Pakistan, as expected, has escaped being blacklisted by FATF but this is not a defeat for India. New Delhi’s efforts have ensured strong and sustained pressure on Islamabad to stop supporting terrorists. It should continue through the next FATF February deadline and beyond to keep Pakistan on a tight leash.
NRC coordinator Hajela’s transfer due to ‘threat to life’ shows how process got vitiated
NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela’s transfer out of Assam due to a ‘threat to his life’ shows how messy the final list has become. The process — meant to assuage the fears of indigenous Assamese — got deeply vitiated. But Hajela must be commended for keeping the NRC process professional and apolitical.
Modi govt probing e-commerce firms for festive discount sales is blatantly anti-consumer
Modi government is wrong to attack e-commerce companies for discount sales in festival season in the name of predatory pricing. This is blatantly anti-consumer. It harks back to the dark years of administered prices and controls. It’s a sign of self-destructive mercantilism, and will set reform process back yet again.
How does even a question arise about whether it is a defeat? It’s a victory no matter how you look at it. Pakistan needs three countries to prevent being blacklisted and so it remains grey listed. That’s where it will remain for a long time and pay the economic price for it.
Actually Pakistan has never been made to pay for its deviant behaviour. Imagine if Osama was found in Iran. Those who think Pakistan can be taught moderation have no understanding of strategic issues, and no sense of history. They are foolishly sentimental, and suffer from biased sensibilities, while conveniently forgetting 26/11.
Pakistan has never paid a price commensurate to the crimes. However, that doesn’t mean that they haven’t paid any price. The greatest genocide of the 20th century after WW2 remains unpunished. They did loose half the country in that process. After the partition, some of the most prosperous areas of India went to Pakistan and, as a result, the per-capita income of Pakistan was far higher. Today they lag far behind India in per-capita and the gap continues to increase. They are also bankrupt and have to go begging every year. We all need to keep a perspective. Yes, Pakistan has not been punished like Nazis were but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t paid a price.
Pakistan needs to become – and be viewed by the rest of the world – as a responsible nation state, working diligently to improve the lives of its 213 million citizens, amongst the poorest in the world. The CPEC offers it a chance to move to a higher economic plane. It can earn credit and goodwill for contributing to enduring peace in Afghanistan. Perhaps help reduce tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Placing it on the black list helps no one. Countries that wish it well should help secure moderation in its behaviour. An effort could be made to revive SAARC, create a more productive regional grouping.
An earlier intervention against the e commerce giants strained relations with the United States, may have been one of the triggers for withdrawal of USP benefits. One understands sympathy for small retailers. However, blunt government intervention will run counter to efforts make India a favoured destination for global businesses.
Very difficult to judge what the NRC exercise will achieve in Assam. The only thing that can be said with certainty is that it should not be replicated nationwide. That would unsettle social harmony at a time when the country will need to deal constructively with whatever emerges from the Ayodhya verdict.