Brazil’s President noted that EU and the US were too quick to back Kiev instead of trying for a de-escalation…reports Asian Lite News
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that neither Ukraine nor Russia can achieve every goal they’ve set in their conflict, but need a mediator to facilitate peace talks, while faulting the EU and the US were too quick to back Kiev instead of trying for a de-escalation, media reports said.
“It is not necessary to have a war,” Lula said at a media breakfast at his official residence, Palacio do Planalto on Thursday, RT reported.
“We think that the developed world, especially the EU and the US, had the option not to enter the war the way they did, so fast, without spending time trying to negotiate,” he contended. “Negotiating peace is very complicated.”
The Brazilian leader, who is set to travel next week to China, a nation with a similar position on Ukraine to his own, says he hopes his contacts with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will help bring about a conversation “that we should have had a year ago”.
Pic credits @vonderleyen
India and Indonesia may have a role, too, he added.
Explaining his view on how the hostilities could end, he suggested that the status of Crimea should be excluded from the discussion, but stressed that Russia “cannot keep the land in Ukraine”.
He also said that Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky “can’t want everything either”. Kiev has declared a military victory over Russia and a return of all lands, including Crimea, as preconditions for entering peace talks.
UNSC reform negotiations attempt at transparency, but closed talks have role
The effort at transparency is an attempt at moving forward the reform process that has been mired in procedural wrangling by a small group of countries…reports Arul Louis
After being held under a shroud of secrecy that was selectively shredded by participating countries and without proper records, the negotiations for Security Council reforms officially became open last month through webcasts of its meetings and open postings of documents that began this week.
While the change came about after insistent demands by India and several other countries, closed meetings are continuing, but outside the UN at the Kuwait Mission under the label of “unformal meetings”.
This was revealed publicly by the other part of the transparency initiative: A website unveiled on Wednesday that publishes all the official documents and correspondences, and posts videos of the meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) as the reform process is known.
The effort at transparency is an attempt at moving forward the reform process that has been mired in procedural wrangling by a small group of countries led by Italy that includes Pakistan blocking the adoption of a negotiating document.
Opening up the official meetings and publishing records of proceedings would expose to the wider world those countries blocking reforms at the expense, for example, of the African countries who have clamoured for redressing the historic injustice of their exclusion from permanent seats on the Security Council.
India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj alluded to this at the IGN’s meeting this week when she called for making documents clearer to identify those opposing Africa’s claims.
Announcing the commitment to transparency, the IGN Cochairs, Permanent Representatives Tareq Albanai of Kuwait and Alexander Marschik of Austria, said in a letter to UN members, “We believe we have found an opening that will make a positive impact on the IGN process as a whole — one that enhances its working methods and its transparency and maintains its credibility.”
“We hope that the establishment of this website will be another important step to push the IGN process forward, and ensure its transparency and inclusivity for all member states,” they said.
The cochairs were appointed by General Assembly President Csaba Korosi with a mandate to press ahead with the reforms. The webcasting of the meetings began last month and they are archived online at the Security Council website, along with the texts of speeches and other documents.
Earlier, the meetings were officially closed sessions but gradually some countries began selectively sharing statements with reporters, and then began to post them on the web.
In off-the-record briefings, some missions also informed selected reporters of what other countries had said at the meetings and provided access to documents. Now they will be available online for all to see.
But confidential interactions are the lubricants of diplomacy and the IGN can’t entirely do without them. Letters from the cochairs posted on the transparency website revealed that two “unformal meetings” had taken place last month and two more are scheduled next week.
The co-chairs said the meetings are held under the “Chatham House Rules” — procedures derived from a British think-tank that prevent the identification of the speakers — ensuring a measure of secrecy.
This would facilitate “an unvarnished discussion” on the future of veto powers of permanent members, present and future, at next Tuesday’s meeting, they said.
The Wednesday meeting would be on “low-hanging fruits” — aspects of reform that can easily be accomplished.
During his meeting with the Vietnamese minister, Al Zeyoudi underlined the strong and solid bilateral relations between the UAE and Vietnam…reports Asian Lite News
The UAE and Vietnam signed a joint declaration of intent to launch talks on establishing a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) between the two countries. The declaration was signed by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade; and Nguyễn Hồng Diên, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade, during a visit by a Vietnamese delegation to the UAE.
During his meeting with the Vietnamese minister, Al Zeyoudi underlined the strong and solid bilateral relations between the UAE and Vietnam, which continue to grow in all fields, particularly trade and the economy. The launch of CEPA negotiations is the result of a shared aspiration on the part of both governments to elevate the existing trade and economic ties to new heights.
Al Zeyoudi said, “The UAE is Vietnam’s number one Arab trade partner, accounting for 39 percent of its total trade with the Arab countries. The volume of non-oil trade between the two sides reached AED 29.4 billion (around US$8 billion) in 2022. The trade in goods other than mobile phones and their accessories, which grew to 46 percent from less than 36 percent in 2019, is promising. It totalled AED 13.5 billion (over US$3.5 billion) last year, up 9 percent from 2021, and with a 34 and 26 percent growth from 2020 and 2019 respectively.”
He added, “We look forward to strengthening our economic and trade partnerships through the UAE’s global economic partnerships programme, especially since Vietnam is our largest trade partner in the ASEAN as of 2022. We are pleased to begin the process towards signing a CEPA. The agreement will boost economic and trade cooperation in unprecedented ways, support the private sector’s access to both markets, and drive new investment opportunities, which will result in a higher volume of trade exchanges.”
Both sides addressed promoting joint collaboration in the fields of trade, investment, economy, industry, energy, logistics, agriculture, and infrastructure as the CEPA process unfolds. During the meeting, Al Zeyoudi highlighted the UAE’s success in creating an environment rich with promising investment opportunities in various sectors. The comprehensive development of the UAE’s economic legislation, which enabled full foreign ownership of companies and significantly enhanced the ease of doing business, has reinforced the country’s position as a global hub for trade and investment, he noted.
Furthermore, Al Zeyoudi urged the Vietnamese private sector to take advantage of the UAE’s NextGenFDI initiative, which offers a wide array of incentives to participants. These include relocation support; easy access to bank financing and commercial and residential rental incentives; and expedited business set up process and issuance of licences, visas, and golden visas, which ensure a smoother market entry process for management and employees.
Vietnam’s Minister of Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said there was huge “potential and opportunities from the agreement for both countries. The UAE has strengths as a trans-shipment, financial and logistics centre, while Vietnam is also becoming a factory for many crucial, global industries”.
“The combination of the two countries’ competitive advantage will create momentum for trade and investment growth in the near future,” he said. The Minister announced that Vietnam had completed a feasibility study on a future agreement, which they viewed as important preparation ahead of deciding on the start of negotiations. He said that Vietnam also appreciated the technical teams’ timely discussions on the draft Terms of Reference (TOR) of this agreement, which means that the two sides can start on the substantive negotiation phase immediately after the negotiating mandate is approved by the Leaders.
The UAE’s investments in Vietnam total AED 260 million (US$71 million). Leading UAE companies with investments in the Vietnamese market include DP World, Emirates Investment Authority, Mubadala, and Borouge.
With a failing economy and being over-dependent on other nations, Pakistan is weak and on the verge of losing its sovereignty….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan’s political instability and its inability to achieve any strategic coherence in the past 75 years since its independence indicate that its foreign policy has always been short-sighted, European Times reported.
Analysis of Pakistan’s foreign policy since 1947 shows a clear pattern of aligning itself with any country that could provide it with economic and military support at that particular moment. It has been in a perpetual state of strategic dilemma which it has not been able to resolve due to its internal insecurity, governance issues and a tendency to completely depend on its benefactor at the time, European Times reported. Since the 1950s, Pakistan has been west-inclining despite claiming a neutral and non-aligned stance.
Pakistan’s military-political elites are suffering from a colonial hangover, thinking and working only within the frameworks of British traditions and culture. The dethroning of former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been an open declaration of Pakistani elites of their affinity for the US and the West.
To appease the US and to maintain good relations with it in a time of difficult situation which is a little short of an economic crisis, Pakistan has been forced to supply weapons to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
As Ukraine’s ammunition supply from NATO depletes, Pakistan has stepped up to supply it with a fresh batch of shells, artillery and other weapons.
Recently, it was reported that Pakistan has already supplied 10,000 units of rockets via a German port. With the UK signing an agreement with Pakistan to supply ammunition including artillery rockets to Ukraine, an air bridge from Pakistan to Ukraine via UK’s base in the Mediterranean, Poland and Romania has been in active use, European Times reported.
According to a recent article published in a Russian news platform Riafan.ru, in February 2023, the UK Department of Defence signed an agreement with Pakistani ammunition factories to send 162 containers full of artillery shells from the port of Karachi to Ukraine via Germany.
In addition, Pakistan will also export the man-portable anti-aircraft missile system Anza-Mark-II. In return, Ukraine would assist Pakistan in upgrading its Mi-17 helicopters. A Ukrainian manufacturing firm for aircraft engines and industrial marine gas turbines is assisting Pakistan with this project, European Times reported.
While Pakistan has tended to support the US and its allies, it is also no secret that it has occasionally attempted to mediate agreements with Russia and the former USSR. The value of bilateral trade with Russia in 2021 alone was USD 388.492 million, compared to USD 1.6 billion in trade between Pakistan and Ukraine between 1991 and 2020.
Pakistan has agreed to provide military hardware and ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces while Pakistani officials are preparing to negotiate a contract with the Russians for cheap crude oil and diesel that would satisfy Pakistan’s energy requirements. It is worth noting that this is the first contract that Russia and Pakistan would sign in the oil and energy industries, European Times reported.
Pakistan has also abstained from voting against Russia in the UN since the Russo-Ukraine war started last year in February. The abstention from anti-Russia sanctions stems from the fact that China, through the CPEC and other infrastructure-related projects in Gwadar and other locations, is one of the largest investors in Pakistan.
China has made its stance clear in the conflict through the recently concluded talks in Moscow’s Kremlin.
However, Pakistan’s absence in the SCO meet held on February 8th, 2023 raised eyebrows and is seen by political experts as a ‘slight to Moscow’ against the backdrop of its growing engagement with Ukraine. It has also come to light that a gas pipeline from Karachi to Peshawar, in which Russia is involved too, has been indefinitely postponed, European Times reported.
Pakistan’s supply of arms and ammunition to Ukraine at the same time as it’s about to finalize the deal with Moscow for discounted oil shows an absolute lack of direction in its foreign policy.
With a failing economy and being over-dependent on other nations, Pakistan is weak and on the verge of losing its sovereignty. Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves fell to only USD 4.5 billion by January.
Hence, Pakistan’s not-so-secret supply of ammunition to the US-backed Ukraine raises little possibility that financial aid would be coming to save it from defaulting from external debts. The country’s political elites are playing a dangerous double game that will have dire consequences for the common man of Pakistan. (ANI)
India stopping WHO to release global Covid deaths to public
Despite the achievements, the WHO Chief said that the world is still faced with many old and new challenges, particularly vast inequities in access to health services…reports Asian Lite News
On the eve of its 75th anniversary, the WHO marked the occasion by calling for a renewed drive for health equity in the face of unprecedented threats.
Seventy-five years ago, after years of war, the nations of the world agreed to set up a new organisation and “debated and agreed what this organisation would be and do in a document called the Constitution of the World Health Organisation,” the organisation’s Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, recalled at a press briefing here on Thursday.
“Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of the day that Constitution came into force. It was, and is, a landmark document,” he said.
For 75 years, WHO has been committed to promoting #HealthForAll & serving the vulnerable.
Let's celebrate the public health successes of the past & inspire action to tackle future health challenges. #WHO75pic.twitter.com/PYw72sK1xF
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 6, 2023
The past decades have witnessed extraordinary progress in protecting people from diseases and destruction, including smallpox eradication, reducing the incidence of polio by 99 per cent, saving millions of lives through childhood immunisation, declines in maternal mortality, and improving health and well-being for millions more, Xinhua news agency reported.
“And for the past three years, the WHO has coordinated the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic — the most severe health crisis in a century. We can’t claim sole credit for these achievements, but we have played a leading role in all of them,” Tedros added.
Despite the achievements, the WHO Chief said that the world is still faced with many old and new challenges, particularly vast inequities in access to health services, major gaps in defence against health emergencies, and threats from health-harming products and the climate crisis.
To meet these challenges, the WHO urges countries to take urgent action to protect, support and expand the health workforce as a strategic priority. To avert a shortage of 10 million health workers globally by 2030, primarily in low and middle-income countries, the WHO recommends that investments in education, skills and decent jobs for health should be prioritised.
To mark the #WHO75 anniversary, we invite everyone living in or visiting @VilleDeGeneve to enjoy @WHO’s Picturing Health exhibition through early May.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 6, 2023
It has recently initiated a global education programme on basic emergency care targeting 25 per cent of nurses and midwives in 25 low and middle-income countries by the end of 2025. The programme will provide nurses and midwives with the skills and competencies needed to make a major difference in saving lives.
“The WHO’s own story began 75 years ago, and it is still being written. The challenges we face today are very different to those in 1948, but our vision remains unchanged: the highest possible standard of health, for all people,” Tedros added.
Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala proposed as new WTO chief (Photo credit: twitter/NOIweala)
According to the report, global trade growth should rebound to 3.2% in 2024, as global GDP growth picks up to 2.6%…reports Asian Lite News
Global trade growth in 2023 is still expected to be subpar despite a slight upgrade to GDP projections since last fall, WTO economists said in a new forecast on 5th April.
Weighed down by the effects of the crisis in Ukraine, stubbornly high inflation, tighter monetary policy and financial market uncertainty, the volume of world merchandise trade is expected to grow by 1.7 per cent this year, following 2.7 per cent growth in 2022, a smaller-than-expected increase that was pulled down by a sharp slump in the fourth quarter.
The WTO’s trade projections, set out in the new “Global Trade Outlook and Statistics” report, estimate real global GDP growth at market exchange rates of 2.4 per cent for 2023.
Projections for both trade and output growth are below the averages for the past 12 years of 2.6 per cent and 2.7 per cent respectively. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “Trade continues to be a force for resilience in the global economy, but it will remain under pressure from external factors in 2023. This makes it even more important for governments to avoid trade fragmentation and refrain from introducing obstacles to trade. Investing in multilateral cooperation on trade, as WTO members did at our Twelfth Ministerial Conference last June, would bolster economic growth and people’s living standards over the long term.”
The 2.7 per cent increase in world trade volume in 2022 was weaker than the WTO’s October forecast of 3.5 per cent, as a sharper-than-expected quarter-on-quarter decline in the fourth quarter dragged down growth for the year. Several factors contributed to that slump, including elevated global commodity prices, monetary policy tightening in response to inflation, and outbreaks of COVID-19 that disrupted production and trade in China.
Notably, trade growth last year turned out to be in line with the 2.4 per cent to 3.0 per cent baseline scenario in the WTO’s March 2022 initial report on the war in Ukraine, and well above its more pessimistic scenario in which trade would have grown just 0.5 per cent as countries started to split into competing economic blocs. In the event, international markets remained broadly open. A follow-up study the WTO released last month documented how vulnerable economies were able to compensate for essential food supplies cut off by the war by finding alternative products and suppliers.
The 1.7 per cent forecast for trade growth in 2023, meanwhile, is up from the previous estimate of 1.0 per cent from last October. A key factor here is the relaxation of COVID-19 pandemic controls in China, which is expected to unleash pent-up consumer demand in the country, in turn boosting international trade.
WTO Chief Economist Ralph Ossa said: “The lingering effects of COVID-19 and the rising geopolitical tensions were the main factors impacting trade and output in 2022 and this is likely to be the case in 2023 as well. Interest rate hikes in advanced economies have also revealed weaknesses in banking systems that could lead to wider financial instability if left unchecked. Governments and regulators need to be alert to these and other financial risks in the coming months.”
Looking ahead to 2024, trade growth should rebound to 3.2 per cent, as GDP picks up to 2.6 per cent, but this estimate is more uncertain than usual due to the presence of substantial downside risks, including geopolitical tensions, food supply shocks, and the possibility of unforeseen fallout from monetary tightening.
Interest rate hikes in advanced economies have also revealed weaknesses in banking systems that could lead to wider financial instability if left unchecked, he said.
“Governments and regulators need to be alert to these and other financial risks in the coming months,” he added.
“Trade continues to be a force for resilience in the global economy, but it will remain under pressure from external factors in 2023. This makes it even more important for governments to avoid trade fragmentation and refrain from introducing obstacles to trade,” WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said.
“Investing in multilateral cooperation on trade, as WTO members did at our Twelfth Ministerial Conference last June, would bolster economic growth and people’s living standards over the long term,” she stressed.
According to the report, global trade growth should rebound to 3.2 percent in 2024, as global GDP growth picks up to 2.6 percent.
The estimate is more uncertain than usual due to the presence of substantial downside risks, including geopolitical tensions, food supply shocks, and the possibility of unforeseen fallout from monetary tightening, the report added.
India, which will begin its term on the Statistical Commission in 2024, returns after 20 years having completed its last term in 2004….reports Arul Louis
In a sign of India’s diplomatic influence, it has been elected to the UN Statistical Commission and two other bodies while China suffered a diplomatic rout unable to get the required votes for the Commission when it squared off against India.
India was elected unopposed in two elections on Wednesday by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS.
In the election to the Statistical Commission where China was competing with India for seats earmarked for the Asia Pacific region, India received 46 of the 53 votes for the Statistical Commission electing it to one of the two seats for the Asia Pacific region in the first round of voting.
China came in third with paltry 19 votes, while South Korea received 23 and the United Arab Emirates 15, necessitating a second round of ballotting because none of them received the majority of 27 votes required for election to the region’s second seat under the rules.
In the runoff between China and South Korea, they tied with 25 votes each and under the rules, ECOSOC President Lachezara Stoeva drew lots to break the tie and Seoul was picked.
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar tweeted, “India’s expertise in the field of statistics, diversity & demography has earned it a seat on the UN Statistical Commission.”
He congratulated India’s UN Mission team for “for coming through so strongly in a competitive election”.
Seats on most UN bodies are allocated by region, although all countries vote to pick the candidates from the region.
India, which will begin its term on the Statistical Commission in 2024, returns after 20 years having completed its last term in 2004.
The Statistical Commission bills itself as “the highest body of the global statistical system bringing together the chief statisticians from member states from around the world”.
It sets statistical standards and develops concepts and methods, at the national and international levels.
China’s poor performance in the Statistical Commission election, securing only 19 votes and trailing South Korea was a surprise because of the extensive diplomatic and economic campaigns it has undertaken around the world.
About 40% of the people are below the poverty line in Pakistan. Poverty is the most fertile breeding ground for terrorism as evidenced in the country. Many of the misled suicide bombers who offered their services to the Jihadi organizations were prompted to do so due to frustration, hopelessness and fatalism bred by their deprivation and dehumanized existence rather than devoutness to religion … writes Dr Sakariya Kareem
Terror does not spare even those who use it as a tool of the state and foreign policy. Pakistan is a classic case. While Islamabad is facing an all-around deterioration in its economic conditions, it is increasingly getting exposed to insecurity and terrorism.
The country is facing a very difficult phase in its history marked by a mix of all-around failure on the economic front, volatile politics and heightened terrorist threats. Due to flawed priorities and a debt-dependent economic growth model, Pakistan had been unable to break the vicious cycle of poverty. It remains a low-income, low-saving, low-capital formation, a low-growth economy which has repeatedly reinforced itself in a circular path in the past. The result is the incidence of a high level of poverty.
About 40% of the people are below the poverty line in Pakistan. Poverty is the most fertile breeding ground for terrorism as evidenced in the country. Many of the misled suicide bombers who offered their services to the Jihadi organizations were prompted to do so due to frustration, hopelessness and fatalism bred by their deprivation and dehumanized existence rather than devoutness to religion.
Setback to Pakistan as Taliban rejects Armyâs plea to arm-twist TTP. (IN)
There is ample literature that shows that terrorism affects developing countries much more severely than developed ones, as terrorism leads to the reallocation of scarce resources away from production, infrastructure building and public welfare. This is what is happening to Pakistan in the last few decades and it continues.
Though terrorism is nourished by fundamentalist religious groups and sectarian indoctrination, the seeds lie in economic deprivation, social injustice, the absence of rule of law and insufficient opportunities. To blur these inequalities, and quell discontent, the political class in Pakistan chooses to flare up religious fundamentalism and sectarianism to distract and cajole people. However, this eventually leads to disillusionment and provides a breeding ground for terrorism. Terror mindset is separated by a very thin line from sectarianism and fundamentalism, which provide ground for indoctrination.
Pakistan was severely impacted by terror attacks in 2022. A report by Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies found that militants carried out 376 attacks in which 533 of its citizens were killed, stating that the attacks in 2022 were the highest. And recently the Sydney-based Institute for Economics & Peace’s Global Terrorism Index – 2023 also confirmed this. It stated that Pakistan had faced an increase in terrorist threats by 120% in the year 2022 over the previous year.
The case of Pakistan is unique. It first allowed terror to grow freely for its Afghan cause and war of attrition with India on Kashmir, now it has become a victim of the same. Its economy has been under serious pressure due to leakages of resources for its war against terrorism. While the human cost of terrorism is devastating, the economic cost is much larger than most policymakers realise.
According to Pakistan’s Economic Survey (2017-2018), the direct and indirect cost of terrorism incidents in Pakistan was USD 126.79 billion. Some media sources also estimated huge loss of human lives as high as 60,000 people including civilians, security force personnel and terrorists been killed from 2000 to 2019.
Terrorism will not only cause a primary economic impact but will also produce considerable secondary or indirect impact. It also damages financial markets and the local economy in the long term. Lack of a conducive business environment, peace and poor law & order and governance are some of the factors that have been impinging the Pak economy in several ways.
For years, Pakistani leaders have underinvested in human capital. Gallup Pakistan estimates that 21.8 million of the 58.6 million young people, aged between 15 and 29, are not enrolled in school, training programmes, or working in any job. The military, which wields tremendous power in Pakistan, has warped economic policy by prioritizing rivalry with India taking away significant chunks of the country’s narrow resource base.
Pakistan, for example, faces a drain of human resources, especially intellectuals due to terror activities. Pak authorities estimate that 832,229 Pakistanis left their country in 2022 because of the ongoing economic crisis, political instability, and a weak law & order situation. Pakistan’s young people said that they would like to work and study overseas and 50% would not like to return to their homeland. This is alarming as educated and talented manpower could have made a substantial economic contribution which is being lost. According to a survey conducted by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), 62% of young Pakistani men between the ages of 15 – 24 wish to leave the country.
Observers point out that Pakistan is a country that is not backwards due to the shortage of natural resources or manpower, but due to a handful of selfish and corrupt rulers and military & civil officers. The only aim of these greedy and ruthless persons is to accumulate as much wealth as possible and launder it outside the country. Many of them have built assets overseas and sent their wards for education and employment to greener pastures abroad. On the other hand, millions of people are living in pitiable conditions in slums and unventilated homes with no access to food, drinking water, primary health care and education.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on Pakistan’s economy, leading to a decline in GDP growth, job losses and an increase in poverty. And now, the economic recovery is facing an unprecedented shortage of forex resources and inflation. The condition has further worsened due to the Russia-Ukraine war and uncertainty caused by the failure of big banks in the West. Even while the economy has come to the brink of default, instead of focusing on the development of the economy, Islamabad is pursuing regressive ideological goals. The jihadi activities are now catching up, threatening the very existence of the country and its people.
Pakistan’s political and economic troubles are intertwined with its inconsistent treatment of terrorists. For decades, Pakistan has allowed some terrorist groups to operate freely while cracking down on others. Observers point out at the sympathy for jihadis among the public and within law enforcement and intelligence, along with inaction by members of the political class are the factors which have allowed domestic militant groups to operate with impunity and fearlessly as the country has chosen to remain a safe haven for them.
In turn, these terrorist activities have also made it difficult to attract investment in Pakistan. Pakistan is a no-go area for foreign investors and businessmen and many of them did not even like to visit the country.
Islamist groups recruiting in Pakistan cited hadith that prophesied a great battle. Pak establishments thought that radicalization through religion could help break the deadlock over Kashmir and empower Pakistan’s allies in Afghanistan. The strategy instead turned Pakistan into a battleground of competing interpretations of radical Islamist ideas. The fading line between good and bad terrorists has swept deep in society as well as people’s mindsets. This now poses a new and serious challenge for the whole country.
This mixing up of terror with state policy and failure to curb terror has eroded Pakistan’s international credibility. Taliban’s takeover of Kabul with Pak support in 2021 has seen an uptick in terrorist attacks in various parts of Pakistan. Mohsin Dawar, a lawmaker from North Waziristan said, “I believe that instead of finding strategic depth in Afghanistan, Pakistan has handed over a strategic depth in Pakistan to the Taliban.” The resurgence of domestic terrorism in Pakistan is now a bitter harvest for Islamabad. It never imagined that its support for Afghanistan could eventually boomerang and undermine its own security.
Many observers including the World Bank warned that if the Pakistani government and establishment do not opt for a change of mindset, the coming days would lead to social tension and instability. Domestic militant threats are expected to intensify amid a toxic cocktail of economic deprivation, social marginalization, heavy-handed security, ethnic nationalism, and tribalism.
Afrasiab Khattak, former President of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that as Pakistan becomes increasingly militarized against internal foes, ignoring broader regional and global developments, a descent into civil war is possible. Across the country, terror attacks are on the rise, and Baloch and Pashtun nationalists are chafing against forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
How a country uses its scarce resources matters? While Pakistan’s terror attacks increased, its development priorities were marginalized. Political managers failed to see the dichotomy of opposites in terrorism and development.
Pak administration avoided reform while arguing that Pakistan is too big to fail as they get abundant assistance/aid from the US and the Middle East as well as expensive debt-laden projects from China. Islamabad had received a good amount of assistance from multilateral agencies for development as well. Besides, there is thriving illegal money in the economy from drug trafficking, etc. Furthermore, there is zakat contribution, a kind of people’s contribution in the name of religion which is about 7% of GDP. But all these resources are used inefficiently and even channelled to non-state players who carry out terrorist activities designed by the ISI.
It is time for Pakistan to realize that terrorism in any form is an obstacle to development. It eats precious economic resources, vitiates the business environment and causes many direct and indirect losses to the economy and society. Good governance could raise the living standard of the people and promote peace and prosperity. Terrorism does no good either to the state or to people in long term. The million-dollar question is what would Pakistan realise?
From Zero to 13 per cent of the global market!The kind of growth the pharma industry has seen in India, from a non-existent to a global pharmacy, is undoubtedly extraordinary. This impressive growth is an outcome of a series of sound legislation and economic environment, timely actions, and to the greater extent, the motive of welfare to the masses … writes Dr Rajesh Kurup
The Pharmaceutical industry in India has seen a massive expansion over the last few years. It is expected to reach about 13% of the size of the global pharma market while enhancing its quality, affordability, and innovation.
Performing as per its tag as the ‘pharmacy of the world’, India has been a global generic medicine supplier for over 200 countries from both developed and emerging markets. Moreover, India has attained recent traction for being the largest producer of vaccines in the world, contributing 60% to the world’s supply of vaccines. As per the report by McKinsey, a large presence of local players producing branded generics, along with lower price levels, has provided the Indian pharmaceutical industry with a unique opportunity.
The kind of growth the pharma industry has seen in India, from a non-existent to a global pharmacy, is undoubtedly extraordinary. This impressive growth is an outcome of a series of sound legislation and economic environment, timely actions, and to a greater extent, the motive of welfare to the masses.
It all began with the introduction of the Patents Act of 1970, leading to process patents instead of product patents. This implied that patenting was focused on manufacturing and not product patents. It enabled Indian pharma companies in three main ways. First, manufacturers engaged in manufacture drugs without paying patent holders’ exorbitant royalty.
Second, it allowed India to reduce dependence on drug imports and development of self-reliant Indian pharmaceutical industry. Third, the pharma industry boomed in India by developing affordable versions of patented drugs and gradually moved to the global market as a generic drug supplier.
However, after the WTO’s establishment, India signed TRIPS agreement and changed its patent norms. India then made a few amendments to its patent laws as the agreement required patents for pharmaceutical products and processes inventions. Despite the paradigm shift, India by that time experienced stellar progress in its pharma supply.
Cut to 2020, when the world grappled with the Covid-19 crisis, Indian pharma found an unprecedented window of opportunity. Combining expansion in R&D ecosystem with favourable policies, India became a major vaccine supplier to the world, ensuring self-reliance in vaccine provisioning.
India administered free vaccine doses to its citizens, reaching one billion marks. Besides acquiring its role as an important international player, India provided COVID-19-related medical assistance to over 150 countries.
Sticking to its motto of Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam, India started a Vaccine Maitri Programme in January 2021, supplying 72.3 million doses of COVID vaccine to more than 94 countries by the end of 2021. Many countries also preferred the Indian vaccine due to its low-cost vaccine development and ability to make large-scale export consignments, besides the effectiveness of vaccines. This was of special significance for low-income countries that could not compete with richer nations for vaccine procurement1 during the crisis. According to an expert, Indian pharma has learned to respond to the crisis by producing large-scale drugs quickly at short notice compared to any other country.
It is important to note that the boom for Indian pharma is not sporadic. It continues to experience sustained and robust growth in the post-pandemic period as well. By the end of 2022, Indian pharma has turned from volume to value creator. As per an expert, with a heightened sense of collaboration between the industry and the government, the industry’s focus has shifted to other diseases, the advancement of cell therapies, and policies for IP and government procurements. Cumulative FDI in the pharma sector was over USD 20 billion in September 2022. India is the largest vaccine supplier, with the Serum Institute of India producing 1.5 billion vaccines a year for polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps, and rubella to be used by the immunisation programmes across 170 countries.
Recently, the government of India extended support to pharma companies using the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to ensure self-reliance through enhanced domestic manufacturing capacity for high-value products.
The PLI schemes are for bulk drugs and pharmaceutical manufacturing, together accounting for an outlay of around USD 2.7 billion. Another important aspect of the pharma landscape in India is the stress on the welfare of the masses using its legislative provisions. Recently, the Indian Patent Office rejected the request for an extension of a patent by Johnson & Johnson for a TB drug on multiple grounds. This rejection is important in two respects. First, Indian manufacturers can produce a generic version of this anti-TB drug since the patent period has expired. Second, it allows the availability of a cheaper version of the drug, thus, strengthening India’s muscle power in combat against TB.
According to the legal scholar late Prof. Basheer, apart from providing a 20-year monopoly, Indian patent laws also come with the responsibility for the patentees to work for the public welfare ensuring that patented drugs are available in adequate quantities and prices. India’s public interest-oriented stance on drug patents has been at crossroads with the big pharmaceutical companies of the West, especially the US. These companies seek to do away with various aspects of the Indian Patent Act, the 1970s which they find a hurdle in establishing their monopoly and rent-seeking behaviour.
While the US pharma companies are against the Form 27 of IPA, 1970 which requires details on patent working in India, experts9 believe that information on working of a patent is essential to enquire if the act is successful in promoting innovation as well as public health.
In its practice, India has refused to grant secondary and ever-greening patents on slight modifications of the extant drugs, or new uses of existing medicines, and combinations of existing substances, much to the annoyance of big pharmas10. The big pharmas have often projected their monopoly interests as the acceptable international IP norms, and continue to pressurise the US government to act against India11. As per Brook Baker12, Professor at the North-eastern University, Indian patent laws focus on balancing producer as well as consumer interests. He has often called out the big pharmaceutical companies of the US for lobbying against India with their “disinformation campaigns” blaming India for discriminating against the US companies. Contrary to the propaganda, according to the Prof. Baker, India’s patent policies are in tandem with both domestic legislation as well as international norms laid by TRIPS.
Interestingly, the pharma industry in India is operating in a self-sustained model setup, ensuring that demand for drugs meets its supply. To put into perspective, India is keen on the promotion of the production of generic drugs. Now to ensure this supply meets the demand for generic drugs, the Indian government started PM Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), in which Janaudhadi kendras (shops) sell generic drugs at affordable prices to the masses. By the end of 2022, more than 8,500 kendras were functional nationwide. Apart from reducing the out-of-pocket expenditure of the people, these kendras or medicine stores help create awareness about generic medicines, thus expanding the market for generic drug manufacturers and providing employment to entrepreneurs engaging in the establishment of kendras.
With the current valuation of USD 50 billion, the congenial government policies and the robust R&D expansion in the pharma sector are expected to lead to the path of resilient growth not just in volume but in value as well. The commitment of both the government and the pharma sector to ensure the abundant availability of quality medicines at reasonable prices provides India an opportunity to play a leading role in the global market with the special concern of welfare of masses.
The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. (File Photo: UN/IANS)
Its next session will be held from June 19 to July 14 this year…reports Asian Lite News
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has concluded its 52nd session, after adopting 43 resolutions on issues including the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, and mental health.
Other resolutions addressed the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment, promotion and protection of human rights, and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Council also adopted resolutions on the right to food, the promotion of the enjoyment of cultural rights and respect for cultural diversity, the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action.
Vaclav Balek, President of the UN Human Rights Council, said in his concluding remarks on Tuesday that the body’s longest ever session “had done enormous work”.
Its next session will be held from June 19 to July 14 this year, he announced.
Ukraine war probe
The UNHRC has adopted a resolution for an extension of the mandate of the investigation into alleged war crimes by a year.
28 countries supported the draft Resolution, while 17 countries abstained including India and only 2 countries were against this. It is pertinent to mention that China is one of the countries that were against the resolution. After the voting, the Ukrainian permanent representative to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya tweeted, “We salute delegations @UN_HRC that supported draft Res Situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression – Extension of the mandate of Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. We note just 2 del’s were against. War crimes accountability now!”
Earlier also, India abstained from any resolution on the Russia-Ukraine war. Last time, when India abstained in February, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj said that India remains committed to multilateralism while reiterating calls for dialogue and diplomacy.
She made the statement after India abstained from voting on a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the need to reach a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. (IANS/ANI)
