[ NATIONAL ]

Russia in the room: Tough talk expected at first India-US 2+2 under Biden amid Ukraine war

The first meeting of the high-profile 2+2 ministers between India and the US under the Biden administration is set to be held in Washington Apr 11-12, and the expectation is it is unlikely to be a smooth affair like its previous versions. The meeting between the ministers of the two countries is being held under the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war, and New Delhi and Washington are not entirely on the same page in their response to Moscow’s aggression. India and US staring at a laundry list of items to enhance strategic & defense ties, but differences over Russia’s Ukraine invasion may overshadow the main agenda in next week’s talks.

UN General Assembly suspends Russia from Human Rights Council; India abstains

India and 57 other countries on Thu abstained in the UNGA on a vote concerning the suspension of Russia from the Human Rights Council. The resolution was adopted by the UNGA with 93 were in favor and 24 countries against it. The US-initiated resolution expressed “grave concern at the ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, particularly at the reports of violations and abuses of human rights” [who validated the reports?]. In UNGA, India said that since the inception of the Ukrainian conflict, India has stood for peace, dialogue, and diplomacy. Added to this, the impact of the crisis has also been felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. He said recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing. India has been at the forefront of protecting HR, right from the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In P5 only China supported Russia. Russia has warned countries at the UN that a yes vote or abstention on a U.S. push will be viewed as an “unfriendly gesture” with consequences for bilateral ties, according to a note seen by Reuters on Wed [how does it matter: 58+24=82].

Russia admits ‘significant’ troop losses in the Ukraine conflict

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov briefly admitted that Russia had suffered a “significant” loss of its troops in Ukraine, calling the casualties “a huge tragedy” for the country in an interview with Sky News.

Fuel pumps may go dry in Sri Lanka by end-April as India’s credit line ends

Sri Lanka is expected to exhaust $500 million in fuel aid provided by India to mitigate the island nation’s power crisis with the delivery of 120K tons of diesel and 40K tons of petrol over the next two weeks. India is scheduled to send three 40K ton-shipments of diesel on Apr 15, 18, and 23, with a petrol shipment of the same quantity to be sent on April 22. India on Wed sent two more fuel consignments to Sri Lanka – 36K tons of petrol and 40K tons of diesel. So far India has delivered 270K tonnes of fuel to Sri Lanka under its neighborhood first policy to help it overcome its worst economic crisis in decades. Plummeting reserves of foreign currency – down from $2.31 billion in Feb to $1.93 in Mar – have left Sri Lanka with no immediate way of paying off billions in foreign debts or for essentials like food and fuel, prompting massive protests. The $500 million lines of credit for fuel provided by India are in addition to the $2.5 billion provided for the purchase of other essentials, like food and medicines.

Bangladesh Minister warns construction company over slow progress of Agartala-Akhaura railway project

Annoyed by the slow progress of the ambitious Agartala-Akhaura railway project on the Bangladesh side, Bangladesh Railway Minister Mohammad Nurul Islam Sujon on Thu issued a terse warning to the assigned construction company, which asked the company to finish the remaining works within Dec 2022, failure of which the company could face dire consequences. The minister was accompanied by the envoy along with other officials. They arrived in the Akhaura area of Bangladesh just a few km away from Agartala, the capital city of Tripura. The 15.6 km long railway path is considered to be a strategic railway link between the North East region and Bangladesh, in which 5.46 km falls in the Indian territory which is almost complete while the rest of the 10 km falls in Bangladesh.

DRDO conducts successful flight test of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet

Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Fri successfully tested the flight trial of the Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) booster from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) Chandipur off the Odisha coast. “The test has successfully demonstrated the reliable functioning of all critical components involved in the complex missile system and met all the mission objectives,” the DRDO said in a release. The SFDR-based propulsion enables the missile to intercept aerial threats at very long range at supersonic speeds.

Indian Army to incorporate lessons from Russia-Ukraine armored war in its battle tank design

ANI-Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the Indian Army is going to incorporate the lessons of the conflict in the design of its futuristic main battle tank. In the conflict, reports from the war zone have suggested that the Ukrainians have extensively used anti-tank guided missiles to exploit the weakness of the Russian armored vehicles and achieved significant success too. India’s c bank holds rates but starts to rein in loose policy as inflation risks rise

The Reserve Bank of India kept its key lending rate at a record low on Fri, as expected, but said it will turn its focus to battling inflation as the Russia-Ukraine crisis pushes crucial commodity prices to near-record highs. In a surprise move, the central bank also said it would restore a liquidity adjustment tool to pre-crisis levels, which was seen as a first step to moving away from the ultra-loose monetary policy embraced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The RBI’s monetary policy committee held the lending rate, or the repo rate, at 4%. The reverse repo rate, or the key borrowing rate, was also kept unchanged at 3.35%.

The number of Indian students in the US rose by 12%, from China dropped by 8%

The number of Indian students in the United States increased by over 12% in 2021, while those from China, which accounts for the largest number, dropped by more than 8%, according to an official report. Overall, China continues to top the list of countries sending 348,992 students to the US.

Days after Chinese FM visit, top Tibetan official meets Indian MPs, Taiwan envoy in Delhi

WION-The Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in exile Mrs. Dolma Tsering Teykhang has met over 30 Indian Parliamentarians or MPs and Taiwan’s ambassador to India in a high-level engagement starting April 4. The meeting comes days after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi was on an India visit. Mrs. Dolma Tsering said the focus of her visit was to, “appraise them about the critical human rights situation inside Tibet and another thing is culture and religion situation in Tibet is getting extinct in its birthplace” and also “environment situation inside the Tibetan plateau“. The top Tibetan official had met MPs from all major national parties of India–BJP, AAP, and Congress with a large number of MPs from India’s northeast.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Pakistan’s Khan vows to fight on after court rules against him

Reuters- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan is due to address the nation on Fri after the Supreme Court ruled he acted unconstitutionally in blocking an attempt to oust him – a decision that could end his premiership in days. Last Sun, political allies of Khan star dissolved parliament to thwart an opposition no-confidence vote Khan had been expected to lose after coalition partners deserted him to rob him of a majority. The Court ruled late on Thu that Khan’s maneuver was unconstitutional, ordering that parliament be reconvened by Sat and for the no-confidence motion to go ahead as planned.  The court ruling is the latest twist in a crisis that has threatened political and economic stability in the nuclear-armed country of 22 cr people, with the rupee hitting all-time lows ($1=PKR 188) on Thu and foreign exchange reserves tumbling.

The LCCI urged the SBP to take immediate steps to curb the sharp of the dollar

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) urged the State Bank of Pakistan to take immediate steps to curb the sharp rise in the value of the dollar. In a statement, Lahore Chamber President Mian Noman Kabir said that the interbank dollar rate was sounding alarm bells, adding that the SBP would have to take immediate action to avert the economic crisis. Debt increased automatically, imports of essential raw materials were affected, inflation rose and consumer purchasing power declined. He said that no one, including industry, trade, and agriculture, was safe from the negative effects of the sharp rise in the value of the dollar. Pakistan had to import oil, fertilizers, foodstuffs, machinery, and industrial raw materials to meet its needs. Due to the rise in dollars, all these items became expensive. (Nawai Waqt)

China Urges All Parties In Pakistan To Uphold Stability

China says all parties in Pakistan could stay united and uphold national development and stability. This was stated by Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian while responding to a question during a briefing in Beijing about the current political situation in Pakistan. Zhao Lijian said China always followed the principle of non-interference in other countries domestic affairs, Radio Pakistan reported Wed. Terming China and Pakistan as all-weather strategic cooperative partners, Lijian said China and Pakistan relations will always stand unbreakable and rock firm. He expressed hope that China-Pakistan’s overall cooperation and CPEC construction will not be affected by the political situation in Pakistan.

Mainland China shipbuilding for Taiwanese firm likely aiding PLA Navy build-up, says US think tank

Contracts between mainland China’s top state-owned shipbuilding firm and Taiwan’s leading shipping company are likely to be lowering the costs of upgrading the PLA Navy, posing security concerns for the island claimed by Beijing, the US think tank said on Thu. China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) is a key producer of vessels for Beijing’s rapidly expanding People’s Liberation Army Navy and is thought to be building its third aircraft carrier. Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp has bought 44 vessels from mainland China since 2018, all but two of which were ordered from shipyards that produce Chinese warships, including CSSC, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report.

Sri Lanka opposition threatens no-confidence motion, industry warns of ‘precipice’, article with image

Reuters -Sri Lanka’s main opposition party on Fri asked the government to resolve an economic crisis or face a no-confidence motion, as leaders of businesses from garments to tea and other industries warned that exports could fall up to 30% this year.

Myanmar’s deputy central bank governor shot and hospitalized -media

Reuters -A deputy governor at Myanmar’s central bank has been shot in an attack at her home in the Southeast Asian country’s biggest city of Yangon and is being treated at a military hospital, media reports said.

China plans to extend Belt and Road Initiative in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Live News – To spread its strategic design in the Indian sub-continent, China is moving to enter Bangladeshi infrastructure development through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Beijing has proposed a highway network plan for Bangladesh, which would be the guiding document for future investment in the Bangladeshi road sector. The Chinese govt would provide grant assistance of USD 1.13 million for this project from the grant assistance fund stipulated in the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement signed by the two sides in 2016. However, despite China’s keenness to make inroads in Bangladeshi infrastructure development and rope in the country in the BRI, no official commitment is learned to have been made by Dhaka in this regard.

China forays into Afghanistan eyeing its lithium reserves

ANI-While the whole world is focussing on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, China is eyeing the minerals of the war-torn country which has reserves of untapped lithium minerals. Last year in Nov, 5 Chinese businesses were granted special visas and arrived in Afghanistan to inspect the possible lithium projects, according to Hong Kong Post citing Ariana News. Lithium is one of the several minerals that were unexplored in Afghanistan, owing primarily to years of political instability and a lack of infrastructure. A Chinese business company obtained the rights to the world’s largest copper deposits in Afghanistan’s Aynak region more than a decade ago but has not yet started the operation in the region, Hong Kong Post reported. Esmatullah Burhan, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) leadership, reviewed the Mes Aynak copper project deal and said that the mining in Mes Aynak in Logar province will start shortly. The publication believes that Beijing can give the political recognition and the economic investment to Afghanistan that they were desperately looking for. On the other hand, China is looking for access to the USD 1 trillion in underdeveloped mineral reserves.

US military chief ‘wants to make it clear to Beijing how hard it would be to take Taiwan’

SCMP-The best way the US can help Taiwan defend itself against an attack from mainland China is to let Beijing know how difficult it would be to take the island, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley has said. Milley told a Senate armed services committee hearing on the Pentagon’s budget request for the 2023 fiscal year that there would be no problem in helping Taiwan deter potential attacks, adding that the US needed to do so. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, passed after Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979, the US is required to help the island defend itself. “ We can certainly help them, as is being done in Ukraine, for example, and a lot of lessons are coming out that China is taking seriously,” he said when asked by Senator, what the Department of Defence could do to help Taiwan deter the People’s Liberation Army. Milley said it would be difficult to conduct amphibious assaults and airborne landings across the Taiwan Strait and in mountainous terrain. But he stressed the best deterrence was to “make sure the Chinese know it is a very difficult objective to take”. Last year Milley told the Aspen Security Forum in Washington that the US military “absolutely” could defend Taiwan. The Defence Department’s budget request of US$733 billion identifies China as the key strategic competitor, the threat from Russia and others and aims to modernize the department.

Russia in the room: Tough talk expected at first India-US 2+2 under Biden amid Ukraine war

ThePrint- The first meeting of the high-profile 2+2 ministers between India and the US under the Biden administration is set to be held in Washington on Apr 11, and the expectation is it is unlikely to be a smooth affair like its previous versions. The meeting between the ministers of the two countries is being held under the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war, and New Delhi and Washington are not entirely on the same page in this regard.

The 2+2 meeting will take place in Washington between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with their American counterparts, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

• (Source)-While negotiating bilateral issues is expected to be easy, differences over Russia could lead to some awkwardness at the table.
• So far, there have been 3 rounds of the annual 2+2 talks between New Delhi and Washington
• The last round was held in Oct 2020 in New Delhi, under the erstwhile Trump administration.
• (Sources)- India and the US made several attempts to hold the 2+2 talks after Biden about 13 months back but the talk was delayed due to other issues.
• Delay in the appointment of a new US ambassador to India also pushed back the 2+2 ministerial talks — a key strategic dialogue between India and US — by more than a year.
• The talks are finally happening at a time when “rigid and wide differences” have emerged between both countries over the Ukraine war.
• The US continues to push New Delhi to not just call out Russia, but also stop doing business with Moscow.

Main talking points

(sources)- During the talks, the US is also likely to attempt to apprise India of how hard the economic sanctions on Moscow are going to be, making Russia completely incapable.

• India, meanwhile, will seek to secure assurances from the US under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act on the purchase of S-400 missile systems from Russia.
• On Tue, addressing yet another session at the UNSC on Ukraine — which took place after the alleged massacre in Bucha came to light —called it “deeply disturbing” and once again avoided openly criticizing Russia.
• In the past month, India has witnessed a series of visits from European countries rushing to meet the NSA and EAM, to understand and assess India’s stance.
• India has insisted on dialogue and diplomacy as the only way forward in the Russia-Ukraine war, which has entered its second month.
• The war is believed to have killed hundreds of civilians while forcing over 10 million Ukrainians to live the life of refugees.
• Delhi has abstained from UN votes against Russia in light of the conflict, including one on Thu regarding a resolution that called for suspending Russia from the UNHRC.
• In an explanation “India has abstained on the resolution concerning the suspension of Russia from the UNHRC adopted in the General Assembly today”.
• “We do so for reasons of both substance and process,” it is added.

Making a rushed visit to India late last month, US Deputy NSA for International Economics, warned India against enhancing business ties with Moscow, be it about purchasing arms or discounted Russian oil.

• The White House also assured India of help in lessening its dependence on the Kremlin.
• (sources)- The Biden administration has made it clear to India that it is against any kind of trading arrangement between India and Russia.
• Doing business with each other in the two countries’ national currencies is something that Russian FM strongly advocated during his visit to India on 1 April.

‘Easy discussions and difficult discussions’

Michael Kugelman of the Washington-based Wilson Center said there “will be easy discussions [building out the security partnership]and difficult discussions [over Russia]” at this 2+2.

Richard M. Rossow, Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the “US-India 2+2 has been a long time coming”.

Jaishankar slams Western critics on Ukraine

Last week, addressing a seminar with UK Foreign Secy, who sought to offer another “diplomatic push” to India to call out Russia, Jaishankar said a “campaign” of sorts is being run against New Delhi to change its stance on Moscow.

Announcing the 2+2 talks Thu, the Ministry of External Affairs said both sides will discuss issues related to foreign policy, defense, and security.

During the visit, he added, Jaishankar will also be meeting his counterpart separately, besides other senior members of the Biden administration.

MEA says political coloring shouldn’t be attributed to India-Russia trade

Talking about the US statements, threatening India with ‘consequences’ for continuing trade relations with Russia, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thu said that the country is very open about its special economic relationship with the Russians and that it shouldn’t be assigned a ‘political coloring’.

On being asked about the remarks by US Deputy NSA, he said, “No pressure.. trade continues, oil..our focus is established economic ties with Russia is maintained and stabilized….We have a strong, robust, diversified relationship with the US, and the 2+2 is happening in that context.”

Notably, the US itself has increased its oil imports from Russia over the past few weeks by as much as 43%, reaching 100,000 barrels/day.

The US likely to push for more defense deals, reduction in tariffs

With the US imposing unprecedented sanctions on Moscow, it will try to hard-sell its weaponry to India, including Boeing’s F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet for the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers, and also the procurement of 30 armed MQ9B drones from General Atomics.

• (sources)- The US intends to transform India’s defense platform from Russian to American, even as it continues to consider India as its “major defense partner”.
• On two-way trade, the US continues to push India for lowering tariffs across the board, while urging a level-playing field for American firms doing business in India.

Indian Army to incorporate lessons from the Russia-Ukraine armored war in its battle tank design

ANI-Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the Indian Army is going to incorporate the lessons of the conflict in the design of its futuristic main battle tank.

In the conflict, reports from the war zone have suggested that the Ukrainians have extensively used anti-tank guided missiles to exploit the weakness of the Russian armored vehicles and achieved significant success too.

The inputs are being analyzed and the lessons would be incorporated into the design of the futuristic main battle tanks that would be produced and used by the Indian Army in coming years (source).

• The Indian Army has been one of the biggest users of Russian armor including the T-90, T-72, and BMP-series infantry combat vehicles which are the mainstay of the force.
• The Indian Army earlier used to deploy these tanks only along the desert and plain borders with Pakistan.
• However, they have now become the face of Indian resolve along the China border too as large numbers are deployed therefrom Ladakh to Sikkim.

In the Russia-Ukraine war going on for around 46 days now, many European and North American nations are supplying anti-tank and anti-aircraft equipment such as the Carl Gustaf anti-tank rocket launchers, NLAWs and AT-4s.

• Officials familiar with the armored operations said the design of the tanks is at least 3-4 decades old but the anti-tank missiles and rockets have been designed as per the latest requirements.
• The Indian designers would attempt to offset that advance in the futuristic main battle tanks that would be built some years from now, they said.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Political Crisis in Pakistan: Supreme Court restores National Assembly, orders no-confidence vote to be held on Sat

The Supreme Court on Thu set aside the deputy speaker’s ruling to dismiss the no-trust resolution against Prime Minister Imran and the subsequent dissolution of the NA by the president on the PM’s advice, with all five judges unanimously voting 5-0 against it.

• The court, in its short order, ruled that the deputy speaker’s ruling was “contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect, and the same are hereby set aside”.
• The SC ruled that President’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly was also “contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect”.
• Noting that the PM could not have advised the president to dissolve the assembly as he continues to remain under the bar imposed by the Constitution.
• The court’s verdict restored the PM and his cabinet in their position.

Court orders NA session to be held on Sat

• The SC ordered for the session of the NA to reconvene on Sat no later than 10:30 am saying that the session cannot be prorogued without the conclusion of the no-trust motion.
• The verdict said that the government could not interfere in the participation of any MNA in the assembly session.

Order to have no impact on Article 63 case proceedings

The court stated that the current order would not impact the proceedings under Article 63 of the Constitution.

‘Victory for democracy’: Opposition rejoices SC verdict-Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif while talking to the media after the verdict, said the court had “definitely fulfilled the people’s expectations”.

Security beefed up at SC ahead of the verdict

• The verdict was to be announced at 7:30 pm but it was subject to an hour’s delay.
• In anticipation of the verdict, security was beefed up at the SC premises with television footage showing riot police deployed outside the apex court.
• Ahead of the verdict, the Supreme Court summoned Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, who arrived at the court with the watchdog’s legal team.

Clear that deputy speaker’s ruling is erroneous: CJP

Earlier, during the hearing, CJP Bandial said that it was clear that the April 3 ruling of National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, which dismissed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, was erroneous.

Restore NA, Shehbaz urges SC

• Right before the bench reserved the verdict, opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif was given the rostrum.
• At that point, CJP Bandial referred to the situation in Sri Lanka and said that the country didn’t even have money for electricity and other basic facilities.

Mainland China shipbuilding for Taiwanese firm likely aiding PLA Navy build-up, says the US think tank

Contracts between mainland China’s top state-owned shipbuilding firm and Taiwan’s leading shipping company are likely to be lowering the costs of upgrading the PLA Navy, posing security concerns for the island claimed by Beijing, the US think tank said on Thu. China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC) is a key producer of vessels for Beijing’s rapidly expanding People’s Liberation Army Navy and is thought to be building its 3^rd aircraft carrier.

Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine Corp has bought 44 vessels from China since 2018, all but 2 of which were ordered from shipyards that produce Chinese warships, including CSSC, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report.

The Washington-based think tank said foreign companies, including US allies such as France, also bought ships from CSSC, which the US has placed on an investment blacklist.

CSIS said while there was limited transparency on the flow of foreign capital in mainland China’s shipbuilding industry, “available evidence indicates that profits from foreign orders are likely lowering the costs of upgrading China’s navy”.

• CSIS called the foreign contracts “a tangible threat to national security” for some democracies in the region and said companies should consider US allies as alternative shipbuilding partners.
• Self-governed Taiwan has complained about increased military pressure by Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
• The study through commercial satellite imagery from Feb 2022 shows at least 3 Evergreen hulls under construction near Beijing’s newest aircraft carrier in Shanghai.
• Evergreen vessels have also been docked next to PLA navy cruisers and destroyers, it said.
• The imagery “suggests there is direct sharing of resources between military and civilian operations at China’s key shipyards,” CSIS said.
• The window for possible PLA attack on Taiwan ‘unpredictable’, US admiral says
• Mainland China already has the world’s largest navy, with a greater number of warships and submarines than the US.
• Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.