Comments - Racism in America; Coronavirus in Pakistan; China in Ladakh - PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network 2024-03-28T19:15:07Zhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profiles/comment/feed?attachedTo=1119293%3ABlogPost%3A264086&xn_auth=noIndia asked Washington not to…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-06-17:1119293:Comment:4090962022-06-17T14:15:35.491ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>India asked Washington not to bring up China’s border transgressions: Former US ambassador</span><br></br><span>Kenneth Juster made the statement on a Times Now show when asked why the United States had not made any statement about Beijing’s aggression.…</span><br></br><br></br></p>
<p><span>India asked Washington not to bring up China’s border transgressions: Former US ambassador</span><br/><span>Kenneth Juster made the statement on a Times Now show when asked why the United States had not made any statement about Beijing’s aggression.</span><br/><br/><span><a href="https://scroll.in/latest/1018580/india-asked-washington-not-to-mention-chinas-border-transgressions-former-us-ambassador-to-india" target="_blank">https://scroll.in/latest/1018580/india-asked-washington-not-to-mention-chinas-border-transgressions-former-us-ambassador-to-india</a></span><br/><br/><br/><span>India and China have been locked in a border standoff since troops of both countries clashed in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control in June 2020. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the hand-to-hand combat. While China had acknowledged casualties early, it did not disclose details till February 2021, when it said four of its soldiers had died.</span><br/><br/><span>After several rounds of talks, India and China had last year disengaged from Pangong Tso Lake in February and from Gogra, eastern Ladakh, in August.</span><br/><br/><span>Juster, who was the envoy to India between 2017 and 2021, had said in January 2021 that Washington closely coordinated with Delhi amid its standoff with Beijing, but left it to India to provide details of the cooperation.</span><br/><span>----------</span><br/><br/><span>Former United States Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster has said that Delhi did not want Washington to mention China’s border aggression in its statements.</span><br/><br/><span>“The restraint in mentioning China in any US-India communication or any Quad communication comes from India which is very concerned about not poking China in the eye,” Juster said on a Times Now show.</span><br/><br/><span>The statement came in response to news anchor and Times Now Editor-in-Chief Rahul Shivshankar’s queries on whether the US had made any statements about Beijing’s aggression.</span><br/><br/><span>------------</span><br/><br/><span>During the TV show, defence analyst Derek Grossman claimed that Moscow was not a “friend” of India, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Beijing Olympics. Grossman told the news anchor that Putin and Xi had then said that their friendship had “no limits”.</span><br/><br/><span>He claimed that India’s strategy to leverage Russia against China did not have any effects. “In fact, Russia-China relations have gotten only stronger.”</span><br/><br/><span>To this, Shivshankar said that before passing any judgement on India and Russia’s relationship, he must ask if US President Joe Biden had condemned China’s aggression at the borders along the Line of Actual Control or mentioned Beijing in a joint statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</span><br/><br/><span>Grossman said: “To my understanding, the US has asked India if it wanted us to do something on the LAC but India said no – that it was something that India can handle on its own.”</span><br/><br/><span>Juster then backed Grossman’s contention.</span></p> #US declassifies its strategy…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2021-01-16:1119293:Comment:3743102021-01-16T02:31:01.376ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p>#US declassifies its strategy to use “a strong India” to “counterbalance China". It assumes India is already able to “counter border provocations by China.” It was developed in 2018, well before #China's PLA routed #India's military in #Ladakh. @TRTWorld <a href="https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/us-declassifies-its-strategy-to-use-india-against-china-43296" target="_blank">https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/us-declassifies-its-strategy-to-use-india-against-china-43296</a></p>
<p>India…</p>
<p>#US declassifies its strategy to use “a strong India” to “counterbalance China". It assumes India is already able to “counter border provocations by China.” It was developed in 2018, well before #China's PLA routed #India's military in #Ladakh. @TRTWorld <a href="https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/us-declassifies-its-strategy-to-use-india-against-china-43296" target="_blank">https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/us-declassifies-its-strategy-to-use-india-against-china-43296</a></p>
<p>India features prominently in US strategic plans for the region. Specifically, the strategy seeks to build a “quadrilateral security framework with India, Japan, Australia” and the US. The four-cornered strategy wants to use “a strong India” to “counterbalance China.”</p>
<p>This comes after pointing out that India is already able to “counter border provocations by China.” It should be noted that the strategy was passed before India-China skirmishes in the Doklam region.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the strategy makes no mention of Pakistan at all in spite of its close ties to China. It further defines a key need to “accelerate India’s rise and capacity to serve as a net provider of security and Major Defense Partner; solidify an enduring strategic partnership with India underpinned by a strong Indian military able to effectively collaborate with the United States and our partners in the region to address shared interests.”</p> Security threats looming in 2…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2021-01-03:1119293:Comment:3673742021-01-03T18:33:56.193ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>Security threats looming in 2021</span><br></br><br></br><span>By Indian Army Lt Gen Kamal Davar (Retd)</span><br></br><br></br><span><a href="https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/security-threats-looming-2021" target="_blank">https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/security-threats-looming-2021</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>It was on the night of 29-30 August 2020 that some units of the Indian Army, in a swift move, deployed themselves on the dominating Kailash Range on own side of the Line of Actual…</span></p>
<p><span>Security threats looming in 2021</span><br/><br/><span>By Indian Army Lt Gen Kamal Davar (Retd)</span><br/><br/><span><a href="https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/security-threats-looming-2021" target="_blank">https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/security-threats-looming-2021</a></span><br/><br/><span>It was on the night of 29-30 August 2020 that some units of the Indian Army, in a swift move, deployed themselves on the dominating Kailash Range on own side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). This action ensured Indian troops dug in strongly at some of these dominating heights which overlook the tactically important Spanggur Gap. This audacious move by the Indian troops appear to have tremendously irked the Chinese on the ground. Despite seven rounds of talks between senior commanders of both sides ostensibly to discuss disengagement, no progress appears to have taken place. Meanwhile, according to reliable media reports, over a lakh of soldiers from both sides, with tanks, artillery guns, missiles, helicopters and fighter aircraft have been deployed and are ready for action. The Chinese build-up continues ominously, which clearly points to its likely intentions. The Chinese currently appear to have engaged successfully in their “salami slicing” tactics especially in the area of the Depsang plains and some portions of the Pangong Tso, between Fingers 4 and 8, respectively.</span><br/><span>----------</span><br/><br/><span>As India continues to match China’s build-up, it will have to factor in China’s military collusiveness with its client state Pakistan against India in the adjoining sectors of J&K. That Pakistan will continue to keep the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border in J&K alive by recurrent ceasefire violations and efforts to induct terrorists to keep stoking the fires in J&K should be expected as always. Till India does not remind Pakistan of the latter’s many fault lines, in more ways than one, Pakistan will continue to needle India. Meanwhile, India must build on the atmosphere, among the people, for progress generated by the recent successful conduct of local elections in J&K.</span><br/><br/><span>A lesson from our ancient history, oft-forgotten, is the imperative of internal unity in the country. External challenges can be handled adequately when the nation retains internal cohesiveness. That most of India’s internal security challenges have an external dimension to it is well known and we thus need to factor in the linkages between the two to shape our response. Dealing with the situation in J&K, in Naxalism affected areas and the Northeast will require the correct amalgam between sound security measures and exhibiting compassion cum sensitivity to the local populace. In a democracy, legitimate protests are normal and thus governments at the Centre and states must not get unduly perturbed over these and deal with dissent sympathetically and not treat those who differ from the establishment’s views as anti-nationals.</span><br/><br/><span>India still, unfortunately, remains as one of the largest importers in the world of defence equipment. The Centre will have to make the DRDO and the many ordnance factories it has under its ambit far more accountable and effective. India has a vibrant private sector too with some having a reasonably good record in defence production. Giving the private sector a level playing field and an assurance of purchasing their output will give a fillip to indigenous defence production. In addition, the government must ensure that as it pays huge amounts to foreign military entrepreneurs while importing state-of-the art equipment, it must insist upon transfer of critical technologies, and ultimately production of the same platforms, weapons, ammunition, spares etc., within the country. With many security challenges confronting the nation, there is no alternative to indigenous defence production.</span></p> Time for #China to toughen up…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-09-26:1119293:Comment:3115112020-09-26T14:36:22.116ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p>Time for #China to toughen up on insincere #India. Will India fire the first shot? The Indian military, or some of its forces, are influenced by right-wing #Hindu nationalist organization RSS, which pervade all facets of Indian society. - Global Times <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1202139.shtml#.X29QeAkYz1o.twitter" target="_blank">https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1202139.shtml#.X29QeAkYz1o.twitter</a><br></br><br></br>Only three days after the sixth round of the China-India military…</p>
<p>Time for #China to toughen up on insincere #India. Will India fire the first shot? The Indian military, or some of its forces, are influenced by right-wing #Hindu nationalist organization RSS, which pervade all facets of Indian society. - Global Times <a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1202139.shtml#.X29QeAkYz1o.twitter" target="_blank">https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1202139.shtml#.X29QeAkYz1o.twitter</a><br/><br/>Only three days after the sixth round of the China-India military commander-level meeting on Monday with consensus reached by the two sides to cool rising border tensions, The Hindu quoted a "senior [Indian] government official" and suggested "If PLA (People's Liberation Army) comes close, Indian troops can fire." Such hype only embodies India is being a coward in a lion's skin.<br/><br/>The two countries agreed to stop sending more troops to the frontline in their latest talks. This is relatively in favor of India, because New Delhi has deployed far more troops to border areas than Beijing. In the latest conflict near the Pangong Tso Lake, Indian troops illegally crossed the border, and initially occupied some highlands. India is hoping it could maintain such an "advantage," and therefore wishes the PLA will not "come close."<br/><br/>Will India fire the first shot? The possibility cannot be ruled out. The Indian military, or some of its forces, are influenced by nationalist sentiment and the right-wing Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which pervade all facets of Indian society. It may be true that some people want to provoke a war.<br/><br/>India has always been calculating on its rhetoric. If the situation is favorable to India, it would advocate that disputes could be resolved by negotiations. This is what happened in early May. But after the skirmish on June 15, when India believed it suffered a loss, the country started to clamor for war. After India's aggression near the Pangong Tso Lake at the end of August, it wanted to talk to China again.<br/><br/>When India tends to believe it has some advantages, it would hope to negotiate with China and try to make China concede in talks. This is what is going on for the moment. New Delhi is playing the tactic - using its small leverage to maximize returns, wishing Beijing to make a compromise in the entire region of confrontation.<br/><br/>The attempt to occupy more strategic heights in border areas has been India's consistent goal, a tactic through which India tries to nibble into more border areas.<br/><br/>However, India has difficulties to confront. Its domestic epidemic crisis is rising. Although it has deployed large-scale troops in border areas, the country's logistics sector is facing huge challenges, especially as winter approaches.<br/><br/>Logistics supplies play a decisive role in modern warfare. China's ability to send troops, weapons and ammunition, as well as supplies to the border far outweighs that of India. If India dares to fire the first shot, it will have no chance to fire a second one.<br/><br/>China wants no war and used to see India as a "brother" in developing countries. China has been proactively promoting cooperation with India, both on the bilateral level and in multinational platforms. There was a time when China hoped it could jointly rise with India, in an attempt to realize the rejuvenation of the two ancient civilizations, even the rejuvenation of Asia.<br/><br/>But India does not think so. It is trying to shape a new global industrial chain without China. It wants to stand with the US against the rise of China, and has been observing China's emergence from a geopolitical lens, fearing China could one day become the dominant power in Asia.<br/><br/></p>
<p class="comment-timestamp"></p> #Pakistan is part of #China's…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-07-01:1119293:Comment:2750412020-07-01T05:27:55.492ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>#Pakistan is part of #China's strategic move. #Modi's policy became hostage to domestic #electoral considerations in #India soon after the new government took over in 2014 without realizing that peace in #Kashmir was in #Indian interest <a href="http://www.ecoti.in/asgUeY72" target="_blank">http://www.ecoti.in/asgUeY72</a> via @economictimes</span><br></br><br></br><span>As Sino-Indian relations nosedive and head for a possible confrontation, Pakistan is deriving vicarious pleasure at the way…</span></p>
<p><span>#Pakistan is part of #China's strategic move. #Modi's policy became hostage to domestic #electoral considerations in #India soon after the new government took over in 2014 without realizing that peace in #Kashmir was in #Indian interest <a href="http://www.ecoti.in/asgUeY72" target="_blank">http://www.ecoti.in/asgUeY72</a> via @economictimes</span><br/><br/><span>As Sino-Indian relations nosedive and head for a possible confrontation, Pakistan is deriving vicarious pleasure at the way China has applied a chokehold in Ladakh by occupying the Galwan Valley.</span><br/><br/><span>----</span><br/><br/><span>How will Pakistan help China in stepping up military pressure on India without getting directly involved? Is it not an opportune moment for Pakistan to avenge its dismemberment in 1971? The answers are simple.</span><br/><br/><span>Pakistan will synchronize its actions with that of China, on the border and within Jammu and Kashmir, to engage as many Indian troops as possible.</span><br/><br/><span>Pakistan will keep the Line of Control (LoC) alive by continued shelling and by stepping up infiltration. This will leave little scope for any possibility of thinning of troops from the border and from the anti-infiltration grid.</span><br/><br/><span>Unfortunately, relations with Pakistan became hostage to domestic electoral considerations in India soon after the new government took over in 2014. We did not realise that peace on the LoC was in our interest - which helped our troops lay effective ambushes on known infiltration routes without having to duck from cross-border shelling.</span><br/><br/><span>At the same time, Pakistan would like to keep the pot boiling within Jammu & Kashmir.In its assessment of the post-August 5, 2019 scenario in Kashmir, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) went awfully wrong on this count.</span><br/><br/><span>Pakistan PM Imran Khan claimed at the UN General Assembly on September 27, 2019, that Kashmiris will be “massacred” by Indian troops once restrictions are removed. Now, making a course correction, ISI has decided to take direct control of militancy and the separatist movement rather than operating through proxies.</span><br/><br/><span>Pakistan floated an umbrella terrorist organisation, ‘The Resistance Front’, and ensured that all major terror groups based on its soil, including Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, joined hands and operated under its command. It is being presented as a home-grown outfit resenting Indian “occupation” of Kashmir and the changes that took place on August 5 last year. Pakistan believes that it will help in better control of violence with complete deniability.</span><br/><br/><br/><span>Pakistan is also deeply disappointed by the failure of separatists in bringing people out on the streets for violent protests. Pakistan realised that all three leaders of the “Joint Resistance Leadership” are handicapped in doing so for different reasons. SAS Geelani, its best proxy in the Valley, is in extremely poor health. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is under house arrest and not strong enough to confront the government. Yasin Malik faces serious charges and is unlikely to be out early.</span><br/><br/><span>So, there is an urgent need to take control of the separatist movement even if it means ditching Geelani.</span><br/><br/><span>Geelani was outraged at the appointment of Mohammad Hussain Khatib, a low-level operative from Doda district of Jammu region, as convener of the PoK chapter of Hurriyat Conference. On June 28, he dissociated himself from the organisation and criticised Pakistan for turning this “freedom struggle” into a movement for its own benefit. He accused Pakistan of converting Kashmir into graveyard and Kashmiris in PoK as drug addicts/peddlers.</span><br/><br/><br/><span>---</span><br/><span>In the 1962 conflict with China, US president John F Kennedy not only supplied crucial military hardware to India, but also personally wrote to Pakistan president Ayub Khan to keep the border calm so that India can concentrate on China. Kennedy further pressed Ayub to send a personal message to Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that Pakistan would not make any moves on the ground.</span></p> After #India’s Skirmish With…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-06-30:1119293:Comment:2747562020-06-30T19:24:11.104ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>After #India’s Skirmish With #China, Is #Pakistan Next? Looking to reinvigorate support at home, #Modi could pick a fight with his country’s traditional enemy. #Kashmir #Ladakh #GalwanValley #kargil #Siachen #LAC #LOC <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/29/india-skirmish-china-modi-pick-fight-pakistan/" target="_blank">https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/29/india-skirmish-china-modi-pick-fight-pakistan/</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>So what exactly does the dust-up with China have to…</span></p>
<p><span>After #India’s Skirmish With #China, Is #Pakistan Next? Looking to reinvigorate support at home, #Modi could pick a fight with his country’s traditional enemy. #Kashmir #Ladakh #GalwanValley #kargil #Siachen #LAC #LOC <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/29/india-skirmish-china-modi-pick-fight-pakistan/" target="_blank">https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/29/india-skirmish-china-modi-pick-fight-pakistan/</a></span><br/><br/><span>So what exactly does the dust-up with China have to do with Pakistan’s relationship with India? In short, there are five reasons why this month’s Himalayan standoff increases the likelihood of a fresh India-Pakistan crisis.</span><br/><br/><span>First: India’s muted response to China in the aftermath of the Galwan Valley skirmish has raised difficult logistical questions and reputational concerns about New Delhi’s much-touted role as counterweight to ----</span><br/><br/><span>Yet hostile encounters with China in both 2017 and again this year have underscored for Indian policymakers the need to get along with Beijing if only to sustain a mutually feasible cohabitation; informal summits such as those in 2018 and 2019 were driven by this strategic necessity. In the aftermath of the most recent crisis, corps commander-level talks and diplomatic negotiations between Beijing and New Delhi mean India is likely to prioritize a minimum-working engagement with China over an unambiguous geopolitical rivalry that would come with fully partnering with the United States. Meanwhile, the political compulsion to demonstrate military capability—especially in the face of a conventional balance of forces that has shifted in China’s favor—may impel India to look elsewhere to offset suggestions of strategic impotency. If military capabilities drive policy choices, then the theater with Pakistan is a suitable foil for perceived Indian weaknesses compared to China.</span><br/><br/><span>Second, since coming to power in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has demonstrated both a willingness and a capability to deliver on nationalistic pledges at home, especially when his government’s ability to deliver on the economic front has hit snags. Although India has seen its GDP growth fall to its lowest rate in the last 11 years, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought to consolidate its political base by doubling down on its nationalistic pledges—from revoking the special status for Jammu and Kashmir (disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947) to building a Hindu temple to the god Ram on a disputed holy site where the Babri Masjid once stood.</span><br/><br/><span>Research shows that leaders looking to divert attention tend to target traditional enemies and enduring rivals (as conflict against such persistent adversaries is most likely to promote in-group solidarity), and diversionary conflicts are particularly likely to take the form of territorial disputes. Since the controversial measures in Kashmir last year, India’s politicians have systematically upped the bilateral ante with Pakistan by declaring intent to “secure” the Pakistani administrative areas of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. ----</span><br/><br/><span>Ordinarily, such statements might be put down to cheap talk—except, in this case, the BJP’s own track record of follow-through suggests these threats should be taken seriously. Operationally, the Indian Army has begun to set up artillery strikes deep into Kashmiri villages to launch long-distance fire into Pakistan-administered territory. In May, after months of deliberation, the India Meteorological Department began to list several areas on the Pakistani side of the border, in its own internal weather reports—an unprecedented development.</span><br/><br/><span>Third, while tempers and temperatures arguably cool on the Sino-Indian front, memories of a short but tense air duel between India and Pakistan last February are still fresh in both Islamabad and New Delhi. While Pakistan shot down an aging, Soviet-era Indian MiG-21 Bison and captured and returned an Indian pilot in the dogfight, India claimed it had downed a Pakistani F-16. The air duel over Kashmir quickly escalated into a war of narratives: Pakistan rejected India’s allegations and asserted it had lost no jets.</span></p> “In the long term, China’s up…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-06-27:1119293:Comment:2727392020-06-27T16:45:26.963ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>“In the long term, China’s upper hand militarily in the Ladakh region will make it easier for it to protect its CPEC assets in Pakistan-administered Kashmir if India ever decides to make a military incursion into that area" #China #India #Pakistan #CPEC…</span></p>
<p><span>“In the long term, China’s upper hand militarily in the Ladakh region will make it easier for it to protect its CPEC assets in Pakistan-administered Kashmir if India ever decides to make a military incursion into that area" #China #India #Pakistan #CPEC <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3090758/why-pakistan-big-factor-chinas-border-clashes-india?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=share_widget&utm_campaign=3090758" target="_blank">https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3090758/why-pakistan-big-factor-chinas-border-clashes-india?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=share_widget&utm_campaign=3090758</a></span><br/><br/><span>For China, there are big economic interests at stake.</span><br/><span>Pakistan-administered Kashmir is the site of key elements of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a series of infrastructure projects in Pakistan funded by Chinese bank loans. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called the CPEC a “flagship project” of China’s broader Belt and Road Initiative.</span><br/><span>India has been vocal about its opposition to the CPEC, with Modi using bilateral meetings at forums like the G20 and official state visits to China to tell Xi that the CPEC’s inclusion of Kashmir is a threat to India’s national sovereignty.</span><br/><span>Rakisits said that protecting CPEC was a top priority for China.</span><br/><span>“In the long term, China’s upper hand militarily in the Ladakh region will make it easier for it to protect its CPEC assets in Pakistan-administered Kashmir if India ever decides to make a military incursion into that area,” he said.</span><br/><span>And that has not gone unnoticed in India.</span><br/><span>“Indian forces responsible for manning the Line of Control with Pakistan have already been diverted to reinforce India’s border with China,” said Rajesh Rajagopalan, a professor of international politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.</span><br/><span>Rajagopalan said that with Pakistan and China flanking India-ruled Kashmir on either side, India had long been worried about the threat of a coordinated strategy between its two neighbours.</span><br/><span>“The Indian military has long had concerns about a Sino-Pakistan axis and the possibility of having to fight a two-front war,” he said.</span></p> Has #Coronavirus peaked in #P…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-06-25:1119293:Comment:2705102020-06-25T00:07:56.489ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>Has #Coronavirus peaked in #Pakistan? Cases fall for 5th straight day from peak of 6,895 last week to 3,892 in last 24 hours. Fatalities have also decreased significantly over recent days, falling to 60 on Wednesday from the record high of 153 on June 19. <a href="http://v.aa.com.tr/1888337" target="_blank">http://v.aa.com.tr/1888337</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>New coronavirus cases in Pakistan continued to decline for a fifth consecutive day on Wednesday, official data…</span></p>
<p><span>Has #Coronavirus peaked in #Pakistan? Cases fall for 5th straight day from peak of 6,895 last week to 3,892 in last 24 hours. Fatalities have also decreased significantly over recent days, falling to 60 on Wednesday from the record high of 153 on June 19. <a href="http://v.aa.com.tr/1888337" target="_blank">http://v.aa.com.tr/1888337</a></span><br/><br/><span>New coronavirus cases in Pakistan continued to decline for a fifth consecutive day on Wednesday, official data showed.</span><br/><br/><span>According to the Health Ministry, 3,892 cases were confirmed across the country over the past 24 hours, raising the overall count to 188,926.</span><br/><br/><span>The figure marked a fall of almost 3,000 from the record high of 6,895 reached slightly over a week ago on June 13.</span><br/><br/><span>It was also the fifth day of declining cases -- 6,604 on June 19, 4,951 on June 20, 4,471 on June 21, and 3,946 on June 22.</span><br/><br/><span>Fatalities have also decreased significantly over recent days, falling to 60 on Wednesday from the record high of 153 on June 19.</span><br/><br/><span>The death toll in the country now stands at 3,755, while recoveries increased by 4,283 to 77,75, raising the overall recovery ratio from 37% to 41.2%, according to the ministry's data.</span><br/><br/><span>Health experts also confirmed the improving numbers in the South Asian country of over 220 million, which has conducted over 1.15 million tests so far.</span><br/><br/><span>"Despite increased testing capacity, the numbers are slowly reducing and we at Khyber Medical University have also observed the declining trend," Arshad Javaid, the university's vice chancellor, told Anadolu Agency.</span><br/><br/><span>Asad Umar, a federal minister leading Pakistan's COVID-19 response, last week warned that infections could exceed one million by the end of July, if daily numbers continued to rise at the same rate.</span><br/><br/><span>However, on June 15, authorities identified hotspots in 20 big cities and enforced locality-based lockdowns -- which the government has dubbed "smart lockdowns" -- in the high-risk areas.</span><br/><br/><span>"The smart lockdown, apparently, has helped stem the spread of the virus to other areas," Dr. Mohammad Akram, a pulmonologist based in the capital Islamabad, said.</span><br/><br/><span>Earlier this month, the World Health Organization advised Pakistan to impose a two-week strict lockdown, declaring the country the second-most vulnerable to the pandemic after neighboring Afghanistan.</span><br/><br/><span>The recommendation came as infections skyrocketed when the government lifted its lockdown restrictions of varying strictness in late May, ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.</span><br/><br/><span>Prime Minister Imran Khan, however, rejected the UN body's suggestion, saying "smart lockdowns" were the only possible option for Pakistan because it "is a poor country … [with] no choice but to reopen."</span></p> China: leading trade partner;…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-06-21:1119293:Comment:2676072020-06-21T00:21:35.043ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p>China: leading trade partner; contribute to 18 percent of India’s imports</p>
<p><br></br><a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/moneycontrol-research/how-dependent-is-india-on-china-here-is-what-trade-data-reveals-5346201.html" target="_blank">https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/moneycontrol-research/how-dependent-is-india-on-china-here-is-what-trade-data-reveals-5346201.html</a></p>
<p>(India's) Import dependency on China for a range of raw materials (APIs, basic chemicals,…</p>
<p>China: leading trade partner; contribute to 18 percent of India’s imports</p>
<p><br/><a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/moneycontrol-research/how-dependent-is-india-on-china-here-is-what-trade-data-reveals-5346201.html" target="_blank">https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/moneycontrol-research/how-dependent-is-india-on-china-here-is-what-trade-data-reveals-5346201.html</a></p>
<p>(India's) Import dependency on China for a range of raw materials (APIs, basic chemicals, agro-intermediates) and critical components (Auto, Durables, Capital goods) is skewed. To give a flavour, out of the respective imports, 20 percent of the auto components and 70 percent of electronic components come from China. Similarly, 45 percent of consumer durables, 70 percent of APIs and 40 percent of leather goods imported are from China.</p>
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<p>Trade figures suggest that India is the biggest importer of Chinese consumer goods. India imports almost seven times more from China than it exports to it. India has huge trade deficit with China – its largest with any country. In 2018-19, India’s exports to China were mere $16.7 billion, while imports were $70.3 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $53.6 billion.</p>
<p>It needs to be acknowledged that China’s exports to India account for only 2% of its total exports, so even if Indians boycott all the goods imported from China, it will not make as big an impact on China. Data also suggests that China is India’s largest trading partner, but the trade is heavily skewed in favour of China. Thus initiating a trade war when Indian manufacturing ability is limited is not going to favour India.</p>
<p><br/><a href="https://thewire.in/trade/china-goods-boycott-atmanirbhar-bharat" target="_blank">https://thewire.in/trade/china-goods-boycott-atmanirbhar-bharat</a></p> Most of #India’s #startups re…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-06-20:1119293:Comment:2667862020-06-20T02:11:35.316ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p>Most of #India’s #startups rely on #Chinese #vc money. What will happen to them if #BoycottChina succeeds??? #Modi #BJP #Ladakh #Galvan</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/haqsmusings/status/1274151496012029953?s=20" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/haqsmusings/status/1274151496012029953?s=20…</a></p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/6128905282?profile=original" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/6128905282?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>Most of #India’s #startups rely on #Chinese #vc money. What will happen to them if #BoycottChina succeeds??? #Modi #BJP #Ladakh #Galvan</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/haqsmusings/status/1274151496012029953?s=20" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/haqsmusings/status/1274151496012029953?s=20</a></p>
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<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/6128905282?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/6128905282?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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