17 killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia city
The President also announced that he held a meeting on energy and communications issues earlier on Wednesday….reports Asian Lite News
Kiev, Dec 1 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that about 6 million households across the war-torn nation are without electricity as a result of Russian strikes hitting critical power infrastructure.
He made the remarks in his nightly address to the nation on Wednesday evening.
“Energy workers and utility workers, all our services are doing everything to stabilise the system and give people more energy for longer… It is very important that people understand when and for what period of time they will be left without electricity,” the President said.
Besides Kiev, some of the other affected regions are Vinnytsia, Lviv, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi and Cherkasy.
“People have a right to know. And to the extent that it is possible now, the predictability of life should be ensured. People see that in neighbouring houses or on nearby streets, for some reason, the rules regarding light are different. And there should be justice and clarity,” Zelensky added.
The President also announced that he held a meeting on energy and communications issues earlier on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.(photo: https://www.instagram.com/zelenskiy_official/)
“We record the results of what has already been done to protect our systems. We are preparing new solutions. We are also preparing new solutions to prevent any opportunity for Russia to manipulate the internal life of Ukraine. We will provide details in due time,” he added.
The latest large-scale Russian missile attack on November 23 resulted in temporary power outages at all nuclear power plants and most thermal and hydroelectric power plants, while power transmission facilities were also damaged.
Due to the widespread power outage, water and heat supply to households was also interrupted.
The continued Russian attacks have damaged almost half of Ukraine’s energy system and millions of people are without power as temperatures drop for winter.
Earlier, in 2020, Taranjit Singh Sandhu took charge as the new Indian Ambassador to the United States from his predecessor Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who is now G20 chief coordinator….reports Asian Lite News
The tenure of India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has been extended for a year till January 31, 2024. Earlier, he was due to retire in January 2023.
A notification published in the Gazette of India on November 28 states, “The President of India is pleased to re-employ Taranjit Singh Sandhu (IFS:1988), an officer of Grade 1 of IFS, as Ambassador of India to the United States of America, for a period of 01 year with effect from 01.02.2023 to 31.01.2024 or until further orders.”
Sandhu, an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1988 batch, has served in Washington DC thrice – as a young political officer handling the Congress between 1997 and 2000, as the deputy chief of mission between 2013 and 2017, and then as ambassador from early 2020.
Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu
US biz body welcomes decision
After the Indian government extended Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu’s tenure, a US-based business advocacy group, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) welcomed the decision and said that this would help in shepherding the relationship to new heights.
Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of USISPF, said, “I congratulate Ambassador Sandhu on his extension till 2024. Apart from being a veteran of US-India relations, I am proud to say Ambassador Sandhu has also been a dear friend of USISPF and an exceptional asset to the US-India partnership, shepherding this relationship to new heights.” “He has seen the evolution of the strategic partnership through his multiple years of experience in the US, from his earlier years in the foreign service in the late 90s to his stint as DCM and now as Ambassador in Washington. Ambassador Sandhu brings unparalleled expertise and experience in his interactions with both the legislature and executive branches of the US government. His extension will help consolidate US-India relations and take it to new heights,” he added.
Earlier, in 2020, Taranjit Singh Sandhu took charge as the new Indian Ambassador to the United States from his predecessor Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who is now G20 chief coordinator.
Sandhu was, earlier, the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka. He previously served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India in Washington DC from 2013 to 2017. The Ambassador had also previously served in the Indian mission in DC between 1997 to 2000 and is generally believed to be a familiar face in the Washington DC circle.
Official sources also told ANI that Sandhu’s appointment will be announced ‘soon’ in light of the possibility that US President Donald Trump is likely to visit India on a standalone visit towards the end of February.
The official also said that the procedures of the new appointee are also underway in Washington DC. (IANS/ANI)
During the course of this year’s presidency, India will host 200 meetings across the nations in over 50 cities and in 32 different sectors…reports Asian Lite News
India is all set to assume the presidency of the G-20 grouping, the premier forum for international economic cooperation, on Thursday.
On the occasion, 100 monuments including UNESCO world heritage sites bearing the G-20 logo will be illuminated for seven days from December 1 to 7 including Srinagar’s Shankaracharya temple to Delhi’s Red Fort to Thanjavur’s Great living Chola temple. Humayun’s Tomb and Purana Quila in Delhi to Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat, and Konark Sun Temple in Odisha to Sher Shah Suri’s Tomb in Bihar, are in the list of these 100 sites.
During the course of this year’s presidency, India will host 200 meetings across the nations in over 50 cities and in 32 different sectors.
For next year’s Summit, India’s objectives include the supply of affordable technology for sustainable environmental development, highlighting the digital transformation of the country.
The G-20 was founded back in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis as a forum for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss global economic and financial issues.
The Group of Twenty (G-20) comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States) and the European Union. The G-20 members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
The group’s focusses on policy coordination between its members in order to achieve global economic stability, sustainable growth; to promote financial regulations that reduce risks and prevent future financial crises and to create a new international financial architecture.
India will host the G-20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi on September 9 and 10 in 2023 under its Presidency, said the Ministry of External Affairs press release.
As per the sources, the meetings will take place in less explored parts of the country at very exotic locations of India.
— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) November 30, 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision is to connect all districts and blocks with G-20 so that the message will reach to masses through Jan Bhagidari initiatives.
“Jan Bhagidari” refers to the participation of people in governance at the local level. The government of any country can stand on its feet only when the people of the nation consider themselves to be indispensable organs of it. Hence the involvement of people in governance at all levels is of utmost importance.
During the G-20 presidency, India will kick off with celebrations at the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland. Recently, G-20 Chief Coordinator, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, discussed the opportunities to showcase the festival with Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphu Rio, reported The Border Lens.
In adherence to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recommendation to not limit G-20 to major urban cities and to use the opportunity to display India’s rich and diverse cultural landscape, Shringla is reaching out to various states to identify opportunities to showcase the country’s cultural heritage through G-20 events. “India’s G-20 is an opportunity for the state of Nagaland to showcase its cultural diversity, uniqueness, and tourism potential,” Shringla said.
Previously, for the year 2021, Indonesia officially handled the G-20 presidency. Before India assume the G-20 presidency, the G-20 Indonesia took Twitter and said, “The #G20BaliSummit marks the conclusion of the 2022 #G-20Indonesia Presidency. India will serve as the next holder of the G20 Presidency. G20 will continue to move forward to realize a global recovery as well as strong and inclusive growth under India’s G20 Presidency.”
The website G20.org has changed for India and it now reads ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,’ One Earth. One Family. One Future. Meanwhile, the username of Twitter is still G-20 Indonesia which will soon change with India’s presidency.
India to formally take over G-20 Presidency tomorrow; 100 monuments to be illuminated with #G20 logo.
Theme honours our tradition and culture of warmth, peace, and inclusivity epitomized in 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' – One Earth, One Family, One Future. #G20India@g20orgpic.twitter.com/lbeaYMNPPm
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the logo, theme and website of India’s G-20 Presidency via video conferencing. The lotus in the logo symbolises India’s ancient heritage, faith and thought.
The Philosophy of Adwait, the Prime Minister said, emphasises the oneness of all creatures and this philosophy will be a medium of resolution of today’s conflicts.
This logo and theme represent many key messages from India. “Message of Buddha for freedom from war, Mahatma Gandhi’s solutions in the face of violence, through G-20, India is giving them a new height”, he said.
The Prime Minister remarked that India’s G-20 presidency is coming at a time of crisis and chaos. He said that the world is dealing with the aftereffects of a disruptive once-in-a-century global pandemic, conflicts, and economic uncertainty. (ANI)
The company aims to expand to 30 more cities by the end of this year, reading to customers in over 100 cities…reports Asian Lite News
Re-commerce marketplace Cashify on Wednesday announced to launch 250 physical stores by March next year, with an aim to reach 120 per cent annual growth.
The company aims to expand to 30 more cities by the end of this year, reading to customers in over 100 cities.
After opening its 100th store in March, Cashify registered 70 per cent growth within a short span of eight months. Currently, the company has 170 stores in over 77 cities.
“In the last couple of years, we have witnessed multifold growth in terms of expansion, consumer reach and marketing. We are at the forefront of the organised refurbished sector in India,” said Alok Shukla, VP-Retail at Cashify.
The company claims a footfall of around 2 lakh people per month for services such as phone repair, purchasing refurbished phones, selling old phones and buying accessories for their devices.
“With the company’s 40 per cent of business being driven through online channels and 60 per cent focusing on their offline retail stores, we will soon convert their stores into exclusive experience centres,” said Shukla.
Cashify started with a team of three in 2013 and has expanded to more than 15,000 serviceable locations in a span of nine years, with over 40 lakh customers to date.
In June, the company secured $90 million in its Series E funding from NewQuest Capital Partners and Prosus.
The funds will be utilised towards strengthening the team, building technology infrastructure and enhancing marketing efforts on branding, the company said in a statement.
Existing investors Bessemer, Blume Ventures and Olympus Capital invested in this round, with participation from new investor, Paramark Ventures.
“We look forward to stepping up our presence and offerings for our valued customers in India and fulfilling our broader goal of integrating the circular economy,” said Mandeep Manocha, Founder and CEO of Cashify.
Apart from smartphone buyback, Cashify has become a smartphone-centric brand with comprehensive mobile care at users’ doorsteps.
Cashify has more than 40 lakh customers and is a buyback partner for brands like Apple, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Vivo, Oppo, HP, Samsung and Dell in India.
“While there is a large opportunity set in the re-commerce space, Cashify has a clear edge as a category leader with its focus on customer experience and its data and tech-first approach,” said Amit Gupta, Partner and Head of India and Southeast Asia, NewQuest.
Hangzhou, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- File photo shows the logo of Alibaba Group in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong/IANS)
Zomato’s share price has fallen over 55 per cent this year, amid senior level exits and job cuts….reports Asian Lite News
Chinese behemoth Alibaba is set to sell its shares worth $200 million in Zomato via a block deal on Wednesday, the media reported.
According to CNBC Awaaz, citing sources, Ant Financial and Alipay would bring down their stake in the Deepinder Goyal-run food delivery unicorn to about 10 per cent from the current 13 per cent.
“The block deal is said to happen at a discount of about 5-6 per cent,” said the report.
Zomato refused to comment when contacted by IANS.
Zomato’s share price has fallen over 55 per cent this year, amid senior level exits and job cuts.
In August this year, top VC firm Sequoia Capital India had sold 17.2 crore shares of Zomato in two tranches in the open market, lowering down its stake in the online food aggregator to 4.4 per cent from the earlier 6.41 per cent.
Sequoia Capital India joined a list of private market investors like Delivery Hero, Moore Strategic Ventures, and Tiger Global, which have sold their shares in Zomato in the past months, either in open market or via block deals, as the online food delivery platform’s stock gets hammered.
In the same month, ride-hailing platform Uber sold its 7.8 per cent stake worth over $390 million in Zomato.
In a statement to IANS, Zomato had said, “We are a public company and are not privy to what our shareholders are doing with their shares.”
Zomato stock on Tuesday closed 1.63 per cent down at Rs 63.35.
Zomato’s consolidated net loss decreased to Rs 251 crore for the September quarter, against Rs 430 crore in net loss in the same quarter last year.
The revenue went up to Rs 1,661 crore against Rs 1,024 crore in the year-ago period, a significant 62.2 per cent jump, the company said in a statement.
“This is the first quarter where we have crossed the billion dollar annualised revenue mark (at $1.05 billion),” said Zomato.
Acquisition of Blinkit (quick commerce) closed on August 10.
“Hence, this quarter includes 50 days of Blinkit financials consolidated into our overall financials,” said the company.
Blinkit’s Gross Order Value (GOV) grew 26 per cent quarter-on-quarter to Rs 14.82 billion while the revenue grew 44 per cent quarter-on-quarter.
The company will also hire from streams such as mathematics and computing and software engineering…reports Asian Lite News
Samsung on Wednesday said it plans to hire nearly 1,000 engineers from IITs and top engineering institutes to work on cutting-edge technologies at its R&D institutes across India, at a time when Big Tech companies lay off thousands of employees across the globe.
The new workforce will join Samsung R&D Institute-Bangalore (SRI-B), Samsung R&D Institute-Noida, Samsung R&D Institute-Delhi and Samsung Semiconductor India Research in Bengaluru next year.
The new hires will work on new-age technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, image processing, internet of things (IoT), connectivity, cloud, big data, business intelligence, predictive analysis, system-on-a-chip (SoC) and storage solutions, among others.
“Samsung’s R&D centres aim to hire new talent from India’s top engineering institutes who will work on breakthrough innovations, technologies, products and designs, including India-centric innovations, that enrich people’s lives. This will further our vision of Powering Digital India,” said Sameer Wadhawan, Head, Human Resources, Samsung India.
Samsung will recruit engineers from multiple streams such as computer science and allied branches. information technology, electronics, instrumentation, embedded systems and communication networks.
In addition, the company will also hire from streams such as mathematics and computing and software engineering.
This hiring season, Samsung R&D centres will hire around 200 engineers from top IITs. They have also offered over 400 pre-placement offers to students at the IITs and other top institutions.
Samsung research centres in India have filed over 7,500 patents in various areas to date.
Several of these patents have been commercialised in Samsung flagship Galaxy smartphones, smartwatches, network equipment and digital applications, among others.
Meanwhile, tech giant Samsung is reportedly planning to launch a new in-house global research unit next month, to combat semiconductor downfall.
The new organisation will launch under the Device Solutions Business Division and will be assigned to research new investment avenues, as well as, analyse the global semiconductor market, reports SamMobile.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the tech giant and other semiconductor companies have seen a continuous decline in demand, supply chain interruptions, and excess inventories.
Samsung appears to be hoping that the formation of a global semiconductor research unit will improve things.
Instead of depending on outside sources, the tech giant plans to run its own in-house research to examine the global semiconductor market more closely.
Earlier, the head of Samsung Semiconductor had also claimed that things might not get much better next year, the report said.
Last week a report mentioned that the company was planning to reduce its smartphone shipments by 13 per cent next year.
The tech giant was not able to sell as many smartphone units as it had expected because of many reasons, including the supply-chain issue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wednesday two other matches will see Argentina take on Poland and a winless Mexico taking on Saudi Arabia…reports Asian Lite News
A 58th minute goal from Wahbi Khazri helped Tunisia inflict a first-ever defeat on defending champions France but the win at the Education City Stadium was not enough to see them to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup as Australia piped them to the qualifying post.
Khazri’s goal went in vain as the Socceroos’ made it at the expense of the North Africans from Group D after defeating Denmark at the Janoub Stadium and made it to the knockout stage from the group along with France.
France started the World Cup in fine fashion, picking up six points from their first two games and scoring six goals in the process but finished as group leaders ahead of Australia. France, who had already qualified for the knock-out stage with two wins, ended up top despite making nine changes and producing a poor performance.
Both Australia and France finished with six points from two wins, while Tunisia took the third spot with four points from one win and one draw against Denmark, which finished at the bottom with one point.
Australia join already qualified teams France, Portugal, Brazil, Senegal and The Netherlands and will take on winners of Group C, which consists of Argentina, Poland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
Wednesday two other matches will see Argentina take on Poland and a winless Mexico taking on Saudi Arabia.
“It’s mixed feelings because we’re happy to beat a team like France,” Tunisia manager Jalel Kadri said.
“We can be proud and leave with our head high, but it is a bitter victory.
“It would have been beautiful to beat France and reach the last 16. It is our fault for not doing what we needed to do before.”
“I said nothing is impossible. We have been able to win over the world champions,” added Kadri.
“We have been able to prove our efficiency and we did our best. We worked as a team. It wasn’t easy for us to get these four points (in the group stage) but we leave with a lot of honour and pride.”
On Wednesday, France having already qualified for the last 16 stage opted to rest a number of players, including Hugo Lloris, Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud.
Taking a cue, the Tunisians dominated the major chunk of the opening session.
The Tunisian continued to call the shot in the second session for the major part of the second session.
Khazri struck 13 minutes into the second session. Youssouf Fofana lost the ball in midfield for France and the ball went to Khazri 30 yards from goal, he moved deep into the rival territory and dribbled into the box almost unchallenged, before slipping the ball past Steve Mandanda, 1-0.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvxsMaz-ulc
It was only the introduction of Antonie Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe that injected some energy into the French attack.
Infact, Griezmann the Athletico Madrid man had volleyed home from 10 yards to put the teams on level terms but the goal was ruled out following VAR review.
The huge contingent of Tunisian fans welcomed the decision with a big roar as the Kiwi referee Matthew Conger overturned the last-minute equalizer.
Tunisia held on to record an against-the-odds to claim a memorable 1-0 win but The Eagles of Carthage will not progress to the last 16 due to Australia’s victory over Denmark in Group D’s other final fixture but will take solace from this upset against the 2018 champions.
There is a large Tunisian community in France who will savour the result, the country’s first win against European opposition at a World Cup and just their third ever in 18 matches at the tournament.
India bets big on agritech, investors pump in money.
Farmtech startups raised $1.5 billion across 140 deals, a 185 per cent year-over-year increase…report Asian Lite News
Indian agrifood startups received a record $4.6 billion in investment in FY 2021-22, up 119 per cent year-over-year, as the country overtook China as Asia-Pacific’s biggest funder of agrifood-tech innovation, a report showed on Wednesday.
Farmtech startups raised $1.5 billion across 140 deals, a 185 per cent year-over-year increase, according to the report by VC firms AgFunder and Omnivore.
Restaurant marketplaces and e-grocery startups secured close to $3 billion, around 66 per cent, of the total investment.
Deal activity also increased to 234 in FY2022 compared to 189 deals in FY2021.
Downstream startups raised $3.8 billion, a 115 per cent increase from $1.77 billion in FY2021.
Growth chart. (File Photo: IANS)
This significant growth is due to Swiggy, which raised $1.2 billion accounting for 38 per cent of total investment in Indian agrifood startups.
eGrocery startups raised $934 million across 42 deals, a 4x jump from $244 million across 25 deals in FY2021.
“To see investment levels surpass all other countries in the Asia-Pacific region and compete on the global stage is indicative of the impressive range and depth of innovations coming from the country and potential to impact the agrifood industry as a whole,” said Michael Dean, founding partner, AgFunder.
Investment in online restaurants and meal kits saw a remarkable recovery at $301 million in FY2022, almost 4x more than $64 million in FY2021, said the report.
Upstream investment leapt 300 per cent to $1.2 billion up from $312 million. The participation of generalist VCs, bigger deals sizes, and higher deal count contributed to this increase.
“It has caught the attention of generalist VCs the world over who understand that agrifood tech is key to the transformation of India’s massive agricultural sector and rural economy,” said Mark Kahn, Managing Partner, Omnivore.
The actor called the film a learning experience solely because he got to imbibe a lot from his fellow actors Prakash Raj, Rahul Bose, Kajol, Rajeev Khandelwal and Aamir Khan, who makes a cameo appearance in the movie…reports Asian Lite News
Actress Kajol feels that Hindi film industry is one of the most “forward thinking” and progressive industries, and Bollywood films not performing well at the box-office is just a matter of time.
The actress, who is gearing up for her upcoming movie ‘Salaam Venky’, said that the struggle that Hindi films are facing is not just limited to Bollywood but films across the world.
The actress told: “I truly believe that our Hindi film industry is one of the most forward-thinking industries and we don’t have a choice simply for the fact that a lot of money is riding on it and a lot of stakeholders are involved in Hindi films. It’s not just Hindi films that are facing the heat in theatres, films across the world are facing the issue of a low footfall in theatres because the pandemic has triggered a change in behavioural pattern of the audience.”
She further mentioned that people are very cautious of visiting crowded places and cinema halls.
“I feel it’s just a phase and our films will soon bounce back strongly. We, as an industry, are working on it, changing gears and figuring out the way forward at individual levels. I’m sure the individual energies and efforts will combine and put our industry back on track”, she said.
‘Salaam Venky’, directed by Revathy, also stars Vishal Jethwa, Rahul Bose, Rajeev Khandelwal, Prakash Raj and Ahana Kumra in pivotal roles, is set to debut in theatres on December 9, 2022.
Vishal recalls ‘Salaam Venky’ learning experience
Actor Vishal Jethwa, who is known for playing the villain in the 2019 movie ‘Mardaani 2, will soon be seen in ‘Salaam Venky, in which he plays the titular role of Kajols son.
The actor called the film a learning experience solely because he got to imbibe a lot from his fellow actors Prakash Raj, Rahul Bose, Kajol, Rajeev Khandelwal and Aamir Khan, who makes a cameo appearance in the movie.
Vishal told , “This film has some powerful actors, each with their unique style of acting. All of them have the power to pull off anything in front of the camera. Like if I talk about Kajol mam, just before the take, she is so charged up, joking around with her co-actors, smiling, laughing and single-handedly uplifting the entire energy of the set.”
But, as Vishal said, the actress in her surfaces once the cameras start rolling.
“She miraculously transforms into Venky’s mother with a lot of gravitas oozing out of her the moment the camera starts rolling. Now that’s the power of a good actor — to switch on and switch off within an instant,” he said.
Vishal also heaped praises on the other cast members of the film, saying, “There are other actors like Prakash sir, Rajeev and Rahul Bose sir in the film who also bring a lot to the table.
“So for me, this film definitely gave me a lot of opportunities to learn from my co-actors and also from Revathy mam who is at the helm of affairs.”
Directed by actress-director Revathy, ‘Salaam Venky’ tells the story of a terminally ill boy and his mother and how the latter does everything in her capacity to help her son live life to the fullest.
Post 26/11, Indian hotels adhere to unparalleled security protocol
India conveyed a message at the UNSC on issues that still need addressing: terrorism still gets the necessary financial resources to thrive, UN efforts need to be coordinated with the FATF and the Egmont Group, the Security Council sanctions regime should function transparently and effectively on the listing of terrorist groups etc, writes Kanwal Sibal
The 14th anniversary of the gruesome Mumbai terror attacks has gone by without its perpetrators being brought to justice. Those massacred belonged to many nationalities, including 6 Americans, yet Pakistan has escaped international pressure to try those involved in planning and committing this heinous crime. A Pakistani, Ajmal Kasab, was caught, tried and hanged, providing proof of Pakistani complicity. India was counselled, as usual, to show restraint and not retaliate by the US, the EU and Russia too, because of concerns of a conflict between two nuclear powers.
It is ironical that the nuclear overhang is not a matter of concern today when a proxy war in Ukraine is being openly conducted by the world’s pre-eminent nuclear war, the US, against Russia, a peer nuclear power, seemingly unmindful of it potentially escalating to a nuclear level. Ukraine’s leader has asked for a pre-emptive nuclear strike against Russia, without causing a public storm in the West. There is loose talk in the West about Russia using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine as a viable option. The nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia is being shelled, raising the possibility of nuclear contamination, but Ukraine is being sheltered from any responsibility by the West as not doing so would compel a change in the present narrative that paints Putin as the unqualified villain and Zelensky as the unvarnished hero.
Under the cloak of nuclear-related concerns the West has sought to dissuade India from reacting strongly to Pakistan’s terrorist attacks and give a protective cover to that country as a result of a historical bias in its favour and continuing geopolitical interests there. The West has always pushed for dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries. For long, the West, without saying so too openly, has viewed Pakistan’s use of terrorism as a consequence of the unresolved Kashmir issue, implying that it had a cause. This was a way to obfuscate the terrorism issue, give it some “legitimacy” by linking it to the Kashmir issue, on which the West still equivocates.
Protest outside the Pakistan Consulate General in New York on Saturday, November 26, 2022, against terrorism. (Photo Source: Twitter)
This is apparent from the statements by German Foreign Minister Baerbok in June and October this year in the company of her Pakistani counterpart to the effect that the UN must ensure human rights in Kashmir and that Germany had a role and responsibility in addressing the Kashmir issue with the involvement of the UN. More recently, the UK Minister of State in the Foreign Office in a debate initiated by a Pakistani origin peer in the House of Lords said that the Kashmir issue should be resolved between India and Pakistan “taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.” This are code words for self-determination, implying that the issue of sovereignty over Kashmir is still open. Aware that Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has been the staging ground for Pakistani terrorism against India, the US ambassador to Pakistan recently visited what he called “Azad Kashmir”.
In the case of the US, its war on terror in our region has been full of contradictions and compromises. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks on its soil the US attacked Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban government. It acknowledged but overlooked the safe havens and support Pakistan gave to the Taliban in its bid to take over power in Afghanistan with the liberal use of the arm of terrorism. Eventually, with Pakistan’s assistance the Americans entered into negotiations with the very Taliban that they had ousted years earlier, unchanged in their Islamist ideology and practices. The US, despite its global combat against Al Qaida, preferred to overlook the fact that Pakistan had sheltered Osama bin Laden for several years. The US had called the Haqqani group as a veritable arm of the ISI and now that group is in charge of the security in Kabul. The decision by the US to grant $450 million to Pakistan to upgrade its F 16s for counter-terrorism purposes – which our External Affairs Minister has dismissed as a valid explanation- indicates the complexity of the challenge India faces from Pakistan’s terrorist affiliations.
The Indian government in power when 26/11 occurred not only shied away from imposing a deserving cost on Pakistan, it resumed the comprehensive dialogue with it after a few months, showing weakness in signaling that it saw no choice but to engage Pakistan. This emboldened Pakistan to conduct more terrorist attacks against India in the following years, which continued till the present government, which initially also explored the possibility of reaching some understanding with Pakistan on abjuring terrorism as a weapon against India, but then conducted surgical strikes inside Pok after the Uri attack and after Pulwama inside Pakistan as a warning that India would henceforth retaliate forcefully against any terrorist attacks.
Protest outside the Pakistan Consulate General in New York on Saturday, November 26, 2022, against terrorism. (Photo Source: Twitter)
India has since then pursued a pro-active policy in raising its concerns about terrorism bilaterally with partners and in all multilateral forums, with some gains as the phrase “cross border terrorism” has figured in our joint statements with many countries, and LeT, JeM, HuM and other jihadi organisations have been identified as terrorist organisations. Some have been included in the UN list of terrorists, but some key figures have not been because of China’s obstructionism. China, which never condemned the 2008 Mumbai attacks, protects Pakistan on the issue of terrorism by lauding its combat against it and incurring costs as a result.
Through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which sets standards and seeks to promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing etc, Pakistan has been subjected to pressure by its inclusion in the grey list of countries that do not adequately comply with these standards and measures. In its precarious financial situation when it needs IMF financing etc, it has been compelled to satisfy the FATF on several parameters for meriting removal from the grey list. It has jailed Hafiz Saeed and some others for terror financing but not for 26/11, which means that he and others have escaped trial for master minding the Mumbai attacks, a trial that would have revealed the identity of all those in the Pakistan establishment involved in them. Pakistan has thus escaped real accountability.
In a veiled reference to China, blocking of UN listing of terrorist slammed by India.
In October, Pakistan was removed form the grey list. India reminded the global community that it was in its interest that Pakistan continued to take credible, verifiable, irreversible and sustained action against terrorism and terror financing emanating from territories under its control. Pakistan has been on the FATF’s grey list twice before and was removed despite maintaining its terrorist infrastructure. With the radicalisation that has occurred in Pakistan, visible in the street power of the Islamist groups that the political establishment has not been able to handle without compromises, and which is now being mobilised by Imran Khan, it would be a leap of faith to believe that the extremist groups well integrated with the society at large in Pakistan would give up their vocation for jihad and not raise funds for that purpose.
With India still serving its term on it, the UN Security Council held a Special Meeting of its Counter Terrorism Committee in India on October 28/29. India did well to expose the Committee to the 26/11 attacks in a programme in Mumbai, including exchanges with those that lived through that horror. It reminded the Committee members of the need to bring to justice the perpetrators who remain protected and unpunished (a reference to Pakistan), as well as the inability of the UN to act in some cases because of political considerations ( a reference to China). India conveyed a message on issues that still need addressing: terrorism still gets the necessary financial resources to thrive, UN efforts need to be coordinated with the FATF and the Egmont Group, the Security Council sanctions regime should function transparently and effectively on the listing of terrorist groups etc.
India rightly drew attention to the misuse of the emerging technologies by non-state actors and “lone wolf attackers” for terrorism purposes. These have thrown up new challenges for the governments and regulatory bodies. The internet and social media platforms have become potent instruments in the toolkit of terrorist groups along with the use of unmanned aerial systems against strategic infrastructure and commercial assets. In Punjab we have seen Pakistan using drones to drop weapons and drugs across the border. The Delhi Declaration of October 29 expresses these concerns in the context of the need to counter the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes.
The cause of justice in the case of 26/11 was not served by India itself by resuming our dialogue with Pakistan despite those abominable attacks, the conspiracy theories that sections of our political class in India built around what happened, the equivocation of the West on taking Pakistan to task for its own geopolitical interests and the fact that India itself seemed reconciled to what it suffered by re-engaging Pakistan, and China’s double dealing on terrorism issues in support of Pakistan.
India is doing well, however, to keep drawing the attention of the international community to the threat of terrorism, even as Pakistan seems off the hook on the issue with its changed ties with the US, outreach to it by Russia and support of China, and with the “war on terror” now off the US agenda. India remains vulnerable with Pakistan and a Talibanised Afghanistan next door, not to mention the emergence of the Islamic State elements there. By maintaining the focus on terrorism India is indirectly maintaining pressure on Pakistan to contain its terrorist proclivities.
(Kanwal Sibal is India’s former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Russia. Views expressed are personal and exclusive to India Narrative)
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