi embarked on it long ago and persisted with it while
creating favourable conditions to support the journey. The democratic world
including India has made that mistake. The dialogue ship has sailed. The world
needs to rethink seriously and arrest the democratic backslide and refocus on
its retrieval and expansion.
Democracy will sustain when it is spread
across the world. Because a democratic country can hardly negotiate or dialogue
with a non-democratic leadership. Also, there are multiple points of contact in
a democracy. The democracy fosters dialogue with another democracy. If it is an
autocracy, the fate a country hinges on the whims of its leader. The West has
made a big mistake by building the Chinese economy. Now Beijing poses a
systemic threat to the West,sothey say. A big lesson to learn.
It is time to prioritise democracy over even
economic growth.Even a stable economy can be badly disrupted by wars. A lot of
world resources are wasted on armaments and preventing violent extremism.
India should focus on consolidating its own
democracy which inspires the neighbours to emulate it. Also, a democratic South
Asia would be more conducive to peace and security than a richer region with
authoritarian politics stalking it. Major world powers like the USA did take
some initiative to deepen democracies. Biden had called a world democracy
conference. But the initiative was not sustained. Americans seem to lurch back
to trade nationalism and political isolationism.
‘Operation Sindoor’ is now an unavoidable
strategy. But this should be replaced sooner than later by a push for stable
democracies in the region. This would open the doors to diplomacy and dialogue
for peace, harmony and security in place of death, destruction and disruption.---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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Pahalgam & Pakistan: CONNECTING THE DOTS, By Prof(Dr) D.K. Giri, 2 May 2025 |
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Round
The World
New Delhi, 2 May 2025
Pahalgam &
Pakistan
CONNECTING THE DOTS
By Prof(Dr) D.K. Giri
(Professor of
Practice, NIIS Group of Institutions)
In a conference in Hyderabad on
24 and 25 April, I was asked by a fellow academic from Japan, if India was
going to retaliate against Pakistan. I asked her a counter-question if
some innocent tourists were killed anywhere in Japan by terrorists, what
would have Tokyo done? She was evasive. But she seemed to persuade
me that New Delhi should not take military action against Pakistan. That apart,
to attack or not attack is the question I wouldlike to evaluate here.
The issue of military
confrontation is engaging the thinking of the Indian strategists, observers,
onlookers and world leaders. The last segment of stakeholders is concerned
mainly because of the perilous prospect of use of nuclear weapons possessed by
both countries. Let us evaluate this option or threat already issued by
Pakistani media and leadership.
Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki
episodes, nukes have not been used by any country for over seven decades. Use
of nukes spells disasters for the entire world including those who unleash it.
So, nukes were conceived as deterrents, not for actual use in years. Now, since
the applicability of nukes is the remotest, even the deterrent effect is
minimal. But one cannot rule it out by megalomaniacs, autocrats, rogue states
and suicidal and self-destructive forces. One could rely on the collective
wisdom of the world leadership, at least in their self-interest, to prevail
upon the nuclear powers to desist from its use. If, in this case, the world
leaders fail to prevent their client states, and allies, may God save this
planet.
That said, what should New Delhi
do? Should it take on Pakistan! But let us refine this formulation and make it
politically correct. That is, India is not declaring a war on Pakistan. India
has never invaded any country. The Prime Minister had urged the Russian
president that he should negotiate with Ukraine as it is not the age of war.
What he meant was that there are other options and organisations that can help
resolve conflicts without resorting to war. At the same time, he supported the
right of Israelis to protect their citizens even if it meant going after Hamas
wherever they are and destroying their terrorist infrastructure. This is the
fate and option that have befallen India.
Many may contest the parallel
between the 22 April massacre at Pahalgam and 7 October mayhem by
Hamas in Israel. It is just because of the history of the
controversial conflict between Israel and Palestine. But if you look only at
these two pathetic events, the action-reaction continuum in both cases is
comparable. New Delhi has the right and legitimacy to hunt down the terrorist manufacturing
agencies and infrastructure in Pakistan. Pahalgam is not one-off incident,
there has been a history of Pakistan sponsoring terrorism in India. Not only
that, Pakistan is also the terrorist hub of the world. Former President General
Musharraf had openly admitted that numerous terrorists of all shades
operate from Pakistan. Osama bin Laden was sheltered there.
Unless the Pakistani army
dismantles the terrorist infrastructure and transparently delinks from
terrorism, Pakistan is a target. India has been impressing upon the world that
Pakistan should be pressed to stop breeding and harbouring terrorists.
But the world leadership has not responded as they should have asked
no country could be immune to this menace. On the contrary, vested interests
like China have shielded Pakistan and its terrorists.
So, what should New Delhi do? It
has to do the cleaning up on its own. Israel did not wait for World support
before it went after Hamas. Why should New Delhi wait? Yes, we have a big
adversarial neighbour, China who is building up Islamabad to needle India. It
is an open secret. But China dare not support Pakistan in a war situation.
Beijing is too shrewd to that. Also,Beijing is capable of betraying
anyone. Unlike the USA, China's strength is its world economy
role not military. It did not support Russia, its for-ever-friend.
New Delhi will have to take on
Pakistan at all fronts including military to cut off its tentacles tainted with
hatred, deviousness and terrorism. New Delhi need not work hard to prove that
Pahalgam bloodshed was engineered by Pakistan.
On the other hand, the nasty
narrative propagated by Pakistan is that it is the handiwork of the BJP
government to consolidate Hindu votes. It is a travesty. But if the BJP
government does not take retaliatory action, the allegation may stick,
especially when some Indians also have attributed it to a electoral strategy.
Finally, India sits on a high
moral ground, uses an ethical compass to navigate in global geopolitics. That
will still be intact if it goes after terrorists who spill innocent blood. So,
it is time the elephant shows its wild side to terrorism.
Having said that, like Lord
Krishna advised in Mahabharata, that the war should be the last resort. One
should try all avenues prior to lifting the gun. India's immediate purpose is
to get Pakistan to agree to stop sending terrorists to Indian soil and then
consistently denying its hand. Why Islamabad is not clamping down on terrorist
outfits. So, if New Delhi can force Pakistani hand to withdraw from terrorism,
and violating the ceasefire, and to forgo adventurism like Kargil, then
military action may not be necessary.
The war cry in the country as "yudhamDehi
(we want war) is emanating from exasperation and frustration with the Pakistani
army and the government. The Indian public is more understanding and
accommodative. This agitation will subside if Pakistan is brought around.
Pakistan should be made to forget Kashmir and return POK. This is indeed a big
ask. But this is the only way to peace and
stability in the region.
Admittedly, Pakistan will not
give away POK. And Pakistan does not exist without lighting and stoking the
fire in Kashmir. Pakistani leadership vows 5000 years of conflict with India on
Kashmir. So, India is back to square one. Make diplomatic moves to counter and
isolate Pakistan. Tried, tested and exhausted. There will always be leaders
like Xi Jinping and Erdogan who will prop up a failed state like Pakistan. So,
India has to carry its own cross. Cowing down Pakistan to stop its nefarious
actions against India is New Delhi's call. It is the call of
Atmanirbhar Bharat.---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
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Pahalgam Massacre: NEW DELHI MOBILISING WORLD!, By Dr DK Giri, 25 April 2025 |
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Round The World
New
Delhi, 25 April 2025
Pahalgam Massacre
NEW DELHI MOBILISING WORLD!
By Dr DK Giri
(Professor of Practice, NIIS Group of Institutions)
The cold blooded murder of innocent tourists in
Pahalgam has shocked not only India but the whole world. World powers have
swiftly reacted to the dastardly attack by the terrorist camouflaged as Indian
army personnel. Apparently the spot chosen by the assailants was not patrolled
by the army or the paramilitary. No doubt, irrespective of the absence of
security personnel, the ambush of unsuspecting tourists indicates the failure
of intelligence. There are complaints of other lapses that laid to this bloodshed.
Those issues can be debated and investigated later. The important question to
ask and watch is how Indian government is reacting to this incident.
At the time of writing the death count is 28 and quite
a few others injured and in critical condition among the dead were two defense
persons and two foreigners: One from Nepal and another from UAE. It is not the
number of casualties but the manner of the cruelty that has shaken the
conscience of the humanity across the world. The terrorists called out the tourists
from their tents ask them to identify their religion if they were to ascertain
if they were Hindus, and then they shot the victims point blank. A lady begged
to be killed as her husband was shot in her presence. She was spared her life
and was advised to report the killing to Prime Minister Modi. A local pony man
lunged at a terrorist to save a tourist and paid with his life. Such pathetic,
humanistic as well as gory details of the massacre are gradually emerging in
the public domain.
The terrorist attack is clearly the handiwork of
Pakistani terror network. Whether, the imminent attack waslost on
theintelligence of the government is another point of debate.Observers point
out that Pakistan’s ruling establishment had blamed India for aiding and abetting
Baloch Liberation Army in hijacking of a local train in Baluchistan and murder
of hundreds of hostages on March 11 this year. India had flatly denied any
involvement in that terrorist act.
Pakistan had rejected the denial and the Pakistani army had sworn
revenge. The other conjecture is about the strategic timing of the attack which
coincided with the visit of American Vice President J.D. Vance. Although Vance
is on a partly personal visit, he is outspoken on international affairs;
therefore it was done during his presence on Indian soil in order to draw
international attention.
Third, the choice of the spot for the attack; Pahalgam
is a major tourist attraction. It is reported that there were more than two
thousand tourists camping in that area on that fateful day of the tragedy. For
some reason, there was not a single member of State Armed Forces – Army,
Para-Military or even the local police – at the Baisaran meadow which is just
five kms from Pahalgam town and a designated tourist spot.
Be that as it may, innocent lives have been lost. The
government’s claim of making the valley of Kashmir free of terrorism also got
busted. So the government as well as the people are raring to go after the
terrorists wherever they may be hiding. The public anger will force the
government and the army to take some drastic action to bring the culprits to
the book.
The larger question is, what should India do to
eliminate sporadic, unanticipated and inhuman attacks by the terrorists coming
from across the border? The second related question is, how does India destroy
the military-cum-militant machine that manufactures thousands of terrorists
every year? Indian Army captures or kills some terrorists and more are sent by
Pakistan. This ghastly cycle will continue until the terrorist bases in
Pakistan are destroyed. It should be like the IDF (Israel) going after Hamas
terror network and infrastructure. It may not be an overstatement to say that
the killing of 22 April is compared to that of the 7 October attack on innocent
Jews of Israel.
The sympathy and support from world powers have been
pouring in. Again some observers suggest that America will take the terrorists
out of Pakistan. That is at best a wishful thinking. India has to protect its
own citizens. Once New Delhi begins to do so, the other friendly countries will
support.
New Delhi has
to follow a two-pronged strategy. One, to mobilise diplomatic support for a
decisive attack on the terrorist hideouts and bases in Pakistan. New Delhi has
initiated certain non-military steps like declaring the Pakistani High
Commissioner non-grata, cancelling the Indus Water Treaty that will choke
Pakistan without water and openly declaring that it will not stop at anything
short of stoppage of supply of terrorists from Pakistan.
India is a democracy. Citizens, military officers, and
strategic experts have started debating if an all-out military intervention
into Pakistani territory would be a prudent step. That is not for non-military
persons who are not at the helm to suggest any concrete action. It is not a
calculation whether India will succeed in weeding out terrorists from Pakistan.
It is unavoidable for India to go in search of the terrorists. Pakistan should
cooperate with India to get them. Given Pakistan’s deceptive behavior, it is
too much to expect that Islamabad will transparently extend a hand to India.
Remember, Pakistan was sheltering Osama Bin Laden in its full knowledge while
the Americans were desperately hunting for him.
Whatever the nature of response, it has to be decisive
in the sense that terrorism in Indian soil becomes a thing of the past. It is
so worrying that, as a nation, when things tend to become normal people begin to live in relative peace
and security Pakistan throws a spanner
by sponsoring terrorist activities like those in Mumbai, Uri, Pathankot,
Pulwama and Pahalgam. This is intolerable by any human or political standard.
New Delhi has been mobilizing the world relentlessly against terrorism by
raising it in any international forum. Yet, the scourge of terrorism does not
stop inflicting India. But, not just India many other countries in the world
have been victims of this heinous act of terrorism.
The world should rally together to fight this evil. New
Delhi has been advocating against terrorism. Now it is time it should lead in
action as well. If the countries, the peace-loving ones, do not support India,
the bell may toll for them. It is an international menace. It has to be fought
collectively. Let India give this message loud and clear through diplomacy as
well as forceful action whenever necessary. The time has come to do that now.---INFA
(Copyright, India News &
Feature Alliance)
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India-Bangladesh Ties: NO SIGN OF REVIVAL, Prof (Dr) DK Giri, 18 April 2025
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Global Trade War: INDIA’S RESPONSE, By Prof. DK Giri, 11 April 2025
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Op Sindoor: Pak Badnam Hua: DARLINGS, KIS KE LIYE!, By Poonam I Kaushish, 13 May 2025
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Kamandal = Mandal 2.0: NOT WHO, BUT WHAT, By Poonam I Kaushish, 6 May 2025
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