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In the backdrop of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit being held in Islamabad this week, is a restive state and peoples. Three high profile attacks in just a week were followed by a show of defiance from the large Pashtun community, demanding political equity – but also electricity concessions. The military has been stepping in to resolve commercial power deals, underlining the criticality of this issue in Pakistan.
Courtesy: The Week
To qualify for the IMF’s latest bailout, Pakistan has had to share accurate information on its economy including its debt to China. This confirms the speculation of Pakistan’s gigantic indebtedness to China.
Courtesy: OpIndia
Why Pakistan won’t deal with the IMF even in the face of hardship and a shrinking economy reveals something - that its military and civil elites refuse to curtail their rapacious behaviour, even at the cost of their country’s peril.
Courtesy: iStock Images
Holding one of the G20 meetings in Jammu and Kashmir is a bold, audacious and timely move. It is possible because of the ceasefire along the Line of Control which has been holding since February 25, 2021. The new geopolitical setting offers India an opportunity to diplomatically disdain the Chinese, camping not too far away in the un-demarcated border areas with India.
Courtesy: Gateway House
Low global commodity prices, strong FDI inflows, and sustained growth have boosted the Indian economy in the preceding decade. This favourable economic climate, however, was disrupted by the pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine, exposing vulnerabilities in the global economic system. This paper focuses on India’s economic security challenges, particularly in six sectors - Food, Energy, Finance, Data, Space & Undersea Cables and Critical Minerals - and suggests possible courses of action.
Courtesy: Shutterstock
Pakistan’s latest economic survey reveals the extent of the country’s indebtedness to China. High-interest Chinese loans, reckless multilateral borrowing, and ever-increasing defence budgets have deleteriously impacted Pakistan’s finances. Any lasting solution to these problems will have to involve China.
Courtesy: Economic Times
The warning signs were visible long before the Ukraine conflict. Years of insufficient investment into oil and gas production resulted in high price, and shortages. With investors keeping away from traditional fuels, the conflict in Ukraine precipitated the inevitable. Energy-dependent India must now insulate its supply chains.
Courtesy: Khabarhub
On 6 October 2021, Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies Programme, spoke to Dr. Pramod Jaiswal, Strategic Affairs Editor at Khabarhub on the role of Nepal in BIMSTEC and SAARC, in an analysis of the 17th BIMSTEC ministerial meetings. He also highlighted the role of SAARC and BIMSTEC in countering Chinese influence in the region.
Courtesy: Danish Ismail/Reuters
There have been many reported links between protesters pelting stones at security forces in Kashmir and the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), with Indian intelligence reports that stone-pelters were paid money by the ISI, and often went on to become militants. This was an important motivation behind the demonetisation of currency notes by the Indian government in 2016. However, this raises the question: has demonetisation really curbed stone-pelting?
Courtesy: Gateway House
The Indian government may block the acquisition of Gland Pharma by Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceuticals, a move that offers further confirmation of how China’s opaque business model is causing concern worldwide. This infographic shows some high-profile cases of acquisitions by Chinese companies that ran into local opposition